(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes forward Tyler Rawson (21) blocks the shot of Arizona State Sun Devils guard Tra Holder (0)during the Utah Utes versus Arizona State Sun Devils at the Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City Sunday January 7, 2018.
Freshman forward Donnie Tillman’s return to the Utes lineup was short-lived as he sat out Sunday evening’s game against Arizona State.
A 6-foot-7, 225-pound energizer off the bench for Utah, Tillman played on Thursday for the first time since Dec. 9. He’d missed four games with a sprained foot after getting his collegiate career off to a stellar start.
Tillman played just 19 minutes against Arizona on Thursday and scored six points with six rebounds off the bench. Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak said after the game that he couldn’t play Tillman extended minutes in that game because of him coming off of the foot injury.
“I’m glad to have him back,” Krystkowiak said after Thursday’s game. “I hope his foot stays out of the picture and he’s able to continue building. His best basketball is ahead of him.”
Through his first nine games, Tillman averaged 10.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Tillman has been one of the team’s leaders in rebounds this season, and rebounding has been an issue of late for the Utes. They gave up 23 second-chance points in the loss to Arizona, and pulled down half as many rebounds as their opponent.
Esteemed visitors
The Sun Devils came into Sunday ranked No. 4 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll. The game marked the third time in the past five seasons that a team ranked fifth or higher has played the Utes in Salt Lake City. The Utes came into the day having gone 10-34 all-time against top-five teams (5-4 at home).
The Utes lost their previous two games against top-five teams at home against No. 4 UCLA last season and No. 4 Arizona on Feb. 19, 2014.
Reprimanded
The Pac-12 Conference gave Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley the equivalent of a public slap on the wrist on Friday. The conference announced Hurley had been “reprimanded” for comments critical of officials following Thursday night’s loss at Colorado. Hurley was outspoken about a questionable call that fouled out forward Mickey Mitchell.
“The Pac-12 membership has established rules that prohibit our coaches from publicly commenting about officiating,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a release from the conference. “We have an obligation to our members to enforce approved Conference rules. As a part of our officiating program, there is a protocol in place for our coaches to provide feedback directly to the coordinator of officials.”
The Sun Devils were called for 14 first-half fouls on Sunday.
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