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Las Vegas • Maybe the venue - which has hosted Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao - helped Larry Krystkowiak craft the boxing analogies as he recapped his team's 59-46 victory over UNLV on Saturday night.
He talked about playing ugly. He talked about getting in well-timed punches.
But the most important battle had little to do with the physicality as No. 14-ranked Utah (8-2) rolled to another non-conference conquest: The difference, it appeared, was mental.
The Utes played another regrettable first half, hurting for easy shots against the Runnin' Rebels' paint presence. Chris Wood and Goodluck Okonoboh, both 6-foot-10 swatters, had their way in the lane against Jakob Poeltl, Dallin Bachynski and anyone else who dared try them. Utah didn't score its first point in the paint until there was one minute left in the half.
Then, the adjustments: smarter offense, more patience. Inside passes that had been fumbled away in the first half now were being finished at the rim. The Utes shot nearly twice as well after halftime.
On the other end, it was chaos for UNLV which threw up shots galore but rarely hit. Utah also seemed to be lodged in the Rebels' passing lanes, as Brandon Taylor got six steals, and Delon Wright got four.
It wasn't a boxing match as much as a chess game. Checkmate.
"Just locking in," Wright said. "We followed the game plan coach wanted us to do, and we did our jobs."
The Utes won't face many teams as young as UNLV, which has at least four freshmen in significant roles, but mental strength was a notable advantage on Saturday night. Utah didn't always play the cleanest, but by the time they hit their stride, they blew the Rebels away.
There were defined plans, how to beat UNLV on both sides. One worked fine all night on defense. The other took a little longer, in part because the Utes couldn't slow down on offense. Once that happened, Krystkowiak said, things went a lot smoother. Forcing UNLV to defend for a full play clock wasn't a winning proposition for the Rebels.
Longer possessions resulted in better shots, for the most part. When a reporter asked Taylor how the team handled offensive stagnancy, he seemed confused.
"I didn't think the offense was stalled to be honest with you," he said. "I thought we did a good job working on the end of shot clock situations. I thought we did a good job of getting in our sets."
Utah's main problem has been digging a hole in the first place. They've trailed each of their last four opponents either at halftime or - in Saturday's case - a split-second before halftime. It's something to be concerned about headed into Pac-12 play in less than two weeks.
But in the second halves, when Utah has either won or pushed Kansas to the very brink, adjustments and focus have shined through. There was a point in the second half with six and a half minutes left when players in UNLV's huddle were frustrated, even upset. Utah's broke with smiles all around. The game was not yet over, but the gap in confidence was unmistakable.
Krystkowiak likes to think his team is ready for that situation.
"If you've been to our practices, we demand a lot mentally," he said. "It's a basketball class. With preparation, I don't think it may be like some places where you go roll out the balls. Our guys are learning the game. We expect a lot out of them."
Twitter: @kylegoon -
Utah's defense at a premium
O The Runnin' Utes are ranked in the top 25 in several defensive categories:
• Blocked shots per game — No. 14, 6 bpg
• Field goal percentage defense — No. 13, 36 percent
• Scoring defense — No. 23, 56.8 ppg