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Pullman, Wash. • Before road trips like the one the Utes are undertaking this weekend, coaches like to talk about what stays the same.
The court is the same size. The hoop is the same height. Theoretically, it should all be familiar, even if the surroundings are different. It's the same game, right?
It is, but it isn't. It often isn't even the same basketball, because schools tend to use different brands. And whether it's a detail that subtle or something more overt — say a screaming crowd of opposing fans — it's indisputable that No. 13-ranked Utah (22-6, 12-4) doesn't play as well away from the Huntsman Center.
The home court where Utah is 16-1 has been quite kind this year. Everywhere else, not so much.
"Teams are tough, crowds are tough on the road in the Pac-12," Delon Wright said. "We just haven't been able to get over that hump."
It's quite a hump: Since the Utes joined the Pac-12, they haven't swept a two-game conference road trip. Let that sink in a minute.
The Utes are well aware of the streak, and are seeking to end it when they visit Washington State and Washington this weekend. But they'll have to reverse some pretty deep-seeded trends.
Going 5-5 on the road this season, Utah is shooting worse than its season average (48.8 percent to 45.7 percent), is dramatically less effective from the 3-point line (40 percent to 34.7 percent), and turns the ball over more (11.1 to 12.6). Six of Utah's seven worst shooting performances have come on the road, as well as five of Utah's seven worst turnover games.
It's even easy to see on an individual level. Wright's shooting percentage drops 10 percentage points from his season average, and his assist-to-turnover ration is nearly cut in half when on the road. Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge both see their shooting percentages drop, especially behind the arc.
While nine Utes are shooting 48 percent or better in home games, only three have bettered that mark away from the Huntsman Center.
There has been a great deal of discussion in the program how the team can turn that around ahead of a full slate of games on unfamiliar courts. Last Saturday, they were on the wrong side of an Arizona team that was able to come into hostile territory — the Huntsman Center — and win a tough one. They would like to do the same thing themselves at WSU and Washington.
"It's their home court, their fans, their basketballs, all of that," Taylor said. "But it's the great teams that can go into a house or environment and really withstand those problems."
Larry Krystkowiak said his squad hasn't lacked for energy on the road this season, aside from maybe a loss at UCLA, but there have been issues with focus. Utah struggles to set its tone.
The loss at Oregon may be the perfect example of the imperfect road game: The Utes turned the ball over in the first half. In the second half, they turned it over only three times, but couldn't hit shots. In some road games it seems as soon as Utah uproots one problem, another springs up.
Of course the Utes have had their fair share of road blowouts, too — yawners at USC, Arizona State and Colorado spring to mind — but for some reason haven't been able to string two of those dominating performances together. In Pullman and Seattle this weekend, the Utes hope they can figure out how to do it.
"The guys understand we need to play better on the road," Wright said. "It takes a good team to play their game every game."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 13 Utah at Washington State
At Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Wash.
Tipoff • Thursday, 9 p.m. MT
TV • ESPNU
Radio • ESPN 700 AM
Records • Utah (22-6, 12-4); WSU (12-16, 6-10)
Series history • Utah leads, 16-4
Last meeting • Jan. 21, 2015 at Utah; Utah 86, WSU 64
About the Utes • Brandon Taylor leads the Pac-12 with 2.7 3-pointers per game, and his 47.8 percentage behind the arc ranks third. … Jakob Poeltl is on pace to set the mark for FG percentage by a freshman, shooting 67.1 percent - well above the 58.8 percent record. … Utah leads the league in several shooting categories, including 2-point FG percentage (53.3 percent) and 3-point FG percentage (40.0 percent).
About the Cougars • Washington State has lost its past two meetings with Utah, but has won its past two meetings with the Utes in Beasley Coliseum. … The Cougars have lost six straight games to ranked opponents dating to 2013. … DaVonte Lacy is the all-time leading WSU 3-point shooter with 243 made, passing Klay Thompson on March 1.