The past week held a lot of potential for the Utes. The potential to get a win against a pair of Top-25 teams, including the Pac-12 Conference preseason favorite, and the potential to build upon a rare road sweep in Oregon the previous week.
Instead, Utah (10-5) came away with two bitter losses on its home court against Arizona and Arizona State, and its conference record dropped to 2-2 with road games against UCLA and USC on the horizon this week. While an opportunity may have slipped through Utah’s fingers, there’s still the small matter of 14 remaining regular-season conference games before the postseason.
“You’re always kind of judging road wins as being a plus and trying to take care of your home court,” Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “I do think it’s going to be a crazy league. I told the guys after the two games in Oregon, I used the analogy of the marathon. Every game is about a mile and a half in a marathon.
UTAH at UCLA<br>When • Thursday, 9 p.m. MST<br>TV • ESPN2
“I don’t think too many successful people that are finishing with a good time ever get too excited after the first three miles. Having said that, were six miles in. It’s not time to bonk and not finish the race.”
The Utes’ 80-77 loss to Arizona State on Sunday wasn’t decided until the final seconds and a Justin Bibbins’ 3-pointer which went in and out. The margin was so shockingly slim that Bibbins described the feeling after the game as “numb.”
However, Bibbins was able to take a big-picture view and realize the sky isn’t falling on the Utes’ season. Just as the Utes didn’t have much time to bask in their 2-0 start, Bibbins isn’t willing to put too much weight on a pair of losses.
“We expected to win these two games against Arizona and Arizona State, that’s just the confidence that we have,” Bibbins said. “It’s disappointing that we couldn’t get the win, but we’re going to be the same team. We’re going to come in Monday or Tuesday, whatever, and get back to work.”
On Thursday, the Utes trailed Arizona by as many as 17 points in the first half before they rallied to tie the score three times in the second half. The Utes were locked in a tie game with less than four minutes left.
The Utes faltered down the stretch and fell victim to turnovers and missed shots. Krystkowiak wasted no time rejecting the idea of moral victories after the loss to an Arizona team projected by some as a national title contender prior to the start of the season.
Utes players such as junior guard Sedrick Barefield remain well aware of the perceived pecking order in the Pac-12, but they also don’t believe they’re far behind the preseason or early-season darlings.
“We were picked [seventh], and we kind of took that a little personal,” Barefield said after the Arizona loss. “We think we are capable of winning games. Today, I don’t think there was ever a time throughout the game, whether we were down or up, that we felt like we were going to lose up until the last minute and a half. … We feel like we’re capable of whatever as long as we do what we do.”
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