Leading up to Saturday’s matchup between No. 10 Arizona and No. 8 Utah, Wildcat head coach Sean Miller mentioned how his team needed to figure out a way to upset the Utes.
“It’s like you’re in the middle of a dream,” Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said about Miller’s comments.
On Saturday night, Arizona delivered a loud wake-up call.
Technically, Utah was the higher seed, so technically the Wildcats 69-51 win over the Utes could be considered an upset, but technicalities be damned – Saturday night was nothing but Arizona reclaiming its rightful spot at the top of the Pac-12. The Wildcats wanted this game, and Utah could do nothing to stop them from taking it.
Utah didn’t live up to its ranking, the game didn’t live up to its hype, but the Wildcats more than lived up to its reputation.
Arizona was more physical, made more plays and grinded down the Utes until they broke.
This was uncharted territory for this Utes squad –involved in a game between two highly-ranked teams, played in one of the Meccas of college basketball. Sure, Utah has climbed up the rankings on the back of a string of impressive blowouts, but Saturday night proved they aren’t quite ready for the brightest lights.
Following the game, Krystkowiak admitted his team needed to “go back to the drawing board.” And the biggest thing the Utes will be looking for is some physicality.
“I told our guys, the one thing we’re going to learn the rest of the year is how to rebound and how to block people out,” Krystkowiak said.
Utah was outrebounded by Arizona, 40-19. And 17 of those Wildcat rebounds came on the offensive side of the ball. Arizona regularly outmuscled its way past the Utes to loose balls and to second-chance points. They were the more physical team, the stronger team and simply, the better team.
With the Utes struggles the last few years playing in hostile environments, it would be easy to point to the games’ venue on National Championship Drive in Tucson as the reason for Utah’s performance, and defeat. But that wouldn’t be accurate.
It wasn’t the high-energy crowd, or the intimidating environment that got to the Utes. It was a motivated blue blood of college basketball that wanted to show it was still the top dog in the conference.
If the Utes had illusions of grandeur entering the Mckale Center Saturday, they most likely were left there.
Utah’s temporary dream was ended. The Wildcats were, and are, the better team.
The season, however, is still young.
After last season’s humbling loss to Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament, Krystkowiak said the game showed how far the Utes have to go to be at that level.
Utah has closed the gap, there just not quite there yet.
The Utes return home to Salt Lake with nothing but a bruised ego. The season isn’t anywhere close to being finished – just the fairy tale ride of blowouts has come to an abrupt end.
Utah still has the same defense and players they had before Saturday’s contest that had many people believing this could be a Final Four-caliber team. The Utes just now have something higher to reach for.
Arizona isn’t 18 points better than the Utes, even at their home building, but they may have been 18 points more physical. That is something the Utes can change and from what Krystkowiak is saying, he’s going to do his damn best to make it change.
“It’s always good to get a little bit of wake up call,” Krystkowiak said following Saturday’s contest.
Saturday’s loss might have been the motivation needed for the Utes to change its past dreams to future realities.
@millerjryan