Utah intended to take better care of the ball in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, but things certainly did not go according to plan. After turning the ball over 20 times in the Pac-12 Tournament against Oregon, the Utes had a repeat performance against Fresno State — they turned it over 20 times, again — and the Bulldogs took complete advantage. They had 28 points off of Utah’s turnovers, and although the Utes held on to win the game by 11 points, it is something that needs to be addressed before their Round of 32 game on Saturday.
The Utes had some idea as to how effective Fresno State was at taking away the ball, but neither the players nor head coach Larry Krystkowiak realized how difficult this would be once the game actually started.
“We actually got a chuckle out of the fact that teams had given up 25 and 27 points off of turnovers,” Krystkowiak said. “Then I looked down at the stat sheet, and we gave up 28 points off the turnovers, so that was the problem for us.”
It was because of turnovers that Fresno State got back into the game after being down by 11 points at halftime. Utah played somewhat carelessly, and as a result, the Bulldogs took a one-point lead in the second half, but they couldn’t hang on to this for very long.
Utah responded by going on a 17-2 run to firmly retake the lead, and although there are plenty of negative takeaways not only from this game, but the previous one as well, Brandon Taylor thinks this game really showed what the Utes are made of. They were able to withstand a strong front from Fresno State, and in the end, they’re moving on to the next round. That’s all that really counts.
However, Taylor and the rest of the Utah squad do need to find a new mindset when it comes to taking care of the ball, and they need to do it fast.
“You can only gain more confidence from surviving and advancing, and no matter what the performance was like, we got the win,” Taylor said. “We’ve been a little too lackadaisical. What it boils down to is being more disciplined.”
Looking ahead to that next matchup with Gonzaga, Krystkowiak hopes his team can be as dialed in as it was to start the game against Fresno State and keep up that same type of energy for the entire 40 minutes.
Otherwise, it’s going to be a long night for everyone involved.
“I give a lot of credit to Fresno State. It’s not a typical stay-in-front-of-you kind of defense,” Krystkowiak said. “They’re scrambling. Guys were striping a lot of our ball handlers. We can’t simulate that and work on it, short of firming up with the ball, being stronger with it, and being a little stronger mentally.”
If Utah manages to clean up its game within the next day, Krystkowiak is positive his team can continue to advance. And considering the handful of up-and-down games Utah has been involved with this season, it has come out on top plenty of times, and it’s this resiliency that Krystkowiak has the most faith in.
The head coach doesn’t have to yell at his players to get back into the game. He trusts his seniors, like Taylor, to lead the way and instill a sense of urgency within the team during crunch time. Krystkowiak will point them in the right direction, and when it comes down to it, it’s what the players do on the court that will win the game.
“If they stay fundamental and do the things we talk about, we can have a special season,” Krystkowiak said. “For me to scream and holler and light them up, sometimes it just takes a subtle reminder. Sometimes that senior leadership comes through at that point. We can maintain a poised look and a vibe rather than getting turned upside down.”
@kbrenneisen