Some games have been close and some have been blowouts, but there is one thing that has been absent from the U men’s basketball team on its plethora of road trips this season-winning.
The Runnin’ Utes have lost every one of the seven games they have played on opposing courts this season, with the average defeat coming by 6.8 points.
But the Runnin’ Utes (7-14, 2-6 Mountain West Conference) have a chance to pick up their first road win and some sweet redemption tomorrow when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on the Horned Frogs (10-10, 2-6 MWC).
“Going on the road in front of opposing crowds, you’ve got to be able to defend and rebound, and we’ve done neither this year,” U coach Ray Giacoletti said. “It just comes down to toughness.”
TCU will look for its second victory against the Utes tomorrow, as it has already beaten them in Salt Lake City early in the season, 71-68.
Like most of the Utes’ opponents this season, the Horned Frogs experienced quite a bit of success from behind the three-point line in the game, hitting 55.6 percent of their shots.
Junior guard Brent Hackett buoyed the sharpshooting attack for the Horned Frogs, hitting 5-for-8 from behind the arc to finish with 20 points. The Utes aren’t the only team that the junior has had success against, though, as he averages 10.5 points per game.
“We can’t allow Hackett to have any looks,” Giacoletti said. “As everyone saw in the last game, he can make it from anywhere if you give him an open look.”
The Horned Frogs also boast two of the more agile forward tandems in the conference in Kevin Langford and Alvardo Parker. Both stand at 6-foot-8 and have unique athleticism, considering their size.
“Langford and Parker are both extremely athletic. We’ve got to do a better job denying those two this time around,” Giacoletti said. “If they don’t get their hands on the ball, they can’t score.”
Meanwhile, the Runnin’ Utes struggled immensely on defense in their latest blunder against rival BYU, where the home team lost 76-66. Denial, perimeter defense, ball screens-you name it, and the Utes had problems with it against the Cougars.
BYU forward Keena Young had a field day against the problematic Utes, slashing and shooting his way to a team-high 21 points.
“If we don’t score, we need to be able to make them not score,” U guard Ricky Johns said after the game. “We need to have more pride on the defensive side of the court.”
In one of the few bright spots for the U on Wednesday night, Johns hit seven of his eight shots to finish the game with 18 points. But the Utes will likely need more than a couple bright spots tomorrow if they hope to cure all of their ills against the Horned Frogs.
Utah will take on TCU at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on The Mtn.
Kim PetersonLuke Nevill shoots over BYU center Trent Plaisted for two of his 26 points in the Utes’ loss against BYU on Wednesday night. Utah will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to face TCU on Saturday.