The team will now get ready for its first conference road test of the season tonight as it travels to Seattle for a matchup with Washington. The showdown with the Huskies will be only the second road game of the season for the Utes.
“We are looking forward to getting out of here,” sophomore guard Brandon Taylor said following Saturday’s win. “Personally I like road games, but they are really tough no matter what. It’s their crowd. Even if they make the slightest little shot, they get some momentum.”
Utah coaches and players know winning on the road is the next step in proving they’re a bona fide contender in the conference.
“In order to be successful, we need to win road games,” head coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “It’s a grind because you go into gyms and face adverse situations. We are going to be in a lot of games that come down to one possession. You can never think you’re better than you are if you win, or worse than you are if you lose. We could be 2-0 or 0-2, to be honest.”
That was the general feeling of the team following Saturday’s win over the Beavers. Players felt they let one slip away against the Ducks, but that they also dodged a bullet against Oregon State. After a strong defensive performance against Oregon, Utah lacked intensity against the Beavers. Thanks to hot shooting beyond the arc, the Utes came out on top.
“We would have held Oregon in the 60’s if it didn’t go to overtime,” Krystkowiak said. “However, Oregon’s defense is very good, and our offense was sluggish. I thought the exact opposite about our game on Saturday. We were really poor defensively except for Brandon, who had a great all-around game.”
The goal against Washington will be to put together a strong effort on both ends of the floor.
“Our point of emphasis will be that we can’t have deficiencies,” Krystkowiak said. “If we are bad at one end, we are vulnerable in any game. We have to execute and shore things up on both ends. We were lucky on Saturday with the way we shot the ball because we were so bad defensively.”
Against the Huskies, the Utes will have to contend with senior guard C.J. Wilcox. The Utah native is averaging 20.2 points and leads a Washington team that has shown the ability to get out in transition.
“C.J. Wilcox, after watching the games this weekend, is really good,” Krystkowiak said. “Washington has received solid play from their bigs, and as a team, they were able to get out in transition. We need to get back and defend. They look cleaner these last couple of games with sets and plays and have really improved since the start of the conference schedule.”
With classes starting this week, this will not be a normal road trip for the Utes. After tonight’s game, the team will return to Salt Lake City before flying back to the northwest for its matchup with Washington State on Sunday.
Tonight’s game tips off at 9 p.m.