It’s not supposed to be easy.
Utah spent the 2013-14 season trying to move up to the upper echelon of the sport. The Utes had the look of a top team, but couldn’t find a top result.
A season ago, a ranked-Oregon team toppled the Utes with a steal and dunk at the buzzer, missed free throws spelled Utah’s demise against Arizona and porous late-game execution caused the Utes to be eliminated in the first round of the NIT to the hands of Saint Mary’s.
“I felt like last year we kind of panicked a little bit,” Brandon Taylor said. “Me? I know I did.”
Up by seven on No. 8 Wichita State with just over a minute remaining, it looked like the Utes were once again hitting the panic button.
Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet hit a three to cut the Utah lead to four. Moments later, after a five-second violation on the Utes, Tekele Cotton hit a three to bring the Shockers to one. And when Wichita State stole the ensuing Utah inbound pass and Van Vleet struck again from behind the arc – the Ute lead was suddenly gone.
Nine points in 34 seconds and a seven-point Utah lead turned to a two-point deficit.
Even after the shocking offensive burst from the Shockers, Taylor and the Utes were determined to not let last season’s flaws show up again.
“I was still looking forward to the next play this time around,” Taylor said. “I was like don’t panic, everything is cool, the next play’s the right play. “
The Utes have changed a lot since last season. Freshmen Jakob Poeltl, Brekkott Chapman, Isaiah Wright and Kyle Kuzma have all provided lifts for the Utes, but the biggest difference manifested itself in the final moments of the fourth quarter Wednesday.
There was no panic.
On the ensuing Ute possession, Dakarai Tucker drove down the baseline and drew a foul. Tucker calmly sank both free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime.
The Utes had every reason to falter, to come out flat and deflated, but they didn’t. Utah stood toe-to-toe with the No. 8 team in the country, as the teams exchanged go-ahead baskets throughout the extra session.
With 14 seconds remaining Delon Wright went to the post, backed in his defender and hit a jumper in the lane for the game-winning bucket.
With the win, it’s time for the weight to be lifted off the Utes shoulders. Everyone knew they had the talent to compete against the top teams in the nation, now they proved they have the mettle as well.
Just six games into the season, the Utes have already slain their biggest demon from a year ago.
Wichita State hadn’t lost in 35 regular season games and is just two years removed from a Final Four appearance. The Shockers might not have the name power of Duke, Syracuse or Kentucky, but over the last two seasons, they might just have the better resume. And they wanted this win.
As the threes piled up and the comeback began, the Shocker bench was beside itself. They had all the confidence in the world and yet, Utah still found a way to win. This would not have happened a season ago.
This is the new signature win of the Larry Krystkowiak era and with it Utah may have just earned a seat at the table of the nation’s elite.
@millerjryan