SALT LAKE CITY — There's a logjam in the Pac-12. According to a breakdown by the conference, 11 of the 12 seeds in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament will be determined over the final two weeks of the regular season. In addition, nine teams are still in mathematical contention for one of three remaining first-round byes, joining the leader-of-the-pack, Washington.
In the midst of it all sit the Utah Utes. They're currently in sole possession of fourth place and can secure a bye with wins in their final three games — Saturday at Colorado (4 p.m, ESPNU) and next week against UCLA and USC. Although a sweep guarantees a bye, there are other scenarios that can also get the job done.
The Utes, though, are taking a measured approach to the situation.
"The remaining three games are the most important games of the year — one at a time," said senior guard Parker Van Dyke. "So I think Saturday is the most important game of the year, so far, and then it will be Thursday and then it will be Saturday. So you just have to approach it one game at a time."
Before last week's win at Washington State, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak noted that was the biggest game of the year, considering it kept the Utes in position for a first-round bye. Such is the case, he explained, when you can count remaining games on one hand. Things are pivotal.
"I think when you can see that light at the end of the tunnel and it's all coming to a head, it's easier to say that and it's easy to believe what I'm talking about, as opposed to pulling that one out your second league game," said Krystkowiak, who added that it's parallel to Utah's mission statement mentality of: "It's the next game, it's the next play."
The end result is the first-round bye that Krystkowiak considers "super important." It's a goal the Utes have each season. This year, he likes Utah's chances to win three straight game in Las Vegas — considering the parity in the Pac-12 and his team's depth.
"It's not a celebration when we get a bye. It just makes the challenge a little bit more palatable," Krystkowiak said. "And then I truly believe, unlike any Pac-12 Tournament in the eight years I've been here, that anybody can win the thing. So I think it's really important."
If the Utes don't get it, though, Krystkowiak noted that it just means the loss of a shorter workload.
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Utah (15-12, 9-6) at Colorado (16-11, 7-8)
CU Events Center — Boulder, Colo.
Saturday, 4 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
Radio: ESPN 700AM
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2NxBc0O
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