Utah basketball: Larry Krystkowiak wants his team to ‘scratch and claw’ in regular-season finale against Colorado

Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak looks on during game against Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, in Boulder. Colorado won 91-52. Krystkowiak, who called the loss to the Buffs’ “embarrassing,” is hoping for a better effort from his team Saturday when the two teams close out the Pac-12 regular season. | AP

Utes’ home game is last before Pac-12 tourney in Las Vegas

SALT LAKE CITY — After two more disappointing road losses last weekend in northern California, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak was unhappy with a lot of things.

He wasn’t happy with his team’s defense. He wasn’t happy with its ballhandling. He wasn’t happy with its defensive rebounding. He wasn’t happy with its overall scrappiness.

He vowed his team would make changes for its final regular-season game, which will be played Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at the Huntsman Center. Unfortunately, the opponent is Colorado, which gave the Utes their biggest loss of the season, a 39-point shellacking in Boulder back on Jan. 12, a defeat Krystkowiak called “embarrassing.”

“It was definitely a physical matchup — we weren’t prepared from a physical point of view from every position,” Krystkowiak said earlier this week. “It was a struggle for us.”

The Buffaloes, who have been ranked nationally for much of the season, will presumably come into the game a bit angry after dropping their last three games, at home to UCLA and on the road to Cal and Stanford, in which they scored just 63, 62 and 64 points, respectively.

They are still a “lock” for the NCAA Tournament according to most experts, but they will be motivated to win Saturday so they can get one of the first-round byes in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Right now the Buffs are tied for third at 10-7 with Arizona, Arizona State and USC, which all have home games Saturday. A victory would ensure them a top-four slot and they could even grab the No. 3 spot if they finish in a four-way tie. However, a loss could drop Colorado to sixth or even seventh if Stanford knocks off Oregon.

The Utes’ task could be even tougher if Rylan Jones is unable to play. Jones suffered an apparent concussion in last week’s game at Cal and Krystkowiak indicated early in the week that he wasn’t close to being ready to play.

In the meantime, the Utes coach says he wants to simplify the offense and get his team to play with more energy after feeling like his players weren’t aggressive enough in going after loose balls and allowing Cal far too many offensive rebounds.

“We need to fight and scratch and claw a little more,” he sad. “That will be a big focus for us.”

“We’ve got to focus on rebounding this week, have that mentality of watching when the shot goes up and hit our guy before they get us,” said freshman center Branden Carlson.

If Jones is unable to go, Both Gach will take over point guard duties and be aided by Jaxon Brenchley, who would likely start at the other guard position. The Utes will also use Alfonso Plummer, who has played very well off the bench in recent games. The only senior on the team, Marc Reininger, who has been out with a concussion for six weeks, will be honored before the game.

Colorado is led by guard McKinley Wright IV, who averages 14.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 5.0 apg. Tyler Bey is close behind at 13.6 ppg, while grabbing 9.0 rebounds per game. Other starters are D’Shawn Schwartz (10.4 ppg), Evan Battey (8.9 ppg) and Shane Gatling (6.7 ppg).

There are still numerous scenarios for the final Pac-12 standings heading into Saturday’s final games. Right now, the only set position for next week’s Pac-12 tourney belongs to Washington, which will be the No. 12 seed. Stanford is the likely No. 7 team unless it can upset Oregon. UCLA and Oregon are tied for the top spot at 12-5 and then there are the four teams tied for third at 10-7.

The Utes are tied for ninth place in the Pac-12 at 6-11 with Oregon State and Washington State. If they can beat Colorado, they’ll likely finish in a tie for eighth place with the Beavers and Cal, who meet Saturday in Corvallis, assuming the Beavers win.

Utah can also finish 10th with a loss, but is unlikely to finish at No. 11 unless Washington State upsets Arizona State.

The 8 vs. 9 game will be played at 1 p.m. MST Wednesday at the T-Mobile Arena, while the 7 vs. 10 game will be played at 7 p.m. MT.

Utes on the air

Utah (15-14, 6-11, Pac-12)

vs. Colorado (21-9, 10-7)

Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

Huntsman Center

TV: Pac-12 Network

Radio: ESPN AM700

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3aAhYSi