Utes Headed To Washington To Face League-Leading Huskies
Feb 19, 2019, 11:53 AM | Updated: 12:02 pm
Utah Utes guard Sedrick Barefield (2) breaks past Washington Huskies guard Jaylen Nowell (5) during the game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Coming off a loss to Arizona State that snapped a three-game winning streak for the Utes, the Utah men’s basketball team will head to the Pacific Northwest.
The Utes’ first opponent in the Apple State will be the Pac-12 Conference leader in the standings, Washington.
All season long, the Huskies have implemented a devastating zone defense that has held conference opponents to just 62.8 points per game, the top mark in the league.
“It’s kind of the prime example of defense winning championships,” said Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak.
NEXT UP: Utes will fly✈️ to Seattle, Washington.
Wed. Feb. 20 at Washington 9pm MST
Sat. Feb. 23 at Washington State 6pm MST#GoUtes🏀🔴 | #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/j3KRH7BNis— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 18, 2019
Switching It Up
For Krystkowiak, the way he hopes to beat the Huskies’ zone is by keeping them guessing.
“It’s not one thing. I don’t think you give them the same pitch every time,” said Krystkowiak, using a baseball analogy.
“At the end of the day it’s going to come down to the players making some plays and having a little bit of poise,” continue Krystkowiak.
Plans for Spring Break? 🤔
🏀 Pac-12 Basketball Tournament
🗓 Mar. 13-16
📍 Las Vegas, NV
🏟 T-Mobile Arena
🎟 https://t.co/baUpjWExj9#GoUtes🏀🔴 | #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/ulBhA8uhvA— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 17, 2019
Upon reviewing the Utes’ 69-53 loss to Washington at home on Jan. 10, Krystkowiak found that his team played well at times on offense, but will have to execute better come away with their fourth straight win at Washington on Wednesday.
“I think we need to be really connected when it comes to the offensive end of the floor,” said Krystkowiak.
Coming Down The Stretch
The Huskies aren’t the only road test the Utes will face coming down the stretch to the conference tournament. After facing the Huskies on Wednesday, Utah will clash with Washington State on Saturday. Then they’ll have week off before heading to Colorado on March 2.
Runnin' Utes fall to the Arizona State Sun Devils, 87 to 98.#GoUtes🏀🔴 | #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/gKYzywubBe
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 17, 2019
With three of their last five games on the road and with most of the conference still battling for position in the tournament, Krystkowiak isn’t changing his approach.
“There’s no reason to change the focus, is to control what you can control,” said Krystkowiak.
Broadcast Info
The game against Washington will tip off Wednesday at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on FS1.
The Washington State contest will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. and be shown on the Pac-12 Network.
