No sooner had the University of Utah cleared the floor following Wednesday night's 61-55 victory over Utah State than Ute coach Rick Majerus took guard Darroll Wright aside for a private chat. "I want you to run during the next three days," he told Wright, among other things. "You're in terrible condition."
If that's the case, heaven help the rest of Utah's opponents. On Wednesday night, in front of 14,790 fans in the Huntsman Center, Wright totaled a game-high 20 points and 3 assists to help the Utes claim their sixth win in eight games. Oh, and did we mention those 3 turnovers and, oops, the 3 missed free throws on 4 attempts? "He was tired," said Majerus by way of explanation. "That's why I told him he needs to run."That notwithstanding, Wright, playing only his second game of the season after sitting out the first six on suspension, was fit enough to help hold off the Aggies. After USU cut Utah's lead to 52-51 with 5:25 remaining, Wright buried back-to-back three-point shots, the last one with 3:22 remaining, and the Aggies never recovered.
"I caught my second wind, but I was tired there for a while," said Wright, who, by the way, whiffed those three foul shots in the game's final two minutes. "Working in practice is way different than playing in a game."
Wright's shooting left the Aggies with yet another in-state defeat, and unlike past years there will be no rematch in Logan, where they often even the score. For the first time that anyone can remember, the Aggies scheduled only one game against each of their three instate rivals.
"They don't want to play us again," said one Ute official. No wonder. Utah, BYU and Weber State have accounted for three of USU's four losses this season.
"We made progress; we'll be all right," said guard Roddie Anderson, and he's right. Give the Aggies a couple of weeks, and they could be a formidable team. They have size up front, plus quick, athletic guards who gave the Utes fits with their drives to the basket.
At the moment, the Aggies are still solidifying their team. Bryon Ruffner, their second leading scorer, has been sidelined for the season with an injury. Nate Wickizer, their 7-foot center and leading scorer and rebounder, quit the team for a while before rejoining it. On Wednesday he came down with a case of stomach flu and managed only 8 points and 2 rebounds.
"We didn't know if he was going to play," said Anderson. "He was throwing up today."
The Aggies' biggest mistake was playing the second half. They led 31-26 at halftime, but when play resumed, Keith Van Horn, who totaled 15 points and 8 rebounds, raced down the baseline for a dunk and sank a free throw to complete a three-point play to trigger a Ute rally. Wright made a pair of jump shots and Ma Jian sank a baseline jumper and a layup as the Utes forged a 39-35 lead.
"The start of the second half really hurt us," said Anderson.
Twice USU cut Utah's lead to one point, but, as Anderson said, "We could never get over the hump." After a USU rally made the score 45-44, Van Horn made a pair of back-to-back treys. Wright did the same thing minutes later after another USU rally made it 52-51.
The only people who had a worse second half than the Aggies were the officials - officially listed as McKendry, Danner and Griffin, but also known as Curly, Moe and Larry. They reversed three calls and allowed the wrong guy to line up for a foul shot. But the season's still early.
Like the Aggies and the referees, the Utes also are still trying to pull their act together after an eventful preseason. Let's see, Wright was suspended for six games. Ed Johnson was booted off the team. Team captain Phil Dixon is out indefinitely with a knee injury. Last weekend, Wright was added to the roster and to the starting lineup. On Wednesday, redshirt freshman Jason Jackman made his first start, replacing Doug Chapman at center.
With such unsettled ranks, and a team composed almost entirely of newcomers, Majerus put his team through a crash course in college basketball when Christmas break arrived this week. The Utes held two-a-day practices on Monday and Tuesday that totaled 11 hours, and this is to say nothing of a 90-minute walk-through session just hours before the game. To make practice more competitive, Majerus put assistant coaches Jeff Judkins (a former NBA player) and Tommy Connor on the scout team.
So why was Majerus baffled that his team was flat on Wednesday? ("Maybe they were tired," he said. "Maybe I overworked them.")
Said Wright, "We're coming around. We haven't played together. We're still getting used to each other." When that happens, watch out for the Utes.