SALT LAKE CITY — In this era of access, there are stats for everything. It’s likely someone tracks how often a player blinks during the second half of road games.
All good stuff for anyone who likes numbers.
But it’s hard to find a stat better than old-fashioned shooting.
Nineteen games into the season, the Utes are showing it’s just that simple: If you outshoot the opponent, you’ll sleep sweet dreams. Sunday at the Huntsman Center, the Utes crushed yet another opponent in a 77-56 win over Washington. Seldom was the game close. The last few minutes, with the subs in, Washington made up a little ground. But with fewer than 10 minutes remaining, the lead had climbed to 25. Thereafter it was all about the cleanup.
Lately the Utes are looking almost too good. They can take a seemingly close game and turn it into a yawner. The best-shooting team in the Pac-12 was at it again, making 60 percent of its shots for much of the night.
Most coaches obsess over defense and rebounding, and that’s all fine. But at the expense of shooting? Not wise. Show them a team that can fill it up like a gas pump and things will likely go well.
“I think it’s normal for a lot of coaches, if you’re struggling — and you get into a practice setting and you’ve got to fix some things — that you spend a lot of a two-hour practice on non-shooting,” said coach Larry Krystkowiak. “We’ve kind of been afforded — because things are going pretty well and we’re pretty efficient — so we can spend 30-40 minutes in a two-hour practice just shooting. Sometimes that’s overlooked.”
Consequently, the Utes are the William Tell of basketball, their aim tried and true. Throw in 11 of 18 from 3-point range, as on Sunday, and it’s sugar on a doughnut.
The Utes gauge their shots on a 1-to-5 basis, with five being an uncontested and makeable open shot.
“I think we do a great job of not forcing shots,” guard Brandon Taylor said. “I think we’re very patient offensively. Maybe we’ll get set up and turn the ball over sometimes, but for the most part we’re growing so much and having a great pace offensively, and getting what we call five shots.”
Only because 10 shots don’t exist.
If Krystkowak was worried about overconfidence, he was able to put that to bed in the early moments. The Utes came out scoring. A 3-pointer from the corner connected on the game’s first try. Soon another sailed true. The Utes made their first four shots, missed one, and sank two more.
Quickly they were up 18-7.
Washington was already in duck-and-cover mode.
Though the Huskies made it briefly interesting, cutting the lead to five on a 12-2 run in the first half, soon the Utes were back on track. They took a seven-point lead into the locker room.
Washington cut the lead to five again in the early second half. But that only triggered another onslaught: Taylor from the perimeter, Dakarai Tucker low, Taylor again from 3, Tucker from the elbow. A five-point lead was soon 25.
The subs were in with six minutes remaining.
Utah finished the game shooting 54 percent — above its league-best average. Tucker’s 19 off the bench led the way, while Taylor had 14. Between them they made 8 of 11 3-pointers.
This was no surprise to those who have scouted the Utes. In their six conference wins, Utah has outscored opponents by nearly 24 points a game. It is the best shooting team and the best 3-point team in the conference.
So naturally on “Huntsman Strong Day,” dedicated to fighting cancer, a halftime activity included fans tossing hundreds of donated stuffed bears onto the court. It was a good day for that kind of activity.
With the Utes playing like that, not even the bear-tossers could miss.
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