If we chose to take care of the ball and we chose to guard the guy in front of us then we’re going to have a far better chance of not talking about losing three out of five. – Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak didn’t have his team watch film of Saturday’s 77-68 loss at Washington. He said he got the “CliffsNotes” down and planned to share his thoughts on the disappointing setback with the squad before practice Monday afternoon.
“It’s quite simple,” he explained at his weekly press conference.
Krystkowiak noted that there were four or five things on the practice plan, key points that the Utes haven’t done well — not just last Saturday but as of late.
Three of those, though, he opted not to divulge to reporters.
One common denominator in the losses at Oregon and Washington, as well as the tight outing at Washington State, that Krystkowiak did acknowledge was an inability to guard one-on-one.
“We’ve got to get much better at taking an individual challenge,” he said.
Another variable, which he said was completely befuddling, was the turnover factor.
Krystkowiak later said it’s not time to jump off a bridge or anything like that. It’s not confusing. The answers are right in front of them.
“If we chose to take care of the ball and we chose to guard the guy in front of us then we’re going to have a far better chance of not talking about losing three out of five,” he explained.
The Utes are the No. 3 seed in this year’s Pac-12 tournament and will face the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game between Stanford and Washington in Thursday’s semifinals (9:40 p.m., ESPN).
FINISHING IT OFF: After ending the regular season with a 2-3 record down the stretch — wins over Arizona State and Washington State, along with losses to Oregon, Arizona and Washington — the Utes are determined to produce a better ending for their most successful season in years.
“We’re not going to be defined on the last five games of conference (play),” Krystkowiak said. “There’s hopefully some games left and that’s what we’ll be defined on. It’s how we finish.”
EXTRA STUFF: Utah slipped to No. 17 in both major rankings this week after the loss at Washington . . . On Monday, bracketologists Joe Lunardi (ESPN) and Jerry Palm (CBS Sports) had the Utes projected for vastly different NCAA tournament situations. Lunardi picked Utah as a No. 4 seed in Portland against Valparaiso, while Palm predicted a No. 6 seed in Columbus against the winner of Indiana and Mississippi . . . The Utes are scheduled to leave for Las Vegas on Tuesday . . . Senior guard Delon Wright, who is a finalist for the Bob Cousy, James Naismith and John Wooden awards, is the program’s first back-to-back first-team all-conference honoree since Alex Jensen and Hanno Mottola did it in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
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