SALT LAKE CITY — Now comes a little down time.
Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak is giving the Utes a couple of days off after their 85-61 victory over Washington. He said they won’t practice for the next two days prior to next week’s road swing to Oregon and Oregon State.
“As I’m driving to work this morning, I felt a little bit like maybe I was hit by a truck. It’s been hard. It’s been a grind for me probably more than any other season,” said Krystkowiak, who noted that the Utes were one of just eight teams in the nation playing during the traditional Christmas break — at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.
“I don’t know if that’s a reason,” Krystkowiak said while acknowledging that the body language of some players and the energy indicates that they’re beat up.
As such, Krystkowiak is going to cut them some slack — especially if they feel even close to the way he feels. That said, the Utes are taking Sunday and Monday off before an early film session on Tuesday.
Krystkowiak is hopeful it’ll lead to better starts and have the team a little more locked in as the Utes gear up for a schedule swing featuring three straight road games.
“So we’re just going to take a little break from each other and see if we can’t get our batteries charged,” he said.
BOMBS AWAY: After making just 2 of 15 shots from 3-point range in Thursday’s 74-70 win over Washington State, Utah bounced back to make 11 of 23 beyond the arc against Washington.
Parker Van Dyke made four 3-pointers and Lorenzo Bonam knocked down three. Devon Daniels and Sedrick Barefield connected on two apiece.
“I think the hoops just opened up a little bit bigger,” Van Dyke said. “I think last game we took some good shots and a lot of them were just right there. They just didn’t go in. I think that’s just how basketball goes.”
The key, he added, is to just stay positive and confident. The shots will fall.
EXTRA STUFF: Junior forward Kyle Kuzma posted his 15th double-double of the season. He finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, moving into a tie with Andrew Bogut (2003-04) for the third-most double-doubles in a season in team history. … Junior David Collette netted 14 points. He has scored in double figures in all 15 games he has played for the Utes. … Utah shot 55.7 percent from the field. The Utes are 8-1 in Pac-12 play when making 50 percent or more of their attempts.