SALT LAKE CITY — At the start of the season, this week looked like the easiest for the Utah basketball team with Stanford and Cal coming to town. After all, the Cardinal and Golden Bears were two of just three schools picked to finish behind a young Ute team that was picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 this season.
Instead, both Stanford and Cal are enjoying better-than-expected seasons and both are ahead of Utah in the conference standings at the midway point of the Pac-12 season.
The Cardinal come into Thursday night’s game (8 p.m.) at the Huntsman Center with a 16-5 overall mark and a 5-3 record in the Pac-12 play. Two days later, Cal (10-11, 4-4) pays a visit for a 6 p.m. game.
Stanford is one of better defensive teams in the country, having held 12 opponents to 60 or fewer points this season and ranking fifth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Stanford leads the league in scoring defense and is seventh in the country in allowing just 59.71 ppg. It also leads the league in 3-point defense (29.5%) and is second in field-goal percentage defense at 38.3%. Although they’re not ranked in the polls, the Cardinal are 24th in the NET rankings used to determine NCAA Tournament teams.
“They are a surprise team in the conference,” said Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak. “Some of their success is what we preach about all the time, that defense is going to win some championships. That’s where they’ve hung their hat. They’ve got good 3-point shooting. ... They’re a physical team. ... They present a lot of problems.”
Oscar da Silva, a 6-foot-9 forward from Germany, leads the Cardinal in points at 16.8 ppg and rebounds at 6.3 rpg, and his 61.3 field-goal percentage ranks third in the conference. Freshman guard Tyrell Terry is close behind da Silva at 15.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg and has 68 assists and 31 blocks.
Other starters are freshman forward Spencer Jones who is the team’s top 3-point shooter at 43.7%, junior guard Daejon Davis leads the team with 78 assists and 37 steals on the year and Bryce Willis (6.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg).
Utah (12-9, 3-6) nearly came away with a victory at USC last week, leading most of the game before falling in the final minute 56-52. Then on Sunday, they trailed the whole game against UCLA and although they were only down four with nine minutes left, lost by 16.
Krystkowiak doesn’t feel his young team is discouraged by the recent losses and will be ready for this week.
“We’ve got a lot of things to fix and we’re growing,” he said. “We need to play a little harder from time to time and need to play together from time to time. We have to go earn a win.”
Freshman Rylan Jones, who is averaging 11.1 points per game and 4.7 assists, says the attitude of the Utes is staying positive.
“We’re going to keep battling,” Jones said. “We’re not backing down from the moment. We’re going to keep coming in here practicing hard and trying to get better and go win more ballgames.”
Jones will likely be joined in the starting lineup by sophomore Timmy Allen (18.4 ppg), freshman center Branden Carlson (6.1 ppg) and sophomore Riley Battin (9.6 ppg). The other spot will be filled by either Both Gach (10.6 ppg), who has missed the past two games with a knee injury, or freshman Jaxon Brenchley (4.3 ppg).
Stanford (16-5, 5-3 in Pac-12) at Utah (12-9, 3-6)
Huntsman Center
Thursday, 8 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: ESPN AM-700