Crunch Time Upcoming For Utah Basketball; Starting With Oregon State

Now that the calendar has turned to March, the big question remains as to whether or not Utah is capable of making a late-season run. It's possible after the victory over No. 19 USC, but games with Oregon State and Arizona State still remain

All season long, the one thing Utah has lacked is consistency.

There have been multiple games this season where the Utes have looked extremely capable of beating the best teams in the Pac-12 — something they've accomplished multiple times.

But on the other hand, Utah has turned in performances that have been downright bad — so bad, that head coach Larry Krystkowiak has questioned his team's fight and resolve.

“Where we really struggled tonight is we had some lackadaisical moments,” Krystkowiak said following Utah's 76-61 loss to UCLA last week. "We had a little bit of give-up in us, which can’t be part of our identity. It gets a little hard, puts pressure on your offense when you come down and you are taking the ball out of the net all the time. We put our guard down, and we’ve got to be dialed.”

Dec 18, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes head coach Larry Krystkowiak reacts in the second half against the Idaho Vandals at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the calendar has turned to March, the big question remains as to whether or not Utah is capable of making a late-season run. It's possible after the victory over No. 19 USC, but games with Oregon State and Arizona State still remain in the regular.

“The analogy I have used for a number of years is you are never as good as you think you are and you are never as bad as you think you are,” Krystkowiak said on Tuesday. “So coming off a win felt good, and it is medicinal for our guys. ... It has been good.”

Utah will now try to continue on the right path towards the conference tournament when it hosts Oregon State and Arizona State this week to close out the regular season. 

These are two massive games when it comes to seeding as the Beavers, Sun Devils and Utes all sit in sixth, seventh and eighth place respectively. Utah sits a game and a half behind Oregon State and one game behind Arizona State.

“I would say it was a good morale booster,” Branden Carlson said Tuesday. “We have said it plenty of times this season: We are good enough to beat anyone, but we can also lose to anyone as well. So it shows us that we are a good team when we are together and we play basketball games the right way.”

Because the meaning of the games is ratcheted up, Krystkowiak has combated that with shorter and more intense practices. This is done in mind of preserving the Utes' legs knowing they'll have to win four games in four days in Las Vegas to make the NCAA Tournament.

“It is not the time of year where you are practicing for two hours,” he said. “You have to be cognizant of guys’ legs and make sure you are fresh and avoiding any injury opportunities. So it is a condensed practice, but still high-quality and high-intensity. We just don’t go for as long.”

Feb 27, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; The Utah Utes walk off the court after their win over the USC Trojans at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

It's a mixture of good news and bad news for the Utes as they're not only coming off a win, that win was a total team effort that was aided by the return of starting forward Mikael Jantunen.

Jantunen returned to the court after missing the four games prior to the victory over USC, all four which resulted in losses — including a 74-56 beatdown at the hands of Oregon State. He missed the first two games while playing for the Finnish national team at the 2022 EuroBasket Qualifiers, and then sat out the next two games while in quarantine.

He returned against the Trojans and finished with just six points, seven rebounds and three assists, but he played 33 minutes as his overall game is largely what keeps Utah thriving on both ends of the court.

“It is nice that we have Miki back,” Carlson said. “That will help us. He is a big part of our team, so it will be good.”

Feb 27, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes forward Mikael Jantunen (20) looks to pass against USC Trojans guard Ethan Anderson (20) and forward Evan Mobley (4) in the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

The bad news for Utah is that they're expected to be without starting point guard Rylan Jones for an undisclosed amount of time.

The sophomore returned last Thursday against UCLA from a four-game absence due to a shoulder injury. After finishing with seven assists against the Bruins, Jones was hurt early in the first half against the Trojans and never returned.

“I know it is a little bit different than how he hurt it before,” Krystkowiak said Saturday night. “My fingers are crossed. We are all crushed for him, there is no question.”

Krystkowiak did say on Tuesday that Jones' injury isn't meant to be season-ending, which is good news for Utah fans. Although, there is no expected timetable for his return as of now.

Jan 21, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Utah Utes guard Rylan Jones (15) tries to save the ball from going out of bounds in a game against the Washington State Cougars during the first half of a Pac-12 men s basketball game at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Standing in Utah's way are the Beavers, a team who far outclassed the Utes the last time these two met on the court. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday from the Jon M. Huntsman Center and will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.

Ethan Thompson — who leads Oregon State with 15.9 points per game — finished with 25 points, eight assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks. 

With Jones out hurt, a lot of the burden of slowing down Thompson will fall into the hands of freshmen Pelle Larsson and Ian Martinez. Larsson is considered a bigger guard and can use his strength to keep Thompson uncomfortable while Martinez is a sensational athlete who could frustrate him into mistakes.

Regardless, stopping Thompson is very similar to cutting off the head of a snake — once the head is gone, the body will follow. 

Dec 2, 2020; Pullman, Washington, USA; Oregon State Beavers guard Ethan Thompson (5) brings the ball down court against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

This is the best time of the year when it comes to college basketball as the calendar has officially turned to March. Now is the time to find out if Utah is going to start the madness early.

“There is nothing like March if you are a basketball coach, player. It is an awesome month in a lot of regards,” Krystkowiak said.

Be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:

Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka