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Utah Basketball Confident Heading Into Matchup With Arizona

According to head coach Larry Krystkowiak, Utah has "climbed a nice little mountain" and is riding high after taking down Colorado this past weekend. But now they'll try to put together back-to-back good games when they host Arizona on Thursday

Ryan Kostecka

Consistency has been Utah's worst enemy this entire season.

Halfway through the year and the Utes have yet to put together back-to-back really good games (and victories) in Pac-12 play. Each time they look as if they're having a breakthrough, that game is followed up with a massive dud.

For instance, Utah took down highly-rated Stanford at home before blowing a double-digit lead two days later against lowly Cal. The Utes then took down Washington State on the road in a convincing victory, their first road win in a year. But that was followed up by another dud against lowly Washington.

Now Utah will have another opportunity to put together back-to-back good games after the Utes stormed back from a 19-point second half deficit to take down Colorado last week. Standing in their way is Arizona, one of the conference's premier programs who appear to be finding their stride at the right time.

Jan 30, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) ties the game up on this three point basket over Colorado Buffaloes guard Maddox Daniels (3) in the second half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

“I think that win will only help us moving forward, getting a big win like that when we have had a tough go with some of these close games,” Utah forward Riley Battin said.”It is definitely a boost for morale, and a little insight into what we can accomplish this season. Any time you play Arizona, you have to expect a tough game, regardless of who is playing. ... I know last year we got beat pretty bad at their place. We just have to be ready.”

Tipoff with the Wildcats is set for 5 p.m. from the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Thursday night, and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

The good news for the Utes is that the victory over Colorado was their first Quad 1 win of the season, and arguably the best win in the conference. It's the sort of confidence boost that the team can ride moving forward to make a run in the second half of the season.

“I feel like within our program, we have climbed a nice little mountain in terms of how our team is playing, and what it is we are trying to do, and it takes a certain number of games before you can feel that way,” head coach Larry Krystkowiak said.

Alfonso Plummer is coming off his best game of the season when he finished with 23 points, all of which came in the second half. Even more impressive, he scored 21 points over the final nine minutes after the Buffaloes had seized a 19-point lead. He shot 8-of-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and was named the Pac-12 player of the week.

“My dad’s words always stay with me,” Plummer said. “Every time we went into (a game), I feel like my dad is in the (stands) screaming, ‘Hey, play hard, don’t quit.’ The reason I am playing is because of my dad. He (taught) me how to be a dog. And every time on the court, I show out for my dad. That’s what I did.”

Against Colorado, Timmy Allen finished with a double-double for the Utes as his inside game proved to be a great compliment to Plummer's outside shooting. He finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Mikael Jantunen added nine points, six rebounds and two assists while Riley Battin added nine points off the bench.

Pelle Larsson didn't have his best game offensively (eight points, three rebounds) but he might've had the plays of the game. Hid defense on Colorado star guard McKinley Wright was sensational as he helped limit Wright to 35.7% shooting from the floor as his 15 points came more out of volume than efficiency.

Allen leads the Utes with 16.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and is second with 3.8 assists. He's taking his game to another level over the past month, averaging 19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while serving as the defacto point guard of the team.

Plummer is averaging 13.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, but doing so while shooting 46% from the floor and 37% from beyond the arc. He's really upped his play as of late, scoring in double figures in five of the past six games and averaging 14 ppg during that span.

Jan 21, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) goes up for a basket against Washington State Cougars forward Andrej Jakimovski (23) in the second half of a Pac-12 men s basketball game at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Utah won 71-56. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Standing in Utah's way is an Arizona team that has won 7 of its past 10 games, and in large part due to the play of point guard James Akinjo. He leads five scorers averaging double-figures in points at 13.4 points per game, but it's his 5.7 assists per game that prove as the catalyst of the Wildcat offense.

The Utes will have to pay attention to the Wildcats on the perimeter as they're knocking down 38.4% from beyond the arc. Three Arizona players have knocked down at least 25 three-pointers on the season.

The good thing for the Utes is that they're coming off great practices this week, especially after a “great practice” on Wednesday.

“It is good medicine,” Krystkowiak said. “It is big medicine to get a win like that against a top team. … So it is a fine line (between winning and losing), but it has certainly been high-energy here, and there have been some smiles, and in a year, in a season maybe that we were going through, I think it is really important to have some feel-good mixed in, and this was definitely an example of some feel-good.”

Jan 30, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Eli Parquet (24) guards Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) in the second half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

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