ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 8 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
11. Utah Utes (6-5) LW: 11
Under the instruction of coach Larry Krystkowiak, the Utah Utes have had meandered their way through the first half of the 2018 college hoops season.
Like much of the Pac-12, the Utes have struggled in stretches and found success mostly in games that could be labeled as ‘gimmes’. They’re sitting with a record of 6-5 on the season after splitting their last six games.
The Utes have given Sedrick Barefield the keys to the kingdom this season and it has come with mixed results. He’s scoring 13 points per game but is shooting an abysmal 37 percent from the floor. His off-ball production and playmaking capabilities have also lacked, as he is averaging just 3.5 assists per game and less than two rebounds.
Barefield’s inefficiencies moved him to the second rotation. However, embracing an ever-familiar sixth-man role has led to found success for both the senior and Utah.
Since the shake-up, the Utes are 2-0, defeating both Florida A&M and Northern Arizona rather handily. But as most meandering teams are, the Utes are certainly in for a rough awakening in the next four games.
Kicking off their crusade into conference play is No. 6 Nevada, then No. 17 ASU, followed by Arizona and Washington. This is the cream of the crop as far as west-coast basketball, and Utah is going to need a miracle to start anything but 0-4.