ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 17 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
4. Utah Utes (15-12, 9-6 Pac-12) LW: 5
Essentially on life support entering Pac-12 play, Utah was 8-4 in conference games as of Feb. 14.
Back-to-back losses at home to Arizona State and on the road at Washington provided the Utes with a brief scare.
Facing the top two teams in the league, the Sun Devils put up 98 points in Salt Lake City, a season-high for Utah’s defense before the Huskies menacing 2-3 zone contained Utah for a meager 45 points in Seattle, a season-low for the offense.
But just as he has multiple times this season, coach Larry Krystkowiak rallied the troops, leading them to a 92-79 victory over Washington State.
Utah’s lethal shooting trio of guards Sedrick Barefield, Parker Van Dyke and forward Donnie Tillman broke open a two-point halftime lead, draining 14 3-pointers between them while combining for 66 points, of which Barefield recorded a game-high 33.
Both teams shot 54 percent or better in the first half, though only Utah was able to sustain that to a degree over the final 20 minutes. The Utes shot 45 percent out of the break while the Cougars slipped to 37 percent from the floor.
In the win, Utah maintained its grasp on fourth place in the conference standings, holding a half-game advantage over USC and UCLA while trailing Oregon State in third place by a half game as well.
With a road trip to Colorado and homestand against the Los Angeles schools to close out the regular season, Utah concludes with three teams it has previously triumphed over.
The likelihood of the Utes receiving a first-round bye in Las Vegas is a growing possibility.
– Pekale