Idaho @ Utah preview
Jon M. Huntsman Center
Last Meeting ( Nov 13, 2009 ) Idaho 94, Utah 87
Taking care of the basketball is becoming a major part of Utah's basketball identity this season.
The Utes head into their nonconference clash against Idaho on Friday night averaging just eight turnovers over their last three games. That run has come after an 11-turnover game in their season-opening victory against Washington.
Playing clean basketball made it easier for Utah (3-1) to pull away for a 75-67 victory over Utah Valley on Tuesday. The Wolverines cut a 15-point deficit to a single point with three minutes left, but the Utes finished out the game on a 7-0 run. Turnovers played a big role in the final outcome as Utah committed just eight while forcing 20 from Utah Valley.
The Utes ended up scoring 26 points off turnovers compared to just four for the Wolverines. Timmy Allen scored a season-high 19 points and had six rebounds for Utah.
"We managed to make some plays when we needed to, but it was a gutsy ball game," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "UVU stayed in it, made some big shots late, ran a couple of actions we hadn't seen a lot of, took us by surprise."
Strong team defense has served the Utes well. Utah is forcing 17.5 turnovers per contest and allowing just 67.5 points per game.
Still, Utah can expect Idaho to not make things any easier than what Utah Valley threw at the Utes.
The Vandals (0-4) are playing their second Pac-12 opponent, having taken longtime rival Washington State to the wire last week before falling to the Cougars 61-58. The Vandals led by six at halftime and trailed by only a point in the final seconds.
Playing all of their games so far on the road, they have been dangerous from the perimeter, hitting 41.7 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, but just 42.3 percent on all shots from the floor. Shooting was a problem though for the Vandals in a 76-66 loss to Cal State-Bakersfield last Saturday, when they scored just a single field goal in the first 13 minutes of the second half.
They were outrebounded 36-23 as the Roadrunners scored 19 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.
"We've got guys that have the ability to knock down jumpers and we'll continue to emphasize that, but it's all for nothing if ... we can't be tough enough to get stops and compete on the defensive glass," Idaho coach Zac Claus said.
Utah leads the all-time series 12-2. This is the first meeting between the schools since 2009 when Idaho upset the Utes 94-87 in Salt Lake City.
--Field Level Media