NFL Tickets
The Utah Utes host the Washington State Cougars at the Jon M. Huntsman Center tonight at 9 p.m. ET. The Utes are coming off a deflating road loss at Arizona where the Wildcats out-rebounded Utah by 21. Larry Krystkowiak’s team will look to get back on track tonight by defending their home floor. Washington State comes into Utah in the middle of the Pac-12 at 3-2 in the conference and will need to play extraordinary to compete with Utah.
Washington State has the height to match up with Delon Wright at the guard spot, but Wright will be the best player on the court. Look for the All-American to impact the game on both ends of the hardwood by playing great defense and getting his teammates involved.
Washington State struggles defensively, and the Utes have plenty of players other than Wright who can put the ball in the bucket. Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge can fill it up, and Jakob Poeltl has really come onto the scene in his freshman year. Krystkowiak’s team is extremely disciplined; they don’t take bad shots and shoot an astounding 49.8 percent from the floor. They should have no trouble scoring against a poor defensive team.
Cougars guard Davonte Lacy can score in bunches, so Utah will have to force other players to beat them on offense. Washington State will have a height advantage over Taylor, but that won’t be enough. A perfect storm will have to come together for Klay Thompson’s alma mater to pull the upset. Utah wins this one in a defensive clinic and improves their record to 5-1 in league play.
Final Score: Utah 69, Washington State 51
James Szuba is a college basketball writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesSzuba.
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