Utah Basketball Announces Tipoff Times For Games In Early-February
When Utah walked off the court at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado on Saturday afternoon, the Utes were just elated to be walking away with a victory.
Down 19 points with 8:49 remaining in the game, Utah went on a 24-4 run to take the lead and never looked back in their 77-74 win. The win was a huge one for the Utes because not only did it secure them a Quad 1 victory, it came against the Pac-12's top-ranked team in the NET rankings.
"We had an elite rebounding performance," Krystkowiak said postgame "Our guys didn’t quit and Fonz (Alfonso Plummer) came in, obviously hit a bunch of big shots. ... We’re not going to throw in the towel until we’re certain that we don’t have a chance, and there was plenty of optimism along the way.”
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
Alfonso Plummer, the sharpshooter who can go Steph Curry-nuclear at any second, was held scoreless in the first half after playing just two minutes. Vowing to come out and search for his shot more in the second half, Plummer achieved greatness. He scored 23 points in the second half, going 8-of-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
“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.”
Now Utah will be looking to keep that mojo over its next four games, a massive stretch for the team that will go a long way into determining what the Utes make of the rest of the season.
As published by the basketball program, game times have been announced for the Utah's next four games — home vs. Arizona and Arizona State; road vs. Cal and Stanford. Make no mistake, these are four WINNABLE games for the Utes if the second half team against Colorado shows up to play.
Utah will start things off at home against Arizona at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 before taking on Arizona State three days later at 12 p.m. They'll then hit the road for a game against Cal on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. before facing Stanford two days later at 8 p.m.
UPDATED UTAH SCHEDULE (MT)
*Thursday, Feb. 4 vs. Arizona / 5 p.m. — Fox Sports 1
*Sunday, Feb. 7 vs. Arizona State / 12 p.m. — Pac-12 Networks
*Thursday, Feb. 11 @ Cal / 4 p.m. — Pac-12 Networks
*Saturday, Feb. 13 @ Stanford / 8 p.m. — Pac-12 Networks
Jan 30, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Evan Battey (21) and Utah Utes center Branden Carlson (35) reach for the tip off in the first half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
It will be the first time Utah faces Arizona (13-4, 7-4 Pac-12) and Arizona State (6-8, 3-5 Pac-12) this season. The Wildcats have won four of their past five games while the Sun Devils, the Pac-12 preseason favorites, have won two in a row.
Meanwhile, the Utes have already played Stanford and Cal this season. The victory over the Cardinal (79-65) was their most impressive of the season (prior to Colorado win) while the loss to the Golden Bears (72-63) was arguably their worst defeat in five years.
In both of those games, Utah held double-digit second half leads but after capitalizing and expanding on it against Stanford, the Utes fell apart against the Cal.
The victory over Colorado means the Utes are right back in the thick of things when it comes to the Pac-12 standings and a potential NCAA tournament berth. As it stands right now, Utah is 2.5 games back of a first-round bye at the conference tournament, and still have 10 more games to play.
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