Kyle Kuzma's sprained ankle in Honolulu is memorable in Utah's recent basketball history, because of how the injury hurt the Utes' NCAA Tournament credentials.
The loss of Kuzma in a first-round game of the 2016 Diamond Head Classic altered the Utes' path in the tournament, as they fell to San Francisco in the opening round. Winning the consolation bracket didn’t do Utah much good, and that’s why Thursday night’s game vs. Hawaii in the Wooden Legacy is vital to the 2018-19 Utes.
Utah needs the scheduling impact of a potential meeting with Miami in Sunday's championship game of the eight-team event, played on the Cal State Fullerton campus.