Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak speaks incessantly about a top-four finish in the Pac-12 basketball standings, with good reasoning. A first-round bye in the conference tournament reduces a team's workload in Las Vegas, with three wins required for the title.
For a fifth-straight season, the No. 3-seeded Utes (17-13, 11-7 Pac-12) will open the tournament in Thursday’s quarterfinals. That’s a genuine achievement in this year’s case and a distinction for the program.
Two problems, though: Krystkowiak's teams have lasted one game at T-Mobile Arena each of the previous two years. And to win the tournament, the Utes likely will have to go through three teams that beat them at the Huntsman Center: Oregon, Arizona State and Washington.