LAS VEGAS -- It took a little while for Jakob Poeltl to become Jakob Poeltl.
After a quiet first half in which he tallied just three field goals and three rebounds, Poeltl exploded and finished the night with 29 points and 11 boards, leading the Utes to an 82-78 victory over Cal in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinal.
Every opponent this season has tried different strategies to slow the NBA lottery pick -- most have doubled or tripled, some from the baseline, others from the opposite post -- but the Bears relied a lot on one-on-one match ups with Kameron Rooks and Ivan Rabb.