Utah's 6-6 record in nonconference basketball games in 2018-19 meant that an 11-7 showing and a third-place finish in the Pac-12 would be insufficient for an NCAA Tournament bid.
In his eighth season, coach Larry Krystkowiak strengthened his November/December schedule in an effort to match the selection committee's blueprint. The Utes just skipped the part about winning some of those games.
“You really can't afford to wait too long to play better,” Krystkowiak said Friday in one of a series of season-review media interviews. “We've got to figure out a formula to be more functional come November than we have been.