Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak knows the history. Earning a first-round bye in the Pac-12 basketball tournament didn’t help his team the past two years, when the Utes lost quarterfinal games to California and Oregon in Las Vegas.
That’s not stopping him from making another top-four finish in the standings an annual goal for his program. The opportunity remains in front of the Utes with three games remaining: Saturday at Colorado, next Thursday vs. USC and Saturday vs. UCLA. Utah (9-6) is alone in fourth place, but only one game ahead of USC and UCLA (the crosstown rivals meet Thursday night) and two games ahead of three teams tied for seventh, including Colorado.