Utah Basketball: 3 keys for the Utes against BYU

Utah Basketball tangles with BYU on Saturday in the Beehive Classic. What do the Utes need to do to win? Here are three keys to victory.

TV Schedule: Saturday, December 8th, 2:00p.m. ET, ESPNU

Arena: Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, UT

On Saturday the Utah Utes will tangle with in-state rival BYU as part of the Beehive Classic in Salt Lake City. The 4-3 Utes have alternated wins and losses so far this season, after defeating Tulsa in their last game, they will look to buck that trend by taking down the Cougars.

A look at the Utes schedule thus far shows that they have struggled when facing a step up in competition. Their wins have come against the likes of Maine, Mississippi Valley State, and Grand Canyon, while in their losses to Minnesota, Hawaii, and Northwestern the margin of defeat has been over 12 points.

Offensively, the team is led by senior guard Sedrick Barefield who leads the team in points (13.7) and assists (3.4) and sophomore forward Donnie Tillman who grabs 7.1 rebounds per game while adding 11.6 points. After those two, the Utes have depth, especially in the frontcourt, they have seven other players averaging at least five points per game and six of those players are 6-5 or taller.

The Cougars are 6-4 and are looking to stop a slide that has seen them lose three of four. They are led by two dynamic juniors, guard T.J. Haws and forward Yoeli Childs, the duo has combined for 38.9 points, 15.9 rebounds, and 8.4 assists and have attempted 286 of the team’s 648 field goal attempts.

How can Larry Krystowiak’s Utes take down their Beehive State rivals? Here are three things Utah must do in order to win and start their first winning streak of the season.