Utah's upset win over Air Force gives Utes a big sense of relief

In the aftermath of Utah's biggest win at the Huntsman Center in at least four years, the prevailing feeling for coaches and players was that of relief.

After suffering through the longest losing streak by a Ute team in 57 years, which included two overtime losses and one by three points and another by one, the Utes got a huge monkey off their backs Tuesday night in defeating Air Force.

"It is a huge relief to get this win, especially against a ranked team like Air Force," said Ute center Luke Nevill, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the year. "We needed this win to get us going."

The fact that the Utes beat the No. 11-ranked team in the country with the best record in the nation (17-1) as well as the longest winning streak (13) made it all the more sweet, although the Utes were ready for a win, period.

"It was one win, we needed it, but it wouldn't have mattered whoever it was," said Utah coach Ray Giacoletti. "We needed a win to get over that hump."

Still, Giacoletti was thrilled to get a win against a team with the credentials Air Force has this year and get some notice on ESPN and around the country for his team.

"I thought we were pretty darn solid," Giacoletti said. "People have no idea how hard it is to keep ourselves, our staff and our team focused and headed in the right direction, positive and working hard every day."

The big test for the Utes will come Saturday afternoon when Wyoming comes to town. The Cowboys are a pretty good team as evidenced by the fact that three days before Utah's upset win over the Falcons, they lost to the Falcons on a last-second shot.

The last time the Utes won a game this season, beating Virginia 94-70 at the San Juan Shootout, they came back with a dreadful 33-point loss to Northwestern. Back in Puerto Rico, Giacoletti stressed the importance of how his team would respond after a big win, saying "The harder thing is what our mind-set will be now," and the same thing applies now.

The Utah-Wyoming game is at 1 p.m. Saturday, and if the Utes can win, it could be a springboard to a good finish to what has been a disappointing season.

Giacoletti, who has been under fire in the media and from fans, was asked if Tuesday's big win would silence his critics.