Utah Utes basketball: Improved squad faces struggling Cowboys

SALT LAKE CITY — The last time the Utah basketball team saw Wyoming, the Cowboys were laying a 75-69 loss on the Utes in a come-from-behind victory at Laramie in late January.

Since then, however, the Cowboys have lost seven straight games — one each to every other team in the Mountain West Conference. And for the most part, they haven't even been close. The average margin of the seven losses has been 19 points, including one to Air Force and, most recently, back-to-back 22-point losses to New Mexico and BYU.

The Cowboys are also hurting personnel-wise. Not only did they lose their leading scorer, Afam Muojeke, to a knee injury last month, but former starting forward A.J. Davis has left the team, joining Thomas Manzano, a JC all-American, who left the team earlier in the season.

Despite the Cowboys' woes, the Utes won't be taking them lightly in today's game at 4 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.

"They're a young team, I like their team," said Utah coach Jim Boylen. "(Desmar) Jackson, (JayDee) Luster, (Adam) Waddell — I think they've got good, young players."

While the Cowboys have struggled since the win last month, the Utes have gradually improved. Boylen pointed out that the Utes then were poor in their offensive execution, transition defense and rebounding, and gave up too many free throws (44).

"We're a different team than that game," he said. "We have to play with a grit and a toughness that we didn't play with up there, and that's the bottom line."

For the Utes, today's game is an opportunity to climb back to .500 in both MWC play and overall games.

With games coming up against BYU at home on Wednesday, and at Colorado State next Saturday, the Utes have a chance to finish above .500 and in fifth place in the MWC standings.

Boylen and the Utes are hoping they will be playing their best basketball of the season over the next couple of weeks with a chance for postseason play.

The key for the Utes may be how their veteran players perform the rest of the way.

According to Boylen, Carlon Brown is playing his best basketball of the season, despite going scoreless against Air Force. Last time against Wyoming, he was nearly unstoppable, scoring a career-high 31 points, but lately, his game has been more under control, and he's helped the team in other ways besides scoring.