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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 6 Wednesday, January 15, 2014 MEN'S BASKETBALL Utes learn from offensive mistakes Ryan Miller STAFF WRITER During Utah's normal practice time Monday, the Huntsman Center was silent. Instead of their typical activities, the Utes huddled together in the film room dissecting their most recent loss to Washington State. Film sessions usually include certain parts and plays of games, but Monday's was different. The team watched the entirety of its 46-49 loss to the Cougars in search of what ailed the team offensively. "We have a group of guys who care about what they are doing, so there is really a bit of embarrassment when they see it," said head coach Larry Krystkowiak. "We talk about losing games at the end, and we watched about 20 clips in the Washington State game and said 'Would this have happened if this was the final play of the game?' and everybody went, 'No, there would have been more of a sense of urgency." Krystkowiak found a simple answer to Utes' recent offensive ineptitude — karma. What he saw in film was his team lacking effort on the offensive end. He said his players weren't making hard cuts and were setting soft screens, so the ball didn't bounce their way down the stretch. "We watched a bunch of cuts yesterday that were half speed," Krystkowiak said. "If you make a pass or make a hard cut, you put [the opponent] on their heels and make them defend you. To me, there's a lot of karma involved. If you're busting your butt, you screen and you're playing hard on offense, you're not going to shoot yourselves in the foot." The film session seemed to inspire the Utes, as they stayed in the gym afterward to put up shots. Krystkowiak hopes to see that effort and desire in games. "We have to play hard on offense," he said. "Everybody judges how hard you're playing on the defensive end. We expended a lot of energy defensively and just went through the motions on offense. We didn't really earn a shot." The team understood the benefit of watching the entirety of a game, and players feel the mistakes are correctable. "It was good for us to break down every mistake that we had," guard Brandon Taylor said. "It comes down to the small things — a missed box out or a turnover, just little stuff that you have to prevent. We will be good." Others on the team saw specific things the team has to improve on to get the offense going. "As a team we need to be more aggressive in getting to the basket," said forward Jordan Loveridge. "If we get some easy ones, it will probably help our confidence a bit." One thing Krystkowiak wanted to show his team is that every play is important, regardless of what stage the game is in. "Every play is big, and I think there is a little bit of embarrassment that we don't have to put ourselves in the position to have to win the game at the end," Krystkowiak said. "We got a solid group. The character with these guys, I would be really surprised if everyone wasn't fired up and had a good practice." Though many things have contributed to Utah's offensive struggles recently, Krystkowiak truly believes increased effort will turn the tide for his young team and give it a little bit of good karma moving forward. r.miller@chronicle.utah.edu Deals for food, entertainment and everything else for students, faculty and staff at the University of Utah. Go to: www.UtahCampusDeals.com and sign up today to get $10 in Deal Bucks! CHRIS AYERS/The Daily Utah Chronicle Sophmore forward Jordan Loveridge jumps high to score against Oregon State. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Utah loosens up after tough schedule Brandon Barlow STAFF WRITER Practices usually consist of rigorous work, but the Utes switched things up to start the week, as their first practice began with some wiffle ball. Utah stumbled through the toughest part of its conference schedule, games against the California squads that saw the Utes go 0-4. Utah head coach Anthony Levrets said with this hurdle behind his team, it was time to loosen up and have some fun before the group rolls into the rest of its schedule, starting with a road trip this weekend to play Washington and Washington State. He also said he hoped keeping the mood light at practice would help boost team unity and morale. "It is just to have some fun together," Levrets said. "It is a little different tone to practice than what I think the kids will expect. Every once in awhile, you've just got to come together and have fun. We played the toughest schedule, not that it gets easy, but we do not play the hardest schedule anymore. Somebody else has to." Plouffe's status day-to-day Against Cal on Sunday, senior forward Michelle Plouffe was fighting for a rebound when a Golden Bears' player brought her arm across Plouffe's face. It is unclear whether or not Plouffe has a concussion, but her status is day-to-day for the time being. "She still is foggy," Levrets said Tuesday. "She is improving, but she will be evaluated every day just like any player with an injury like that. With something like that, you have to be very, very careful, but we are going to see where she is tomorrow." Plouffe finished the game despite being shaken up and became the fourth player in school history to reach i,000 rebounds for her career. Now, with 1,005, she needs just II more to move into third all-time in school history. Home sweet ... road? One point of frustration for Levrets throughout the season has been the lack of fans at home games. The team has encountered some sizeable 0122)C90 a • BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle Senior forward Michelle Plouffe goes up for a shot during a game last week. crowds on the road but hasn't seen the same thing at the Huntsman Center. Average attendance at home has been 818 in the 15,00o-seat arena. "Unfortunately, and you can print this with underlines and exclamation points, we have the least amount 00 of fan support in the Pac-12," Levrets said. "It's fun to play on the road and to play in places like Stanford, Washington and Washington State. To get to play where there is energy and enthusiasm on the floor, it is fun." b.barlow@chronicle.utah.edu 00 a Gx3(be o 00e0ooe |