Krystkowiak: 'Heck of an opportunity' to play Georgetown


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PORTLAND, Oregon — The Runnin’ Utes have never played the Georgetown Hoyas. In fact, the Utes are the only major Division I program from the state of Utah that hasn’t played the Hoyas over the years.

It’s not often an east coast team plays a team out west, particularly a storied program like the Hoyas. Conference schedules are already taxing enough, so playing a difficult programs like Georgetown in a non-conference schedule are hard to come by. Because of Georgetown’s college basketball legacy, Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said they’re not a team he’d regularly want to schedule in a non-conference situation.

“It’s that time of year where you don’t get a chance to play, you know, certain teams. It’s an opportunity,” Krystkowiak said. “Certainly not going to schedule certain teams like that. It’s rare in the preseason. The only way you do cross paths is this time of year.”

“It means a lot,” Jordan Loveridge said, speaking about the opportunity to play Georgetown. “That’s why we want to be playing at this time of the year, is to play teams we don’t really get to play. It will be a fun game, a good matchup. We’ll be ready to play.”

Krystkowiak, though, said he respects the Hoyas being one of the top 10 most recognizable college basketball programs in the country, and that the chance to play them in the tournament is a “heck of an opportunity.”


I've got a lot of respect for their program. I think Georgetown's one of those names, when you throw it out there, that's synonymous with basketball. It's not anything you think about with many other sports. … It's a heck of an opportunity, but at the same time a heck of a challenge.

–Larry Krystkowiak


“I’ve got a lot of respect for their program,” Krystkowiak said. “I think Georgetown’s one of those names, when you throw it out there, that’s synonymous with basketball. It’s not anything you think about with many other sports. … It’s a heck of an opportunity, but at the same time a heck of a challenge.”

Georgetown head coach John Thompson III has similar respect for Utah coming into Saturday’s game.

“Once you get to now, to this time of year, every team that’s going to be left is a very good team. And they’re no exception,” Thompson said. “They’re very well coached. … I think both programs down through the year, the kids understand and play with a lot of pride, a lot of heart. I think that you’ll see that tomorrow.”

The Hoyas are 3-0 against Utah teams, with the Weber State Wildcats coming the closest to a victory in the 1995 NCAA tournament, losing 53-51. Utah looks to change history in its hopes of making a deep run in the tournament. But Krystkowiak admits the program doesn’t have an exact destination or goal in sight — just play for as long as the opportunity stays alive.

“This isn’t about a goal of reaching any point,” Krystkowiak said. “It’s very much a survival of the fittest mentality that I’m trying to instill in our guys. So we cannot be complacent or satisfied with what we’ve done up to this point.

“I want our guys to understand that it’s a great accomplishment to win a game, but that wasn’t the goal of our season.”

A win on Saturday for Utah would match its longest run in the NCAA tournament since 2005, where Utah lost to Kentucky 62-52 in the Sweet 16. But that solitary event past the first weekend of action is the only time Utah has made it to another week of play since its appearance in the NCAA tournament championship game in 1998 — once again losing to Kentucky.

“I’ve always felt like the underdog, regardless of who it is we’re playing,” Krystkowiak said. “I think our kids get that picture pretty quick, too, that you’ve got to come out scrapping and clawing, not expect anything.”

Utah (25-8, 13-5) will play Georgetown (22-10, 12-6) Saturday at approximately 5:45 p.m. at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The winner of that game would go on to play in the Sweet 16 in Houston, Texas next week.

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