Utes did what we told them in UNLV victory

Yesterday we presented a list five things the Utah basketball team had to do to knock off co-league leader UNLV. Let’s see how the Utes did.
1. Shoot the ball well.
The Utes didn’t shoot lights out, but were right on their season average of 49 percent from the field and slightly below in 3-point percentage at 37.5 percent.
2. Keep Rebels from shooting well.
The Utes kept them from a big night shooting, but they shot above their season average at 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range.
3. Keep the Rebels off the offensive boards.
Utah didn’t do a great job in allowing 10 offensive rebounds. However, the Utes got 12 offensive boards themselves and outrebounded the Rebels 36-29.
4. Don’t turn the ball over.
This may have been the most important stat of the night. The Utes had just 9 turnovers, their second lowest total of the season against a pressure defense that had been forcing 17 turnovers per game.
5. Make foul shots at critical times.
The Utes were perfect in this one, making all 10 free throw tries in the final two minutes, including four by Luka Drca, who had struggled in three earlier games, missing the front end of key 1-and-1s. For the game, Utah was 23 of 28 from the charity stripe.
So in conclusion, the Utes accomplished all of these tasks, expecially 4 and 5, and were good enough on the other three to come up with an important victory.
Next up for Utah — Air Force Saturday afternoon in Colorado Springs.