Utes need to shoot well, limit BYU's shooting

Coming off a loss to one of the worst teams in the Mountain West Conference Wednesday night, the Utah basketball team has little hope of defeating BYU Saturday night in Provo, right?
The slim chances the Utes have were further hurt by the news tonight that another player may miss Saturday’s game. Jason Washburn, the backup center to David Foster, came down with a fever of 102 Friday afternoon and is questionable for the big game.
The Utes could get by without Washburn, who has been playing less and less as the season has gone along after splitting time with Foster early in the year. Kim Tillie, who is coming off the bench now, could fill in as Foster’s backup.
The biggest problem the Utes face Saturday is how to slow down the Cougars outside firepower of Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery, Tyler Haws and Jonathan Tavernari. If the Utes can hold the Cougars to 22 percent shooting from 3-point range as they have with six other MWC opponents they may have a chance. But they’ll also need some great shooting performances from Marshall Henderson, Carlon Brown and Luka Drca, who’ve each been inconsistent this year.
I’m not saying the Utes don’t have a chance to win Saturday night. After all, they knocked off UNLV in Las Vegas just two weeks ago, the same UNLV team that almost beat BYU in Provo earlier that week. But they’re going to have to hit their shots and keep BYU from hitting theirs to have a chance.