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A warm summer in the West continues: Forecasts indicate temperatures should reach the high 60s in Boulder on Saturday.
The No. 13-ranked Runnin' Utes have that going for them. If it doesn't get cold in Colorado, perhaps revenge won't be served on Saturday night at Coors Events Center.
Still, Utah is treading lightly for its one-game road trip this weekend. While the Utes beat the Buffaloes by 25 in January, they don't have the luxury of taking CU for granted. The last time they won in Boulder was 2003.
"Colorado's always been a tough place for us," coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "It's coming on our heels Saturday."
The game finds Colorado looking to finally get fully healthy this season — something it hasn't been able to say all year. The Boulder Daily Camera reported that forward Josh Scott rejoined practice after missing eight of his past nine games with back issues, and Xavier Johnson has returned to action since rolling his ankle at Utah last month.
The biggest injury question is Askia Booker, the senior guard and leading scorer who has been struggling with a hip pointer injury. But his hip didn't seem to stop him when he scored 43 points in a triple-overtime win against USC last weekend.
It would be a shock to see CU suit up without the swagger-filled point guard who has helped keep its season somewhat afloat.
"He just plays hard; he likes to compete no matter who he's playing," Jordan Loveridge said. "He's never really said [trash talk] to me, but I'd assume you'd have confidence to drop 43."
In January, the Utes turned what looked to be a competitive game into a rout. Brandon Taylor, Delon Wright and Dakarai Tucker all scored in double digits while Utah used a second-half burst and overwhelming defense to smother the Buffs.
But it was also a perfect storm of sorts for Colorado, which saw Johnson go down in the first four minutes of the game and Scott underwhelm in the middle. With both Johnson and Scott healthy — and role players Jaron Hopkins and Wesley Gordon beginning to pick up slack — CU looks more formidable now than it did then.
Utah isn't likely to be lulled into a false sense of security, however. Wright said falling at UCLA last week has given the team a taste of how hard they need to play on the road, especially against teams that are gunning for payback.
"They'll be hyped up," Wright said. "Any time you lose to a team, you're more ready to play them a second time. We'll be giving our best effort."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 13 Utah at Colorado
Coors Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tipoff • 8 p.m. MST
TV • Pac-12 Network
Radio • ESPN700 AM
Records • Utah (17-4, 7-2); Colorado (11-10, 4-5)
Series history • Colorado leads 25-18
Last meeting • Jan. 7, 2015 at Utah; Utah 74, CU 49
About the Utes • Utah is one of two teams nationally to rank in the top 11 in both points per possession (1.129, No. 11) and points allowed per possession (0.861, No. 7) along with Kentucky. … Delon Wright ranks No. 15 in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.03) and Brandon Taylor checks in at No. 48 (2.48). … Wright is also ranked No. 14 in steals per game (2.24).
About the Buffs • Senior guard Askia Booker scored 43 points against USC last week, the most by any Buff since 1994. … Colorado is 69-11 at the Coors Events Center in the past five years, including a 24-7 record against the Pac-12 at home. … CU ranks last in the conference in assists per game (11.9) and second-to-last in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.926).