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Delaware State was 0-11 this season, 0-11 all-time against current Pac-12 teams and 0-20 against ranked opponents since 1996.
Utah beat No. 7 Duke in Madison Square Garden this past Saturday.
The stage was set for a once-in-a-lifetime upset at the Huntsman Center.
Utah beat Delaware State 105-58.
The only thing dramatic about Tuesday night's blowout was the degree to which Utah improved its offensive efficiency, even if it was against a floundering foe.
Prior to the game, Utes head coach Larry Krystkowiak implored his players to consider the spirit of Christmas as they decided whether to pass or shoot.
Eight Utes scored eight or more points as Utah hit 62 percent of its shots and assisted on a season-high 30 of its 37 makes, though players assured reporters it wasn't for fear of coal in their stockings.
Krystkowiak said only one of 60 shots qualified as "me" shots, as opposed to 59 "we" shots. Utah (10-2) also accomplished its goal of finishing with fewer than 10 turnovers (nine) — after giving it away 19 times against Duke — and narrowly missed holding its opponent to under 30 percent from the field (32 percent).
Sophomore forward Kyle Kuzma led Utah in scoring for the third consecutive game, with 15, and sophomore center Jakob Poeltl finished with five assists — all in the first half — for the second-highest single-game total of his career.
Playing only 19 minutes, Poeltl repeatedly put the ball on the floor, first finding Kuzma for a layup, then senior guard Dakarai Tucker for a baseline jumper, then again over his own head to Kuzma, then to junior forward Gabe Bealer for two, and then again finding Kuzma for an easy two.
"If he plays a normal game, there's a really good chance he ends up with double-digit assists," Krystkowiak said.
Poeltl finished with a season-low six points, the first time this season that he's totaled single digits, and didn't score his first points until he spun baseline to give the Utes a 45-22 lead.
Utah had entered the game hitting 34 percent of 3-pointers, compared to 40 percent last season, but drained a season high 12 from long range on 23 attempts, which Krystkowiak credited to the extra ball movement.
"We've got really capable shooters, but it's going to take somebody to pass it to them," he said.
Junior forward Chris Reyes poured in a season-high 12. Freshman forward Austin Montgomery's eight points were a career-high. Senior forward Jordan Loveridge scored 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep. Junior guard Lorenzo Bonam added 12. Not only did eight Utes score eight or more points, but 11 played 11 or more minutes.
"When we can get everybody sweaty and needing to take a shower, that's a good sign," Krystkowiak said.
He urged his players in his postgame speech to spend Christmas thinking about what they haven't been doing well and return energized to address those deficiencies for practice the evening of the 26th.
Utah next hosts NAIA College of Idaho at 7 p.m. on Monday, then enters Pac-12 play having only lost — barring an unlikely upset — to No. 13 Miami and Wichia State.
The Utes open Pac-12 play with a three-game road swing, beginning at Stanford on Jan. 1. Krystkowiak pointed to the depth of the league — eight Pac-12 teams, like Utah, have two or fewer losses — but added that he believes Utah's schedule has been the hardest of the bunch.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Storylines
R Utah has 30 assists on 37 made field goals in rout of Delaware State.
• Eight players score eight or more points.
• In limited action, Jakob Poeltl has six points and five assists.
Utah 105, Delaware State 58
DELAWARE ST. (0-12)
Haywood 3-10 1-3 8, Morgan Jr. 4-9 3-4 14, Raysor 1-4 0-0 2, Mallory 1-5 0-0 2, Onifade 0-4 0-0 0, Sill 1-2 0-0 3, Thomas 1-3 0-0 2, Waller 0-1 0-0 0, Lewis 0-1 1-2 1, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Christian 0-0 0-0 0, Gasevic 2-6 0-0 4, Dickerson 3-6 0-0 9, Tavakalyan 2-3 0-0 4, Hughes 3-9 3-3 9. Totals 21-65 8-12 58.
UTAH (10-2)
Taylor 2-5 3-3 8, Bonam 3-4 4-4 12, Loveridge 4-5 2-2 14, Kuzma 6-8 3-4 15, Poeltl 3-5 0-0 6, Chapman 2-5 0-0 4, Wright 2-2 0-1 5, Eastman 0-2 0-0 0, Connor 2-3 0-0 4, Tucker 3-5 0-0 8, Reyes 5-7 2-4 12, Bealer 2-5 4-4 9, Montgomery 3-4 1-2 8. Totals 37-60 19-24 105.
Halftime—Utah 52-26. 3-Point Goals—Delaware St. 8-20 (Morgan Jr. 3-5, Dickerson 3-5, Sill 1-2, Haywood 1-3, Johnson 0-1, Waller 0-1, Raysor 0-1, Thomas 0-1, Hughes 0-1), Utah 12-23 (Loveridge 4-5, Tucker 2-3, Bonam 2-3, Montgomery 1-1, Wright 1-1, Bealer 1-3, Taylor 1-4, Connor 0-1, Eastman 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Delaware St. 23 (Gasevic 6), Utah 48 (Poeltl, Reyes 7). Assists—Delaware St. 8 (Thomas 3), Utah 30 (Taylor, Wright 6). Total Fouls—Delaware St. 16, Utah 9. A—12,041.