Utah men's basketball: Utes are off to Brazil

The Utah men's basketball team's trip to Brazil begins Saturday.

The Utes will leave Salt Lake City and head for Sao Paulo, where they will arrive early Sunday morning. The team will spend 10 days competing, practicing and touring the country before returning on Aug. 15.

"We are all excited for the chance to compete against some other guys after beating up on each other in practice," said redshirt junior guard Glen Dean. "It will be great to run our offense and compete on defense against some other opponents. It will also be great for us to experience the culture in Brazil. I think we will take a lot from this trip and it will help build chemistry down the road."

The Utes will play four games against Brazilian squads. They will spend time in the cities of São José dos Campos, Rio de Janeiro and Búzios or Cabo Frio. Sightseeing stops will include Sugar Loaf, Christ the Redeemer and a boat tour in Búzios.

"It's really exciting — this will be a great team-building experience to spend a lot of time together," said head coach Larry Krystkowiak. "I'm looking forward to visiting with our players individually as well. On a 10-day trip like this, you can do an awful lot of bonding. It will be a great chance to measure ourselves against some other competition as well."

During the trip, players and staff hope to send back as much information as possible, including practice and travel updates, game results, photos and even video.