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If the key to beating Washington State is stopping senior guard DaVonte Lacy, then Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak may have an advantage.
He knows Lacy's game.
But then, Lacy knows Utah pretty well, too.
Lacy was one of 10 Pac-12 players to accompany Utah's coaches, senior forward Jeremy Olsen, junior small forward Jordan Loveridge and junior guard Brandon Taylor on a trip to China in August, spending two weeks sharing planes, buses and benches.
The onetime opponents became fast friends in a setting, Lacy said, where everything else is foreign and "you feel like it's you against the world."
Lacy and Krystkowiak formed high opinions of each other. Krystkowiak calls Lacy "as solid a kid as I've come around in a long time," and Lacy calls Krystkowiak "one of the best coaches I've played for."
Wednesday night, they'll be trying to beat each other.
Utah is a 22-point favorite as of late Tuesday, but they'll be wary of Lacy.
Thus far this year, as Lacy goes, goes Washington State. The 6-foot-4 senior has averaged 22.3 points in the Cougars' nine wins, and 11.8 in their eight losses.
Although Wazzu's scoring has been more balanced under first-year head coach Ernie Kent, who was previously known for his high-tempo attack in 12 seasons at Oregon, their best still tends to coincide with Lacy's.
"I think it all starts with me just because I am the leader of the team," Lacy said. "I've got to run hard, I've got to play defense. … A lot of teams like to play fast, but a lot of teams don't like to run."
Ironically, Lacy's scoring average is actually down, from 19.4 points per game as a junior to 17.4 this season, but he's taking 1.8 less attempts per game and getting to the free-throw line more.
And Kent's approach is working. The Cougars were 330th in scoring per game last season, at 62.4 points per game. This year they are 84th, at 71.8.
Six players average six or more points per game, but 46 percent of the offense is generated by Lacy and 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson, who is averaging 15.4 points and 11 rebounds after receiving limited minutes as a freshman.
The next step, for both Lacy and WSU, is consistency. The six times this season they've scored 80 or more points, Washington State has won. But two days after scoring 108 in an overtime win against Oregon, they scored 47 against Oregon State.
If it all starts with Lacy, the Utes aim to do as the Beavers did, and deny him the ball. He can shoot, he can drive, he can dish and he can pump-fake you out of your shoes, said Taylor.
"When he has the ball in his hands, he kind of does what he wants," Taylor said.
Lacy's hoping that talent allows him to play pro basketball before returning to school to earn a master's in business management and open up a Boys & Girls Club — demonstrating the unselfishness that Krystkowiak gushes about.
But he may also try his hand at coaching, he said, and "maybe I'll hit up Coach K in a couple years and ask if he needs a GA."
Of all their experiences together in China — beating two pro teams and a group of Chinese college all-stars before visiting the Forbidden City and the Great Wall — Lacy's favorite memory is his time together on the bus with the team, joking and comparing notes about their schools.
Taylor said he, Lacy, Washington's Andrew Andrews, Oregon State's Malcolm Duvivier and Arizona's Jacob Hazzard are among those who hit it off.
Once, Taylor started a rap battle after a game, Lacy remembers.
To Lacy's recollection, he said with a laugh: "I had to shut him down."
Now it's Utah's turn.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Washington State at No. 12 Utah
P At the Huntsman Center
Tipoff • Wednesday, 7 p.m.
TV • Pac-12 Networks
Radio • ESPN 700 AM
Records • Utah (14-3, 4-1); UA (9-8, 3-2)
Series history • Utah leads 15-4
Last meeting • February 8, 2014, at the Huntsman Center, Utah 81, Washington State 63
About the Utes • The Utes fell four spots to No. 12 in the AP poll after a loss to Arizona in Tucson on Saturday. ... Utah is 11-0 at home this season and won its past 13 home games overall. ... The Cougars' fast-paced offense will meet Utah's stingy scoring defense, which has conceded 56.1 points per game.
About the Cougars • Washington State started 4-6 under first-year head coach Ernie Kent but has won three of its past four in conference, and five of its past seven overall. The Cougars are 2-1 on the road in conference ... Sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson leads the Pac-12 in rebounds per game with 11, and also ranks first in double-doubles with 10.