This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With his daughters at either side in his http://bit.ly/2gG7WEk";>Thursday night post-game press conference, the 52-year-old started the increasingly cumbersome process of mining memories.
Larry Krystkowiak wasn't exactly putting on a front that all 100 wins were close at hand: When asked about his first career win at San Diego Christian, he furrowed his brow.
"It's all pretty darn foggy," he said. "I didn't look up to the video until win No. 40-some. It's been a heck of a run. I have a hard time remembering who we beat early this season. It's always a real stay-in-the-moment kind of deal."
With a rebuilding (or reloading, depending on your optimism) season ahead of him, Krystkowiak may be well advised to look at little more in the past. The last two seasons in particular are the highlight of his tenure so far, with 53 of his 100 wins at Utah.
Here's a quick look back at some of the key moments and milestones among the 100, with some looks back on the Tribune's coverage. The selections are subjective, but thanks to some input from my Twitter followers:
Jan. 5, 2012 — Utah 62, Washington State 60 (OT) • For those willing to look back on a miserable first season, this was Utah's first win in the Pac-12. It came right after a 40-point loss to Colorado, right in the throes of a season the Utes would rather forget.
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/sports/53242559-77/utes-watkins-washington-state.html.csp";>Game story quotable: "As time dripped away in the overtime period Watkins forced, he did it again. He stopped and he shot. In that span, the Utes' brash and reckless point guard matured, and the University of Utah men's basketball team — labeled the worst ever — won a Pac-12 game."
Feb. 25, 2012 — Utah 58, Stanford 57 • Utah's sixth and final win of the season came on Senior Day in a thriller against the visiting Cardinal. It was a victory after Krystkowiak had faced down one of his pivotal early decisions of dismissing Jiggy Watkins from the team.
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/sports/53590174-77/utes-utah-stanford-hines.html.csp";>Game story quotable: "It was just one win, but in a season with few, it felt like some kind of championship, even if all it did was strengthen the Utes' hold on 11th place going into the Pac-12 Tournament, where the Utes suddenly look like they could be a threat."
Dec. 5, 2012 — Utah 76, Boise State 55 • Many fans who were begrudgingly sticking with the Utes at the time identify this as one of the first instances Utah really showed the ability to dominate a game rather than just compete. It was Utah's first game after former coach Rick Majerus had died, and the coaching staff all wore gray sweaters to honor his memory.
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/utes/55409695-89/utah-0-0-utes-boise.html.csp";>Game story quotable: "With many of his former players in the building on Wednesday night, the spirit of Majerus was no doubt in the Huntsman Center. And where it mattered most — on the floor — Utah played the type of complete game that would've forced the intense coach to crack a smile, if only a fleeting one."
March 9, 2013 — Utah 72, No. 19 Oregon 62 • For the first time in the Krystkowiak era, Utah won back-to-back conference games and beat a ranked opponent, led by a Jason Washburn double-double. Try not to remember this is the last time Utah beat the Ducks.
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/utes/55979253-89/utah-oregon-utes-team.html.csp";>Game story quotable: "Utah took the disappointment of the past and exploded through it for a weekend. A Senior Day crowd of 11,628 at the Huntsman Center on Saturday witnessed the Utes lay a 72-62 whooping on No. 19 Oregon. When it was over, senior center Jason Washburn stood on the court soaking in the adulation of a crowd giving him and his team a continuous standing ovation. Now there is tangible proof."
March 14, 2013 — Utah 79, Cal 69 (OT) • After Jared DuBois sent this Pac-12 second-round game into overtime, the Utes tore up the Bears in the extra period, thanks to a 20-point, 8-rebound game by then-freshman Jordan Loveridge. The Utes would lose the next night to Oregon in the semis, but it was the first postseason noise the team had made in a long time.
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/utes/56007385-89/utah-points-dubois-grabbed.html.csp";>Game story quotable: "Utah's Cinderella story continues. A 79-69 win over California in overtime on Thursday night sends the Utes to a Pac-12 semifinal on Friday night. It registers as the biggest upset of the conference tournament, as MGM Grand Garden Arena aligned itself solidly with Utah."
Dec. 14, 2013 — Utah 81, BYU 64 • The Cougars had won seven straight games in the series headed into this match-up, but the revival at the Huntsman Center was a big moment for Krystkowiak, particular when it comes to this prickly rivalry. He would go on to win the next two games as well.
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/sports/57264272-77/points-utah-byu-rebounds.html.csp";>Game story quotable: "With the win, the Utes move to 9-1 on the season. And for one night, the Huntsman Center was full, and loud, and a true home-court advantage.For one night, it appears Utah may be on the road to recapturing the glory days."
Jan. 18, 2014 — Utah 74, UCLA 69 • No one knew it yet, but the Bruins would go on to have three first-round NBA Draft picks that year. Loveridge led with 17 points in the home win that established Utah against a traditional power in the conference.
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/sports/57415430-77/utah-utes-loveridge-team.html.csp";>Game story quotable: "'Everyone got a little more juiced up for this game,' Krystkowiak said. 'We told the kids this is it. This is why you join the Pac-12, to play in games like these.'"
Dec. 3, 2014 — Utah 69, Wichita State 68 (OT) • http://bit.ly/1wlnlOT";>The Shockers were a machine when they rolled into the Huntsman Center, having won 35 straight regular season games. The Utes earned a signature win for the season, and rocketed up the rankings. It was also one of the biggest, loudest crowds for a non-BYU non-conference game in years.
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1895134-155/utah-basketball-no-25-utes-upset";>Game story quotable: "It was a fist-pumper, a win worth celebrating as the buzzer went off and the Runnin' Utes had clinched a hard-fought 69-68 victory over Wichita State — one that will be talked about, remembered and smiled upon as perhaps the game in which Utah announced itself as a team to be respected and feared."
March 21, 2015 — Utah 75, Georgetown 64 • Krystkowiak said on Thursday that winning tournament games are like winning majors in golf: They just mean more. This game functions as ahttp://www.sltrib.com/sports/2311939-155/utes-to-face-georgetown-on-saturday";> stand-in for both games in Portland, but the win against a blueblood program in the Hoyas stands out for delivering Utah's first Sweet 16 berth in 10 years.
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/2318384-155/runnin-utes-advance-to-sweet-16?fullpage=1";>Game story quotable: "Utah (26-8) is in the Sweet 16. As the Utes celebrated in the locker room with chicken wings and beaming smiles, the full force of that reality — one that Dallin Bachynski said he would've called laughable only three years ago — hadn't yet borne down on them."
Dec. 12, 2015 — Utah 77, Duke 75 (OT) • Among regular season games, this one stands alone. http://bit.ly/1PbGL1m";>For the stage at Madison Square Garden, for the opponent in the defending national champs, and for the bit of revenge factor involved. The Utes' bigs were better than those of the Blue Devils, and Jakob Poeltl starred and proved he could compete against the nation's best. An odd side note: This was win No. 77 for Krystkowiak, whose lucky number is 7 (he brought it up Thursday).
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3322655-155/utah-basketball-utes-stun-no-7?fullpage=1";>Game story quotable: "What pulled them through was the dirty work — rebounds, contesting Duke's shots at the rim, and free throws. And in the paint, Utah's second-year big men stood tall, as Kyle Kuzma led with 21 points along with Poeltl's double-double against the Blue Devil's injury-shortened front line. The post showcase was a dramatic turnaround from last weekend, when the Utes were bogged down in a road loss to Wichita State. On ESPN, in the self-billed 'most famous arena in the world,' Utah strutted its best stuff."
Feb. 27, 2016 — Utah 70, Arizona 64 • http://www.sltrib.com/home/3587336-155/utah-basketball-for-utes-arizona-is";>The last giant fell in the Pac-12 conference, ending a losing streak to the Wildcats stretching back to 1998. It wasn't Senior Day, but it sure felt like it for a class of Utes that had only ever known losing to the Wildcats. One of the most raucous home games of the year was a fitting sendoff for the senior class and Jakob Poeltl.
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3589220-155/utah-basketball-no-22-utes-upset?fullpage=1";>Game story quotable: "What was sweeter for coach Larry Krystkowiak: clinching his first win against Sean Miller's Arizona program or clinching a Pac-12 Tournament bye? He might've been considering these thoughts as he sat in front of the media for 20 seconds of opening silence, sucking on a Lifesaver. 'Let's just sit here and savor this one for a minute,' he said, eyes closed."
Have a favorite we missed? Drop it in the comment sections. Maybe enjoy a Lifesaver while you reminisce.
kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon