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Here comes the most anticipated week of finals in Utah men's basketball history.
Forward David Collette and guard Sedrick Barefield wrap up their coursework this week, and the Runnin' Utes (6-2) are anxious for them to finish. As long as their grades are posted before Utah's home game at 4 p.m. on Saturday against Prairie View A&M, that will be their debut for the program.
Of course, coach Larry Krystkowiak can't post the grades himself — he's trying to stay well out of the way of academic faculty, hoping that "we're all on the same page."
"We're not going to put ourselves in a position where we're trying to intervene and potentially cross some lines," he said. "We're moving forward with the hopes that we'll have them, and barring some unforeseen circumstance, I'd anticipate us having them. But again, it's not a done deal."
Getting the duo — who have been enrolled since January but unable to play — on the court is just the beginning of the challenge for Utah. The addition of both players is likely to dramatically affect the rotation and probably the starting lineup. Both are potential starters: Collette at center, and Barefield at one of the guard spots.
As Krystkowiak mentioned, there's only 200 minutes in a game. So who slides out?
Sophomore guard Parker Van Dyke said Krystkowiak hasn't mentioned specifics in how minutes or roles might be affected. But any concern, he said, is outweighed by the team's relief in having two valuable players become eligible.
"We're really excited to have them because they're both really good players and it makes us a lot better as a team," he said. "I just think they're going to fit in very well with the way things are going. Minutes are going to go down for certain players, but in the long run, it's going to make us better as a team. It's something I'm excited about, and I'm excited to see those guys perform."
Krystkowiak also said there are probably players in the locker room who would "welcome a break." Junior Kyle Kuzma (31.9 mpg) and senior Lorenzo Bonam (29.0 mpg) are the top two leaders in minutes so far.
More details on Coleman transfer
Larry Krystkowiak talked Tuesday about junior guard Tim Coleman, who has gotten a release and is reportedly set to transfer to Division II Arkansas Fort-Smith, though Krystkowiak said he thought Coleman would receive Division I interest. He cited Coleman's desire to play as the driving factor in the decision, which had been in the works for some time.
It's Krystkowiak's seventh scholarship transfer from the program since Brandon Miller left the program in November 2015. He said that the increasing number of transfers in college basketball have gotten him to think a little more critically about how he's recruiting.
"I'm going to expect our coaches to dig a little deeper and make sure we're checking a lot more of the boxes, as many as we can," he said. "I don't want kids transferring. Every kid we've recruited, I've talked about how college is one of the best times of their life. I want it to be a great experience. It's disappointing and disheartening when somebody wants to leave. It's not fun."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Prairie View A&M at Utah
P Saturday, 4 p.m.
TV • Pac-12 Network