I'm disappointed...but I'm not. I didn't really have faith Utah could win Thursday night and, what do you know, they didn't. But I also was bracing for a blowout because, well, that's exactly how almost every road game has gone this season.

To my surprise, the Runnin' Utes were within a possession down the stretch. That's progress, I guess? Sure, the Sun Devils are awful - horrible, in fact - but at least it wasn't another massacre. And considering Utah lost to the last-place USC Trojans by an amount larger than our national deficit, I guess I can't be too down on the performance.

You know, I'm not even bummed they lost. I guess I'm more bummed it probably means we're not going to see a road win this season. That's hard to accept, regardless of how bad this team is and how much talent they lack. I wanted a road win, dammit! I WANTED IT!

But oh well.

So, now on to Tucson. Shudder.

Okay, so it's not technically their last road game, but you get the sense if they can't beat the Sun Devils tonight they're probably doomed to finishing winless on the road this season. I'm not going to look it up, but I'm pretty sure that might be a school first.

Definitely not the way you want to rewrite the record books.

The Sun Devils are certainly beatable. They're 4-8 at home, only own one more win in conference play than Utah and, of course, the Utes already knocked them off in Salt Lake a couple weeks ago.

But Utah is, how do I say this in the nicest terms, godawful on the road. They're not only losing, they're getting absolutely destroyed by horrible teams like the USC Trojans - who still haven't been able to find a victory after ripping apart the Utes late last month.

It's why, against a 7-16 team, they're 11-point underdogs.

It's not pretty. This whole season has been a struggle. So, it's really about those minor victories. Defeating ASU won't suddenly save the season, but it could at least provide some serious comfort at the moment. I think we just want a bit of progress, the taste of victory - the feeling this team is, in fact, moving in the right direction.

Another poor road performance, however, is going to be tough to just shrug off. Maybe we should. I mean, this season is all but over anyway. Still, we want victories. After all, we're fans. We want to cheer our team on to victory.

Hopefully that happens tonight.

I feared this after the UCLA debacle. When you're terrible overall, you're even worse on the road. The USC Trojans are not a good team. They entered tonight's game as the worst team in the conference record wise, had depth issues galore and still rolled the hapless Utes.

I hate to say it, but all the progress this team made in January has eroded and they're now looking just as bad as they did in November and December.

If there is one good thing to glean from this horrendous road swing is that it's now over. The Utes return to Salt Lake City, where they've been at least more competitive this past month, to take on the Oregon schools.

Not sure if they'll win, but hopefully we can at least, you know, make it a game.

No 1983 magic this year.

The Runnin' Utes failed to show up to take on a struggling UCLA team and dropped their seventh straight on the road in embarrassing fashion. It marks yet another blowout loss for the program that has yet to find any traction away from the Jon M. Huntsman Center and illustrates just how bad the bottom of the conference is compared to the murky-middle, where the Bruins have resided for most this season.

It also raises questions as to whether this team can even manage to win its first road game of the season. They're not good anyway and worse when not playing in front of a partisan crowd (however weak that crowd may be this season).

As much as the Arizona State win bolstered confidence in this team's ability, a lot of that was diminished tonight, even if not entirely deserving. We knew this team was bad. We knew UCLA, though struggling, was loaded with talent. No one should be surprised Utah lost this game. But in a season where all we want is a bit of consistency, the lack of total effort, the total collapse in the final three or so minutes of the first half and then the ultimate beatdown in the second, is a bit disheartening.

Yes, this team is better than they were in November. Yes, the talent on this team can't and won't win many games.

Still, it doesn't make the blowouts any easier to accept or enjoy. I might not have expected or believed in the potential of victory tonight, but I certainly felt the team would be competitive. They weren't and haven't been in all but one road game this season.

Because of that, the fact this team has yet to really build on any momentum (whether it was the Wazzu win a few weeks ago or the victory over ASU Saturday), it's hard for me to get on board with the idea they can beat USC. Yes, the Trojans are equally bad - but this team just doesn't get it on the road.

Now get through this tough stretch and come home, Utes, 'cause the road is one lonely place.

Even though Utah basketball has shown some improvement over the last month, they're still winless on the road. They hope that changes with a swing through Southern California this week with two games against surprisingly struggling programs.

The first is tonight against UCLA and marks the first time these two teams have met since the Utes' shocking upset of the Bruins in the 1983 NCAA Tournament. Utah was a 10 seed that year and UCLA was one of the tournament favorites, entering the game as a two-seed. They were coached by Larry Farmer, who had a stint as Weber State's head coach back in the 1980s, where the game actually took place.

Tonight, the Utes hope for some similar magic.

The Bruins, however, are struggling and may be one of the most disappointing teams in the nation. It wasn't that long ago, in fact, they were playing in consecutive Final Fours. Since that '08 season, though, they've struggled recapturing past glory.

They enter tonight's game with only a 10-9 record and an un-UCLA like 3-4 record in conference play. As of now, the Bruins are officially only one game better than the Utes in the Pac-12.

Of course, at least on paper, they seem like the superior team and it might not even be close. It doesn't help that Utah is 0-6 on the road and UCLA is 8-3 at home.

But this game is probably a bit more winnable than many thought at the start of the season and that shows improvement.

Hopefully that improvement continues tonight.

Woohoo! Utah basketball picks up another victory, destroying the Arizona St. Sun Devils by 21 points! It's their second conference win of the season and it means, for the time being, they're a full TWO GAMES ahead of USC in the win column - who's stuck in the cellar of the conference.

We're not worst! We're not worst!

Utah held their own against the Arizona Wildcats Thursday night - for a half, anyway.

Trailing by only five points entering the break, the Runnin' Utes collapsed in the second half as the Wildcats heated up and pulled away to win by 26 points. It was the Utes' fourth consecutive loss and their second straight blowout defeat.

This was also the first game without Jiggy Watkins, who had been suspended earlier in the week for violating an unspecified team rule.

Utah lost this game because they just couldn't keep up with the scorching Wildcat shooting. Arizona was 50% from the three point line and connected on twelve three pointers. Utah could only hit on four.

It was an ugly second half for the Utes and shows just how difficult the remaining of the season will be without Watkins.

With that said, Saturday's game against Arizona State is definitely winnable. But it might be the last winnable game on the schedule.

The Runnin' Utes are getting better.

No, that isn't a subtle jab at Utah's last coach, rather an honest assessment of this year's team.

They look far more competitive than they did in the preseason and in their conference opener. Even in defeat, I was impressed with the effort. Though they were double-digit dogs, Utah still had a chance to tie it at the end and force overtime. Not bad, especially against a talented team like Stanford.

What does it mean? Well, the gap is closing. Unfortunately, they're 1-3 in Pac-12 play and, like against Washington, failed to capitalize on a game they maybe should have won (the Cardinal shot 5-17 from the line). Still, it's encouraging to see this team actually contend in a basketball game - which was a far cry from where they were back in November & December.

I always said I wanted to see progress by January and we have. Now, hopefully, the progress continues and, who knows, maybe they'll surprise a team on the road this season.

Could it be Cal? Unlikely - but I like their chances a bit more today than I did a couple weeks ago.