This was a tough loss because it was a winnable game. There won't be many of these left on the schedule, so, the fact Utah fell to Washington at home Saturday afternoon, is disappointing.
Still, there is clear evidence this team is improving. They're competitive and that's a huge plus as the team enters the meat of the conference schedule. It also suggests that, maybe, with some luck, they'll be able to gut out a few more conference wins - maybe even surprising a team or two.
Of course, progress is only as good as the last game. We're but a week removed from the demoralizing and ugly 73-33 loss to Colorado and with a road game set against Stanford next weak, the improvement of this team will certainly be tested.
Will they win? No. But if they've truly made progress and came out of The Boulder Massacre determined to perform better, they won't get embarrassed and blown off the court like they've done in every road game this season.
As is, though, this team looks better today than they did back in December and that's a big step in the right direction.
Now, let's keep it up.