Roomies

Charter flights are a boon for the Wildcats on tight road trips such as the Utah-Colorado swing, especially when the games are played 48 hours apart or less.

After Thursday’s game, the Wildcats were scheduled to leave Salt Lake City at about 11 p.m., fly to Denver and get to their Boulder, Colorado hotel in time for a decent night’s sleep.

The only problem: ASU will still be at the same hotel — and the Sun Devils figure to be grumpy.

ASU lost in overtime at Colorado on Thursday and doesn't have to play Utah until Sunday, so is taking its time leaving Boulder.

“We’ll get there at about 1:30 (a.m), go to bed and when we wake up for breakfast, ASU will be having breakfast too,” said Ryan Reynolds, UA’s basketball operations director.

Reynolds said it’s really no problem: Even though the schools are in-state rivals, they tend to get along.

Even the coaches.

“Sean (Miller) and Bobby (Hurley) are actually friends,” Reynolds said.

T-shirt heckling

Although Utah’s students don’t return to campus until next week, a few of them showed up in the “MUSS” (Mighty Utah Student Section) and some wore shirts decorated just for the occasion.

Standing next to each other in the front row were three students wearing white and red shirts with different lettering that read:

“FBI”

“U OF PAY”

“DOWN goes the BEAR”

Hawaii and golf tangents

When Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak was asked Tuesday if forwards Donnie Tillman (sprained foot) and Chris Seeley (gallbladder) would play Thursday, he immediately skated to a comparison with Utes football coach Kyle Whittingham, who is known for not discussing injuries.

Then Krystkowiak went on some tangents.

“Am I a little softer than Whit?” Krystkowiak said. “Where’s he at right now? Hawaii, vacationing? Dirty dog. But how 'bout the Utes representing the Pac-12 when it came to the these bowl games. Enjoy the sun, Whitt, if you out there. This is usually the time of year when he sends me texts and wants to golf. I’m like, 'Wait a minute, bro, I got a job to do. Then I return the favor in September and ask him.”

Utah was the only one of nine Pac-12 teams to win its bowl game, beating West Virginia 30-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Oh, and the injuries? Tillman did play and scored on the second Utah possession he was in the game for. He finished with six points in 19 minutes, driving the baseline for a layup that tied the game at 72 with 5:12 left.

SI puts Alkins in first round

SI.com moved Arizona sophomore forward Rawle Alkins into the first round of its projected 2018 mock NBA Draft, though Allonzo Trier still is outside it. Deandre Ayton remains its projected No. 1 pick.

The magazine also trimmed an inch off the heights that each player is listed at by Arizona, saying Alkins is 6-4 and Ayton is 7-0.

International eats

Except for a new $4 million scoreboard that dominates the interior, Utah’s Huntsman Center is largely the same place since it opened in 1969.

But fans there have some modern concession choices inspired from around the world.

The line for Korean BBQ is already insane pic.twitter.com/oDdBYodEpM

— Bruce Pascoe (@BrucePascoe) January 5, 2018

Among the stations are Yoshi’s Japanese Grill, with choices that include Kobe beef and cilantro lime chicken, as well as Chili Verde with burritos and street tacos, and the biggest line of the night went to Cupbop, a modern Korean barbeque chain that had a kiosk near one of the entrances.

LDS president honored

The Utes held a moment of silence before the game in memory of Mormon president Thomas S. Monson, who died Tuesday at age 90.

On Wednesday, the Utah Jazz also held a moment of silence for Monson, whose passing was the dominant news of the week.

On Thursday, the Salt Lake Tribune wrapped its front news section with an eight-page special section about Monson, whom it called “A private prophet, a selfless shepherd.”

Barcello’s battle

Alex Barcello’s up-and-down recovery from an ankle injury appears to be behind him.

But earning minutes these days is a different story with Rawle Alkins around these days.

The UA freshman guard played just five minutes Thursday at Utah, and none in the second half, after being in and out of the lineup since being hurt after UA’s Dec. 5 game with Texas A&M.

Barcello played three ineffective minutes against Alabama on Dec. 9, then was held out for an entire week – and didn’t play at all against New Mexico on Dec. 16.

While Barcello played 11 minutes against North Dakota State on Dec. 18, scoring four points, he was again held out against UConn three days later.

Barcello has played a total of 11 minutes in UA’s two Pac-12 games.

“Alex Barcello, in my mind, he was hitting his stride (before the injury) and now he’s working his way back,” Miller said. “He’s completely healthy but now he has to regain that confidence.”

The big number

11

Arizona has beaten Utah 11 times in 12 games since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011-12.

He said it

“Utah is playing as well as anybody in the conference” — UA coach Sean Miller, before Thursday’s game.