Pac-12 newcomers anticipate growing pains

When conference play tips off after Christmas, Utah and Colorado get to test the pacific waters, kicking off their inaugural Pac-12 basketball slate. Utah is stepping into the unknown in every way this season dealing with a new head coach and a transition from the Mountain West to the Pac 12. "With a new coaching staff and pretty much an entire new roster here, the word new is kind of an all encompassing thing for us,"said head coach Larry Krystkowiak who was hired in April. "It's been new since we started training camp and everything we've gone through since Oct. 14 when things got rolling has been very new." So far this season they have had little time to find a rhythm. Half way through the preseason, they traveled down to the Bahamas to participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. They lost to Harvard, Massachusetts and UNC Asheville by double digits in back-to-back-to-back nights. "We're actually looking forward to what we're looking at as season No. 2 here after the Christmas break and getting into a league situation where we play Thursday and Saturday and get an opportunity to do some prep,"said Krystkowiak. The Utes enter league play last in the conference with a 3-10 record. They know they have an uphill battle, but still seem to be looking forward to their new place in the west. "We know there are some great teams in the league and we're just excited about all." In contrast, Colorado is coming from the Big-12 and though their head coach Tad Boyle has labeled them as "mediocre," they still will most likely have an easier time adjusting than the Utes. The Buff currently stand at 7-4 going into conference play. "We're still trying to find ourselves,"said Boyle. Stylistically he isn't expecting there to be much of a difference between the Big 12 and the Pac 12. Now he just needs to help his young team grow up a little faster. One of his young stars is sophomore forward Andre Johnson who Boyle calls a "double-double machine." So far this season, Johnson is averaging 11.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Now Boyle is trying to get him to focus in so "the machine"can produce on a more consistent level. Another young star on the rise is the Buff's freshman guard Spencer Dinwiddie who has had a lot of responsibility put on him in a very short amount of time. "I don't care who you are, where you are or what your role is, it takes some time and we've kind of thrown Spencer into the fire so to speak,"said Boyle. Dinwiddie is averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season. At 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Dinwiddie has the size to compete. Boyle says he has excellent decision making skills, but just needs some time to come into his own. Both Utah and Colorado will get a chance to work through their respective growing pains when they face off in Boulder on Dec. 31, 4 p.m. MT.