Center Luke Nevill acknowledged he has not been at his best the past few games, and he believes he knows why:

His diet.

Nevill said he has been feeling "kind of tired" and "worn out quite a bit" lately - perhaps in part because he has been eating too far in advance of games and winding up hungry and listless by the time tipoff rolls around.

"I think I'm maybe not eating close enough to game time," he said. "Maybe my metabolism or something like that, it works pretty fast. So when I have a pre-game meal three hours beforehand, I'm hungry and hour before the game. ... Maybe that's why I've had a lack of energy."

Nevill said he also has been "kind of banged up a little bit. I have some injuries here and there. So once we get a couple of those fixed - or even get one of the problems fixed - I should be back to full strength."

The Utes certainly hope so.

The 7-foot-1 sophomore averaged 19.6 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 70.3 percent during the first 11 games, of which the Utes won five (and lost four by a combined eight points). Since then, the Utes have lost six straight games, and Nevill has averaged just 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 51 percent.