Most impressive thing I heard today was not that the Utes are going to practice early in the morning tomorrow, as penance for their inexcusably torpid start in the 68-51 victory over Idaho State tonight.

Though that was pretty amusing.

No, the best thing was learning that the players cut out of the newspaper the old photo of coach Jim Boylen that we ran with a feature article the other day -- you know, the one of him as a player at Maine, circa 1987, with a full head of hair -- and pasted it up in the locker room on the wall behind where Boylen typically addresses them.

Rascals!

But I suppose we should talk about the game a bit, drudgery though it may have been to watch. Have to say, I was surprised at how long the Utes were able to go without hitting an outside shot there through the middle of the game -- they missed 12 straight three-point attempts, in one stretch -- considering they rank fourth nationally in shooting (obviously, that includes a lot of inside shots) and were hitting an admirable 41 percent from long range entering the game.

Of course, they hit them when they needed them midway through the second half, thanks in no small part to Johnnie Bryant.

The senior guard basically has saved the Utes the past two games, after watching his minutes dwindle severely in the previous three. Against Cal, he scored 14 points and made two crucial three-pointers that helped the Utes win, while he scored 17 against Idaho State -- including the bomb that snapped the three-point drought and ignited the game-winning 11-0 run.

"At the end of the day, we didn't play well, but we got the win," Bryant said.

True enough, even if coach Jim Boylen still was disgusted with the effort early in the game, and said the defense was "not what we expect for our program."

"This team has to learn how to handle success," he said. "I sound like a fool by saying we didn't handle it when you win by 17, but ... we're not there quite yet, at handling success. It's going to be a process, I've said it from day one."

Among the other tidbits worth mentioning:

-- Forward Shaun Green continues to embrace his role as a do-everything player, scoring 12 points with four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block against one turnover in 34 minutes. "He was pretty good down there, anchoring our defense and just being smart," Boylen said. "He's a solid, winning player."

-- Center Luke Nevill endured another unspectacular offensive game, with 14 points -- eight from the free-throw line -- and six rebounds. Yes, he was swarmed by the collapsing zone defense all night, helping account for his 3-for-9 shooting, but it would be nice to see him go stronger to the hoop even when he draws contact, instead of losing the ball and flailing his arms desperately whenever they so much as get slapped. He did block two shots and alter a bunch more on defense, however.

-- Coach Boylen emphasized that for as disappointed as he was with the effort at times, he was still pleased to see progress in the form of winning a game in which the Utes did not play well offensively. They shot a modest 44 percent and committed what seemed like a lot more than the 13 turnovers that showed up on the stat sheet. "Last year, this team, when it didn't score, didn't win," he said. "This year, we've been able to not score, go through droughts, and win games."

-- Guard Luka Drca committed his standard couple of traveling infractions and coughed up five brutal turnovers, but otherwise had a pretty strong line. In 20 minutes, he scored five points, grabbed four rebounds, handed out six assists and made three steals and a block. Drca has led the Utes in assists the last two games, handing out 10 in 35 minutes combined, compared to three in 57 minutes for starting point guard Tyler Kepkay.

-- Forward Stephen Weigh finally scored his first points since getting hurt Nov. 19, but he still hasn't made a basket. His two points came from the free-throw line, and he missed his only shot from the field, making him 0-for-9 since returning to the lineup. And for all the increased opportunity he was supposed to have had against a zone team like ISU after not playing against Cal, he sure didn't take much advantage, playing absently in the first half and earning only one of his nine minutes after halftime.

-- Forward Morgan Grim tried to make a contribution, with forward Kim Tillie out for at least a month with a stress fracture in his leg. But he had a hard time, picking up three fouls within 44 seconds and playing a total of six minutes. But Boylen made sure to mention him before he wrapped up his post-game address. "He battles and he competes," Boylen said. "That's what I asked him to do, that's what he does." Boylen said Grim is physical enough despite his thin body that he doesn't often realize he's committing fouls. "He's like, 'What, what, what? I didn't touch him,'" Boylen said. "He just likes to hit people."