The best reason the Utes have been able to come up with for their unspectacular starts the past four games or so is that "we kind of have a bulls-eye on our backs," in the words of center Luke Nevill.

"People are giving us good shots," coach Jim Boylen said.

And of course, the Utes have responded exceptionally well -- locking down after halftime in each of their last four games to extend their winning streak to six heading into a game at Colorado State on Wednesday night. That has been especially impressive, too, considering the Utes at one point were 1-6 when trailing at halftime.

"I do have great relationships with my guys," Boylen said, "and they do seem to respond to when I ask them to do something, or pick it up, or be more focused. The thing is, it's crazy to say that, because I ask them to do that to start the game, too. But we're getting good shots from people. ... Teams do that when they're playing against maybe the top team in the league. That happens.

"But I go back to, I have permission to be real with my guys," Boylen added. "They know I care for them, and they have responded, and I'm thankful for that. They've allowed me to coach them. They've allowed me to mold them and to develop them, and they haven't fought me on a whole bunch of stuff."