The 41-point defeat against Utah on Jan. 18 is still fresh in the minds of everyone affiliated with the WSU men’s basketball team, and so are the program’s five other losses to the Utes over the past three seasons.

The Cougars (11-12, 4-7), who were swept at home by the Southern California schools last weekend, have dropped their previous six meetings with the Utes by an average of about 25 points. The team heads to the Beehive State on Thursday in search of a streak-stopping win.

“I think we are playing better basketball now,” WSU Head Coach Ernie Kent said. “We need to give them a better game.”

Utah (15-8, 6-5) is known for playing stingy defense under sixth-year Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak and held the Cougars to 32 percent shooting in their 88-47 win three weeks ago. Utes junior forward Kyle Kuzma led a balanced Utah offense with a double-double.

Utah is also ranked in the top-five nationally and second in the Pac-12 in offensive efficiency, shooting 51 percent from the field as a team. The Utes, however, are limping into Thursday’s game following a sweep at the hands of California and Stanford last weekend. Losers of three of their last four games, the Utes failed to eclipse the 50 percent shooting mark and did not shoot higher than 70 percent from the charity stripe.

Kent said that in order for the Cougars to achieve a better result against Utah, he has to continue to rely on the second unit more. Sophomore guard Viont’e Daniels and freshman forward Jeff Pollard have seen their minutes increase since WSU suffered its worst home loss in the last 28 years at the hands of the Utes.

“I have to trust my bench more,” Kent said. “It’s deeper, but I have to play it more, and they are starting to produce.”

The Cougars seem to have found their stride offensively since recording their season-low in points scored, averaging more than 80 points scored in the five games played since their loss. Senior guard Ike Iroegbu has averaged 18.8 points per game and has taken the reins of an improved offense.

Senior forward Josh Hawkinson has also played a key role in the offensive surge, attempting a larger volume of three-point shots and converting 57 percent (8-14) of his looks from deep in the team’s last five games.

WSU and Utah tip off at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the John M. Huntsman Center. The game will