The Official 2014-2015 Ute Basketball Thread

[LA Ute]

Frankly, this team feels like a four seed. WE only have one quality win (Wichita) and one semi bad loss (ucla). Everything else has been as predicted. The top three seeds usually have a bunch of good wins.

We still have Arizona and the Pac tourney to change things, but right now we are a 4/5.

I think you are right. Maybe we'll see something out of them in the second half of the conference season. Maybe a killer instinct will emerge. I'd like to see them be the team who goes out and hits Stanford and Arizona in the mouth, instead of the other way around. Maybe they can start that with Colorado on the road this Saturday.

[DrumNFeather]

Let me save you the heartache - we will be Kentucky's 5 seed, 4 seed, or 3 seed. It is written in the stars. That's why it's so important to get a 3 seed; we potentially avoid them for one more game.

I liked the bracket that had us in with Gonzaga as the 1 Seed. Would've been fun to see Jakob go up against Saboner's kid.

[hostile]

Let me save you the heartache - we will be Kentucky's 5 seed, 4 seed, or 3 seed. It is written in the stars. That's why it's so important to get a 3 seed; we potentially avoid them for one more game.

lol. Every time I look at bracket predictions I look at what the Utes' seed is and are they in Kentucky's bracket, knowing full well that it is going to happen anyway.

[DrumNFeather]

Lunardi dropped us to a 4 seed as well playing in the South with Oklahoma as the 5 and Duke as the 1.

[Rocker Ute]

Grrrr... I thought I was going to be out of town Feb 28th for the Arizona game so I gave my tickets to someone else. Plans shifted and now I am. If any of you come across tickets or have some to sell (looking for two) let me know.

[Mormon Red Death]

espn says we could be a final four team: 4 out of 8 panelist say we have a decent shot to be in the final four.

Utah Utes (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/254/utah-utes) (4 of 8)
I would not be surprised to see the Utes reach the Final Four because ... "the Utes have size, depth and a balanced attack on offense and a very good defense that is difficult to score upon. Delon Wright (http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/66236/delon-wright) is a player who can carry a team. He is excellent using ball screens and he doesn't take bad shots." -- Jay Bilas

[Applejack]

espn says we could be a final four team: 4 out of 8 panelist say we have a decent shot to be in the final four.

Utah Utes (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/254/utah-utes) (4 of 8)
I would not be surprised to see the Utes reach the Final Four because ... "the Utes have size, depth and a balanced attack on offense and a very good defense that is difficult to score upon. Delon Wright (http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/66236/delon-wright) is a player who can carry a team. He is excellent using ball screens and he doesn't take bad shots." -- Jay Bilas

I've seen a couple places list us as a final four darkhorse. I'm not seeing it yet. Delon is amazing, but I don't think he can "carry a team"; that's just not his game. If we make a big run in the tourney, it's because B Taylor, Loveridge, and Dakarai get hot.

[UBlender]

I've seen a couple places list us as a final four darkhorse. I'm not seeing it yet. Delon is amazing, but I don't think he can "carry a team"; that's just not his game. If we make a big run in the tourney, it's because B Taylor, Loveridge, and Dakarai get hot.

To be fair, everybody would have said the same thing about Professor Andre Miller in 1998.

[Applejack]

To be fair, everybody would have said the same thing about Professor Andre Miller in 1998.

I'm not sure this is correct. Sure, no one saw the triple double against the defending champs coming, but Andre was much more assertive on the offensive end than Delon is. This is not a knock on Delon, it's just that his game is a complimentary one. It's just hard to "carry a team" through four tough games when you can't shoot.

[SoCalPat]

I'm not sure this is correct. Sure, no one saw the triple double against the defending champs coming, but Andre was much more assertive on the offensive end than Delon is. This is not a knock on Delon, it's just that his game is a complimentary one. It's just hard to "carry a team" through four tough games when you can't shoot.

I don't think we ever took the reins off Andre until the Arkansas game in the round of 32. I could be wrong -- I lived in Arkansas that year and probably knew more about the Razorbacks than I did Utah. Definitely saw the Hogs play more that year. Pissed off A LOT of my readers when I picked Utah to win. The silence in the newsroom truly was golden after Utah won pretty much exactly like I laid it out (beat the press, own the boards and shut down sharp-shooter Pat Bradley.)

[Diehard Ute]

Just watched The Drive. Not bad. Pac12 did a bit of bait and switch. They promised they would have a bit on Booker's spat with our bench, but it was strangely absent.

Also was annoyingly obvious they spliced footage of Tad Boyle into the Utah-CU package that wasn't from the game. It was from a CU home game

[DrumNFeather]

Well, tied for first with 8 to play and Stanford and Cal coming to town. Pretty good.

[sancho]

What is Brandon Taylor's ceiling on hardware? He's shooting over 50% in conference play, almost 5 assists, less than 2 turnovers. Which all conference team does he end up on?

[sancho]

What is Brandon Taylor's ceiling on hardware? He's shooting over 50% in conference play, almost 5 assists, less than 2 turnovers. Which all conference team does he end up on?

From Twitter:

Brandon Taylor's conference stats: 54% FG, 57% 3-pointers, 93% FT, 12.9 points (leads team), 2.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 TO, 1.5 Steals

[U-Ute]

The intangible he brings is he is the guy who hits the shot when things are going wrong.

It is easy to hit a shot when we are cruising (looking at you Tucker and JLove), but to hit a shot when an opponent is starting to get some momentum, or to knock the hope out of them, that is what makes Taylor nasty.

[Applejack]

Well, tied for first with 8 to play and Stanford and Cal coming to town. Pretty good.

Our remaining games from toughest to easiest:

1. Arizona
2. @ osu
3. @ Oregon
4. Stanford
5. @wsu
6. @ uw
7. Arizona st
8. Cal

[Applejack]

What is Brandon Taylor's ceiling on hardware? He's shooting over 50% in conference play, almost 5 assists, less than 2 turnovers. Which all conference team does he end up on?

He's on pace for second team right now. it will be interesting to see if he keeps it up. He's the key to every game-when he's on we cruise, when he's not we struggle.

[sancho]

Our remaining games from toughest to easiest:

1. Arizona
2. @ osu
3. @ Oregon
4. Stanford
5. @wsu
6. @ uw
7. Arizona st
8. Cal

I'm swapping 7 and 8 on your list, but I can't justify it.

The first four on that list all look like tough games to me.

[concerned]

Based on LK's postgame comments last night, I would be surprised if Taylor is not the starting pg next year, with Tucker taking Delon's start.

[LA Ute]

Our remaining games from toughest to easiest:

1. Arizona
2. @ osu
3. @ Oregon
4. Stanford
5. @wsu
6. @ uw
7. Arizona st
8. Cal

So do we split the remaining 4 road games? A sweep is possible, but not likely IMO. Still, we hope....

[sancho]

I felt like, during our scoring drought last night, we had plenty of opportunities to give the ball to the post. I don't know that Poeltl/Bach were in deep enough to use their 1-2 post moves, but they at least had position to receive the ball. We weren't penetrating, and we weren't getting anything else done. When we get in that funk, I'd like to see us get the ball to the post and try to make something happen from there. Maybe our bigs just aren't good enough passing the ball to be trusted with that.

[Applejack]

I felt like, during our scoring drought last night, we had plenty of opportunities to give the ball to the post. I don't know that Poeltl/Bach were in deep enough to use their 1-2 post moves, but they at least had position to receive the ball. We weren't penetrating, and we weren't getting anything else done. When we get in that funk, I'd like to see us get the ball to the post and try to make something happen from there. Maybe our bigs just aren't good enough passing the ball to be trusted with that.

Poeltl is a surprisingly good passer. He's no Bogut, but who is? He can kick it out, I'm just not sure he knows what to do with the ball when he's not rolling to the basket for a dunk.

Bach is a bad passer. No reason to kick it in to him in the post, ever.

[Applejack]

So do we split the remaining 4 road games? A sweep is possible, but not likely IMO. Still, we hope....

I would like to get 3 out of 4. I think we should be shooting for a split in Oregon and a sweep in Washington. The Washington teams are down this year. WSU is surprisingly tough at home, however, so that's where the money game lies. We should not lose to the Huskies without their shot blocker.

[U-Ute]

Bach is a bad passer. No reason to kick it in to him in the post, ever.

In Bach's defense, it is difficult to make a pass after you fumble the ball out of bounds.

[Applejack]

In Bach's defense, it is difficult to make a pass after you fumble the ball out of bounds.

I love Bach, but this is the first season where we've had the depth (JAKPOT) to let him play his game: high energy bench guy who grabs a bunch of offensive boards and plays pretty good defense. Also shot-clock beating three point threat.

[U-Ute]

I love Bach, but this is the first season where we've had the depth (JAKPOT) to let him play his game: high energy bench guy who grabs a bunch of offensive boards and plays pretty good defense. Also shot-clock beating three point threat.

Bach has a decent 15'-17' shot. I think it would be interesting to play him and Poeltl together: put Bach high and Poeltl low. You could do that provided the other team isn't playing some lanky, athletic guy as a stretch 4.

[justaute]

Nicely put.


The intangible he brings is he is the guy who hits the shot when things are going wrong.

It is easy to hit a shot when we are cruising (looking at you Tucker and JLove), but to hit a shot when an opponent is starting to get some momentum, or to knock the hope out of them, that is what makes Taylor nasty.

[Scratch]

I'd be happy with 6-2. The over-under on regular season losses remaining is probably 2.5.

[Scratch]

So do we get to listen to people speculate in the off-season about who will get Taylor's minutes next year or are we finally done with that?

[Scratch]

By the way, Taylor getting second team (or even honorable mention) honors would be awesome, given where he's come from. Even going into his breakout road trip to the Washington schools as a freshman I think may (myself included) were looking at him as a strong possibility of transferring down, as so many of our players were doing. Here's what his ESPN recruiting bio says:

"Taylor is a solid point guard for the low-mid Division I level. . . The Big Sky and Big West should be monitoring his progress." To go from someone who should be "monitored" by the Big Sky and Big West to someone knocking on the door of P12 honors is a great story and a huge feather in the caps of both Brandon and Krystko.

[concerned]

Bach has a decent 15'-17' shot. I think it would be interesting to play him and Poeltl together: put Bach high and Poeltl low. You could do that provided the other team isn't playing some lanky, athletic guy as a stretch 4.


They have played together in a couple of games during garbage time. Bach played the hight post IIRC.

[Applejack]

Bach has a decent 15'-17' shot. I think it would be interesting to play him and Poeltl together: put Bach high and Poeltl low. You could do that provided the other team isn't playing some lanky, athletic guy as a stretch 4.

The problem with this lineup is that teams would love Bach to shoot that shot, even though he has a nice touch. Once the ball hits Bach in the high post it's dead - Brekkott is really the only guy we have who swings the ball well from the foul line. Reyes is OK, but a step slow on the pass. Bach is just a turnover waiting to happen on offense, unfortunately.

[Applejack]

By the way, Taylor getting second team (or even honorable mention) honors would be awesome, given where he's come from. Even going into his breakout road trip to the Washington schools as a freshman I think may (myself included) were looking at him as a strong possibility of transferring down, as so many of our players were doing. Here's what his ESPN recruiting bio says:

"Taylor is a solid point guard for the low-mid Division I level. . . The Big Sky and Big West should be monitoring his progress." To go from someone who should be "monitored" by the Big Sky and Big West to someone knocking on the door of P12 honors is a great story and a huge feather in the caps of both Brandon and Krystko.

Agreed. Both he and Dakarai should be exhibits A & B about our staff's development of guards. Although, to be honest, I think that Brandon was underrated because of his height - he was really good his freshman year. Dakarai is the one that has really grown into his role.

[sancho]

Bach is a bad passer. No reason to kick it in to him in the post, ever.

Too harsh. When he has deep position in the post, he scores at a good rate. He's more than just an energy guy off the bench (though he does great in that role). If Poeltl had never come, we still would be a tournament team fighting for a good seed.

But I am mostly talking about trying something when we are desperately stuck in a scoring drought. Let them establish position (doesn't matter if it's good position), pass it in, and let them pass it out again. Start simple - easy passes. Just something to reset things to mix things up in a very small way or to get Delon the ball with him moving -- hopefully something other than another shot clock violation.

[sancho]

Agreed. Both he and Dakarai should be exhibits A & B about our staff's development of guards. Although, to be honest, I think that Brandon was underrated because of his height - he was really good his freshman year. Dakarai is the one that has really grown into his role.

Dakarai struggled last night, but he has been a nice surprise this season. I never thought he would be more than a corner three. Now he is rebounding a little and going to the basket a little.

[sancho]

I'd be happy with 6-2. The over-under on regular season losses remaining is probably 2.5.


Worst case scenario: 2-2 at home (Stanford and Arizona most likely losses), 1-3 on the road (Oregon, Oregon St disaster with some Wazzu thrown in). Finish 11-7 in conference. Head to Vegas looking at an 8 seed.

Best case scenario: 8-0, finish at 16-2, win the conference, head to Vegas looking to secure a 2 or a 3 seed.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Worst case scenario: 2-2 at home (Stanford and Arizona most likely losses), 1-3 on the road (Oregon, Oregon St disaster with some Wazzu thrown in). Finish 11-7 in conference. Head to Vegas looking at an 8 seed.

Best case scenario: 8-0, finish at 16-2, win the conference, head to Vegas looking to secure a 2 or a 3 seed.

One thing you should know about me: I tend to prefer best case scenarios over worst case ones. So 16-2 is my preference.

[sancho]

He's on pace for second team right now.

Conference honors for guards will be tough:

First team guards are Chasson Randle and Delon Wright, right?

Second team has to pick from: Joseph Young, Askia Booker, DeVonte Lacy, Nigel Williams-Goss, Tyrone Wallace, Brandon Taylor. I'm sure I'm missing some too.

[UtahsMrSports]

Conference honors for guards will be tough:

First team guards are Chasson Randle and Delon Wright, right?

Second team has to pick from: Joseph Young, Askia Booker, DeVonte Lacy, Nigel Williams-Goss, Tyrone Wallace, Brandon Taylor. I'm sure I'm missing some too.

Keep in mind that the Pac-12 "First Team" consists of ten players, and the "Second team" is the next five after that.........

[sancho]

Keep in mind that the Pac-12 "First Team" consists of ten players, and the "Second team" is the next five after that.........

Oh, yeah. I forgot that. That really makes no sense.

[SoCalPat]

Oh, yeah. I forgot that. That really makes no sense.

It kinda does, since the coaches vote on these awards and they're not allowed to vote for their own players. With that caveat in place, only 11 coaches are voting on your own players. That's not enough to have a true first and second team.

I think you should have a vote that incorporates both coaches and media (two votes per league school) and make the voting public. And let coaches vote for their own players -- they'll take the heat if the votes are made public and they abuse the privilege. Now you're talking about 36 people casting votes, making it easier to discern your top 10 vote getters into two groups.

[sancho]

It kinda does, since the coaches vote on these awards and they're not allowed to vote for their own players. With that caveat in place, only 11 coaches are voting on your own players. That's not enough to have a true first and second team.

I think you should have a vote that incorporates both coaches and media (two votes per league school) and make the voting public. And let coaches vote for their own players -- they'll take the heat if the votes are made public and they abuse the privilege. Now you're talking about 36 people casting votes, making it easier to discern your top 10 vote getters into two groups.

I'd vote for that.

[DrumNFeather]

Back up to a #3 seed in the latest Bracketology...the 6 seed we would get would be Georgetown...SU's dream/nightmare!

[DrumNFeather]

Up to #11 in the polls...the Cats drop from 6 to 7.

[LA Ute]

PAC-12 Hoops (http://pachoops.com/2015/02/pachoops-power-rankings-goodbye-dean-smith/) has us #1 in its weekly power rankings:


1) UTAH
When I linked to A Deeper Look at Runnin’ Utes’ 3-point Shooting (http://lighttheu.com/2015/01/deeper-look-runnin-utes-3-point-shooting/), it was my hope that you noticed Brandon Taylor. He goes perhaps overlooked considering he’s the more traditional looking of the point guards on this lineup (read: short). He’s shooting 57% from deep during conference games which is absurd when you play alongside a guy like Delon Wright who is getting 50% of his offense at the rim (creating!) with 57% of his assists resulting in a three pointer. Remember last year when we called ASU’s connections from Jahii Carson to Jermaine Marshall a Jahishall? How about a Delaylor? Wrightaylor? Delondon? Anyhow, you get my point.

Maybe a DeTaylor? A DeBrandon?

[U-Ute]

PAC-12 Hoops (http://pachoops.com/2015/02/pachoops-power-rankings-goodbye-dean-smith/) has us #1 in its weekly power rankings:



Maybe a DeTaylor? A DeBrandon?

I say we just call it money.

[sancho]

So Brandon Taylor is looking at 2nd team all conference.

What other individual awards might this team win?

Delon is first team all conference. Is he conference POY? Who else is in the running? Randle? Any Wildcats?

What about All-American? Okafor and Kaminsky are first team All-American. Who else is on that team?

Poeltl is on the conference all-freshmen team, right?

Any other players?

Who wins conference COY? I'd say Larry is a slam dunk, but media tend to think of the award as the "exceeding preseason expectations" award, in which case Tinkle may get the prize. It will help for Larry to win the head-to-head next week.

Tony Bennett is national COY, right?

[UtahsMrSports]

So Brandon Taylor is looking at 2nd team all conference.

What other individual awards might this team win?

Delon is first team all conference. Is he conference POY? Who else is in the running? Randle? Any Wildcats?

What about All-American? Okafor and Kaminsky are first team All-American. Who else is on that team?

Poeltl is on the conference all-freshmen team, right?

Any other players?

Who wins conference COY? I'd say Larry is a slam dunk, but media tend to think of the award as the "exceeding preseason expectations" award, in which case Tinkle may get the prize. It will help for Larry to win the head-to-head next week.

Tony Bennett is national COY, right?

Dana Altman will be another name in the mix for coach of the year. I think its a two horse race though, between the montana coaches.

[UBlender]

So Brandon Taylor is looking at 2nd team all conference.

What other individual awards might this team win?

Delon is first team all conference. Is he conference POY? Who else is in the running? Randle? Any Wildcats?

What about All-American? Okafor and Kaminsky are first team All-American. Who else is on that team?

Poeltl is on the conference all-freshmen team, right?

Any other players?

Who wins conference COY? I'd say Larry is a slam dunk, but media tend to think of the award as the "exceeding preseason expectations" award, in which case Tinkle may get the prize. It will help for Larry to win the head-to-head next week.

Tony Bennett is national COY, right?

I think Delon will have a great shot at POY if Utah wins the title. The advantage he has is that nobody on Arizona really stands out head and shoulders above his teammates. People who are inclined to vote for Wildcats may not reach a consensus on which one to back.

Delon will also be on the all-defense team. Utah could and probably should have more representation there beyond him, but I'm not sure who it would be. I guess Taylor and #JakPot would be the best candidates but I'm not sure either will make it.

[Applejack]

So Brandon Taylor is looking at 2nd team all conference.

What other individual awards might this team win?

Delon is first team all conference. Is he conference POY? Who else is in the running? Randle? Any Wildcats?

What about All-American? Okafor and Kaminsky are first team All-American. Who else is on that team?

Poeltl is on the conference all-freshmen team, right?

Any other players?

Who wins conference COY? I'd say Larry is a slam dunk, but media tend to think of the award as the "exceeding preseason expectations" award, in which case Tinkle may get the prize. It will help for Larry to win the head-to-head next week.

Tony Bennett is national COY, right?

Brekkott has a shot at all frosh team (does that exist?). I think delon will be an all American, probably not first team but definitely not out of the question.

[DrumNFeather]

Brekkott has a shot at all frosh team (does that exist?). I think delon will be an all American, probably not first team but definitely not out of the question.

is that one of the criteria for getting your jersey retired at Utah? Seems like Delon might be a lock, while Doleac waits patiently for the call.

[sancho]

Brekkott has a shot at all frosh team (does that exist?). I think delon will be an all American, probably not first team but definitely not out of the question.

What guards will be first team All-Americans? Anderson from UVa? De'Angelo Russell? Is Tyus Jones on the list, or is that just my Duke bias? Maryland's Trimble cooled off. I know the Big12 is full of great teams, but I can't name many individuals from that conference. Villanova is ranked high and usually has about 10 amazing guards - anyone on that team up for recognition?

[LA Ute]

I don't recall the rules for retiring a number. Does the player have to be a first-team all-American?

[concerned]

This most recent mock draft has Delon going in the second round and Poeltl not at all.

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2015/

[SigmaUte]

This most recent mock draft has Delon going in the second round and Poeltl not at all.

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2015/

Poeltl would be wise to stay at the U for at least one more year. He has a lot of potential, but he needs more time to develop. He gets pushed around a lot by more physical big men. Needs to put on weight/muscle & become more physical in the post. If he thinks he gets pushed around a lot now, wait until premier NBA centers/forwards get a hold of him.

Would love to see him stay 1-2 more years. LOT OF POTENTIAL.

Delon on the other hand, a deep run in the tourney will help him out immensely. The two things holding him back the most is his lack of a three point shot & the fact that his stats don't POP as much as you'd expect for a player of his caliber. This is mostly due to the fact that he is a team player & is great at instigating the play of those around him.

[SoCalPat]

Brekkott has a shot at all frosh team (does that exist?). I think delon will be an all American, probably not first team but definitely not out of the question.

Brekott has no shot at making the all-frosh team. Johnson, Poeltl, Looney (UCLA), McLaughlin (USC) and Brooks (Oregon) have those spots locked down.

[LA Ute]

Brekott has no shot at making the all-frosh team. Johnson, Poeltl, Looney (UCLA), McLaughlin (USC) and Brooks (Oregon) have those spots locked down.

Those guys are all starters, right? I think Brekott gets 10-15 minutes a game. Probably more a function of Utah's depth than his talent, IMO. I think he will be very good before he's done.

[SoCalPat]

So Brandon Taylor is looking at 2nd team all conference.

What other individual awards might this team win?

Delon is first team all conference. Is he conference POY? Who else is in the running? Randle? Any Wildcats?

What about All-American? Okafor and Kaminsky are first team All-American. Who else is on that team?

Poeltl is on the conference all-freshmen team, right?

Any other players?

Who wins conference COY? I'd say Larry is a slam dunk, but media tend to think of the award as the "exceeding preseason expectations" award, in which case Tinkle may get the prize. It will help for Larry to win the head-to-head next week.

Tony Bennett is national COY, right?

I don't think Taylor on the second team is a lock. That makes him one of the top 15 players in the league and I don't think he's that highly thought of. Top 30, easily, and probably closer to 20 than 30. Statistically, he ranks highest in 3-point FG%, and none of the players in the top 10 in that category are even in the discussion for all-league honors.

Conference POY will be decided when Stanford and Randle come to town. No one else is in the discussion, IMO.

Poeltl is a lock for all-frosh. He leads the league in FG% and is second in blocked shots.

Conference COY is tricky. All depends on what guidelines you're looking at. I can see the arguments for both Larry and Tinkle, who inherited a massively depleted roster. But Larry deserves something for what he's done over the last four years. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Larry got national honors but not league honors. What he's done is more attention-grabbing nationally than within the league, which has been able to see Utah's rise coming, and therefore is not surprised.

[SoCalPat]

I don't recall the rules for retiring a number. Does the player have to be a first-team all-American?

Yes, among other criteria, one of which is having played for a national team. The trouble with that, is that I cannot find any instance in which KVH played for a national team and his number is retired.

[UtahsMrSports]

This most recent mock draft has Delon going in the second round and Poeltl not at all.

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2015/

Delon has had a very ho hum conference year by his standards. The slide doesnt surprise me. I think his play in the tourney and how he tests at pre-draft will determine where he goes.

If poeltl goes, somebody will snag him.

[LA Ute]

Yes, among other criteria, one of which is having played for a national team. The trouble with that, is that I cannot find any instance in which KVH played for a national team and his number is retired.

I wonder if that requirement has been relaxed, with the changes in the Olympics (Vranes was a member of the Olympic team) and in international sports generally?

[SoCalPat]

is that one of the criteria for getting your jersey retired at Utah? Seems like Delon might be a lock, while Doleac waits patiently for the call.

If Doleac deserves to have his number retired, then they should rename the building after Luke Nevill.

[sancho]

I don't think Taylor on the second team is a lock. That makes him one of the top 15 players in the league and I don't think he's that highly thought of. Top 30, easily, and probably closer to 20 than 30. Statistically, he ranks highest in 3-point FG%, and none of the players in the top 10 in that category are even in the discussion for all-league honors.

I think he's also top 10 in FG% in conference play. He's probably top 10 in assists and assist-to-turnover ration. And he's the team's leading scorer in conference play. I agree with you, though, he's not widely enough known.



Conference COY is tricky. All depends on what guidelines you're looking at. I can see the arguments for both Larry and Tinkle, who inherited a massively depleted roster. But Larry deserves something for what he's done over the last four years. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Larry got national honors but not league honors. What he's done is more attention-grabbing nationally than within the league, which has been able to see Utah's rise coming, and therefore is not surprised.

If Utah wins the conference, Larry gets COY. If not, I could see it going to Tinkle, depending on how both Utah and OSU finish. I don't think Larry can get national honors because of what Tony Bennett is doing. Plus, if Calipari goes undefeated, he will get votes. Coach K grabbed win #1000 this year and could get some lifetime achievement votes.

[SoCalPat]

I wonder if that requirement has been relaxed, with the changes in the Olympics (Vranes was a member of the Olympic team) and in international sports generally?

The criteria used to be readily (easily?) available at utahutes.com. I think there's some tinkering going on, or flat-out abolishment. IIRC, another criteria was that one had to play 4 years at Utah (or 3, if you played in the freshmen ineligible era). But Bogut re-wrote that rule.

[justaute]

What about Tom Chambers?

[LA Ute]

What about Tom Chambers?

I don't think he was 1st team AA. Not sure. He was the same year as Vranes but wasn't on a national team, so there's that too.

[DrumNFeather]

If Doleac deserves to have his number retired, then they should rename the building after Luke Nevill.

Now that's just cold...ice cold.

[UBlender]

The latest from Chad Ford on #JakPot from his chat yesterday (he seems to take a question on him just about every week):

Joey (SLC, UT)

As of right now, do you think Jakob Poeltl of the Utah Runnin' Utes will declare for the draft this year? He still looks good, but of course he's very, very raw in a lot of ways. He could certainly use another year of college to hone his skills and to improve his draft stock...and Ute fans would CERTAINLY welcome him back for another year or three!
Chad Ford (1:43 PM)


From all the info I can gather, it looks like he's strongly leaning toward returning for his sophomore year. However, things can change when the season ends and agents get in his ear. Obviously another year could help. He needs to add a lot of strength to play his game in the NBA. He isn't ready. But that won't stop teams from drafting him in the late lottery to mid first round if he declares. He's got tremendous upside.

[sancho]

Luke Winn puts Utah #10 in his power rankings:

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/02/12/power-rankings-kentucky-virginia-gonzaga-duke

He includes this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvmta-gpbGQ

[LA Ute]

Luke Winn puts Utah #10 in his power rankings:

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/02/12/power-rankings-kentucky-virginia-gonzaga-duke


We saw that kind of basketball under Maji. I don't recall about Pimm. Gotta admire it.


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[SoCalPat]

We saw that kind of basketball under Maji. I don't recall about Pimm. Gotta admire it.


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The principles of back-screens and second options certainly obviously existed under Pimm, but no way does he work inside-out so he can take a corner 20 footer (without a 3-point line) just 10 seconds into a possession in a non-shot clock era. That's a very high-reward shot in today's game; 30 years ago, not so much. The argument for running such a play 30 years ago is that tempo was faster (ie, you had more possessions) and you could run a similar set but end up with a jumper closer to the basket.

Also, if you run a guy 6-5 in that spot, you've got a layup with a good lob pass, something Delon is certainly capable of making.

[LA Ute]

My unspoken point was that we saw nothing like these sets during the Giacolletti and Boylen years. They're a pleasure to watch..


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[DrumNFeather]

Stewart Mandel tweeted out a picture of the seeding list "so far" for the mock selection committee (bunch of sports writers sitting in a room picking the tournament) Utah came it at #12, so the lowest of the #3 seeds. Man, if we could stay on that 3 line it'd be huge. I suppose if we beat Arizona and don't have any additional stumbles along the way we could potentially move up to the 2 line.

[UTEopia]

There appears to be a push to reduce the college shot clock from 35 to 30 or 24. I would like to see the clock reduced to 30. I am not sure I like the idea of reducing it to 24. What do you think?

[Mormon Red Death]

There appears to be a push to reduce the college shot clock from 35 to 30 or 24. I would like to see the clock reduced to 30. I am not sure I like the idea of reducing it to 24. What do you think?
I'd be ok with 30 but 24 is too small. Here is why the nba is 24:

Danny Biasone, the late owner of the Syracuse Nationals, invented the shot clock following the 1953-54 season to try to speed up the game and prevent teams from stalling. The lack of pace in NBA games in the early 1950s was widespread, typified by a game between the Fort Wayne Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers on Nov. 22, 1950. The Pistons defeated the Lakers 19-18 in the lowest scoring game in NBA history. Each team had only four baskets, and Fort Wayne outscored Minneapolis by the underwhelming margin of 3-1 in the fourth quarter.
Former Boston Celtics All-Star guard Bob Cousy was legendary for his ability to stall with the ball. "That was the way the game was played -- get a lead and put the ball in the icebox," said Cousy. "Teams literally started sitting on the ball in the third quarter. Coaches are conservative by nature to begin with, and it didn't make much sense to play a wide-open game.
Biasone chose the unusual number of 24 seconds by figuring that the average number of shots two teams would take during a game was 120. He divided that number into 48 minutes or 2,880 seconds, the length of a game, and ended up with the magical number of 24.

[concerned]

I'd be ok with 30 but 24 is too small. Here is why the nba is 24:

Danny Biasone, the late owner of the Syracuse Nationals, invented the shot clock following the 1953-54 season to try to speed up the game and prevent teams from stalling. The lack of pace in NBA games in the early 1950s was widespread, typified by a game between the Fort Wayne Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers on Nov. 22, 1950. The Pistons defeated the Lakers 19-18 in the lowest scoring game in NBA history. Each team had only four baskets, and Fort Wayne outscored Minneapolis by the underwhelming margin of 3-1 in the fourth quarter.
Former Boston Celtics All-Star guard Bob Cousy was legendary for his ability to stall with the ball. "That was the way the game was played -- get a lead and put the ball in the icebox," said Cousy. "Teams literally started sitting on the ball in the third quarter. Coaches are conservative by nature to begin with, and it didn't make much sense to play a wide-open game.
Biasone chose the unusual number of 24 seconds by figuring that the average number of shots two teams would take during a game was 120. He divided that number into 48 minutes or 2,880 seconds, the length of a game, and ended up with the magical number of 24.


A couple of things spring to mind:

1. Was KW an NBA coach? Sounds like his strategy.

2. NBA games in the 50's seem like a soccer game. Maybe men's soccer should have a shot clock.

[sancho]

Maybe men's soccer should have a shot clock.

Has anyone ever watched lacrosse, handball, or water polo? Pass the ball around the outer perimeter for 2-3 minutes until someone finally decides to take a shot. So boring!

I don't mind the shot clock in college basketball. The first thing I would change if I could is the number of timeouts. I would give each team only 1-2 per half (depending on the number of media timeouts), and I would have a "no back-to-back" timeout rule.

[U-Ute]

Stewart Mandel tweeted out a picture of the seeding list "so far" for the mock selection committee (bunch of sports writers sitting in a room picking the tournament) Utah came it at #12, so the lowest of the #3 seeds. Man, if we could stay on that 3 line it'd be huge. I suppose if we beat Arizona and don't have any additional stumbles along the way we could potentially move up to the 2 line.

His seeding has us playing a rematch against Kansas in the Sweet 16 in Portland.

I wouldn't mind a chance of taking them on again outside of their back yard.

[DrumNFeather]

His seeding has us playing a rematch against Kansas in the Sweet 16 in Portland.

I wouldn't mind a chance of taking them on again outside of their back yard.

I thought I read that as Houston. Isn't Portland the site of the Round of 64 and 32 games?

[UBlender]

Listening to Larry's post-game show on 700, it seemed like he kind of went out of his way to note that everybody on the team is buying in and nobody is looking to transfer. He was pointing out that Isaiah Wright was not upset about losing his spot in the rotation to Ogbe for this game and that Kuzma was the first to give him knuckles in the locker room. I also like seeing Bach go down the bench and slap everybody's hands to get them all fired up.

Now I don't necessarily buy that when the season is over there won't be somebody looking for greener pastures, but it is nice to see this team having a cohesiveness that is excellent.

[Mormon Red Death]

I thought I read that as Houston. Isn't Portland the site of the Round of 64 and 32 games?
I'm hoping for Charlotte

[SoCalPat]

Has anyone ever watched lacrosse, handball, or water polo? Pass the ball around the outer perimeter for 2-3 minutes until someone finally decides to take a shot. So boring!

I don't mind the shot clock in college basketball. The first thing I would change if I could is the number of timeouts. I would give each team only 1-2 per half (depending on the number of media timeouts), and I would have a "no back-to-back" timeout rule.

Anything the college game does to get the game more in the hands of players and less in the hands of coaches is a good thing. I think coaches feel pressed into using all those timeouts to justify their paychecks. How can you be coaching if you're not calling timeouts and making "in-game strategy changes."?

I would eliminate the under 16 timeout to start games and the under 4 timeout to end games. Timeouts at those junctures are flow killers.

I am curious to see how the NIT fares with a 30-second clock this year. If teams adapt well to it, no point in waiting to install it nationally.

[#1 Utefan]

Anything the college game does to get the game more in the hands of players and less in the hands of coaches is a good thing. I think coaches feel pressed into using all those timeouts to justify their paychecks. How can you be coaching if you're not calling timeouts and making "in-game strategy changes."?

I would eliminate the under 16 timeout to start games and the under 4 timeout to end games. Timeouts at those junctures are flow killers.

I am curious to see how the NIT fares with a 30-second clock this year. If teams adapt well to it, no point in waiting to install it nationally.

I don't know that taking TO's out of the hands of the coaches is the problem. Too many TV TO's is. Of course, that isn't going to change so I guess the only way is to take them away from the coaches

[sancho]

I don't know that taking TO's out of the hands of the coaches is the problem. Too many TV TO's is. Of course, that isn't going to change so I guess the only way is to take them away from the coaches

Those TOs that drag the last minute into 30 minutes are coaches' TOs. Get rid of 'em.

[Snowman]

Totally agree. It's obscene. On TV I cannot watch the games unless I'm behind real time so I can jump all the garbage timeouts and fouls.

They really need to change the rules to keep basketball great. No hoarding timeouts and just award one point and allow the offense to keep the ball on end of the game strategic fouls. I don't see how anyone who watches basketball, college or pro, could possibly think the way every close game takes forever to end is acceptable. It's horrendous.

[LA Ute]

I usually watch games 5-7 minutes behind real-time (using DVR) in order to avoid all that stuff. Sadly, often that's not enough of a delay.


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[Diehard Ute]

I usually watch games 5-7 minutes behind real-time (using DVR) in order to avoid all that stuff. Sadly, often that's not enough of a delay.


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My rule of thumb for a show with predictable commercials is 20 minute delay for every hour of show.

Sports is generally about that much provided you watch halftime and don't fast forward

[LA Ute]

My rule of thumb for a show with predictable commercials is 20 minute delay for every hour of show.

Sports is generally about that much provided you watch halftime and don't fast forward

Yeah, but I don't want people texting me with comments about things that happened 15 minutes ago.

[UTEopia]

Someone posted on another Ute site that this might be the best Ute basketball team, top to bottom, ever. My experience with Utah basketball goes back to the days of Billy McGill, Jerry Chambers and Merv Jackson when 7 and 8 years old and the father of a friend would take me up to the old Einar Nielson Fieldhouse to watch practice. This year's team is probably in the top 5 or 6 teams in Ute history, but there were some pretty solid teams in the past. These are probably the best Utah teams that I remember.

1997- 1998 - Miller, Doleac, Mottola, Alex Jensen, Drew Hansen, Trace Caton, Britton Johnson, David Jackson (lost to Kentucky in Finals)
1996 - 1997 - Van Horn, Miller, Doleac, Ben Caton, Jeff Johnsen, Drew Hansen, Ashante Johnson, David Jackson (lost to Kentucky in Elite 8)
1980-81 - Danny Vranes, Tom Chambers, Karl Bankowski, Scott Martin, Pace Mannion, Angelo Robinson, Peter Williams, Chris Winans ( Lost to UNC in Sw 16)
1975 -76 - Jeff Judkins, Greg Deane, Buster Matheney, Michael Gray, Jeff Jonas, Chas Menatti, Doug Terry (lost to UNC in Sweet 16)
65-66 - Jerry Chambers, Merv Jackson, Rich Tate, Walt Simon, George Fisher, Leonard Black, Jeff Oakel, Lyndon McKay (lost to UTEP in Final 4)

This team might be the deepest Utah team ever assembled, but I am not sure it is the best. I am also not sure that it isn't the best.

[sancho]

Seth Davis puts Larry K on COY list:

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/02/16/hoop-thoughts-coach-year-tony-bennett-john-calipari

[LA Ute]

PAC-12 Hoops asks an interesting question (http://pachoops.com/2015/02/pachoops-power-rankings-bring-your-id-to-the-airport/), while ranking Utah at the top of the conference:


Because the Pac-12 basically sucks, Utah is setting up to be a very interesting study of whether or not conference play matters. The Utes did a terrific job of challenging themselves in the non-conference but have since been let down by the rest of the conference. Seemingly no matter what average margin of victory the Utes maintain (26.3 points per 100 if you’ll recall the margins we described in our Cal section), I’m curious how conference ineptitude will, A) Harm the Utes come selection Sunday? and B) How two-and-a-half months of beating people by +26 might affect their March mettle? Don’t get me wrong, they’re great and I love that they’re so wildly balanced. I actually think their consistency bodes well for putting on the March blinders and just playing ball; not getting distracted by the bright lights and hoopla. But it’s still the Big Dance and people will be questioning Utah’s “toughness.” I don’t think I will and I’m still eyeballing 2/28.

[DrumNFeather]

In his latest Mock Draft, Chad Ford has Poeltel going to the Bulls in the middle of the first round and Delon going two picks after.

[DrumNFeather]

Utah vs. Arizona game scheduled for 9:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Mountain. If we can take care of business this week, maybe Game Day will be there.

[Mormon Red Death]

Utah vs. Arizona game scheduled for 9:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Mountain. If we can take care of business this week, maybe Game Day will be there.

I doubt they would do two Arizona games in a row (they are at Ariz @ UCLA game this week)

[Utah]

In his latest Mock Draft, Chad Ford has Poeltel going to the Bulls in the middle of the first round and Delon going two picks after.

If Poeltl stayed another year, and went from 20-ish to top 5 in the draft, he'd make over 10 million more on his rookie deal alone. No counting bigger potential contracts later on due to inflation.

I get wanting to go pro. But if money is the reason, he'd do better to stay.

[SoCalPat]

I doubt they would do two Arizona games in a row (they are at Ariz @ UCLA game this week)

Yeah, that ship sailed with the announcement of that game. My bet is the Gameday folks go to Northern Iowa at Wichita State.

[FountainOfUte]

This team might be the deepest Utah team ever assembled, but I am not sure it is the best. I am also not sure that it isn't the best.

This says it all right here. Gotta let this thing play out. But to this point, I've never quite seen a Ute team like this one with its talent and depth. In the Majerus years, I knew we could beat most teams, but it's when we got up against one of the blue bloods that was able to fill a roster with size AND talent, it was probably the end of the road. Rick's wizardry was always stellar with his starters, but diminished significantly the deeper he had to go on the bench. We barely drop off with this group. For the first time, we look like one of those blue bloods with a stable of studs from 1-12.

Unless we wilt down the stretch with a late-season slate that would pummel most teams, I already see this team as Sweet 16 worthy, and coming short of that would be a disappointment. Still, if we get just the "wrong" match up in the second round, our lack of Dance experience could bite us quickly.

If we get out of the first weekend, I think anything and everything is possible after that.

[Utah]

I was thinking about this last night, and when it comes bracket time, I don't know if I'll consider Utah losing until the final 4...

[UtahsMrSports]

1398

I dont know how many of you have seen this, but I thought this was interesting. Thoughts? Changes?

At first glance, this seems like it is biased toward NBA career, rather than college. Also, putting Bradley in over Kresimir Cosic is downright criminal on the BYU side.

[sancho]

1398

I dont know how many of you have seen this, but I thought this was interesting. Thoughts? Changes?

At first glance, this seems like it is biased toward NBA career, rather than college. Also, putting Bradley in over Kresimir Cosic is downright criminal on the BYU side.

Cosic is the best player in BYU basketball history, followed by Ainge and then Fredette. Brandon Davies is not in the top 10, and neither is Shawn Bradley. Kyle Collinsworth could be top 5, though.

Utah is one of the 20 or so teams in college basketball that just has too much history for this kind of game.

[Scratch]

Shawn Bradley wasn't even the best center on that that BYU team, let alone in BYU history.

[U-Ute]

Shawn Bradley wasn't even the best center on that that BYU team, let alone in BYU history.

Whomever came up with this was born after 1980. Granted, BYU didn't realize sports existed until the late 70's, but they obviously didn't do much homework on this.

I agree with Sancho on this. Utah has too many players to consider. Jerry Chambers? Billy McGill? Wat Misaka? Arnie Ferrin? We only think of him as old and the one who destroyed Utah football, but you can't ignore a guy who wins a tournament MVP trophy on a national championship team and was a 4-time All-American.

[LA Ute]

Listening to Ogbe on the radio. He sounds like a typical American college kid. No accent at all. But both he and Jakob do miss a good schnitzel.


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[DrumNFeather]

Dallin Bachynski has fallen off of a cliff since his 13 point "outburst" against Stanford.

Against Oregon - 4 min, 0 points, 0 boards

Against Oregon St. - 3 min, 0 points, 0 boards

Against Cal - 15 min, 2 points, 2 boards

We need better production out of our backup center, especially when Poetel gets in foul trouble early in games.

What gives? Just a bad matchup? or is he in Larry's Doghouse?

[DrumNFeather]

According to Kyle Goon on the twitter, Larry gave the team a warning today to be ready for some ugly video and big boy conversations. Go get 'em Larry!

[justaute]

Saw that and a bunch of other comments. I really like this one: "Certain things you can't talk about anymore: playing hard, not turning it over. You just have to bring it to the table."


According to Kyle Goon on the twitter, Larry gave the team a warning today to be ready for some ugly video and big boy conversations. Go get 'em Larry!

[LA Ute]

LK on the coach's show tonight: "We need some tough guys."


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[UTEopia]

LK on the coach's show tonight: "We need some tough guys."


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Onwas, the only other tough guy in addition to Taylor from last year's team, was sent packing.

[UtahsMrSports]

Onwas, the only other tough guy in addition to Taylor from last year's team, was sent packing.

Onwas is a clown. He threw away a chance to be a key part of a top 15 team.

[UBlender]

LK on the coach's show tonight: "We need some tough guys."


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I think Reyes was brought in to fill that role. He tries but he is undersized and lacks athleticism to be the guy Utah needs there.

[Scratch]

This is the biggest reason losing Togiai hurts.

[LA Ute]

I think Reyes was brought in to fill that role. He tries but he is undersized and lacks athleticism to be the guy Utah needs there.

LK went on to say what a lot of us have said, something like "We need a guy who's gonna take the game on his shoulders and say, 'I'm not going to let this happen.'" I guess all coaches want that, and all teams need it. The only guy on this team capable of that, talent-wise, is Delon, but he doesn't seem to have the hard-nosed character that's required. If Taylor were 6'2" he'd be that guy.

[UTEopia]

Onwas is a clown. He threw away a chance to be a key part of a top 15 team.

That may be true. He was the toughest prick on the team.

[sancho]

That may be true. He was the toughest prick on the team.

Maybe. I'm sure how much time he would get on this year's team. He had very few offensive skills, and he wasn't a standout defender or rebounder. What he had was a willingness to attack the rim. We could use more of that. Of course, his willingness led to turnovers or missed FTs more often than it led to points.

[sancho]

So, now that we've played everyone, who is going to rank our potential Vegas opponents from worst to best matchup?

[DrumNFeather]

Well, let's start with the standings....




Team
Conf
GB
Over


Arizona
13-2
0
25-3


Utah
12-3
1
22-5


Oregon
11-5
2.5
21-8


Stanford
8-6
4
17-9


Oregon St.
8-7
4.5
17-10


UCLA
9-7
4.5
17-12


Arizona St.
7-8
5
15-13


California
6-9
6
16-12


Colorado
5-10
7
12-15


Washington St.
6-9
7
12-15


Washington
4-11
8
15-12


USC
2-14
10
10-18



Unless something crazy happens, we'll likely be the 2 seed no matter what, or at least can likely finish no worse, which opens up a ton of possibilities for that 7-10 match up in the first round.

Here's the remaining schedule:

Wed (25)

WSU 70 @ USC 66
Washington 66 @UCLA 88
Oregon 80 @ CAL 69

Thurs (26)

ASU @ Utah
Arizona 82 @ Colorado 54
Oregon St. @ Stanford

Sat (28)

Arizona @ Utah
Washington @ USC

Sun (29)

OSU @ Cal
Oregon @ Stanford
ASU @ Colrado
WSU @ UCLA

Wed (4)

USC @ UCLA
Oregon @ OSU

Thurs (5)

Cal @ Arizona
Colorado @ Washington
Stanford @ ASU
Utah @ WSU

Sat (7)

Cal @ ASU
Colorado @ WSU
Stanford @ Arizona
Utah @ Washington

[DrumNFeather]

All of the above information is to say...too early to tell, though we'll have some clarity after this weekend.

I will say this, it is interesting that 4 teams get a few extra days to prep, and three of them are schools that would greatly benefit from a run in the conf. tourney (Oregon, OSU, UCLA).

Also, USC can lock up the 12th seed with a loss and a Washington win.

Oregon & Oregon St. could both have a first round bye nearly secured by the time they play depending on what happens this weekend, which would make that game interesting.

[justaute]

Good article from the Trib by Kyle Goons.

http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/uofusports/2216532-155/utah-basketball-where-are-the-utes

[Utah]

LK went on to say what a lot of us have said, something like "We need a guy who's gonna take the game on his shoulders and say, 'I'm not going to let this happen.'" I guess all coaches want that, and all teams need it. The only guy on this team capable of that, talent-wise, is Delon, but he doesn't seem to have the hard-nosed character that's required. If Taylor were 6'2" he'd be that guy.

Kuzma can be that guy IF he develops. He has that mentality. The question will become, will he be able play within a team structure and get up to speed for this level of basketball. If he can, watch out.

[UTEopia]

Kuzma can be that guy IF he develops. He has that mentality. The question will become, will he be able play within a team structure and get up to speed for this level of basketball. If he can, watch out.

I believe that Chapman is more likely to become that guy. He has proven to be a more consistent outside shooter. He has the ability to take his guy off the dribble and has shown some ability to play with his back to the basket. It will be interesting to see how they both develop.

[LA Ute]

Kuzma can be that guy IF he develops. He has that mentality. The question will become, will he be able play within a team structure and get up to speed for this level of basketball. If he can, watch out.

He will need to learn to make better decisions, I think. I agree with UTEopia that Chapman is more likely to become the take-charge guy. I hope he hits the weight room hard after this season ends.

[311ute]

He will need to learn to make better decisions, I think. I agree with UTEopia that Chapman is more likely to become the take-charge guy. I hope he hits the weight room hard after this season ends.

Chapman is a future star. I think as soon as next year he could be a 15 ppg type guy. He needs to a) get stronger, and b) learn not to foul. He’s got to lead the country in fouls per minute. That being said, Larry needs to play him more. The fact that he got 8 minutes while Reyes got 19 minutes in Eugene is unacceptable (and I understand he got hurt towards the end and didn’t come back in). I like Reyes and think he adds defense/rebounding/toughness which we need, but Brekkott is so much more skilled offensively. They’re both averaging 16mpg… I think it should be more like 20/12 in Chapman’s favor.

If I were the coach, I would call a few plays a game for Chapman. Isolate one side of the floor and give him an extended post catch. Have him turn and face and go to work. His jumper from 15-18 feet is money, and he has a great first step for his size. Plus he does a good job of drawing contact when attacking the rim.

I think Poeltl and Chapman make huge leaps in production from this year to next (assuming Poeltl returns which I think he will). Chapman’s stretch 4 abilities could complement Poeltl’s strengths perfectly. Bring in Reyes, JO, Mawien off the bench and I think that’s a really solid frontcourt in 2015-16.

[LA Ute]

Chapman is a future star. I think as soon as next year he could be a 15 ppg type guy. He needs to a) get stronger, and b) learn not to foul. He’s got to lead the country in fouls per minute. That being said, Larry needs to play him more. The fact that he got 8 minutes while Reyes got 19 minutes in Eugene is unacceptable (and I understand he got hurt towards the end and didn’t come back in). I like Reyes and think he adds defense/rebounding/toughness which we need, but Brekkott is so much more skilled offensively. They’re both averaging 16mpg… I think it should be more like 20/12 in Chapman’s favor.

If I were the coach, I would call a few plays a game for Chapman. Isolate one side of the floor and give him an extended post catch. Have him turn and face and go to work. His jumper from 15-18 feet is money, and he has a great first step for his size. Plus he does a good job of drawing contact when attacking the rim.

I think Poeltl and Chapman make huge leaps in production from this year to next (assuming Poeltl returns which I think he will). Chapman’s stretch 4 abilities could complement Poeltl’s strengths perfectly. Bring in Reyes, JO, Mawien off the bench and I think that’s a really solid frontcourt in 2015-16.

I think Chapman is the closest thing to Van Horn we've had since those days. I wonder if Chapman wouldn't be starting already on a team with less depth.

[SoCalPat]

I think Chapman is the closest thing to Van Horn we've had since those days. I wonder if Chapman wouldn't be starting already on a team with less depth.

KVH is on another planet. But Chapman's stats as a frosh compare very favorably to Hanno Mattola's.

Chapman: 6.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 52 FG%, 74 FT%

Mottola: 6.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 58 FG%, 62 FT%

Chapman did take more 3s than Mottola as a frosh (32 to 2) and makes them at a 50 percent clip. If he shot more, he'd threaten the single-season 3PT% mark of 51 percent held by Shawn Green (you gotta take 75 to qualify). And physically, he has some resemblance to Keith in build, although Keith had him by two inches. Keith was The Man from Day 1 and is one of the top 3 players in Utah history. Putting that kind of comparison on any first year player is a bit of a stretch.

[Utah]

It's too bad KVH isn't around now. The NBA is tailor made for his game today.

[Jarid in Cedar]

KVH is on another planet. But Chapman's stats as a frosh compare very favorably to Hanno Mattola's.

Chapman: 6.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 52 FG%, 74 FT%

Mottola: 6.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 58 FG%, 62 FT%

Chapman did take more 3s than Mottola as a frosh (32 to 2) and makes them at a 50 percent clip. If he shot more, he'd threaten the single-season 3PT% mark of 51 percent held by Shawn Green (you gotta take 75 to qualify). And physically, he has some resemblance to Keith in build, although Keith had him by two inches. Keith was The Man from Day 1 and is one of the top 3 players in Utah history. Putting that kind of comparison on any first year player is a bit of a stretch.


I don't know where he will end up on the all time list, but Chapman is the next star of Utah basketball. The comparison to KVH is hard because of the talent discrepancies between KVH's freshman team, and this team. Chapman would be playing a similar role if he was in Keith's shoes in 1993. Time will tell if he will have a similar impact over the course of his career. IMO, KVH is the the GOAT of Utah basketball, and that is a tough mountain to climb for Chapman.

[sancho]

IMO, KVH is the the GOAT of Utah basketball, and that is a tough mountain to climb for Chapman.

Yes, if Chapman is half of what KVH was, we should be thrilled. A poor man's Keith Van Horn is nothing to laugh at.

I'm not sure who to compare Chapman to. SoCal used Hanno. Maybe that's it. Maybe Alex? He's not athletic enough to be Britton.

[Utebiquitous]

Interesting discussion on Chapman. I don't know that he's playing at the position he'll play as soon as next year. He's an undersized four in college basketball, let alone professional. I'd really like to see him play the three next year. I think he has the athleticism to make the switch.

[sancho]

I think he has the athleticism to make the switch.

I see smart and fundamental, but I'm not sure I see athletic.

[UBlender]

Interesting discussion on Chapman. I don't know that he's playing at the position he'll play as soon as next year. He's an undersized four in college basketball, let alone professional. I'd really like to see him play the three next year. I think he has the athleticism to make the switch.

That's an interesting thought that I hadn't considered. I think he could handle the 3, but he's currently the best 4 on the roster and I don't see that changing next year unless Mawien is a huge immediate impact guy. If I'm projecting the best five to put on the floor next year, based on what we know right now, it has to be Taylor/Tucker/Loveridge/Chapman/#JakPot. I know Loveridge is a mystery right now and there are some who would like to see him in a reduced role but is the team better with Loveridge on the bench and Reyes or Kuzma on the floor? And if that reduced role does come for Loveridge will there be another perimeter player who steps up and seizes those minutes (thinking Ogbe and Isaiah Wright who have also both kind of vanished lately)?

It's an interesting thought, but I need to feel better about Utah's other options at the 4 next year before I am on board with Chapman playing the 3. If it's a question of more minutes for Loveridge/Ogbe/Wright or Reyes/Kuzma then I know which way I am leaning right now. Having said that, I think Ogbe and Kuzma are two wild cards. Both have a lot of potential but are struggling to put it all together. If either or both can take a big step forward that would help out a ton.

[justaute]

Good discussion here.

At the beginning of the year, the discussion regarding Kuzma/Chapman was that Kuzma is more of a 3 and Chapman is more of a 4, even though they are about the same size; thus far, Chapman has proven to be quite versatile at both 3 & 4. Kuzma's defense still leaves a lot to be desired and his shooting during conference plays has not been good. I'm really interested to see how Kuzma develops. I wanted to see more out of Kuzma because he was on campus last year; although he couldn't practice with the team, I still expected more from him.

As far as Chapman goes, if he continues to develop his game and get physically stronger, then I think he can play both 3/4, depending on our schemes/opponents.



That's an interesting thought that I hadn't considered. I think he could handle the 3, but he's currently the best 4 on the roster and I don't see that changing next year unless Mawien is a huge immediate impact guy. If I'm projecting the best five to put on the floor next year, based on what we know right now, it has to be Taylor/Tucker/Loveridge/Chapman/#JakPot. I know Loveridge is a mystery right now and there are some who would like to see him in a reduced role but is the team better with Loveridge on the bench and Reyes or Kuzma on the floor? And if that reduced role does come for Loveridge will there be another perimeter player who steps up and seizes those minutes (thinking Ogbe and Isaiah Wright who have also both kind of vanished lately)?

It's an interesting thought, but I need to feel better about Utah's other options at the 4 next year before I am on board with Chapman playing the 3. If it's a question of more minutes for Loveridge/Ogbe/Wright or Reyes/Kuzma then I know which way I am leaning right now. Having said that, I think Ogbe and Kuzma are two wild cards. Both have a lot of potential but are struggling to put it all together. If either or both can take a big step forward that would help out a ton.

[Utebiquitous]

The point is strong that Chapman is the best four coming back next year. I don't need to remind anyone that I was the guy who wondered whether or not Chapman should redshirt at the beginning of the season. What a moronic statement. The kid's a talent. Whatever he plays next year, he needs to start. I'd love to see him start games at the three (with Reyes at the 4) and then move to the four as a Kuzma or Loveridge enters the game. Early in the year, coaches were trying to get Kuzma experience at both positions and he couldn't handle it - indeed he's down a few more spots on the bench. Chapman, however, can handle it. Sancho, I think you're more correct than me. Chapman's intelligence and fundamentals are more important in the discussion. He may be an athletic four but not athletic enough (yet) for the three.

[justaute]

Not a big deal...most of us are just speculating, anyway. As long as we are all being civilized, who cares about whether we were right or wrong -- they are just opinions. Can't stand when people boast about getting a few lucky guesses or how they want to point-out how wrong others were -- just being Richards in general. A few people really take this $hit way too personal.


I don't need to remind anyone that I was the guy who wondered whether or not Chapman should redshirt at the beginning of the season. What a moronic statement. .

[LA Ute]

Just for the record, I am not saying Chapman is on the same level as Keith. I said that Chapman is the closest thing to KVH we've had since KVH. I still think so and it seems that there's agreement on that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[UTEopia]

Just for the record, I am not saying Chapman is on the same level as Keith. I said that Chapman is the closest thing to KVH we've had since KVH. I still think so and it seems that there's agreement on that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is hard to compare the two at this point. As a freshman, KVH was the best player on a terrible team and therefore had the opportunity to play and shoot at will. It also means that he probably received the most defensive attention from the opposition. That team, however, was so bad that other teams did not really need to play much defense.

Chapman, on the other hand, is the 6th man on a very good team. He is rarely the first option.

I am very excited to see how all of the young guys develop. Each of them, including Wright, have shown the ability to play at a high level. The key will be playing at a high level on a consistent basis.

[Mormon Red Death]

Just for the record, I am not saying Chapman is on the same level as Keith. I said that Chapman is the closest thing to KVH we've had since KVH. I still think so and it seems that there's agreement on that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

His better comparison is Britton Johnssen.

[UBlender]

His better comparison is Britton Johnssen.

I think Kuzma compares to Britton a little better as a freshman. People may forget that Britton spent his freshman year getting some DNPs and having a lot of games where he only played about five minutes and made no impact, much like Kuzma this year. The both show flashes every now and then and everybody can see that there is great potential. It was only the tournament that Britton really broke out and showed that he would be a key player (after his mission).

I think Larry keeps giving Kuzma those token minutes because he knows there is so much potential there and he wants the kid to feel that it is within reach and keep working for it.

A better comparison for Chapman as a freshman would be someone like Al Jensen. I'm not saying that Chapman is or will be Al, but they are both true freshmen that played a significant, steady bench role from day one and did a lot of things well for a successful team. Neither will put up huge numbers and Chapman may never be as good of a defender as Alex but I see similarities in terms of the size of the contribution as a freshman.

[concerned]

My $0.02, fwiw: the better comparison is Van Horn, because Chapman can play inside and outside, make a 3 consistently, put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. He is versatile like Van Horn, much more versatile than Britton or Alex. Neither Britton or Alex could do anything outside of five feet. You would never have put either of them at the top of the key to break a zone, like we do Chapman. He may not be as good as KVN, but he has the same kind of game.

[Mormon Red Death]

My $0.02, fwiw: the better comparison is Van Horn, because Chapman can play inside and outside, make a 3 consistently, put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. He is versatile like Van Horn, much more versatile than Britton or Alex. Neither Britton or Alex could do anything outside of five feet. You would never have put either of them at the top of the key to break a zone, like we do Chapman. He may not be as good as KVN, but he has the same kind of game.

You are forgetting how good Britton was. He was two time MWC player of the year. He shot about 34% from the three. In the North Carolina game his freshman year he was the 6th man off the bench.

[sancho]

My $0.02, fwiw: the better comparison is Van Horn, because Chapman can play inside and outside, make a 3 consistently, put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. He is versatile like Van Horn, much more versatile than Britton or Alex. Neither Britton or Alex could do anything outside of five feet. You would never have put either of them at the top of the key to break a zone, like we do Chapman. He may not be as good as KVN, but he has the same kind of game.

I agree. He's a poor man's KVH. He's not as athletic as Britton, and he's not as solid as Alex. He does a lot of things well, and KVH did a lot of things perfectly.

[UBlender]

My $0.02, fwiw: the better comparison is Van Horn, because Chapman can play inside and outside, make a 3 consistently, put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. He is versatile like Van Horn, much more versatile than Britton or Alex. Neither Britton or Alex could do anything outside of five feet. You would never have put either of them at the top of the key to break a zone, like we do Chapman. He may not be as good as KVN, but he has the same kind of game.

For the record, my comment was more on the type of impact each player has made as a freshman as opposed to the style of play each shows. Having said that, I think you are massively under-selling both Jensen's and Johnsen's perimeter skills. Both of those guys were threats to hit a three and Britton especially (but also Alex to a lesser extent) could take a man off the dribble.

[DrumNFeather]

Updated Standings and Schedule:



Team
Conf
GB
Overall


Arizona
13-2
0
25-3


Utah
12-3
1
22-5


Oregon
11-5
2.5
21-8


Stanford
9-6
4
18-9


UCLA
9-7
4.5
17-12


Oregon St.
8-8
5.5
17-11


Arizona St.
7-8
6
15-13


California
6-9
7
16-12


Washington St.
6-9
7
12-15


Colorado
5-10
8
12-15


Washington
4-11
9
15-12


USC*
2-14
11.5
10-18



2/28

Arizona @ Utah
Washington @ USC - The "somebody has to win" bowl

3/1

Oregon St. @ Cal
ASU @ Colorado
Oregon @ Stanford
Washington St. @ UCLA

3/4

Oregon @ OSU
USC @ UCLA

3/5

Cal @ Arizona
Stanford @ ASU
Colorado @ Washington
Utah @ WSU

3/7

Stanford @ Arizona
Cal @ ASU
Colorado @ WSU
Utah @ Washington

*clinched the #12 seed

UCLA seems best positioned right now to capture the 4 seed based on it's schedule. They'll be rooting hard for Oregon to top Stanford over the weekend and for Arizona to hold serve at home. On the other hand, Stanford can probably play its way right off of the bubble if they could beat both Oregon and Arizona.

[SoCalPat]

Updated Standings and Schedule:



Team
Conf
GB
Overall


Arizona
13-2
0
25-3


Utah
12-3
1
22-5


Oregon
11-5
2.5
21-8


Stanford
9-6
4
18-9


UCLA
9-7
4.5
17-12


Oregon St.
8-8
5.5
17-11


Arizona St.
7-8
6
15-13


California
6-9
7
16-12


Washington St.
6-9
7
12-15


Colorado
5-10
8
12-15


Washington
4-11
9
15-12


USC*
2-14
11.5
10-18



2/28

Arizona @ Utah
Washington @ USC - The "somebody has to win" bowl

3/1

Oregon St. @ Cal
ASU @ Colorado
Oregon @ Stanford
Washington St. @ UCLA

3/4

Oregon @ OSU
USC @ UCLA

3/5

Cal @ Arizona
Stanford @ ASU
Colorado @ Washington
Utah @ WSU

3/7

Stanford @ Arizona
Cal @ ASU
Colorado @ WSU
Utah @ Washington

*clinched the #12 seed

UCLA seems best positioned right now to capture the 4 seed based on it's schedule. They'll be rooting hard for Oregon to top Stanford over the weekend and for Arizona to hold serve at home. On the other hand, Stanford can probably play its way right off of the bubble if they could beat both Oregon and Arizona.

Good stuff. I would also note which teams have clinched a top 4 seed as well.

[DrumNFeather]

Nice article about Coach K and potentially wanting to lay some roots down in SLC for a while. Music to our ears!

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12387935/utah-runnin-utes-coach-larry-krystkowiak-laying-roots-years-move?src=mobile

[DrumNFeather]

Here's another one from Grantland: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/how-larry-krystkowiak-and-delon-wright-brought-utah-basketball-back-to-national-prominence/

[LA Ute]

Here's another one from Grantland: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/how-larry-krystkowiak-and-delon-wright-brought-utah-basketball-back-to-national-prominence/

Great article. Highly recommended.

[concerned]

Here is something interesting I heard Josh Grant say while driving home last night. He was asked why Utah had so much trouble with the zone defenses in Oregon. He said that his Majerus teams licked their chops when somebody played a zone, because they are so much easier to break down offensively. Basically, he said it is all about knowing where the right spots or holes are and getting to them at the right time. Once you learn that, you love playing against zones.

He said teams have much more trouble doing that now, because nobody plays zone defense anymore, you never see them and dont get experience against them.

[LA Ute]

Here is something interesting I heard Josh Grant say while driving home last night. He was asked why Utah had so much trouble with the zone defenses in Oregon. He said that his Majerus teams licked their chops when somebody played a zone, because they are so much easier to break down offensively. Basically, he said it is all about knowing where the right spots or holes are and getting to them at the right time. Once you learn that, you love playing against zones.

He said teams have much more trouble doing that now, because nobody plays zone defense anymore, you never see them and dont get experience against them.

Yeah, he called zones a "gimmick defense." I was a little taken aback by the strong words.

[U-Ute]

Great article. Highly recommended.

People who have watched the Utes this year will recognize this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz29C7KIqd0#t=95

You can even yell someone yelling "Hammer" in the background. Not sure if that is the Bucks coach or the other team.

[DrumNFeather]

Alright, here we go...just one week left to play and the positioning battles are tightening up. Here's what we know:



Arizona has clinched the #1 seed
Utah and Oregon have clinched first round byes
UCLA is essentially locked into the 4 seed. Even if they lose to USC (unlikely) Stanford would have to go 2-0 in Arizona to capture the 4 seed. If they somehow finished tied, UCLA would own the tie breaker.
Stanford is likely to be the 5th seed, even if they lose out because they own tiebreakers over Oregon St. (who would have to beat Oregon), Cal, and Also ASU (who play each other, so one of those teams will have a minimum of 10 losses to end the season)
Washington is likely the 11 seed...the only way they avoid this is by sweeping Utah and Colorado, and having Colorado go 0-2 (unlikely)
USC is locked in as the 12 seed
Utah clinches the #2 seed with a sweep of the Washington schools OR an Oregon loss on Wed. If Utah and Oregon finished tied, Oregon would be the #2 seed and Utah would be the #3 seed (head to head)
The loser of the Colorado/Washington St. game will likely be the 10 seed. If Washington St. wins that game, the head to head would be 1-1, and Colorado would get the edge by virtue of beating UCLA.
If Oregon St. beats Oregon, it can finish no worse than 6th, assuming Arizona goes 2-0 this weekend.


Standings:

Bold/Number = seed clinched
Italics = bye clinched (or likely clinched)



Team
Conf Record
GB
Season Record


1. Arizona
14-2
0
26-3


Utah
12-4
2
22-6


Oregon
12-5
2.5
22-8


UCLA
10-7
4.5
18-12


Stanford
9-7
5
18-10


Oregon St.
8-9
6.5
17-12


Arizona St.
7-9
7
15-14


Cal
7-9
7
17-12


Colorado
6-10
8
13-15


Washington St.
6-10
8
12-16


Washington
4-12
10
15-13


12. USC
3-14
11.5
11-18


Schedule this week:

3/4

USC @ UCLA
Oregon @ Oregon St.

3/5

Cal @ Arizona
Stanford @ Arizona St.
Utah @ WSU
Colorado @ Washington

3/7

Cal @ ASU
Stanford @ Arizona
Utah @ Washington
Colorado @ Washington St.

The DNF Pac 12 Bracket Projection:


#5 Stanford vs. #12 USC (vs. #4 UCLA)
#6 Oregon St. vs. #11 Washington (vs. #3 Oregon)
#7 Arizona St. vs. #10 Washington St. (vs. #2 Utah)
#8 Cal vs. #9 Colorado (vs. #1 Arizona)

Note - If ASU and OSU finish tied at 8-10, which is what I am projecting, good luck with the tiebreaker. Head to head would be even, both beat Arizona, both lost to Utah, Oregon, both beat UCLA once. It might come down to Stanford, though that might not even do it.

[DrumNFeather]

Latest bracketology (FWIW) has us as a #4 seed in the South playing in Portland. Oklahoma moved up to the #3 seed, and the #5 seed in that region is Arkansas.

Villanova replaced Gonzaga as the #1 in the West.

the Pac 12 only has 3 teams in the field in this projection.

[Mormon Red Death]

Alright, here we go...just one week left to play and the positioning battles are tightening up. Here's what we know:



Arizona has clinched the #1 seed
Utah and Oregon have clinched first round byes
UCLA is essentially locked into the 4 seed. Even if they lose to USC (unlikely) Stanford would have to go 2-0 in Arizona to capture the 4 seed. If they somehow finished tied, UCLA would own the tie breaker.
Stanford is likely to be the 5th seed, even if they lose out because they own tiebreakers over Oregon St. (who would have to beat Oregon), Cal, and Also ASU (who play each other, so one of those teams will have a minimum of 10 losses to end the season)
Washington is likely the 11 seed...the only way they avoid this is by sweeping Utah and Colorado, and having Colorado go 0-2 (unlikely)
USC is locked in as the 12 seed
Utah clinches the #2 seed with a sweep of the Washington schools OR an Oregon loss on Wed. If Utah and Oregon finished tied, Oregon would be the #2 seed and Utah would be the #3 seed (head to head)
The loser of the Colorado/Washington St. game will likely be the 10 seed. If Washington St. wins that game, the head to head would be 1-1, and Colorado would get the edge by virtue of beating UCLA.
If Oregon St. beats Oregon, it can finish no worse than 6th, assuming Arizona goes 2-0 this weekend.


Standings:

Bold/Number = seed clinched
Italics = bye clinched (or likely clinched)



Team
Conf Record
GB
Season Record


1. Arizona
14-2
0
26-3


Utah
12-4
2
22-6


Oregon
12-5
2.5
22-8


UCLA
10-7
4.5
18-12


Stanford
9-7
5
18-10


Oregon St.
8-9
6.5
17-12


Arizona St.
7-9
7
15-14


Cal
7-9
7
17-12


Colorado
6-10
8
13-15


Washington St.
6-10
8
12-16


Washington
4-12
10
15-13


12. USC
3-14
11.5
11-18


Schedule this week:

3/4

USC @ UCLA
Oregon @ Oregon St.

3/5

Cal @ Arizona
Stanford @ Arizona St.
Utah @ WSU
Colorado @ Washington

3/7

Cal @ ASU
Stanford @ Arizona
Utah @ Washington
Colorado @ Washington St.

The DNF Pac 12 Bracket Projection:


#5 Stanford vs. #12 USC (vs. #4 UCLA)
#6 Oregon St. vs. #11 Washington (vs. #3 Oregon)
#7 Arizona St. vs. #10 Washington St. (vs. #2 Utah)
#8 Cal vs. #9 Colorado (vs. #1 Arizona)

Note - If ASU and OSU finish tied at 8-10, which is what I am projecting, good luck with the tiebreaker. Head to head would be eve, both beat Arizona, both lost to Utah, Oregon, both beat UCLA once. It might come down to Stanford, though that might not even do it.

Your pac-12 bracket projection would work out really well for us. We match up real well with ASU and we can beat Oregon. I think a Saturday night rematch with Arizona is a distinct possibility.

[sancho]

Your pac-12 bracket projection would work out really well for us. We match up real well with ASU and we can beat Oregon. I think a Saturday night rematch with Arizona is a distinct possibility.

What team would be a bad matchup for us? I feel alright about everyone except Arizona.

[concerned]

What team would be a bad matchup for us? I feel alright about everyone except Arizona.

UCLA because they are strong inside.

[Utah]

I'm a little late, but I LOVE Chapman. I've been saying he is our second most important player, behind Delon.

He brings so much to this team. We will go as far as he takes us. When he gets in a groove, we do very well. When he gets in foul trouble, we struggle big time. He opens up the offense so much for everyone.

[DrumNFeather]

What team would be a bad matchup for us? I feel alright about everyone except Arizona.

I feel like Cal would give us trouble, for whatever reason. They seem like a team that could get hot and win a few games in the conference tourney. That said, I have them going 0-2 this week and being in the 8/9 match up, so the only time we'd see them would be in the title game...again, if the DNF projections hold.

[U-Ute]

UCLA because they are strong inside.

Yeah. It is a tossup between UCLA and Oregon in my book. Have we beaten Oregon as a PAC-12 member yet?

[DrumNFeather]

Yeah. It is a tossup between UCLA and Oregon in my book. Have we beaten Oregon as a PAC-12 member yet?

We are 1-6 vs. Oregon as members of the Pac 12.

[LA Ute]

Yeah. It is a tossup between UCLA and Oregon in my book. Have we beaten Oregon as a PAC-12 member yet?

Yes, in the final game of the 2013 season.

[311ute]

I really want to play and beat Oregon in Vegas. 1) It would really help our tournament resume, and 2) I have a pretty strong dislike for the program and I hated seeing Joe Young and that Brooks idiot celebrate like they did when they beat us up in Eugene.

I think if we do see them next Friday we win by double digits.

[UtahsMrSports]

I love our chnces against anyone who doesnt get a first round bye.

I like our chances against ucla and oregon.

I hate our chances against arizona. Im hoping they lose focus and get beat before sunday.

[UtahsMrSports]

Yes, in the final game of the 2013 season.

I stayed and watched Washburn celebrate with fans for nearly half an hour after that game. Oregon was a top 15 team and that was his final home game.

In a building full of great memories for me, that might be my favorite. Can honestly say ive never been more happy for one of our players.

[311ute]

Interesting that Arizona has not won the Pac-12 tournament since 2002.

I wish I could see us beating them in Vegas.... but I don't. Any way UCLA or Stanford could get them in the semis??

[chrisrenrut]

I really want to play and beat Oregon in Vegas. 1) It would really help our tournament resume, and 2) I have a pretty strong dislike for the program and I hated seeing Joe Young and that Brooks idiot celebrate like they did when they beat us up in Eugene.

I think if we do see them next Friday we win by double digits.


Totally agree. If I could attend one game this tournament, it would be us vs. Oregon in the semi's on Friday night.

[U-Ute]

Interesting that Arizona has not won the Pac-12 tournament since 2002.

It isn't surprising. They generally don't need to. A conference title is more exciting and a conference tournament run probably wouldn't move them much in either direction in terms of NCAA seeding.

[concerned]

It isn't surprising. They generally don't need to. A conference title is more exciting and a conference tournament run probably wouldn't move them much in either direction in terms of NCAA seeding.

Majerus never wanted to wint the conference tourney; he wanted his players to rest before the first round. Only reason to try to win is to get into the tourney.

[sancho]

SI has us as a 5 seed:

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/02/ncaa-tournament-bracket-gonzaga-kentucky-virginia-duke-villanova

Murray State is not a team I want to play in the first round.

[DrumNFeather]

After reviewing my post, I guess I mis-spoke, we cannot clinch the #2 seed with an Oregon loss tonight, but it does give us the wiggle room to go 1-1 in Washington. Nevertheless, I shall cheer for the Beavers tonight.

[sancho]

After reviewing my post, I guess I mis-spoke, we cannot clinch the #2 seed with an Oregon loss tonight, but it does give us the wiggle room to go 1-1 in Washington. Nevertheless, I shall cheer for the Beavers tonight.

And I'm going Duck tonight for three reasons:

1) I want Oregon and UCLA in the tournament, so we have no losses to teams that didn't get in.

2) I want Larry K to win COY, and Tinkle is one of the main competitors. Actually, maybe Altman is another, so is this a lose-lose? If Altman steals 2nd place in the conference, I have think he'd get a lot of votes.

3) I want all bubbles teams to do well to make it harder for Provo to get in.

[SoCalPat]

And I'm going Duck tonight for three reasons:

1) I want Oregon and UCLA in the tournament, so we have no losses to teams that didn't get in.

2) I want Larry K to win COY, and Tinkle is one of the main competitors. Actually, maybe Altman is another, so is this a lose-lose? If Altman steals 2nd place in the conference, I have think he'd get a lot of votes.

3) I want all bubbles teams to do well to make it harder for Provo to get in.

Larry is not the slam dunk COY in this league. He could've been had we tied for the league title. I could see this honor being split. You can bet Altman is COY if we stumble to a 3 seed in Vegas. Oregon was picked preseason to finish 8th. And the water is muddied enough between K, Altman and Tinkle where I could see voters throwing their hands up in exasperation and just voting for Miller.

[DrumNFeather]

And I'm going Duck tonight for three reasons:

1) I want Oregon and UCLA in the tournament, so we have no losses to teams that didn't get in.

2) I want Larry K to win COY, and Tinkle is one of the main competitors. Actually, maybe Altman is another, so is this a lose-lose? If Altman steals 2nd place in the conference, I have think he'd get a lot of votes.

3) I want all bubbles teams to do well to make it harder for Provo to get in.

All fair points.

I think it is mostly moot, as I believe we'll capture the #2 seed with a sweep in Washington this weekend.

Also, I think Oregon is in no matter what (ok, if they lose tonight and then lose in the 3-6 game maybe they are out).

We're looking more and more like a 3 bid league.

[sancho]

Larry is not the slam dunk COY in this league. He could've been had we tied for the league title. I could see this honor being split. You can bet Altman is COY if we stumble to a 3 seed in Vegas. Oregon was picked preseason to finish 8th. And the water is muddied enough between K, Altman and Tinkle where I could see voters throwing their hands up in exasperation and just voting for Miller.


Yes, those are the 4.

1) Larry K.

Case for: He gets votes as a culmination of a 3 year effort. To go from 6 wins to a 4 seed is astounding.

Case against: Utah was picked 2nd and will finish 2nd. Some voters are small minded enough to think COY stands for "coach whose team most exceeded preseason media expectations."

2) Tinkle

Case for: Oregon State seemingly had little talent yet managed to win 8 conference games.

Case against: Eight conference games is not really that many.

3) Altman

Case for: Program had some offseason issues, but they seem to be fine. 3rd place in conference and tournament birth far exceed expectations.

Case against: Since when do offseason issues derail a team with an all-conference PG? The offseason expectations were low, but they were low for bad reasons. The team was always talented.

4) Miller

Case for: Coach of best team always gets votes. Plus, he swept Utah.

Case against: Lost at OSU and ASU when he had the vastly superior team. His team is head and shoulders better and more talented than anyone else in the conference, but it still game down to the last week of play.

I think K and Altman have the strongest cases in this race. Maybe I should root for the Beavers tonight?

[#1 Utefan]

Yes, those are the 4.

1) Larry K.

Case for: He gets votes as a culmination of a 3 year effort. To go from 6 wins to a 4 seed is astounding.

Case against: Utah was picked 2nd and will finish 2nd. Some voters are small minded enough to think COY stands for "coach whose team most exceeded preseason media expectations."

2) Tinkle

Case for: Oregon State seemingly had little talent yet managed to win 8 conference games.

Case against: Eight conference games is not really that many.

3) Altman

Case for: Program had some offseason issues, but they seem to be fine. 3rd place in conference and tournament birth far exceed expectations.

Case against: Since when do offseason issues derail a team with an all-conference PG? The offseason expectations were low, but they were low for bad reasons. The team was always talented.

4) Miller

Case for: Coach of best team always gets votes. Plus, he swept Utah.

Case against: Lost at OSU and ASU when he had the vastly superior team. His team is head and shoulders better and more talented than anyone else in the conference, but it still game down to the last week of play.

I think K and Altman have the strongest cases in this race. Maybe I should root for the Beavers tonight?


Plus Miller is a swarmy and arrogant type that probably is a somewhat polarizing.

[sancho]

Plus Miller is a swarmy and arrogant type that probably is a somewhat polarizing.

Yeah, to fans. But I think media love him. Not sure about his fellow coaches.

[DrumNFeather]

A quick update to the standings & scenarios after last nights contests:



Arizona has clinched the #1 Seed
Utah must sweep in Washington to capture the #2 seed
Oregon is currently the #3 seed, and will be the #2 seed with a Utah loss
UCLA has clinched the #4 seed (owns a tiebreaker over Stanford, who is the only team that could catch them)
Stanford can clinch the #5 seed with a win @ASU tonight. The only way they don't is if they were to go 0-2, and ASU goes 2-0 this weekend...I believe in that scenario ASU would own the tiebreaker, because that would put their season series at 1-1 and ASU owns a win over Arizona
Oregon St is in "wait and see mode" at 8-10. If ASU and Cal both lose tonight, there will be a three way tie with 10 losses, and the winner of the ASU/Cal game on Saturday would then have to face tiebreakers with Oregon St. As it stands right now, Cal is 1-0 vs. Oregon St. and ASU is 1-1 (so we'd have to go into a deeper tiebreaker.
Cal & Arizona St. are addressed above...if either pulls of a surprising upset tonight, they would then be positioned to have the #6 seed
Colorado could get to 8-10 with a sweep this weekend in Washington, but they don't really own the tiebreaker over any of the schools ahead of them, so it is very likely that they will be in the 9-10 spot
Washington St. would need a sweep of Utah/Colorado to get into the 8-10 conversation. They do hold a win over ASU, so in a scenario where both teams were 8-10, they should hold that tiebreaker
Washington needs a sweep to avoid being the #11 seed
USC sucks.


Bold = Clinched Seed



1. Arizona
14-2
26-3


Utah
12-4
22-6


Oregon
13-5
23-8


4. UCLA
11-7
19-12


Stanford
9-7
18-10


Oregon St.
8-10
17-13


California
7-9
17-12


Arizona St.
7-9
15-14


Colorado
6-10
13-15


Washington St.
6-10
12-16


Washington
4-12
15-13


12. USC
3-15
11-19



Schedule

3/5

Utah @ Washington St.
Colorado @ Washington
Cal @ Arizona
Stanford @ Arizona St.

3/7

Utah @ Washington
Colorado @ Washington St.
Cal @ Arizona St.
Stanford @ Arizona

DNF Bracket Projection:

#12 USC vs. #5 Stanford (vs. #4 UCLA)
#11 Washington vs. #6 Oregon St. (vs. #3 Oregon)
#10 Washington St. vs. #7 Arizona St. (vs. #2 Utah)
#9 Colorado vs. #8 California (vs. #1 Arizona)

[Mormon Red Death]

On your USC sucks thoughts. I had UCLA -13 last night and with a minute left up 16 Alford put in the seniors. The fucking bastards from USC are full court pressing and hit a 2 pointer and a 3 pointer to kill my cover. I hope they shit can Enfield as soon as the season ends.

[311ute]

DNF Bracket Projection:
#12 USC vs. #5 Stanford (vs. #4 UCLA)
#11 Washington vs. #6 Oregon St. (vs. #3 Oregon)
#10 Washington St. vs. #7 Arizona St. (vs. #2 Utah)
#9 Colorado vs. #8 California (vs. #1 Arizona)



This would be ideal, IMO. As far as Thursday goes, I would rather play ASU or Wazzu over Colorado or Cal. I think Cal and CU (fully healthy) are two dangerous teams. ASU and Wazzu, not so much. And I really want another shot at Oregon, would be a nice resume builder to get a win over a tournament team away from home. I know they're playing well, but I think the guys would be eager for revenge, we'll have a big crowd advantage in the MGM... I think we win by double digits if we play the Ducks again.

[DrumNFeather]

On your USC sucks thoughts. I had UCLA -13 last night and with a minute left up 16 Alford put in the seniors. The fucking bastards from USC are full court pressing and hit a 2 pointer and a 3 pointer to kill my cover. I hope they shit can Enfield as soon as the season ends.

I was going to put "hopeless."

[DrumNFeather]

DNF Bracket Projection:
#12 USC vs. #5 Stanford (vs. #4 UCLA)
#11 Washington vs. #6 Oregon St. (vs. #3 Oregon)
#10 Washington St. vs. #7 Arizona St. (vs. #2 Utah)
#9 Colorado vs. #8 California (vs. #1 Arizona)



This would be ideal, IMO. As far as Thursday goes, I would rather play ASU or Wazzu over Colorado or Cal. I think Cal and CU (fully healthy) are two dangerous teams. ASU and Wazzu, not so much. And I really want another shot at Oregon, would be a nice resume builder to get a win over a tournament team away from home. I know they're playing well, but I think the guys would be eager for revenge, we'll have a big crowd advantage in the MGM... I think we win by double digits if we play the Ducks again.

I haven't gone through all the permutations, but this seems like the likely result to me (it assumes that we sweep and cal gets swept). I think as I was going through it I figured that ASU could be anywhere from 5 to 10, which is right about the position we were in last year when we lost at Stanford. We'll get some clarity tonight!

[UtahsMrSports]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology/_/iteration/248

We are back up to a three in the latest lunardi predictions.

[sancho]

This would be ideal, IMO. As far as Thursday goes, I would rather play ASU or Wazzu over Colorado or Cal.

I think CU is the least dangerous of those four teams.

[chrisrenrut]

On your USC sucks thoughts. I had UCLA -13 last night and with a minute left up 16 Alford put in the seniors. The fucking bastards from USC are full court pressing and hit a 2 pointer and a 3 pointer to kill my cover. I hope they shit can Enfield as soon as the season ends.

Gambling is giving you a bit of a potty mouth. Might be time to get some help ;)

[DrumNFeather]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology/_/iteration/248

We are back up to a three in the latest lunardi predictions.

Duke, Gonzaga, Utah, Oklahoma. That'd be an interesting draw for us. If we made it to the second weekend, Delon vs. Pangos would be a real interesting match up, as well as Poetel and Sabonis.

[311ute]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology/_/iteration/248

We are back up to a three in the latest lunardi predictions.

….and Jerry Palm still has Utah a 6. What’s up with this guy. I’ve heard him numerous times on the Bill and OC show talking about how he has Utah so low because they don’t have many quality wins, especially away from home. I have two problems with this:

1. It seems like this is all he ever talks about, like as if the committee looks at nothing else. Everyone knows the committee looks at a number of factors… quality wins, road wins, RPI, bad losses, eye test, scheduling intent, etc.

2. As much as Palm hammers Utah for not having quality wins, then how do Northern Iowa and Wichita St (both 4 seeds in his bracket) get off the hook? Utah has more top-50 and top-100 wins than both those teams

Top-50 wins:
Utah 3 (2 home, 1 away)
Wichita St 2 (2 home)
N Iowa 2 (1 home, 1 neutral)

Top-100 wins:
Utah 9 (6 home)
Wichita St 7 (5 home)
N Iowa 7 (4 home)

Worst Losses:
Utah 50 (team’s RPI)
Wichita St 81
N Iowa 107

SOS:
Utah 31
Wichita St 106
N Iowa 130

[Mormon Red Death]

Gambling is giving you a bit of a potty mouth. Might be time to get some help ;)

What I need some help with is Dumbass Coaches who full court press when the game is over!!!:pistols:

[311ute]

I think CU is the least dangerous of those four teams.

I disagree... I may be wrong, but I still think if they are fully healthy (with Booker, X Johnson, and Scott) they can be dangerous. They've been by far the biggest disappointment this year and have underachieved big time, and maybe that will continue. But in a one game tournament setting, an under-achieving team isn't what I want to see. I think there's talent and experience there (plus a pretty good coach) that could find a way to put it together. Not saying they can be world beaters, but I think they're more dangerous than ASU and Wazzu.

[sancho]

I disagree... I may be wrong, but I still think if they are fully healthy (with Booker, X Johnson, and Scott) they can be dangerous. They've been by far the biggest disappointment this year and have underachieved big time, and maybe that will continue. But in a one game tournament setting, an under-achieving team isn't what I want to see. I think there's talent and experience there (plus a pretty good coach) that could find a way to put it together. Not saying they can be world beaters, but I think they're more dangerous than ASU and Wazzu.

I guess any of them are good enough to have a great single game and beat us. ASU beat UCLA and Arizona this year. Wazzu beat Oregon. CU and Cal beat UCLA. None are automatic wins.

[DrumNFeather]

….and Jerry Palm still has Utah a 6. What’s up with this guy. I’ve heard him numerous times on the Bill and OC show talking about how he has Utah so low because they don’t have many quality wins, especially away from home. I have two problems with this:

1. It seems like this is all he ever talks about, like as if the committee looks at nothing else. Everyone knows the committee looks at a number of factors… quality wins, road wins, RPI, bad losses, eye test, scheduling intent, etc.

2. As much as Palm hammers Utah for not having quality wins, then how do Northern Iowa and Wichita St (both 4 seeds in his bracket) get off the hook? Utah has more top-50 and top-100 wins than both those teams

Top-50 wins:
Utah 3 (2 home, 1 away)
Wichita St 2 (2 home)
N Iowa 2 (1 home, 1 neutral)

Top-100 wins:
Utah 9 (6 home)
Wichita St 7 (5 home)
N Iowa 7 (4 home)

Worst Losses:
Utah 50 (team’s RPI)
Wichita St 81
N Iowa 107

SOS:
Utah 31
Wichita St 106
N Iowa 130

Given that we are a P5 school, and have been on that 3-4 line all season long, I think that is the more likely scenario than what Palm is suggesting. I think that if we win the next 3 and lose in the semifinals, we're probably on that 3-4 line. If we lose any of the next three, we probably drop to a 5 seed. I think that a loss in the P12 Semifinals is a strong enough loss for us to hold our spot (unless it is like Washington upsetting the 6, the 3, then us).

[Solon]

Gambling is giving you a bit of a potty mouth. Might be time to get some help ;)

I'm planning an intervention next week when we're at the PAC tournament in Vegas.
I'm sure MRD will avoid gambling and all other sinful behaviors.
:cheers:

[DrumNFeather]

Washington's loss clinches them the 11 seed. Colorado moves to the middle, Cal moves back, Arizona clinches. Things are starting to take shape.

[DrumNFeather]

With just four games remaining in the regular season, the scene shifted a little last night.



Arizona clinched the regular season title, and the number 1 seed
Utah clinches the #2 seed with a win, the #3 Seed with a loss
Oregon is the #3 seed, and will be the #2 seed with a Utah loss
UCLA clinched the #4 seed
ASU can clinch the #5 seed with a win and a Stanford loss to Arizona, if they lose and other things fall a certain way, there could be a four way tie at 8-10
Stanford can clinch the #5 seed with a win, or an ASU loss. If ASU wins, Stanford will be the #6 seed
Oregon St. can finish anywhere between 6-9, depending on who else wins. It seems likely that they will end up in the 7-10 match up
Cal owns tiebreakers over Oregon St. and Colorado, so if they end up in an 8-10 tie, they would have the advantage
Colorado is likely heading for the 8/9 game no matter what...they just don't really own any tiebreakers
Washington St. will be the 10 seed with a loss to Colorado. If they beat Colorado, I think they'd end up with the tiebreaker because of a win over Oregon
Washington is the 11 Seed
USC is the 12 seed


Bold = Clinched Seed




1. Arizona
15-2
27-3


Utah
13-4
23-6


Oregon
13-5
23-8


4. UCLA
11-7
19-12


Stanford
9-8
18-11


Arizona St.
8-9
16-14


Oregon St.
8-10
17-13


California
7-10
17-13


Colorado
7-10
14-15


Washington St.
6-12
12-17


11. Washington
4-13
15-14


12. USC
3-15
11-19



Schedule (in order of when the games are on Saturday)

California @ Arizona St.
Stanford @ Arizona
Utah @ Washington
Colorado vs. Washington St.

DNF Bracket Projection:

#12 USC vs. #5 Arizona St. (vs. #4 UCLA)
#11 Washington vs. #6 Stanford (vs. #3 Oregon)
#10 Washington St. vs. #7 Oregon St. (vs. #2 Utah)
#8 Colorado vs. #9 California (vs. #1 Arizona)

ASU really changed things with its win last night. Not only do I think they burst Stanford's bubble, but they likely put Oregon St. in our bracket. Again, I haven't gone over all the permutations, but this all seems like the most likely scenario to me.

[Mormon Red Death]

I'd almost rather the 3 seed in that scenario if it didnt affect our NCAA seed.

[DrumNFeather]

I'd almost rather the 3 seed in that scenario if it didnt affect our NCAA seed.

Yeah, I wonder how game Oregon St. would actually be if we got them. I have a feeling that, much like WSU last night, that game was so close because it was on the road.

[DrumNFeather]

It has been nice to see Isaiah Wright play meaningful minutes down the stretch this year, we'll need that experience next season. Feels like Kenneth Ogbe has had a lost season. I hope he sticks around.

[sancho]

I'd almost rather the 3 seed in that scenario if it didnt affect our NCAA seed.

Stanford doesn't seem scary because we handled them at home, but I don't think they are any easier than OSU/WSU. We handled WSU at home too.

We'll make the semifinal rematch with Oregon, and we'll have our revenge.

[311ute]

Oregon St is 8-10, not 9-9.

I can't believe ASU might get the 5 seed. What's happened to Stanford? I wonder if Dawkins' seat could be getting warm. They've had quite the dramatic fall off here in the second half of league play.

[sancho]

Not only do I think they burst Stanford's bubble

Yes, Stanford is out. There are now only four conference teams capable of at-large bids.

[Rocker Ute]

Yes, Stanford is out. There are now only four conference teams capable of at-large bids.

Last night they showed Lunardi picking UCLA as one of the last 4 out and Stanford the next 4 out (and BYU as one of the last 4 in) which means we'd only be a 3 bid conference this year. Kind of remarkable.

The question is does UCLA actually get in for being UCLA?

[SoCalPat]

Last night they showed Lunardi picking UCLA as one of the last 4 out and Stanford the next 4 out (and BYU as one of the last 4 in) which means we'd only be a 3 bid conference this year. Kind of remarkable.

The question is does UCLA actually get in for being UCLA?

If they can beat Arizona in the semifinals and roll over for us in the final in Vegas, they're in.

[sancho]

Last night they showed Lunardi picking UCLA as one of the last 4 out and Stanford the next 4 out (and BYU as one of the last 4 in) which means we'd only be a 3 bid conference this year. Kind of remarkable.


Yeah, the Pac-12 has been a 3 bid conference in a lot of projections lately. But I would say UCLA can still make it as an at large. If they beat Zona in Vegas, they will make the tournament.

I have to hope for some conference tournament upsets to knock BYU out.

[DrumNFeather]

Watching ASU/Cal, they said that if Cal wins, they would be the 6. ASU, as we know can climb as high as 5 with a little help from their friends.

[DrumNFeather]

ASU wins, they finish 9-9 and are likely heading for the 5th seed.

Cal goes to 7-11.

[DrumNFeather]

Heading into the final game of the night, here's where we stand:

1. Arizona
2. Oregon (you're welcome)
3. Utah
4. UCLA
5. ASU
6. Stanford
7. Oregon St.
8.
9.
10.
11. Washington
12. USC

Colorado gets the 8 with a win and sends WSU to the 10 and Cal gets the 9, with a loss, we go to the three-way tiebreaker at 7-11.

[sancho]

Win in Vegas: 4 seed

Lose in finals: 5 seed

Anything else: 6 seed

[Mormon Red Death]

That loss sealed a 5 seed in the Midwest (KENTUCKY region)

[Mormon Red Death]

Best utah team in 10 years and we are a 5/6 seed. Bummer

[DrumNFeather]

Best utah team in 10 years and we are a 5/6 seed. Bummer
Lunardi only dropped us to the 4 line, with the Shockers as the 5. That gives me a little hope.

[UBlender]

Lunardi only dropped us to the 4 line, with the Shockers as the 5. That gives me a little hope.

We drop another spot when we lose to Stanford Thursday.

[DrumNFeather]

We drop another spot when we lose to Stanford Thursday.
Get this man some sweet grass! (Or whatever Larry lights on fire)

[DrumNFeather]

Mandel's latest has us as the #6 seed playing Boise St. in Pittsburgh (I'd make that drive) and getting Maryland if we got through them. Delon Wright vs. Melo Tremble would be an interesting point guard match up.

[SoCalPat]

Mandel's latest has us as the #6 seed playing Boise St. in Pittsburgh (I'd make that drive) and getting Maryland if we got through them. Delon Wright vs. Melo Tremble would be an interesting point guard match up.

Same for the matchup vs. Derrick Marks, who was a unanimous choice as MWC POY.

[DrumNFeather]

Same for the matchup vs. Derrick Marks, who was a unanimous choice as MWC POY.

PG play can take you a long way in the big dance. I hope he rises to the challenge.

[DrumNFeather]

Watching Gonzaga makes me wonder why we've never gone with a bigger lineup and thrown both of our big men out there. I'm sure there's a good reason for it, and we couldn't do it for long, but some combo of Jakob and Bach or Olsen could cause match up problems. Someone set me straight.

[sancho]

Watching Gonzaga makes me wonder why we've never gone with a bigger lineup and thrown both of our big men out there. I'm sure there's a good reason for it, and we couldn't do it for long, but some combo of Jakob and Bach or Olsen could cause match up problems. Someone set me straight.

Two things:

1) Gonzaga's bigs can take advantage of lesser big men, and ours can't.

2) Gonzaga's schedule is full of lesser big men, and ours is not.

[DrumNFeather]

Two things:

1) Gonzaga's bigs can take advantage of lesser big men, and ours can't.

2) Gonzaga's schedule is full of lesser big men, and ours is not.

Fair enough.

It'd be interesting to see us run a lineup like that out against an Oregon or shoot, even a Washington, pack in the middle and make them make shots from the outside. Then again, we could just get an athletic big man and that would help too! Come on down Maiwen.

[Old Standing ute]

Watching Gonzaga makes me wonder why we've never gone with a bigger lineup and thrown both of our big men out there. I'm sure there's a good reason for it, and we couldn't do it for long, but some combo of Jakob and Bach or Olsen could cause match up problems. Someone set me straight.

They tried it w/Bach & Jakob. it did not work defensively as neither could guard a quick 4. Plus they get in each other's way on O.
Rebounding was not much better.
It flopped each time & Larry K had o call a quick timeout to end it.

[DrumNFeather]

NY Times article on Larry and the Sweet Grass: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/sports/ncaabasketball/utahs-season-is-so-sweet-even-the-lockers-smell-nice.html?smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

[sancho]

Not sure I saw these posted here. Delon made the Sporting News first team AA and the USBWA second team AA.

http://www.sportingnews.com/list/4638000-sporting-news-all-americans-college-basketball-2014-2015-consensus/slide/306805

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2015-03-16/ncaa-tournament-2015-frank-kaminsky-jahlil-okafor-willie-cauley-stein-usbwa-all-america-team-duke-kentucky

Is one first team AA enough to get his name in the rafters?

[LA Ute]

Utah Men's Basketball Places Four on Pac-12 All-Academic Teams

http://www.utahutes.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/032715aac.html

[LA Ute]

I think we all agree on our gratitude to Larry K and this edtion of the Utes. This bunch of players were great representatives of the U and the program. They played hard, were resilient, never quit -- not even close -- and were classy. They gave us all a great ride -- one we had been missing for too many years.