The Puerto Rico Tipoff thread

[UtahsMrSports]

(someone smarter than me can come up with a better title!)

Coming up on a three games in four nights stretch starting Thursday. Looking forward to see how the team handles it.

This should get us closer to answers about who will redshirt (if anyone). Mawien, Miller, and Ogbe have yet to play this year. We will need as much depth as we can get. Can't wait!

[Diehard Ute]

Listening to Andy Hill after the game I doubt Ogbe redshirts.

Interesting tidbit. Utes are on s charter to PR. They're stopping in Lubbock for fuel and to pick up Texas Tech


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[DrumNFeather]

(someone smarter than me can come up with a better title!)

Coming up on a three games in four nights stretch starting Thursday. Looking forward to see how the team handles it.

This should get us closer to answers about who will redshirt (if anyone). Mawien, Miller, and Ogbe have yet to play this year. We will need as much depth as we can get. Can't wait!

I'm looking forward to this as well. Opportunity to notch a couple of wins over "name" opponents early in the season, and if we win it, all the better.

[UBlender]

I think we'll eventually settle on a 9 man rotation:

PG/SG: Taylor, Wright, Bonam
SF: Loveridge, Tucker
PF: Kuzma, Chapman
C: Poeltl, Reyes

Maybe Bealer breaks in. I'd surprised if Mawien, Ogbe, or Miller get much action.


I think a healthy Ogbe would get good minutes. He's long, has a nice shot and was coming on as a perimeter defender last year prior to his injury. The big question will be whether or not he ever gets healthy. But he dressed last night so maybe he's getting close? Who knows, they've been very vague about it.

Based on how the first two games have gone I think Utah may start to try to omit Reyes from the rotation when they are able. If he's not going to contribute why not just go small with Kuzma and Chapman at the 5 and 4? Sure, that won't work against some teams with good bigs, but then again playing Reyes doesn't really work either.

I've been an Isaiah Wright fan but he needs to step up also or you could see less of him and possibly more of Bealer behind Loveridge with Tucker playing more at the 2 alongside Taylor and Bonam.

It will be interesting to see if Mawien or Miller see anything other than garbage time. This may be the least depth Utah has had since Larry's second year.

[UBlender]

If Bealer gets minutes, we have a 10 man rotation. That's more than we used last year, right? We'll at least use 9. The problem is that our depth is not at center.

Well, I was more thinking of our 10-12 depth that we've had the last couple of years. Last year Olsen and Kuzma were our 11th and 12th men, the year before it was Olsen (well, it kind of rotated between our bigs that year) and Ahmad Fields (who was sneaky tough and made some really nice contributions in some meaningful games). Basically, for the last two years I felt like every scholarship player could come in and give us some sort of contribution if needed and nobody redshirted. This year I'm not sure we have that with Mawien and Miller, but maybe they'll come around and help out in spot minutes here and there. Or maybe they'll redshirt.

[Old Standing ute]

If Bealer gets minutes, we have a 10 man rotation. That's more than we used last year, right? We'll at least use 9. The problem is that our depth is not at center.

Hard to sit Loveridge the way he is playing--same for Bonam & Taylor if he is hitting his shot. Poeltl will not sit much & Kuzma & Brekkot share the 4. So there will not be much bench scoring all year.
If Tucker gets minutes, which would be expected for a senior--except he has been terrible so far---then hard for anyone else to break in.

Bealer & Ogbe, if he is healthy, are potentially really helpful, but who sits??

[U-Ute]

On Bealer:

On the radio pregame, they had Taylor on. That kid is a fun interview. Bill asked him who would win in a 3-point shooting contest. Taylor picked himself without hesitation of course. :rofl:

But after, they were discussing the shooting of others, and Taylor went right to Bealer, saying he has a "nice stroke".

Something we could possibly look forward to?

[Scratch]

On Bealer:

On the radio pregame, they had Taylor on. That kid is a fun interview. Bill asked him who would win in a 3-point shooting contest. Taylor picked himself without hesitation of course. :rofl:

But after, they were discussing the shooting of others, and Taylor went right to Bealer, saying he has a "nice stroke".

Something we could possibly look forward to?

One question on Bealer, I thought he was going to be a RS sophomore this year. He played JuCo as a freshman for San Francisco in 2013-2014, and then got dinged up at the start of last season and decided to just join the Utes but sit out in 2014-2015, which should make him a RS sophomore. However, everything I've seen, including the Utes' on-line roster and bio, lists him as a junior. Anyone know for sure what's going on here?

[SoCalPat]

I really want to see Miami in the semifinals. They're a good ACC team that will have some very quality wins by year's end. It's better for our resume in March if we play Miami as opposed to Mississippi State. It's a shame Temple and Minnesota have to play in the first round. I think a Utah-Minnesota final would be really good for us.

[SoCalPat]

Hard to sit Loveridge the way he is playing--same for Bonam & Taylor if he is hitting his shot. Poeltl will not sit much & Kuzma & Brekkot share the 4. So there will not be much bench scoring all year.
If Tucker gets minutes, which would be expected for a senior--except he has been terrible so far---then hard for anyone else to break in.

Bealer & Ogbe, if he is healthy, are potentially really helpful, but who sits??

Tucker will be fine. His game improved immensely last year, and his shot-making feeds everything else, and those shots will fall. He's going to be a big part of our success this year.

[SoCalPat]

I really like what we're doing with Loveridge. I've always said his game is more Glen Rice than Byron Houston. He should be taking the majority of his shots from 3, and we shouldn't try making him a post-up 4. 19 of his 22 shots have been from 3, but he's good enough off the dribble that he can get to the line as well, where he has 11 FTAs.

Nearly a third of his shots last year came from 3. I expect that number to be more than half this year. His current pace of 53 percent is unsustainable, but I expect him to blow past last year's career-best 44 percent. He'll get a lot of open looks because we have a massive inside threat in Poeltl and several other guys who can shoot the 3. The makeup of this team is eerily similar to our 2009 NCAA tournament team, which featured a stud center and four guys who could fill it up from 3.

[FountainOfUte]

Tucker will be fine. His game improved immensely last year, and his shot-making feeds everything else, and those shots will fall. He's going to be a big part of our success this year.

Agreed. I'm no more worried about Tucker than I was Taylor who seemed to finally find his shot against SDSU. My only worry is the backup center situation. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, LK does with Mawien. While Kuzma at the five wasn't anything to write home about, I saw that there was potential there with some practice and instruction from Larry. It might work, and be our best option over Reyes or Mawien.

If there's ANY way we can RS Mawien, I think we should for his sake, but I just don't see it. There will be a game or two where we'll be desperate and need to throw him in.

[UtahsMrSports]

I really like what we're doing with Loveridge. I've always said his game is more Glen Rice than Byron Houston. He should be taking the majority of his shots from 3, and we shouldn't try making him a post-up 4. 19 of his 22 shots have been from 3, but he's good enough off the dribble that he can get to the line as well, where he has 11 FTAs.

Nearly a third of his shots last year came from 3. I expect that number to be more than half this year. His current pace of 53 percent is unsustainable, but I expect him to blow past last year's career-best 44 percent. He'll get a lot of open looks because we have a massive inside threat in Poeltl and several other guys who can shoot the 3. The makeup of this team is eerily similar to our 2009 NCAA tournament team, which featured a stud center and four guys who could fill it up from 3.

I was thinking the same thing. Which supporting cast would you take? I think I'd take this one.

[FountainOfUte]

I was thinking the same thing. Which supporting cast would you take? I think I'd take this one.

I'm still too bruised and scarred by the way the 2009 game against UofA went to look at that team objectively and give them the credit that I should. Even still, I think I take this 2015 team, and it's not that close.

[chrisrenrut]

I really want to see Miami in the semifinals. They're a good ACC team that will have some very quality wins by year's end. It's better for our resume in March if we play Miami as opposed to Mississippi State. It's a shame Temple and Minnesota have to play in the first round. I think a Utah-Minnesota final would be really good for us.

You don't think Butler makes it through to the championship?

[SoCalPat]

You don't think Butler makes it through to the championship?

Butler could be a factor as well, and I forgot that they're in the Big East, so they'll rack up some nice wins as well.

[SoCalPat]

I was thinking the same thing. Which supporting cast would you take? I think I'd take this one.

This team has more size shooting its 3s, that's for sure. I liked what Tyler Kepkay and Larry Bohra did for us that year, but I don't think they're 30 MPG guys on this team by a long shot (they were actually 2-3 in MPG in 2009). At the same time, French Jesus is miles ahead of anything we have as far as glass-eating 4 is concerned.

[Scratch]

This team has more size shooting its 3s, that's for sure. I liked what Tyler Kepkay and Larry Bohra did for us that year, but I don't think they're 30 MPG guys on this team by a long shot (they were actually 2-3 in MPG in 2009). At the same time, French Jesus is miles ahead of anything we have as far as glass-eating 4 is concerned.

Tillie was basically a role player on that team. He started, but averaged like 15 mpg, scoring 3 ppg and getting 4.5 rpg. I think we're stronger at every position on this team than we were on that team, although it's interesting because that team's three best players (Nevill-Borha-Green) play the same positions as Poeltl, Kuz, and Taylor.

[UtahsMrSports]

I'm still too bruised and scarred by the way the 2009 game against UofA went to look at that team objectively and give them the credit that I should. Even still, I think I take this 2015 team, and it's not that close.

That team also had some truly embarrassing losses. I just cant picture this team losing to Idaho State or Southwest Baptist.

[UtahsMrSports]

Tillie was basically a role player on that team. He started, but averaged like 15 mpg, scoring 3 ppg and getting 4.5 rpg. I think we're stronger at every position on this team than we were on that team, although it's interesting because that team's three best players (Nevill-Borha-Green) play the same positions as Poeltl, Kuz, and Taylor.

Looking back on the stats, we basically had a 7 man rotation. Pat is right; I didn't remember Tillie being good at rebounding, but 4.4 in 15.5 minutes is a really really good clip, Id say almost elite.

[311ute]

With all due respect to the 2009 team, they couldn't hold a candle next to this year's (strictly from a talent perspective).

That team was a solid team, and don't get me wrong I enjoyed that year, but they were no where near deserving of a 5 seed.

Poeltl >>>Nevill, and the supporting cast isn’t even a comparison. Taylor, Bonam, Loveridge, Kuzma and Chapman are all better than the next best player on that 08-09 team. Green, LB and Kepkay could all shoot the ball, but the overall lack of athleticism on that team was exposed vs. Zona in the Tourney.

[U-Ute]

I was thinking the same thing. Which supporting cast would you take? I think I'd take this one.

Not even close. I don't think I'd take a single player on that team over anyone on this team. Well, maybe Carlon Brown being coached by K instead of Boylen.

[FountainOfUte]

...but the overall lack of athleticism on that team was exposed vs. Zona in the Tourney.

And how.

That '09 team was an oasis in a desert of an awful stretch of Utes hoops. It was fun to taste some success for the first time since Bogut, but that season ended with such a dramatic fizzle -- which was only made worse by the fact that we knew that particular group had peaked and a rebuild was coming. A first-round bounce was not what we are used to from a seasoned group of seniors. That's more of a Utah State thing.

[Scratch]

That team was a solid team, and don't get me wrong I enjoyed that year, but they were no where near deserving of a 5 seed.


To that team's credit, they somehow had an RPI of like 9 or something going into the tournament. Zona was a horrible matchup, but I think that team could have handled most 12-seeds.

[concerned]

That team also had some truly embarrassing losses. I just cant picture this team losing to Idaho State or Southwest Baptist.

If LK (or RM) had coached that team, it would not have had those embarrassing losses.

[311ute]

To that team's credit, they somehow had an RPI of like 9 or something going into the tournament. Zona was a horrible matchup, but I think that team could have handled most 12-seeds.

Yes, they had a top-15 RPI if I'm not mistaken... which only shows how ridiculous the RPI is. With all the advanced metrics/rating systems we have now, it's a joke the committee still considers RPI as a factor for getting into the dance. Thing is a dinosaur and needs to be done away with.

[LA Ute]

If LK (or RM) had coached that team, it would not have had those embarrassing losses.

Boylen was generally embarrassing.

[311ute]

Yes, they had a top-15 RPI if I'm not mistaken... which only shows how ridiculous the RPI is. With all the advanced metrics/rating systems we have now, it's a joke the committee still considers RPI as a factor for getting into the dance. Thing is a dinosaur and needs to be done away with.

Looking back at that year's schedule, I don't know how we got a 5 seed, other than our high RPI. We only had 3 wins over Tournament teams (all at home): Gonzaga (4 seed), LSU (8), BYU (8). We had two terrible losses (D2 SW Baptist, Idaho St who only won 13 games in the Big Sky). Other losses included: OU (2 seed), Cal (7 seed), BYU (8), Utah St (11 seed), and NIT teams SDSU, UNLV, and New Mexico.

[UtahsMrSports]

And how.

That '09 team was an oasis in a desert of an awful stretch of Utes hoops. It was fun to taste some success for the first time since Bogut, but that season ended with such a dramatic fizzle -- which was only made worse by the fact that we knew that particular group had peaked and a rebuild was coming. A first-round bounce was not what we are used to from a seasoned group of seniors. That's more of a Utah State thing.

I remember that after that year, Arizona had at least expressed interest in Boylen to replace Lute Olson............lol............if only they had pursued that..........

I also remember watching the first game of the 2009-2010 season against Idaho and we could not stop them to save our lives. I didn't stop following the team after that, but I stopped going. Didn't go to another game until Larry was hired. Boylen's final two years were a dumpster fire combined with a train wreck.

[concerned]

I remember that after that year, Arizona had at least expressed interest in Boylen to replace Lute Olson............lol............if only they had pursued that..........

I also remember watching the first game of the 2009-2010 season against Idaho and we could not stop them to save our lives. I didn't stop following the team after that, but I stopped going. Didn't go to another game until Larry was hired. Boylen's final two years were a dumpster fire combined with a train wreck.

IIRC, Boylen was their second choice after Miller. Miller initially turned down the job, and UA turned to Boylen. Boylen was ready to accept. Miller changed his mind overnight and accepted and the rest is history.

[LA Ute]

IIRC, Boylen was their second choice after Miller. Miller initially turned down the job, and UA turned to Boylen. Boylen was ready to accept. Miller changed his mind overnight and accepted and the rest is history.

Fascinating. If I ever knew that, I forgot it. Were there Utah fans at the time who were excited because we got a coach that UA had wanted?

[311ute]

Opening lines for the games tomorrow:

Utah -10.5 vs Texas Tech
Miami -9 vs Mississippi St
Butler -16.5 vs Missouri St
Minnesota -2 vs Temple

[concerned]

Fascinating. If I ever knew that, I forgot it. Were there Utah fans at the time who were excited because we got a coach that UA had wanted?

Yes. I remember this because I was relieved at the time that Boylen didn't jump. I thought he was a goner. You knew it at the time, and have forgotten. It was well publicized.

[UBlender]

IIRC, Boylen was their second choice after Miller. Miller initially turned down the job, and UA turned to Boylen. Boylen was ready to accept. Miller changed his mind overnight and accepted and the rest is history.

I remember the same thing being reported. Whether it's reality or not, I have no idea, but it was certainly out there at the time.

[concerned]

I remember the same thing being reported. Whether it's reality or not, I have no idea, but it was certainly out there at the time.

i remember distinctly that Boylen refused to tamp down the speculation that he was interested in the Arizona job, and by his non-denials basically admitted it. He was salivating.

[UBlender]

With all due respect to the 2009 team, they couldn't hold a candle next to this year's (strictly from a talent perspective).

That team was a solid team, and don't get me wrong I enjoyed that year, but they were no where near deserving of a 5 seed.

Poeltl >>>Nevill, and the supporting cast isn’t even a comparison. Taylor, Bonam, Loveridge, Kuzma and Chapman are all better than the next best player on that 08-09 team. Green, LB and Kepkay could all shoot the ball, but the overall lack of athleticism on that team was exposed vs. Zona in the Tourney.

I have a soft spot in my heart for that team. It was a fun year just from the perspective that the program had gone through so much and that particular core group of players had accumulated a lot of losses and heartache over their careers to see them pull together and win the MWC was really fun. There were low expectations, they won a bunch of close, hard-fought games. And pulling out the MWC tourney with some dramatic wins was also fun. I view that team as kind of the ultimate rag-tag gang of losers turned winners (as is cliche in just about every sports movie).

Having said all that, this year's team is MUCH more talented. I'm not sure there's a single position that I would take the 2009 player over this year's equivalent, and you can say that adjusting for the conference change too, I think.

[UBlender]

i remember distinctly that Boylen refused to tamp down the speculation that he was interested in the Arizona job, and by his non-denials basically admitted it. He was salivating.

How the course of human events may have changed had Miller not changed his mind! Was Larry still coaching the Bucks or had he been fired by then? Would there have been anyone else on the radar? Would a Boylen assistant have gotten promoted? It doesn't seem like we had anyone lined up for that sort of thing.

To think of Utah hiring Larry and Arizona hiring Boylen in 2009. We'd have won multiple PAC 12 championships by now as Arizona would be struggling to pull out of the Boylen mess and Larry would have started from a much better point in building Utah.

[Rocker Ute]

Oh please. He's not an idiot. He'd have done fine down there.


As it turns out, he was kind of an idiot.

[Rocker Ute]

I know many around here hate him, but I don't. I like and respect him.

I used to think that way too... in fact I was one of his most ardent defenders and thought he should get another year... but I've come to change that view as I've learned more and more about him. Truth is, he was a nice guy, just not HC material.

[Scratch]

I think Boylen would have done OK down there. I think he was a decent Xs and Os coach, but he was a horrible recruiter. I'm not sure how good of a recruiter you need to be at Arizona; he could have just signed good players and then done what he's best at.

[SeattleUte]

I know many around here hate him, but I don't. I like and respect him.

I don't respect him. In addition to being a bad coach, the heavy handed way he tried to manipulate the PR including in the Internet was sickening. It's like he thought it was all about that. The mass transfers after his last two seasons says a lot about his character. Beyond this, he was a horrible match. Of course he never got the special situation of being a Utah coach.

[SeattleUte]

I think Boylen would have done OK down there. I think he was a decent Xs and Os coach, but he was a horrible recruiter. I'm not sure how good of a recruiter you need to be at Arizona; he could have just signed good players and then done what he's best at.

I disagree. Arizona is not Kentucky, UCLA, or North Carolina. I credit Lute Olson and Sean Miller for improbably making Arizona a recruiting juggernaut. After Olson, Arizona faced the a crossroads and anxiety similar to what we did after Majerus, except that before Olson Arizona had NO tradition at all. Who was crazy enough to follow a legend like Olson? But they got really lucky and followed a spectacular hire with another spectacular hire. It could have been much different. Boylen would have wrecked their program like he did ours, he's so inept.

[SeattleUte]

As it turns out, he was kind of an idiot.

He was a complete idiot. I don't like him. He also tried to burn the whole program down when he left.

[LA Ute]

I know many around here hate him, but I don't. I like and respect him.

In person he was one of the most likeable and decent guys I've ever met. As for his coaching, all I can say is that when I watched his teams play I felt like I was watching church ball.

[DrumNFeather]

He was a complete idiot. I don't like him. He also tried to burn the whole program down when he left.

It's a good lesson in knowing how much of a disparity there is between an elite coach and his top assistant. I can't wait to see what NBA team hires him and fires him the very next year.

[SeattleUte]

The other thing, is it's naïve to think that recruiting well means you're guaranteed to be a passable winner. There are many programs that year in and year out recruit at levels that in any one year would cause Ute fans to go into paroxysms of orgasmic ecstasy, and just never do anything remarkable in their conferences or on the court. Arizona fans have higher expectations than that. Two examples close to me personally are Georgetown and Washington. Sometime take a look at how much better on paper recruiting classes are at programs all across the majors than ours. Even assuming arguendo that a clodhopper like Boylen could have recruited like the dapper Sean Miller and Lute Olson (which I submit is nonsense) he'd still have wrecked their program. Seriously, how anyone can have experienced the terror of 2011-12 (I remember worrying we'd surpass BYU's 1-26 for epic foundering) and feel anything other than rage and loathing for Boylen is incomprehensible to me. He's the worst thing that ever happened to University of Utah athletics, probably a penance for our good fortune in Majerus and the crude way we dispensed with him. But the gods took pity on us--because like Achilles Utah basketball is elect, just because it is--and delivered Krystkowiak to us.

[Redbird]

I have a soft spot in my heart for that team. It was a fun year just from the perspective that the program had gone through so much and that particular core group of players had accumulated a lot of losses and heartache over their careers to see them pull together and win the MWC was really fun. There were low expectations, they won a bunch of close, hard-fought games. And pulling out the MWC tourney with some dramatic wins was also fun. I view that team as kind of the ultimate rag-tag gang of losers turned winners (as is cliche in just about every sports movie).

Having said all that, this year's team is MUCH more talented. I'm not sure there's a single position that I would take the 2009 player over this year's equivalent, and you can say that adjusting for the conference change too, I think.

I also have a soft spot for that team. I was able to attend 11 games in the regular season and that's the only year I've made the time to attend the conference tournament. They were fun to watch, the most fun team to watch probably between Bogut's last year and Krystko's 2nd year.

[NorthwestUteFan]

I love Utah basketball, I love the success of this team as well as the program trajectory, and I LOVE that all these f@&king EPIC posts!

Keep it up, I will just sit here in awe.

In other news I will attend the game next Fri. First Utah hoops game since 2002 for me. My family has held season tickets since 1975 and I had a lot of good times in the SEC/JMHC.

[LA Ute]

I'll be at Friday's game too. I think!


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[UtahsMrSports]

I could read Seattle Utes takes on Jimmer Boylen all day....especially because with each one i picture old comrade crimson melting down more and more with each line....."Boylen got a raw deal! You dont even know! We were going to win the Pac-12 in 2012!!! Youre lucky he even coaches for you!!"

[SeattleUte]

I could read Seattle Utes takes on Jimmer Boylen all day....especially because with each one i picture old comrade crimson melting down more and more with each line....."Boylen got a raw deal! You dont even know! We were going to win the Pac-12 in 2012!!! Youre lucky he even coaches for you!!"

The tolerance even defense to this day of Boylen's disgraceful stewardship of Utah basketball remains bewildering to me. It's like a form of self-loathing. And he took us all for fools, with all his blather and his amateur flaks. There was even an article a few weeks before his firing that said now was not the time to hire him because, it vaguely hinted, there was some tragic disease in his family (I write this with extreme trepidation, even knocking on wood; if there is any truth to that story god have mercy on me, but I confess I was skeptical at the time and remain so). The only Monson article I've ever stood to read, and I read it with pleasure, was the last one about Boylen before Hill fired him, where Monson wrote about Boylen yammering and spraying scrambled eggs everywhere. I suppose it was people like Crimson and Vegas Ute who ultimately pushed me over the edge about that bozo. Crimson is understandable, because he's deep inside a self-loathing Wyoming fan, and has an understandable sentimentality for losers.

[Rocker Ute]

Any sentimentality I had for Boylen went out the door when he stopped claiming the Utes on his bio. If not for the institution the paid him millions while looking the other way while he screamed in a mic, but for the kids who played for him during that time.

I won't claim that guy as a Ute either.


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[#1 Utefan]

Oh please. He's not an idiot. He'd have done fine down there.

He was not a good college basketball HC period. He may have gotten better athletes at AZ but it wouldn't have changed the fact he couldn't coach them up, get them to play as a team, or win at the level AZ fans would expect.

We will never know but I dobt think it is much of a stretch to postulate there is no way in hell Boylen would still be coaching at AZ had they hired him. Oh, what could have been had AZ hired him away and spared us the disastrous remainder of his tenure.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Crimmy's love for Boylen was influenced by his new role as a doctor's wife. Either that, or he was confused after his time at Gonzaga into thinking that Utah had reached its hoops pinnacle under Boylen.

I remember being young and naive and being upset that McBride was being fired to bring in a nobody from an unknown school in Kentucky.

[NorthwestUteFan]

And there is no way Boylen lasted longer than 2 yrs at Arizona. This is despite his innate ability to coach an inbounds play.

[UtahsMrSports]

On Boylen's final team, there was one player who averaged more than 1.25 assists..........one!!!!!!!! I dont have a database to compare that to, but that has to be historically bad. The guy didn't know what he was doing. Ill be interested to see how he does when he inevitably gets a head coaching gig in the NBA.........as long as its not the Jazz.

Oh and as a pro tip........Dont go to utahutes.com if you want the tip off times for the games.......They list tonight's as tipping off at "8:00 PM AT"..........I don't know what "AT" is, but according to ESPN, it tips at 5:30 Mountain.

[U-Ute]

And there is no way Boylen lasted longer than 2 yrs at Arizona. This is despite his innate ability to coach an inbounds play.

I agree. He knows his basketball, but he couldn't control the players. Plus he recruited a really bad influence. Bad decision making all around. There's no way he would've lasted at Arizona making those kinds of decisions.

[Diehard Ute]

I agree. He knows his basketball, but he couldn't control the players. Plus he recruited a really bad influence. Bad decision making all around. There's no way he would've lasted at Arizona making those kinds of decisions.

He knows portions of basketball, but he's not a leader or CEO.

I think too often guys who make good assistants can't transition to the head guy because it's not the same job.

While it's less CEO like than football it's still about more than coaching a few plays.

You look at guys like Majerus, Krystkowiak, Jerry Sloan. They surrounded themselves with good coaches and then led them. Boylen couldn't do either.


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[SoCalPat]

The tolerance even defense to this day of Boylen's disgraceful stewardship of Utah basketball remains bewildering to me. It's like a form of self-loathing. And he took us all for fools, with all his blather and his amateur flaks. There was even an article a few weeks before his firing that said now was not the time to hire him because, it vaguely hinted, there was some tragic disease in his family (I write this with extreme trepidation, even knocking on wood; if there is any truth to that story god have mercy on me, but I confess I was skeptical at the time and remain so). The only Monson article I've ever stood to read, and I read it with pleasure, was the last one about Boylen before Hill fired him, where Monson wrote about Boylen yammering and spraying scrambled eggs everywhere. I suppose it was people like Crimson and Vegas Ute who ultimately pushed me over the edge about that bozo. Crimson is understandable, because he's deep inside a self-loathing Wyoming fan, and has an understandable sentimentality for losers.

His wife had a miscarriage while Utah was going 0-for-3 in some Hawaii tournament in which it lost to UC-San Diego (which was like 320 in RPI at the time). He missed the first game back, at Air Force, to be with her. You can take that to the bank.

People need to stop piling on Jimmy. There's no doubt he needed to be fired, but there's a lot of bullshit being spewed over Memory Lane in this thread. That Greg Popovich has him as his top assistant is all I need to know about his basketball knowledge. He's probably our hoops equivalent of Jim Fassel, who got tired of dealing with alumni and ADs that wouldn't honor their word. He's better off staying away from the college game altogether and keeping his talents in the NBA.

[SeattleUte]

His wife had a miscarriage while Utah was going 0-for-3 in some Hawaii tournament in which it lost to UC-San Diego (which was like 320 in RPI at the time). He missed the first game back, at Air Force, to be with her. You can take that to the bank.


Okay. I'm very sorry that happened to them. It is very sad. The article I'm referring to is this one and it's apparently what you're referring to. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700100293/Now-isnt-the-right-time-to-talk-about-firing-Jim-Boylen.html?pg=all I'm not sure this article did anyone any good, though I don't know if it was just Rock's doing or whoever.

[concerned]

His wife had a miscarriage while Utah was going 0-for-3 in some Hawaii tournament in which it lost to UC-San Diego (which was like 320 in RPI at the time). He missed the first game back, at Air Force, to be with her. You can take that to the bank.

People need to stop piling on Jimmy. There's no doubt he needed to be fired, but there's a lot of bullshit being spewed over Memory Lane in this thread. That Greg Popovich has him as his top assistant is all I need to know about his basketball knowledge. He's probably our hoops equivalent of Jim Fassel, who got tired of dealing with alumni and ADs that wouldn't honor their word. He's better off staying away from the college game altogether and keeping his talents in the NBA.


He is probably one of those guys who is an excellent assistant but a horrible head coach. The Peter principle applies here, most likely.

Edit: Whoops, just read Diehard's post below saying the same thing. As SU would say, great minds . . . .

[DrumNFeather]

Temple wins 75-70.

[LA Ute]

Crimmy's love for Boylen was influenced by his new role as a doctor's wife. Either that, or he was confused after his time at Gonzaga into thinking that Utah had reached its hoops pinnacle under Boylen.

I remember being young and naive and being upset that McBride was being fired to bring in a nobody from an unknown school in Kentucky.

Hey, I remember being disappointed that Lynn Archibald was let go for some really fat guy from Ball State.

[DrumNFeather]

Butler wins 93-49

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Here we go!


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[justaute]

I've not been impressed with Wright's playing at all. Doesn't pass very well (bad angles) and can't seem to create much.

Taylor's cold-shooting streak is still on-going and still makes WTF, lazy passes once in a while.

[DrumNFeather]

Bonham with a nice first half.

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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Wow. We don't look very good.


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[justaute]

I'll take the W. Bonam was big. Miami should be tough given its length and athleticism.

[DrumNFeather]

I thought we defended well. Tech didn't get very many easy buckets. Kuzma had an off night, so I expect him to improve.

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[UtahsMrSports]

All of the new rule changes that made the sdsu game so fun to watch are negated by the game being called tighter, without expanding the personal foul limit.

Anyway, good win. Still not getting much from the bench. We will need them tomorrow.

[#1 Utefan]

His wife had a miscarriage while Utah was going 0-for-3 in some Hawaii tournament in which it lost to UC-San Diego (which was like 320 in RPI at the time). He missed the first game back, at Air Force, to be with her. You can take that to the bank.

People need to stop piling on Jimmy. There's no doubt he needed to be fired, but there's a lot of bullshit being spewed over Memory Lane in this thread. That Greg Popovich has him as his top assistant is all I need to know about his basketball knowledge. He's probably our hoops equivalent of Jim Fassel, who got tired of dealing with alumni and ADs that wouldn't honor their word. He's better off staying away from the college game altogether and keeping his talents in the NBA.

I realize he was a decent guy but let's be honest, his "talents" are as an assistant coach. He isn't coaching material at the collegiate or pro level.

[Ma'ake]

Kuzma and Chapman nearly going 0-fer, combined, will probably never happen again. That was weird, plus the ticky-tack calls on both of them. Early in the season.

Tucker will show up, eventually, and I think Isaiah will find a role. Like tomorrow.

Bonam is more talented than I realized, even after playing well vs SDSU. With the scouts there to watch Jakob, Lorenzo is making a nice audition, himself. Great to see Bealer get some time, too, because with these 3 day tournaments, chances are the 1s will lose their legs and we'll need the bench to carry more of the load.

[Ma'ake]

People need to stop piling on Jimmy...

If a head coach needs to be successful in 20 things, Boylen did a good job in about 17 of them.

He may not want to try the head coach hat on, again, but if he did, it wouldn't surprise me if he was successful. He did a lot of things well, and the weak spots in his skill set are fixable... IMO.

I'm not worried about him getting a PAC-12 job and making Ute fans look like idiots, but he's a better coach than the consensus in our fanbase.

[Rocker Ute]

If a head coach needs to be successful in 20 things, Boylen did a good job in about 17 of them.

He may not want to try the head coach hat on, again, but if he did, it wouldn't surprise me if he was successful. He did a lot of things well, and the weak spots in his skill set are fixable... IMO.

I'm not worried about him getting a PAC-12 job and making Ute fans look like idiots, but he's a better coach than the consensus in our fanbase.

I guess I'm piling on Jimmy but I might reverse those numbers a bit... Boylen's coaching skills might better suit the pro game, or in a situation with a strong HC.

But let me just remind everyone of the night and day difference between Jimmy and Kodiak the first year Kodiak arrived, and that was with the team of misfit toys. Or if it really is 17 of 20, the three skills he was missing as a head coach were (in no particular order) 1. Winning, 2. Recruiting, 3. Player Development.

When it came to courtside antics, microphone screaming, and Gordon Monson put-downs he was definitely stellar. The last was perhaps his very best skill and why I wouldn't turn him down to go to lunch.

[Old Standing ute]

Nice win. Never felt like TT could win, which is different from last year--this team so far does not do stupid things down the stretch.
Jakob is a load. Passes really well, even out of double team.
Bonam continues to get better---like the Utes pushing the ball for early baskets. He attacks the basket.

Bealer on D gives up an drive & sits. He needs to play if Tucker stays in his funk.
Isaiah needs to pick & roll with Jakob.

Ogbe needs to get game ready, we need a bench spark.

Strange foul calls. Kuzma uses his body under the boards & gets a foul that did not effect the rebound.

Jakob FTs are major plus.

Interesting game with Miami tomorrow.

And the crowd was maybe 100 people??

[mpfunk]

If a head coach needs to be successful in 20 things, Boylen did a good job in about 17 of them.

He may not want to try the head coach hat on, again, but if he did, it wouldn't surprise me if he was successful. He did a lot of things well, and the weak spots in his skill set are fixable... IMO.

I'm not worried about him getting a PAC-12 job and making Ute fans look like idiots, but he's a better coach than the consensus in our fanbase.

At best of the 20 things, he did 1 right. That is being generous.

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[Ma'ake]

I guess I'm piling on Jimmy but I might reverse those numbers a bit... Boylen's coaching skills might better suit the pro game, or in a situation with a strong HC.

But let me just remind everyone of the night and day difference between Jimmy and Kodiak the first year Kodiak arrived, and that was with the team of misfit toys. Or if it really is 17 of 20, the three skills he was missing as a head coach were (in no particular order) 1. Winning, 2. Recruiting, 3. Player Development.

When it came to courtside antics, microphone screaming, and Gordon Monson put-downs he was definitely stellar. The last was perhaps his very best skill and why I wouldn't turn him down to go to lunch.

I think JB struggled with some of the head coaching tasks, like enforcing discipline, and things snowballed, which they can. Enthusiasm, identifying talent, staying positive, having a semblance of basketball knowledge, etc, were strengths. He could have been far worse in many areas, but the areas where he had shortcomings were an Achilles heel, and the building collapsed.

LK instinctively knows how to be a coach, all the way from yelling at Shaq as his teammate in Orlando, to running an NBA ship. I don't know if there's a weakness in LK's skill set. He could be a little more articulate, but he's a basketball coach, everyone understands what he's saying, and the guy has "credibility" oozing out of every pore.

To those of us who remember LK playing in the Big Sky vs Weber and the rest of those teams, he was a ferocious player, a leader, not to be denied. Three time conference player of the year. If they somehow decided to make him a player-coach as a Sophomore, he probably would have out-coached half the coaches in that conference.

LK is to coaching what Delon is to P5 level hoops. Both are naturals.

[justaute]

Interesting game with Miami tomorrow.

And the crowd was maybe 100 people??

It will definitely be very interesting against Miami. Candidly, I'm not sure we have enough "horses" to win; thus, to win, we need to play better, more sound basketball. Otherwise, I think we will get overwhelmed by Miami's athleticism.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

What time is tip off?


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[DrumNFeather]

What time is tip off?


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7 Eastern.

[UtahsMrSports]

Reading through the box score, a couple of thoughts........

-We got 15 rebounds on each end of the floor. Texas tech got 13 offensive and 12 defensive boards. Not sure that I can recall a game where every single rebound, at both ends, was a 50/50 ball............

-Box Score says Brandon Miller played three minutes and did not record a stat. Is that true? I was putting kids to bed and probably only saw 60% of the game. Since Miller is a likely cut/transfer after this year, it would be a fairly rude move to throw a redshirt on him this year, unless they plan on keeping him for hte long haul.

-Last year, Brekkott pulled down a rebound and committed a foul at about the same clip (1 per ~6.6 minutes). This year, he has improved both. 1 rebound every five minutes and 1 foul every ten minutes. Small sample size, competition, I get all of that, but its trending in the right direction. When his shot starts falling (currently at 17% overall, 20% from deep), its going to be hard to keep him off the floor.

[U-Ute]

I am starting to believe that trading Wright for Bonham this year may end up being a net gain for us. Not that Wright wasn't good - the guy was fantastic - but I think Bonham is a better fit for this team. What we lose defensively and in rebounding can be picked up with Poeltl, Kuzma, and Loveridge. What we gain offensively is a guy who is a better ball handler, especially in traffic, and someone who is as creative around the rim as Wright. The one place where we may wish we had Wright back is if a team has a 6'6" stat stuffer a-la Haws at BYU.

But more importantly is that the ball doesn't seem to stall as much anymore. With Wright, when he got the ball, everyone would stop and wait to see what he would do. Bonham is aggressive on the offensive end and keeps the ball moving. He is an amazing fit with guys like Taylor, Tucker, Loveridge, and Poeltl.

I think this team could end up being better than last year's team. Kind of like how the 97-98 squad was a bit better after losing Van Horn. The rest of the guys knew they had to step up, and they did.

On Reyes: I Like what I've seen the last two games. I haven't seen as much of a drop off when he came in as I thought we would. I think I see a way he can contribute. He's a "try hard" guy who is willing to get physical under the rim. A 6'7" guy can box out a 6'10" guy if he's willing to mix it up. He will have problems with the smaller, quicker front line guys, which is what we saw in our first two games.

[UtahsMrSports]

I am starting to believe that trading Wright for Bonham this year may end up being a net gain for us. Not that Wright wasn't good - the guy was fantastic - but I think Bonham is a better fit for this team. What we lose defensively and in rebounding can be picked up with Poeltl, Kuzma, and Loveridge. What we gain offensively is a guy who is a better ball handler, especially in traffic, and someone who is as creative around the rim as Wright. The one place where we may wish we had Wright back is if a team has a 6'6" stat stuffer a-la Haws at BYU.

But more importantly is that the ball doesn't seem to stall as much anymore. With Wright, when he got the ball, everyone would stop and wait to see what he would do. Bonham is aggressive on the offensive end and keeps the ball moving. He is an amazing fit with guys like Taylor, Tucker, Loveridge, and Poeltl.

I think this team could end up being better than last year's team. Kind of like how the 97-98 squad was a bit better after losing Van Horn. The rest of the guys knew they had to step up, and they did.

On Reyes: I Like what I've seen the last two games. I haven't seen as much of a drop off when he came in as I thought we would. I think I see a way he can contribute. He's a "try hard" guy who is willing to get physical under the rim. A 6'7" guy can box out a 6'10" guy if he's willing to mix it up. He will have problems with the smaller, quicker front line guys, which is what we saw in our first two games.

People might kill me for this...........but Bonam and Taylor remind me a LOT of Deron Williams and Dee Brown from Illinois circa 2004-2005.

[chrisrenrut]

I am starting to believe that trading Wright for Bonham this year may end up being a net gain for us. Not that Wright wasn't good - the guy was fantastic - but I think Bonham is a better fit for this team. What we lose defensively and in rebounding can be picked up with Poeltl, Kuzma, and Loveridge. What we gain offensively is a guy who is a better ball handler, especially in traffic, and someone who is as creative around the rim as Wright. The one place where we may wish we had Wright back is if a team has a 6'6" stat stuffer a-la Haws at BYU.

But more importantly is that the ball doesn't seem to stall as much anymore. With Wright, when he got the ball, everyone would stop and wait to see what he would do. Bonham is aggressive on the offensive end and keeps the ball moving. He is an amazing fit with guys like Taylor, Tucker, Loveridge, and Poeltl.

I think this team could end up being better than last year's team. Kind of like how the 97-98 squad was a bit better after losing Van Horn. The rest of the guys knew they had to step up, and they did.

On Reyes: I Like what I've seen the last two games. I haven't seen as much of a drop off when he came in as I thought we would. I think I see a way he can contribute. He's a "try hard" guy who is willing to get physical under the rim. A 6'7" guy can box out a 6'10" guy if he's willing to mix it up. He will have problems with the smaller, quicker front line guys, which is what we saw in our first two games.

As long as Bonham doesn't become the second coming of Jiggy Watkins. As he gets a reputation in the season as trying to get to the rim, the driving lanes will become tighter. I want to see him aggressive, but not forcing up bad shots. No reason to think he will at this point. Delon is he was selective in his drives and tried to make sure he wasn't throwing up a low percentage circus shot. That is what seemed to bring things to a halt at times.

[U-Ute]

As long as Bonham doesn't become the second coming of Jiggy Watkins. As he gets a reputation in the season as trying to get to the rim, the driving lanes will become tighter. I want to see him aggressive, but not forcing up bad shots. No reason to think he will at this point. Delon is he was selective in his drives and tried to make sure he wasn't throwing up a low percentage circus shot. That is what seemed to bring things to a halt at times.

Good point, but have two words for you on that: Brandon Taylor.

I love how that kid isn't afraid to let guys know their place. If guys still don't step in line after that, there's always the looming 6'9" figure of K with that piercing stare standing behind Taylor.

We've documented elsewhere in this thread what Jiggy was missing.

[SoCalPat]

Box score musings, since I didn't watch a single second live and didn't even bother to look up the box score until 2 hours after the game ...

Reyes had 4 rebounds in 9 minutes. Way too early to be shoveling dirt on his playing career at Utah. He almost certainly won't be the offensive force I envisioned him being coming out of JUCO, but he's got a body and he'll mix it up. He'll always be an effective rebounder for us.

I feel good about 1-8 on this team, but we need a third ball-handling guard to emerge. I'm looking at you, IWright and Bealer. It's early, and Bealer missed last season, but we need better production out of them than what we've had in our last two games.

Poeltl was 7 of 9 from the stripe, putting him at 67 percent this year, 23 percent better than last year. I'm thrilled. He's a lock for first-team all-Pac 12 honors. I can't believe a kid from Austria of all places is doing this at the highest levels of D-1. Having lived in one of Austria's bigger cities many years ago, you cannot begin to understand what a basketball wasteland that country was (and still is).

Look at the time into the shot clock on Bonam's scores: 12 seconds (2 FTs), 6 seconds (layup), 20 seconds (jumper), 7 seconds (2 FTs), 14 seconds (0-2 FTs -- no points, but it's a foul on the opposition, which has benefits), 16 seconds (dunk), 17 seconds (layup), 21 seconds (2 FTs), 7 seconds (layup), 7 seconds (layup), 9 seconds (2 FTs). Now, this is a very small sample size, but it underscores an element of our offense that I don't remember us having much of last year -- a guy that can get easy points early in the shot clock. Half of his 20 points came in this manner (10 seconds or under elapsed in the clock).

We are playing much faster than last year, although compared to everyone else, it's not showing up. Last year, we averaged 60.9 possessions per game, which was 331st in the country per Pomeroy. This year, we're averaging 69.3. Last year, that would've put us tied for 19th (and just 0.9 possessions behind BYU), but this year it's only good for 299th. Everyone's playing faster, but it also has a lot to do with the competition. I'm curious to see how these numbers look in February. But I think Bonam is the force behind our increased tempo.

[Applejack]

I am starting to believe that trading Wright for Bonham this year may end up being a net gain for us. Not that Wright wasn't good - the guy was fantastic - but I think Bonham is a better fit for this team. What we lose defensively and in rebounding can be picked up with Poeltl, Kuzma, and Loveridge. What we gain offensively is a guy who is a better ball handler, especially in traffic, and someone who is as creative around the rim as Wright. The one place where we may wish we had Wright back is if a team has a 6'6" stat stuffer a-la Haws at BYU.

But more importantly is that the ball doesn't seem to stall as much anymore. With Wright, when he got the ball, everyone would stop and wait to see what he would do. Bonham is aggressive on the offensive end and keeps the ball moving. He is an amazing fit with guys like Taylor, Tucker, Loveridge, and Poeltl.

I think this team could end up being better than last year's team. Kind of like how the 97-98 squad was a bit better after losing Van Horn. The rest of the guys knew they had to step up, and they did.

On Reyes: I Like what I've seen the last two games. I haven't seen as much of a drop off when he came in as I thought we would. I think I see a way he can contribute. He's a "try hard" guy who is willing to get physical under the rim. A 6'7" guy can box out a 6'10" guy if he's willing to mix it up. He will have problems with the smaller, quicker front line guys, which is what we saw in our first two games.

Man, we saw different things last night. Bonham is a nice addition but he can't even hold a candle to what delon gave us. Yes, he's good at getting to the hole, but delon was a master at that and finished around the rim at an elite percentage.

And Reyes. I've been critical of him for a while, but I still don't see it. He's a good rebounder, but a poor defender and a black hole on offense. Giving him the ball results, almost always, in a rushed shot. He took two shots that were layups for most bigs, but they were complete bricks. If you guys tell me otherwise I'll give him a chance, but I think he's our worst player.

I'm confused by Wright and Chapman: they showed flashes last year that made me think they could put together this year. But so far, nothing. #perplexed

And I still think KUZ' weakness is a lack of bball knowledge. Dude doesn't pick his spots. That three point try last night with 2 minutes to go could have killed us (we were up 5, I think) if poeltl doesn't tip the ball out. He will give me heartburn this year.

[U-Ute]

Yes, Bonam is good offensively in areas where Delon was elite. He seems to be okay defensively in areas where Delon was elite. The only area where he might surpass Delon is in outside shooting, but we haven't seen him take enough jumpers to really know.

Bonham is a better ball handler than Wright was. Especially in traffic. I always got nervous when there were a lot of bodies around Wright.

[justaute]

Having watched Miami, I think a loss is quite likely -- not saying it's going to happen or it would be a bad thing. Stats aside, we need to keep on growing as a team, win or lose.

[Diehard Ute]

One other thing. There is no 'h' in Bonam.


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[DrumNFeather]

One other thing. There is no 'h' in Bonam.


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If Jakob can earn an extra R in his last name, certainly we can give Bonam an h...

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[justaute]

Already being exposed for lack of athleticism and skills.

[justaute]

Bonam is so far the only one who can get a shot off on his own.

[LA Ute]

Already being exposed for lack of athleticism and skills.

Ugly, so far. But Miami can't be this hot for long. Right now they can't miss.


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[justaute]

Ugly, so far. But Miami can't be this hot for long. Right now they can't miss.


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Maybe their "hotness" can't continue. However, there is mis-match at just about every position. Even when Poeltl was in the game, he had a difficult time because of Miami's size and athleticism.

Taylor/Wright/Love can't get their shots off.

[DrumNFeather]

Ugly, so far. But Miami can't be this hot for long. Right now they can't miss.


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Problem is, even when they do miss they have such an advantage inside that they're dominating the glass.

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[LA Ute]

Problem is, even when they do miss they have such an advantage inside that they're dominating the glass.

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I'm reduced to listening on the radio so I am not seeing any of this. Maybe that's a good thing.


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[justaute]

Why do our guards continue to make lazy passes (i.e. Wright)? To me, that's a basketball IQ issue.

[DrumNFeather]

Why do our guards continue to make lazy passes (i.e. Wright)? To me, that's a basketball IQ issue.
Seems like that has been a problem for a long time.

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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Hell of a finish.


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[LA Ute]

Seems like that has been a problem for a long time.

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Mystifying. That's a fundamental you're supposed to learn in high school, and Larry's a good fundamentals coach.

Anyway, if a team's going to have a game like his it's good to get them out of the way in the pre-season. They'll learn and grow from this experience.


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[DrumNFeather]

Hell of a finish.


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No basket! Uncle Mo on our side!

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[justaute]

Seems like that has been a problem for a long time.

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Unfortunately, I believe so. To me, if you are shorter, slower, then you had better be playing smarter, better fundamentals, and more effort. If not, then you are worthless.

[Solon]

Hell of a finish.


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this is embarrassing

[LA Ute]

this is embarrassing

It just happens sometimes. Jakob was out for almost the entire half and they outscored us 20-8 in the paint. I think Soto said they've scored 16 points off our turnovers; we've scored none. I hope we can battle back and at least make a respectable game of it.


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[DrumNFeather]

Miami has given us a handful of chances to get this down to 6 or 4 and we just can't capitalize.

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[justaute]

Miami has given us a handful of chances to get this down to 6 or 4 and we just can't capitalize.

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Agreed. Kuzma and Chapman just seem so.....stiff.

[DrumNFeather]

Reminds me a little of the Oregon game late last year. Getting outplayed and out hustled by a faster more athletic team.

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[LA Ute]

Miami has given us a handful of chances to get this down to 6 or 4 and we just can't capitalize.

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Sometimes the guys just forget to eat their Wheaties on these road trips.


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[DrumNFeather]

Kenneth Ogbe sighting

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[LA Ute]

It'll be interesting to see how the guys respond to this. Larry is pretty good at coaching them up and as the year progresses we'll see that happen.

Note: This was game 3 in 5 days for the Utes, including a 3000-mile trip to an unfamiliar tropical climate, etc. All in all a potential growing experience.

Miami looks good. I'll bet they show up in the polls next week. I wonder if they'll contend in the ACC.


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[justaute]

I want to give some serious props to Jlove. His shooting has really improved in that it's more consistent in more challenging situations; also, he's more aggressive on defense, which is big. Too bad his perimeter-teammates can't seem to do the same.

[LA Ute]

The ACC is too strong for that, but Miami might make the tournament this year. For now, I'll say we're 1-1 vs tournament teams.

Regardless, I am a Miami fan now. The better they do, the better this loss looks for us.


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[SeattleUte]

The ACC is too strong for that, but Miami might make the tournament this year. For now, I'll say we're 1-1 vs tournament teams.

Miami ran away with the ACC, what, two years ago?

[LA Ute]

Miami ran away with the ACC, what, two years ago?

Sancho has dookie sympathies.


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[LA Ute]

Regardless, I am a Miami fan now. The better they do, the better this loss looks for us.


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This was not a well thought out post. It'll help if Miami does well but there is a limit to what lipstick can do for a pig.


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[DrumNFeather]

This was not a well thought out post. It'll help if Miami does well but there is a limit to what lipstick can do for a pig.


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They're well coached. Laranaga has really turned that program around. Remember, he took George Mason to the final four.

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[LA Ute]

Phil Cullen on today's game:

*****

The loss to Miami exposed us in many ways. Yesterday was spent reviewing film with our players of areas we need to improve upon. Many teaching points were addressed and identified as areas we need to better in order for us to reach our season goals.

We face a tough Temple team tonight to cap of our tournament there in Puerto Rico. Truth is it does not matter what year you play Temple they will always play hard and physical. This year is no different.

They are led by #25 Decousey who is shooting 50% from 3-pt line and averaging 15.7 ppg this season. Behind him is #34 Coleman averaging 14.7 ppg and is shooting 44% from the 3-pt line. Anchoring their team inside they have #15 Bond who is a stretch guy that can knock down a 17 jumper. He is averaging 11.3 ppg and 9.7 rpg.

To beat Temple we need to improve in two main areas. We need to get back to guarding like we are capable of. We need to play to our scouting report and lock guys down forcing contested shots that we can rebound and start our break. Offensively we need to take care of the basketball. Last game we turned the ball over on 24% of our possessions. Our goal is to be around 16%.

It has been a good week for our guys. There have been challenges but it is a great opportunity to be able to play tough teams on a neutral court. There is a purpose behind everything we do and we must ensure that we learn from each moment.

MBB_stats_Nov_20-2.pdf (http://email.jumpforwardemail.com/wf/click?upn=4Gl3jowIu-2FT1gqArk0Z7Sow06NBU-2F8Vl2xc-2B1k-2B7QoZmGKnCGfdQnv-2FzTXf6rkLEYB1kjCrVpeAYSRt-2BNfrMrcVGPTfncH0pnLs2LY78Rl6V2YoMvXsVWpgLB61y99Ou QlTzYbmp7RWv7OsJHq7b-2BB74jejsJ2eKcLI-2FEXNcTWi2NuoBDuhdkEDfzdyTAdIO_JpavFYnoLTX47CpO-2FXOabzjYqG6h2ymjArNh36QzXJZDcMBAuxEsJTakaHJarCcXo tDlgIlUwMjh3e-2Fd-2B0WVNd3sBbNuDaZX7COFclkY9aLKuPV64wXiG6zDFw-2FWVRFyNjiO-2F3-2B38CjTjrLxhf5TSsepP-2F-2F-2BuzpbJVW0x1nc2EKnfTEbqXMdfADzAizlg6rk1-2Bj6GDCv-2BTuxbeAP6WVbAQRXz7pE-2F9DxlbgflSePcEG1LsYaDZfWyoQJlL-2FAdy63XyU5V9wvJ28zN1HHSkKi0ysHAIsu2mSgh-2BioToXLZ7g-3D)

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Both teams with a cold start. Luckily, Temple colder.


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[LA Ute]

I'm loving Poeltl's offensive moves.


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[LA Ute]

Ogbe!


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[Diehard Ute]

What a game by Poeltl. 32 pints and an assassin at the FT stripe


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[LA Ute]

What a game by Poeltl. 32 pints and an assassin at the FT stripe

12 of 14. If he keeps that up, look out.

[Old Standing ute]

And Tucker breaks his 0-fer the season from 3.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I feel like one constant so far this season is our ability to give up open three point shots.

Don't overlook our ability to miss the open three, as well.


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[U-Ute]

Miami looking for real

[U-Ute]

I'm not thrilled about Kuzma's disappearing act. I am hoping it is a road/home phenomenon.

[DrumNFeather]

Miami looking for real
Comforting that they smacked Butler around too.

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[Ma'ake]

If Tucker is 6-5, Ogbe has to be 6-7. GREAT to see him back.

Isaiah got a lot of quality minutes in the first half, looks comfortable.

Kuzma and Chapman need to keep working.

Austria's best export since Beethoven is making a lot of money for himself. I don't recall seeing any player improve FT shooting that much in one year, let alone a big.

[Utebiquitous]

Miami is absolutely a lock Tournament team if they keep playing like this - I'd say Sweet 16. It's early. They'll need to stay pretty healthy but they are really good. No question they exposed some weaknesses; but as we've seen, we're a pretty good team. We need the bench to show up to be a good to great team. Hopefully, that will get better and better. Poeltl had a little more help today - emphasis on a little. After giving us some hope, Kuzma has looked less than average these last two games. He needs to learn from this and keep progressing. I sure hope Ogbe is on his way back from injury. We need him, especially with how invisible Bealer has been so far.

Let's keep in mind that we have two good wins over SDSU and Temple. The Texas Tech win could look good later in the season as well. If we add a BYU win coming up in 10 days that will be another nice addition to the the preseason resume.

[UtahsMrSports]

-Kuzma scored all of 6 points in that tournament. However, outside of the Miami game, he continues to rebound at a very, very good clip. If he can keep that up, I'm confident that the other stuff will come in time.

-Some of these shooting woes are just incredible right now.

Brandon Taylor 13-46 overall and 7-33 from downtown.
Brekkott Chapman 2-16, 1-7
Dakari Tucker 2-15, 2-13
Isaiah Wright 3-15, 2-11

Once those four move to the mean, we are going to be just fine as a team.

[UtahsMrSports]

Also wanted to add that its nice to have Ogbe back. Loved his defense. Hopefully, he can give us a spark.

Jakob is currently projected to go 10th overall by Toronto according to nbadraft.net. He is rebounding the ball at an elite clip right now. Nbadraft.net lists his nba comparison as Travis Knight. I see more Omer Asik in him. Either way, I am going to enjoy the heck out of this season, as he is a terrific player.

[U-Ute]

From this article (http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2015/11/23/weekly-awards-purdue-and-miami-shine-as-does-denzel-valentine/) via NBC sports:



TEAMS OF THE WEEK: Purdue and Miami

No two teams in the country made as much of a statement as the Boilermakers and the Hurricanes did this week.

We kind of saw it coming with Purdue. The Boilermakers shot the ball incredibly well from three during the season’s first weekend, overpowered teams with their front court and did so before A.J. Hammons was able to play. Throw in the fact that Caleb Swanigan has been excellent in his role at the four and it was really not a surprise that this group rolled over Old Dominion and Florida in the Hall of Fame Classic at Mohegan Sun this weekend. Purdue’s ranking probably isn’t going to skyrocket — they’re currently No. 21 — because they didn’t beat anyone all that impressive, but it’s easy to watch this team and know just how good they are.

Miami, on the other hand, will likely go from unranked to the top 15, if not the top ten. That’s what happens when you spend a weekend steamrolling Mississippi State (who stinks), No. 16 Utah and No. 22 Butler (who don’t stink). This group reminds me quite a bit of the 2013 Miami team that won the ACC: They have tough, veteran guards and a slew of high-motor bigs, all of whom are totally bought into what head coach Jim Larrañaga wants from them. There hasn’t been a consistently more impressive team in the country this season.

[SoCalPat]

If Tucker is 6-5, Ogbe has to be 6-7. GREAT to see him back.

Isaiah got a lot of quality minutes in the first half, looks comfortable.

Kuzma and Chapman need to keep working.

Austria's best export since Beethoven is making a lot of money for himself. I don't recall seeing any player improve FT shooting that much in one year, let alone a big.

Beethoven was German through and through. You're thinking of Mozart.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Utah drops out of both polls. Miami jumps in at #15 (AP) and #19 (Coaches). Wichita State stays top 20 despite a loss to Tulsa and two nothing wins.

[LA Ute]

Beethoven was German through and through. You're thinking of Mozart.

I think you're right because he was born in Germany but Austria claims him. It's kind of funny. My wife's family on her mother's side are all Austrians and as far as they and their countrymen are concerned, Herr Beethoven was an Osterreicher.

http://www.aboutvienna.org/composers/beethoven.php

[concerned]

Hitler was an Austrian.

[LA Ute]

Hitler was an Austrian.

For some reason they claim Beethoven but not Hitler.

[Ma'ake]

Beethoven was German through and through. You're thinking of Mozart.

I defer to Bill Walton on this one. Of course, Walton could be wrong, and I'd still defer to him.

"When I think of the Bachynski brothers, I think of Capitol Reef National park."

The shit-eating grin, the random stories, the vast array of Waltonisms we've been blessed with, parables with no apparent message.