2018-19 basketball season

[Old Standing ute]

Night with the Running Utes;

Stand outs: Timmy Allen & Donnie Tillman. Both are really good, leading scorers.
Also noticeable: Both Gach—ran the point for his team. Can handle the ball, pass & jump out of the gym. In the dunk contest tried the Michael Jordan take off at the free throw line & just missed it. Dante Hendrix—hit 3 or 4 threes in a row & played good defense.
Novak is a big body, good around the rim. Morley, walk on, will be a decent sub, especially until Jayce gets in shape. Riley Battin will be a good backup, rebounds & got several garbage baskets.
PVD looked solid.
CJ4 has a very flat shot. Very active,not apparent what role he will play. Looked good in the dunk contest—for what that is worth.
Sedrick looked good running his team from the point.
Naseem, Lahat, Jayce did not suit up. Lahat on crutches.

[Ma'ake]

Night with the Running Utes;

Stand outs: Timmy Allen & Donnie Tillman. Both are really good, leading scorers.
Also noticeable: Both Gach—ran the point for his team. Can handle the ball, pass & jump out of the gym. In the dunk contest tried the Michael Jordan take off at the free throw line & just missed it. Dante Hendrix—hit 3 or 4 threes in a row & played good defense.
Novak is a big body, good around the rim. Morley, walk on, will be a decent sub, especially until Jayce gets in shape. Riley Battin will be a good backup, rebounds & got several garbage baskets.
PVD looked solid.
CJ4 has a very flat shot. Very active,not apparent what role he will play. Looked good in the dunk contest—for what that is worth.
Sedrick looked good running his team from the point.
Naseem, Lahat, Jayce did not suit up. Lahat on crutches.

Good take. With our 2 bigs out, it wasn't the most informative NWTRU, but we've got so many new guys they're trying still trying to figure out the basics. Jones standing next to Barefield - he's a stretch to be listed as 6-0, but he's built like a strong safety. He'll have to adjust to D1 length and athleticism. Hendrix is a very athletic wing at 6-5, but he knocked down a bunch of 3s. Defensively he could be a real difference maker.

Novak looks seasoned, like you'd expect a grad transfer from Europe to look.

Both clearly has great upside, as much as they had him running the point. Timmy Allen just knows how to play basketball. Just a freshman, he reminds me of a thicker, less experienced version of Will Clyburn.

Popoola looked understated, but watching him in warmups, he was knocking down 3s, his shot looks fine.

A lot of raw talent, the 3 seniors on the poster are PVD, Barefield and Novak. Yeah, we're really, *REALLY* young, but we'll see how it comes together.

[Mormon Red Death]

Good take. With our 2 bigs out, it wasn't the most informative NWTRU, but we've got so many new guys they're trying still trying to figure out the basics. Jones standing next to Barefield - he's a stretch to be listed as 6-0, but he's built like a strong safety. He'll have to adjust to D1 length and athleticism. Hendrix is a very athletic wing at 6-5, but he knocked down a bunch of 3s. Defensively he could be a real difference maker.

Novak looks seasoned, like you'd expect a grad transfer from Europe to look.

Both clearly has great upside, as much as they had him running the point. Timmy Allen just knows how to play basketball. Just a freshman, he reminds me of a thicker, less experienced version of Will Clyburn.

Popoola looked understated, but watching him in warmups, he was knocking down 3s, his shot looks fine.

A lot of raw talent, the 3 seniors on the poster are PVD, Barefield and Novak. Yeah, we're really, *REALLY* young, but we'll see how it comes together.

I'm in on Gach scratch fever!

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Interesting twist.

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[chrisrenrut]

Interesting twist.

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Not sure that this is his motivation, but it would be nice if this ignited some excitement among the some of the students about the basketball program. Our student support in recent years had been weak. Sad for those of us that remember what the student section was like in the 80’s and 90’s.

[SoCalPat]

UW destroys Nevada in a "secret scrimmage". Interesting in that we play both teams. Anyone know who Utah is going to play against in its such game?

https://mwwire.com/2018/10/21/nevada-washington-scrimmage/

[SoCalPat]

I'm in on Gach scratch fever!

The last time I was slamming the brakes hard on untested incoming freshman hype was with Poeltl. So maybe Gach has a bright future ahead of him.

[UBlender]

Utebuntu has tweeted that it's St Mary's, but I think I saw Goodman tweet that St Mary's already had a scrimmage. So...I don't know.

I would have to assume that it is taking place either this weekend or early next week as Utah has an exhibition game next Thursday and then the regular season starts the following week.

[311ute]

Utah plays St Mary's this Saturday. Should be noted that St Mary's beat Stanford "easily", per Goodman. Should be a good test for our young group, to go against a well coached, disciplined team like the Gaels.

[Scratch]

Utah plays St Mary's this Saturday. Should be noted that St Mary's beat Stanford "easily", per Goodman. Should be a good test for our young group, to go against a well coached, disciplined team like the Gaels.

Wait, St. Mary's gets to play 2 of these scrimmages? I thought you could only play 1.

[311ute]

Wait, St. Mary's gets to play 2 of these scrimmages? I thought you could only play 1.
You can play 2 combined "exhibition" contests, be it a "secret scrimmage" vs a D1 team, or a public exhibition game like we have next Thursday vs College of Idaho. Typically, we do one of each.

[SoCalPat]

You can play 2 combined "exhibition" contests, be it a "secret scrimmage" vs a D1 team, or a public exhibition game like we have next Thursday vs College of Idaho. Typically, we do one of each.

Correct. Villanova played both Virginia and UNC, IIRC. The option is there to do two. I'd be all for it.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

No Utes vs Yotes thread?!?!

Freshman + freshman crimes.

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[UtahsMrSports]

Hard to take much of anything from that but we sure do have a lot of athleticism on this roster. I think top 9 will be Sed, Jones, Allen, Tillman, Johnson, Top, Gach, Hendrix, PVD with Battin getting some minutes here and there. Hard to see Pop and Gaskin breaking in for minutes unless there is an injury or two.

Looking forward to that game on the road against Minnesota.

[U-Ute]

Snicker... Norlander is going to be surprised.

1058043911996928000

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-2018-19-where-every-team-ranks-in-each-state-from-top-to-bottom/
2437

[UTEopia]

I think that game last night creates the perfect teaching situation for the coaches. First half - good defense leads to great offense. Second half - poor defense leads to poor offense.

[Old Standing ute]

We've never had more than an 8-man rotation under K, right? Looks like there are 10 contenders for those spots, so competition for minutes will be fierce.

Some subset of the Jones, PVD, Hendrix, Gach group will be left out at guard.

Gach & Hendrix are too good & both are freshmen so will only get better--so they should play major minutes.

Jones or PVD. PVD is better than last year--gets his shot off quicker, but Jones is a much better defender. Neither one can play the point--

Allen & Tillman both have to start, both are really good & will be leading scorers--but neither one is a bruiser/rebounder inside type player.

I hope Battin gets enough minutes to stay happy/here; as he has potential.

they lost interest in 2nd half, plus Larry K had some bad combinations at times--but that was game to try certain groups.

They really need Jayce. Not sure I ever need to see Morley shoot another 3.

[snafu]

Gach & Hendrix are too good & both are freshmen so will only get better--so they should play major minutes.

Jones or PVD. PVD is better than last year--gets his shot off quicker, but Jones is a much better defender. Neither one can play the point--

Allen & Tillman both have to start, both are really good & will be leading scorers--but neither one is a bruiser/rebounder inside type player.

I hope Battin gets enough minutes to stay happy/here; as he has potential.

they lost interest in 2nd half, plus Larry K had some bad combinations at times--but that was game to try certain groups.

They really need Jayce. Not sure I ever need to see Morley shoot another 3.

Good stuff, thanks OSU.

Let's hope Jayce can get/stay healthy. Do you expect Lahat to contribute this year?

[Old Standing ute]

With his injury Lahat probably out for the year. I saw him in practice, he is better than people realize. He is athletic, can run/jump; protect the rim & rebound.

It will be interesting next year with Jayce, Lahat, Van Komen, Branden Carlson back from his mission, Mikael Jantunen from Finland, Riley Battin & Donnie Tillman all at 4 & 5.

[Scratch]

With his injury Lahat probably out for the year. I saw him in practice, he is better than people realize. He is athletic, can run/jump; protect the rim & rebound.

It will be interesting next year with Jayce, Lahat, Van Komen, Branden Carlson back from his mission, Mikael Jantunen from Finland, Riley Battin & Donnie Tillman all at 4 & 5.

Yep, we're going from a guard-heavy team to a big-heavy team overnight, especially if the 2 guys we lose next year (given the scholarship crunch) are both guards, which is what I expect.

[DrumNFeather]

Seven teams in the league tip off tonight, with the most interesting game being Washington vs. WKU. The Hill toppers are ranked 23 in ESPN's pre-season BPI, and the only other team in action tonight that cracks the top 100 is IUPFW, who takes on UCLA.

[mUUser]

New 1-and-dones look good! Zion...that's a fun player to watch.


I think we know who the top team in the country is at this point. Sheesh......they flat-out boat raced a good Kentucky team. One of the most impressive performances I've ever seen.

[LA Ute]

I think we know who the top team in the country is at this point. Sheesh......they flat-out boat raced a good Kentucky team. One of the most impressive performances I've ever seen.

I think the one and done era should end. Players who want to go straight to the NBA out of high school should be allowed to do so, but once they decide to play in college they should be required to stay and play for at least two years, maybe three. It would change college basketball for the better. For one thing, the incentive to cheat would be reduced greatly.

I understand the biggest obstacle to change like this is the NBA Players Association.

[Old Standing ute]

Ky as the Utes will learn is a good team with high level recruits. Even so, Duke just dominated them.

Zion & Barrett are both high lottery picks.

[C-Monster]

I think the one and done era should end. Players who want to go straight to the NBA out of high school should be allowed to do so, but once they decide to play in college they should be required to stay and play for at least two years, maybe three. It would change college basketball for the better. For one thing, the incentive to cheat would be reduced greatly.

I understand the biggest obstacle to change like this is the NBA Players Association.

I completely agree with this. Look no further than what baseball has done. Can go pro and get drafted out of high school, but if you go to college it's for at least three years.

[chrisrenrut]

Anyone know what's going on with Popoola? We plumbed the depths of our bench in the MVSU game, but Pop got no playing time. Even Brooks King, Beau Rydalch, and Marc Reninger got time at the end,.

[hostile]

Anyone know what's going on with Popoola? We plumbed the depths of our bench in the MVSU game, but Pop got no playing time. Even Brooks King, Beau Rydalch, and Marc Reninger got time at the end,.
I was wondering the same thing

[DrumNFeather]

Anyone know what's going on with Popoola? We plumbed the depths of our bench in the MVSU game, but Pop got no playing time. Even Brooks King, Beau Rydalch, and Marc Reninger got time at the end,.Redshirt? Gaskin didn't play either, right?

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[Old Standing ute]

Vante Hendrix has left the team for personal reasons. Reported the coaches want him back, so not a problem with talent or the coaching.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Vante Hendrix has left the team for personal reasons. Reported the coaches want him back, so not a problem with talent or the coaching.

Bummer. I hope he finds his way back.

[UtahsMrSports]

He just posted to instagram that he is transferring, said he wished the program well but hinted that its "not for him".

[snafu]

I don't think this season could have started any worse.

[UtahsMrSports]

I understand the frustration, but hold judgement here on Larry or Vante until more facts come out. If they don't; thats all the better.

[SoCalPat]

I understand the frustration, but hold judgement here on Larry or Vante until more facts come out. If they don't; thats all the better.

Ummm ... no. There needs to be an explanation as to why a rotation guy bails on the team after four games. Especially one who was with the program for all of last year.

[UtahsMrSports]

Ummm ... no. There needs to be an explanation as to why a rotation guy bails on the team after four games. Especially one who was with the program for all of last year.

Just wait for the facts to come out.

[Scratch]

This isn't on the coaches. They have bent over backwards for him. He has some significant family issues that have haunted him for a long time, well before he ever showed up to the U. He's dealing with that.

[concerned]

This isn't on the coaches. They have bent over backwards for him. He has some significant family issues that have haunted him for a long time, well before he ever showed up to the U. He's dealing with that.

Any idea how his brother at UA is doing?

[SoCalPat]

Just wait for the facts to come out.

Facts as ascertained from the coaching staff by “sources” and without Vante’s side of the story? At least Devon Daniels had a history of trouble within the program. That sucked, but it was understandable. This one isn’t.

[UtahsMrSports]

Facts as ascertained from the coaching staff by “sources” and without Vante’s side of the story? At least Devon Daniels had a history of trouble within the program. That sucked, but it was understandable. This one isn’t.

If you're saying that you think Larry k and co. are out there crafting a story to throw this kid under the bus to cover their own backside, then nothing I say will change will your mind.

[Scorcho]

If you're saying that you think Larry k and co. are out there crafting a story to throw this kid under the bus to cover their own backside, then nothing I say will change will your mind.

maybe we'll see some of the same cohesion that occurred with the football team when Tuttle bolted

Larry does seem to have the magic to lead his teams to the top of the conference every year.

[UBlender]

maybe we'll see some of the same cohesion that occurred with the football team when Tuttle bolted

Larry does seem to have the magic to lead his teams to the top of the conference every year.

Well, Vante was already gone by this past Sunday's game against Northwestern and, woo boy, let's just say it didn't result in anything resembling cohesion.

[Scorcho]

Byu loses to Weber tonight 113 - 103

[UtahsMrSports]

Per Utebuntu, sounds like Popoola has been granted his release to transfer.

[UBlender]

Per Utebuntu, sounds like Popoola has been granted his release to transfer.

Really nice, friendly kid, enjoyed interacting with him at FanFest. It was pretty clear he wasn't going to be a contributor on the basketball court and I was pretty sure he was going to be gone by the end of the season anyway (with Utah being oversigned).

Utah looked like they might have been overloaded at guard but now may have a guard depth issue going forward.

In light of the Hendrix transfer this will be viewed as a lot bigger deal than it should be, especially by the anti-Larry crowd.

[UtahsMrSports]

Really nice, friendly kid, enjoyed interacting with him at FanFest. It was pretty clear he wasn't going to be a contributor on the basketball court and I was pretty sure he was going to be gone by the end of the season anyway (with Utah being oversigned).

Utah looked like they might have been overloaded at guard but now may have a guard depth issue going forward.

In light of the Hendrix transfer this will be viewed as a lot bigger deal than it should be, especially by the anti-Larry crowd.

I wonder if we will look to grab a grad transfer PG, ala Bibbins to come in and help the guys along while Rylan gets up to speed next year.

[SoCalPat]

Really nice, friendly kid, enjoyed interacting with him at FanFest. It was pretty clear he wasn't going to be a contributor on the basketball court and I was pretty sure he was going to be gone by the end of the season anyway (with Utah being oversigned).

Utah looked like they might have been overloaded at guard but now may have a guard depth issue going forward.

In light of the Hendrix transfer this will be viewed as a lot bigger deal than it should be, especially by the anti-Larry crowd.

Popoola leaving isn’t a big deal. Smart people see there’s a difference between his departure and Vante’s.

Now, what this staff saw in him to snatch him late from BYU, but to sour on him almost immediately upon arriving in the program — that’s fair game and it would be nice to get some insight as to the decision-making process by the staff.

[UBlender]

Popoola leaving isn’t a big deal. Smart people see there’s a difference between his departure and Vante’s.

Now, what this staff saw in him to snatch him late from BYU, but to sour on him almost immediately upon arriving in the program — that’s fair game and it would be nice to get some insight as to the decision-making process by the staff.

I don't have an answer to that, other than the fact that Utah signed him at a time when they were really struggling to fill out a roster. It was in a cycle where they missed on several high profile recruits and had some transfers (Daniels and Zamora) and ended up with Pop and Kobe Caldwell as roster filler. The fact that BYU people didn't seem to mind Utah "stealing" him probably should have told us all we needed to know.

[UtahsMrSports]

Popoola leaving isn’t a big deal. Smart people see there’s a difference between his departure and Vante’s.

Now, what this staff saw in him to snatch him late from BYU, but to sour on him almost immediately upon arriving in the program — that’s fair game and it would be nice to get some insight as to the decision-making process by the staff.

Looking back on his recruitment; I don't know that we really stole him from BYU. He had committed there and then hadn't signed with them in the fall (no idea who soured on who there) and like I always say, if a kid has an opportunity to sign and doesn't, he should no longer be considered a commit. I think it is as UBlender said; we were (as we seemingly always are) looking for players to fill out the roster in the spring. He was a) available and b) very very athletic. They took a chance on him that that athleticism could be molded into a serviceable player. Looks like in this case the answer is no.

[LA Ute]

Maybe he should walk on to the football team.

Does he have good hands?

[concerned]

in the It Could Always be Worse Dept.:








Between 2014 and 2016, Ernie Kent signed 17 players.

71% of them have now transferred.

[UtahsMrSports]

in the It Could Always be Worse Dept.:








Between 2014 and 2016, Ernie Kent signed 17 players.

71% of them have now transferred.





2016 was Larry's worst year for transfers and even with that, I'm not sure we are over 50%.

[Mormon Red Death]

Im trying to find the wins.

Are we beating either az school?

0-4

Do we beat oregon schools? Maybe ore st at home?

1-7

We split @ nocal
2-8

We split wash schools?

4-10

Split with colo?
5-11

We beat socal @ home?

5-13

[SoCalPat]

Im trying to find the wins.

Are we beating either az school?

0-4

Do we beat oregon schools? Maybe ore st at home?

1-7

We split @ nocal
2-8

We split wash schools?

4-10

Split with colo?
5-11

We beat socal @ home?

5-13

We'll get ASU at least once, and we'll surprise someone on the road and at home. 8-10.

[UtahsMrSports]

Larry made it official last night, announcing that Pop has left the team but that he will always be a ute and that Pop handled it well.

[UTEopia]

Interesting that in last nights game both Barefield and Tillman did not start. They both entered the game at about the 15 minute mark. Tillman proceeded to make a lazy pass that was stolen and was immediately relegated to the bench. Later in the half, Barefield made one of his patented dribble through 3 defenders and lose the ball plays and went to the bench. I am happy to see LK hold players accountable for lazy and stupid plays.

[Scratch]

Interesting that in last nights game both Barefield and Tillman did not start. They both entered the game at about the 15 minute mark. Tillman proceeded to make a lazy pass that was stolen and was immediately relegated to the bench. Later in the half, Barefield made one of his patented dribble through 3 defenders and lose the ball plays and went to the bench. I am happy to see LK hold players accountable for lazy and stupid plays.

Until they transfer because Larry is super mean to them, at which point Larry will be criticized for not being player-friendly.

*I realize Barefiled is a senior and not going anywhere, but this post addresses the larger issue generally.

[Old Standing ute]

Barefield did up his D intensity--which is a low bar, because not his interest in life---in the second half.

And Tillman hit the boards & attacked the basket with new vigor, so maybe the bench was good for them. Interesting to see who he starts on Friday.

Not sure where Pop will go---he is not a D-1 level talent. He could be a star at Westminster.

[UTEopia]

Barefield and Tillman did not start agains against NAU. Barefield came in and looked energized and determined. Tillman, just the opposite. Right now, Allen and Battin are playing harder and better than Tillman. I have really liked what I have seen from Battin. He needs to gain some upper body strength, but I think he has a nice upside. Allen needs to improve his outside shot. I like Gach.

I don't think the Utes beat Nevada, but I hope they come out and compete.

[UTEopia]

I thought the Utes did come out and compete. I can't remember another game this year when I felt they were playing with as much energy. Nevada has better players at every position, but I liked the competitiveness of the team. I really liked Tillman. He was pounding the boards. Although Nevada forced a lot of turnovers there are too many self-inflicted turnovers. Defense is a problem. Are we a zone or a man team. What good does it do to play man against inferior teams if we are going to play zone against better teams?

[Old Standing ute]

Bol Bol of Oregon out for the year—-PAC 12 continues to crumble this year.

Utes might actually win some home games.

[snafu]

Damn! Is this conference going to be a one bid league?

[concerned]

I think ASU gets an at large based on their win over Kansas. Whoever wins the conference tournament will get the conference's other spot. Two teams, and that's it. The only way a third team gets in is if somebody wins 14+ conference games, which seems incredible.

One bid would be exponentially more embarrassing that missing the football playoff and a 1-8 bowl season.

[DrumNFeather]

I think ASU gets an at large based on their win over Kansas. Whoever wins the conference tournament will get the conference's other spot. Two teams, and that's it. The only way a third team gets in is if somebody wins 14+ conference games, which seems incredible.

Utah on pace for 18-0...

[NorthwestUteFan]

Nevada going down hard in the pit. I like the thought of Eric Muss freaking out about it.Wow. Lobos beat the spread by 41 pts. Go Lobos! What a huge win for that team.

[UtahsMrSports]

New Mexico may also be getting the services of vante Hendrix.

[Old Standing ute]

Oregon St wins at Oregon. Tres Tinkle, not only best name in the league, might be the best player.

[DrumNFeather]

Utah's top three wins on the season so far:

@ASU (68 - Q1)
vs. Tulsa (76 - Q3 - one spot from being a Q2 win)
vs. Grand Canyon (117 - Q3)

Another opportunity for a Q2 win at home vs. UW, the league's highest ranked team at 53).

[UtahsMrSports]

Larry had a few interesting tidbits on his coaches show last night...

-Lahat has not been cleared to practice yet. He is, as noted here, out of the boot. But right now he is just doing cardio exercises at the facility (I guess they have equipment that can take pressure off of his foot during workouts). Larry said itll likely be a redshirt this year. He also said Lahat has the ability to block and alter shots without fouling. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a big role next year, if healthy.

-Both injured his ankle last monday and wasn't able to practice at all last week but gutted out some minutes.

-Charles Jones role could increase but he has been a great presence for the team.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Larry had a few interesting tidbits on his coaches show last night...

-Lahat has not been cleared to practice yet. He is, as noted here, out of the boot. But right now he is just doing cardio exercises at the facility (I guess they have equipment that can take pressure off of his foot during workouts). Larry said itll likely be a redshirt this year. He also said Lahat has the ability to block and alter shots without fouling. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a big role next year, if healthy.

-Both injured his ankle last monday and wasn't able to practice at all last week but gutted out some minutes.

-Charles Jones role could increase but he has been a great presence for the team.

Any discussion about why this is the worst defensive team in a Utah jersey in Larry's tenure?

[Utebiquitous]

You're probably being more facetious than anything but I heard Larry address this a little. He was complimentary of Allen's defense - remarked that he'd been given defensive player of the game for both Arizona games and, I think, commented on the lack of physicality Gach and Battin have in respect to the collegiate game particularly on defense. That was really it.

I don't give this team - particularly the coaches - a pass on poor defense. Certainly youth and inexperience play a factor but priority and coaching by the time league play begins can overcome those elements for a lot of teams.

Conversely, Larry commented about the offense - calling this team pretty strong. He mentioned that if you take turnovers out of the equation the Utes are averaging 1.5 points a possession. The coaches are using that number with the players to demonstrate just how good they can be offensively if they take better care of the ball.

[Scorcho]

Larry made it official last night, announcing that Pop has left the team but that he will always be a ute and that Pop handled it well.

Popoola just signed with Salt Lake Community College

https://twitter.com/SLCCbasketball/status/1082793021555453952?s=19

[UtahsMrSports]

Popoola just signed with Salt Lake Community College

https://twitter.com/SLCCbasketball/status/1082793021555453952?s=19

Good for him. Im hoping he gets the playing time he is looking for.

[DrumNFeather]

Good for him. Im hoping he gets the playing time he is looking for.

There you go again, just siding with the coach's narrative! ;)

[UtahsMrSports]

There you go again, just siding with the coach's narrative! ;)

Being a shill pays the bills.

[LA Ute]

Defense is da problem.

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2019/01/09/utes-can-score-their/

[Mormon Red Death]

So..I assume Bradon Roy is calling the game tonight?


No that's when we go to Seattle

[Mormon Red Death]

We have 2 freshman playing the pivotal r role at the top of the key. Both Allen and batten are turning it over.
Coco crisp is on fire

[Scorcho]

We have 2 freshman playing the pivotal r role at the top of the key. Both Allen and batten are turning it over.
Coco crisp is on fire

That good feeling after the AZ trip is fading.

[Mormon Red Death]

When we switched to chuck jones on crisp d got a lot better

[Mormon Red Death]

Yikes pvd that was off by 6 feet

[Scorcho]

Double foul on a drive how is that possible

[Scorcho]

Cringe worthy game

[UtahsMrSports]

Live by the three, die by the three

[Scorcho]

UW's Crisp is hot again tonight, 4 of 4 from 3 and UW leads the Buffs by 13 in the first half

[concerned]

Headband Jayce is the best Jayce.

I saw PVD dunk live. No one can ever take that away from us.

Years from now only a few of us will back able to say we saw it live. We happy few. We band of brothers.

[Old Standing ute]

CU at home odds go up if McKinley Wright who killed Utes last year is out—he did not play this weekend with shoulder injury.

They are also thin up front so if Jayce can get them in foul trouble—never mind.

[LA Ute]

Utes in review: Three freshman totaled 40 points vs. Washington State. How will their growth frame this season?
Timmy Allen, Both Gach and Riley Battin will have a lot to say about how the program is judged.

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2019/01/13/utes-review-three/

[LA Ute]

His parents fled civil war in South Sudan. Now Utah’s Both Gach wants to be a role model for a growing wave of South Sudanese hoopers.

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2019/01/11/his-parents-fled-civil/

[Mormon Red Death]

Alright
We have Colorado at home the at the the nocal schools afterward. 3 winnable games.

Then we have
Oregon schools
@ socal
Zona schools
@ Washington schools
@ Colorado
Socal schools

I see wins at Colorado and at wazzu
After that I'm not sure

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[chrisrenrut]

Alright
We have Colorado at home the at the the nocal schools afterward. 3 winnable games.

Then we have
Oregon schools
@ socal
Zona schools
@ Washington schools
@ Colorado
Socal schools

I see wins at Colorado and at wazzu
After that I'm not sure

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@Cal is a possibility. WSU just did it pretty easily.

[Mormon Red Death]

Please use this thread to talk about the games this year

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[Mormon Red Death]

I wasn't sure if this was 2018-19 NCAA bball or 18-19 Utah bball.Well for the rest of the year let's have a thread for each week

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[LA Ute]

Well for the rest of the year let's have a thread for each week

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Good idea. That tradition was falling off.

[chrisrenrut]

Vance Hendrix ends up at Fresno State.

1087496259240263680

[UtahsMrSports]

I wish him well. Hopefully being closer to his support system will help him. I may have to start paying closer attention to Fresno with seeley and now Hendrix there.

[LA Ute]

Now this is an interesting surprise. Our arena is probably just a little too big for today’s college sports world. On-campus college football stadiums are also getting smaller, which is one reason we’re increasing only to just under 52,000.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190125/a3b7bd04232f2f17dc8660888661439c.jpg

[SoCalPat]

Looking ahead to Vegas ...

Only three teams have gone 11-7 in Pac-12 play and not earned a top 4 seed (Colorado and UCLA in 2011-12; Stanford last year). Every team that has gone 12-6 has finished in the top 4. I'm not going to bother with all the details into this specific line of thinking, but the league is shaping up a lot to be like that first year as opposed to last year.

Utah is at 5-2. We have 7 home games left. We also have a road game at Wazzu. Having already "overperformed" on the road with three wins, I'm going to say we lose the SoCal road trip, and at Washington as well. That leaves us with 8 games to win 6. That will likely get us a bye in Vegas, with a chance we're left out on the wrong end of a tiebreaker.

Since first tiebreaker is head-to-head, it would be an added benefit this weekend to sweep, since we don't travel to the Oregon schools this year.

[chrisrenrut]

Looking ahead to Vegas ...

Only three teams have gone 11-7 in Pac-12 play and not earned a top 4 seed (Colorado and UCLA in 2011-12; Stanford last year). Every team that has gone 12-6 has finished in the top 4. I'm not going to bother with all the details into this specific line of thinking, but the league is shaping up a lot to be like that first year as opposed to last year.

Utah is at 5-2. We have 7 home games left. We also have a road game at Wazzu. Having already "overperformed" on the road with three wins, I'm going to say we lose the SoCal road trip, and at Washington as well. That leaves us with 8 games to win 6. That will likely get us a bye in Vegas, with a chance we're left out on the wrong end of a tiebreaker.

Since first tiebreaker is head-to-head, it would be an added benefit this weekend to sweep, since we don't travel to the Oregon schools this year.

I'm feeling a 2-2 record over the next 4 games, with a split both at home and in southern Cal. I think we lose to OSU, because they are kind of our basketball kryptonite, and seem to be playing well. But with as well as this team has played on the road in conference, I could see us beating UCLA.

[redastheycome]

Hate to be the fact-check guy, but only six home games left - Oregon schools, AZ schools, SoCal schools. That leaves 5 on the road - SoCal trip, Washington trip, Colorado.

So, with your assumptions of getting swept in SoCal and splitting in Washington, we would need either of the following to hit 11-7:
1. 4-2 in the remaining home games and win in Boulder
2. 5-1 at home and lose in Boulder.

Still doable, but a little more daunting than if 7 were at home.


Looking ahead to Vegas ...

Only three teams have gone 11-7 in Pac-12 play and not earned a top 4 seed (Colorado and UCLA in 2011-12; Stanford last year). Every team that has gone 12-6 has finished in the top 4. I'm not going to bother with all the details into this specific line of thinking, but the league is shaping up a lot to be like that first year as opposed to last year.

Utah is at 5-2. We have 7 home games left. We also have a road game at Wazzu. Having already "overperformed" on the road with three wins, I'm going to say we lose the SoCal road trip, and at Washington as well. That leaves us with 8 games to win 6. That will likely get us a bye in Vegas, with a chance we're left out on the wrong end of a tiebreaker.

Since first tiebreaker is head-to-head, it would be an added benefit this weekend to sweep, since we don't travel to the Oregon schools this year.

[SoCalPat]

Hate to be the fact-check guy, but only six home games left - Oregon schools, AZ schools, SoCal schools. That leaves 5 on the road - SoCal trip, Washington trip, Colorado.

So, with your assumptions of getting swept in SoCal and splitting in Washington, we would need either of the following to hit 11-7:
1. 4-2 in the remaining home games and win in Boulder
2. 5-1 at home and lose in Boulder.

Still doable, but a little more daunting than if 7 were at home.

My bad. Got the CU site mixed up. I still think we win in Boulder.

[DrumNFeather]

With 9 games to go, we are in 6th place and in a 5-4 logjam with UCLA and Arizona, both of whom play at home this weekend, as well as Oregon and Stanford (4-5). Oregon gets Stanford and Cal this weekend, so they are very likely to get to 6-5. We could easily fall to 8th by the end of the weekend if we can't manage a split against USC and UCLA...and there's not a lot of evidence to suggest we'll get one at the moment.

For me, the last 9 games of this year are about the young guys. At 5-2, you've well exceeded expectations and are playing with house money. At 5-4, you've now been brought back down to earth, and are on the wrong side of the 5/4 home road split (though two of those games are @ CU and @ WSU). Maybe a split this weekend gives you some life, but it is hard to see it at this point.

[SoCalPat]

My bad. Got the CU site mixed up. I still think we win in Boulder.

Of course, CU then goes out and blows Oregon out of the water. I don't know what to think about our game at CU, but knowing they'll have McKinley Wright back -- I know we're in for a much tougher game than what we had in SLC.

[DrumNFeather]

Of course, CU then goes out and blows Oregon out of the water. I don't know what to think about our game at CU, but knowing they'll have McKinley Wright back -- I know we're in for a much tougher game than what we had in SLC.

Their game vs. Oregon was kind of like our game vs. them earlier this year. The stars just aligned for a blowout. I don't think they'll play as good, but they are certainly capable of beating us...plus it will be our third road tilt in a row, though we will be coming off a road game in Pullman, so hopefully that helps.

[chrisrenrut]

With 9 games to go, we are in 6th place and in a 5-4 logjam with UCLA and Arizona, both of whom play at home this weekend, as well as Oregon and Stanford (4-5). Oregon gets Stanford and Cal this weekend, so they are very likely to get to 6-5. We could easily fall to 8th by the end of the weekend if we can't manage a split against USC and UCLA...and there's not a lot of evidence to suggest we'll get one at the moment.

For me, the last 9 games of this year are about the young guys. At 5-2, you've well exceeded expectations and are playing with house money. At 5-4, you've now been brought back down to earth, and are on the wrong side of the 5/4 home road split (though two of those games are @ CU and @ WSU). Maybe a split this weekend gives you some life, but it is hard to see it at this point.

There wasn't much evidence of us being able to split the Arizona road trip either. So I still have a glimmer of hope.

[sancho]

There wasn't much evidence of us being able to split the Arizona road trip either. So I still have a glimmer of hope.

Yup. At our best, we can beat anyone in the Pac-12. At our worst, we can lose to anyone. Stealing one in LA is certainly possible.

[DrumNFeather]

With 9 games to go, we are in 6th place and in a 5-4 logjam with UCLA and Arizona, both of whom play at home this weekend, as well as Oregon and Stanford (4-5). Oregon gets Stanford and Cal this weekend, so they are very likely to get to 6-5. We could easily fall to 8th by the end of the weekend if we can't manage a split against USC and UCLA...and there's not a lot of evidence to suggest we'll get one at the moment.

For me, the last 9 games of this year are about the young guys. At 5-2, you've well exceeded expectations and are playing with house money. At 5-4, you've now been brought back down to earth, and are on the wrong side of the 5/4 home road split (though two of those games are @ CU and @ WSU). Maybe a split this weekend gives you some life, but it is hard to see it at this point.

Just like I said...I have every reason to believe they'll at least get a split! :)

[LA Ute]

Just like I said...I have every reason to believe they'll at least get a split! :)

I hope UCLA comes out as amazingly flat as USC did. I empathized with USC fans. I didn’t feel a bit sorry for them, however.

[SoCalPat]

Yup. At our best, we can beat anyone in the Pac-12. At our worst, we can lose to anyone. Stealing one in LA is certainly possible.

I'll do it for you ...

Swish!

[sancho]

I'll do it for you ...

Swish!

Hey, I was just paraphrasing DnF.

[DrumNFeather]

With 9 games to go, we are in 6th place and in a 5-4 logjam with UCLA and Arizona, both of whom play at home this weekend, as well as Oregon and Stanford (4-5). Oregon gets Stanford and Cal this weekend, so they are very likely to get to 6-5. We could easily fall to 8th by the end of the weekend if we can't manage a split against USC and UCLA...and there's not a lot of evidence to suggest we'll get one at the moment.

For me, the last 9 games of this year are about the young guys. At 5-2, you've well exceeded expectations and are playing with house money. At 5-4, you've now been brought back down to earth, and are on the wrong side of the 5/4 home road split (though two of those games are @ CU and @ WSU). Maybe a split this weekend gives you some life, but it is hard to see it at this point.

Welp, I pretty much whiffed on this one...and I'm certainly happy to have been wrong, though I will say this, the emergence of the young guys has helped this team. Battin and Allen were studs against UCLA, and Gach's 3 to bring us within one was CLUTCH!

[chrisrenrut]

I'm feeling a 2-2 record over the next 4 games. . . I could see us beating UCLA.

Nailed it!

[DrumNFeather]

NABC Team of the Week! https://utahutes.com/news/2019/2/12/mens-basketball-runnin-utes-named-nabc-team-of-the-week.aspx

[sancho]

We are around 90 in the NCAA's net rankings. With 6 games to go, we play above our ranking 3 times (ASU, UW, and CU) and below 3 times (WSU, UCLA, and USC).

[Mormon Red Death]

Our most important games going forward for the first round bye in order of importance

1. @Colorado
2. USC
3. @ Wash (tiebreaker purposes)
4. @ Wazzu
5. UCLA

Utah and ASU (has the tiebreaker) have a 1 game lead on Colo, Stanford and USC. Ore St has 1.5 lead but ASU has the tiebreaker with them as well and OSU has the tiebreaker with us.

Ore st has:
@ SOCAL
Arizonas
@Washingtons
Predicted finish 13-5 2nd place

ASU
NoCALs - We need Stanford to win
@ Oregons We need Ore St to win
@Arizona
Predicted Finish 11-7 3rd Place

[sancho]

Our most important games going forward for the first round bye in order of importance

I think we lose to CU, UW, and one of the LA schools to finish 10-8.

The first round bye would be nice. The only way to turn this season into a smashing success is to win it all in Vegas and steal a bid from someone. Let's say our odds vs the middle of the Pac-12 (everyone but UW, Cal, and WSU) are 50/50. Let's say our odds against the extremes are 75/25. Then our odds of winning in Vegas (assuming we see UW along the way) are:

With a first round bye: (1/2)(1/2)(1/4) = 6%

Without a first round bye but seeing one of the bad teams: (3/4)(1/2)(1/2)(1/4) = 5%

Without a first round bye and not seeing one of the bad teams: (1/2)(1/2)(1/2)(1/4) = 3%

This doesn't take anything like fatigue, momentum, etc into account. The point is that, even under the best regular season outcome, our odds of winning in Vegas are extremely small.

[Mormon Red Death]

Will at least wazzu beat Colorado

[DrumNFeather]

Will at least wazzu beat Colorado

We could really use a buffer heading into Boulder. Being 9-6 would certainly accomplish that if they are 7-8.

[DrumNFeather]

Given that both OSU and Oregon hold tiebreakers over us head to head, last night's results seem favorable for our hopes of a first round bye in Vegas. The schedule doesn't do the Oregon Schools any favors down the stretch with hosting the Arizona schools and visiting Washington the last weekend - unless Washington decides to save its legs for the tournament.

[UBlender]

Given that both OSU and Oregon hold tiebreakers over us head to head, last night's results seem favorable for our hopes of a first round bye in Vegas. The schedule doesn't do the Oregon Schools any favors down the stretch with hosting the Arizona schools and visiting Washington the last weekend - unless Washington decides to save its legs for the tournament.

It wouldn't make any sense for UW to want to rest for the PAC 12 tournament. They are the one team that can and will be in regardless of what they do in Vegas, but they will want to accumulate as many wins as they can to help their seeding and the Oregon schools would give them a couple of solid (Tier 2?) wins.

[DrumNFeather]

It wouldn't make any sense for UW to want to rest for the PAC 12 tournament. They are the one team that can and will be in regardless of what they do in Vegas, but they will want to accumulate as many wins as they can to help their seeding and the Oregon schools would give them a couple of solid (Tier 2?) wins.

I hope so. Then they can gracefully bow out in the Pac-12 tournament so our league can get more teams in!

What is our best case scenario?

My thought is that we go in as the 4 seed and get the 5/12 winner of Cal vs. Colorado with ASU as the 2, OSU as the 3 (potentially playing rivalry games in their first round matchups). Even more so than avoiding the Huskies, I would think we'd want to avoid ASU and OSU. What do you think?

[sancho]

What is our best case scenario?


Our best and worst case scenarios are probably very close in terms of probabilities to win it all.

[Mormon Red Death]

1 game lead with 3 to play. Win 2 and we got 4th

SC has @ UCLA and @ the mountains
Stanford has @zona tomorrow (lost 18 straight to zona)Washingtons and Cal at home


If it holds (Oregon up 14 @ UCLA) Oregon has the zonas @home the @ Washingtons. They could end up 10-8

Also a decent chance Asu - Cal @Oregons, @ zona - finishes with 10 wins



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[Mormon Red Death]

1 game lead with 3 to play. Win 2 and we got 4th

SC has @ UCLA and @ the mountains
Stanford has @zona tomorrow (lost 18 straight to zona)Washingtons and Cal at home


If it holds (Oregon up 14 @ UCLA) Oregon has the zonas @home the @ Washingtons. They could end up 10-8

Also a decent chance Asu - Cal @Oregons, @ zona - finishes with 10 wins



Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using TapatalkI stand corrected. UCLA is back.

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[DrumNFeather]

Either UCLA or USC will have 8 losses when they head on the mountain road trip.

[SoCalPat]

I hope so. Then they can gracefully bow out in the Pac-12 tournament so our league can get more teams in!

What is our best case scenario?

My thought is that we go in as the 4 seed and get the 5/12 winner of Cal vs. Colorado with ASU as the 2, OSU as the 3 (potentially playing rivalry games in their first round matchups). Even more so than avoiding the Huskies, I would think we'd want to avoid ASU and OSU. What do you think?

I don't think your scenario is realistic. Our schedule the rest of the way is much easier than ASU's and OSU's, especially the latter, which still hosts the Arizona schools and has a roadie at Washington. If we win out, we're not going to be a 4 seed, that I can promise.

[sancho]

If we win out, we're not going to be a 4 seed, that I can promise.

You've been doing this to yourself all season. We play well, and you expect us to play well consistently. We are not going to win out. That's not what this team is. We will lose again and will look bad doing it. Then we will win again and will look pretty good. Then we will lose in Vegas, and we will start daydreaming about football.

[DrumNFeather]

I don't think your scenario is realistic. Our schedule the rest of the way is much easier than ASU's and OSU's, especially the latter, which still hosts the Arizona schools and has a roadie at Washington. If we win out, we're not going to be a 4 seed, that I can promise.

As things stand tonight we would get the Cal/USC winner as the 4, which I actually like quite a bit. But yes, our remaining games are certainly winnable and we've given ourselves a cushion against CU as we head into Boulder.

[DrumNFeather]

You've been doing this to yourself all season. We play well, and you expect us to play well consistently. We are not going to win out. That's not what this team is. We will lose again and will look bad doing it. Then we will win again and will look pretty good. Then we will lose in Vegas, and we will start daydreaming about football.

Enjoy the ride man!

[sancho]

Enjoy the ride man!

Oh, I'm enjoying it. This season has been fun and has had some great moments. I'll hold out hope for a surprising Vegas run until the end. But I do think we are not good/consistent enough to win out.

I'll try to join you in Boulder on Sat.

[chrisrenrut]

Utah is now 6-2 on the road, and 3-4 at home in conference games. Crazy.

[SoCalPat]

You've been doing this to yourself all season. We play well, and you expect us to play well consistently. We are not going to win out. That's not what this team is. We will lose again and will look bad doing it. Then we will win again and will look pretty good. Then we will lose in Vegas, and we will start daydreaming about football.

No predictions made anywhere, and I’m fully aware of this team’s near-psychotic nature. My comment was made looking at the respective schedules of all three teams right below Washington. We’re deep enough into the season that some definitives are in play, and one of them is, a Utah team that wins out will not be merely a 4 seed.

[Mormon Red Death]

Well we win 2 we end up 3rd

We win 1 and beat USC we most likely lose the tiebreakers (assuming its Oregon st or UCLA)
We win 1 and beat UCLA we end up 4th (Barring an Oregon Upset of Washington and a Colo sweep)

[Mormon Red Death]

Ok here are the scenarios for seeding:

Win and we end up 3rd seed

Lose and Ore st, Colo, Oreg all lose - 3rd Seed due to our win vs ASU

Lose and Colo, Ore lose - 5th seed (1-2 vs Ore st and UCLA)

Lose and Ore st and Ore lose 4th seed

Lose and Colo and Ore st lose 5th seed

Lose and any other combo... 6th seed

[SoCalPat]

Final player grades

Sedrick Barefield: The all-Pac 12 first team honor was deserved, but that's probably more emblematic of the league itself than Sed overall as a player. He's a very good 3-point shooter -- but I would hesitate to call him an all-timer at Utah. He's a better passer than he's given credit for. He gave a young team scoring punch. His team-leading 29 steals are probably a generational low for a Utah team, and against the league's best teams, we were a turnover machine and that starts with your PG. Sed will be missed, but will never be spoken of as an all-timer at Utah. Final grade: B

Parker Van Dyke: We're a sub-.500 team without PVD, who had a great run from 3 as a senior and totally rewrote the ending of his career after a brutal non-con in which it was universally believed he should be benched. That said, having PVD come off the bench was probably the best coaching decision Larry made this year. PVD was very limited offensively (rarely got to the line, zero mid-range game to speak of) and nobody will ever confuse him with an above-average defender, but if you're strongest trait is hitting 40-percent plus from 3, I'll take it. And of course, his back-to-back games against UCLA and Arizona cemented his spot in Utah lore. Final grade: B

Jayce Johnson: I feel a lot better about Jayce going forward, and with a stronger second unit behind him next year, he should be able to play with more abandon and not worry about foul trouble. He's simply has got to get better at the line -- he could be a 15 and 11 guy just by improving his FT shooting, because not only does he miss when he gets there, you can't help but think his role in the offense is stunted because he's not a reliable option from the line. Final grade: B+

Riley Battin and Both Gach: I'm putting both here because after respectable starts (perhaps sizzling in Gach's case?) both were largely ineffective the second time around the league. That's understandable to the point of being predictable. My biggest concern is that neither is really suited for the position they played major minutes at this year. Battin is not a glass-eating, rim-protecting 4; Gach is not going to be the next Delon Wright at the point. Larry has to ensure these players aren't consistently put in spots where they can only fail. Final grade: C+ for Gach, C- for Battin.

Donnie Tillman: If you want, you can find arguments for where Donnie disappointed or underachieved. This will not be one of those spots, although he did have a very rough four-game patch in league play where he was almost invisible (the UCLA comeback had to be somewhat bittersweet, given Donnie did nothing to contribute in that game). I only mention that to demonstrate that he bounced back from that with a bang, averaging 14.4 PPG over the last five games, while shooting 63 percent on 2s and 41 percent on 3s.

You could argue that he wasn't the defender this year that he was last year, but he's hardly alone there. He was much better in league games this year than last year, and he's the shining hope that we'll see likewise from Battin and Gach next year. With a stronger inside presence next year, Donnie shouldn't have to rely as much on the 3 (he took nearly 100 more attempts this year, and although he improved from 32 to 36 percent, unless he can get near the 40 percent mark, he's probably more effective inside the arc; in fact, his make rate on 2s went from 51 to 53 percent YoY). Donnie is our best returning player next year and should threaten for all-Pac 12 honors. As the cast around Donnie gets better, his improvement will be even more noticeable. Final grade: B+

Novak Topalovic: I'm not gonna hammer the kid for coming to Utah, but the coach who thought he could transition to the Pac-12 has some explaining to do. His PER this year was lower than his freshman year at ISU. Conversely, his competition was much, much stronger -- even in a mediocre Pac-12. Some guys can make that jump to a higher league (Justin Bibbins comes to mind). But those guys are the exception, not the rule, and someone on Utah's staff forgot that. Nonetheless, he was a body to replace Jayce, and even the advanced stats show he rebounded about as well at Utah as he did at ISU. Final grade: D

Timmy Allen: The best of the frosh, and the one least affected by the wall most frosh hit. Ironically enough, his arrival pushed Tillman to have more of a perimeter game, and he was better inside as a frosh than Tillman was. Another interesting point -- if Allen played against Minnesota, Hawaii and Northwestern like he did in league games, we might be talking about Utah as a possible bubble team. I'm not suggesting by any stretch that Allen is the reason we're not talking about the Dance, but merely to display how atypical his freshman year was.

Timmy gets my highest grade this year, because his combination of youth and production was pretty damn impressive. However, I can't help but wonder if this is as good as it will get. He's too efficient inside to encourage him to take more 3s, but we've got a lot of size coming into the program next year and I expect Allen's minutes (he averaged a hefty 28.8 this year) and opportunities to be reduced as a result. I don't expect him to become an afterthought by any stretch, but I think it would be a mistake to expect him to trend higher statistically next year. Final grade: A-

Brandon Morley, Charles Jones Jr. both get incompletes. There are opportunities for both next year -- Jones can win the starting job if he proves he can be the catalyst on defense that Sed wasn't; Morley can eat into Battin's minutes as a spot-up 3-point shooter who can spread the floor in spurts and provide a little resistance defensively.

[sancho]

Final player grades


I agree with your grades. I'll give Sed a B+ by factoring in entertainment value.

Battin had to try to fill a role he wasn't suited for at times. With as many bigs as we have next season, he shouldn't be required to do that any more. Depending on the quality of the many incoming bigs, he might have a lot less PT next season. He could fill a role of coming off the bench to spread the floor.

Gach is a question mark. He oozes potential, but potential for what? Does he have PG potential? His ball handling and passing are not strong at all. Does he have SG potential? I think so. He has the athleticism to get to the rim, but that skill is not yet in his toolbox. If he develops that ability, he'll be huge.

A big part of next season's success rests on the PG position. So it's all about Rylan being ready immediately, about Gach or CJJ having a big leap, or about a transfer PG.

[DrumNFeather]

No real quibbles with the grades either.

I think Battin really hit that freshman wall, but when he was good, he was really good. Hopefully nobody considers this blaspheme, but I see a little Trace Caton in him. I think he will always get playing time on a Larry coached team because he works hard and he's not afraid to stick his nose in there. He's got that garbage man potential.

As my avatar suggests, I really love the strides that headband Jayce made this year. If he can somehow improve the softness of his hands and go straight up when he gets it down low (and of course, improve his free throws), he's going to be an asset for us...especially early in the non-conference schedule. He and Tillman will be expected to be leaders next year, and I think they'll step up.

Novak was an absolute whiff by this staff. I watched him up close and personal when they played at CU, and he just seemed lost out there. I thought Morely really earned some minutes from him and I can't for the life of me understand why Morely didn't get some time last night...he could've stretched the D and made Wooten defend on the perimeter.

One of the things I've noticed is that Larry is all about the process, etc. I think he needs to figure out a way to speed that up next year to get some good OOC wins before heading into conference play. The opportunities will be there early, this team just needs to capitalize on them.

[UTEopia]

Good offense revolves around having players who can penetrate and either get to the rim or get the ball to the open guy on perimeter. It requires at least 2 guys capable of getting to the rim and at least 3 guys who are capable of hitting the 3. Allen and Goch can get to the rim but they both struggle when the defense collapses and they are forced to find the open guy. Tillman can back his guy down, but he too needs to be better at finding the open guy when the defense collapses. If these 3 guys can improve on finding the open guy, the Utes will have fewer turnovers which will lead to better offense and defense. We lose our two best outside scorers. Goch, Battin and Tillman are threats from deep, but none are the caliber of Sed and PVD.

Allen needs to improve his court vision and his outside shot.
Goch needs to improve court vision and basketball IQ.
Battin needs to get stronger physically and be more physical.
Tillman needs to continue to improve 3 point shooting.
Jayce showed a lot of improvement as the season continued. Stronger physically getting the ball and with the ball and better FT shooting should be his goals.

A lot will depend on these guys making steps forward. If they can make improvement and we can find 3 more guys who can contribute, we might be better next year.

[sancho]

Goch can get to the rim

I'm not sure he can. Can he? It sure wasn't a part of his game this season like it was for Allen.

[concerned]

I'm not sure he can. Can he? It sure wasn't a part of his game this season like it was for Allen.

He doesn't dribble well enough. Loses the ball in traffic.

[LA Ute]

He doesn't dribble well enough. Loses the ball in traffic.

That might be because he often dribbles right into traffic.

[sancho]

Another too early look at next season:

1) The frontcourt. Johnson, Tillman, and Allen will start. The five others - Battin, the Finn, Lahat, Van Tall Guy, and Carlson - will compete for what is likely to be two spots in the rotation, maybe three.

2) The backcourt. A big question mark. We need a PG, and there are three possible ways to get one:

a) Gach and/or CJJ makes a big leap
b) Rylan Jones is Pac-12 ready from the start
c) We bring in a transfer who can run the show

3) Shooting. We know Tillman will be shooting outside. We hope Gach improves from out there. Battin may beat the other bigs out for minutes just because he can shoot. Other than that, we are hoping on Brenchley and whoever is new. Shooting appears to be a weakness - what we have may not be enough for modern basketball.

4) Offense. Tillman and Allen can attack the basket. Either could be good in a pick and roll if we end up with a PG who can handle that. Allen can be the man in the middle of a zone. So much depends on the PG. Hopefully, Gach is more polished offensively. We probably still won't have a strong post offense.

5) Defense. Jayce is pretty good here. Allen and Tillman both played good defense at times this season. Gach has potential here like he does everywhere else. He has all the tools to be a great defender. CJJ plays decent defense.

I'm not sure this adds up to a tournament caliber team. It all depends on that PG spot, and adding another shooter would be huge. Gach has 10 areas to improve in. If he makes a big leap in any one of those areas, he'll be very valuable. If he makes minor strides in multiple areas, he'll be useful. If he makes big improvements in all areas, he'll be all-conference.

[LA Ute]

Another too early look at next season:

1) The frontcourt. Johnson, Tillman, and Allen will start. The five others - Battin, the Finn, Lahat, Van Tall Guy, and Carlson - will compete for what is likely to be two spots in the rotation, maybe three.

2) The backcourt. A big question mark. We need a PG, and there are three possible ways to get one:

a) Gach and/or CJJ makes a big leap
b) Rylan Jones is Pac-12 ready from the start
c) We bring in a transfer who can run the show

3) Shooting. We know Tillman will be shooting outside. We hope Gach improves from out there. Battin may beat the other bigs out for minutes just because he can shoot. Other than that, we are hoping on Brenchley and whoever is new. Shooting appears to be a weakness - what we have may not be enough for modern basketball.

4) Offense. Tillman and Allen can attack the basket. Either could be good in a pick and roll if we end up with a PG who can handle that. Allen can be the man in the middle of a zone. So much depends on the PG. Hopefully, Gach is more polished offensively. We probably still won't have a strong post offense.

5) Defense. Jayce is pretty good here. Allen and Tillman both played good defense at times this season. Gach has potential here like he does everywhere else. He has all the tools to be a great defender. CJJ plays decent defense.

I'm not sure this adds up to a tournament caliber team. It all depends on that PG spot, and adding another shooter would be huge. Gach has 10 areas to improve in. If he makes a big leap in any one of those areas, he'll be very valuable. If he makes minor strides in multiple areas, he'll be useful. If he makes big improvements in all areas, he'll be all-conference.

But Larry’s salary!

😉

[UtahsMrSports]

Another too early look at next season:

1) The frontcourt. Johnson, Tillman, and Allen will start. The five others - Battin, the Finn, Lahat, Van Tall Guy, and Carlson - will compete for what is likely to be two spots in the rotation, maybe three.

2) The backcourt. A big question mark. We need a PG, and there are three possible ways to get one:

a) Gach and/or CJJ makes a big leap
b) Rylan Jones is Pac-12 ready from the start
c) We bring in a transfer who can run the show

3) Shooting. We know Tillman will be shooting outside. We hope Gach improves from out there. Battin may beat the other bigs out for minutes just because he can shoot. Other than that, we are hoping on Brenchley and whoever is new. Shooting appears to be a weakness - what we have may not be enough for modern basketball.

4) Offense. Tillman and Allen can attack the basket. Either could be good in a pick and roll if we end up with a PG who can handle that. Allen can be the man in the middle of a zone. So much depends on the PG. Hopefully, Gach is more polished offensively. We probably still won't have a strong post offense.

5) Defense. Jayce is pretty good here. Allen and Tillman both played good defense at times this season. Gach has potential here like he does everywhere else. He has all the tools to be a great defender. CJJ plays decent defense.

I'm not sure this adds up to a tournament caliber team. It all depends on that PG spot, and adding another shooter would be huge. Gach has 10 areas to improve in. If he makes a big leap in any one of those areas, he'll be very valuable. If he makes minor strides in multiple areas, he'll be useful. If he makes big improvements in all areas, he'll be all-conference.

Good points here. To your second point, I kind of think we will see a combo of all 3. I see us bringing in a JUCO/grad transfer to pair in the backcourt next to Gach. I see Rylan as the first guard off the bench, maybe around 20 minutes a night.

[sancho]

Good points here. To your second point, I kind of think we will see a combo of all 3. I see us bringing in a JUCO/grad transfer to pair in the backcourt next to Gach. I see Rylan as the first guard off the bench, maybe around 20 minutes a night.

I also think we'll bring in a transfer. Larry usually ends up with an 8 man rotation. I think we'll have 5 bigs and 3 guards in a regular rotation (like we did this year). Could get up to a 9 or even 10 man rotation if there are pleasant surprises.

I hope someone seizes the PG spot and gets 30+ mpg as a floor leader. I think it's a bad sign if we have to go PG by committee.

This season, we had a 3 guard rotation (32 mpg, 24 mpg, 20 mpg) with 5 bigs (29, 27, 22, 20, 12). That may have looked different if Hendrix had stayed.

[snafu]

A few things:
Do people really expect CJJ back next year? He seems like the most likely candidate to move on. It happens every year. The fact that we are still recruiting for next year is telling.
Also, I think Rylan Jones will be as good as advertised. He will solidify the PG spot almost immediately.

[sancho]

A few things:
Do people really expect CJJ back next year? He seems like the most likely candidate to move on. It happens every year. The fact that we are still recruiting for next year is telling.
Also, I think Rylan Jones will be as good as advertised. He will solidify the PG spot almost immediately.


We are recruiting, no secret there. But I think Gaskin is at least as likely as CJJ to be the one to transfer out.

I hope you are right on Rylan. That would make a huge difference for us. Unfortunately, Utah Mr Basketball does not have a 100% success rate. Everything though Akot was a sure thing, and he turned out to be a bust.

[UtahsMrSports]

Well, I think those are clearly the top 2 and it may (likely will?) come down to being able/unable to bring in a player(s) who are better. We are after two good juco guards (see my post in the recruiting thread) but we face stiff competition for both. Only other offer I am aware of is high school guard Harlond Beverly and thats probably a pipe dream unless it becomes a Vante Hendrix type situation.

I disagree with even going down the path of comparing Rylan to past Mr. Basketball winners. I mean, those guys have gone to be anywhere from "meh" in college to playing in the NBA......High School basketball in Utah isn't nearly what it is comparatively in football and as such its hard to gain much from it. Far better to compare what he has done at the AAU level and enough folks there seem to like him to the point that I am hopeful. Obviously, I agree that nothing is for sure (though I firmly believe Akot was utilized incorrectly and will be a really good player at Boise..).

Its the same argument Im fighting on twitter with Juco's. A lot of folks are arguing that since we had the national juco player of the year last year and he wasn't very good, any future juco wont be good either and thats just nuts to me. Each player should be evaluated on a case by case basis...

[SoCalPat]

Another too early look at next season:

1) The frontcourt. Johnson, Tillman, and Allen will start. The five others - Battin, the Finn, Lahat, Van Tall Guy, and Carlson - will compete for what is likely to be two spots in the rotation, maybe three.

2) The backcourt. A big question mark. We need a PG, and there are three possible ways to get one:

a) Gach and/or CJJ makes a big leap
b) Rylan Jones is Pac-12 ready from the start
c) We bring in a transfer who can run the show

3) Shooting. We know Tillman will be shooting outside. We hope Gach improves from out there. Battin may beat the other bigs out for minutes just because he can shoot. Other than that, we are hoping on Brenchley and whoever is new. Shooting appears to be a weakness - what we have may not be enough for modern basketball.

4) Offense. Tillman and Allen can attack the basket. Either could be good in a pick and roll if we end up with a PG who can handle that. Allen can be the man in the middle of a zone. So much depends on the PG. Hopefully, Gach is more polished offensively. We probably still won't have a strong post offense.

5) Defense. Jayce is pretty good here. Allen and Tillman both played good defense at times this season. Gach has potential here like he does everywhere else. He has all the tools to be a great defender. CJJ plays decent defense.

I'm not sure this adds up to a tournament caliber team. It all depends on that PG spot, and adding another shooter would be huge. Gach has 10 areas to improve in. If he makes a big leap in any one of those areas, he'll be very valuable. If he makes minor strides in multiple areas, he'll be useful. If he makes big improvements in all areas, he'll be all-conference.

We should go ahead and make Donnie a 2. He's good enough (but can get better) from 3 and he can physically overpower most 2s. Moving Donnie is probably contrary to what I've said earlier, but we need more depth in the backcourt. Donnie can make this transition, and it'll open up more frontcourt space, where we've got a lot of bodies. We've also seen what this team can be like defensively with a big guard in the backcourt (Delon Wright).

Van Komen should get as many minutes as we can afford. He has a skill no one else has on the team, and one that still carries a lot of value in the college game, even as teams shoot more 3s.

I suspect we'll roll with the hot hand at the 3. It's the one position I can see a rotating cast of characters at, unless we're dead set on keeping Donnie there.

Whomever defends the best and turns the ball over the least should be the PG. It all starts there for Utah next year.

[sancho]

We should go ahead and make Donnie a 2. He's good enough (but can get better) from 3 and he can physically overpower most 2s. Moving Donnie is probably contrary to what I've said earlier, but we need more depth in the backcourt. Donnie can make this transition, and it'll open up more frontcourt space, where we've got a lot of bodies. We've also seen what this team can be like defensively with a big guard in the backcourt (Delon Wright).


I was dreaming about that when watching Duke play Syracuse last week. The Orange were tall at every position. We can go big with Gach, Tillman, Allen, Battin/Finn/Carlson, and one of our three centers.

I think we can also go up tempo with Thione as the 5. Allen is certainly comfortable pushing. Gach would need to be better.

[sancho]

I disagree with even going down the path of comparing Rylan to past Mr. Basketball winners.

Sure, they're all different. Some have been great, and some have bombed. I'm just saying that we don't know yet what we have with Rylan Jones.

[Old Standing ute]

I think Van Komen will red shirt as he is just too skinny at this point.

Thione is a rim protector--he might play some 4, but his range is limited.

Both had some really good moments & some really dumb moments---he was better when he started, but then PVD got hot & took away his minutes. Hope he makes a big jump, which many do from Freshman to soph year.

I was down on JUCOs based on CJJ, but changed my mind after watching Taz Sherman---they need a shooter.

Wild card might be Carlson--returning from mission is difficult, but everyone raves about him & he did get many high level offers.

At 32 this is highest rated recruiting class for Utes.

[UBlender]

My way too early prediction for next year's rotation:

-The three main guards in the rotation (in no order) will be Gach, RJones and someone who isn't currently with the team or signed. The 4th guard will depend on who is still in the program. I predict a battle between Gaskin and Brenchley for that spot but maybe CJones will be there.

-Timmy and Donnie are the starting forwards, end of story.....Unless, Larry really thinks outside the box and tries Donnie at the 2 (I actually had this thought before SoCalPat said the same in this thread). The issue with Donnie at the 2 is defense. I wouldn't describe Donnie as lumbering, but it still may be a challenge for him to stay in front of a 6'2" guard in space. The Finn and Battin will both get minutes, but if the Finn is as advertised then Riley will have to make some strides to avoid becoming something of a fringe rotation player/specialist. But given Utah's possible lack of shooting, Riley will provide value as a shooter.

-I think Center is also pretty easy. Headband Jayce is your starter and can play with a little more abandon with more depth behind him. Lahat is your first backup (could play a little 4 at times against certain matchups) and then Carlson kind of gives you spot minutes and works off his mission rust (a redshirt isn't out of the question but I hate the idea of a guy taking over three years off from competitive basketball--at some point you just lose the edge). If Morley sticks around he may get the occasional run too. MVK redshirts (I do think you could run him out there and he'd impact games just with his size in the paint, but there's so many bodies that I don't think it would be a good use of his eligibility unless Carlson is really not ready to compete.

I think Utah is pretty solid in the frontcourt--good talent, good role players, good depth. We will need to see an alpha dog emerge, all eyes will be on Donnie and Timmy to be the guy to attack the basket and generate offense. The key is going to be the backcourt. It's a little scary right now, but all it takes is one really solid grad transfer or JC guy to solidify things there. Remember how much the whole team was elevated the day Delon Wright showed up? We probably won't get that but even a Justin Bibbins or Zo Bonam level guard would make a huge difference. Also, I wonder if people are discounting Rylan a little because he's from Utah. If we signed a guard as highly rated as him from California or Texas or some other big city in the midwest or east coast would we have any reservations about him being really solid out of the gate? In any case, whether next year's team can make a leap forward will depend a lot on landing another guard (or two) that can be pretty good right away as well as Rylan being solid and Gach making strides. If the backcourt performs this team will have a shot at making a solid leap forward.

[sancho]

If we signed a guard as highly rated as him from California or Texas or some other big city in the midwest or east coast would we have any reservations about him being really solid out of the gate?

I would. I don't think I've ever gone all in on a player until I've seen him play. Basketball recruiting ranking is just too much of an inexact science. I'm certainly hopeful for Rylan, though. If he comes in and impresses, it would instantly solve many problems for this team.

[LA Ute]

At 32 this is highest rated recruiting class for Utes.

This is an encouraging sign that people aren’t talking about enough.