Utah-Wyoming

[Jarid in Cedar]

trying hard to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Flattop]

Utes win!

(by 10).

[DrumNFeather]

Wyoming is an interesting team. It seems like they've got some good young talent in the program. I just wonder if Shoyer is the guy to get them there.

As for the Utes, back to .500 with two to go and battling CSU for that 5th spot in the conference tourney...presumably opposite SDSU.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Hines play over the last 2 weeks has given me some hope that he will be the primary PG instead of tavita.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Wyoming is an interesting team. It seems like they've got some good young talent in the program. I just wonder if Shoyer is the guy to get them there.

As for the Utes, back to .500 with two to go and battling CSU for that 5th spot in the conference tourney...presumably opposite SDSU.

I would rather see UNLV than SDSU. We match up better against the REbs.

[BoylenOver]

I would rather see UNLV than SDSU. We match up better against the REbs.

Really? We legitimately beat UNLV twice, but they're still at home, and it's extremely difficult to beat a team three times in a season.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Really? We legitimately beat UNLV twice, but they're still at home, and it's extremely difficult to beat a team three times in a season.

We match up poorly in the interior with SDSU. We also don't have much of an answer for Leonard. We were in the game against them both times simply because they couldn't hit a freethrow even if they were allowed to dunk on the attempt.

[il Padrino Ute]

I want the conference tournament moved out of Vegas permanently.

[DU Ute]

I want the conference tournament moved out of Vegas permanently.

BYU football fans feel the same about their bowl game. Get in line.

[il Padrino Ute]

BYU football fans feel the same about their bowl game. Get in line.

BYU can do something about that. The Cougars could win enough to get to a BCS game or lose enough to not go to Vegas.

The basketball tournament is going to be held in Vegas no matter what any team in the league does.

[Senioritis]

I don't hate this Ute team as much as I hated last year's team. Of course, when I say "hate," you know what I mean. I love them so much that I hate them, kind of thing, or something.

I am ready for the buy a vowel era to be over. I am ready for les Kim du Tillie to retreat as quickly to France as his hairline has retreated from his eyebrows. I am not yet ready to be done with Carlon Brown and his forceps-extended dome. I like Carlon Brown. If he were an effeminate plush toy, he would be a Care Bear, and who doesn't love a Care Bear?

I was there tonight, like I always am. About 9,000 in attendance. Passionate group, the majority of whom want to remove one of Jace Tavita's testicles and parade it around campus on a pike. I don't lament the loss of the Huntsman Center of old, whatever that was, because I don't really remember it being any different than it is now. I guess it's been too long.

The biggest concern about Jim Boylen, to me, is that you never, ever, ever have a fantastic team who wins a lot due only to effort. Utah will always give effort under Jim Boylen, but great teams go beyond effort. There's a raw skill level that's required, number one, and I think that's improving at Utah. But there's also an identity, a culture, and everybody knows what it is and how they fit in. This is the question with Boylen. Can he add to his effort, fundamentals, and to fundamentals, identity? Yea verily, who knows?

I'm bolted to the Boylen bandwagon, with no desire to exit. He's not a Hall of Famer. He could still be very good. As Mr. Crimson says, he turned a vag like Luke Nevill into a defensive presence. That's something, I guess, coming from Mr. Crimson.

But I'm not sure where we are, or really where we are going. I like the young guys, I really do, but I don't see an NBA guy on the roster right now. Tough to be really good when you don't have an NBA guy on the roster. Somebody said that you should pick your tournament pool by counting the pros. I did that last year, in every game but Utah - Arizona, and I did smashingly, for a hapless non-gambler. Should have counted the pros in Utah - Arizona.

Anyway, who is the current NBA guy? Somebody's got to be the NBA guy.

So I don't hate this team, not like I've hated some of the recent Utah teams. I love them all, but some of them I hate. This is my favorite Boylen team so far. They're pretty freaking good defensively, and there are moments, on offense, when you actually think they know what the heck they are trying to do. Those moments are rare, but inspirational.

They'll keep being plucky, and plucky is good for this year. Plucky isn't good for next year, and plucky is disastrous year after next. I guess this is Utah basketball 2010. We aren't reduced to it, we embrace it. This is who we are. HOPING FOR MORE THAN PLUCKY!

P.S. We are going to wear the asses of the Mighty Cougars like fine, custom fitted fedoras.

[redrumu]

Well, I know when Boylen first took over the helm he said he wasn't a fan of foreign players. So we'll see how he does next year.

As far as identity, when it was almost all the younger guys on the floor I think we started to see flashes of what that could be. Once we develop a consistent inside presence we might see guys who can hit jumpers (which I think we sorely need right now, but can't get the looks for because of our inside game). I think these kids will grow and can't wait to see how it goes.

Think about having an inside presence, brown as a slasher, and all those other kids who can hit outside shots. We'll finish higher next year if we get improvement from Foster and Washburn who need more weight strength.

[SeattleUte]

I don't hate this Ute team as much as I hated last year's team. Of course, when I say "hate," you know what I mean. I love them so much that I hate them, kind of thing, or something.

I am ready for the buy a vowel era to be over. I am ready for les Kim du Tillie to retreat as quickly to France as his hairline has retreated from his eyebrows. I am not yet ready to be done with Carlon Brown and his forceps-extended dome. I like Carlon Brown. If he were an effeminate plush toy, he would be a Care Bear, and who doesn't love a Care Bear?

I was there tonight, like I always am. About 9,000 in attendance. Passionate group, the majority of whom want to remove one of Jace Tavita's testicles and parade it around campus on a pike. I don't lament the loss of the Huntsman Center of old, whatever that was, because I don't really remember it being any different than it is now. I guess it's been too long.

The biggest concern about Jim Boylen, to me, is that you never, ever, ever have a fantastic team who wins a lot due only to effort. Utah will always give effort under Jim Boylen, but great teams go beyond effort. There's a raw skill level that's required, number one, and I think that's improving at Utah. But there's also an identity, a culture, and everybody knows what it is and how they fit in. This is the question with Boylen. Can he add to his effort, fundamentals, and to fundamentals, identity? Yea verily, who knows?

I'm bolted to the Boylen bandwagon, with no desire to exit. He's not a Hall of Famer. He could still be very good. As Mr. Crimson says, he turned a vag like Luke Nevill into a defensive presence. That's something, I guess, coming from Mr. Crimson.

But I'm not sure where we are, or really where we are going. I like the young guys, I really do, but I don't see an NBA guy on the roster right now. Tough to be really good when you don't have an NBA guy on the roster. Somebody said that you should pick your tournament pool by counting the pros. I did that last year, in every game but Utah - Arizona, and I did smashingly, for a hapless non-gambler. Should have counted the pros in Utah - Arizona.

Anyway, who is the current NBA guy? Somebody's got to be the NBA guy.

So I don't hate this team, not like I've hated some of the recent Utah teams. I love them all, but some of them I hate. This is my favorite Boylen team so far. They're pretty freaking good defensively, and there are moments, on offense, when you actually think they know what the heck they are trying to do. Those moments are rare, but inspirational.

They'll keep being plucky, and plucky is good for this year. Plucky isn't good for next year, and plucky is disastrous year after next. I guess this is Utah basketball 2010. We aren't reduced to it, we embrace it. This is who we are. HOPING FOR MORE THAN PLUCKY!

P.S. We are going to wear the asses of the Mighty Cougars like fine, custom fitted fedoras.

Nice essay. I think Boylen may surprise in a quieter, more loving Whittingham sort of way.

The NBA is a rarified environment, and you won't find a lot of future pros on many teams outside of Kentucky or Kansas. Syracuse, for example, is a team more reliant on a large number of good college basketball players and great hearts and chemistry than future NBA players. I'm not convinced any MWC team has future NBA players this year. How many Ute icons have gone on to successful NBA careers?

One of the happier developments the past few weeks is that Hines (still a freshman) is making Boylen's first recruiting class not look like pretty much a bust (also factoring in Washburn's potential). I don't see any NBA players in Boylen's recruits, but in three years he has added what appears to be nine players with potential to be solid or better than solid DI players (I'm counting Olson, who is supposed to be mission-bound). How long has it been since we could say that? I think that can be the makings of a top 10 team.

[Katy Lied]

Ute Win/Loss Predictor


Now all's you have to do is wait until you have a down year, and no one expects you to do much. Wahlah. Conference Champs!


.

[U-Ute]

The NBA is a rarified environment, and you won't find a lot of future pros on many teams outside of Kentucky or Kansas. Syracuse, for example, is a team more reliant on a large number of good college basketball players and great hearts and chemistry than future NBA players. I'm not convinced any MWC team has future NBA players this year. How many Ute icons have gone on to successful NBA careers?

Actually, I think there are maybe 3-4 guys in the MWC now that have a chance of playing in the league. Jimmer reminds me of Steph Curry in a way. Neither is particularly large or quick, but they just have insane range and a way of getting the ball in the hole. NBA teams like that and Curry seems to be doing well. Personally, I have been watching Steph's career wondering if a guy like that could still compete.

Then you have guys like Tre'Von Willis, Kawhi Leonard, and possibly Foster as well. He has a long ways to develop, especially on the offensive side, but with his size, length, and ability to run the floor and block shots, there's talent to work with. It depends on his work ethic.

One of the happier developments the past few weeks is that Hines (still a freshman) is making Boylen's first recruiting class not look like pretty much a bust (also factoring in Washburn's potential). I don't see any NBA players in Boylen's recruits, but in three years he has added what appears to be nine players with potential to be solid or better than solid DI players (I'm counting Olson, who is supposed to be mission-bound). How long has it been since we could say that? I think that can be the makings of a top 10 team.

Maybe, maybe not. I don't see anyone in Boylen's recruits that looks on the verge of setting the world on fire, but in the world of the Utah Utes, we don't recruit the McDonald's All Americans of the world, so you never know how guys are going to react against D1 competition.

My biggest concern has been the PG position. The lack of PT for Hines was disappointing until now. Guiot? Really? Tavita hasn't really improved much in the last year. So I completely agree that it is nice to see Hines breaking out a bit. Maybe he just needed a shot of confidence, and an opportunity like when Drca was hurt.

I agree with your premise that to be a legit top 10 team, you need a couple of NBA guys on your team. I remember when the Utes went to the Final Four, I read a stat that the team that wins the tournament always has at least 3 NBA players on their team. That was 10 years ago, but I've paid attention since then, and even even with all the talent jumping to the NBA early that stat has been pretty consistent, you still need at least 1 or 2 to compete at the highest levels.

The year we went to the Final Four, we had Miller, Doleac, and Mottola, all of whom played in the NBA. Mottola may have played only 2 seasons, but its 2 more than than the majority of college kids will get.

Don't knock the Orange. Wes Johnson is a monster, averaging 15/8 in what I think is the most competitive league this year.

U-Ute