The Official 12 Pac basketball thread

[LA Ute]

Nice win against the rival Utes! Colorado has taken a nose dive, they were ranked to start the year right?

I missed it -- was going to the airport and then getting on a plane -- but all that time I was checking ESPN and getting text updates from my son, who was at the game. At one point they were up 19 and I relaxed -- kind of, remembering the Northridge game. Then I had to shut down until the plane got to wi-fi altitude. When I had shut down with about 7:30 to go in the game I could see that Colorado was making a run. Then I log back on and see that Utah didn't score a field goal in the final 10:44 of the game. :yikes: I am really glad I didn't watch that. Anyway, they found a way to win and that is a good thing.

According to people who were there the Majerus tribute was very nice.

[OrangeUte]

I missed it -- was going to the airport and then getting on a plane -- but all that time I was checking ESPN and getting text updates from my son, who was at the game. At one point they were up 19 and I relaxed -- kind of, remembering the Northridge game. Then I had to shut down until the plane got to wi-fi altitude. When I had shut down with about 7:30 to go in the game I could see that Colorado was making a run. Then I log back on and see that Utah didn't score a field goal in the final 10:44 of the game. :yikes: I am really glad I didn't watch that. Anyway, they found a way to win and that is a good thing.

According to people who were there the Majerus tribute was very nice.

Yikes! Almost 11 minutes without a field goal. That's pretty pathetic.

[LA Ute]

Yikes! Almost 11 minutes without a field goal. That's pretty pathetic.

That's why I am so glad I didn't have to watch it. It would have been excruciating.

[SeattleUte]

You guys piss me off. Ingrates. This was a great win and night for the Utes.

First, at this point any win is something to be thankful for. The Pac 12 has no patsies unless it's Utah. Every game is a fight no matter how good you are. This Colorado team is very talented and athletic, which is why it started the season ranked. It hasn't been in decline. Like Utah, it started with probably the toughtest part of its schedule. It lost a heartbreaker at Arizona and then was flat against ASU. Then it lost a tight game against a very talented (albeit pathologically underachieving) UCLA. Since then it's clawed its way back to relevancy, winning four out of five, until tonight. This would have been a good win under the best of circustances. In my wildest dreams I didn't expect us to go up 22 points against this team. Yes, we needed every bit of it. But we won (Even though the team didn't have a field goal in the last 11 minutes)!

Second, our best player was out injured. This team has had some tough luck lately, and Loveridge's headaches, flu and knee inury are the lastest in this string of terrible luck. But we won!

Third, the emergence of Jeremy Olsen a future pillar of the program continues. Right now we have a nice nucleus for the future with Loveridge, Olsen, and Taylor (if they don't transfer). Brandon Taylor saved the win with a savvy defensive play near the end.

Rome wasn't built in a day. But I know some of you here were even bitching in the Majerus years, and thought he'd be easily replaced.

P.S. I see nobody started a new thread for this game. Shame on Ute fans.

[SeattleUte]

And, how could I have failed to add, we won on the day they retired Rick Majerus' sweater.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Yikes! Almost 11 minutes without a field goal. That's pretty pathetic.

We held them 11 minutes without a field goal as well, which is why we were able to build such a big lead to start with.

[Jarid in Cedar]

You guys piss me off. Ingrates. This was a great win and night for the Utes.

First, at this point any win is something to be thankful for. The Pac 12 has no patsies unless it's Utah. Every game is a fight no matter how good you are. This Colorado team is very talented and athletic, which is why it started the season ranked. It hasn't been in decline. Like Utah, it started with probably the toughtest part of its schedule. It lost a heartbreaker at Arizona and then was flat against ASU. Then it lost a tight game against a very talented (albeit pathologically underachieving) UCLA. Since then it's clawed its way back to relevancy, winning four out of five, until tonight. This would have been a good win under the best of circustances. In my wildest dreams I didn't expect us to go up 22 points against this team. Yes, we needed every bit of it. But we won (Even though the team didn't have a field goal in the last 11 minutes)!

Second, our best player was out injured. This team has had some tough luck lately, and Loveridge's headaches, flu and knee inury are the lastest in this string of terrible luck. But we won!

Third, the emergence of Jeremy Olsen a future pillar of the program continues. Right now we have a nice nucleus for the future with Loveridge, Olsen, and Taylor (if they don't transfer). Brandon Taylor saved the win with a savvy defensive play near the end.

Rome wasn't built in a day. But I know some of you here were even bitching in the Majerus years, and thought he'd be easily replaced.

P.S. I see nobody started a new thread for this game. Shame on Ute fans.

Olsen had a lights out game. I think coach K overthought his rotation a bit at the middle third of the second half. Olsen came out at that point. Once the buffaloes started pressing, he tried to go small, but it killed us on the defensive end. Having another big would have helped with the pressure as well.

Also if I attend the game, I defer the thread starting to others.

[SeattleUte]

Olsen had a lights out game. I think coach K overthought his rotation a bit at the middle third of the second half. Olsen came out at that point. Once the buffaloes started pressing, he tried to go small, but it killed us on the defensive end. Having another big would have helped with the pressure as well.

Also if I attend the game, I defer the thread starting to others.

Yeah, I was kidding. We've been relying on MRD to do it.

I've had high hopes for Olsen. Glad to see some evidence they weren't misplaced.

[LA Ute]

You guys piss me off. Ingrates. This was a great win and night for the Utes.

First, at this point any win is something to be thankful for. The Pac 12 has no patsies unless it's Utah. Every game is a fight no matter how good you are. This Colorado team is very talented and athletic, which is why it started the season ranked. It hasn't been in decline. Like Utah, it started with probably the toughtest part of its schedule. It lost a heartbreaker at Arizona and then was flat against ASU. Then it lost a tight game against a very talented (albeit pathologically underachieving) UCLA. Since then it's clawed its way back to relevancy, winning four out of five, until tonight. This would have been a good win under the best of circustances. In my wildest dreams I didn't expect us to go up 22 points against this team. Yes, we needed every bit of it. But we won (Even though the team didn't have a field goal in the last 11 minutes)!

Second, our best player was out injured. This team has had some tough luck lately, and Loveridge's headaches, flu and knee inury are the lastest in this string of terrible luck. But we won!

Third, the emergence of Jeremy Olsen a future pillar of the program continues. Right now we have a nice nucleus for the future with Loveridge, Olsen, and Taylor (if they don't transfer). Brandon Taylor saved the win with a savvy defensive play near the end.

Rome wasn't built in a day. But I know some of you here were even bitching in the Majerus years, and thought he'd be easily replaced.

P.S. I see nobody started a new thread for this game. Shame on Ute fans.

Calm down. You're smarter than to put up a sorry, hectoring post like that. The undeniable fact is that 10:44 without a field goal, while Colorado catches up, would have indeed been excruciating to watch. That's because I want them to win so badly. I also said they they found a way to win and that is a good thing. This game was a nice step forward, as nerve-wracking as the ending was.

If you're going to beat up on other Utah fans, do it while using your brain.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Yeah, I was kidding. We've been relying on MRD to do it.

I've had high hopes for Olsen. Glad to see some evidence they weren't misplaced.

Olsen had been great the last several weeks. Bachynski looked solid today as well. Glad to see whatever was going on in his personal life seems to have settled down. We are going to need him the next two years.

[Top Ute]

And, how could I have failed to add, we won on the day they retired Rick Majerus' sweater.

Our other notable home win (Boise State) came in our first game after Rick died. Our best road win came when we shot 60-percent plus from the floor in the second half. It would be nice if we could just win a "normal" game where we shoot 43 percent for the game and win by 8.

The best thing that can be said about Utah is that we have to be one of the five most unpredictable teams among the power conferences and I'm probably understating that point. That makes for (fun?) days like today, but it doesn't give me a particularly warm feeling going forward. Inconsistency is the biggest enemy of every struggling program and this one is showing it in spades.

Just this week, in the span of about 25 game minutes, this team went from down 32 against Stanford to up 22 against Colorado. Add CU's perceived superiority -- probably a 5-point edge -- and that Utah was playing without Loveridge, who is probably 6-7 points better than his best available replacement, and you're talking about a 65-point swing. That's insane.

With our track record, we'll get punked in Corvallis, but have the Ducks in a one-possession game with three minutes or less to go.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Inconsistency is the biggest enemy of every struggling program and this one is showing it in spades.

I want to attribute a bulk off this to playing 3-4 freshman substantial minutes, and having two guys off a mission.

But it mostly comes down to lacking that one guy who its the glue to the offense. That one guy who, by his role, defines the rules of everyone else on the floor. Ultimately, that is because no one is good enough to fulfill that role. So what we get is riding a different hot hand each game. And when that hand cools, they don't have a good sense where to go to get points.

By comparison, when Bogut or Nevill, or Van Horn had a cold streak, every player on the team knew that the offense would still revolve through that person. Because the other players and the coaches had confidence that they would work their way out of the slump.

[SeattleUte]

I want to attribute a bulk off this to playing 3-4 freshman substantial minutes, and having two guys off a mission.

I think this is a lot of the explanation. I think Loveridge or Olsen or Taylor can be what you describe in the next paragraphs. But it will take time. We need to build the basketball program like Majerus did and Whit has built the football program -- with continuity and developing good players over 2-5 years. We don't recruit diaper dandies, which is why the last seven years' cascade of transfers has been so devastating.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I think this is a lot of the explanation. I think Loveridge or Olsen or Taylor can be what you describe in the next paragraphs. But it will take time. We need to build the basketball program like Majerus did and Whit has built the football program -- with continuity and developing good players over 2-5 years. We don't recruit diaper dandies, which is why the last seven years' cascade of transfers has been so devastating.

Has to be Loveridge or Taylor, imo. Tough to do it without the ball in your hand. Olsen is going to be a key cog, even the rest of this year, but he rewrites someone to feed him the ball to be successful.

I do agree that either Loveridge or Taylor can be the man, but they aren't this year, and that is what this year's team is missing.

[SeattleUte]

Has to be Loveridge or Taylor, imo. Tough to do it without the ball in your hand. Olsen is going to be a key cog, even the rest of this year, but he rewrites someone to feed him the ball to be successful.

I do agree that either Loveridge or Taylor can be the man, but they aren't this year, and that is what this year's team is missing.

Olsen is regarded as having a fairly developed and sophisticated offensive game, and soft hands. He can play facing and with his back to the basket. His problems early in the season had to do with mission rust and general lack of conditioning.

I never undestood why Boylen redshirted him. Olsen could have contributed as a true freshman. I think the ulterior motive was to prevent a tansfer after the mission, as I think that having redshirted he'd lose a year of eligibility transfering.