The Official Four-Game Cupcake Thread, Presented by Hostess

[SoCalPat]

Figured we'd keep the next run of games here, unless someone has a clever title for our Alabama State matchup in the "Utah Classic"

Anyway, last year's RPIs of our next four opponents:

UC Riverside, 319

UT-Pan American, 311

North Dakota, 213 (not to be confused with NCAA bid-earner North Dakota State, 33)

Alabama State, 253

I'll say this about this "Classic" we've scheduled now for the past three years -- low majors have to be banging down the door to play in it. They're probably going to get a travel reimbursement from us. They're going to get a game on TV and the other two are against peer schools on a neutral floor. Go look at the non-con schedules these schools play -- North Dakota doesn't have a single home non-conference game against a D-1 opponent. Alabama State and UT-PA each have one.

[UBlender]

This may be off topic, but does anyone know if the "Utah Classic" thing is going away next year with Utah playing in the Puerto Rico tournament? I would assume Utah doesn't want to condense half it's nonconference schedule into two three-day bunches.

[LA Ute]

Let's start with the UC Riverside Highlanders. It looks like Larry and the team watched film of the same SDS​U game we saw and noticed the same things we did:

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1853390-155/utah-basketball-utes-look-to-correct#disqus_thread

[justaute]

I'm sure the Big 3 will score a lot. Loveridge will hit most of his outside shots during the 4-game span. Taylor will get more open looks.

[Old Standing ute]

Let's start with the UC Riverside Highlanders. It looks like Larry and the team watched film of the same SDS​U game we saw and noticed the same things we did:

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1853390-155/utah-basketball-utes-look-to-correct#disqus_thread


So had a chance to watch the first 1/2---(I know get a life)--
the 2 solid picks were by Reyes--but the problem is the "smalls" do not rub off their defender.
Poeltl's block at the end of the half was hard to believe for a 7+ player--ran the length of the court from behind--jumped at the right time & blocked a jumper from behind--without fouling.

Finally: Great Bill Walton line to his co-announcer on a charge taken by Bach that co-announcer said was correctly called a block : "Have you had your glasses cleaned or checked lately?"

[justaute]

Our weak-side help defense still needs a lot of work.

[justaute]

Kuzma is lighting it up from outside.

[Diehard Ute]

Deion had 2 threes and a third with his foot on the line. They were all nothing but net.

[justaute]

Glad he made those -- good for his confidence.

That's what happens when you are not defended. :)


Deion had 2 threes and a third with his foot on the line. They were all nothing but net.

[UtahsMrSports]

-Poeltl is going to be here for two years and then go pro.
-Brekkott is a player.
-Kuzma had it going tonight. Obviously unsustainable, but if he can find consistency, he is going to be a nightmare to guard.
-Loveridge and Wright did things that Loveridge and Wright do.
-I dont know how long Reyes can keep Brekkott out of the starting five, but that kid will always have a big role here. Just goes crashing hard on the boards and in conference, we will need him.
-Isaiah Wright with 8 assists and 1 turnover. He is our starting point guard next year.
-With Kenny Ogbe playing so well right now........can anyone tell me where Dakari gets minutes once he gets healthy?

After these first three games, it is safe to say that we have a very very good defense. Offensively, I still want a little more proof against a quality opponent. Good thing is, we have got plenty of those coming up.

On to the next one.

Quick note: I am very excited for San Diego St and BYU coming up on monday night. That will be a nice gauge for us.

[Scratch]

Remember when Loveridge, Tucker, Olsen, and Taylor were freshmen and the building blocks that we hoped would be able to get us into the tournament by the time they were upperclassmen? Now they're being pushed or, in the case of Olsen and Tucker, have been passed up by underclassmen, including a few true freshman. This is the way a program is built; successful classes establishing a strong foundation for even more successful classes in the future.

[Diehard Ute]

Tucker has a broken rib in case anyone hasn't heard how. Said he'll be out till he can play through it

[U-Ute]

Tucker has a broken rib in case anyone hasn't heard how. Said he'll be out till he can play through it

Was he trying to set a screen on Reyes?

Ouch.

[LA Ute]

Phil Cullen's e-mail today:


With the Thanksgiving Holiday upon us I want to make sure each one of you know how much we appreciate your support. The University of Utah is a special place made up of special people and we are truly grateful for the opportunity to represent our University.

This weekend we host our Thanksgiving Tournament and will play three games in four nights. Below are the game times and dates.

Our opponents will bring with them each their own unique style of play. We will see a mixture of defenses this weekend ranging from 1-1-3 zone to full court man to man defenses and a variety of offensive tempos.

Defensively we are working on building our identity. The daily theme in practice has been to hang our hat on defensive end of the floor and rebounding the basketball.

Look to see a mixture of lineups this week as we will be trying to keep guys fresh to allow us to play to the best of our abilities for all three games.

Please see our tournament schedule below:

11/26 Utah vs. Texas-Pan American - 6 p.m.

11/28 Utah vs. North Dakota - 8 p.m.

11/29 Utah vs. Alabama State - 7 p.m.

We have also attached a great picture of Coach K from his new office view. What do you think?

1316

[Applejack]

Phil Cullen's e-mail today:



1316

Coach K needs some new jeans. Those are way too baggy.

[justaute]

Thank goodness to Poeltl. Loveridge & Taylor just can't create their own shot and, with defense packed, D/Wright can't seem to penetrate -- this is against UTPA. Still early though. Faster tempo would be better against this kind of zone d.

[justaute]

D/Wright!...just hit his first 3, without much hesitation.

[justaute]

The newbies are playing really well. Really like I/Wright and Poeltl. Kuzma is starting to pick it up.

[Diehard Ute]

They got that worked out. It's 50-26 at half. Delon with 12 (one 3), Kuzma with 10, Poeltl with 8 points and 8 boards. Jordan with 8 and Taylor with 7. I Wright has 3 assists.

[sancho]

I Wright has 3 assists.

One was a sweet assist to Poeltl to beat the shot clock.

[LA Ute]

Just arrived at the game. Arena looks great.

[justaute]

Thus far, I/Wright really does seem to have good BB IQ.

[LA Ute]

I. Wright is the smallest Utah player on the court right now.

[Diehard Ute]

The most embarrassing part of joining the Pac12 has to be the officials that would get fired from Jr Jazz

[sancho]

JO with the sweet no shave November.

[justaute]

Competition level aside, much better execution.

[Old Standing ute]

Competition level aside, much better execution.

At 14 minutes of first half we had Delon and the 4 freshmen on the floor. That group is really good. Plus Reyes is a great future.
Kuzma had 2 really nice drives--basically flying the last 8-10 feet to dunk. He is really coordinated--good rebounder.
he played some 4 tonight as Brekkot had early fouls.

nice win

[LA Ute]

I spotted you, OSU.

[Old Standing ute]

I spotted you, OSU.

Throw something at me next time---where are you located?
Love the arena's new look.

[U-Ute]

Thus far, I/Wright really does seem to have good BB IQ.

I agree. I watched him a lot tonight and was very impressed. He got guys in position and had a good sense of when to push and when to pull back. I don't think I have seen him jump into the air when passing yet.

[Utebiquitous]

That's great to hear about Wright. He was doing a lot of jumping into the air without a plan in early practices.

[Old Standing ute]

I spotted you, OSU.

Probably when Delon drained that 3--I had a perfect line behind him on that, maybe 10' away. It was good all the way, hope he keeps that up.

[Old Standing ute]

That's great to hear about Wright. He was doing a lot of jumping into the air without a plan in early practices.

He had a great sequence after he was doubled & was knocked down & called for traveling. he walked off a sore ankle & then go mad & blocked the next shot.

[LA Ute]

Throw something at me next time---where are you located?
Love the arena's new look.

Section N, row 17. I especially like how they've cleaned up (and classed up) the area around the court. Looks like a PAC-12 arena. A far cry from the smoke machines of recent memory.

[SoCalPat]

It's tough for me to get excited about anything out of these games, because anything that stands you, you figured would (and should) happen anyway. But Vegas has put up huge numbers against Utah in 3 of 4 non-con games, and the Utes have covered 2 of the 3. Like it or not, but Vegas sets the expectation bar, and Utah has cleared it every year under Larry (even the 5-win team in his first year was .500 ATS). We're off to a good start in that regard this year, too.

[SeattleUte]

It's tough for me to get excited about anything out of these games, because anything that stands you, you figured would (and should) happen anyway. But Vegas has put up huge numbers against Utah in 3 of 4 non-con games, and the Utes have covered 2 of the 3. Like it or not, but Vegas sets the expectation bar, and Utah has cleared it every year under Larry (even the 5-win team in his first year was .500 ATS). We're off to a good start in that regard this year, too.

You know, I'm just happy to be here. I feel like we've survivied cancer and are vying for an Olympic gold medal. I'm trying to think when we ever had recruiting years like this last one, or the last three combined. And this coaching staff seems to have all the right values. On top of it all, we're in the glamorous Pac 12, which in an ironic way makes this more enjoyable than stressful. I'm just going to enjoy the ride. I really don't have any expectations beyond what we are now.

[U-Ute]

You know, I'm just happy to be here. I feel like we've survivied cancer and are vying for an Olympic gold medal. I'm trying to think when we ever had recruiting years like this last one, or the last three combined. And this coaching staff seems to have all the right values. On top of it all, we're in the glamorous Pac 12, which in an ironic way makes this more enjoyable than stressful. I'm just going to enjoy the ride. I really don't have any expectations beyond what we are now.

Hahah... yeah. I'm with you. Two years ago, we were losing to teams like UC-Riverside and Texas-Pan America. Now we're not only beating them, we are crushing the spirit out of them.

I agree that these games don't make it easy to gauge we will do in PAC-12 play, but I know one thing: unless the injury bug hits us, we will be very competitive.

[justaute]

Good points, SCP. In addition, to me, I do like seeing the execution/movement/IQ facet of the game, irrespective of whether the ball-goes-through-the-hoop and who the opponent is; thus far, yesterday's game has shown me the team is continue to improve. Sure, the level of competition is vastly different from SDSU, but the little things such as screening, blocking-out, passing angles, shot-timing, etc, are particularly important to me. I guess that's the ex-coach in me.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.


It's tough for me to get excited about anything out of these games, because anything that stands you, you figured would (and should) happen anyway. But Vegas has put up huge numbers against Utah in 3 of 4 non-con games, and the Utes have covered 2 of the 3. Like it or not, but Vegas sets the expectation bar, and Utah has cleared it every year under Larry (even the 5-win team in his first year was .500 ATS). We're off to a good start in that regard this year, too.

[Applejack]

You know, I'm just happy to be here. I feel like we've survivied cancer and are vying for an Olympic gold medal.

Haha. Great line.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Holy crap. I turned the game on about halfway through the first half and we've score one point in like 5 minutes. Very sloppy playing at the moment.

[Diehard Ute]

Holy crap. I turned the game on about halfway through the first half and we've score one point in like 5 minutes. Very sloppy playing at the moment.

Interesting lineups with Loveridge getting the night of to rest a knee and Reyes with 2 fouls

[justaute]

Oh my Poeltl!

[LA Ute]

Up close Ogbe looks 2" taller than Delon.

[Diehard Ute]

Up close Ogbe looks 2" taller than Delon.

He's listed as an inch taller

[LA Ute]

He's listed as an inch taller

If Maji were coaching Ogbe would be 6'2".

[Diehard Ute]

If Maji were coaching Ogbe would be 6'2".

And everyone would know what 6" was

[LA Ute]

Ogbe and Poeltl speaking German to each other on the court.

[LA Ute]

and everyone would know what 6" was

lol

[Old Standing ute]

Oh my Poeltl!

Not quite sure why ND smalls kept attacking the rim---Poeltl kept sending them out. He probably could have had 2-3 more blocks but other Utes fouled on the plays.

Plus nice move down the lane where he switched to his left hand to finish.

[LA Ute]

These guys look lots bigger from this vantage point. (A friend gave us his courtside seats for this game.)

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/28/e96cefcb5be29d7967806897f6dcd5d9.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Solon]

Alabama State has a forward named Bobby Brown.
I guess that's their prerogative.

[Solon]

Alabama State has a forward named Bobby Brown.
I guess that's their prerogative.

Unsurprisingly, Bobby Brown is a pretty physical player. It's probably a good thing that he won't face Houston this year.

[chrisrenrut]

Unsurprisingly, Bobby Brown is a pretty physical player. It's probably a good thing that he won't face Houston this year.

those both made me laugh, but you should cool it now.

[Solon]

those both made me laugh, but you should cool it now.

There's a traveling joke in there with Every Little Step, but I don't really like Bobby Brown; plus my kids are watching the TV now so I'm relegated to radio.

[Old Standing ute]

There's a traveling joke in there with Every Little Step, but I don't really like Bobby Brown; plus my kids are watching the TV now so I'm relegated to radio.

Very funy.
Another solid win. Beyond the obvious standout (Delon) were Ogbe & Tucker. Ogbe was driving--he can't finish like Delon, but he was getting to the rim & fouls.
I thought Tucker might not have a role--but he is such a good shooter, not just from the corner any more that he will play. Plus he is in really good shape & he is really fast. Played some 2 tonight.
Delon did look good from 3 range.

Brekkot faced his first real physical team tonight & struggled. Fouled out.
Kuzma looked lost at first, but then focused on passing & defending & looked much better. Banged in a 3 near the end just for good measure.

Bring on the big boys---want to see how we stand/match up.

[U-Ute]

Very funy.
Another solid win. Beyond the obvious standout (Delon) were Ogbe & Tucker. Ogbe was driving--he can't finish like Delon, but he was getting to the rim & fouls.

I agree in this. Ogbe's ball handling has improved drastically and he is stronger when going to the rim



Delon did look good from 3 range.


What I noticed was his lack of hesitation. He looks confident In shooting them. Almost excited. That's a good thing.



Bring on the big boys---want to see how we stand/match up.

Amen! I think this team is starting to get into a groove.

[311ute]

Interesting to note that Delon is 6-6 from beyond the arc vs. everyone besides SDSU (0-5 vs the Aztecs).

[justaute]

Yah...it's great seeing D/Wright getting his outside stroke. He, Jlove, and some combination with other Utes will need to have a consistent output from the outside going forward. If I were defending the U, I would smother Poeltl in the paint and pack it inside...make Utah hit from outside. I have no doubt we'll hit a few, but it's the consistency that will matter. If we don't, D/Wright won't be able to penetrate and we won't be able to productively swing the ball to create shooting "lanes". Jlove and Taylor will have a hard time getting good shots off from the outside and they aren't good at creating their own shots -- against quality competition.

As Coach K2 said, the players' length is generally negated against opponents of your level. Thus far, I like the play-making improvement Taylor has made, but he and Jlove need to stop trying to make those dumb-a$$ and lazy passes. To me, thus far, the most disappointing part of our program's improvement is Jlove's basketball aptitude; I'm hopeful he will find ways to correct/improve them. Just dunno at this point.




Interesting to note that Delon is 6-6 from beyond the arc vs. everyone besides SDSU (0-5 vs the Aztecs).

[sancho]

Yah...it's great seeing D/Wright getting his outside stroke. He, Jlove, and some combination with other Utes will need to have a consistent output from the outside going forward. If I were defending the U, I would smother Poeltl in the paint and pack it inside...make Utah hit from outside. I have no doubt we'll hit a few, but it's the consistency that will matter. If we don't, D/Wright won't be able to penetrate and we won't be able to productively swing the ball to create shooting "lanes". Jlove and Taylor will have a hard time getting good shots off from the outside and they aren't good at creating their own shots -- against quality competition.


We now have Wright, Wright Jr, Loveridge, Taylor, Tucker, Ogbe, Kuzma, and maybe Chapman who I feel good about taking an open 3. It's a longer list than we've had in quite a while.

[justaute]

That's the "combination" from which I'm hopeful we can get consistent production. The future is definitely there...just hope it's the "near" future.


We now have Wright, Wright Jr, Loveridge, Taylor, Tucker, Ogbe, Kuzma, and maybe Chapman who I feel good about taking an open 3. It's a longer list than we've had in quite a while.