The Sancho Bowl - Utah vs (Evil Carpetbagging Tobacco Money) Duke

[NorthwestUteFan]

Okafor appears to be the real deal. Luckily he seems unable to hit a free throw

Somebody needs to figure out what Notre Dame did in their games, since they beat Duke twice.

Question: is Mike Krzyzewski the highest-paid Westpoint graduate of all time? All signs point to YES.

[DrumNFeather]

Is this the first time we've faced Duke?

[concerned]

Is this the first time we've faced Duke?

Consolation game 1966 final four for one.

[LA Ute]

OK, I'm going to indulge in a red-goggled moment. We beat Wichita State at home, narrowly. We almost beat Kansas (or played them very well, at least) on a neutral floor. Wichita State is leading Kansas by 13 right now. I am not playing the common opponents game, just observing that we belong in the Sweet 16 and belong on the floor with Duke. Just like we belonged on the floor against Arizona in 1998.

Looking forward to next Friday night!

[UTEopia]

Notre Dame never doubled Okafor. Gave him a ton of points, but it took Duke out of their game. No threes.

I've seen at least a dozen duke games this year. It's the best duke team since the national championship give years ago. Okafor is the best pure post player in a long time. Jones is clutch and can drive. Cook shoots. But I have thought all season that Winslow is the key. He's extremely athletic but also very skilled. Most of duke's losses correlate with down games for Winslow.



I can't remember whether it was Charles Barkely or one of the other studio guys who said that they would not double Okafor and allow him to get his points but not allow the 3 point shooters to get going.

[LA Ute]

Did anyone else notice that when both Reyes and Poeltl had layups they made sure the ball went in?


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[U-Ute]

I can't remember whether it was Charles Barkely or one of the other studio guys who said that they would not double Okafor and allow him to get his points but not allow the 3 point shooters to get going.

I think it was Barkley that called this the "Jordan defense". Let Okafor get his, but don't let anyone else score.

This is basically what Notre Dame did to Duke both times. I think it is the right way to go mainly because we have the size to at least challenge Okafor. If you double, he's really skilled at finding their open 3 point shooters.

I say play him straight up, make him shoot over our bigs, and rebound the hell out of the ball.

He'll probably go for 30, but keeping Winsow, Jones and Cook from hitting 3's is a bigger priority. Plus, with JO, we have a bunch of fouls we can throw at Okafor and make him earn his points from the line.

[U-Ute]

I'm not sure if this was posted before. Sorry if it was.



Utah Confidential: 'Take that blow and give it right back."

"Utah gets a pep talk from a former Navy SEAL who took the team through Hell Week before the season. Follow the Utes through their win against Stephen F. Austin in the episode of Team Confidential."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQNCJEH02e4

[concerned]

Is this the first time we've faced Duke?


According to Kyle Goon:

The Utes have a 1-2 record against Duke, and the last meeting was in the 1969-70 season. Krystkowiak was five years old. Krzyzewski was … in the Army (don't let the black hair fool you, he's been around a while). Point is: It was a long time ago.
The postseason history is not without precedent. That last meeting was in the 1970 NIT, when Utah claimed a 78-75 win. The meeting before that was when the Utes finished the 1966 NCAA Tournament with a 79-77 loss to the Devils in the third place game in the Jack Gardner days in College Park, Md. — the title game is slightly more well-known from that year (https://espn.go.com/classic/s/013101_texas_western_fitzpatrick.html), though Jerry Chambers won most outstanding player.

[hostile]

Reggie Miller on Dan Patrick this am. Very complimentary of the Utes.
"They defend as well as Kentucky"

[Old Standing ute]

Early line Utah plus 5.

[LA Ute]

FWIW, Kevin O'Neill (the PAC-12 Network and Fox Sports guy and former coach) said on ESPN700 that the way for Utah to beat Duke is:

1. On defense, make someone other than Okafor beat us -- stop him, basically. (Notre Dame, as Sanco notes, succeeded by letting Okafor get his points and stopping the others.)

2. On offense, the make it our top priority to get into the paint and score or get fouled. (Has he watched us much this season??? He thinks we can do that without changing our entire offensive approach?) That will get Okafor in foul trouble and give our shooters open looks.

I'm not sure I buy his approach. Thoughts?

[chrisrenrut]

FWIW, Kevin O'Neill (the PAC-12 Network and Fox Sports guy and former coach) said on ESPN700 that the way for Utah to beat Duke is:

1. On defense, make someone other than Okafor beat us -- stop him, basically. (Notre Dame, as Sanco notes, succeeded by letting Okafor get his points and stopping the others.)

2. On offense, the make it our top priority to get into the paint and score or get fouled. (Has he watched us much this season??? He thinks we can do that without changing our entire offensive approach?) That will get Okafor in foul trouble and give our shooters open looks.

I'm not sure I buy his approach. Thoughts?

I heard some guy last night say that in the 4 losses that Duke had this year, the winning team shot over 50% from the field, and 40% from 3 point range. He said you will not beat Duke with defense, they are just too high powered in their offense. See their wins against Virginia and SDSU as examples.

But their defense is suspect. This is the first time in 30+ years that Shyshefsky has used some zone defense.

My thoughts- Utah on a good offensive day can beat this Duke team. But if we go into one of our offensive funks, we'll be in trouble. We need great offensive performances out of at least 3 key contributors.

[justaute]

Anybody from UB5 going to the game?

[LA Ute]

Sports Illustrated:

South region preview: Why each team will and won't make the Final Four (http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/22/south-regional-ncaa-tournament-duke-blue-devils-utah-utes-ucla-bruins-gonzaga-bulldogs)

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/22/south-regional-ncaa-tournament-duke-blue-devils-utah-utes-ucla-bruins-gonzaga-bulldogs

[Diehard Ute]

Sports Illustrated:

South region preview: Why each team will and won't make the Final Four (http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/22/south-regional-ncaa-tournament-duke-blue-devils-utah-utes-ucla-bruins-gonzaga-bulldogs)

For some reason your links never appear in Tapatalk.

[LA Ute]

For some reason your links never appear in Tapatalk.

Maybe it's because they are embedded? Here it is in plain vanilla:

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/22/south-regional-ncaa-tournament-duke-blue-devils-utah-utes-ucla-bruins-gonzaga-bulldogs

[LA Ute]

Latest edition of Utah confidential on NCAA.com


http://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/d1

[LA Ute]

Reseeding the Sweet 16: Duke, Zona, Wisconsin, Zaga on UK's heelshttp://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25119410/reseeding-the-sweet-16-duke-zona-wisconsin-zaga-on-uks-heels

2. Duke (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/teams/page/DUKE/duke-blue-devils) (South). Duke kicked Robert Morris to the side, then made a really good San Diego State defense look pedestrian. Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow came up large on a big stage in a standalone national game on CBS. The Blue Devils have road wins over Wisconsin and Virginia. The defense and Okafor's free throws are question marks. But if Duke plays two more games like it did Sunday, it's going to Indianapolis....

10. Utah (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/teams/page/UTAH/utah-utes) (South). The field's most overlooked team. Perhaps I'm underrating them at No. 10. When you've got the best overall point guard in the country in Delon Wright, you've got a chance. Can Duke stop this team? Or is Utah able to stop Duke? Most under-hyped Sweet 16 game.

[DrumNFeather]

Larry might not be allowed to bring Sweet Grass to Houston, but he'll get some jungle Karma. Going on the Jim Rome show today.

[U-Ute]

Larry might not be allowed to bring Sweet Grass to Houston, but he'll get some jungle Karma. Going on the Jim Rome show today.

ICYMI...

http://jimrome.com/audio/the-jim-rome-show/

[LA Ute]

Posted without comment:

10 bold predictions for the Sweet 16: Utah upsets Duke



Utah upsets Duke: In 1998, I was 14 years old when the late, great Rick Majerus led Andre Miller, Michael Doleac, the underrated Hanno Mottola & Co. to the national championship game. The Utes lost to Kentucky, but it was still a magical season for the program. Utah will give its fan base something to smile about again when it upsets Duke in the Sweet 16 and earns a spot in the Elite Eight. Duke is a great team. Jahlil Okafor (http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3135048/jahlil-okafor), Justise Winslow (http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3135047/justise-winslow) and Tyus Jones (http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3135046/tyus-jones) comprise one of the top trios in the country. But Utah is playing with the offensive and defensive balance that will allow it to keep the game tight until the final minute or two. That’s when Delon Wright (http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/66236/delon-wright) will grab his cape, find a phone booth and ruin brackets around the world.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/105883/10-bold-predictions-for-the-sweet-16-utah-upsets-duke?src=mobile&rand=ref~%7B%22ref%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.faceb ook.com%2F%22%7D

[LA Ute]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8doF8DmlQo

[LA Ute]

I hope this guy is right.

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2407676-ncaa-bracket-2015-updated-picks-and-odds-for-sweet-16?iid=ob_homepage_showcase_pool



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[concerned]

just to get everyone in the proper mood

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/03/duke_sucks_forget_mercer_forget_lehigh_forget_chri stian_laettner_the_best.html

[LA Ute]

I thought this was cool:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1075989745761113&set=vb.418818841478210&type=2&theater

[SoCalPat]

Take away Kentucky's slaughter, and higher-seeded teams went 3-0 last night, with average MOV of nearly 9 PPG.

I think the lower seeds shine tonight, but I'd have to put Michigan State's and NC State's chances of winning much better than Utah's. Huge UCLA fan tonight. Can you imagine 3 Pac-12 teams in the Elite 8? Or a Pac-12+1 Final Four?

[LA Ute]

If your blood's not already pumping hard, this will get it going:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txo7ijvuO2c

[Senioritis]

I've sat through a shload of crappy basketball over the past decade, with a couple of bursts of stunning above mediocrity. I've seen things - things no fan should have to see. The CBI. Jimmermania. Home losses to Southwest Baptist, Idaho, Idaho State, Seattle, Adams State. Dijon Farr's jumper. Javon Dawson's hips. Luka Drca.

Today, it feels like no sacrifice at all. Let's beat these sunzabitches.

[DrumNFeather]

I've sat through a shload of crappy basketball over the past decade, with a couple of bursts of stunning above mediocrity. I've seen things - things no fan should have to see. The CBI. Jimmermania. Home losses to Southwest Baptist, Idaho, Idaho State, Seattle, Adams State. Dijon Farr's jumper. Javon Dawson's hips. Luka Drca.

Today, it feels like no sacrifice at all. Let's beat these sunzabitches.

I'm with you. Being in the position we're in after the last decade feels like this:

1433

[Senioritis]

Getting to know Duke University:

The History of Duke University began when Brown's Schoolhouse, a private subscription school in Randolph County, North Carolina (in the present-day town of Trinity), was founded in 1838. Actually, it began in like 1925, but we can’t imagine the horrifying thought of maintaining our stunning pretentiousness with less than a century of existence, so we’ll go with the whole Brown’s Schoolhouse thingy.

Finally moving to Durham in 1892, the school grew rapidly, primarily due to the generosity of Washington Duke and Julian S. Carr, powerful and respected Methodists who had grown wealthy through turning people’s lungs into malignant lumps of carbon and also making fun of Unitarians.

In 1924, Washington Duke's son, James B. Duke, established The Duke Endowment, which sounds like something a person may have had to do at a rest stop near Rock Springs, Wyoming, due to an off night at the Taco John’s.

Duke’s motto is “Eruditio et Religio” from the Latin meaning “We were born on third and believe we hit a triple.”

Duke’s mascot, the Blue Devil, looks like Wario from MarioKart, only if Wario had done Weight Watchers and also had become a huge douche canoe.

Duke’s basketball team is lead by Mike Krzyzewski, or “Coach Krzyzewski,” as many call him. He’s had a remarkable amount of success for a man who looks and acts like he should be playing Rumpelstiltskin with a travelling carnival.

Duke has many notable alumni including Tim Cook, Charlie Rose, Elizabeth Dole, Darth Vader, the Cobra Kai, and pretty much everybody on ESPN that you really want to punch in the face.

[LA Ute]

Getting to know Duke University:

Duke’s basketball team is lead by Mike Krzyzewski, or “Coach Krzyzewski,” as many call him. He’s had a remarkable amount of success for a man who looks and acts like he should be playing Rumpelstiltskin with a travelling carnival.

I disapprove of jokes about a person's appearance.

:rofl:

[LA Ute]

Just for grins, a Rome classic:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=31&v=2cjGRqUuIQs

[FountainOfUte]

I'm with you. Being in the position we're in after the last decade feels like this:

1433

That's precisely the feeling, DNF. 100%.

[Scratch]

And Richard Nixon and sancho.

Have you ever been on ESPN? Because if so you were already covered by his post.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Not sure how this all plays out, but I'm all cashed out of any more bad luck, so I think karma finds a balance tonight. I'll be watching from the pediatric ER where my 2 year old is admitted on one floor and my one year old is admitted on another floor. Nothing too serious. They've both had allergic reactions to penicillin. We're all just sick of hanging out in the hospital the last couple days. Go Utes! At least I won't be the only one screaming while the game is on!

[NorthwestUteFan]

If it weren't for bad luck, you wouldn't have no luck at all.

BKY8KIt9kqc

[LA Ute]

Not sure how this all plays out, but I'm all cashed out of any more bad luck, so I think karma finds a balance tonight. I'll be watching from the pediatric ER WHERE MY 2 year old is admitted on one

So sorry, DS! I hope your little guy is well taken-care-of and goes home today!

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

UCLA is some how worse at close range than we are.

My two boys have their red on for the game!
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/27/b0c4ab7edbbb2013a6935a6b482510e1.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/27/b437bf94a8a38da4191ebac78f9c50bc.jpg

[NorthwestUteFan]

Wow. They look miserable.

[chrisrenrut]

Uh oh, we won the tip. That can't be good.

[LA Ute]

Reyes drives me nuts.


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[mpfunk]

Well Duke is getting even more favorable officiating than usual.

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[LA Ute]

Lids on both baskets.


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[mpfunk]

6 steps is acceptable if you are a Duke player right.

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[LA Ute]

I don't want to see the ball in Reyes' hands under the hoop.


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[mpfunk]

This started great, but now it is trending bad.

We need to change it up on offense. Drive more, take advantage of Dukes shitty defense.

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[LA Ute]

Wow - Taylor! He has got to find the range. He's way way off. Great fake. Then he airballs an 8-footer.


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[mpfunk]

They aren't going to call a damn thing on Duke. I hate the refs that let duke get away with that more than that fucker on their sideline.

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[mpfunk]

Holy fucking shit on that 3rd foul on Wright. 100 percent fixed bullshit from the refs.

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[Diehard Ute]

That's just awful. Every player should foul out if that's a foul

[mpfunk]

Wright has been called for as many fouls as Duke.

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[LA Ute]

Unforced turnovers will cost us this game.

[Diehard Ute]

That foul changes the entire game. Forces Larry to take Wright out which lets Duke start to press.

[mpfunk]

Unforced turnovers will cost us this game.

Nope, it is the officials.

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[LA Ute]

Nope, it is the officials.

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We might be able to overcome the officiating if we don't throw the ball into the stands.


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[LA Ute]

And Jordan tosses one into the stands.


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[Diehard Ute]

Per Matthew Piper Delon only had 3 fouls in 4 games this year and only had more than 3 once.

He gets 3 in 15 minutes tonight......

[mpfunk]

We might be able to overcome the officiating if we don't throw the ball into the stands.


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We are self destructing because they took Wright out of the game and the players know it going to be Duke officiating tonight.

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[DrumNFeather]

And Jordan tosses one into the stands.


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We're not exactly doing anything well here. Duke is playing with a ton of physicality right now and we're not handling it well.

[DrumNFeather]

That on the hip cradle move Cook did drives me nuts.

[Diehard Ute]

Is hooking still illegal? When was the last time anyone saw it called?

At least once on the Utes earlier this year

[chrisrenrut]

Bachinsky is playing like he understands it could be his last game, and isn't going to go quietly. Pretty good when coach Krzwdsthjsy mentions you by name on national television as being a problem for his team.

[NorthwestUteFan]

It drives me CRAZY that they didn't call anything fir the first 12 minutes, then started calling ticky tacky stuff.

[chrisrenrut]

That moving sideline camera is annoying.

[LA Ute]

We are just being outplayed now. Stupid TOs by our best players, our best 3 pt. shooter missing by a foot -- repeatedly.


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[mpfunk]

The next 5 minutes are key. We have to stop this run and keep it in reach.

We have to win this game. I can't think of a worse thing than a Duke Zags matchup. The 2 most despicable programs in college hoops.

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[chrisrenrut]

We have to hit outside shots to have a chance to win. Jordan hit one or two, it's not impossible. Brandon needs to settle down.

[DrumNFeather]

Man these guys love to bark. I'd love it if we could shut them up.

[mpfunk]

Taylor has been awful this game.

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[mpfunk]

I fear that is it for the game. Defense has been incredible, but our offense has been bad.

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[mpfunk]

I fucking hate Duke.

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[AnestheUte]

We are done...

[DrumNFeather]

Taylor has been awful this game.

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This might be his worst performance of the season.

[LA Ute]

I don't think it's in the cards for us tonight. We won't recover from the TOs now and there's a lid on the basket. We've shot ourselves badly in both feet. Too bad. Let's hope this doesn't become a blowout.


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[LA Ute]

Taylor has been awful this game.

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Off by a foot or so on his 3 pt attempts. An airball from 8 feet.


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[LA Ute]

Reyes should not be in the game and if he is he shouldn't touch the ball on offense.


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[mpfunk]

Well I'm done. I can't watch this anymore.

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[chrisrenrut]

Shooting 30% isn't going to get it done. Our guys weren't mentally ready for this stage. How many shots have we missed inside of 5 feet, let alone being 1-6 from 3 point range. Add turnovers to the mix and it's not even a game.

[LA Ute]

Gosh, it'd be one thing if they were just out-quicking us but almost all these turnovers seem unforced.


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[DrumNFeather]

Shooting 30% isn't going to get it done. Our guys weren't mentally ready for this stage. How many shots have we missed inside of 5 feet, let alone being 1-6 from 3 point range. Add turnovers to the mix and it's not even a game.
They play fast and physical and we've struggled with both styles this year. Let's hope they work on both this off-season.

[LA Ute]

This might be our most spectacular scoring drought all year. 0-8 possessions, 4 TOs.


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[DrumNFeather]

Showing some fight.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Well I'm done. I can't watch this anymore.

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We will beat the spread.

[DrumNFeather]

I hope Larry can convince Poeltel to stick around next year.

[LA Ute]

On the bright side, Duke averages 80 points a game, don't they?


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[LA Ute]

Not to pile on Jordan but he did not show up again. Then again, who really did?


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[DrumNFeather]

Not to pile on Jordan but he did not show up again. Then again, who really did?


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All the guys who failed to show up in our big games are going to have to figure that out next year.

This will be a learning experience.

[chrisrenrut]

Jordan is this year's whipping boy, and sometimes deservingly so. But he wasn't much worse than Delon tonight. Fewer rebounds, but probably less turnovers.

[LA Ute]

No heroes for us tonight. I guess Bachinsky played well. None of our starters did. Am I missing anyone?


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[chrisrenrut]

No heroes for us tonight. I guess Bachinsky played well. None of our starters did. Am I missing anyone?


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Poeltl did ok. 10 points, 9 rebounds, and decent defense.

[DrumNFeather]

lol @ Cook. What a tool.

[chrisrenrut]

I know it's not a popular opinion, but it's hard for me to dislike Krsgrsggdcy. I can easily dislike Duke as a whole (sorry Sancho), but the original coach K seems like a solid guy, runs a clean successful program, and is always gracious in his comments.

[justaute]

Terrific run, Utes. Duke is the better team.

As the other Coach K said in post game interview, "...points at critical time." We couldn't get any. At least Taylor made his shots late in the game. Nobody else could. I guess there's no point talking about my least favorite player now. Thought Bach, again, stepped up his game -- nice way to leave the program.

[Old Standing ute]

Chapman. Had two big buckets in the second half.

This ref is an idiot. Does he have money on this?

Talk about having money on it--the line was Utah plus 5 points; last FT switched it so Duke won by 6.

Lots of Vegas money on that last bring them back from the locker-room point. LOL.

[justaute]

LOL. Good one. Seriously, I didn't expect much from Reyes at all. I'm not going to name my least favorite -- trying to have a good evening. :)

In the end, we had a terrific season. That's all it matters. I've already moved on to 2015-16. Let's see what happens with Delon.


We already bagged on Reyes enough during the game.

[Old Standing ute]

All the guys who failed to show up in our big games are going to have to figure that out next year.

This will be a learning experience.

Everyone got minutes. Chapman finally over his stage fright. Kuzma did not do anything, but still played.
I. Wright looked overwhelmed at times--but it should give him incentive to improve.

We played with Duke--few more bounces & no 3rd foul on Delon & who knows.
Everyone is playing for 2nd place, so great season & great growth.

hope they all come back!

[LA Ute]

Let's see what happens with Delon and Poeltl. We'll have a very seasoned team in 2015-16.


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[Old Standing ute]

Hope we can keep Tommy Connor too.
Don't know who worked up the D game plan, but it was a masterpiece.

[DrumNFeather]

Hard not to worry about what the team looks like when Delon comes out. But, yeah, I'm optimistic too.

We'll definitely miss Bach too. A center like that off the bench is a luxury.
Olsen isn't as tough as Bach, but he's creative, so hopefully he'll give us solid backup minutes.

Let's get the Twitter campaign going...#ComebackJakob

[LA Ute]

Interesting take from USA Today. Could have been written by an angry Ute fan:

The refs handed Duke a win with inexplicable third foul on Utah's star

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/duke-refs-called-third-foul-delon-wright-utah-sweet-16-ncaa-tournament


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[justaute]

2-12, 1 rebound, 2 asst, and 2 TO in 34 minutes -- that's just fantabulous.

[NorthwestUteFan]

2-12, 1 rebound, 2 asst, and 2 TO in 34 minutes -- that's just fantabulous.

In PAC-12 play at least 4-5 of those ten misses from the floor would have put Delon on the FT line. Our conference might do us and our conference mates a disservice by calling everything. It forces all of us to play a finesse game.

Arizona looked completely lost against Xavier, and Wisconsin will probably throw them around too.

[chrisrenrut]

2-12, 1 rebound, 2 asst, and 2 TO in 34 minutes -- that's just fantabulous.

http://www.utahby5.com/showthread.php?1737-The-Sancho-Bowl-Utah-vs-(Evil-Carpetbagging-Tobacco-Money)-Duke&p=54101&viewfull=1#post54101

[U-Ute]

Hope we can keep Tommy Connor too.
Don't know who worked up the D game plan, but it was a masterpiece.

So much this. That defense was unreal.

[concerned]

Last night exposed again the big weakness. Too hard to score. Nobody you could count on for 15 to 18 to 20 a game. No scorer.

[LA Ute]

Last night exposed again the big weakness. Too hard to score. Nobody you could count on for 15 to 18 to 20 a game. No scorer.

Kind of an eerie parallel with football. We can come up with a great defensive scheme, learn good, blue-collar defense, and then try to win by stopping our opponents from scoring. Often we stymie more talented teams that way.

That said, I don't fully agree that we had no scorer. All season long we often got hot from outside and that's when we blew out other teams. Our team was sort of built on the principle of a balanced, across-the-board attack -- on any given night one player, or two or three players, could kill you. Last night we couldn't shoot. It looked like the cavernous nature of the arena really affected both teams, but Duke (Winslow especially) found the range. Taylor was missing his attempts by a foot. I was amazed when he drove, faked his man up, and had an easy eight-footer -- which he then airballed. Unbelievable. We had plenty of open looks, just couldn't hit them until it was too late.

But even so, we were in the game. If we had committed half as many turnovers and made half our layups, the outcome could easily have been different.

I think the hole we dug that sealed our fate was that stretch of 8 straight possessions with no points and 4 turnovers. With the TOs it was really 4 possessions for us and a gift of 4 extra possessions for Duke -- I am not sure but I think they scored on all 4 of them.

My layman's opinion is that we were a bit spooked by the pressure, the bright lights, and the strange arena and never really got comfortable. Next year's team will not have that problem; they've been there now. At least that's my hope.

[concerned]

Kind of an eerie parallel with football. We can come up with a great defensive scheme, learn good, blue-collar defense, and then try to win by stopping our opponents from scoring. Often we stymie more talented teams that way.

That said, I don't fully agree that we had no scorer. All season long we often got hot from outside and that's when we blew out other teams. Our team was sort of built on the principle of a balanced, across-the-board attack -- on any given night one player, or two or three players, could kill you. Last night we couldn't shoot. It looked like the cavernous nature of the arena really affected both teams, but Duke (Winslow especially) found the range. Taylor was missing his attempts by a foot. I was amazed when he drove, faked his man up, and had an easy eight-footer -- which he then airballed. Unbelievable. We had plenty of open looks, just couldn't hit them until it was too late.

But even so, we were in the game. If we had committed half as many turnovers and made half our layups, the outcome could easily have been different.

I think the hole we dug that sealed our fate was that stretch of 8 straight possessions with no points and 4 turnovers. With the TOs it was really 4 possessions for us and a gift of 4 extra possessions for Duke -- I am not sure but I think they scored on all 4 of them.

My layman's opinion is that we were a bit spooked by the pressure, the bright lights, and the strange arena and never really got comfortable. Next year's team will not have that problem; they've been there now. At least that's my hope.

the football parallel is apt. On the assumption that Poeltl goes pro, we will fall back next year. No Delon Poeltl or Bach will hurt the defense, and it is hard to see the offense being much better unless Chapman Kuzma and/or Bealer become that scorer and relegate Reyes and Jlov to lesser minutes.

I also that the backdrop really affected both teams. It rattled us and we never recovered.

[SoCalPat]

So much this. That defense was unreal.

Yes and no. The best defender in the building was the building itself. Pomeroy wrote an excellent post about how just about every team that's played in that stadium shoots worse than its season percentages.

http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/entry/the_nrg_effect

[Jarid in Cedar]

Last night we saw all of the strengths and weaknesses of this team on display in the same game.

The Good:

The defense was a wonderful sight. The rotations, the double team's, and the help defense kept us in the entire game. Transition defense fell asleep on a couple of plays, but a stellar performance none the less. We choose to keep Okafor locked down, and pressure Jones. Winslow beat us by having a terrific individual performance. Sometimes you have to choose your poison and go with it. We did the same with the triangle and two in 1998. The difference was Dickerson played poorly, whereas Winslow did not.

This team showed the heart of a champion by fighting to the end, long after most fans, including myself, had resigned to the inevitable. That speaks to the character of the players and the coaches.

Taylor is the bellwether for this team. His turnaround in the final 7 minutes was astounding. Too bad he didn't find his stroke even 5 minutes earlier than he did. So many folks wanted to bury him on the bench before the season started. But he clearly was our 3rd best player, but also our most important player. He was the heart and soul of this team; the unquestioned leader.

The Bad:

The shooting droughts and turnovers. Broken record for the games that we lost this year, so not much to else to add.

Loveridge is good for either 18 points or 0 for 9. He won a few games for us when no one else was getting it done, but he shot us out of a few games as well. I won't put last night on him because no one shot well, but that was a game we could have used a 14 point night from him. Moving forward, I would like to see him as the 6th man for next year. That way we can gauge good night/bad night, and distribute minutes accordingly.

The 3rd foul on Delon was game altering. The immediate impact was felt when he left and the score went from 19-17 to 27-17 with us attempting only 2 shots. But the impact carried into the second half because he was tentative going into the lane. He feared getting an offensive foul called so he tried to avoid contact in traffic. And he was far less aggressive on defense. Duke drove at him with impunity because they knew he wouldn't risk that 4th foul. Game changing moment in a 6 point loss.

We finished about where I thought we would at the beginning of the season. I had flirting thoughts of a grander ending at times through the season, but in the end we were what we were; a very good team pushing on the door of the elite club, but just couldn't quite knock the door in.

Even if Poeltl leaves for the NBA, I think we can end up about the same position next year, good not elite, but setting up for a special season in 2016-17.

If Poeltl stays, we could exceed this years finish.

[Jarid in Cedar]

This is a good video to show why scouts see Poeltl as a late lottery prospect right now. It is centric towards Okafor, but they show how Poeltl won the individual battle against arguably the #1 pick in the draft. After watching his play the last 3 games, Poeltl has about 5 million reasons to leave this season.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Jahlil-Okafor-vs-Jakob-Poeltl-Head-to-Head-Matchup-Video-4854

[Jarid in Cedar]

Jordan is the new Taylor. All off season, people will predict that Bealer or Kuzma or someone will take his spot. Then in November, he will come out as a starter and will have a good season.

I agree, but personally, I see he has everything that you want out of a 6th man. Specifically, a streaky scorer who could take advantage of an oppositions bench. Barring surprise defections, we will still be one of the deepest teams in the league. Loveridge could benefit significantly from matching up against weaker benches in conferences where the players are less athletic(which is what he struggles against).

[LA Ute]

Last night we saw all of the strengths and weaknesses of this team on display in the same game.

The Good:

The defense was a wonderful sight. The rotations, the double team's, and the help defense kept us in the entire game. Transition defense fell asleep on a couple of plays, but a stellar performance none the less. We choose to keep Okafor locked down, and pressure Jones. Winslow beat us by having a terrific individual performance. Sometimes you have to choose your poison and go with it. We did the same with the triangle and two in 1998. The difference was Dickerson played poorly, whereas Winslow did not.

This team showed the heart of a champion by fighting to the end, long after most fans, including myself, had resigned to the inevitable. That speaks to the character of the players and the coaches.

Taylor is the bellwether for this team. His turnaround in the final 7 minutes was astounding. Too bad he didn't find his stroke even 5 minutes earlier than he did. So many folks wanted to bury him on the bench before the season started. But he clearly was our 3rd best player, but also our most important player. He was the heart and soul of this team; the unquestioned leader.

The Bad:

The shooting droughts and turnovers. Broken record for the games that we lost this year, so not much to else to add.

Loveridge is good for either 18 points or 0 for 9. He won a few games for us when no one else was getting it done, but he shot us out of a few games as well. I won't put last night on him because no one shot well, but that was a game we could have used a 14 point night from him. Moving forward, I would like to see him as the 6th man for next year. That way we can gauge good night/bad night, and distribute minutes accordingly.

The 3rd foul on Delon was game altering. The immediate impact was felt when he left and the score went from 19-17 to 27-17 with us attempting only 2 shots. But the impact carried into the second half because he was tentative going into the lane. He feared getting an offensive foul called so he tried to avoid contact in traffic. And he was far less aggressive on defense. Duke drove at him with impunity because they knew he wouldn't risk that 4th foul. Game changing moment in a 6 point loss.

We finished about where I thought we would at the beginning of the season. I had flirting thoughts of a grander ending at times through the season, but in the end we were what we were; a very good team pushing on the door of the elite club, but just couldn't quite knock the door in.

Even if Poeltl leaves for the NBA, I think we can end up about the same position next year, good not elite, but setting up for a special season in 2016-17.

If Poeltl stays, we could exceed this years finish.

Good take on the game.


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[Utebiquitous]

Jordan is the new Taylor. All off season, people will predict that Bealer or Kuzma or someone will take his spot. Then in November, he will come out as a starter and will have a good season.
Sancho,
If Jordan starts - or is even the sixth man - it better be because he is better on both sides of the ball than whomever is displaced. I've said it before and I'll say it again - he looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane. He is simply a wuss. I'll take the up and down shooting - welcome to most college basketball players; but I am so tired of the disappearing act defensively and rebounding. I know the coaching staff is as well. He will not be handed a starting job next season. He'll have to earn it.

[LA Ute]

Jordan is the new Taylor. All off season, people will predict that Bealer or Kuzma or someone will take his spot. Then in November, he will come out as a starter and will have a good season.

Maybe. He's been consistently inconsistent for two straight seasons and still makes horrible passes at the perfectly wrong moment. I hope he becomes a senior leader on the team but if he keeps playing the way he has been someone may displace him.


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[LA Ute]

As soon as we have someone who is not inconsistent, that person may overtake him. So far, we don't have anyone who fits that description. Who else is a potential starter as a 3? Kuzma? Tucker? Not exactly candidates for Mr Reliable.

You may be right. All I am seeing is Jordan's fairly spectacular disappearances -- games in which he is simply not a factor, followed by games in which he is a killer. Unless I am mistaken (and I may be) his disappearances have been in critical games. Maybe we can't do any better, but if the coaches can see a way to do better they will. that's all I am saying. I like JIC's idea of JL as the 6th man and playing at strategic moments.

[SoCalPat]

We're an NIT team if Poeltl declares. He commands double teams and lets our guys roam free on the perimeter. There is not a single player on the roster than we can expect to do that from Day 1 next year.

[justaute]

Certainly don't disagree.


We're an NIT team if Poeltl declares. He commands double teams and lets our guys roam free on the perimeter. There is not a single player on the roster than we can expect to do that from Day 1 next year.

[DrumNFeather]

I will disagree slightly in that I have a lot of faith in Larry to coach these guys up. We may be a bubble team, but I believe we'll be in the mix.

[Rocker Ute]

Sancho,
If Jordan starts - or is even the sixth man - it better be because he is better on both sides of the ball than whomever is displaced. I've said it before and I'll say it again - he looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane. He is simply a wuss. I'll take the up and down shooting - welcome to most college basketball players; but I am so tired of the disappearing act defensively and rebounding. I know the coaching staff is as well. He will not be handed a starting job next season. He'll have to earn it.

Loveridge is so perplexing to me. On paper he seems to be a matchup nightmare but then you see what we've seen the past two seasons. I have this dream he'll turn the corner this off-season and we'll have better things to say than the 'thanks for taking a chance on us when you really shouldn't have...' platitudes.

Reflecting he has really done a lot to change his game and seems to put in certain kinds of work and copious amounts of it, but then I hear about him falling short in maybe the work that matters the most.

I'm putting a outlandish bet out there that him being out of the shadow of Delon pushes him to his on-paper potential next year and our complaints about him will be forgotten.

That being said, that feels an awful lot like the year after Bogut people were expecting Bryant Markson to be 'the guy'.

[Old Standing ute]

Loveridge was always one of the biggest guys on the team growing up--so is now trying to downsize his game. Kuzma had a growth spurt so now playing bigger--that appears to be an easier transition. Loveridge can not dribble with his left hand--which must be in every scouting report.
Kuzma appears to be kind of a goof-ball, otherwise if he worked at it he could be Sam Dekker from Wisc type.

Chapman could really step up----but when was the last time he got a rebound?
I. Wright or Ogbe need to be starter quality--which might happen.

Lots of ways to improve.

[SoCalPat]

I agree as well. We lose too much to expect a return trip to the tournament.

I see three possibilities to hope for that could change that: (1) either Wright, Chapman, or Kuzma makes a leap, (2) Bealer is somehow another JC coup, or (3) Mawien is a glass eating monster.

(4) -- We attract a graduating-elsewhere player with a year's eligibility left.

The deadline to declare is April 26. I'm sure we'll hear a lot -- mostly unsubstantiated or false -- between now and then. Buckle up.

[justaute]

haha. That's pretty funny. I definitely agree with your thoughts here.


I don't see the potential that you see. I just want him to keep hitting threes and to be more careful with the ball. If he could rebound or post up or play defense, that would be great, but now I'm being greedy and probably unrealistic.