What Might Have Been: Utes host Cal & Stanford

[DrumNFeather]

Well, here we are folks, two more games left in the regular season, and there's a lot on the line for all involved.

Cal comes into the Huntsman Center squarely on the bubble...and frankly, I don't think they are getting in. They current have an RPI of 51, with 1 win in 8 tries against the RPI top 50. If Cal gets swept this week by our Utes (RPI of 82) and Colorado (111 - I think) they ain't getting in. Misery loves company, so we need to do our part to help usher them out of the big dance.

Stanford comes in on Senior Day...and we know how well Senior Day has gone in football, but even so, the Cardinal are playing for position in the middle of the Pac 12 Tourney, but barring them pulling a road upset win, they'll probably head into the 8/9 game vs. ASU. With Pac 12 officiating being what it is, I expect Reed Travis to be a non-factor.

Of course, the big story this week will be whether or not 1) We can take care of business vs. Cal and 2) If our Mountain friends in Boulder can manage to take Cal out on Senior day.

[Scorcho]

Well, here we are folks, two more games left in the regular season, and there's a lot on the line for all involved.

Cal comes into the Huntsman Center squarely on the bubble...and frankly, I don't think they are getting in. They current have an RPI of 51, with 1 win in 8 tries against the RPI top 50. If Cal gets swept this week by our Utes (RPI of 82) and Colorado (111 - I think) they ain't getting in. Misery loves company, so we need to do our part to help usher them out of the big dance.

Stanford comes in on Senior Day...and we know how well Senior Day has gone in football, but even so, the Cardinal are playing for position in the middle of the Pac 12 Tourney, but barring them pulling a road upset win, they'll probably head into the 8/9 game vs. ASU. With Pac 12 officiating being what it is, I expect Reed Travis to be a non-factor.

Of course, the big story this week will be whether or not 1) We can take care of business vs. Cal and 2) If our Mountain friends in Boulder can manage to take Cal out on Senior day.

playing devils advocate for a moment clearly I want the Utes to win every game, but ...

if losing to Cal somehow ensured that the Bears get in, and Utah benefits from the NCAA credits in the future and a little more prestige for the conference, maybe just maybe I wouldn't be crushed if we lost.

The PAC-12 is dangerously close to only having 3 teams dancing. 4 would be better.

I know, I know. This season has been so disheartening, I'm just looking for any proxy silver linings from backing our conference mates

[DrumNFeather]

playing devils advocate for a moment clearly I want the Utes to win every game, but ...

if losing to Cal somehow ensured that the Bears get in, and Utah benefits from the NCAA credits in the future and a little more prestige for the conference, maybe just maybe I wouldn't be crushed if we lost.

The PAC-12 is dangerously close to only having 3 teams dancing. 4 would be better.

I know, I know. This season has been so disheartening, I'm just looking for any proxy silver linings from backing our conference mates

It's interesting. I know Lunardi had Cal in today, but I just wonder if beating Utah and Colorado is enough to push them over the top. As noted above, they don't have a great resume...so what does Cal need to do in Vegas? Probably win the 4/5 game and potentially take out the #1 seed. I don't know, should be interesting.

I don't disagree that the league needs some solid credibility. I mean, people keep talking down the big 10, but they'll easily get 5+ teams in, so there's certainly a point to be made for the league.

[bopahull]

Perhaps if the PAC12 hadn't crapped to bed last year when 2 of 7 teams made it out of the first round, maybe they would be given a little leeway.

[Utebiquitous]

I realize it's a nearly impossible path but regardless of what pundits think, I can't imagine Utah being refused an entry if we sweep this week, win the 4/5 matchup in Vegas and then beat Oregon. I think the passport gets stamped at that point. I think the committee will want to put four teams in especially when five and six teams happens so frequently. The ACC, Big East and Big Ten (and probably the Big 12) are each going to get six+ teams in so dropping the Pac-12 to three teams would show an egregious bias away from the west. If Utah only sweeps this week and fails in the tournament then I look for Cal or USC (perhaps both) to get into the dance.

Regardless, I sure hope the big three this year do some damage. I'd love to see all three in the 16 and two or more in the Elite Eight.

[311ute]

If we win the next two and get to the finals in Vegas (which would include wins over Cal, Oregon and possibly Oreson St), our resume would look like:

22 (or 23)-11, with 5-7 top-100 wins (Oregon, USC, Calx2, Stanford, CUx2 (maybe)). We would get in.

Oregon, Arizona and UCLA will all have top-3 seeds in the dance, so hopefully we'll see all three in the sweet-16. My hope is that the conference finally breaks through and gets a team to the final four (it's been since UCLA in 08).

I realize it's a nearly impossible path but regardless of what pundits think, I can't imagine Utah being refused an entry if we sweep this week, win the 4/5 matchup in Vegas and then beat Oregon. I think the passport gets stamped at that point. I think the committee will want to put four teams in especially when five and six teams happens so frequently. The ACC, Big East and Big Ten (and probably the Big 12) are each going to get six+ teams in so dropping the Pac-12 to three teams would show an egregious bias away from the west. If Utah only sweeps this week and fails in the tournament then I look for Cal or USC (perhaps both) to get into the dance.

Regardless, I sure hope the big three this year do some damage. I'd love to see all three in the 16 and two or more in the Elite Eight.

[Ma'ake]

Well, here we are folks, two more games left in the regular season, and there's a lot on the line for all involved.

Cal comes into the Huntsman Center squarely on the bubble...and frankly, I don't think they are getting in. They current have an RPI of 51, with 1 win in 8 tries against the RPI top 50. If Cal gets swept this week by our Utes (RPI of 82) and Colorado (111 - I think) they ain't getting in. Misery loves company, so we need to do our part to help usher them out of the big dance.

Stanford comes in on Senior Day...and we know how well Senior Day has gone in football, but even so, the Cardinal are playing for position in the middle of the Pac 12 Tourney, but barring them pulling a road upset win, they'll probably head into the 8/9 game vs. ASU. With Pac 12 officiating being what it is, I expect Reed Travis to be a non-factor.

Of course, the big story this week will be whether or not 1) We can take care of business vs. Cal and 2) If our Mountain friends in Boulder can manage to take Cal out on Senior day.

I only care about those 3 games. We OWE both Cal and Stanford. I went on that road trip - what a gut punch. Only the OSU game was worse. If we can't get motivated to pop both those teams, we don't deserve a 4 seed in Vegas.

I can see the Buffs coughing up a hairball against Stanford, then wanting to send out their Seniors with a win at home. Then we would get Cal on a second night in Vegas where we had a BYE. I like that matchup. Beyond that, it's a crap shoot, at best.

Who knows, by then maybe Daniels has seen the error of his ways. If Malik Dime was only suspended for 2 games for going after a heckler at Boulder, one would think Daniels' Utah career could be resurrected.

[SeattleUte]

playing devils advocate for a moment clearly I want the Utes to win every game, but ...

if losing to Cal somehow ensured that the Bears get in, and Utah benefits from the NCAA credits in the future and a little more prestige for the conference, maybe just maybe I wouldn't be crushed if we lost.

The PAC-12 is dangerously close to only having 3 teams dancing. 4 would be better.

I know, I know. This season has been so disheartening, I'm just looking for any proxy silver linings from backing our conference mates

This is unmitigated BS. Asinine. What has gotten into you lately?

[UTEopia]

We are not beating Oregon.

[SeattleUte]

We are not beating Oregon.

Oregon has only one future NBA player. We may have two--if Daniels is reinstated.


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[sancho]

Oregon has only one future NBA player. We may have two--if Daniels is reinstated.

Why is this your metric lately?

If you're counting Daniels and Kuzma, there are 3-4 more you could should include from Oregon.

I was hoping Arizona would hold on for the 1-seed. They have looked very beatable ever since Markannen went into his slump. If we see Oregon in Vegas, we will be huge underdogs.

[SeattleUte]

Why is this your metric lately?

If you're counting Daniels and Kuzma, there are 3-4 more you could should include from Oregon.

I was hoping Arizona would hold on for the 1-seed. They have looked very beatable ever since Markannen went into his slump. If we see Oregon in Vegas, we will be huge underdogs.

There are those on this forum who think that future NBA players is the sine qua non of everything--even if it's borderline or undrafted or short time NBA players. I'm using their metric. By the way, I bet that this season and last Villanova has had fewer future NBA players than a lot of teams.

[SoCalPat]

The Pac-12 is a four-bid league, minimum. I also think Cal should get "credit" for having played Arizona and Oregon twice, as well has having it's only games vs. the SoCal schools on the road. Utah benefited significantly by getting the Washington schools twice. We're not even having a discussion about Utah as the 4 seed if we played the conference schedule Cal did. But they need a split and a win in Vegas to feel safe.

[SoCalPat]

If we win the next two and get to the finals in Vegas (which would include wins over Cal, Oregon and possibly Oreson St), our resume would look like:

22 (or 23)-11, with 5-7 top-100 wins (Oregon, USC, Calx2, Stanford, CUx2 (maybe)). We would get in.

Oregon, Arizona and UCLA will all have top-3 seeds in the dance, so hopefully we'll see all three in the sweet-16. My hope is that the conference finally breaks through and gets a team to the final four (it's been since UCLA in 08).

I would feel like we had a chance under that standard, but don't fool yourself into thinking 5-7 wins against the top 100 is an impressive number. And please stop counting non D-1 wins in our resume. It's convenient when talking about resumes, because most play at least one non-D1. But when it comes to putting together the field of 68, nobody looks at total wins.

Vanderbilt is currently the last team in. It has the No. 3 overall SOS and the No. 1 non-con SOS. It has 9 wins against the RPI top 100. It has games at Kentucky and vs. Florida to close out the regular season. If it splits those games OR wins two in the SEC tournament, do you really think your scenario involving Utah will be enough to put us ahead of Vandy? I don't.

[DrumNFeather]

I would feel like we had a chance under that standard, but don't fool yourself into thinking 5-7 wins against the top 100 is an impressive number. And please stop counting non D-1 wins in our resume. It's convenient when talking about resumes, because most play at least one non-D1. But when it comes to putting together the field of 68, nobody looks at total wins.

Vanderbilt is currently the last team in. It has the No. 3 overall SOS and the No. 1 non-con SOS. It has 9 wins against the RPI top 100. It has games at Kentucky and vs. Florida to close out the regular season. If it splits those games OR wins two in the SEC tournament, do you really think your scenario involving Utah will be enough to put us ahead of Vandy? I don't.

I tend to agree. I don't think Utah has a path. Hell, Iowa has surged in the last few weeks to put together a pretty impressive resume (all things considered). I don't think Utah has a path to the big dance short of winning it all in Vegas (obviously, not a stretch).

[SoCalPat]

I tend to agree. I don't think Utah has a path. Hell, Iowa has surged in the last few weeks to put together a pretty impressive resume (all things considered). I don't think Utah has a path to the big dance short of winning it all in Vegas (obviously, not a stretch).

It would be a massive upset if Utah won it all in Vegas. Don't kid yourself. If I'm gonna entertain the fantasy, though, I would've felt better with us as a 4 and Arizona as the 1.

For fun, my off-the-cuff odds of who will win the Pac-12 tournament

Oregon 3-1
UCLA 3-1
Arizona 4-1
Cal 15-1
Utah 20-1
Colorado 20-1
USC 20-1
Stanford 25-1
Washington 40-1
Arizona State 40-1
Washington State 75-1
Oregon State 250-1

[DrumNFeather]

It would be a massive upset if Utah won it all in Vegas. Don't kid yourself. If I'm gonna entertain the fantasy, though, I would've felt better with us as a 4 and Arizona as the 1.

For fun, my off-the-cuff odds of who will win the Pac-12 tournament

Oregon 3-1
UCLA 3-1
Arizona 4-1
Cal 15-1
Utah 20-1
Colorado 20-1
USC 20-1
Stanford 25-1
Washington 40-1
Arizona State 40-1
Washington State 75-1
Oregon State 250-1

Re-reading my post, it probably looks like I was saying it wasn't a stretch that we'd win it...unfortunately, I was saying it's not a stretch to say that it is our only path to the dance. In any event...NIT!

[sancho]

We're not even having a discussion about Utah as the 4 seed if we played the conference schedule Cal did.

Maybe. We were pretty close against UCLA and Zona, though, and we beat USC. If we had Cal's schedule, maybe we'd have won a big game or two.

[Scorcho]

Oregon has only one future NBA player. We may have two--if Daniels is reinstated.


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this latest mock NBA draft has three Oregon players drafted (all in the 2nd round), The three B's - Bell, Boucher, Brooks

http://www.nbadraft.net/2017mock_draft

[DrumNFeather]

this latest mock NBA draft has three Oregon players drafted (all in the 2nd round), The three B's - Bell, Boucher, Brooks

http://www.nbadraft.net/2017mock_draft

I will be pretty stunned if Brooks isn't a contributing player in the NBA. I'm trying to think of other players we've played in the Pac 12 that have been as clutch as he is...Joe Young. Who else?

[SeattleUte]

this latest mock NBA draft has three Oregon players drafted (all in the 2nd round), The three B's - Bell, Boucher, Brooks

http://www.nbadraft.net/2017mock_draft

Most second round players don't even make teams.

[Scorcho]

I will be pretty stunned if Brooks isn't a contributing player in the NBA. I'm trying to think of other players we've played in the Pac 12 that have been as clutch as he is...Joe Young. Who else?

not at the same level as the ones you mentioned, but maybe Jaylen Brown from Cal, Payton Jr. and TJ McConnell.

I heard a guy on the radio talking about how what TJ McConnell has done with the 76ers (based on where he was drafted and his perceived skill level) is nearly as impressive as Tom Brady's journey.

[Scorcho]

Most second round players don't even make teams.

17 of the first projected 20 picks are freshman, and a couple are Intl players, if a few of them don't declare they might be first rounders

[sancho]

HERE WE GO! 12 wins away from cutting down the nets in Glendale! Miracle starts tonight.

Hosting two big recruits tonight. I'm guessing the Huntsman will not be rocking like it sometimes can. I wish they had come for the UCLA game instead.

[LA Ute]

Anybody want 4 tickets to the Cal game tonight? PM me ASAP.

[Mormon Red Death]

Did you check your boardmail?

[U-Ute]

For those who haven't looked it up yet. Set your DVR's!

Time: 9PM MST
Media: ESPN and ESPN700 Sports

[Old Standing ute]

Utes favored by 3.

[LA Ute]

Utes favored by 3.

I hope we are ahead by 10 with 1:00 to go. That'll be easier on my heart and my disposition.

[SeattleUte]

Is Daniels on the bench dressed?