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Thread: The Pre-conference 2019 Basketball season Thread -

  1. #1

    The Pre-conference 2019 Basketball season Thread -

    First game is at Nevada on CBS sports network... be like me and get a two week free trial so you can watch this and LSUvbama game on saturday.


    No line for the game until tomorrow. I'm thinking the line will be Nevada -1. Utah has more talent and should win this game. All of their best players are gone.

    Some preview
    Quick Hits

    2018-19 Record: 29-5 (15-3, 1st in Mountain West)
    Final KenPom ranking: 27
    Offensive efficiency: 114.0 (26th)
    Defensive efficiency: 95.9 (35th)
    Adjusted tempo: 69.3 (91st)
    NCAA Tournament: 7th seed in West Region, lost in first round to Florida, 70-61
    Key departees: Coach Eric Musselman (110-34 record in four seasons), F Caleb Martin (19.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.8 apg), G Cody Martin (12.1 ppg, 4.9 apg, 119.0 ORTG), F Jordan Caroline (17.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 36.8 3pt%), F Tre’Shawn Thurman (8.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 119.9 ORTG), F Trey Porter (7.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 60.1 fg%), F/C Jordan Brown (3.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 50.6 fg%)
    New additions for 2019-20: G Gabe Bansuelo (Bishop Manogue HS), G Desmond Cambridge* (Brown), F K.J. Hymes (Hillcrest Prep), F Zane Meeks (Brewster Academy), G Kane Milling (France), G Eric Parrish (Bossier City CC), F Johncarlos Reyes (Boston College), F Robby Robinson (San Diego CC), F Warren Washington(Oregon State)*
    *Cambridge and Washington will sit out the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  2. #2
    KenPom has Nevada at 98 in his preseason rankings (Utah at 114). He projects an 80-75 win for the Wolfpack, but to your point, the have lost a lot of talent and are breaking in a new coach in Steve Alford.
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Scorcho's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrumNFeather View Post
    KenPom has Nevada at 98 in his preseason rankings (Utah at 114). He projects an 80-75 win for the Wolfpack, but to your point, the have lost a lot of talent and are breaking in a new coach in Steve Alford.
    I'll be ecstatic if we can keep this to a 10 point loss or less

  4. #4
    Listened to a little of Steve Alford's presser previewing Utah. It sounds to me like these two teams are very much in the same boat in terms of having players leave, new guys come in, etc. They've got 9 guys on scholarship right now, and from what Alford said, most of those 9 will play.

    I expect both teams to really shoot poorly here in the opener with the new 3 point line being what it is. I would hope that would mean we feed it into our bigs early and often to offset some of the risk that may come from launching a bunch of threes.
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  5. #5
    I have now seen the team play against each other and I have seen them smash a Division II team. I am so excited for tonight. I go into this season with no concrete expectations, only hopes. Better than .500 record would be nice. Minimal 1-9 transfers/growth/development would also be nice. It will be great to see how we do against another D1 team in a non-controlled atmosphere.

  6. #6
    Let's get it on!
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  7. #7
    The hat and januten first in. I'm looking what I see so far.
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  8. #8
    Under 12 Utes up 5
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  9. #9
    Playing reasonably well up 9 now
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  10. #10
    UTAH by 5 @ the half
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  11. #11
    First half thoughts
    Timmy buckets playing well
    Rylan Jones will be great when he's done
    Surprised no van Komen
    Not making free throws ...
    If Lindsey from Nevada was in a video game his shoes would be blinking
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  12. #12
    Gach stepped up in the second half. Good win
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  13. #13
    Since I'm the only one who watched this game here are my thoughts:

    1. Carlson is at least as good as Johnson. He also shoots better FTs
    2. Our crunch time was Jones, Battin, Gach Allen and Januten or the hat
    3. Plummer is a good mix up and should play some.
    4. Gach and Allen can get to the hoop so easy. Gach is the fastest guy out there.
    5. Utes played good defense. One guy was on fire but they held the others pretty well
    6. The flop rule is stupid
    7. We would have won really big had Timmy allen made his free throws. You cant expect to win when you shoot 6/13 from the line.
    8. We need someone who can make the corner 3.
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

  14. #14
    Timmy shot 74% last year, so hopefully this was just bad luck or an off night and that number will go up.

    Gach was really impressive. I felt like last year he was really impressive athletically and showed some glimpses, but last night was the first time he really looked like a basketball player, if that makes any sense. He looked completely comfortable and in control last night, which will be invaluable.

    Jantunen will be a fan favorite for good reason; the keys to him being a major contributor will be 1) he shows or develops enough of an offensive game to at least keep defenses honest, and 2) we find enough offense from the other guys that we can comfortably keep him out there (and this is why it's important that he show enough to keep defenses honest, doing so will be crucial in allowing the other players on the court to provide sufficient offense).

    Battin will be a very important player who will put up solid scoring and rebounding numbers, yet he will be chronically undervalued and underappreciated by our fan base.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Mormon Red Death View Post
    Since I'm the only one who watched this game here are my thoughts:

    1. Carlson is at least as good as Johnson. He also shoots better FTs
    2. Our crunch time was Jones, Battin, Gach Allen and Januten or the hat
    3. Plummer is a good mix up and should play some.
    4. Gach and Allen can get to the hoop so easy. Gach is the fastest guy out there.
    5. Utes played good defense. One guy was on fire but they held the others pretty well
    6. The flop rule is stupid
    7. We would have won really big had Timmy allen made his free throws. You cant expect to win when you shoot 6/13 from the line.
    8. We need someone who can make the corner 3.
    Agree on all 8!

    There was a lot to like about that performance last night!

    A couple more:

    - Really like Rylan Jones and what he brings to the table. Those two quick fouls were dumb and not great calls. Jazz Johnson kind of played out of control.
    - Carlson's skillset around the basket eclipses Jayce. That's not a bag on Jayce, but Carlson seems to know what to do when he gets the ball down low.
    - Agree on Plummer. He's going to be an energy guy. I can already hear Larry saying "he's got some bad JC habits that he's got to fix" but even so, I like what I saw from him.
    - Not entirely sure what Brenchley's role will be on this team, but he did well with the minutes he got.
    - Utes finally have some guys that can block and alter shots...and that was without MVK!

    All in all, hard to complain about a top (we'll call it 150 - they were 98 in Kenpom, now they're 109) road win to open the season.
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Mormon Red Death View Post
    Since I'm the only one who watched this game here are my thoughts:

    1. Carlson is at least as good as Johnson. He also shoots better FTs
    2. Our crunch time was Jones, Battin, Gach Allen and Januten or the hat
    3. Plummer is a good mix up and should play some.
    4. Gach and Allen can get to the hoop so easy. Gach is the fastest guy out there.
    5. Utes played good defense. One guy was on fire but they held the others pretty well
    6. The flop rule is stupid
    7. We would have won really big had Timmy allen made his free throws. You cant expect to win when you shoot 6/13 from the line.
    8. We need someone who can make the corner 3.
    I watched. I just didn't have my computer near by.

    The good:

    The team. The team is good. I said all offseason that we need Rylan Jones to be ready from day one, we need Both and Timmy to make significant improvements, and we need at least one of the centers to be serviceable. Last night was encouraging on each of those questions.

    The bad:

    The shooting. Looks like Battin, Jones, and Gach will have a green light to shoot from distance; we'll have to watch their percentages. We need more players in this category. I guess Brenchly/Plummer/Wenzel will also have a green light but maybe not too many minutes.

    The ugly:

    The free throws. Allen is going to get to the line, and we need him to deliver when he's there.

    Other random thoughts: The rebounding was great. I was disappointed not to see MVK. The flopping rule is dumb. If you want to discourage flopping (as you should), you let most block/charge decisions be no-calls. If you stop giving calls for flops, flops will stop. The defense is at a strong disadvantage when someone flops unsuccessfully. Too many refs feel like they have to go one way or the other on contact. Just let it go! This discourages flopping, and it discourages the awful basketball of driving hard with nothing in mind other than to draw contact.

    Anyway, a nice road win against a bad team to start the season. I'll take that every time. I'm glad basketball is back...now it can be forgotten by 99% of the population until January.

  17. #17
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Did Brenchley get much time? I liked what I saw out of him against Tyler.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    Did Brenchley get much time? I liked what I saw out of him against Tyler.
    He had his first points as a Ute.

  19. #19
    Minutes last night:

    Allen - 38
    Battin - 30
    Carlson - 24
    Jones - 22
    Gach - 31
    Jantunen - 14
    Thioune - 14
    Brenchley -14
    Plummer -14

    So, the only scholarship players to not log minutes were MVK and Wenzel.
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  20. #20
    So do all you debbie downers have a different feeling after last night's game? It's only one game but this doesn't feel like a 12-15 win team. I am pretty encouraged by what I saw last night.

  21. #21
    I love seeing that Allen realizes he needs to be a scoring leader on the team. I'm pretty sure we will have long scoring droughts against teams that are able to guard Timmy well.

  22. #22
    Senior Member Scorcho's Avatar
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    Utes shot 5/23 from deep .... ouch!

    Not sure we'll win many road games with that type of percentage. I hope that's not an early sign of weakness

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Scorcho View Post
    Utes shot 5/23 from deep .... ouch!

    Not sure we'll win many road games with that type of percentage. I hope that's not an early sign of weakness
    I want to say we will snap out of it, but we have not shot fairly poorly against ourselves at NWTRU, UT-Tyler and Nevada. I know Rylan will make more than he did last night.

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports View Post
    I want to say we will snap out of it, but we have not shot fairly poorly against ourselves at NWTRU, UT-Tyler and Nevada. I know Rylan will make more than he did last night.
    It will be interesting to see 3 point %s across college basketball. It seems to me that the expectation (and Larry has said as much) is that those 3 point %s will go down across the board.
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  25. #25
    It's dumb that they have different lines for the women and the men. Just set the women's line back to the men's for the sake of court aesthetics.

  26. #26
    I'm excited about this young team. Lots of mobile, athletic big men who can score--the kind that were hallmarks for the Utes of yore. And the guard line as well has immediate impact young players and substantial promise. This may be a fun team to watch. Utah's risen stature including Pac 12 membership and imminent admission to the AAU have paid off.

    Now let's see if Krsytkowiak manages to screw up this opportunity too.
    One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.

    --Albert Einstein

    The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.

    --Richard Dawkins

    Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.

    --Philo

  27. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by SeattleUte View Post
    …….let's see if Krsytkowiak manages to screw up this opportunity too.

    What's your prediction? Will this group be a contender in a year or two under his leadership, or will Krsytko fall flat on his face?
    “Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman

    "You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb

    "Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by mUUser View Post
    What's your prediction? Will this group be a contender in a year or two under his leadership, or will Krsytko fall flat on his face?
    Can we place bets on this? Easiest money ever

  29. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports View Post
    Can we place bets on this? Easiest money ever
    Which way?

  30. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Applejack View Post
    Which way?
    My bad. That was very non-clear. I want to us all to place bets on what SeattleUte's prediction will be.

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