Utah Utes Basketball

The Utah "Running Utes" won the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Saturday.  On Sunday, they were counted out with just one pick.

The No. 5-seeded Utes will face the No. 12 Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the Tournament.  Utah has been a hot and cold team this year, beating LSU, BYU, and Gonzaga. 

At the same time, the Utes lost to BYU, Cal, and Oklahoma.  The biggest problem is that the Utes lost games away from home when they needed to win. 

Arizona split their Mountain West opponents, while Utah also split their games in the Pac-10. 

The Utes should have locked up the Mountain West Conference two weeks ago against BYU.  Worse yet, the team has not beaten any big schools away from home.  So, they have their work cut out for them.

Realistically, if the Utes defeat Arizona, they should have a chance to play Louisville, as neither Wake Forest nor Cleveland State are world-beaters. 

The Utes need to get more offensive production out of their big guys.

While the Utes were not as bad as some members of the Big Ten in scoring, they need Luke Nevill, their big center, and forward Shaun Green to put up points.  Nevill has averaged 16 points a game this season. 

Arizona has three players averaging over 15 points: Jordan Hill (18.5), Chase Budinger (17.9), and Nic Wise (15.1).  Hill especially is an important player to manage, as he scored over 20 points in their final four games. 

Budinger also can score some big numbers.  When he has been hot, he has put up nearly 30 points several times this season.

While defense wins championships, offense can lose you games early on.  The Utes can “upset” the Wildcats, but they need their offense to get on Arizona early and often and put them on the back foot so they can build from there.

The brackets will be exciting once again, and the Utes might just surprise a few teams.

At 7 feet and 2 inches senior center Luke Nevill has emerged as the single most powerful presence in the Mountain West Conference. For the past four years Nevill has been the centerpiece for the University of Utah's Runnin' Utes. Tonight against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels Nevill put an exclamation point as to why he should be the unanimous MVP of the conference for the '08-'09 season.

Tonight Nevill was virtually unstoppable. The last time these two "Runnin'" teams met in January at the Thomas and Mack, the Rebels held Nevill somewhat in check holding him to 14 points and harassing him all night long. The Rebels won by 10. As "they" say, "paybacks are a b***" and tonight Nevill and his Runnin Utes paid back the Rebels big time.

After a pretty close first half the Utes went on an 18-4 run and closed out the half with a 14 point lead. Nevill's total for the game, 35 minutes played, 19 points on 6-11 shooting, and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. Shak should shoot fouls like this guy. He also dominated the boards, as usual, pulling down 13 rebounds leading the Utes to a 36-21 rebound advantage. He also blocked three shots and I lost count to how many Rebel attempts inside the paint went astray as his 7'2" 265 lb frame intimidated his smaller counterparts.

With all that, plus a hostile crowd, the Rebels valiantly fought all the way back from a double digit deficit to close the gap to two points with under three minutes to play. It was too late. The Utes never lost their poise and pulled away for a 10 point win.

Rene Rougeau and Tre'Von Willis combined for 33 points, but once again the key to the Rebels defeat was their inability to score points on Utah's 20 turnovers. This has become a returning habit that has bit the Rebels in the past few games and if it continues for the next two games and into the Mountain West Tournament, it's the NIT for the Rebels post season play.

The Rebels need to win their remaining two games and needs San Diego State to lose their last two for the Rebels to get a number four seed in the tournament, where if they get that far, they will surely have a rubber game match with the Runnin' Utes and one more last shot at the "Monster in the Middle," Luke Nevill.

As the Mountain West Conference front-runner Utah Utes (18-7, 9-2) come to Colorado State this evening, they will match up against an improving but inconsistent Rams team.

I have outlined below three keys for Colorado State’s (8-17, 3-8) success tonight:

1.   The Rams need to stop Utah’s inside force in 7-foot-2 center Luke Nevill. The senior is pacing the Utes’ offense this season with 17.1 points per game while also leading the conference with 8.1 rebounds a contest.

     Last meeting between Nevill and the Rams, the seven-footer tallied 19 points while also pulling down seven boards. Teams have been known to double- or even triple-team Nevill this season.

     Utah has just one other player averaging double figures, Lawrence Borha (11.8), so using an extra man down low to prevent Nevill is a key component.

2.   The Rams need to focus on long-range shots. The Rams are a .351 shooting team from beyond the arc on the season, but have multiple facets that can contribute big numbers when hot.

     Last meeting at Utah, junior Harvey Perry put up a career-high 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range.

     However, the Rams’ biggest offensive components lay in the hands of the freshman Jesse Carr and senior Marcus Walker. The players are averaging 8.8 and 15.6 points per game, respectively.

     Carr has gotten hot as of late, averaging 13.7 points per contest during a six-game stretch starting in Utah last month and lasting through Feb. 7.

     The Rams’ inside game is inconsistent, with center Dan Vandervieren missing eight of the past 10 games due to back spasms and Colorado State’s other center, Mame Bocar Ba, averaging just 1.8 points in 11 minutes on the season. Nevill blocked six Colorado State shots in the schools' last meeting.

3.   The Rams need to start the scoring early, play consistently for 40 minutes and limit the turnovers. It sounds basic, but it is something that Rams fans haven’t seen often this year, but when it does happen, there is a quality product on the court.

     Last home game, the Rams beat TCU 71-65 thanks to a combined 36 points from the duo of Carr and Walker. Colorado State turned the ball over just three times in the win.

     The Rams played Utah tough in Salt Lake City last month despite the final score, 82-66. The teams were tied at the break, and the deficit was just five midway through the second half.

Overall, it won’t be easy for the inconsistent Rams to pull off a win against a Utah team that is receiving votes in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.

It's that time of the year again.

Everyone and their mother's tax analyst is putting together some sort of NCAA Tournament bracket by whatever logic they insist on using.

And the word "bracketology" will soon become one of the most overused and misused words in the history of the English language.

For the record, I hate that word. With the passion of a thousand fiery suns. 

But I digress.

'Tis the season of speculation and argument. Does the SEC deserve to get more than a couple teams in? How many teams will get in from the hotly-contested Mountain West?  Will the whole Big East get in?

Too many questions. Not enough time.

But, being in Mountain West territory, one team with a whole lot of contradictions stands out in my mind.

The Utah Utes, currently sitting atop the Mountain West standings, have lost to a Division II team in Southwest Baptist, and they also have tanked against the Idaho State Bengals, who tip the scales with an RPI of 205.

The same Utah Utes that are sitting pretty at 11 in the RPI and, as of right now, hold destiny and a conference championship in their sweaty palms.

However, the Utes' best road win thus far is at Wyoming, who is a tepid 12-10.

Nonetheless, those same Utes have taken out Gonzaga, LSU, BYU, New Mexico and San Diego State. Those are solid teams, regardless of where you play them.

In addition, center Luke Nevill is one of the most underrated big men in college basketball. He's a presence on both ends of the floor, registering 17.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, and 2.6 bpg. 

He opens the floor for wingmen Lawrence Borha and Shaun Green to do serious damage.

There are no doubts in my mind this team is solid. I've seen them play, and they are legit. 

But, in the back of my mind, I cannot forget what has gone down.

I can't forget SW Baptist. I can't forget Idaho State. I can't accept road wins against UC-Irvine and Air Force.

I can't raise up the Utah Utes and call them the 11th best team in the country. I can't do it.

And so I will wait.

A week of reckoning awaits the Utes. A three game stretch that starts against UNLV and ends on the road at BYU and New Mexico will make up my mind.

And then I'll have peace of mind.

We are attempting to beat Utah tomorrow for the fifth time in a row overall and third in a row in the Huntsman Center. This will not be an easy task, as crazy Jim Boylen will have the troops fired up and ready to run somebody over. He knows he can’t lose again or the fanbase will start to turn against him.

This is a huge game for them. We need to make sure it’s just as important to us. I think we will have no problem getting up for this game; we just need to make sure we come in with confidence. Our guards have to play excellent tomorrow as Utah has the advantage down low with 7′2″ Luke Nevill, who seems to kill us in this building.

The Huntsman Center has to be the darkest arena in all of college basketball, and they are the only team in the league to use the “Wilson Revolution” basketballs. This always seemed silly to me that we didn’t all decide on one ball for the league. They have the thickest seams I’ve played with, and the ball is really grippy. It’s not bad, just a little different. It’s the small things, you know.

These things and the fans create a nice advantage for the Utes, and they’ve been very good at home over the years.

The practice before the Utah game is intense. The coaches usually look tired from all night film, and you can tell how important this game is. There are so many reasons for them to win this game. Let me name one you might not think of: The coaches don’t want to deal with the boosters and all the people who surround the program after losing this game.

This is a win that makes all those people happy. They can talk trash to their cousin in Draper for another year, that type of thing. It builds support and momentum for a program when you beat your rival.

For the players, this is a great chance to come up big. This is why you practice; this is why you play the game.

Scouting Report

No. 50 Luke Nevill: 17.2 PPG 8.4 Reb

Push this guy out!!!! If he gets low post position early, I’m switching to American Idol because the game is over. The key is to keep him 10-15 feet away from the basket because then the guard on the same side can “dig down” and make him pick up his dribble, instead of having to double team with our 4 man and everyone scramble as the ball is passed out.

If we can guard him one on one and keep him under his average, we will win the game. If we have to double team all night, they will get wide-open three-pointers, and if they are shooting their average they win fairly easily. We need to make him run the floor as well to wear him out; our 5 man needs to run.

No. 21 Shaun Green: 10.4 PPG 5.2 Reb

Power Forward, shooter. We don’t want do have to double team off of him because he’s a knockdown three-point shooter. Double-teaming with our 4 man is called “monstering” the post.  When he sets a ballscreen, we can just switch men because Tavernari can guard the guard coming off the screen, and our guards can handle Shaun Green, who is setting the screen. This is the easiest way to guard it. NO OPEN THREES!

No. 11 Lawrence Borha: 11.1 PPG 3.2 Reb

Good pump fake, stay down. He likes the pull up and shoot from 15 feet and occasionally will get all the way to the rack usually for a reverse lay-up.

No. 32 Tyler Kepkay: 10.2 PPG 1.2 assists

He’s a good player; he was a JC All-American. Likes to shoot coming off the ballscreen, and on the catch he will fire up threes. Second best shooter behind Shaun Green. No open threes!!!!

No. 15 Carlon Brown: 10.0 PPG 3.7 assists

Quickest player, best penetrator. Likes to drive and kick the ball out for the three-point shot from a teammate. Also he will pull up for that mid-range jumpshot. Don’t over-help when he is driving; make him make that floater in the lane rather than helping and he kicks it out for an open three.

No. 5 Luca Drca: 7.9 PPG 3.2 assists

Good player; off the ball screen he is dangerous. Loves to go behind his back when you cut him off on the penetration. He is a good post feeder and all-around passer. Also looks for the 15-foot jumper and will shoot threes off the catch.

Keys to win

* Keep Nevill away from the basket.

* Limit their three-point shots and makes.

* RUN!

Three days after the UNLV Runnin' Rebels came from 13 points down at halftime to down the almost invincible BYU Cougars on their home court, The Comeback Kids did it again today in front of over 15,000 frenzied fans at The Thomas and Mack Center with another come from behind victory against the Runnin' Utes from the University of Utah by a score of 75-65.

Once again the Rebels came out very flat in the first half and fell behind the Utes by as many as 14 points. If not for the overall outstanding play of Tre'Von Willis including two 3's in the last 2 minutes of the first half, the deficit could have been considerably more than the 8 point Utah lead at halftime.

Tre'Von, the Sophomore transfer from Memphis has improved in every game since the start of the season. Today he had a career high 22 points in the 34 minutes he was on the floor. Shooting 50% from the floor and 80% (4-5) from the charity line, Tre'Von also had 6 assists and 3 steals in his absolute best performance yet.

Wink Adams coming off his brilliant 22 point 8 rebound and 8-10 from the line against BYU Wednesday night, provided the necessary spark to lead the Rebel comeback in the second half.

During a five minute period, Wink hit three staight jumpers and sank 4 free throws to bring the Rebels back into the game. Wink finished with 14 points and 4 assists and is showing no signs of the injury that sidelined him earlier this year.

Once again during the second half the defense turned up the heat holding the Utes to 27 points while outscoring them by 18. Turnovers caused by the defense led to many easy transition points for the Rebels.

In particular, the Rebels kept Luke Nevil, Utah's answer to Sasquatch away from under the basket rotating Joe Darger, Darris Santee and Brice Massamba against 7' 2'' Senior who led the Utes with 14 points and 7 rebounds.

The Rebels have had the Utah's number over the past several seasons winning 7 out of the last eight but rest assured the Utes will have revenge on it's mind when the Rebels visit Salt Lake City on Wednesday Feb 25th.

These last two wins against who many consider the two best teams to challenge the Rebels for bragging rights in the Mountain West Conference, must have very pleasing to Coach Kruger in that the Rebels have shown that they can come from behind but he also must be concerned about two straight poor first half performances.

Very few teams in the NCAA are capable of putting 40 minutes of all out offense and defense. These games can just as easily work against a team if they think they can turn on a switch game after game and come out on top.

The next test, a week from today, will come against The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. This is a team the Rebels should easily handle but the same was said about Colorado State. The Rebels have to stay focused and get out of the gate in the first half the same way they have in the second half in the last two games.

Looking at the box score, Mo Rutledge's name won't stand out. But his contribution to UNLV's 75-65 victory over Utah was big.

Rutledge (pictured) played 15 minutes, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and nailed a pair of 3-pointers, capping off of a 12-3 run in the middle of the second half. He finished with nine points.

"Mo got some big rebounds for us," said UNLV coach Lon Kruger on Versus.

The Runnin' Rebels (16-4, 4-2 Mountain West) were down by eight at the half, but like at Brigham Young, Wink Adams scored three consecutive buckets, giving the Rebels new life.

Adams finished with 14 points with 10 coming in the second half. Sophomore guard Tre'Von Willis finished with a career-high 22 points, carrying the team with Adams.

The Runnin' Utes (12-7, 3-3) were lights out in the first half, shooting 68 percent and were nailing every thing they threw up in the air, which hushed the ruckus Thomas & Mack crowd.

UNLV didn't shoot well, and were lucky to to be down only eight after, poor shooting and even worse free-throw shooting.

Willis nailed a trey as time ran out in the first half, which served as a signal that things might be getting better.

Things did.

UNLV's defensively intensity picked up, and Utah's star center Luke Nevill was hassled, the shooters were no longer hitting the looks they were hitting in the first and the Utes' physical play was matched blow for blow by the Rebels.

When the defense started working, so did the offense led by Adams, Willis, Rutledge. Freshman Oscar Bellfield also go into the mix, driving hard to the basket and finally cracking how to get a shot off against the seven-footer in the middle.

Nevill finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, but it wasn't enough as the Rebels defended their home court.

The win is a big one for UNLV, who now adds another quality victory to its tournament resume. This would be their second double-quality win over a top 20 RPI opponent. Utah, on the other hand, is looking for answers on how to win on opponent's home floors when that opponent is not named Colorado State or Wyoming.

Utah's Keys to the Game Pass/Fail:

Limit the Dribble Drive—Fail

UNLV got to the basket, and while they had trouble early hitting shots, they managed to finish. The Runnin' Rebels only attempted nine 3-pointers, meaning that 48 of the Rebels' scoring opportunities came from inside of the arc. Willis may have hit two treys, but his game is really taking it strong to the basket. The same goes for Adams as well.

Nevill needs to play his size—Inconclusive

Nevill played his size in the first half, but was a non-factor in the second. He didn't pass or fail, it's an inconclusive grade

Get off early—Pass

Once again, the Utes got off early in the first half, and were in the game until UNLV started running away with its big run. They had a lot of fans worried with their sharp shooting and size differential.

UNLV's Keys to the Game Pass/Fail:

Box Out—Pass

UNLV lost a slight battle on the boards 30-27, but when no Ute player grabs double digit rebounds, then they were making sure they had position on the rebounding front.

Attack the Paint—Pass

The Rebels attacked the paint, and sometimes did so too much. They got inside, made the layup, drew the foul or kicked out. It worked for them.

Stop the Others—Inconclusive

Nevill didn't get his average, and neither did the other guys. But there were four players in double digits, so they stopped them, but not enough.

Next Up:

UNLV at Air Force (1/31)

Utah at Brigham Young (1/27)