Utah (10-13, 3-6 MWC) opened the second half of conference play with a 54-49 loss to Air Force (13-9, 4-5 MWC). It was just another embarrassing loss (of which the Utes have had too many this season). Utah has the players to beat Air Force, something is just missing. The Runnin' Utes shot 7-17 from the free throw line, which is definitely not a recipe to win games. And once again, the offense couldn't score. Air Force also got a crucial offensive put back with under a minute to go to put the Falcons up by 4.
So, it's the same story that we have gotten used to as Utah fans, offensive inconsistency and inability to get key rebounds. The rebounds thing may not always be true, but it always seems to rear its ugly head near the end of games that Utah loses. Air Force plays a disciplined, methodical style of basketball and typically doesn't beat themselves. The Utes made too many mistakes and lost. There have just been too many failings this year in fundamental areas, I was really amazed at how many free throws were missed, especially by the guards who are supposed to be the best shooters on the team. The fundamentals, particularly on offense as well as nabbing clutch rebounds, will likely be the reason for Coach Jim Boylen not coming back next season. The season isn't over, so I'm willing to stick it out, but unless there's a big turnaround, it'll be tough for him to keep his job. Utah next plays at #7 San Diego State (23-1, 8-1 MWC) on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. MT on the Mtn. Needless to say I'm not too optimistic about the Runnin' Utes' chances in that one.
Showing posts with label Air Force Falcons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Air Force Falcons. Show all posts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Runnin' Utes drop ugly contest
Utah (10-12, 3-5 MWC) lost at UNLV (17-5, 5-3 MWC) last night 67-54. Utah shot just 29.8 percent from the field and an embarrassing 56 percent from the free-throw line. UNLV didn't shoot the cover off the ball either, shooting 36.9 percent from the field and 63 percent on free throws. Quintrell Thomas led the Runnin' Rebels with 15 points and Carlos Lopez had 14. Will Clyburn of the Runnin' Utes led all scorers with 17 points and Josh Watkins had 15.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that this was one of the more painful games I've ever watched. I don't say that just as a Utah fan, but as a big fan of college basketball in general. Both teams executed poorly on offense, but Utah was definitely the worse of the two teams, turning the ball over 17 times. Both teams played solid defense, but the Runnin' Utes especially just looked sloppy throughout the game.
With the defense as good as it was, I felt Utah could have done a lot more to be competitive in this game and perhaps even come away with a victory, but you'll be hard pressed to find a team win a game with as poor of an offensive showing as Utah had. The Utes return home for a must-win game Saturday night against Air Force (12-9, 3-5 MWC), with whom they are tied for sixth place in the conference. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on the Mtn.
UNLV will be in Provo on Saturday afternoon to face #8 BYU (21-2, 7-1 MWC) at 2 p.m. MT on Versus. The Cougars escaped Wyoming last night with a 69-62 victory despite a game effort from the Cowboys (8-14, 1-7 MWC). Jimmer Fredette had a huge conventional 3 point play with under a minute to go and BYU up just one point that pretty much sealed the game. It was just another clutch play from Fredette. #7 San Diego State (22-1, 7-1 MWC) kept pace in the conference with a 56-54 win at Colorado State (15-7, 5-3 MWC) that came when D.J. Gay knocked down a jumper with under two seconds left. With so much exciting happening in the Mountain West, it's too bad that Utah couldn't play a more exciting, competitive game.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that this was one of the more painful games I've ever watched. I don't say that just as a Utah fan, but as a big fan of college basketball in general. Both teams executed poorly on offense, but Utah was definitely the worse of the two teams, turning the ball over 17 times. Both teams played solid defense, but the Runnin' Utes especially just looked sloppy throughout the game.
With the defense as good as it was, I felt Utah could have done a lot more to be competitive in this game and perhaps even come away with a victory, but you'll be hard pressed to find a team win a game with as poor of an offensive showing as Utah had. The Utes return home for a must-win game Saturday night against Air Force (12-9, 3-5 MWC), with whom they are tied for sixth place in the conference. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on the Mtn.
UNLV will be in Provo on Saturday afternoon to face #8 BYU (21-2, 7-1 MWC) at 2 p.m. MT on Versus. The Cougars escaped Wyoming last night with a 69-62 victory despite a game effort from the Cowboys (8-14, 1-7 MWC). Jimmer Fredette had a huge conventional 3 point play with under a minute to go and BYU up just one point that pretty much sealed the game. It was just another clutch play from Fredette. #7 San Diego State (22-1, 7-1 MWC) kept pace in the conference with a 56-54 win at Colorado State (15-7, 5-3 MWC) that came when D.J. Gay knocked down a jumper with under two seconds left. With so much exciting happening in the Mountain West, it's too bad that Utah couldn't play a more exciting, competitive game.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Runnin' Utes drop MWC opener
Air Force (10-4, 1-0 MWC) defeated Utah (7-8, 0-1 MWC) tonight 77-69 in Colorado Springs. A big story tonight was the ineptitude of the Mtn. in failing to get me the game to watch. The channel was black the entire night, including for the preceding San Diego State-TCU game. I called my friends on a different cable system and it was blacked out for them as well. It's a good thing that this is the last season for the Runnin' Utes being on the Mtn.
From what I was able to glean from listening to the game, it was the same old story for the Utes. They had some good spurts, including going up by 9 in the first half. They once again fell behind in the 2nd half, but were able to take the lead with under 3 minutes left. However, Utah was significantly outplayed by the Falcons down the stretch and picked up another loss they probably shouldn't have. It seems like the Utes have hit the panic button late in games recently and not really played composed, putting up difficult shots and turning it over (again as well as I can tell from listening on the radio). I don't think Coach Jim Boylen is completely off the hook for this loss as it was still his players, system and assistant coaches at the game. I thought Chris Kupets played a really good game; he seems to be coming along and developing into a really nice player. However, it was the same old inconsistency for the Utes who have lost 5 straight. It looks very likely that the streak will extend to 7 as they have home games against #6 San Diego State (16-0, 1-0 MWC) Saturday and #15 BYU (15-1, 1-0 MWC) next Tuesday.
From what I was able to glean from listening to the game, it was the same old story for the Utes. They had some good spurts, including going up by 9 in the first half. They once again fell behind in the 2nd half, but were able to take the lead with under 3 minutes left. However, Utah was significantly outplayed by the Falcons down the stretch and picked up another loss they probably shouldn't have. It seems like the Utes have hit the panic button late in games recently and not really played composed, putting up difficult shots and turning it over (again as well as I can tell from listening on the radio). I don't think Coach Jim Boylen is completely off the hook for this loss as it was still his players, system and assistant coaches at the game. I thought Chris Kupets played a really good game; he seems to be coming along and developing into a really nice player. However, it was the same old inconsistency for the Utes who have lost 5 straight. It looks very likely that the streak will extend to 7 as they have home games against #6 San Diego State (16-0, 1-0 MWC) Saturday and #15 BYU (15-1, 1-0 MWC) next Tuesday.
Runnin' Utes set to open final MWC season
The Utah Runnin' Utes (7-7, 0-0 MWC) open their final season of Mountain West Conference play Wednesday night at Air Force (9-4, 0-0 MWC) at 8 p.m. MT. The game will be televised on the Mtn. (channel 616 on DirecTV). I'll be watching and tweeting, which you can follow along with at twitter.com/dpaysports. I'll be back on here for recap and analysis following the game. I blogged last week about the struggles of the Utah basketball program and I feel that I chronicled my thoughts on what is going on very well. All that being said, there still is a lot of season left and the Runnin' Utes can't get down about being on a 4 game losing streak or having a couple of bad losses this season. Conference play is beginning, and everyone needs to look at it as an opportunity for a fresh start. If the team puts things together now, there is still the possibility of a good season.
Air Force is a tough team to prepare for as they test your discipline and really work the clock. However, I think Utah will win this game because they have more talent and because Coach Jim Boylen has never lost to Air Force in his tenure at Utah. I think the Falcons are better than in years past, but I think Boylen and his staff have the confidence to bring the Utes into Colorado Springs and come out with a victory.
Following the road game with Air Force, the Runnin' Utes return home for a pair of games against ranked opponents. First, Utah takes on #6 San Diego State (15-0, 0-0 MWC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT and then hosts rival #15 BYU (14-1, 0-0 MWC) next Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. MT. I'm hoping for more of an electric atmosphere at the Huntsman Center for these two games. If San Diego State can win at TCU (9-6, 0-0 MWC) tomorrow night, they will be unbeaten coming into Saturday's match-up. That would be pretty special to have an undefeated team ranked #6 in the country come into our arena this far into the season. So I hope that happens. BYU is also playing some really good basketball this season and I fully expect a loud crowd for the game next Tuesday. Utah is encouraging fans to wear red for a "Red Out" for the BYU game and I am on board with that. I just like the sound of that and hope that it brings out people wearing even more red and being even more passionate about the Utah basketball than usual. As part of the Red Out, the Runnin' Utes will be wearing their red uniforms at home for the first time that I can ever remember.
I'm excited for conference play to get going in full swing. The Mountain West is a fun conference to follow and some good basketball is played there. It's been fun to have my team in the conference and be able to follow them for years. I'm going to try and soak up this last season of Utah in the Mountain West and enjoy the competitiveness and the rivalries the conference has to offer. Hopefully the Utes will put a product on the floor that I can be proud to call my team. It all starts Wednesday night.
Air Force is a tough team to prepare for as they test your discipline and really work the clock. However, I think Utah will win this game because they have more talent and because Coach Jim Boylen has never lost to Air Force in his tenure at Utah. I think the Falcons are better than in years past, but I think Boylen and his staff have the confidence to bring the Utes into Colorado Springs and come out with a victory.
Following the road game with Air Force, the Runnin' Utes return home for a pair of games against ranked opponents. First, Utah takes on #6 San Diego State (15-0, 0-0 MWC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT and then hosts rival #15 BYU (14-1, 0-0 MWC) next Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. MT. I'm hoping for more of an electric atmosphere at the Huntsman Center for these two games. If San Diego State can win at TCU (9-6, 0-0 MWC) tomorrow night, they will be unbeaten coming into Saturday's match-up. That would be pretty special to have an undefeated team ranked #6 in the country come into our arena this far into the season. So I hope that happens. BYU is also playing some really good basketball this season and I fully expect a loud crowd for the game next Tuesday. Utah is encouraging fans to wear red for a "Red Out" for the BYU game and I am on board with that. I just like the sound of that and hope that it brings out people wearing even more red and being even more passionate about the Utah basketball than usual. As part of the Red Out, the Runnin' Utes will be wearing their red uniforms at home for the first time that I can ever remember.
I'm excited for conference play to get going in full swing. The Mountain West is a fun conference to follow and some good basketball is played there. It's been fun to have my team in the conference and be able to follow them for years. I'm going to try and soak up this last season of Utah in the Mountain West and enjoy the competitiveness and the rivalries the conference has to offer. Hopefully the Utes will put a product on the floor that I can be proud to call my team. It all starts Wednesday night.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
My 2010 MWC Football picks
Football season is less than 24 hours away here in Salt Lake City, so it's time for my 2010 Mountain West Conference Football prognostications. Here's how I see the conference shaking out this year:
1. Utah
2. TCU
3. BYU
4. Air Force
5. Wyoming
6. San Diego State
7. UNLV
8. Colorado State
9. New Mexico
I think Utah will win the Conference in large part because they have both TCU and BYU at home. I think the TCU game will be the toughest home game of the year but I think the Utes will feed off the crowd and pull it out in a close one. I'm not seeing an undefeated season for the Utes, but I do see a conference title. TCU is the favorite in most people's books and their talent should be enough to win most games, plus they get BYU at home. BYU always seems to have its way with Air Force as well as the lower tier of the league, so they are an easy pick for 3rd. Air Force could make some noise and I particularly think Utah's late October visit to Colorado Springs is a dangerous game. Wyoming and San Diego State appear to be on a bit of an upswing and I don't really expect much from UNLV, Colorado State and New Mexico (more than 1 win this year and no choking incidents on the coaching staff would be a nice improvement for the Lobos). I'm pretty stoked for tomorrow night's game and I'll have more posted on that here shortly.
1. Utah
2. TCU
3. BYU
4. Air Force
5. Wyoming
6. San Diego State
7. UNLV
8. Colorado State
9. New Mexico
I think Utah will win the Conference in large part because they have both TCU and BYU at home. I think the TCU game will be the toughest home game of the year but I think the Utes will feed off the crowd and pull it out in a close one. I'm not seeing an undefeated season for the Utes, but I do see a conference title. TCU is the favorite in most people's books and their talent should be enough to win most games, plus they get BYU at home. BYU always seems to have its way with Air Force as well as the lower tier of the league, so they are an easy pick for 3rd. Air Force could make some noise and I particularly think Utah's late October visit to Colorado Springs is a dangerous game. Wyoming and San Diego State appear to be on a bit of an upswing and I don't really expect much from UNLV, Colorado State and New Mexico (more than 1 win this year and no choking incidents on the coaching staff would be a nice improvement for the Lobos). I'm pretty stoked for tomorrow night's game and I'll have more posted on that here shortly.
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