Runnin' Utes have progressed

It was nice to see Utah get a win in their final home game of the season after having such a rough year. The Utes knocked off a Stanford team that has won 19 games this year.

I remember when I was watching Utah get pounded by Boise State at the start of the season, analyst Joe Cravens remarked that when he used to coach against Larry Krystkowiak in the Big Sky that Krystkowiak's teams always seemed to be getting better. Cravens also said that there was no doubt in his mind that Krystkowiak was the right guy for the job at Utah.

I remember having my doubts at the time because the Runnin' Utes looked really bad that night in Boise. However, I will say that despite the lack of talent on this year's team, Utah has gotten better throughout the season. Also, they have been playing hard the last several games despite the numerous losses.

It seems that the future is probably bright for the Utes under Larry Krystkowiak. I'm excited for next season and for the end of this season. Utah is at Oregon State tomorrow night at 8 p.m. MT.

Runnin' Utes blown out by Boise State

Utah (1-1) lost tonight at Boise State (2-0) by a score of 80-59. This win comes on the heels of the Runnin' Utes topping San Diego Christian College, an NAIA school, on Monday night by a score of 58-55.

I have not been impressed at all with the Utes so far this year. Honestly, they don't look like they know what they're doing out there. I know it's early, but this year's Utah team looks like the least talented Utes team I have ever seen -- not a good thing when entering the first year in the Pac-12. The team looks like it's playing pretty hard out there, they just don't look like they have a lot of talent.

Jiggy Watkins led the Utes with 19 points. Watkins so far has looked like by far the best Utah player. However, he can't do everything by himself. I expect more production from center Jason Washburn, who had 5 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes tonight. Sometimes I feel like Washburn just needs to play smarter. He's got talent, but he needs to keep his head in the game.

Look, I'm sure Utah will play better as the season goes on and the team gets more time to mesh and gel. So, we'll see if I'm overreacting. Maybe Boise State will turn out to be a better team than I'm expecting, but I still see tonight as an embarrassing loss. Larry Krystkowiak hasn't exactly set the world on fire in his first two games as head coach, but I'm willing to give him some time. I don't think the talent is all that great this year, as I alluded to. I think this team will get better, but this looks to have all the makings of a long year.

The Runnin' Utes host Montana State (1-1) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. There is no television for the game, but you can watch a live stream of the game via utahutes.com

Utes hammered in Las Vegas Bowl

My Utah Utes lost to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl last night by a score of 26-3. It was disappointing, especially after the Utes were in control through the entire first quarter and couldn't get more than a 3-0 lead. In the game, they left at least 13 points on the board with dropped passes and a pair of missed field goals. But Boise State left some points on the board too. The Broncos probably would have won anyway, but it would have been nice not to play as sloppy of a game and to score more than 3 points. You never know, if it was close at the end who knows what could have happened. It was a disappointing end to the season.

In basketball, the Runnin' Utes lost to Butler in Honolulu in the first game of the Diamond Head Classic. Utah faces host Hawaii tonight at 10:30 p.m. MT on ESPNU. Check it out.

Runnin' Utes come from behind to beat Boise State

Pictured: Will Clyburn watches his game winning three-pointer go in against Boise State last night.

The Utah Runnin' Utes (7-3) defeated the Boise State Broncos (6-4) last night in Salt Lake City by a score of 86-84. Will Clyburn hit the winning three-pointer with about 10 seconds left to provide the final margin. Clyburn finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds. All five starters for the Utes were in double figures. Boise State's Daequon Montreal led all scorers with 28.

Utah jumped out to an early 17-8 lead, but the Broncos took control after that. Boise State's lead was as big as 16 at 66-50 with 14:03 left in the game. I thought Utah's defense up to that point was pretty poor as Boise State got a lot of open looks. After that, the Utes tightened up and BSU only scored 18 points the rest of the way. The Broncos got way too many offensive rebounds which led to a lot of second-chance points. That is something that needs to be cleaned up in a hurry before the Utes compete in the Diamond Head Classic beginning next Wednesday.

However, the real story of the game to me is the resiliency the Utes showed by not folding when they fell behind by 16 in the second half. Utah was able to chip away at the lead and made a number of key shots down the stretch. Jason Washburn made a couple of clutch free throws as well as a jump hook to help trim the deficit and the Utes got the stops they needed. Josh Watkins put Utah up for the first time since the first half with a pair of free throws with under 30 seconds left. A Broncos bucket set up Clyburn's heroics off of a pass from Watkins. Both Clyburn and Watkins deserve credit for that play in making the right decisions and getting the shot to go. It really pleased me to see the Utes play so well down the stretch as they seemingly made every play they had to.

Utah next plays Butler (6-4, 1-0 Horizon) at 9 p.m. MT on Wednesday night in the aforementioned Diamond Head Classic. The game will be televised on ESPNU. The Utes will play either Florida State (8-2, 1-0 ACC) or Hawaii (7-2) depending on the results of the previous day's games. Butler looked very impressive in dismantling Stanford (6-3) today by a score of 83-50 in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs look to be finding their groove and reminded me of the National Championship Runner-Up team from a season ago in beating the Cardinal today. They really only have one bad loss (which came without one of their emotional leaders Ronald Nored) and have played a tough schedule. It should be a tough game for the Runnin' Utes, but I'm anxious to see how they do.

Update on the Runnin' Utes

The Utah Runnin' Utes (6-3) beat Pepperdine (4-8) in Salt Lake City on Tuesday 67-60 and lost at Michigan (7-2) on Friday night 75-64. The Utes next host Boise State (6-2) on Friday night at 7 p.m. MT. I'm pleased that Utah was able to beat Pepperdine after the Waves led at halftime, but I'm disappointed that they didn't win by more. Pepperdine isn't a very good team and Utah didn't look that impressive in the win, but as they say: a win is a win.

Utah lost the game at Michigan in the first half, committing at least a dozen turnovers before intermission and trailing by 17 at the break. The Wolverines led by as many as 22 before Utah made a run late to lose by 11. The Utes looked bad most of the game and simply dug themselves too big of a hole with poor play. You just have to take care of the basketball or you're not going to be in a lot of games. Michigan played fine and may have won the game anyway, but Utah really hurt themselves. Without so many turnovers and missed free throws (7-13 from the line) I believe it would have been competitive and relatively close throughout. Jay Watkins scored 17 for the Runnin' Utes and Will Clyburn and Chris Hines each had 11.

I'm still cautiously optimistic about Utah's season. I don't consider the Michigan loss a bad loss, so hopefully it doesn't set the guys back. Boise State on Friday is what I consider a winnable game at home. Let's hope the Utes can pull off the basketball-football sweep by adding a win in the Las Vegas Bowl over the Broncos the following break.