New Mexico (19-11, 7-8 MWC) got a big upset road victory against #3 BYU (27-3, 13-2 MWC) by a score of 82-64. The Lobos jumped on the Cougars early and never really let the game get that close. It was BYU's first game without big man Brandon Davies, who was suspended for an honor code violation (more on that in a moment). BYU just didn't look like they knew what hit them and New Mexico played better and with more energy from start to finish.
Even without Davies, this game is a complete shocker. BYU rarely loses at home and I don't remember the last time they got blown out at home. It's definitely a big win for the Lobos, who are looking to ride this momentum into their home finale against Air Force (15-13, 6-9 MWC) on Saturday and then to the conference tournament next week. I think the win is a huge testament to New Mexico coach Steve Alford, who clearly knows how to get his team up for big games. The Lobos are the only MWC team to beat BYU this year as they swept the Cougars.
This a really tough loss for BYU as it basically ends all conversations about them being a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. BYU still will likely get a share of the conference title and the top seed in the conference tournament next week, they only have to beat Wyoming (10-19, 3-12 MWC) to ensure this. However, the loss really has to sting. Jimmer Fredette looked completely disconsolate after the game, like he was going to throw up; so I know he is taking the loss hard. This means the Cougars will have a tougher draw in the NCAA Tournament, but they are still a talented team that can do some damage. I found it interesting that BYU coach Dave Rose had Fredette and Jackson Emery on the bench to the end of the game, maybe he figured it was out of reach? Or was he unhappy with the two? I don't think there is a rift between Coach Rose and his players by any means, it was just an interesting thing to see. If anything, this shows that the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas next week could be very entertaining and unpredictable.
I'm not a BYU fan, but definitely identify myself as LDS. I think the whole Brandon Davies situation is rather sad for the team and that Davies didn't act wisely at all. But I am also glad that a school that is owned by the church I belong to has enough moral strength to uphold its self-imposed code of ethics. Pat Forde of espn.com wrote an article on this that I think highlights what an admirable stand BYU is taking. Again, I'm not rejoicing in the whole thing, it's too bad that the whole situation happened, I'm just glad that BYU and the church I belong to are taking a stand on morals even though a lot of schools around the country don't tend to do so.
Showing posts with label Jimmer Fredette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jimmer Fredette. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Utes lose rivalry game
My Utah Runnin' Utes (10-15, 3-8 MWC) lost yesterday afternoon at #7 BYU (24-2, 10-1 MWC) by a score of 72-59. BYU's Jimmer Fredette led all scorers with 23 points and Charles Abouo added 22 for the Cougars. Will Clyburn led Utah with 18 points and Chris Kupets came off the bench to add 14.
I was proud of the Utes for playing so hard and thought they really executed their stuff well for most of the day. I was impressed with how well they got back on defense to prevent transition baskets for most of the game as well as with the way they slowed up the pace of the game and made it more of a grinder. Utah played really played good defense and showed a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. I thought freshman J.J. O'Brien did a really good job on Fredette.
However, the Utes ran out of gas after having the game tied with under 10 minutes to go and BYU came through with enough plays to win, which is what good teams do. I was happy the Utes played so hard, but at the end of the day, it's still a loss. It doesn't appear that Coach Jim Boylen has lost the team and they still seem to be playing hard. If they play this hard the rest of the year, I would probably be cool with having him back next year. It certainly was a much better effort yesterday, than it was earlier in the week when the Utes were pounded by 32 points at #6 San Diego State (25-1, 10-1 MWC). Utah has five games left in conference play and they really need to take the bull by the horns and compete in all of them -- they definitely have the talent to do so. The Runnin' Utes next host Wyoming (9-16, 2-9 MWC) on Wednesday night.
I was proud of the Utes for playing so hard and thought they really executed their stuff well for most of the day. I was impressed with how well they got back on defense to prevent transition baskets for most of the game as well as with the way they slowed up the pace of the game and made it more of a grinder. Utah played really played good defense and showed a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. I thought freshman J.J. O'Brien did a really good job on Fredette.
However, the Utes ran out of gas after having the game tied with under 10 minutes to go and BYU came through with enough plays to win, which is what good teams do. I was happy the Utes played so hard, but at the end of the day, it's still a loss. It doesn't appear that Coach Jim Boylen has lost the team and they still seem to be playing hard. If they play this hard the rest of the year, I would probably be cool with having him back next year. It certainly was a much better effort yesterday, than it was earlier in the week when the Utes were pounded by 32 points at #6 San Diego State (25-1, 10-1 MWC). Utah has five games left in conference play and they really need to take the bull by the horns and compete in all of them -- they definitely have the talent to do so. The Runnin' Utes next host Wyoming (9-16, 2-9 MWC) on Wednesday night.
Monday, January 31, 2011
New Mexico pulls off upset of #8 BYU
#8 BYU (20-2, 6-1 MWC) followed up their win over #7 San Diego State (21-1, 6-1) with a loss at New Mexico (15-7, 3-4 MWC) on Saturday by a score of 86-77. Freshman Tony Snell hit 3 big shots for the Lobos down the stretch to help them pull away and send the sell-out crowd in Albuquerque into a frenzy. Snell and fellow freshman Kendall Williams each had 16 points for New Mexico.
Player of the Year candidate Jimmer Fredette of BYU led all scorers with 32 points, but seemed to wear down in the closing minutes, missing shots that I'm not used to seeing him miss. To be fair, Fredette still scored 32 points and still shot a very solid percentage. It may have just proved that Fredette is human after all, but I think fatigue did get to him a little bit. New Mexico was able to whether the storm of Fredette's and BYU's potent scoring attack and hang around in the game. Down the stretch, the Lobos were able to make the plays necessary to win.
The win was much needed for New Mexico, who perhaps played with a bit more desperation knowing they couldn't afford to drop another conference game. They also undoubtedly fed off the emotion from the crowd. The Lobos are still a bubble team when it comes to NCAA Tournament considerations, but this win certainly gives them a very much needed quality win that could help them on Selection Sunday. New Mexico will have to play a bit more consistently as the 2nd half of conference play approaches if they are going to feel good about their Tournament chances.
BYU is still a really good team that is a lock for the Tournament and at worst will finish second in the Mountain West this year. The Pit is a really tough place to play and a lot of teams lose there, so it's not a totally shocking loss. It really appears to be a two team race between them and San Diego State at this point, although Colorado State (15-6, 5-2 MWC) could make things a bit more interesting with a home win over the Aztecs on Wednesday (7 p.m. MT, CBS College Sports). BYU next plays at Wyoming (8-13, 1-6 MWC) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MT on the Mtn. The Cowboys are coming off a 96-57 loss at SDSU on Saturday. New Mexico next plays tomorrow night at Air Force (12-8, 3-4 MWC) at 6 p.m. MT on the Mtn.
Player of the Year candidate Jimmer Fredette of BYU led all scorers with 32 points, but seemed to wear down in the closing minutes, missing shots that I'm not used to seeing him miss. To be fair, Fredette still scored 32 points and still shot a very solid percentage. It may have just proved that Fredette is human after all, but I think fatigue did get to him a little bit. New Mexico was able to whether the storm of Fredette's and BYU's potent scoring attack and hang around in the game. Down the stretch, the Lobos were able to make the plays necessary to win.
The win was much needed for New Mexico, who perhaps played with a bit more desperation knowing they couldn't afford to drop another conference game. They also undoubtedly fed off the emotion from the crowd. The Lobos are still a bubble team when it comes to NCAA Tournament considerations, but this win certainly gives them a very much needed quality win that could help them on Selection Sunday. New Mexico will have to play a bit more consistently as the 2nd half of conference play approaches if they are going to feel good about their Tournament chances.
BYU is still a really good team that is a lock for the Tournament and at worst will finish second in the Mountain West this year. The Pit is a really tough place to play and a lot of teams lose there, so it's not a totally shocking loss. It really appears to be a two team race between them and San Diego State at this point, although Colorado State (15-6, 5-2 MWC) could make things a bit more interesting with a home win over the Aztecs on Wednesday (7 p.m. MT, CBS College Sports). BYU next plays at Wyoming (8-13, 1-6 MWC) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MT on the Mtn. The Cowboys are coming off a 96-57 loss at SDSU on Saturday. New Mexico next plays tomorrow night at Air Force (12-8, 3-4 MWC) at 6 p.m. MT on the Mtn.
Friday, January 28, 2011
More thoughts on BYU-SDSU
Just to wrap up what I was saying about the SDSU-BYU game the other night, I thought both teams played well defensively and I think the crowd and Fredette were the differences in the game. I think it can really work on a team's psyche when they start realizing that they are against the ropes for the first time in the season and the thought that there is a good chance they could lose enters their mind. A huge crowd cheering against you helps to build those feelings as well.
#9 BYU (20-1, 6-0 MWC) took the lead early in the 2nd half and never trailed again. # 4 San Diego State (20-1, 5-1 MWC) was able to stay in the game with good defense and a few timely shots, but they really weren't able to execute offensively down the stretch. I think BYU's defense had a lot to do with that. And of course, Fredette made some key shots for BYU down the stretch as well. The Aztecs seemed to struggle on offense late, I feel like if they could have just been a little more consistent, the game could have even come down to the final possession. Kawhi Leonard had a big game with points and rebounds for San Diego State despite being under the weather and I believe hooked up to an IV earlier in the day. Leonard is a real force down low and an incredible athlete -- he gets rebounds that he just doesn't look like he is in position to get. His effort was impressive. I'll be interested to see how long Fredette can keep up this high level of scoring. BYU plays at New Mexico (14-7, 2-4 MWC) tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. MT on Versus and San Diego State hosts Wyoming (8-12, 1-5 MWC) at 8 p.m. MT on the Mtn.
#9 BYU (20-1, 6-0 MWC) took the lead early in the 2nd half and never trailed again. # 4 San Diego State (20-1, 5-1 MWC) was able to stay in the game with good defense and a few timely shots, but they really weren't able to execute offensively down the stretch. I think BYU's defense had a lot to do with that. And of course, Fredette made some key shots for BYU down the stretch as well. The Aztecs seemed to struggle on offense late, I feel like if they could have just been a little more consistent, the game could have even come down to the final possession. Kawhi Leonard had a big game with points and rebounds for San Diego State despite being under the weather and I believe hooked up to an IV earlier in the day. Leonard is a real force down low and an incredible athlete -- he gets rebounds that he just doesn't look like he is in position to get. His effort was impressive. I'll be interested to see how long Fredette can keep up this high level of scoring. BYU plays at New Mexico (14-7, 2-4 MWC) tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. MT on Versus and San Diego State hosts Wyoming (8-12, 1-5 MWC) at 8 p.m. MT on the Mtn.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
#9 BYU tops #4 San Diego State
#9 BYU (20-1, 6-0 MWC) defeated #4 San Diego State (20-1, 5-1 MWC) last night by a score of 71-58 last night in one of the more highly anticipated match-ups to date in the college basketball season. BYU guard Jimmer Fredette was once again the story, pouring in 43 points for the Cougars. He seemed like he couldn't miss for a while and really carried the Cougars all night long. BYU students rushed the floor following the win.
It was a raucous environment all night and San Diego State actually hung in the game pretty well and seemed to execute pretty well until the closing minutes. As Gary Parrish of CBS said, it would have been tough for any team in the country to win in that environment last night. More thoughts on this later as I have to run now.
It was a raucous environment all night and San Diego State actually hung in the game pretty well and seemed to execute pretty well until the closing minutes. As Gary Parrish of CBS said, it would have been tough for any team in the country to win in that environment last night. More thoughts on this later as I have to run now.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Top 10 match-up tomorrow night
Tomorrow night it's #4 San Diego State (20-0, 5-0 MWC) at #9 BYU (19-1, 5-0 MWC) at 8 p.m. MT in Provo. The game will be televised on CBS College Sports. I'll be at the game and will be tweeting updates live from the Marriott Center. Utah (10-10, 3-3 MWC) is obviously my team, but the Runnin' Utes aren't playing again until Saturday and I am a big fan of college basketball as a whole. Thus, when there is a marquee match-up featuring two top ten teams within driving distance of where I live, I feel like it's worth making an effort to be there.
I'm interested to see how the Aztecs will perform in what will be their biggest test of the year to date. The game has been sold out for days now and that really is saying something considering that the capacity is over 22,000. I expect it will be a loud, raucous atmosphere and I'm sure that I will be one of the few people not making a lot of noise in support of the Cougars. I just want to be there and hopefully see a great college basketball game. I'll definitely be back here to blog about the outcome and give some analysis following the game.
I think BYU will win a close game because they are at home and because they have Jimmer Fredette. San Diego State presents BYU with a lot of match-up problems with their size and athleticism, particularly with their big and quick forwards Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas. I expect those guys will each be in double figures and causing problems down low. D.J. Gay could be an x-factor for the Aztecs if he is able to knock down a lot of shots from the outside. However, I think the home crowd will be a huge advantage to BYU -- I think they really feed off the energy of their crowd at home, particularly when they get running in transition. That will be a key for the Aztecs -- to limit BYU's running game and to get back on defense. The bigger problem for SDSU will be trying to limit Fredette. I think ultimately Fredette will be the difference in the game, but it should be a good match-up that could go either way.
I'm interested to see how the Aztecs will perform in what will be their biggest test of the year to date. The game has been sold out for days now and that really is saying something considering that the capacity is over 22,000. I expect it will be a loud, raucous atmosphere and I'm sure that I will be one of the few people not making a lot of noise in support of the Cougars. I just want to be there and hopefully see a great college basketball game. I'll definitely be back here to blog about the outcome and give some analysis following the game.
I think BYU will win a close game because they are at home and because they have Jimmer Fredette. San Diego State presents BYU with a lot of match-up problems with their size and athleticism, particularly with their big and quick forwards Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas. I expect those guys will each be in double figures and causing problems down low. D.J. Gay could be an x-factor for the Aztecs if he is able to knock down a lot of shots from the outside. However, I think the home crowd will be a huge advantage to BYU -- I think they really feed off the energy of their crowd at home, particularly when they get running in transition. That will be a key for the Aztecs -- to limit BYU's running game and to get back on defense. The bigger problem for SDSU will be trying to limit Fredette. I think ultimately Fredette will be the difference in the game, but it should be a good match-up that could go either way.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Utah gets blown out by Fredette, BYU
#11 BYU (17-1, 3-0 MWC) defeated Utah (7-10, 0-3 MWC) last night by a score of 104-79. BYU's National Player of the Year candidate Jimmer Fredette had 47 points, including 32 in the first half. Fredette made just about every shot he took, no matter the level of difficulty. I thought Utah guarded him pretty well for the most part. There's just not a whole lot you can do when I guy is in the zone like that.
Late in the first half Utah was down by just five and following a three the lead was 8 with it appearing that the Runnin' Utes would get the last shot of the half. The Utes came up empty and BYU had just a couple of ticks left on the clock. My girlfriend turned to me and said that at least we would only be down by 8 at halftime and I (rather sarcastically) said "Unless Jimmer makes a shot from half-court." And well, he made a shot from just inside half-court (with a hand in his face) to give BYU an 11 point lead at the break. Again, not a lot you can do.
It really was a remarkable performance by Fredette and I can appreciate seeing a guy do that to some extent even though he plays for my school's hated rival. As I told a friend of mine, I just wish he had picked someone else to have that huge of a night against. It was a tough pill to swallow, I really hate to see my team lose to those guys, especially when it's by 25 points.
I thought Utah played pretty well for about 3/4 of the game, believe it or not. The Runnin' Utes had the lead about half way through the first half and looked like they had a lot of energy and focus. I thought they maintained that pretty much through the remainder of the half, but fell behind mainly because Fredette was going off.
Utah did enough to stay relatively in the game at least through about the first ten minutes of the second half, trailing by roughly 10 points for most of the stretch. The Utes were running their offense pretty well and trading punches with Fredette and the Cougars. I thought a really crushing blow came when BYU center Noah Hartsock made back-to-back wide open three-pointers to stretch the lead from 9 to 15. After that the Runnin' Utes still had energy, but their focus wasn't as much. I think they panicked as they began to turn it over on just about every possession -- usually very quickly -- and BYU would capitalize with points on the other end.
Look, BYU still would have won the game even if the Utes hadn't had the wheels come off and started turning it over on almost every possession, but it would have been by more like 10 or 15 points rather than 25 points. It would have been nice to keep it close, but as it was Utah got embarrassed.
I was noting that I thought BYU coach Dave Rose was a classy guy for removing Fredette from the game with 5:44 left and the Cougars up 29 points, but then he put him back in shortly after that with the lead all the way down to 24 points with a little over four minutes to go. Rose said "I thought the momentum had changed, so I got him in and got him out of there." Fredette added a couple of more points before Rose pulled him again with 3:07 to go. I still think Rose is a good guy, but there is no way that Utah was going to overcome that 24 point deficit with 4 minutes and change left. It was completely unnecessary; the Utes had gone on a little run, but it was still far from being a game.
To Rose's credit, he did pull Fredette again rather than leave him in to pursue the magical number of 50 points. A lot of coaches would have left a guy going for that many points out there. So, though the move was totally unnecessary, at least Rose didn't leave him out there for the duration of the game. Utah coach Jim Boylen, like me, didn't appear to like the move to reinsert Fredette much when he said after the game that he didn't want to comment on it. I don't blame him for not saying anything, but I'm positive he wasn't thrilled about it.
I wasn't too impressed by how Fredette handled the situation, who appeared to attempt to have another player run to the bench when Rose subbed him out for the final time. It was clear he wanted 50 points and he admitted as much afterward. I just don't think he had enough respect for the opponent or class in how he handled that situation. Basketball is a team game and when your team has the win wrapped up you should just take that, lay off a little bit and not make the game a total embarrassment. I've thought Fredette was a nice enough guy, but I wasn't impressed with how he handled all that. All that being said, as a Utah fan I have to tip my hat to him for having a great night.
Will Clyburn led the Runnin' Utes with 23 points, Josh Watkins had 18, and freshman J.J. O'Brien pitched in 13. Jackson Emery added 20 for the Cougars who next play at home next Tuesday against TCU (9-8, 0-2 MWC) at 8 p.m. MT. Utah next plays at Wyoming (8-8, 1-1 MWC) on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. MT in a game that will be televised by the Mtn.
Late in the first half Utah was down by just five and following a three the lead was 8 with it appearing that the Runnin' Utes would get the last shot of the half. The Utes came up empty and BYU had just a couple of ticks left on the clock. My girlfriend turned to me and said that at least we would only be down by 8 at halftime and I (rather sarcastically) said "Unless Jimmer makes a shot from half-court." And well, he made a shot from just inside half-court (with a hand in his face) to give BYU an 11 point lead at the break. Again, not a lot you can do.
It really was a remarkable performance by Fredette and I can appreciate seeing a guy do that to some extent even though he plays for my school's hated rival. As I told a friend of mine, I just wish he had picked someone else to have that huge of a night against. It was a tough pill to swallow, I really hate to see my team lose to those guys, especially when it's by 25 points.
I thought Utah played pretty well for about 3/4 of the game, believe it or not. The Runnin' Utes had the lead about half way through the first half and looked like they had a lot of energy and focus. I thought they maintained that pretty much through the remainder of the half, but fell behind mainly because Fredette was going off.
Utah did enough to stay relatively in the game at least through about the first ten minutes of the second half, trailing by roughly 10 points for most of the stretch. The Utes were running their offense pretty well and trading punches with Fredette and the Cougars. I thought a really crushing blow came when BYU center Noah Hartsock made back-to-back wide open three-pointers to stretch the lead from 9 to 15. After that the Runnin' Utes still had energy, but their focus wasn't as much. I think they panicked as they began to turn it over on just about every possession -- usually very quickly -- and BYU would capitalize with points on the other end.
Look, BYU still would have won the game even if the Utes hadn't had the wheels come off and started turning it over on almost every possession, but it would have been by more like 10 or 15 points rather than 25 points. It would have been nice to keep it close, but as it was Utah got embarrassed.
I was noting that I thought BYU coach Dave Rose was a classy guy for removing Fredette from the game with 5:44 left and the Cougars up 29 points, but then he put him back in shortly after that with the lead all the way down to 24 points with a little over four minutes to go. Rose said "I thought the momentum had changed, so I got him in and got him out of there." Fredette added a couple of more points before Rose pulled him again with 3:07 to go. I still think Rose is a good guy, but there is no way that Utah was going to overcome that 24 point deficit with 4 minutes and change left. It was completely unnecessary; the Utes had gone on a little run, but it was still far from being a game.
To Rose's credit, he did pull Fredette again rather than leave him in to pursue the magical number of 50 points. A lot of coaches would have left a guy going for that many points out there. So, though the move was totally unnecessary, at least Rose didn't leave him out there for the duration of the game. Utah coach Jim Boylen, like me, didn't appear to like the move to reinsert Fredette much when he said after the game that he didn't want to comment on it. I don't blame him for not saying anything, but I'm positive he wasn't thrilled about it.
I wasn't too impressed by how Fredette handled the situation, who appeared to attempt to have another player run to the bench when Rose subbed him out for the final time. It was clear he wanted 50 points and he admitted as much afterward. I just don't think he had enough respect for the opponent or class in how he handled that situation. Basketball is a team game and when your team has the win wrapped up you should just take that, lay off a little bit and not make the game a total embarrassment. I've thought Fredette was a nice enough guy, but I wasn't impressed with how he handled all that. All that being said, as a Utah fan I have to tip my hat to him for having a great night.
Will Clyburn led the Runnin' Utes with 23 points, Josh Watkins had 18, and freshman J.J. O'Brien pitched in 13. Jackson Emery added 20 for the Cougars who next play at home next Tuesday against TCU (9-8, 0-2 MWC) at 8 p.m. MT. Utah next plays at Wyoming (8-8, 1-1 MWC) on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. MT in a game that will be televised by the Mtn.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Utah-BYU tonight
Utah (7-9, 0-2 MWC) hosts rival #11 BYU (16-1, 2-0 MWC) at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City at 6:30 p.m. MT. The game will be televised on the Mtn. Tonight is the Red Out, so please everyone if you are going to the game, wear a lot of red -- I know I will be. For the Red Out, Utah will be wearing their red jerseys as well. Hopefully there will be a lot of red, a lot of support, a lot of fans and a lot of noise.
The Runnin' Utes have lost 6 straight games while the Cougars have won 6 straight and only lost once all season. Utah is coming off a 71-62 loss to #6 San Diego State (17-0, 2-0 MWC) that is kind of encouraging because the Utes were able to play with a great team for most of the game. I, however, am tired of any kind of moral victories and feel this team needs to start winning games in order to turn things around.
Unfortunately, I don't think tonight will be that night. Utah matches up better with San Diego State than they do with BYU plus the Cougars have star guard Jimmer Fredette who is having a monster season. I think BYU wins this game by about 15 points. I'm hopeful that I'm wrong, but that's just how I see it. I think BYU is just too good, too focused, too consistent to lose tonight. And I really am amazed by how good of a season Fredette is having. I was particularly impressed with his play in last Wednesday night's win at UNLV (13-3, 1-1 MWC). I didn't think BYU would be able to win down there but this team really showed me something in that game.
Hopefully the Runnin' Utes are hungry and motivated to get a big upset win tonight. I would love for that to happen as I hate losing to BYU. To get the win it'll take a full 40 minutes of effort and focus on both ends of the court plus some extra concerted effort to slow down Fredette. I'll be at the game and tweeting, plus I'll have recap and analysis following the game back here on my blog. Go Utes!
The Runnin' Utes have lost 6 straight games while the Cougars have won 6 straight and only lost once all season. Utah is coming off a 71-62 loss to #6 San Diego State (17-0, 2-0 MWC) that is kind of encouraging because the Utes were able to play with a great team for most of the game. I, however, am tired of any kind of moral victories and feel this team needs to start winning games in order to turn things around.
Unfortunately, I don't think tonight will be that night. Utah matches up better with San Diego State than they do with BYU plus the Cougars have star guard Jimmer Fredette who is having a monster season. I think BYU wins this game by about 15 points. I'm hopeful that I'm wrong, but that's just how I see it. I think BYU is just too good, too focused, too consistent to lose tonight. And I really am amazed by how good of a season Fredette is having. I was particularly impressed with his play in last Wednesday night's win at UNLV (13-3, 1-1 MWC). I didn't think BYU would be able to win down there but this team really showed me something in that game.
Hopefully the Runnin' Utes are hungry and motivated to get a big upset win tonight. I would love for that to happen as I hate losing to BYU. To get the win it'll take a full 40 minutes of effort and focus on both ends of the court plus some extra concerted effort to slow down Fredette. I'll be at the game and tweeting, plus I'll have recap and analysis following the game back here on my blog. Go Utes!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Runnin' Utes top Montana 80-71
Pictured: Will Clyburn goes in for a dunk in the Runnin' Utes' 80-71 win over Montana Wednesday night.The Utah Runnin' Utes (2-0) defeated the Montana Grizzlies (0-2) tonight in Salt Lake City by a score of 80-71. Will Clyburn led the Utes with 21 points, Josh Watkins had 20 and Jay Watkins had 18. Will Cherry led Montana with 21 points.
The Utes led most of the way and appeared to bust it open early in the second half when they stretched an 11-point halftime lead to 20, largely behind the play of Jay Watkins and Clyburn. However, the Grizzlies were able to cut into the lead by cashing in on some open 3s, being more aggressive, and grabbing more offensive rebounds. The lead got whittled down to as low as six before the Utes put the clamps on. I think Utah might have just lost some focus with such a big lead, but give Montana credit for not quitting either. The thing that stood out most to me was how quickly the Grizzlies were able to get back in the game; Utah needs to maintain focus even with a big lead.
The most important thing is that the Utes are now 2-0 which hasn't been the case the last couple of years at this time. Clyburn looks like he could be a star as he's looked really solid in the first two games. Another JC transfer, Josh Watkins, has also looked good so far at point guard. Sophomore starter Shawn Glover just didn't have it tonight, I don't know what the problem was exactly, but he just made a number of mental mistakes out there and didn't appear to be hustling as much as he should have been. Coach Jim Boylen adjusted accordingly and didn't have him out there much. We'll see if Glover can straighten it out. The Utes next play at home on Saturday against in-state rival Weber State (1-1) at 4 p.m. MT.
A word about some of the fans, in the student section in particular: At least one person at the Utah game tonight was chanting "Jimmer." I think it is stupid to degrade your rival when you aren't even playing them. Utah wasn't playing BYU tonight, there was no reason for that kind of chanting. In fact, the Utes aren't playing BYU for a couple of months. Tonight the focus should have been more on Montana. The "Jimmer" chant just seemed oddly out of place. Also out of place was a large cardboard cut-out of former BYU player Jonathan Tavernari making a funny face. Again Utah wasn't playing BYU and furthermore Tavernari has exhausted his eligibility and is no longer on the BYU team. Again, just very out of place. Utah fans would do well just to focus on the game at hand. To be fair most Utah fans are at least fairly knowledgeable about the team and what to cheer about, etc. and I enjoy associating with most of them at games. There were just a couple of things that irked me tonight, although not enough to ruin the overall experience of watching my team win.
Down the road a ways tonight, the #23 BYU Cougars (2-0) knocked off the Utah State Aggies (1-1) in Provo by a score of 78-72. I didn't watch the game but my understanding is that Jimmer Fredette was a big reason that BYU was able to come out on top, as well as a flagrant foul call late against the Aggies' Tai Wesley. This game sounds like it was tight the entire way; I thought BYU would win by 7-10 points but I didn't expect it to be a one possession game in the waning minutes. To me that shows that Utah State is a very capable team as they nearly pulled the upset in a hostile environment.
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