Utah edges TCU

Utah (13-15, 6-8 MWC) defeated TCU (10-19, 1-13 MWC) tonight in Salt Lake City by a score of 50-48. The Runnin' Utes sealed the victory when David Foster blocked a Hank Thorns shot with under five seconds to go and the Utes up just one point. Will Clyburn had made 1 of 2 free throws to give Utah the lead with under 10 seconds to go.

Utah was able to avoid a devastating loss and picked up its third straight win. It was a defensive struggle throughout and TCU did look to be playing hard despite being in the midst of a lengthy losing streak. Well, it's just a relief that the Utes were able to pull this one out. A win is a win. Utah still could realistically end up with as high as the fifth seed in the MWC Tournament if the Utes win out. We'll just have to see how everything shakes out. Hopefully the Utes can put it together and play well a week from Wednesday at Colorado State (18-8, 8-4 MWC) and at home against UNLV (20-7, 8-5 MWC) three days later. Neither game will be easy but I think Utah can play with both of those teams if they really bring it.

Foster also broke the all-time Utah blocks record tonight in the first half. It's really nice to have a guy who is such a defensive presence in the lineup. It's crazy, he's only a junior. Major props to Foster. And that block at the end of the game was obviously huge, too.

Utes visit New Mexico tonight

Utah (11-15, 4-8 MWC) defeated Wyoming (9-17, 2-10 MWC) by a score of 80-70 on Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center. The Runnin' Utes badly needed that win and were able to stop a 5 game losing streak. Chris Kupets led all scorers with 20 points off the bench and Will Clyburn and Josh Watkins each had 19 for the Runnin' Utes. Desmar Jackson led the Pokes with 17 points, but was pretty limited in the 2nd half before fouling out late in the game. Kupets has really come on in conference play and is really turning into a scorer; his emergence has come at about the same time as Chris Hines' minutes have sharply decreased. Freshman J.J. O'Brien continues to play well and had 10 points against the Cowboys. O'Brien gives me reason to believe the Utes could improve in the years to come. It wasn't a spectacular win, but it was much needed.

Utah visits New Mexico (17-9, 5-6 MWC) tonight at The Pit at 7:30 p.m. MT on The Mtn. The Pit is one of the toughest arenas to play in in the entire country and the Runnin' Utes certainly have their hands full in that regard. Utah beat the Lobos last month in Salt Lake City, but New Mexico has always been a much tougher team at home. Clyburn is questionable with a bruised heel he sustained in the Wyoming game. Hopefully he'll be able to go because it would be a rather difficult task trying to win without him.

The Utes really need this game as well if they want to get on the track to avoiding a 7 seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, which would almost certainly mean a match-up with either #6 San Diego State (27-1, 12-1 MWC) or #7 BYU (24-2, 10-1 MWC). A win tonight would push the Utes a half-game ahead of Air Force (13-12, 4-8 MWC) for sixth place in the MWC and draw them within a half-game of the Lobos for fifth. A guy has to try and think positively, right? It'll be a tough environment and I think the Lobos will win, but I think the Utes are going to give them a game and you never know what could happen. I'll be tweeting during the game and back on here afterward for recap and analysis.

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.

CSU snaps Utes' 3 game win streak

Colorado State (15-6, 5-2 MWC) defeated Utah (10-11, 3-4 MWC) 74-68 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon. Utah's 3 game winning streak came to an end, and Colorado State picked up another impressive win in conference play. The Rams are proving to be a lot better than I thought they would be before the season started and very well could finish third in the conference and may even have a shot at an NCAA Tournament berth, although they would do well to collect at least one or two more quality wins for the selection committee to consider.

CSU center Andy Ogide led all scorers with 28 points and added 10 rebounds as well. Ogide was solid down low and also showed some range with his jump shot. He really punished Utah for not double teaming him for much of the afternoon. It was a very impressive performance. I'd like to see a different defensive strategy employed by the Runnin' Utes the next time they play Colorado State. Will Clyburn led Utah with 19 points, including a very strong 2nd half.

All that being said, I still think Utah is good enough talent wise to win at home against Colorado State. The Rams are a good team and have playing with growing consistency as the season has worn on. Utah's play Saturday was kind of a microcosm of their season so far: they were good in spurts but not quite consistent enough. Utah overcame an 11 point 2nd half deficit to tie the score at 68 with about 3 minutes to go, but as you can see from the final score, the Rams were able to take control from there. Colorado State was definitely the better team after 40 minutes and deserved to win. Utah needed to make more plays. The plays are there to be made, the players are there to make them.

It's up to the coaching staff to stop this losing streak at one. I know the Runnin' Utes won't be favored in at least five of their remaining conference games, but they have to find ways to get wins. There is a favorite saying of mine by longtime NFL coach Bill Parcells that "You are what your record says you are." Utah is 10-11 and 3-4 in conference play, tied for 5th in the MWC. That's not good enough right now for a program with as much of a proud tradition and prestige as Utah has. I'm willing to be patient and wait until the end of the season, but a losing record in conference play will not sit well with me, I can tell you that right now. I don't care if the Utes aren't favored, they need to find ways to win games. I think it's still possible for the team to make strides and get things done (as was evidenced by the 3 game winning streak) and I will be rooting for that, you can be sure. Utah next plays at UNLV (16-5, 4-3 MWC) on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. MT on the Mtn.

Utah falls to #6 San Diego State

Utah (7-9, 0-2 MWC) lost yesterday afternoon to #6 San Diego State (17-0, 2-0 MWC) by a score of 71-62 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The Runnin' Utes have now lost 6 straight. Kawhi Leonard led the Aztecs with 20 points, D.J. Gay had 18, and Malcolm Thomas had 17. Josh Watkins of the led all scorers with 24 and Will Clyburn had 17 for the Utes.

I'm actually not surprised that Utah kept the game close because they match up well with San Diego State and played basically the same roster of players close in two games last year. I'm also not surprised that the Runnin' Utes weren't able to pull out a victory as they once again faltered down the stretch and didn't make enough plays to win. As you may remember, I picked SDSU by about 10 and I was pretty much right on with that prediction as the Aztecs won by 9.

Utah led by 1 at halftime and looked like they would have a shot at an upset. However, San Diego State showcased its athleticism and explosive offense during a couple of key stretches in the second half. It looked like Utah lost a little bit of its edge and focus and the Aztecs pounced on that. Utah coach Jim Boylen put it really well when he stated that the Runnin' Utes got absolutely manhandled on the boards the last 7 or 8 minutes of the year. You have to get those rebounds if you are going to win close games. That just hasn't happened a lot this year for Utah where rebounding has been a big issue throughout games, but especially in crunch time. Nowhere was this more evident than when San Diego State was able to get 3 offensive rebounds on one possession late in the game and take about 1:30 off the clock in the process.

Utah played pretty well all things considered and I'm not too disheartened by the way they played. If they had played like that all year I don't think they would be 7-9 and on a 6 game losing streak right now. I liked that the Runnin' Utes were playing with heart and grit and I thought the perfect example of this was 7-foot-3 David Foster diving on the floor to get a loose ball and putting in extra effort to get an offensive rebound at one point. The focus needs to be on the rest of the season and trying to salvage it. This game can be a building block for some prolonged success. The next opportunity comes Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. MT at home on the Mtn. against rival #15 BYU (16-1, 2-0 MWC).

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.

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.

Runnin' Utes host Montana tomorrow night

The Utah Runnin' Utes (1-0) host the Montana Grizzlies (0-1) in basketball tomorrow night at the Huntsman Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT. The Utes defeated Grand Canyon 72-48 last Friday night, but this will be their first game against a Division I school. Montana dropped their season opener at Nevada. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Utes handle playing against a team that should provide some tougher competition. Junior Will Clyburn led the Utes with 14 points in his first game with Utah last Friday. The game will not be televised, so if you want to see it, join me at the Huntsman Center. The game will be available on the radio in Salt Lake City on AM 700 and the radio feed will also be broadcast online at kall700sports.com. I think the Utes should be able to handle the Grizzlies, but we'll see. There are so many unknowns this time of year. I'll be tweeting updates during the game and you can follow those at twitter.com/dpaysports. I will be back on here after the game for some analysis.