Quote:
Originally Posted by cougjunkie
No offense to Utah fans and the man crush on Boylen, but Utah didnt look very good tonight. They did play a Pac-10 team close on the road, however its a Pac-10 team that didnt make it to any post season tourney last year and was without its two best players from last years team (Hawes and Appleby).
I have not followed Utah a whole lot but the PG play looked atrocious tonight, was that a concern going in to the season?
|
Since I already took a positive stand on Boylen this is not the most fun with which to agree. That was two teams that looked decent at best. It is true that Utah played harder under Boylen than Giacolletti, but it is a new coach in his 3rd game. If Boylen is unable to get Utah to better execute in the future he will lose his team just as Giac lost his, that game demonstrated that there is power in change.
However, I still think Boylen will be good. Utah lacks some athleticism that he should be able to rectify through recruiting. Further, for streaks Utah looked good. With Nevill's offensive abilities and decent shooters the Utes will beat many teams. The effort will result in improved defensive play as time goes on as well. I tend to agree that the issue that is going to hurt the Utes significantly this year is a lack of depth. Nevill has to play soft to avoid foul trouble. Green might be so focussed on defense that his offense is struggling and Tillie has a long way to go to adjust to the game at this level.
Saying that who has good big men in the MWC? The Ute lineup will be more competitive in the post in conference play. I also think Kepkay will improve and come around. I think having a winning record in conference play and getting to the NIT is a achievable goal for the Utes. I bet they could win up to 10 MWC games.