Pac-12 Season Previews: Utah Utes
Posted by Andrew Murawa on November 11th, 2014The Pac-12 microsite will preview each of its league teams over the next few weeks, continuing today with Utah.
Utah Utes
Strengths. If you’re reading this microsite, there is a good chance you already know about the Utes’ stars such as Delon Wright and Jordan Loveridge, but just about every team in this conference has a star it can point to. Rather, what makes this team a sexy choice as the second-best team in this conference is not merely those two stars, but the quality of depth throughout this roster. Veterans like Brandon Taylor, Dallin Bachynski, Dakarai Tucker and Jeremy Olsen are all accustomed to big roles on this team. Add in a talented batch of newcomers, including four-star power forward Brekkot Chapman, talented JuCo transfer Chris Reyes, international recruit Jakob Poetl, three-point specialist Kyle Kuzma and floor general Isaiah Wright, and Larry Krystkowiak is swimming in talented options up and down his roster.
Larry Krystkowiak and The Utes Will Have To Deal With The Pressure Of Expectations For The First Time. (Utah Athletics)
Weaknesses. We’re not even going to pick nits with the roster. There are some weaknesses here which will become apparent as the season wears on, but where this squad really has to prove itself is in its ability to win games. The Utes lost all seven of their games decided by a single possession last season and, given a serious uptick in the quality of their non-conference schedule, their mettle will be tested early and often this year. Utah has plenty of guys who have been through plenty of battles, but until they can prove their ability to pull out their best effort when the chips are down, there will remain questions about the ceiling of this team.
Non-conference Tests. Last year we noted with understanding the obvious weakness of Utah’s non-conference slate, as Krystkowiak wanted his young team to gain confidence with several low-pressure chances to warm up for conference play. For the most part, that strategy worked for the long-term health of the program. This year, the doctor’s orders were to include several significant non-conference tests with an eye toward building a quality NCAA Tournament resume. The fun therefore starts on November 18 when the Utes will travel to San Diego State as part of the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon. They then take a little respite for the rest of the month, but once the calendar flips to December, get ready for the fireworks. The month begins with a visit from Wichita State, and then, over the course of 10 days, Utah travels to BYU, then Kansas (in what is a neutral site game in name only in Kansas City), and then to UNLV (in another neutral site game in enemy territory – just across town for the Rebels). Those five games could reasonably compete against just about any other team’s top five non-conference contests anywhere in college basketball. Now, of course, the key is for Utah to find a way to win some of those games.
Toughest Conference Stretch. I’m going to cheat here. Yes, I want to see how the Utes handle teams like UCLA, Colorado and Stanford, not to mention Washington, Oregon, Cal and Arizona State. But, let’s face it: I’ve circled January 17 and February 28 on the Utes’ calendar. The former is when they make the trip to Tucson; the latter is when the Wildcats visit the Huntsman Center. Oh, and not to be a shill for the conference or anything, but if you want to watch that first one, find yourself a place that carries the Pac-12 Networks.
If Everything Goes Right… The Utes make a name for themselves on the national stage by going into Viejas Arena next week and making a statement against the Aztecs. They acquit themselves well in December and come out of non-conference play with no more than a pair of losses. In conference play, Utah is almost unbeatable at home, knocks off their overmatched opponents on the road, and finds a way to steal a couple of road wins against quality opponents. When all is said and done, Utah looks up on Selection Sunday and finds itself as a #4 or #5 seed. And then, who knows? Maybe their bracket opens up a little bit and, after getting through the first weekend, they surprise a couple of teams on the way to the Final Four. This team is by no means a Final Four favorite, but there is enough talent here that, with a little luck, they could go pretty far.
If Nothing Goes Right… The Loveridge as a three experiment blows up; the newcomers take longer to adjust than expected; and Delon Wright’s lack of a threatening three-point shot conspires with the fact that nobody is looking past the Utes to doom the squad to a disappointing middle-of-the-Pac finish, leaving them to sweat things out on Selection Sunday.
Projected Starting Lineup
- PG Delon Wright (Sr, 6’5” 190 lbs, 15.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.5 SPG , 56.1 FG%)
- SG Brandon Taylor (Jr, 5’10” 167 lbs, 10.6 PPG, 3.5 APG, 39.9 3P%)
- SF Jordan Loveridge (Jr, 6’6” 222 lbs, 14.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG)
- PF Chris Reyes (So, 6’7” 230 lbs, 18 PPG, 12 RPG in JuCo in 2013-14)
- C Dallin Bachynski (Sr, 7’ 265 lbs, 6.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 0.9 BPG)
The question mark here is at the four spot. The idea is to move Loveridge to the three, leaving Reyes in a battle with freshman Brekkot Chapman and veteran Jeremy Olsen for the fifth starting spot. Chapman is a talent, but he may take a year to be ready for 20-plus minutes per game against the rigors of a high-major league, and Olsen will probably pair with Bachynski at the center spot, leaving Reyes – an undersized bulldog of a four – as a potent addition to an already talented starting five.
Key Reserves
- PF Brekkot Chapman (Fr, 6’8” 200 lbs)
- PG Isaiah Wright (Fr, 6’2” 177 lbs)
- C Jeremy Olsen (Jr, 6’10” 240 lbs, 5.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG in 13.8 MPG)
- SG Dakarai Tucker (Jr, 6’5” 195 lbs, 6.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG)
- SF Kyle Kuzma (Fr, 6’9” 210 lbs)
This is quality depth, and that’s with leaving talented freshman seven-footer Jakob Poeltl and emerging sophomore wing Kenneth Ogbe (9.0 MPG as a freshman) off of this list. But suffice it to say that when the Utes go to their bench, they’re going to have a leg up on many teams around this conference. Tucker and Olsen are veterans with starting experience who will have to share minutes this year, and Wright, Chapman and Kuzma are all highly-regarded freshmen who will step into complementary roles this year in exchange for starring turns in the program’s bright future.
Extra Point
We’ve alluded to it above, but haven’t really gone right at this topic: Jordan Loveridge playing small forward. Loveridge is a strong 6’6” guy who uses his frame, strength and athleticism to his advantage. He’s strong enough to overpower smaller players and quick and talented enough to make slow-footed bigs look silly. The problem for Loveridge is that he’s a guy with NBA aspirations who, at his size, will have to make it happen on the wing. That’s how we have wound up with a guy with such unique offensive strengths chucking more than a third of his shots from behind the arc (making only 30.9 percent) and taking the bulk of his twos as jumpers (to the tune of just 38.2 percent).
This is how a player who can wow you multiple times during the course of a game ends up as an offensive player of more or less average efficiency. To make matters worse, the numbers cited above occurred when Loveridge was mostly playing the four. Now, with Krystkowiak moving him to the three this season, he’s got a virtual license to be that kind of inefficient player. Maybe this is the year that Loveridge’s jumper gets dialed in, but even if it does, it would still be nice for him to make better use his physical skills in the interest of offensive balance — feel free to knock in some jumpers, but use the respect earned by a dangerous jumper to blow by defenders and frequently find his way to the line. Mix in some post-ups and also find your way to the offensive glass at some point. Loveridge is the Utes’ second-most talented player. He’ll need to live up to that talent this year for the Utes to live up to theirs.
Andrew Murawa Likes Basketball.
