Two Utes

Ken,

Utah has won their last 14 games by DD’s (10+). Is this some kind of record? What is the record for consecutive games winning by DD’s? It’s gotta be approaching. If they get UNLV by 10 tonight, they should get to at least 16 with CSU at home next.

Ryan

I have to confess, once Rick Majerus and the Utes parted ways, I never thought I would see the words "Utah" and "double-Ds" in the same sentence. But Ryan came through. This question lost its relevance since Utah blew a late 13-point lead to UNLV last night, and won by only four. However, in a brief internet search, I did manage to find a 23-game double-digit streak pulled off by the ’74-’75 Indiana team.

The more perplexing question now is: what to make of these Utes? They’re like the Cincinnati of the West. Only there’s no Louisville-type team in the Mountain West Conference to keep Utah honest.

Most everybody is in love with center Andrew Bogut, but none more than Bogut himself. What’s not to like about a guy averaging 20 and 12, making 66% of his shots? They have one of the best perimeter shooters in the nation in Marc Jackson, who converts 52% of this threes. These two guys contribute to Utah being second in the nation in field goal percentage.

(Which reminds me, what was USC thinking trying to hire Majerus to replace Henry Bibby? Majerus was legendary for having problems with his players, which was the biggest complaint against Bibby. Jackson quit the Utah team last season and blew a year of eligibility rather than play for Majerus.)

Thanks to a tempo that is 8th slowest in the nation, the Basketball Shrink says the Utes compare best to Georgetown, though the Hoyas are worse in the efficiency numbers. The sad fact is, we’re not going to know much about Utah when it comes time to fill out brackets. But with a certified lottery pick, and inside/outside balance, they have a real chance to do the lackluster MWC proud in the tourney.