Not As Bad As the Score Might Suggest
The Utes are coming off a crushing loss in the second game of their exhibition tour of Australia, but coach Jim Boylen is hardly panicking.
Having had a night to sleep on it, Boylen phoned from the airport before the Utes flew back to Sydney and said he believes the team is coming along -- despite its 103-78 blowout loss to the Perth Wildcats on Saturday night.
"We're a little further along off than I thought we'd be," he said. "We are rebounding better than I thought we'd be. At times, our defense has been very good, and at times our defense has been very poor. We're getting it a little bit, but we're not consistent yet."
Hasn't looked like it.
The Utes impressively came back to beat the Wildcats in the first game of the tour 97-96 on guard Johnnie Bryant's basket with two seconds left, but then suffered "three bad possessions" near the end of the first half of the second game that allowed the Wildcats to lead by two at halftime and set the stage for a second-half blowout.
In all, the Utes committed 26 turnovers -- forward Stephen Weigh had seven of them, while scoring 16 points -- allowed the Wildcats to hit 15 of 34 three-pointers, and showed one of the painful traits for which they became known last season.
"What happened was, we started to struggle and they made a little run," Boylen said, "and instead of pulling together and sucking it up, we kind of separated. Guys getting snippy, guys getting frustrated, pointing fingers. When things are going well, we're great. But when they're not, we fall apart. ... That's where we have to get tough."
The Utes started the same lineup in the second game, with Curtis Eatmon at point guard, Bryant at shooting guard, Weigh at small forward, Shaun Green at power forward and Luke Nevill at center. Nevill had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the second game, showing Boylen that he could be "dominant at times."
Weigh had a hard time with the turnovers, but "it looks like he's becoming a confident player," Boylen said. "He's starting to understand the game." Bryant and Green, however, have strained to meet expectations. Green, for example, was scoreless with four turnovers in the second game against the Wildcats.
"That's a good learning lesson," Boylen said. "The great thing about these trips is it gives you examples of things you know you have to change."
The Utes plan to take the day off Sunday while they travel from Perth back to Sydney, before playing three games in three days. They spent some time after the game at Nevill's home with his family, and Boylen said "it was an honor for our team to be with Luke's family and to play in his hometown. It was important for our team to play well for him and for him to have success."
Having had a night to sleep on it, Boylen phoned from the airport before the Utes flew back to Sydney and said he believes the team is coming along -- despite its 103-78 blowout loss to the Perth Wildcats on Saturday night.
"We're a little further along off than I thought we'd be," he said. "We are rebounding better than I thought we'd be. At times, our defense has been very good, and at times our defense has been very poor. We're getting it a little bit, but we're not consistent yet."
Hasn't looked like it.
The Utes impressively came back to beat the Wildcats in the first game of the tour 97-96 on guard Johnnie Bryant's basket with two seconds left, but then suffered "three bad possessions" near the end of the first half of the second game that allowed the Wildcats to lead by two at halftime and set the stage for a second-half blowout.
In all, the Utes committed 26 turnovers -- forward Stephen Weigh had seven of them, while scoring 16 points -- allowed the Wildcats to hit 15 of 34 three-pointers, and showed one of the painful traits for which they became known last season.
"What happened was, we started to struggle and they made a little run," Boylen said, "and instead of pulling together and sucking it up, we kind of separated. Guys getting snippy, guys getting frustrated, pointing fingers. When things are going well, we're great. But when they're not, we fall apart. ... That's where we have to get tough."
The Utes started the same lineup in the second game, with Curtis Eatmon at point guard, Bryant at shooting guard, Weigh at small forward, Shaun Green at power forward and Luke Nevill at center. Nevill had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the second game, showing Boylen that he could be "dominant at times."
Weigh had a hard time with the turnovers, but "it looks like he's becoming a confident player," Boylen said. "He's starting to understand the game." Bryant and Green, however, have strained to meet expectations. Green, for example, was scoreless with four turnovers in the second game against the Wildcats.
"That's a good learning lesson," Boylen said. "The great thing about these trips is it gives you examples of things you know you have to change."
The Utes plan to take the day off Sunday while they travel from Perth back to Sydney, before playing three games in three days. They spent some time after the game at Nevill's home with his family, and Boylen said "it was an honor for our team to be with Luke's family and to play in his hometown. It was important for our team to play well for him and for him to have success."
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 7:51 PM |
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