Utes Will Play UTEP in Opening Round of New CBI
So much for my Nevada prediction.
The Utes are headed to play UTEP in the opening round of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday night, with the tip-off time to be announced Monday. They finally learned their destination at nearly midnight, but coach Jim Boylen had long since known his team would be involved in the tournament -- and he was excited about it.
"It means a ton," Boylen said. "I think it's very important for this team to have postseason experience, to feel the pressure of an elimination tournament, where if you don't play well you're out, or if you don't win, you're out. To have the preparation and to go through the process, I think is really helpful."
The Utes have not appeared in the postseason since reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament three years ago -- beating UTEP 60-54 in the first round, along the way.
Now, the Miners are 19-13 after losing in overtime to Tulsa in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament. Junior guard Stefon Jackson led the league and ranked seventh nationally by scoring 23.1 points per game, and was named first team All-Conference USA.
If the Utes win, they will advance to play either Tulsa or Miami of Ohio in the second round of the 16-team tournament. They conceivably could play six games, since the tournament features a single-elimination format through the semifinals and a best-of-three championship series. It's organized by the same company that produces the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer.
All games will be played at campus sites.
Half of the first-round and quarterfinal games, and all of the semifinal and championship-round games, will be televised on Fox Sports Network -- though it was unclear whether Utah's opening game will be among them.
Other first-round match-ups include Cincinnati at Bradley, Brown at Ohio, Rider at Old Dominion, Houston at Nevada, Richmond at Virginia (a team the Utes beat at the San Juan Shootout last season), and Valparaiso at Washington (a team to which the Utes lost at the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament in November). Not sure yet, however, how those teams are arranged in the bracket.
The Utes are headed to play UTEP in the opening round of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday night, with the tip-off time to be announced Monday. They finally learned their destination at nearly midnight, but coach Jim Boylen had long since known his team would be involved in the tournament -- and he was excited about it.
"It means a ton," Boylen said. "I think it's very important for this team to have postseason experience, to feel the pressure of an elimination tournament, where if you don't play well you're out, or if you don't win, you're out. To have the preparation and to go through the process, I think is really helpful."
The Utes have not appeared in the postseason since reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament three years ago -- beating UTEP 60-54 in the first round, along the way.
Now, the Miners are 19-13 after losing in overtime to Tulsa in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament. Junior guard Stefon Jackson led the league and ranked seventh nationally by scoring 23.1 points per game, and was named first team All-Conference USA.
If the Utes win, they will advance to play either Tulsa or Miami of Ohio in the second round of the 16-team tournament. They conceivably could play six games, since the tournament features a single-elimination format through the semifinals and a best-of-three championship series. It's organized by the same company that produces the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer.
All games will be played at campus sites.
Half of the first-round and quarterfinal games, and all of the semifinal and championship-round games, will be televised on Fox Sports Network -- though it was unclear whether Utah's opening game will be among them.
Other first-round match-ups include Cincinnati at Bradley, Brown at Ohio, Rider at Old Dominion, Houston at Nevada, Richmond at Virginia (a team the Utes beat at the San Juan Shootout last season), and Valparaiso at Washington (a team to which the Utes lost at the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament in November). Not sure yet, however, how those teams are arranged in the bracket.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 11:49 PM |
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home