Utes View WSU as Tough Challenge
The Utes play Weber State and former assistant Randy Rahe at the Huntsman Center on Saturday in the first of three winnable games that could determine the course of the rest of the season, and coach Jim Boylen had plenty of good things to say about the Wildcats.
"Weber's improved, across the board," he said. "Panos is better, Davis is better ... McCoy is better. Hansen has come from junior college and shoots it. I think they've done a nice job with their team and playing real good basketball, so it's going to be a real good challenge for us."
The players Boylen noted are the top four WSU scorers, all between 10 and 12 points per game.
Aside from McCoy, center Steve Panos is a junior from Highland High School who also leads the team with nearly six rebounds per game, while forward Daviin Davis is averaging nearly 15 points in his last three. And Hansen is a transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, where he played for current Utah assistant Barrett Peery.
In an odd coincidence, the Wildcats have players from the last two places where the Utes have lost – Hansen is from Pocatello, home of Idaho State, while Davis is a native of Norman, Okla.
The Utes have beaten the Wildcats seven straight times, and probably should expect to win two of their next three -- including trips to Utah State and lowly UC Irvine. Of course, any team that has lost at Idaho State (the Bengals have not beaten any other Division I team) probably can't count any gimmes, but the Utes will be really teetering if they can't win more than one of them, having already lost three straight.
"Weber's improved, across the board," he said. "Panos is better, Davis is better ... McCoy is better. Hansen has come from junior college and shoots it. I think they've done a nice job with their team and playing real good basketball, so it's going to be a real good challenge for us."
The players Boylen noted are the top four WSU scorers, all between 10 and 12 points per game.
Aside from McCoy, center Steve Panos is a junior from Highland High School who also leads the team with nearly six rebounds per game, while forward Daviin Davis is averaging nearly 15 points in his last three. And Hansen is a transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, where he played for current Utah assistant Barrett Peery.
In an odd coincidence, the Wildcats have players from the last two places where the Utes have lost – Hansen is from Pocatello, home of Idaho State, while Davis is a native of Norman, Okla.
The Utes have beaten the Wildcats seven straight times, and probably should expect to win two of their next three -- including trips to Utah State and lowly UC Irvine. Of course, any team that has lost at Idaho State (the Bengals have not beaten any other Division I team) probably can't count any gimmes, but the Utes will be really teetering if they can't win more than one of them, having already lost three straight.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 4:17 PM |
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