Utes Do Some Good Things at OU
Call me crazy, but the worst loss of the coach Jim Boylen era actually seemed fairly encouraging.
Sure, the 70-52 loss at No. 5 Oklahoma today it was the third straight loss for the Utes, and put them in further jeopardy of packing a losing record into Mountain West Conference play.
But against by far the best team they have faced all season, the Utes contained superstar Blake Griffin -- he did not make a single basket, and scored just 11 points -- fought through an atrocious start, and battled back from a 16-point deficit in the second half on the road to put themselves in position to make something happen in the final minutes.
Of course, it didn't.
The Sooners used a 12-2 run over the last five minutes to pull away, while the Utes returned to the abysmal shooting that plagued them early. But there's no shame in that. It wasn’t Idaho State they were playing. And the fact that they were able to recover from the brink of a real blowout certainly seemed to suggest that despite their recent troubles, they have not lost confidence or interest.
Shooting touch, maybe.
But not confidence or interest, and that is going to be a real key going forward.
"I'm proud of my guys," Boylen said.
He says that after every game, but it was much easier to believe tonight. The Utes now have a week off after four games in 10 days, which should have them ready for Weber State next weekend. The larger question is when they will rediscover the shooting touch that has so badly betrayed them, after a fantastic start.
The Utes made just 2 of their first 12 shots against the Sooners, and 6 of 26 in the first half, before finishing with 34 percent.
"Usually, when we shoot 34 percent, we don't win," Boylen said. "That's easy to say, you have to give them credit for that. But I think we missed a ton of lay-ups. We had 14 at our last count. Missed 14 lay-ups. So, I mean, the game was there to be had."
Sure, the 70-52 loss at No. 5 Oklahoma today it was the third straight loss for the Utes, and put them in further jeopardy of packing a losing record into Mountain West Conference play.
But against by far the best team they have faced all season, the Utes contained superstar Blake Griffin -- he did not make a single basket, and scored just 11 points -- fought through an atrocious start, and battled back from a 16-point deficit in the second half on the road to put themselves in position to make something happen in the final minutes.
Of course, it didn't.
The Sooners used a 12-2 run over the last five minutes to pull away, while the Utes returned to the abysmal shooting that plagued them early. But there's no shame in that. It wasn’t Idaho State they were playing. And the fact that they were able to recover from the brink of a real blowout certainly seemed to suggest that despite their recent troubles, they have not lost confidence or interest.
Shooting touch, maybe.
But not confidence or interest, and that is going to be a real key going forward.
"I'm proud of my guys," Boylen said.
He says that after every game, but it was much easier to believe tonight. The Utes now have a week off after four games in 10 days, which should have them ready for Weber State next weekend. The larger question is when they will rediscover the shooting touch that has so badly betrayed them, after a fantastic start.
The Utes made just 2 of their first 12 shots against the Sooners, and 6 of 26 in the first half, before finishing with 34 percent.
"Usually, when we shoot 34 percent, we don't win," Boylen said. "That's easy to say, you have to give them credit for that. But I think we missed a ton of lay-ups. We had 14 at our last count. Missed 14 lay-ups. So, I mean, the game was there to be had."
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 6:35 PM |
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