Now hear me out.
Utah is a loser program right now. It sucks - but it's true. We've lost so much for so long that we don't know how to win. Even when we win - we don't really know how to win. What I mean is that as much as we've turned the losing tide the last two seasons, we've still faltered a) in big games and b) in close games. Sure, there are close victories out there that can't be ignored, but they're a rarity.
The Utes only won four games this year that were competitive deep into the second half - Wichita State, BYU, UNLV and Oregon State.
Beyond that, they either blew teams out or they wilted under the pressure of a road game or a big game.
What doomed 'em against SDSU two games into the season (who's not even as great as projected at the start of the season) doomed 'em tonight against Oregon. In between that, Utah fell to Kansas, UCLA, Arizona (twice), Washington and now Oregon (twice).
Tough, tough losses that radically changed the season. As bad as we were the last three years, and even before then, it doesn't necessarily excuse this season's failure. The Utes wilted and they wilted because they're not a winning program yet.
The problem here is that those teams that wilt generally don't get anywhere in the tournament. Utah won't be picked by anyone to be a dark horse now because they haven't produced a very good win since beating BYU in Provo back in December. Sure, blowouts were nice - but it was blowouts against bad teams most the time. Teams that certainly won't make the tournament.
Against tournament teams, Utah is 2-6.
In 2009, Utah was 4-4 against tournament teams.
That stat hurts.Flip it and Utah is seriously contending for a two-seed - and it could have been flipped had Utah been learned how to win.
So, I'm guessing this season will end quickly come the NCAA Tournament. I'd be happy with Utah making it beyond the first round but honestly won't expect much.
Now the next step needs to begin for this program: they've got to learn how to win so that they can do what Oregon has done this season. The Ducks were picked to finish 8th in the Pac-12 and they were the second best team at the end. The Ducks are also 8-0 in games decided by five points or less. They're a very well run program and extremely well coached.
We're coached well but the Ducks have a higher ceiling right now solely because they know how to win. It's why they, and not Utah like we all had hoped, could prove to be a dark horse tournament team. Two years ago, Oregon made the Sweet Sixteen - and it would not surprise me in the least if they did it again this year.
The year the Ducks went to the Sweet Sixteen, the program had gone to the NIT the season before. They also jumped out to an awesome start, rising to the top-ten before sputtering down the stretch. Oregon started the season 18-2 and finished it 23-8 - going 5-6 the final month of the season.
You'll remember that was the year Utah upset Oregon in the Huntsman Center during the final conference game of the season. The Ducks were thought to be wounded entering the Pac-12 Tournament, written off by many for their collapse at the end, and they turned around and beat Washington, steam rolled Utah and then took down UCLA in the title game to win the tournament. They then carried that over into the NCAA Tournament with wins over Oklahoma State and Majerus' St. Louis team - before losing to #1 seed Louisville (after a fight). All that while also being a 12 seed.
That's what winning teams do. When their back is against the wall, they fight back. Altman has been the second best coach in the Pac-12 behind Sean Miller for this very reason. He's faced a lot of adversity in Eugene, and you can question his ethics, but in the end, each time, the Ducks have bounced back and done impressively.
Utah had a very similar season to Oregon two years ago. Like the Ducks, the Utes were coming off a NIT season and surprised much of the college basketball world with their quick rise to the top-ten. Oregon actually was picked 7th that year in the Pac-12, while the Utes were picked 2nd, but the point stands: no one thought either would be knocking on the door to the top-ten. Like the Ducks, though, Utah couldn't keep up with the top-ten and started losing, falling further and further back before ending the regular conference season 17th (Oregon was 19th).
But that's where the similarities end. As I already mentioned, the Ducks turned it around in the Pac-12 Tournament and salvaged their season. They then carried that over into the NCAA Tournament and made a successful run to the Sweet Sixteen, defeating the higher seeds in each of their first two rounds.
Utah did half that with a win over Stanford but ultimately fizzled against a good, consistent team.
So now we're left entering the tournament trying to find something that I had hoped we'd find in Vegas - the ability to win.
If it doesn't come in the NCAAs, hopefully it comes next year because, really, that is the next step for this program. Once we figure it out, though, look out...
This post was edited on 3/14 4:07 AM by Jazzy-Ute
Utah is a loser program right now. It sucks - but it's true. We've lost so much for so long that we don't know how to win. Even when we win - we don't really know how to win. What I mean is that as much as we've turned the losing tide the last two seasons, we've still faltered a) in big games and b) in close games. Sure, there are close victories out there that can't be ignored, but they're a rarity.
The Utes only won four games this year that were competitive deep into the second half - Wichita State, BYU, UNLV and Oregon State.
Beyond that, they either blew teams out or they wilted under the pressure of a road game or a big game.
What doomed 'em against SDSU two games into the season (who's not even as great as projected at the start of the season) doomed 'em tonight against Oregon. In between that, Utah fell to Kansas, UCLA, Arizona (twice), Washington and now Oregon (twice).
Tough, tough losses that radically changed the season. As bad as we were the last three years, and even before then, it doesn't necessarily excuse this season's failure. The Utes wilted and they wilted because they're not a winning program yet.
The problem here is that those teams that wilt generally don't get anywhere in the tournament. Utah won't be picked by anyone to be a dark horse now because they haven't produced a very good win since beating BYU in Provo back in December. Sure, blowouts were nice - but it was blowouts against bad teams most the time. Teams that certainly won't make the tournament.
Against tournament teams, Utah is 2-6.
In 2009, Utah was 4-4 against tournament teams.
That stat hurts.Flip it and Utah is seriously contending for a two-seed - and it could have been flipped had Utah been learned how to win.
So, I'm guessing this season will end quickly come the NCAA Tournament. I'd be happy with Utah making it beyond the first round but honestly won't expect much.
Now the next step needs to begin for this program: they've got to learn how to win so that they can do what Oregon has done this season. The Ducks were picked to finish 8th in the Pac-12 and they were the second best team at the end. The Ducks are also 8-0 in games decided by five points or less. They're a very well run program and extremely well coached.
We're coached well but the Ducks have a higher ceiling right now solely because they know how to win. It's why they, and not Utah like we all had hoped, could prove to be a dark horse tournament team. Two years ago, Oregon made the Sweet Sixteen - and it would not surprise me in the least if they did it again this year.
The year the Ducks went to the Sweet Sixteen, the program had gone to the NIT the season before. They also jumped out to an awesome start, rising to the top-ten before sputtering down the stretch. Oregon started the season 18-2 and finished it 23-8 - going 5-6 the final month of the season.
You'll remember that was the year Utah upset Oregon in the Huntsman Center during the final conference game of the season. The Ducks were thought to be wounded entering the Pac-12 Tournament, written off by many for their collapse at the end, and they turned around and beat Washington, steam rolled Utah and then took down UCLA in the title game to win the tournament. They then carried that over into the NCAA Tournament with wins over Oklahoma State and Majerus' St. Louis team - before losing to #1 seed Louisville (after a fight). All that while also being a 12 seed.
That's what winning teams do. When their back is against the wall, they fight back. Altman has been the second best coach in the Pac-12 behind Sean Miller for this very reason. He's faced a lot of adversity in Eugene, and you can question his ethics, but in the end, each time, the Ducks have bounced back and done impressively.
Utah had a very similar season to Oregon two years ago. Like the Ducks, the Utes were coming off a NIT season and surprised much of the college basketball world with their quick rise to the top-ten. Oregon actually was picked 7th that year in the Pac-12, while the Utes were picked 2nd, but the point stands: no one thought either would be knocking on the door to the top-ten. Like the Ducks, though, Utah couldn't keep up with the top-ten and started losing, falling further and further back before ending the regular conference season 17th (Oregon was 19th).
But that's where the similarities end. As I already mentioned, the Ducks turned it around in the Pac-12 Tournament and salvaged their season. They then carried that over into the NCAA Tournament and made a successful run to the Sweet Sixteen, defeating the higher seeds in each of their first two rounds.
Utah did half that with a win over Stanford but ultimately fizzled against a good, consistent team.
So now we're left entering the tournament trying to find something that I had hoped we'd find in Vegas - the ability to win.
If it doesn't come in the NCAAs, hopefully it comes next year because, really, that is the next step for this program. Once we figure it out, though, look out...
This post was edited on 3/14 4:07 AM by Jazzy-Ute
