As someone who has lived most of his life in Utah and who pays attention to the wide world of sports on a consistent basis, I feel like I may know a thing or two. Sports in Utah are perhaps the most puzzling and baffling of all. Teams in Utah seem to never hit where they are projected to — they either underperform or overperform in big ways.
Perhaps nowhere else is this exemplified than by the U. Having paid attention to this school for most of my life, I find it bizarre how Utah always seems to perform. This school has fielded teams that, more often than not, tend to overachieve. They do better than almost everyone projects them to. Just look at Utah’s football team going undefeated in two improbable, magical seasons, finished off by big wins against major programs. The men’s basketball team finished with an impressive 27-9 record last year, capped off by a second round appearance in the NCAA tournament.
So many of Utah’s teams tend to beat bigger schools with more talented players and more prestigious programs. Utah isn’t the biggest or most popular school out there, but somehow, the Utes keep getting it done. They consistently send players to the professional leagues who aren’t necessarily the best at their positions in the nation. Utah has great coaches, but none have the prestige of a Nick Saban or John Calipari.
All this is to say that the Utes are one of the few teams in the nation who consistently overachieve at nearly every point.
This is exactly why I believe the Runnin’ Utes will go deep into the NCAA tournament this year. Call it karmic justice or some strange type of mysticism that we haven’t discovered yet, but the Utes rarely let you down. They are going to do what they always do — win.
You might wonder how I can be so bold as to say this. After all, the last two years, the Utes sent two players into the NBA, both to the Toronto Raptors. Jakob Poetl was a terror down low who defended well and played with has back to the basket. He was a scoring machine when his game was on.
But, Poetl’s biggest problem was that he had almost no versatility in his offensive game. This was exploited painfully by Gonzaga in that second round.
Utah has two starters returning this season, with seven players who are upperclassmen. This team has a solid mix of exciting, young players and established veterans. That is quite possibly the best scenario for a coach to find himself in.
Speaking of coaching, I happen to believe that Coach K here at the U is one of the most underestimated coaches in the country. His schemes are terrific, continually exploiting the weaknesses of opposing teams. Say what you will about the decision to cancel the rivalry game with BYU, but there can be no doubt about his ability. Look what he did with Poetl. In his first season, Poetl mainly had a defensive presence down low — someone who could block shots and grab rebounds. He wasn’t known for his offense. One summer of hard work with this coaching staff, and Poetl became a top-10 NBA draft pick.
My point is that you can’t ever count out the Utes. These guys are the energizer bunny — they literally keep going. The Utes are like the little engine that could — you count them out one minute, but you will almost consistently not be disappointed when they come back to win. Never bet against the Utes. The have the talent and coaching to beat just about any team out there. That is why I believe that this men’s basketball team will go further this year than they did last year.