When Utah athletic director Chris Hill and head coach Jim Boylen scheduled their first game of the season, they didn’t look for a Division-II team that they could blow out. Instead, they looked for a team that would give them a good game. They found what they were looking for in a team that beat Michigan State last season.
The Runnin’ Utes play their first game of the season Saturday at 2 p.m. in an exhibition against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions Grand Valley State. Grand Valley State held the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history last season after posting a 36-1 record, and made it to the Elite Eight of the Division-II tournament for the second year in a row.
“They have Division-I transfers that start for them. They’re basically a Division-I team,” Boylen said. “I think it’s a safe argument to say that a very good Division-II team is as good as a top 250, over the RPI.”
The Lakers’ leading scorer last season, Pete Trammell, returns to the roster this season. Trammell averaged 10.2 points, 3.2 boards and 2.3 assists last season. Although he doesn’t stand out statistically, Trammell will be a tough assignment for whomever is playing guard/forward on Saturday for the Utes.
The Utes head into the season with the No. 4 ranking in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll. The team hopes to prove its ranking is too low by getting some big wins out of its difficult non-conference schedule.
Senior center Luke Nevill is a preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection heading into this season. The 7-foot-2-inch native of Perth, Australia is No. 19 in all-time scoring at the U and had a .537 field goal percentage last season, good for third in the MWC. His field goal percentage has always been above .500 as a starter and will once again be near the top of the conference.
This is the first time that Grand Valley State and the Utes face each other, and the first game of the season for both teams. Boylen expects to see a competitive effort from his team Saturday, but he knows that the Lakers won’t be an easy assignment for them.
“(There are) a lot of good Division-II teams, a lot of Division-II coaches and basketball players,” Boylen said. “So to me, it’ll be a really good test for us, and I got a lot of respect for their program.”
What Grand Valley State offers the Utes in this exhibition is tough defense and a lot of shooting threats. The Utes have devoted a lot of time to defense, rebounding and their transition game in practice so far this season. Grand Valley should test the Utes on those three things.