In the press box, reporters sit silently, type intermittently and worry about deadlines for late-night basketball games. At the very least, they know the players’ names.
The student section is different. I watched the battle for first place between Utah and San Diego State deep in the trenches. I gave up free press-box pizza for an onion-smothered bratwurst. The comments were a little off the wall:
“He does look a little like Beaker…”
“Those cheerleaders have terrible arms. They’ll never get those free plastic balls this high. Boo!”
“Did you just say his name was Tyler Cupcake?”
What they lacked in knowledge they made up for in passion. Only 9,000 fans showed up for the best ticket in town at the Huntsman Center, but all of them left with a story to tell.
The first half was both painful and exhilarating. The defenses ruled the court and the game stayed close for 15 straight minutes. There were 12 lead changes and five ties by the time the halftime buzzer sounded.
Luke Nevill looked even more like Beaker than usual.
His eyes were buggy and his game lacked sense. The Aztecs doubled down low with gusto, slapping the ball every time the big man brought it to his waist. Nevill finished the first half with four turnovers.
The second half was a different story.
Tyler Kepkay made sure everyone in the arena remembered his name. With the game still in doubt, he drained two crucial 3-pointers, and it could have been three if not for a fast-break traveling call. Each shot seemed destined for the bottom of the net.
Nevill started the half weighed down by his four turnovers, but didn’t add another for the remainder of the game. Instead, he gained four blocks, including a dagger to the heart at the end of the game on a desperate drive by D.J. Gay.
The man of the night, though, was Utah’s homegrown hero Shaun Green. As Nevill continued to be doubled, Green found his feet in the right place every time. He shot 7-of-11, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. It was just another day at work.
This year’s Utes are different because any player can make the difference. Tonight it was Green. Against BYU, it was the guard tandem of Kepkay and Luka Drca. In Texas, Carlon Brown’s dunk not only took top honors on “SportsCenter,” but also gave the Utes the lift they needed to get over the road hump.
Now only a colossal flop would deny them a berth in the NCAA tournament. Their high RPI (No. 13) and high-quality wins during this streak should also gain them a few more votes in the polls.
More important, though, is how quickly the team has turned around. Only two years into his tenure, head coach Jim Boylen has taught a ragtag bunch how to protect a lead. He’s also taught them how to keep their hearts beating when the team is down.
Near the end of the game, those cheerleaders threw shirts with all their might. Most didn’t get above the third row, but one managed to throw her free shwag directly into a tuba.
The band played on, though. The future for Boylen’s Utes has a nice beat.
Nick Pappas