GETTING INSIDE
There’s something about never leading a game against Pepperdine that doesn’t feel right. And in the case of Utah, there are a lot of things not feeling right.
But losing to woeful Pepperdine was particularly alarming. It was the third straight loss for struggling Utah (5-7) and marked the second straight contest in which the Utes never led.
Pepperdine (3-10 entering the contest) out-rebounded Utah 45-27 and had 18 offensive boards as the Utes missed injured center David Foster (ankle) on the interior.
Consider: The Waves shot just 38.6 percent and committed 18 turnovers, yet were seldom threatened in beating Utah 76-64.
“This seemed to follow a similar pattern to our earlier games,” Utah coach Jim Boylen said. “We got stops on the defensive end but we couldn’t come up with the ball. We gave up too many offensive rebounds. When you have 17 turnovers and you get beat on the boards, it’s hard to win games.”
Utah’s last victory was against Michigan on Dec. 9. The Utes have been unpredictable this season, losing to teams like Pepperdine and Seattle but beating Big Ten teams Illinois and Michigan.
With Mountain West Conference play about to start, Utah needs to fix its problems or it will have a tough time being anything but a middle-of-the-pack team in the strong league.
Boylen continues to believe things will turn around soon.
“We beat Michigan and lost to Oklahoma in overtime, and then we lose a home game (to Illinois State) and the clouds come out,” Boylen said. “There are no clouds over my house. I just want you to know that. There are no clouds over my team. We have to get better.”
NOTES, QUOTES
• Utah’s 17 turnovers against Pepperdine tied a season-high. The Utes’ turnover margin (minus-1.0 per game) is the worst in the Mountain West Conference.
• The Utes are shooting just 29.4 percent from 3-point range, eighth in the Mountain West. Freshman G Marshall Henderson has a team-leading 26 treys but is shooting just 32.5 percent from 3-point range.
January At A Glance: The rigors of the Mountain West Conference await, and Utah will face a defining stretch early in the season. After opening conference play against TCU, the Utes travel to New Mexico and UNLV before returning home to play San Diego State. Start off 1-3, and it will be hard for Utah to recover.
Quote To Note: “I like his defense, his toughness, his size and his ball handling, and I thought Brown responded well to the change.”—Utah coach Jim Boylen, on G Jace Tavita, who was inserted into the starting lineup ahead of leading scorer Carlon Brown.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: Utah has struggled to find consistency and has been an average to below-average team in nearly every facet of the game. Shooting the ball better is a priority and getting junior college transfer Jay Watkins more involved will be important as the season goes on.
Rotation: Usual Starters—F Kim Tillie, C David Foster, G Jace Tavita, G Marshall Henderson, PG Luka Drca. Key Subs—F Carlon Brown, F Jay Watkins, C Jason Washburn, G/F Jordan Cyphers, G/F Shawn Glover.
Game Review:
Oklahoma 78, Utah 73 (OT)
Illinois State 73, Utah 63
Pepperdine 76, Utah 64
Game Preview:
vs. Texas-San Antonio, Tuesday, Dec. 29
at LSU, Saturday, Jan. 2
vs. TCU, Saturday, Jan. 9
at New Mexico, Wednesday, Jan. 13
at UNLV, Saturday, Jan. 16
In Focus: Utah has been on a downward spiral and hopes to reverse that prior to the start of conference play, though a road trip to LSU could prevent the Utes from getting on a mini-roll. Utah needs to win its final two nonconference games just to reach .500.
Roster Report:
• Sophomore C David Foster missed the Pepperdine game with an ankle injury. Foster leads the Utes with 45 blocked shots. Freshman Jason Washburn started in Foster’s place.
• Junior F Jay Watkins continues to be hampered by injuries. He missed back-to-back games against Illinois State and Pepperdine with an abdominal strain. He missed Utah’s first four games due to a hip injury.
• Sophomore G Jace Tavita has replaced leading scorer Carlon Brown in the starting lineup because coach Jim Boylen covets Tavita’s defense and sees him developing into the team’s stopper.
