The Official Beat the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City in the NIT Quarterfinals Thread

First play of the game: Utah wins tip; Zeb Jackson gets deflection, but somehow doesn't get the ball for a steal, goes out of bounds. Utah gets it back and splashes a three pointer for Branden Carlson, assisted by Gabe Madsen.

Second play of game: Bad three pointer attempt by Zeb Jackson with no inside touches for our big men. Utah rebound.

Third play of game: Utah misses

Fourth play of game: Bad fadeaway off balance jumper by Bairstow, misses.

Fifth play of game: Utah gets easy 2, little defense by VCU to stop them.

Sixth play of game: Bad shot by Kuany, misses.

Seventh play of game: Utah misses three pointer, gets O-Reb, then Gabe Madsen nails a 3 assisted by Deivon Smith, timeout Odom with it being 8-0. At that point, ESPN shows Utah as having had an 88% probability rate to win, less than 3 minutes into the game.
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The game was over at that point. Just like the the Duquesne game in the A-10 champs, the game was over before it started. I get that this was Odom’s first season, and that we ended with 24 wins, but holy crap our offense is looking like Mike Rhoades is still in charge at times, in our 38th game of the season. I'm glad we're in the NIT quarterfinals, but anyone who thinks this season was an A grade smashing success is kidding themselves...

We can save the offseason/big picture talk for the proper threads, but we’re going to have to improve MIGHTILY next year or else this program might fall off a cliff.
 
If Fatz puts in the work on his D this summer he will be special. Get JNel in the lab with Theus. Belle work on finishing in the paint. Fermin work on hands ( strength and handles), footwork and aggressiveness. Return Bam and Zeb (I think Max is gone). She what Jennings has and fill all schollys in the portal.
 
Mercury said:
Guys didn’t have it tonight and the matchup wasn’t a good one for us. Still, won two postseason games for only the fourth time in our history.
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Stop trying to add perspective and sanity. I won't allow it. Pitchforks and vitriol only.
 
Mistachill said:
We may just have to chalk it up as a bad match up. Not sure what Odom could do differently the way we played tonight.
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Probably so. I get why we went with the defense we did - it worked once and almost twice on Daron Holmes. Problem is, Carlson is taller and a way better passer. This felt like a game we needed to junk up, but of course that's easier said than done on the road.
 
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DickLawRam said:
We're gonna need some tougher guys to compete nationally...or who want to compete. If I don't see some meaner, angrier, grittier faces, I'm going be wanting another coach. This team has represented the well-coifed tek vest all season. I think the vest and the soft boi lyfe have eaten away at the team's constitution and left their souls stripped bare.

It's telling the number of fouls weve drawn this season has maybe been the fewest in my entire Fandom of 20+ years. These guys don't like contact.
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How can you get absolutely embarrassed like tonight and only one guy had 3 fouls
 
mrgeode said:
Probably so. I get why we went with the defense we did - it worked once and almost twice on Darin Holmes. Problem is, Carlson is taller and a way better passer. This felt like a game we needed to junk up, but of course that's easier said than done on the road.
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I thought we might be able to if we were committed to junking it up...too many blown assignments though on D and not enough drawing fouls on offense.
 
mrgeode said:
Terrible game plan - if Carlson can go for 40 with single coverage, good on him. No doubles, stay home on their shooters, make them drive and earn it at the line where they're awful. Would've been a tough row to hoe regardless but tonight's scheme didn't do us any favors.
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The scout didn’t seem like it was good, or else the players didn’t follow the plan and tendencies as they should.

I would have liked to have seen how the game would have played out without Wheeler’s little “run”, but we will never know.
 
mrgeode said:
Probably so. I get why we went with the defense we did - it worked once and almost twice on Darin Holmes. Problem is, Carlson is taller and a way better passer. This felt like a game we needed to junk up, but of course that's easier said than done on the road.
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...you mean some Havoc?:D
 
Mistachill said:
If Bam plays a bigger role next year we gotta get more consistency from him. This hot one game/zilch the next two games has to change. Same with Zeb
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Bam seems to do most of his damage as kind of a front runner type. Haven’t really seen him answer the bell with any consistency when the chips are down.
 
Stretch of the game that really killed us:

  • 4:50 left in 1H, VCU w/ the ball, Wheeler illegal screen (turnover). Score: Utah 23 - 20.
  • 4:32 left in 1H, Wheeler falls down on defense. Utah hits a 3. Score: Utah 26 - 20.
  • 4:10 left in 1H, VCU w/ the ball, Wheeler illegal screen (turnover).
  • 4:01 left in 1H, Utah's Madsen hits a 3-pointer (shouldn't have counted). Score 29-20
49 seconds of gametime that took the wind out of our sails.
 
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