The Utah Utes could have made the NCAA tournament last season, if only they had done one basic thing a little bit better: win on the road. However, they have learned enough to the point that they should be able to get things right this season. Here’s a look at a team poised to take the next big step in its evolution.
2013-14 Recap
The Utes just seemed to lose their nerve away from home. This is a team that was statistically solid: Utah was 11th in the entire nation in field goal percentage, at 48.8. The Utes were 15th in the nation in two-point field goal percentage at 53.7. They were 19th in the nation in effective field goal percentage (54.5). They were 31st in free throw percentage (74.3). The Utes were 29th in assists. On defense, this team wasn’t quite as good, but it was still very respectable.
In the Pac-12 Conference, Utah finished fifth in all three field goal percentage measurements (overall, two-point shots, three-point shots). The Utes were third in the conference in rebounding percentage at 51.3. This team did really well in a lot of areas, so why did the team not make the NCAA tournament? There were two basic reasons.
One reason is that Utah played a very, very soft non-conference schedule. Utah’s strength of schedule rating was well out of the top 100. The Utes played a lot of teams rated below 150 on the Ratings Percentage Index, so many of them that the team wasn’t close to making the cut for the tournament. The soft schedule inflated Utah’s numbers. That point has to be made and absorbed.
The other reason is that Utah just didn’t do much of anything on the road. The Utes won only two road games all season, plus one on neutral court in the Pac-12 Tournament. Utah had only one good road win at California; its other road win was at USC, the team that finished last out of all 12 teams in the Pac.
Had Utah been able to do anything of consequence on the road, picking up at least three more road wins, it would have been one of the first four teams in or out of the tournament. If Utah had won five more road games, it would have made the tournament. This team just didn’t handle itself well under pressure, and that’s a very correctable flaw heading into the new season.
Offseason Changes
The Utes are thrilled that there aren’t many changes to report. Utah’s going to rely on experience this season, whereas it was still green last season. Four of five starters return, and that’s a big source of relief for coach Larry Krystkowiak. The returning players on the team aren’t limited to the starters, though. Three bench players who got at least 12 minutes in Utah’s Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal loss to Arizona (the team’s last game before getting knocked out of the running for an NCAA berth) are all back this season.
Utah’s two best players are Delon Wright and Jordan Loveridge. Wright averaged 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists last season at guard. Loveridge, a forward, averaged 14.7 points and seven rebounds. With other veterans being able to complement Wright and Loveridge, Utah should be able to get production from many sources, feeding off the fact that defenses are going to have to pay a lot of attention to Wright and Loveridge throughout the season.
Projected Finish
The Utes have the physical tools and the skills to make the NCAA tournament. The program will take a huge step back if this team fails, but don’t expect that to happen.
Pick: Fifth In The Pac-12, Round of 64 In The NCAA Tournament
