A breakdown of the rest of the Jazz season...
In episode 15 we discuss:
A look at Utah teams and their tournament hopes...
Utah State - If you are a fan of the Aggies it was a shot to the gut to see USU get an 11 seed. Yet, another example of how few teams outside of the "Major Conferences" got any respect. It also meant that if the Aggies didn't win their conference tournament they would have been on the outside looking into the tournament. With that in mind, the Aggies need to be smiling when they view where and who they are playing. The Aggies drew an injured Marquette team that didn't finish the season well, and they are playing at Boise. The closest that the Aggies could get to playing a home game. Then to look out a little further on the bracket, the Aggies potential second round opponent would be Missouri. The weakest of all the three seeds in the tournament. The Aggies might have drawn a low seed, but the table is set for them to march into the sweet sixteen and prove that they were underrated.
Utah - A five seed! I still can't get over the surprise of when I heard that the Utes gained a five seed in the tournament. Utah didn't finish the season well. They were in the driver seat for the conference and ended up with a three way tie for the regular season title. The Utes then barely got by TCU, and played San Diego State to the buzzer to win the conference tournament (Which also makes San Diego State's omission from the field that much more insulting to the "Mid-Major" Conferences). Yet, the committee thought that the play of the Utes earned them merit, and they ended up with a five seed. Or in other words the committee believes that Utah is one of the twenty best teams in all of college basketball...huh? The Utes did have a high RPI, but I think what helped them most was having their AD on the selection committee. It helps to have friends in high places. The location of the play for Utah is not good. The Utes must travel to Miami to play their games. An insult to any five seed that they must travel across the country. Especially when a higher seed normally means that they get a location closer to their university to play. Utah is a two point underdog to Arizona, another slap in the face of a five seed. The Utes should beat 'Zons, but face a stiff second round challenge playing Wake Forest back east in the second round.
BYU - Another year, another terrible draw for BYU. Once again BYU is playing on the East Coast. They are playing in the early contests, meaning that BYU will be playing at 10:30am local time. BYU is also in a rematch with last year's opponent Texas A&M. A&M's seeding is interesting, and would be hard to explain (as many of the selection committee's decisions are equally perplexing). The Aggies were the fourth best team in the Big 12, but they are seed lower than both Texas and Oklahoma State, both teams that finished below them in the regular season. The Aggies have quick guards that give have given BYU trouble guarding in the past. Also even if the Cougars were to win their first tournament game of the new millennium, BYU would have to face UConn in UConn's backyard. If BYU's shots are falling they can beat anyone, and they will need those shots to fall if they want to win any tournament games this season.
Links and videos I found this week...
Trying to curse the Yankees, a Red Sox fan buries a Ortiz jersey during the construction of the new Yankees' stadium:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3344825
Amazing pass by Stockton-to-Malone
You know things are bad for, former Ute, Andrew Bogut in Milwaukee when...
T-Mac just being T-Mac
Thoughts on tournament selections...
BYU - Once again the failure of the Cougars to win the conference tournament kills the seed they could have received in the NCAA tournament. An eight seed (or a nine seed) is the kiss of death in the tournament. The committee matches up two teams that they think are even, and the winner has to play a rested one seed in the next round. Texas A&M is arguably the best nine seed in the tournament this year. The only thing working for the Cougars in the first round is the location, Anaheim is a much better location for the Cougars than going back East; however, if they do get by A&M the location turns against them when they will have to face UCLA in the second round. The Cougars still have to play the games, but the outlook doesn't look good for their first tournament win in fifteen years.
Utah - CBI. Before yesterday not many people in Utah knew what it stood for, but the Utes are headed for the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. Yes, there is yet another post season tournament. A chance to play for the right to be called the 97th best team in all of college basketball. The tournament will be held on the home courts of the teams. The significant change from the NIT and NCAA tournaments is the addition of the best of three format in the finals. While that is a progressive and interesting idea for college basketball, isn't the addition of another tournament watering down the basketball postseason in the same way the excess of bowl games waters down the football season? The post season should be something earned, the CBI rewards mediocrity. The Utes open the tournament Wednesday at UTEP.
USU - Jaycee Carroll won't get to showcase his talents in the NCAA tournament in his senior year. Carroll has carried the Aggies this entire season, to a share of the WAC regular season crown. The Aggies didn't have enough to beat the Boise St. Broncos in the Wac tournament. Carroll does have the chance to try and lead the Aggies to New York in the NIT. Making a run in the NIT would cap a great finish to a season that the Aggies began 3-4, and the college career of Carroll. Illinois State 24-9 will be a tough opening round game. The Redbirds only loss at home this season was #18 Drake, by just three points. Carroll really has his work cut out for him to make some noise in the NIT.
While the basketball was good the site was far from...
Considering only the basketball that was played, the 2008 Men's Mountain West Conference Tournament was a success. All games were exciting, and hard fought. The opening round included two games that were instant classics. (UNLV v TCU and New Mexico v Utah) Yet people aren't talking about the basketball that was played during the tournament, but what happened off the court. The brawl after the championship game marred a good weekend of basketball, and questions the logic of holding the event in Las Vegas.
Why is there a problem with holding the event in Vegas? Fairness to all of the teams in the conference is a major issuse with holding the tournament in Las Vegas. Taking down the banners and changing the logo at mid-court doesn't change the fact that UNLV is playing on their home court. At home over the last two years UNLV is 38-3. That is a huge advantage for the Rebels. Would it be fair for the tournament to be held in The Pit, The Marriott Center, The Huntsman Center, or any other teams' home court? No, if the tournament was held in Provo every year there would be an outcry in the conference. Playing on your home court is a home game regardless of changes made to the aesthetics, and it is an unfair advantage.
Security is also an issue. Last year UNLV rushing the court was viewed as harmful for the players, the coaches and the media. (The media not liking it was one of the reasons that this problem was such a big deal this year.) The conference tried to address this problem by using the public address announcer and a barrier constructed in front of the seats to prevent fans from storming the court. The problem with the crowd control was the event centers laissez-faire attitude in enforcing these standards. They didn't have security preventing people from rushing the court, but ushers, most of who were upwards for sixty years old.
The Thomas and Mack Center's belief that it is easier to control fans when they rush the court does make a lot of sense. The fans want to celebrate, and it is just a manner of getting the opposing team off the court in a speedy manner. The problem with this philosophy, by the Thomas and Mack Center, is they aren't the ones in charge of the event. They are being contracted by the Mountain West Conference, and it is their responsibility to uphold the standards of the conference. The conference decided they didn't want fans rushing the court, and there should have been a better plan in place to prevent the fans from doing so. This attitude by the Thomas and Mack Center shows they aren't good to work with and a new home should be sought.
There are two simple solutions that the Mountain West Conference should adopt for their tournament.
Plan A - Rotate the tournament to a different school each year. If the conference insists on playing the conference tournament in arenas affiliated with conference schools they should at least rotate it and give each school the opportunity to host. There would still be the bias of the home court advantage for one school each year; however, it wouldn't be the same school each year, making the advantage more even for the schools. The problem with this is it makes the tournament less fan friendly. Who wants to drive to Laramie and spend a long weekend?
Plan B - Hold the tournament in a neutral city. This is the best solution. Holding the tournament in Denver was the right idea, but it was the wrong location. The Pepsi Center wasn't fan friendly at all, they had to schedule around the Nuggets, and it was still a cold weather location. The conference needs to go south. Phoenix would be a great city to hold the tournament. It is a neutral site that is warm in March, and has a NBA arena to play in. It is centrally located for those who want to drive or fly down. It would also be good for recruiting in PAC-10 territory. Picking a city like Phoenix would solve the majority of problems that the tournament currently has.
Las Vegas has the contract for the Mountain West Tournament until 2010. (Wow! How many bad contracts can one conference sign?) They will also be competing starting next year with the West Coast Conference who will be playing their games in the New Orleans Arena, located on the strip. It is time for the conference to be proactive and make changes in the tournament that will benefit the conference, because the current situation isn't working.
Jim Boylen is taking flack from fans and the media, but he has the Utes on the right track...
The Utes put together a game for the first time this season. They finished a game strong, and executed down the stretch. The win by the Utes highlighted a very exciting opening day for the Mountain West Men's Tournament. After all the belly aching about BYU not getting the prime time coverage in the opening round, it does appear the conference knew what they were doing putting the better games on national TV and later in the day. The remaining three match-ups of the tournament should be just as entertaining as the opening round.
The huge surprise after the biggest win of the Ute's basketball season was the lashing out against Boylen. Members of the media took shots at Boylen for his aggressive mannerisms while coaching, and for his fiery temper after games. Fans took shots at Boylen for producing little in his opening season and wondering if he is the coach of the future. To all of the above: back away from the ledge, and enjoy the rise of a great coach at the U.
What were the problems with Ute basketball last year? Nevill didn't look like he cared about how he was playing. Bryant was a problem on and off the court. No system on the offensive or defensive end. Boylen has addressed everyone of these issues in his first season at the helm of the Utes.
He came in with a clear vision: tough hard-nosed basketball. No free layups, hard rebounding, and limiting the possessions of their opponents. He moved Bryant to the bench to start the season. This was a clear wake-up call to him to change his attitude. He then rewarded the work that Bryant did throughout the season moving him back into the lineup. Boylen being able to work with a troubled player in Bryant and help him succeed is a great sign for any Ute fan. Boylen also took on star player Luke Nevill. He didn't have any problems with challenging him and even commenting that he could picture a Utah team without Nevill playing a huge role. This was a bold move by a first year/first time head coach. He didn't just challenge Nevill and back away from him, but throughout the season he worked with Nevill creating the entire offense around him.
The Utes have been much more competitive this year. The Utes only have three loses by ten points or more this season, compared with nine last season. The Santa Clara loss at home was insulting to the Ute tradition, but they have defended their home court better this season. 12-4 at home this season as opposed to 10-6 last season. They also improved from one road victory in the 2006-07 season to four road victories this year. Also having a winning record in a transition season is a huge accomplishment.
Does the seeds of success justify Boylens antics on and off the court? Yes! What is wrong with Boylen having a desire to win? He isn't throwing chairs or physically assaulting players/coaches/officials. He is trying to motivate his players and give them the fire to win. Seeing the joy in the players after victory in Vegas last night shows that fire has been passed to the players. Was he right in going after the Wyoming coach for the late-game dunk? Yes. Kyle Whittingham should write an apology to Boylen for putting him in that position. The dunk was classless act (It was an awesome dunk though), and could be seen as retaliation for the onside kick the University of Utah performed in the football game against the Cowboys. Boylen let the Wyoming player and coach know he didn't like what they did verbally. All his yelling did was intensify the rivalry between Wyoming-Utah sports. Something that should be looked at as a plus. I would have felt worried for the Ute's basketball future if Boylen didn't go after player/coach verbally. After the loss to BYU he went after the officials for the disparity in the foul calls. That is what you pay a coach to do. Boylen proved in these exchanges that he will do anything legal to get an edge for his team. That is great coaching.
There are things I would like to see Boylen do better. He is very good at getting the fans at the games fired up. He has also complemented the fans at the game. (Love to see coaches acknowledge the fans importance to sports) Yet, Boylen and his staff have done little outside of the games to get the student body involved, caring, and going to the games. I would like to see him take a more proactive approach with getting the student body behind the program. His recruiting ability is also still a question mark. That is half the battle in college sports, and only time will tell if he can bring in the talent to compete.
Utah fans and the local media needs to back off of Jim Boylen. Lets enjoy watching a person that loves to win, and see him build a program the right way. Boylen is intense and will be intense. His intensity is one of his assets and he shouldn't change that part of his philosophy. If a coach can't be intense in Utah, then Jerry Sloan better start packing his bags.
Videos and Links for the Weekend...
A story about Scott Thornley winning Men's College Official of the year. (If the officiating in the Mountain West Conference is good, how terrible it is in other conferences.)
http://themwc.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030508aab.html
Two interesting write ups about the New York Knicks' 2010 draft pick which the Utah Jazz own the rights to.
http://blogs.sltrib.com/jazz/2008/01/tuesday-report.htm
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2008/01/knicks-could-lose-lottery-pick.html
Now some good videos for the weekend, including some classics.
A Funny Penalty Kick
An Official Celebration to the Midsection
PTI Trampoline Bear (In honor of Warren Sapp's retirement)
Dramatic Hamster (This one kills me every time)
Everything you need to know to be ready to watch the MWC tournament...
March is here and the NCAA tournament is about to begin. Before the start of the ultimate sports tournament comes the conference tournaments. The warm-ups to the bug dance. The Mountain West Conference tournament will take place March 11-15th in Las Vegas. With the regular season winding down there is some clarity of how the seeding for the tournament will shake out. (Here is a link to the tournament bracket showing the television coverage: http://themwc.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/mwc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2008-mbb-tourney-bracket ) To get everyone up to speed here is a quick crash course guide to Mountain West Conference men's basketball.
Utah is a winter dominated area. It seems there are only four seasons: almost winter, winter, coming out of winter, and construction season. Due to the nature of Utah, that eliminates many summer sports from taking off in Utah. Baseball is in the forefront of that list, the time that baseball can be played in the state is just to short for it to go mainstream. There are other lower tier sports that have tried to contend for the top spot. Soccer being the major player in this division. There are more children in Utah that participate in Soccer than Baseball; well duh, baseball is only a male sport, while soccer is for male and female. Twice the base to draw from, the more that stat will shift. Will soccer ever be the main show in Utah, NO. American soccer is boring and slow. If you don't know someone that is playing the game (a relative) then you get nothing from watching the games. Some may argue that Soccer is the worlds game, and due to that, it is only a matter of time before Soccer takes over in the US. Yeah, when Americans use the Metric System, that will be the day that argument is true.
In Utah there are two juggernauts that are trying to take the place as top dog in the state, Football and Basketball. There is a case to be made for both:
Basketball
Football
So who is the top dog? Football at this point. During the Holy War weekend the Jazz could get blown out every game and it wouldn't be on the front four pages of the sports section.
