A crazy thing happened on the way to the Huntsman Center today, the Utes actually won a game! Coming off a stunning overtime loss to Rhode Island a week ago, the Utes bounced back, demolishing Cal Poly 77-58. The victory was Utah's 4th of the season and their fourth straight home win since losing to Southern Utah to start the season.
Luke Nevill scored a game high 21 points on 8-13 shooting and pulled down 8 boards, while Shaun Green barely missed out on recording his first triple double of his career. Green had 12 points, 9 rebound and 8 assists, Johnnie Bryant recorded 12 points as well.
The Utes shot 53% from the field, while holding Cal Poly to 41%. The Mustangs, 4-4 on the season, trailed 20-40 at the half and never were in the game, as the Utes built an even larger second half lead before finally winning by 19. With this victory the Utes move closer to the .500 mark. Utah currently is the only MWC team with a losing record and off to its worst start in decades.
The Utes will now prepare for the San Juan Shootout, where they open against UCF on Tuesday. UCF is 6-1 on the season and if the Utes somehow defeat them in the opening game, they will most likely face 5-1 Virginia.
Personally, this game was ok and exactly what the Utes needed. The Utes did keep turnovers low, only having 9 on the day and shot the ball well. Defensively, they held Cal Poly in check and forced them into 14 turnovers. Yet it's still Cal Poly, a team that was blown out by San Jose State about three weeks ago. They're not a very good team and Utah should have rolled them pretty much in the way they did Saturday.
I hope this team can build on this win, but they've been more inconsistent than Oprah's waist size. The true test will come in the coming weeks, as the Utes will face some tough teams away from home in the San Juan Shootout and then begin conference play at the beginning of the year.