Well it's mid-January and the Utah basketball team currently sits in first place. Sure, it probably won't last, but it's still enjoyable to see.
Saturday, Utah hosted the Colorado State Rams and though they lumbered through the first half, behind Luke Nevill, Utah dominated the second on their way to an 82-66 victory. The win put Utah at 3-1 in conference play, tying them with TCU at the top. Overall, the Utes own a 12-6 record on the season.
Though Lawrence Borha led the game with 20 points, it was Luke Nevill who stole the show. He finished with 19 points and six blocks, a school record. And his performance Saturday was nice to see, as it seems this year Nevill has really progressed as a player. Which shouldn't be a surprise, since he's in his final season with Utah.
This was a big win because it was a losable game. The Rams might not be good, but they are capable of pulling off the upset, which was evident in their victory over tournament-favored UNLV last week. For Utah to have any hope of winning the conference title, these are the games they need to win. Especially since their next opponent is UNLV...on the road.
So the Utes are now getting into the meat of their conference schedule and are in prime position to make some noise. A tournament bid might be too much to ask, however, a few more victories, especially if they can somehow beat the Rebels on their home court, might change my tune. But for now, we'll take this for what it is, a move in the right direction. 20-wins is still not out of the question for these Utes and if that happens, the worst they will be dealt is a trip to the NIT.
Not bad.
COLORADO STATE RAMS
STARTERS
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
Andre McFarland, F
28
1-5
1-4
0-0
0
1
2
0
0
1
1
3
Andy Ogide, F
26
8-15
0-0
3-3
5
10
2
1
1
3
4
19
Jesse Carr, G
29
5-7
1-1
0-0
0
3
1
0
0
1
3
11
Adam Nigon, G
20
0-3
0-2
0-0
1
1
1
3
0
0
2
0
Willis Gardner, G
31
2-5
0-2
3-4
1
1
0
0
2
2
1
7
BENCH
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
Marcus Walker, G
27
2-11
1-3
4-4
2
4
2
0
0
1
2
9
Travis Franklin, F
6
0-1
0-0
1-2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Harvey Perry, G
21
4-10
4-6
3-4
1
8
2
0
0
1
3
15
Mame Bocar Ba, F
12
0-2
0-0
1-2
1
3
0
0
1
0
0
1
TOTALS
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
22-59
7-18
15-19
11
31
10
4
4
9
16
66
37.3%
38.9%
78.9%
UTAH UTES
STARTERS
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
Carlon Brown, G
34
4-9
1-2
4-5
1
7
8
0
1
3
1
13
Morgan Grim, F
15
2-3
0-0
1-1
0
5
0
1
1
0
1
5
Luke Nevill, C
32
7-14
0-0
5-6
2
7
1
0
6
1
3
19
Luka Drca, G
15
0-1
0-1
0-0
0
1
0
1
0
2
5
0
Lawrence Borha, G
36
5-8
3-3
7-8
0
1
4
3
0
2
3
20
BENCH
MIN
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
Jordan Cyphers, G-F
3
0-1
0-1
0-0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Jace Tavita, G-F
2
0-0
0-0
0-0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Shaun Green, F
29
2-6
1-5
1-2
4
7
2
1
1
0
3
6
Jonathan Downie, F
1
1-1
0-0
0-0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Tyler Kepkay, G
33
6-10
3-4
2-2
0
5
1
0
0
1
0
17
TOTALS
FGM-A
3PM-A
FTM-A
OREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
PTS
27-53
8-16
20-24
8
34
16
6
9
9
18
82
50.9%
50.0%
83.3%