Pac-12 media picks Utah basketball to finish dead last

Though many believe the Runnin' Utes will improve this season under second year head coach Larry Krystkowiak, the media feels the improvements will be relative and not good enough to bring the team out of the cellar.

This marks the second-straight year the Utes are picked by the media to finish in last place ... as the media also selected them 12th in their inaugural Pac-12 season. Utah eventually would finish 11th, a spot ahead of the USC Trojans.

The basketball team this year has a good number of new faces and while the coaching staff seems high on their potential, for a program that has struggled the better half of the last decade, not much is expected of them entering the season ... though with a rather soft preseason schedule, more wins should definitely be in store for a team that has had only one winning conference season in seven years.

Utah has an exhibition game Friday against Simon Fraser. Their preseason schedule begins a week later against Williamette.