Photo courtesy of Edgar Zuniga Jr.
Friday night at the John M. Huntsman Center Utah Basketball opens Year 4 of the Larry Krystkowiak Era. The distance the program has come in the last 4 seasons is really amazing. From the worst season in Utah Basketball history in Year 1 to contending for a Pac 12 Title in Year 4, things have certainly turned around for Utah Basketball.
With the turnaround come more coverage and certainly more expectations for the program. Most of the preseason expectations for Utah have them pegged in the 2nd position behind Arizona in the Pac 12 standings. In addition, Senior PG Delon Wright has been named a potential Pac 12 Player of the Year and 2nd Team All American by a number of media outlets.
One thing that is certain for Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak is that he will have options this season. In my 13 years of being around Utah Basketball, I’ve never seen the amount of depth, length and athleticism as is on the roster this season. Coach K and his staff have the ability to mix and match lineups like they’ve never been able to do before. He also has a nice mix of youth and experience on the roster.
Here’s my best guess at the starting lineup (remember this is very fluid):
1. Delon Wright-G
2. Kenneth Ogbe/Brandon Taylor-G
3. Jordan Loveridge-F
4. Chris Reyes-F
5. Jakob Poeltl-C
Look for Dakarai Tucker , Brekkott Chapman, Dallin Bachynski and Kyle Kuzma as the 2nd unit off the bench.
Friday night Utah opens it’s regular season with familiar foe, the Ball State Cardinals. Utah beat Ball State in Salt Lake City last November by a score of 88-69. It wasn’t a great year for 1st year Head Coach James Whitfield, who finished at 5-25 and 2-16 in MAC play. Zavier Turner, the MAC Freshman of the Year, returns this season to lead Ball State. Turner led the nation in turnovers last season, but did lead MAC freshmen in points and assists per game. Aside from Turner, the Cardinals are having to replace 3 of their 4 top scorers from a year ago. One player to watch is Cincinnati transfer, Jerimiah Davis, who could lend some talent to a roster that certainly needs a boost of it.
A winnable game certain for the Runnin Utes on Friday night and certainly good preparation for what will be a huge task next Tuesday in San Diego against the 16th ranked Aztecs.
Tip off Friday night at 8pm for Utah and Ball State on ESPN 700.
