Your MBB looks better than expected. Madsen is a heck of a shooter.

[byufan]

I think you’ll be fine in the Big 12. It won’t be pretty some nights, but it won’t be as apocalyptic as people thought.

BYU has been okay, but some of the NBA defensive principles aren’t working great. There will be some growing pains (particularly on defense) this year in Provo. I think Kansas wins the league by 2-3 games. They’re an elite Final Four level team. Iowa State is the second best team in the conference I’ve seen so far. Arizona and Baylor look overrated to me. Maybe they gel, idk.

[Matt]

I’m a BYU fan and totally agree with your assessment of the Utes and BYU basketball teams. I have been impressed by Utah.

BYU has been winning comfortably, however, we are a terrible free throw shooting team, and our defense is bad.

[utefansince79]

Utah had a respectable showing in a ‘road’ game against Mississippi State. Other than St. Mary’s in the Hunty in a few weeks and a neutral court games (in South Dakota) against Iowa, really nothing at all challenging before the Big12 games start. (Really wish we had a few more strong opponents in pre-season. One of those used to be against BYU who we now face twice in conference play).

Hoping Lovering and new-comer Keller are available soon.

The league looks loaded this season.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Basketball in the Big 12 is definitely an upgrade unlike football. All 16 teams have talent and will be hard to get wins. We look to be at the bottom athletically and talent wise. Hopefully we can stay in some games with our shooting.

BYU has the talent and enough athleticism to win. It will be interesting to see how they can gel as a team. KY might have a learning curve to adapt to the college game.

[byufan]

I agree. There’s a level of physicality in the Big 12 that simply isn’t allowed in the NBA. It’ll be interesting.

[beaslad]

I told my friends 15 years ago the U basketball program is broken beyond repair and they all laughed. LMAO. If we aren’t the bottom feeders for basketball (just like football) I will be incredibly shocked.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Nothing that a few million in NIL money can’t solve. We just need to find a couple big donors to get (buy) good players.

It would be interesting to see what our attendance would be if we had the same situation as BYU.

[byufan]

We filled the Marriott Center for 12 years in the WCC, spare me that argument.

And as far as NIL…your QB1 this year made more than any single BYU athlete has or does.

My overall thoughts on BYU/Utah and NIL: https://www.utehub.com/forums/topic/thoughts-on-nil-from-a-byu-fan-i-come-in-peace/

[Jim Vanderhoof]

You missed my point. It had nothing to do with your attendance. Our attendance has been horrible. I wondered if NIL money could help our attendance. Getting more talent similar to what you have done. Additional money got you a coach and several players you wouldn’t have gotten without $$. You can’t say it hasn’t changed your position drastically. We’ve been down for so long it would take something big to bring it back.

[byufan]

It is weird to me that your attendance is so low. It’s not like you’ve been awful (like BYU in the late 90s when we had multiple seasons under 10 wins). It does feel like you need one amazing season to turn it around.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I think Majerus sabotaged the program when he left. He left the next coach with no talent. Without a portal a rebuild would take years. A lot of Ute fans bought Jazz tickets because of their success. We’ve been mediocre with the exception of a couple years. The PAC 12 was not a big basketball conference. We are now in the best BB conference.

With the Jazz being bad if we could get some big NIL money things could turn around fast. Utah fans will return if we can be competitive in a great conference.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Madsen can shoot…at home. Time will tell if he can shoot on the road, but the evidence so far isn’t favorable. We have average overall talent, below average athleticism, and way-below-average FT shooting.

I think we will be a disaster on the road and respectable at home. Maybe even pull off a couple top-25 upsets at the HC. We’ll have plenty of chances thanks to the top to bottom quality in the Big 12.

[utefansince79]

Gabe was ice cold out in Mississippi (not sure what town/city they played in) but a lot of that was due to Bulldogs focusing defense on him. (Mason caught fire and Dawes had a strong performance but that wasn’t enough). Utah could do well during conference play when the treys are draining, but will struggle when the shots aren’t falling from outside.

[thirtyfour-thirtyone]

I’m wondering what the Lohner situation really is, and if he will make an impact if he joins the team. I would hope that after a season of football, he will bring a physical inside presence.

[Author]

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