Utah Mens Basketball Picked To Finish Eighth In The Pac-12

Following the release of the Pac-12 preseason rankings chosen by the media, Utah was picked up to finish in eighth place — but they're closer to the fifth place team (Arizona) than they are to ninth place

Apparently the Pac-12 media isn't as bullish about Utah improving this upcoming season as the Utes are. 

After fielding one of the youngest teams in the nation last year, Utah went through the highs and lows en route to a 16-15 overall record and 7-11 finish in the Pac-12, good enough for a three-way tie in eighth place.

.@UCLAMBB is the media's preseason favorite in #Pac12Hoops!

The Bruins edged @SunDevilHoops & @OregonMBB in the closest voting among the top three in 37 years of preseason polls.

FULL STORY: https://t.co/UGR3hnqIVM pic.twitter.com/DWpbfqVPk8

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 12, 2020

Following Thursday's release of the Pac-12 preseason rankings chosen by the media, Utah was picked up to finish up where they finished last year, in eighth place. It's not an ideal spot for the Utes considering this would lead to them not making much of a jump despite returning four starters and eight of their top nine players from a year ago. 

UCLA was tabbed as the favorite with 251 points (nine first-place votes), followed by Arizona State with 246 points (five first-place votes), Oregon with 241 points (seven first-place votes) and Stanford with 209 votes (one first-place vote).

The Utes are in the second tier of Pac-12 teams as the amount votes between them and fifth-place Arizona is less than the amount of votes between Utah and ninth-place Washington.

“It’s a big day for our basketball program, fans and league as a whole. Our team has been working tirelessly at home during this whole pandemic and I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work they’ve put in. It’s been great having them back on campus together and getting them connected for the upcoming season,” Utah men's coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “There hasn’t been a lot of good news since this whole thing started back in March, so this is definitely a win for everyone involved. I know the staff and our players are thrilled and eager to hit the court full swing and get ready for the upcoming season. There is still a lot of work to be done until then, but we’re just happy as everyone else in our conference to know we’ll be playing some basketball come Nov. 25.”

Utah has a very strong nucleus returning led by all-Pac-12 performer Timmy Allen. He is coming off an impressive sophomore season in which he was named second-team all-Pac-12 after averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. 

While his production drastically rose from his freshman season, Allen's shooting percentages dropped dramatically as he shot 44.1% from the field and 21.1% from three-point territory.

He finished the season with six double-doubles, showcasing all-around play-making ability in games against UCLA (13p, 8a, 7r), BYU (27p, 5r, 5a) and USC (21p, 10r, 3a). But there were also times when Allen struggled from the field, particularly when teams packed the paint against him as his lack of any sort of jumpshot hindered his game towards the end of the season.

Allen is joined by fellow starters Rylan Jones, Alfonso Plummer and Branden Carlson. Add in valuable bench pieces in Riley Battin, Mikael Jantunen and Jaxon Brenchley as well as two big-time freshman in Ian Martinez and Pelle Larsson and things are looking up in Salt Lake City.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein listed Martinez and Larsson as two incoming freshman to watch.

Martinez, the No. 59 prospect in the country, is a 6-foot-3 shooting guard who should help fill the void left by recent transfer Both Gach this past offseason. He also has the ability to run the point guard position, sparring incumbent starter Jones.

"We are excited to add a guard like Ian, who has a great combination of athleticism, skill and IQ," Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said on the Utes athletic website. "Ian has a had a great couple years of development and continues to improve his physical strength, which will allow him to be an excellent player at Utah."

Larsson is expected to provide instant depth and could challenge for a starting spot at the small forward position — moving Allen to the power forward spot. He's one of the top young players in Europe, and rated as a four-star prospect across multiple recruiting boards.

"Pelle is an outstanding lead guard with great size, versatility and IQ," Krystowiak said. "He shined this summer in the European Championships and solidified himself as one of the premier guards in Europe. We believe his international experience and opportunity to play in the Swedish pro league will help make his transition to the college level smooth."

Lastly, Rothstein chose Plummer as a breakout candidate — and this should be the least surprising choice of all considering he finished last season on an absolute tear.

Plummer ended last season by setting a Pac-12 record with 11 made three's in Utah's 71-69 loss to Oregon State in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament. He averaged 18.8 points per game over his final six games, knocking down 55.8% (29-of-52) of his three point attempts over that span.

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Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka