Utah Mens Basketball To Open Season On Thursday Against Washington
The wait is finally over!
Utah will begin the 2020 college basketball season with a conference game against Washington on Thursday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
It's an interesting dilemma the Runnin' Utes will face as it’s the latest start date for a season opener in the modern era. It's also the earliest start date in decades where the Utes will face a conference team this early in the December.
Regardless, head coach Larry Krystkowiak says his team is ready for the Huskies after most of the boys (and Krystkowiak himself) have battling COVID-19 for the better part of the last month.
“I think for the most part we’ve been wounded, and we’ve had our moments, but there is not a team out there that doesn’t feel like they’ve been turned upside down in some way and been affected by COVID,” Krystkowiak said. “It is far from perfect, so I think this is one of those times that flashes back to your younger days when you were on the playground or in an open gym and if you were a basketball player you went in and you didn’t want to lose. You played really, really hard. … And that’s what we are going to do.”
One of the last things the Utes had to do before taking on Washington was select its team captains, a special honor according to Krystkowiak. In the end, junior forward Timmy Allen and Riley Battin, as well as sophomore guard Rylan Jones were chosen as team captains.
“The guys have a lot of moxie and stand for the right things, so we can put the reins in their hands as far as leading our team,” according to Krystkowiak.
Mandatory Credit: Cody Glenn-USA TODAY Sports
Utah was recently chosen to finish in eighth in the preseason Pac-12 power rankings, despite finishing in eighth last season and returning seven of their top eight players from last season as well as adding a couple of talented freshmen.
“I have been told that we (are picked) eighth and to me, I look at that, and I say, ‘Well that means our league must be awfully good’,” Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “Because I like our squad. I like being the arrow rather than the target, the bull’s-eye, I always have. We will play with a little chip on our shoulder. I think our league is going to be darn good.”
After finishing last year 16-15 overall, Utah has a very strong nucleus returning led by Allen, a preseason all-Pac-12 first-team selection. 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.
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.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Allen is joined by fellow starters Jones, Alfonso Plummer and Branden Carlson. Add in valuable bench pieces in 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.
“It is nothing for us to talk about,” Allen said. “We know we have something to prove. We know we got the guys to do it. So we are not worried about that type of stuff.”
Martinez and Larsson are two incoming freshman to watch who will make a big impact this season.
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."
Mar 11, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) gestures after being fouled on a 3-point shooting attempt during the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Plummer is the ultimate breakout candidate for the Utes. This should comes as no surprise considering he finished last season on an absolute tear.
He ended the year 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.
Nov 29, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Washington Huskies guard RaeQuan Battle (21) drives to the basket against the Baylor Bears in the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Huskies will enter Thursday night winless after suffering losses to No. 2 Baylor (86-52) and UC Riverside (57-42) over the past five days. Washington has really struggled shooting the ball to begin the season, knocking down 33% (35-for-106) of its shots from the field and just 18.2% (8-for-44) from three-point territory.
Senior guard Quade Green is the leader of the team, averaging 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals on the season. The former transfer from Kentucky had last season with Washington cut short after being ruled academically ineligible halfway through the year.
Green is coming off his best game of the year against UC Riverside when he dropped 18 points with eight rebounds and four assists.
Nov 29, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Washington Huskies guard Quade Green (55) against the Baylor Bears at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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