Hoops today vs. Colorado

You know, if we all played sports, maybe we’d learn how to be better losers.

I’m not a truer fan, I just (1) am more stubborn, and (2) have nothing else to do. My work is done at 5:00 on most days, and I love sitting down to watch a game if I can. It helps that I don’t like most of what else is on television.

But I’m probably going to keep watching Utah football and basketball until I die, regardless of the quality of the product.

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I love the U for what it has meant in my life and Ute sports for the agony and the ecstasy they’ve given me. I’ll never change. It has simply become harder to watch the basketball team because although they play hard they are not well led and too often they underachieve. What really bothers me is that they also embarrass themselves, and it’s not their fault.

I don’t know if this is true. For years, we were known as the Pac-12 team that overacheived. Is this team underachieving? I mean, ultimately it doesn’t matter. Larry will have to go.

So we’ve just lost three close games to the better teams in the conference, and we have a game tomorrow. I feel like we either dump all our frustrations on the cards and win by double digits, or we roll over and get wiped out completely. I think it will be interesting to see how we react.

I don’t know what else Larry is supposed to do. Yell at them louder? People complain about how he’s supposedly too hard on the kids so they leave, but when the kids are obviously slacking off they want Larry to kick their asses. I don’t know what Larry should do, seems like a can’t win situation.

I tell you who is not helping is the Voice of the Utes, Baghdad Bob/Bill Riley.

His teams have historically fallen apart in the final 5 minutes of games. That happens too often, and over too long a period, to be a coincidence. My $.02.

End of game problems are also caused by players running out of gas. The only play 7-8, so too many minutes for major players. that comes down to recruiting–there is no one to play beyond that limited number. Who on that staff is the recruiting guru?? No one; that is why they end up every year picking up someone that is left over, and never sees a minute on the court.

He needs to teach them how to play basketball. Colorado outrebounded them by like 50! Fundamentals. How many times do they have a decent defensive posession, force a missed shot, then give up an offensive rebound? Undersized, you say? Our center is 7 FEET TALL. When a team loses, you can point to players, but when a program loses - year after year after year, that’s coaching. Even Larry’s best teams lost at least 9 games. Poeltl, Wright, and Kuzma on the same team and they lost 9 times.

Finally, when a coach is 1-19 against another coach (Altman), that’s evidence he’s not a good coach.

So, to answer your question, “What’s Larry supposed to do?”, I think the answer is that Larry is simply not capable of doing more. He’s reached his ceiling. At this point, the real question is, “What’s Harlan going to do?”

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Got it. I meant under/over relative to our talent, and you mean it relative to our expectations. It really doesn’t matter. We will be starting over with a new coach next season.

I could be wrong, but it seems it would take a few wealthy boosters to make this move and finding out yesterday that Utah athletics is $35 million in the red, I don’t see it. Especially since Harlan and company squeezed them for the South End Zone project just recently.

Sadly, Utah basketball is way down the priority list of concerns for the Garffs, Huntsmans, etc right now.

That may be the case, but to not fire him this season is an admission that we just don’t care about basketball anymore. A basketball school would come up with the money. Get the donors, cut other sports, sell some land, donate blood, whatever.

I remember a few years ago, it was clear to outsiders that CU football would never progress under Mike McIntyre. I remember walking home after we beat them, and my brother said “If they still think they are a football school, they’ll fire him. If they no longer believe they can compete, they’ll keep him.” They fired him. I think that’s where we are with Utah basketball.

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I agree with you. I cant imagine anything about Utah basketball is fun anymore for the coaches, players or fans. Larry is the house guest that came for Christmas and is still at your house middle of January.

I would be interested in a study of games under Larry in which his team has been within three points of the opposing team with 3:00 to go in the game. How many of those games did his team win? It may prove me wrong about him, or it may prove me right.

Maybe. Maybe not. If USA Today is to be believed, Larry’s buyout at this time last year was $9.75million. After this year it must be around $6million. In most years maybe the university or certain boosters would be willing to absorb that, but, this isn’t like most years. Harlan is in a real financial pickle with this thing.

LK Buyout

People thought that coaches would be relatively safe this year, but look at what happened in football, specifically at Auburn. I stand by my statement. Assuming we continue to struggle like we have, then a lack of a new coach next season is an indicator that we just don’t care very much about basketball anymore. Maybe that’s obvious already…

Per the locked on Utes podcast his buyout is 7 million this year

Watched the Washington Colorado game tonight. I can’t stand it. Basketball officiating is horrible. Absolutely no consistency at all — at all levels.