Utah Utes Basketball: Utes look to build on this season's successes

As disappointing as Friday night's loss to Arizona was for Jim Boylen and his Utes, there is plenty of optimism going forward in the Ute program as far as the coach is concerned.

After losing in their first NCAA game in four years in a contest the Utes dug themselves a hole too deep to escape from, the Ute second-year coach tried to look at the positive side.

"We're going to build on it and grow from it and learn from it," Boylen said in his opening statement to the press after the game.

"We're going to keep building this program," he said. "We're going to keep getting tougher. We're lifting (weights) Monday morning at 6 o'clock."

Certainly there's no rest for the weary in Uteville.

To go 24-10 with their first in-season tournament victory in more than 30 years at the Glenn Wilkes Classic in November and to win a share of the Mountain West Conference title as well as the MWC Tournament title were huge accomplishments for the Utes in 2008-09.

However, despite a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the season is over sooner than expected because of two main factors — turnovers and 3-point shooting.

The Utes lived and died by the 3-pointer this year with a team that wasn't athletic, but filled with good shooters. When the Utes shot as well or better than their opponent from 3-point range, they were 17-3. Against Arizona, the Utes were a dismal 8-of-32 from 3-point range.

Then there were the turnovers. All season long, the Utes had trouble holding on to the ball, and against a pressure team such as Arizona they were exposed even more, getting 14 turnovers in the first half on their way to a season-high 20 for the game.

Next year's team will look a lot different, and it could be a rebuilding year of sorts for the Utes with so much experience lost.

Four seniors who helped lead the Utes to the three championships this year won't be back. It's the end of the road for Luke Nevill, Shaun Green, Lawrence Borha and Tyler Kepkay, who each averaged more than 10 points a game this year and were the team's four leading scorers.

Nevill and Green both finished high on several Utah career lists. Nevill ended up No. 4 in points scored with 1,898, No. 6 in rebounds with 943 and No. 1 in blocked shots with 205. Green was No. 2 in 3-point field goal attempts, No. 3 in 3-pointers made and tied for fifth in steals.