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Mike Sorensen: Boylen bolsters Utes' basketball schedule

Utah by Five | 2:44 a.m. July 7, 2008

Noted that the author stated BYU brought in Michigan St. Wait a minute, was the Michigan St. game last year a home game? If so, BYU doesn't enjoy the nations longest home winning streak does it. Shh, don't tell that to BYU fans though. Asked a BYU friend of mine about this just last week and he argued that if the Michigan St. game would have been held at the Marriott Center it would have been a win. Went on to argue that the Marriott Center has a so-called 'Magic' about it. I countered that the 'Magic' really isn't hard to come by when your home court out of conference opponents are nobody's. He then went on to give the 'no one will come play us' excuse. Well, this article is now calling BYU's bluff. Come'on Rose and Holmoe, lets see if BYU dares to put its so-called 'Magic' to the test. Then again, given that BYU can't win a tourney game, I think they are happy hanging their hats on their so called home court 'Magic'.

Schedule Sue | 6:53 a.m. July 7, 2008

The Utes can get people to play them now, because they aren't nearly as competetive as they have been in years past.

Plain and simple...

It isn't that the others didn't try. It is that people are looking for easy wins, and will play teams they feel they can beat.

Different Strategy | 7:13 a.m. July 7, 2008

Stew has scheduled weak OOC every year, yet he has 9 straight post season appearance and 5 NCAA appearances. Yet all aggie fans wish he would try and schedule at least one big OOC game a year. He is not going to do it however, period.

Comments continue below

Re: Utah by Five | 7:17 a.m. July 7, 2008

The Mich St. game was at Delta Center. All the major teams are too scared to come and play us in the Mariott Center. Who posts at 2 in the morning? Even Yewts need their sleep. You probably having bad dreams about the way BYU is going to pound the Yewts next year. Go Cougars.

Stew | 7:28 a.m. July 7, 2008

I am as big as a utah state basketball fan as you will find, but I am sick of watching stew schedule a bunch of high school teams so he can win 20 games and get his bonus. come on stew

reallly | 7:32 a.m. July 7, 2008

coaches are paid to win...and if winning is scheduling weaker teams and knocking off a good team once in awhile they are considered a good coach..

Answer man | 7:35 a.m. July 7, 2008

If you stink, they will come...

Nice Job Boylen | 8:00 a.m. July 7, 2008

Regardless of what any other school is doing I am glad that Boylen has upgraded the schedule. I was at the Wake Forest, Alabama, LSU, and Texas (along with many others) in years past.

It truly is a joy to watch a competitive game against some really big names. Now all Boylen needs to do is make sure that the Utes win.

Great job | 8:17 a.m. July 7, 2008

Boylen did a great job with this schedule. Anyone remember how much fun it was to see VanHorn and Duncan go at it? How about Bogut versus Brandon Bass and Big Baby. Or when #1 Alabama came to town. Great job, Jim. Maybe his coaching connections helped him out. Or maybe all you really have to do is try.

Rose is a coward.

Keep it up Jimbob | 9:22 a.m. July 7, 2008

Outstanding...with this schedule, the Yewts will definitely limp into conference play and unlike homer Sorenson says, will not be battle tested because they are going to get their faces kicked in with this tough schedule. There's always gymnastics Yewts

UteNation | 10:19 a.m. July 7, 2008

You byu fans sure are a bitter bunch. Don't hate the Utes just because they managed to schedule some good teams for this upcoming season.

And the arguments that the other teams are willing to play Utah only because they aren't any good just doesn't hold water. Utah had a good, not great, team last year and they are on the rise. GO UTES!!!!!

Utah Fan | 11:42 a.m. July 7, 2008

Boylen has a blueprint handed to him from Coach Izzo at Michigan State. That is what he is beginning to build here at Utah. The schedule is exactly what Michigan State does year in and year out.

It is only a matter of time shortly before Utah is back at the top of the MWC on a consistent basis.

Be afraid Coogs, your time (2 years) is running out.

Um... | 1:30 p.m. July 7, 2008

BYU fans- I don't seem to remember any of these schools going through Provo during the bad years of BYU hoops. I think it's a little bit more complex than that.

Mewtyewt | 1:51 p.m. July 7, 2008

So, Boylen has dispensed with the Rickster's formula for success: bloat the schedule early with worthless filler teams in order to boost the players' confidence. If Utah starts out 2-8, Boylen will be be boiled in oil, and will be hunting for work at community colleges.

Go Utes!! | 2:00 p.m. July 7, 2008

JIMMY BALL!!!!!
Rose is a good coach, but like Morril at USU, won't play anyone away from home.

Run with the big dogs | 2:06 p.m. July 7, 2008

The company you keep speaks volumes about who you are. If you want to be a big dog, you have to run with them. Eventually you will be able to viably fight for the right to be leader of the pack.

If all you care about is getting into the big dance, more power to you folks down south. It's obvious that Boylen has loftier ambitions. We may get bloodied and bruised along the way, but in the end our program will be that much better for it.

We already have a national reputation in hoops that BYU looks at with green eyed envy (maybe we had similar grid iron envy for a while - but no more!) I look forward to this upcoming season. Bring on Jimmy Ball!!!!

utah_man18 | 2:40 p.m. July 7, 2008

You're wrong if you think that teams will only play the Utes now that they're having to recover from the days of Giac; as soon as a team like LSU or Oklahoma plays a team that nobody respects, they end up getting hurt in their strength of schedule in the long run. The fact is, Jim and Dr. Hill have done a great job in scheduling, and despite what you southerners may think, the Utes will shortly be back on top in basketball world. Oh, and sorry to completely burst your bubble, but all your talk of making the BCS this year is just that- talk. I look forward to your excuses (refs, weather, etc.) for why your precious cougs failed miserably to live up to all of the hype that you fans have created. GO UTES!

Re: Run with the big dogs | 3:46 p.m. July 7, 2008

Believe me, nobody outside of Utah knows that University of Utah has a football team. I'm not sure if anybody even realizes they have a basketball team anymore.

TucsonUte | 3:47 p.m. July 7, 2008

The home and home games remind true basketball fans that Utah has a strong basketball tradition and has always been respected by other teams across the nation.

Boylen will be leading the Utes this year and many to come with great schedules that will benefit them when it comes March.

Look at what Gonzaga has done the past decade with a strong schedule. As long as BYU and USU play weak schedules they will receive low NCAA tourney seeds or not get invited at all if they are not conference champs.

Re: Re: Run with the big dogs | 5:03 p.m. July 7, 2008

Just another bitter byu fan. I guess all the success that the Utah football team had in '04 was completely overlooked by everyone outside the state of Utah. That must be why ESPN Gameday was at Rice-Eccles for the Utah-byu football game that year. That must be why Utah football is getting mentioned in pre-season publications.

As for Utah basketball, I would daresay that it has been the most successful program in the state of Utah year in and year out. And assuming that the above poster was a byu fan, how does it feel to know that Weber State has had more success in the NCAA tourney than your beloved cougars? For that matter, so has Utah State.

Hey Ute fans, | 5:41 p.m. July 7, 2008

Once again a story about the Utes gets more comments about BYU than the Utes. This article isn't about BYU so stop bringing up BYU. Your sick obsession with all things BYU makes me embarrassed to be a Ute fan.

prc | 9:20 p.m. July 7, 2008

wow only 21 coments on this story! Kind of shows you that NOBODY CARES!!!

crp | 4:51 a.m. July 8, 2008

Wow, no articles about BYU basketball. Kind of shows you that NOBODY CARES!!! Not even Dick Harmon.

USU | 11:02 p.m. July 8, 2008

Lets not forget Dick, USU brought in the biggest opponent of them all, a #1 rated UNLV team that went down as one of the greatest of all time, all be it a conference game.

USU | 11:09 p.m. July 8, 2008

Not to mention, a ranked Utah team came to Logan on multiple occassions.

uteturnedAggie | 11:10 p.m. July 8, 2008

props to Boylen. Of course Stew would argue that Logan is no SLC... but then again, it's SLC!

USU | 11:14 p.m. July 8, 2008

The biggest opponent of them all, a number one ranked UNLV team came to Logan, all be it a conference game. How could you forget that MIke?

exciting | 1:15 p.m. July 9, 2008

Ooo boy this sure is exiting. So the yoots will end up with the a top 5 RPI but only about 5 wins for the season, so they still won't go to the Big Dance.

Genius | 1:21 p.m. July 9, 2008

Our coach, Jim "the Screamin' Demon" Boylen, is a GENIUS!! I hope he can also schedule some NBA teams for us to play.

one step at a time | 5:51 p.m. July 9, 2008

shouldnt work on beating teams like wyoming, san diego, and byu before you start scheduling teams like cal, gonzaga, etc????

WinSum | 10:27 a.m. July 11, 2008

Got to give Utah an "A" for effort. Always good to see a coach/university aim high. Best wishes.

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