Post by mhbruin on May 7, 2023 8:43:16 GMT -8
CHANGES
Branden Carlson withdraws from the draft.
Added freshman Jake Wahlin.
Added transfer Devion Smith.
Sept 18: Added Turkish freshman Karahan Efeoglu
===================
Next are the 7th place Utah Utes. Last season I predicted, "I expect Utah to finish higher than 11th, but still in the bottom half of the league." They were one win short of the top half of the league. I want to thank them for not proving me wrong.
They had a couple of good wins over Arizona and Washington State, and their worst losses were to Stanford.
Utah was decent at defense, ranked #57 by KenPom and #31 by Torvick. Offense wasn't so good at #129 and #128. Overall this wasn't a great shooting team.
GRADUATING
Marco Anthony was their best athlete and defender on the wing, and he will be missed. At 6'5" he was the second-leading rebounder for the Utes and the 10th best in the Pac-12. (Jaimie Jaquez was the #5 rebounder.)
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
TRANSFERRING OUT
Leaving Salt Lake City seems to be a theme for Utah players. In the last three season, 8, 4, and 4 players transferred out.
Lazar Stefanović is the big loss for Coach Smith. He was a solid all-around player, although his shooting wasn't that great.
RETURNING
The return of Branden Carlson wasn't a big surprise, but it is still big news for the Utes. He was first-team All-Pac-12 and led the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks. He was #5 in the league in scoring, #6 in rebounds, and #2 in blocks. He was by far their best player.
Gabe Madsen is a good outside shooter, even if he isn't the next incarnation of Steph Curry. If he improves his shot selection, he could be very dangerous. He also needs to improve his 33% shooting inside the arc.
Rollie Worster imay be the best returning point guard in the Pac-12, although his shooting isn't great.
Hoever, after the first 2 or 3 players, it is hard to find the talent.
Ben Carlson started every game, but he didn't play starters minutes and didn't impact the game that much. .
Wilguens Exacte Jr. looked like a pretty good freshman. If he makes a jump this season, I wouldn't be surpised if he supplants Ben Carlson in the starting lineup.
Keita is athletic, but didn't seem ready last season. He needs to improve his skills to be a factor.
Then there are a couple of guys who didn't play much.
RECRUITS
(#90 class, #11 in Pac-12)
Coach Smith was known for getting transfers to build his roster at Utah State. He seems to be following the same course at Utah. He only offered scholarships to FIVE members of the Class of 2023.
This is not a great recruiting class. The only closs ranked below this in the Pac-12 is Oregon Stat. 247 gives the Beaver class zero points.
Efeoglu was not ranked by 247 or Europrospects, but based on his other offers, he must be a decent prospect. He did well in the U19 World Cup:
"In his most recent action at the World Cup last month, Efeoglu 11.6 points on 47.0% shooting overall and 44.0% from 3-point range, while also grabbing 4.9 rebounds, including a 27-point performance on 5/8 shooting from 3-point range against Canada."
TRANSFERRING IN
Utah's Coach Smith continues to build mostly from the portal, with another 4-man class.
In two years at BYU, Erickson played only 5 minutes per game, in spite of shooting 5 for 9 from behind the arc. He then took a year at Salt Lake City Community College, Is he the next great 3-point shooter or the next Jake Kyman? Clearly the Utes hope he is the former. They desperately need shooting.
Lovering jumps over the Rockies from Colorado to Utah. He started every game for Colorado, but was their 8th leading scorer. Perhaps, Utah wanted him as insurance in case Branden Carlson stayed in the draft, but you have to wonder why he left a starting job in Boulder to play behind Brandon Carlson. I don't see them playing together.
Cole Bajema started almost every game for the offensively-challenged Huskies, and he fit right in shooting 39% from the field. He did everything pretty well, but nothing about him blew me away.
Deivon Smith played quite a bit for Georgia Tech and was a very good ball handler, but his shooting wasn't great.
All of these guys look like decent players, but none of them seem ready to blow anyone away.
CONCLUSION
Craig Smith is an excellent basketball coach. In their five seasons in the Mountain West before he arrived, Utah State had never finished higher than 4th, and they had not been to the NCAA tournament since 2011. In three seasons after Coach Smith took over, they finished 1st, 2nd, and 2nd, and gave San Diego State a run for their money.
He arrived in Salt Lake City to find a roster as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. They returned four rotation players, and there was not much returning talent. They brought in bodies through the portal, but not a lot of talent. They still managed to win 4 Pac-12 games in his first season and improve that to 10 conference wins last season. But can he build on that?
The return of Branden Carlson is huge and gives Utah 4 returning starters from a middle-of-the-road Pac-12 team. However, after that they have a bunch of decent players. I am not sure who the fifth starter will be.
I think they take make the top half of the league, but I don't see them competing for the conference title or making the NCAA tournament. The NIT seems likely.
Wilner:
5. Utah
The Hotline upgraded the Utes’ outlook following Branden Carlson’s unsurprising decision to return for next season. The 7-foot forward serves as the required centerpiece for Utah to continue its progress under third-year coach Craig Smith. But Carlson will need help in order for the Utes to ascend to the conference’s top tier. If they don’t improve the offensive efficiency (No. 129 nationally) and the 3-point shooting (33.2 percent), the results won’t change. Notable newcomers include guards Cole Bajema (Washington) and Deivon Smith (Georgia Tech). Previous: 6
Voorman:
Picking Utah in 4th is a surprise for many I’m sure but Craig Smith has a high coaching grade after making last year’s team competent despite what looked on paper like the least talented Utah team since joining the Pac-12. They lose Marco Anthony and Lazar Stefanovich but bring in Cole Bajema, Lawson Lovering, and Deivon Smith who were all at least rotation players on power conference teams last season. Branden Carlson turned down the allure of the NBA Draft and returns for his 5th season as a legitimate Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate after averaging 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks.
Branden Carlson withdraws from the draft.
Added freshman Jake Wahlin.
Added transfer Devion Smith.
Sept 18: Added Turkish freshman Karahan Efeoglu
===================
Next are the 7th place Utah Utes. Last season I predicted, "I expect Utah to finish higher than 11th, but still in the bottom half of the league." They were one win short of the top half of the league. I want to thank them for not proving me wrong.
They had a couple of good wins over Arizona and Washington State, and their worst losses were to Stanford.
Utah was decent at defense, ranked #57 by KenPom and #31 by Torvick. Offense wasn't so good at #129 and #128. Overall this wasn't a great shooting team.
GRADUATING
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Marco Anthony | 29 | 27 | 31 | 10 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Gavin Baxter | 7 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0.1 |
Marco Anthony was their best athlete and defender on the wing, and he will be missed. At 6'5" he was the second-leading rebounder for the Utes and the 10th best in the Pac-12. (Jaimie Jaquez was the #5 rebounder.)
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Can Return? |
| - none- |
TRANSFERRING OUT
Leaving Salt Lake City seems to be a theme for Utah players. In the last three season, 8, 4, and 4 players transferred out.
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
| Lazar Stefanović | 32 | 15 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 2.7 | UCLA |
| Bostyn Holt | 24 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0.5 | Sourh Dakota |
| Jaxon Brenchley | 19 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | Denver |
| Mike Saunders, Jr. | 18 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0.8 | McNeese |
Lazar Stefanović is the big loss for Coach Smith. He was a solid all-around player, although his shooting wasn't that great.
RETURNING
| Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | FG% | 3Pt% | Assists | A/TO Ratio | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Branden Carlson | 31 | 31 | 29 | 16 | 8 | 1,5 | 50% | 33% | 0.7 | Jr | 4 | 102 |
| Gabe Madsen G | 25 | 23 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 1.7 | 36% | 37% | 1.0 | Jr | 3 | 209 |
| Rollie Worster G | 30 | 30 | 32 | 9 | 5 | 5.0 | 42% | 28% | 2.6 | Sr | Unranked | |
| Ben Carlson F | 32 | 32 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 0.4 | 47% | 30% | 0.6 | Sr | 4 | 107 |
| Wilguens Exacte Jr. G | 32 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0.7 | 33% | 34% | 0.7 | So | Unranked | |
| Keba Keita C | 31 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0.1 | 61% | --- | 0.2 | So | 3 | 158 |
| Eli Ballstaedt G | 11 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0.1 | 30% | 22% | 1.0 | Sr 5 | Unranked | |
| Luka Tarlac G | 18 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0.2 | 73% | --- | 0.3 | So | Unranked |
The return of Branden Carlson wasn't a big surprise, but it is still big news for the Utes. He was first-team All-Pac-12 and led the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks. He was #5 in the league in scoring, #6 in rebounds, and #2 in blocks. He was by far their best player.
Gabe Madsen is a good outside shooter, even if he isn't the next incarnation of Steph Curry. If he improves his shot selection, he could be very dangerous. He also needs to improve his 33% shooting inside the arc.
Rollie Worster imay be the best returning point guard in the Pac-12, although his shooting isn't great.
Hoever, after the first 2 or 3 players, it is hard to find the talent.
Ben Carlson started every game, but he didn't play starters minutes and didn't impact the game that much. .
Wilguens Exacte Jr. looked like a pretty good freshman. If he makes a jump this season, I wouldn't be surpised if he supplants Ben Carlson in the starting lineup.
Keita is athletic, but didn't seem ready last season. He needs to improve his skills to be a factor.
Then there are a couple of guys who didn't play much.
RECRUITS
(#90 class, #11 in Pac-12)
| Player | Size | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
| Jake Wahlin | 6-7 180 | PF | 3 | 181 | BYU, Arizona State, New Mexico |
| Karahan Efeoglu | 6-8 210 | SF | Unranked | Marquette, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
Coach Smith was known for getting transfers to build his roster at Utah State. He seems to be following the same course at Utah. He only offered scholarships to FIVE members of the Class of 2023.
This is not a great recruiting class. The only closs ranked below this in the Pac-12 is Oregon Stat. 247 gives the Beaver class zero points.
Efeoglu was not ranked by 247 or Europrospects, but based on his other offers, he must be a decent prospect. He did well in the U19 World Cup:
"In his most recent action at the World Cup last month, Efeoglu 11.6 points on 47.0% shooting overall and 44.0% from 3-point range, while also grabbing 4.9 rebounds, including a 27-point performance on 5/8 shooting from 3-point range against Canada."
TRANSFERRING IN
Utah's Coach Smith continues to build mostly from the portal, with another 4-man class.
Utah got transfers from their arch rival, their biggest Pac-12 rrival, another offensively challenged Pac-12 team, and a crappy ACC team.
| Player | Size | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3-Pt % | A/TO Ratio | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Hunter Erickson G | 6-3 180 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 47% | 57% | 1.0 | BYU | Jr | 3 | 239 |
| Lawson Lovering C | 7-1 225 | 34 | 34 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 0.9 | 55% | --- | 0.5 | Colorado | Jr | 4 | 64 |
| Cole Bajema F | 6-7 190 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 0.5 | 39% | 36% | 0.5 | Washington | Sr 6 | 4 | 111 |
| Deivon Smith | 6-1 176 | 24 | 13 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 3.7 | 40% | 26% | 2.8 | Georgia Tech | Sr | 4 | 65 |
In two years at BYU, Erickson played only 5 minutes per game, in spite of shooting 5 for 9 from behind the arc. He then took a year at Salt Lake City Community College, Is he the next great 3-point shooter or the next Jake Kyman? Clearly the Utes hope he is the former. They desperately need shooting.
Lovering jumps over the Rockies from Colorado to Utah. He started every game for Colorado, but was their 8th leading scorer. Perhaps, Utah wanted him as insurance in case Branden Carlson stayed in the draft, but you have to wonder why he left a starting job in Boulder to play behind Brandon Carlson. I don't see them playing together.
Cole Bajema started almost every game for the offensively-challenged Huskies, and he fit right in shooting 39% from the field. He did everything pretty well, but nothing about him blew me away.
Deivon Smith played quite a bit for Georgia Tech and was a very good ball handler, but his shooting wasn't great.
All of these guys look like decent players, but none of them seem ready to blow anyone away.
CONCLUSION
Craig Smith is an excellent basketball coach. In their five seasons in the Mountain West before he arrived, Utah State had never finished higher than 4th, and they had not been to the NCAA tournament since 2011. In three seasons after Coach Smith took over, they finished 1st, 2nd, and 2nd, and gave San Diego State a run for their money.
He arrived in Salt Lake City to find a roster as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. They returned four rotation players, and there was not much returning talent. They brought in bodies through the portal, but not a lot of talent. They still managed to win 4 Pac-12 games in his first season and improve that to 10 conference wins last season. But can he build on that?
The return of Branden Carlson is huge and gives Utah 4 returning starters from a middle-of-the-road Pac-12 team. However, after that they have a bunch of decent players. I am not sure who the fifth starter will be.
I think they take make the top half of the league, but I don't see them competing for the conference title or making the NCAA tournament. The NIT seems likely.
Wilner:
5. Utah
The Hotline upgraded the Utes’ outlook following Branden Carlson’s unsurprising decision to return for next season. The 7-foot forward serves as the required centerpiece for Utah to continue its progress under third-year coach Craig Smith. But Carlson will need help in order for the Utes to ascend to the conference’s top tier. If they don’t improve the offensive efficiency (No. 129 nationally) and the 3-point shooting (33.2 percent), the results won’t change. Notable newcomers include guards Cole Bajema (Washington) and Deivon Smith (Georgia Tech). Previous: 6
Voorman:
Picking Utah in 4th is a surprise for many I’m sure but Craig Smith has a high coaching grade after making last year’s team competent despite what looked on paper like the least talented Utah team since joining the Pac-12. They lose Marco Anthony and Lazar Stefanovich but bring in Cole Bajema, Lawson Lovering, and Deivon Smith who were all at least rotation players on power conference teams last season. Branden Carlson turned down the allure of the NBA Draft and returns for his 5th season as a legitimate Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate after averaging 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks.