Utah Utes - The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah basketball: Utes lose fifth straight

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:16:26 MDT

Utah basketball: Utes lose fifth straight

The Associated PRess

Published Feb 11, 2012 09:16PM MDT

Tempe, Ariz. • Trent Lockett came back and helped Arizona State gain at least a measure of redemption for its ugliest loss of the season. Lockett had 12 points after missing six games with a sprained right ankle and the Sun Devils held off Utah 57-52 on Thursday night. Carrick Felix led the Sun Devils with 15 points, including a dunk with 47 second to play and a pair of free throws with 11.7 seconds left. The Utes lost their fifth straight and 11th in 12 games. Their lone victory in that span wa...

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Utah basketball: Utes get a crack at Arizona on Saturday

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:16:26 MDT

Utah basketball: Utes get a crack at Arizona on Saturday

By Bill Oram The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 09:16PM MDT

The Utes’ 77-51 loss to Arizona in the Huntsman Center was one of their most memorable for this reason: The image of Cedric Martin, blacked out, lying flat on the court, then struggling to his legs, taking a few steps and sitting back down. Talk about a metaphor for a season. Utah basketball (5-19, 2-10 Pac-12) in its first year under Larry Krystkowiak has made progress, but when it does rise it has been unable to maintain that level. Before losing to Arizona on Jan. 19, the Utes beat Arizona St...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Women’s basketball: Utah rallies past Arizona, 73-67

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:16:26 MDT

Women’s basketball: Utah rallies past Arizona, 73-67

By Steve Luhm The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 09:16PM MDT

During its historic first season in the Pac-12, the University of Utah women’s basketball team achieved two more milestones Saturday. The Utes won back-to-back league games for the first time with a 73-67 victory over Arizona at the Huntsman Center. The Utes also swept a regular-season series from a conference rival for the first time, adding this win to an early-season overtime thriller in Tucson. “It’s really nice for our team,” said Utah coach Anthony Levrets. “… A good weekend.” Sophomore Mi...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah basketball: Arizona rallies to top Utes 70-61

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:16:26 MDT

Utah basketball: Arizona rallies to top Utes 70-61

By JOHN MARSHALL The Associated Press

Published Feb 11, 2012 09:16PM MDT

Tucson, Ariz. • Arizona’s players were lackadaisical on defense, shot 3-pointers they only hoped would go in and looked like a scared team, not one playing for the Pac-12 lead. The Wildcats pulled together to grind out a win, but it’s not what coach Sean Miller was hoping from his team, particularly not this late in the season. Nick Johnson hit a 3-pointer with just over a minute left and had 18 points, Kyle Fogg added 17 points and Arizona shook off a lackluster first half to beat Utah 70-61 o...

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah gymnastics: Freshman Kassandra Lopez thriving in key role

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:16:26 MDT

Utah gymnastics: Freshman Kassandra Lopez thriving in key role

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 09:16PM MDT

It didn’t take long for freshman Kassandra Lopez to earn the respect of the Utah gymnastics team’s upperclassmen. “She was throwing all these skills on bars, beam, floor, everywhere,” sophomore Corrie Lothrop remembered. “She was good at whatever she does, and her routines were always consistent.” Those first impressions haven’t changed now that the season has started. Lopez — a Tucson, Ariz., native who returns to familiar territory Sunday when the Utes compete at Arizona State — has solidified...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah basketball: Even beat up, Chris Hines is Utes’ most important player

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:28:22 MDT

Utah basketball: Even beat up, Chris Hines is Utes’ most important player

By Bill Oram The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 11:28PM MDT

From behind a door deep in a Los Angeles arena last month, Chris Hines emerged with black headphones wrapped around his neck, his fractured left thumb freed from its special sleeve and his right ankle wrapped in enough ice to ship fresh fish. Coming off a 62-45 loss to USC — maybe Utah’s most discouraging of the season — Hines limped over to a small group of reporters, one of whom observed that one day someone would have to push him out of the locker room in a wheelchair. “I wish they did tonig...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah gymnasts flooring the competition

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:28:22 MDT

Utah gymnasts flooring the competition

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 11:28PM MDT

Trailing Georgia by a tenth of a point in its last home meet, Utah’s gymnastics team was confident it could overtake the Gym Dogs and claim a victory because it was finishing on the floor. Finishing on that event is akin to having an ace in the pocket for the Utes, as they lead the country with a 49.394 average. Of the top 10 gymnasts ranked on the event, the Utes have three, with Georgia Dabritz and Stephanie McAllister tied for third (9.906) and Corrie Lothrop tied for seventh (9.888). That ki...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has China on his mind

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:18:26 MDT

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has China on his mind

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 06:18PM MDT

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott is in Salt Lake City for the first “Front Porch Summit,” a gathering of conference presidents and athletic directors to discuss athletics and academic issues facing the conference. But even with a view of the Wasatch mountains facing Scott as he met with media members Thursday at the Natural History Museum of Utah, it was China which seemed to be very much on his mind. Part of Scott’s driving force behind the two-day gathering of officials is to address topics suc...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah basketball: Utes coach turns to walk-ons

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:31:29 MDT

Utah basketball: Utes coach turns to walk-ons

By Bill Oram The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 9, 2012 11:31PM MDT

During what may have been Utah’s worst loss of the season, a listless showing at USC two weeks ago, Larry Krystkowiak did a curious thing. He benched two starters to start the second half and infused the lineup with walk-on guards Alex Mortensen and Kyle Perkins. It did little good for the Utes, who still lost 62-45, but the message Krystkowiak sent was clear: Those who play hardest will play. Mortensen and Perkins have slowly gained the trust of the Utah coaching staff this season, includin...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

University of Utah baseball banquet features Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:13:02 MDT

University of Utah baseball banquet features Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith

By Martin Renzhofer The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 8, 2012 06:13PM MDT

Still lean and looking as if he could easily turn yet another double play, Ozzie Smith acknowledged that the message he brought the Utah Ute baseball team Tuesday night did not come from a secret reservoir of knowledge. It was common-sense talk that it doesn’t hurt to repeat. It was the same philosophy that molded the “Wizard of Oz” into one of the greatest, most stylish shortstops who ever laced up a pair of spikes. Always great with the glove, Smith turned himself from a weak slap hitter into...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

College football: Pac-12 hauls in strong talent on signing day

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:12:49 MDT

College football: Pac-12 hauls in strong talent on signing day

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 8, 2012 04:12PM MDT

That the Utes had one of their best signing days but still landed just in the middle of the Pac-12 rankings illustrates how well the conference did as a whole. The Utes, once rarely part of the national recruiting picture, were rated as high as sixth and as low as eighth in the conference by a couple of the major recruiting services. Such rankings are a good sign for the Utes, who just completed their first year in the Pac-12 with an 8-5 record. UCLA, Oregon, Stanford and USC were the leaders in...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pac-12 to honor Utes’ Ferrin

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:10:03 MDT

Pac-12 to honor Utes’ Ferrin

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 8, 2012 02:10PM MDT

Walnut Creek, Calif. • Former basketball star Arnie Ferrin will become the first University of Utah player inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of honor. Ferrin, a four-time All-American and member of Utah’s 1944 NCAA champion and 1947 NIT champion men’s basketball teams, will join 11 other inductgees, one from each Pac-12 school, including 10 other players and one coach. Ferrin will be inducted during the 2012 Pacific Life Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Los Angeles along with Arizona...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kragthorpe: Jim Boylen still ponders ‘one more year’ with Utes

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:40:25 MDT

Kragthorpe: Jim Boylen still ponders ‘one more year’ with Utes

By kurt kragthorpe Tribune Columnist

Published Feb 7, 2012 11:40PM MDT

Indianapolis This version of Jim Boylen is barely recognizable. After spending four seasons as the University of Utah’s basketball coach with his arms continually waving and his legs moving in a defensive stance, Boylen occupies a chair on the Indiana Pacers’ bench, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the clipboard above his knees. Fired by Utah last March, Boylen is back in the NBA as an assistant coach. He describes the league as “familiar territory,” having formerly spent 13 seasons ...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah gymnastics: Utes looking for sharper vault landings

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:40:25 MDT

Utah gymnastics: Utes looking for sharper vault landings

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 7, 2012 11:40PM MDT

The luxury of being the top-ranked team in the country with the majority of the routines in place is that you get to be a little nitpicky. That is the stage in which Utah’s gymnastics team finds itself, even though it is only four weeks into the season. The Utes, who have the third-best vaulting team in the country with a 49.306 average, still believe their vaults have plenty of room for improvement, namely in the landings. The Utes scored a 49.225 on the event in Friday’s win over Georgia, with...

Utah gymnastics: Top-ranked Utes floor Georgia

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:35:51 MDT

Utah gymnastics: Top-ranked Utes floor Georgia

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 6, 2012 11:35PM MDT

Pushed to the verge of an upset at home, Utah’s gymnastics team not only showed why it is the top-ranked team in the country, but also why it is the best team on the floor event, too. Trailing Georgia by 1/10th going into the final event, the Utes delivered a season-high 49.5 on the floor to overtake No. 4 Georgia 197.15-196.95 in front of 14,926 at the Huntsman Center. The meet lived up to expectations that it would come down to the last few routines, as the Utes didn’t clinch it until senior S...

Utah basketball: Utes fall to Oregon State 76-58

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:57:24 MDT

Utah basketball: Utes fall to Oregon State 76-58

By Bill Oram The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 6, 2012 09:57AM MDT

In a moment, Ute guard Chris Hines was not as fast as 270-pound forward Joe Burton, Oregon State’s enforcer who is not measured in height but in circumference. After Hines had the ball poked free and didn’t chase it across the half-court line, Burton grabbed the ball and drove for a layup. The play was Utah’s 76-58 loss to the Beavers in a snapshot: the defensive pressure, the offensive lethargy, the turnovers. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Twenty-three of them. See the boxscore at http://...

Utah gymnastics: Corrie Lothrop, Stephanie McAllister emerging as leaders

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:57:24 MDT

Utah gymnastics: Corrie Lothrop, Stephanie McAllister emerging as leaders

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 6, 2012 09:57AM MDT

It was a little fitting for Utah’s gymnastics team that its 197.15-196.95 win over Georgia came down to the performances of Corrie Lothrop and Stephanie McAllister. The two have asserted themselves as Utah’s leaders off the floor and they were up for the challenge of leading on the floor, too. The two had 9.95s on the floor to clinch the win for the Utes while Lothrop won the all-around with a 39.475. McAllister had a 39.45 in the all-around. “Without question they’ve evolved as our leaders,” Ut...

Utah basketball: Ute coach says Oregon State probably better than record

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:11:57 MDT

Utah basketball: Ute coach says Oregon State probably better than record

By Bill Oram The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 4, 2012 10:11PM MDT

Larry Krystkowiak said earlier this season that he doesn’t believe in the idea that a team can be better than its record. “I’ve never really bought into that,” he said before the Utes played UCLA, “because that’s why you play, is you have the record.” His exception was Oregon State, a bad-luck team that was expected to surge in the Pac-12 this season under fourth-year coach Craig Robinson. Saturday, the Beavers will bring their perplexing 4-6 Pac-12 record to the Huntsman Center. Oregon State an...

Utah basketball: Utes squander lead, fall to Oregon 79-68

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:10:53 MDT

Utah basketball: Utes squander lead, fall to Oregon 79-68

By Bill Oram The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 4, 2012 12:10AM MDT

The Utes never let Thursday’s game against Oregon get out of hand. They simply let it slip away, losing 79-68 to one of the Pac-12’s best teams. After shooting 52.2 percent in the first half, the Utes (5-17, 2-8 Pac-12) made just one field goal over a second-half stretch that spanned nearly 14 minutes, leaving several encouraging signs unrewarded at the Huntsman Center. Chris Hines had one of his best shooting games of the season, finishing with 20 points, while freshman Kareem Storey had his f...

Utah football: Brian Johnson named Utes’ offensive coordinator

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:10:53 MDT

Utah football: Brian Johnson named Utes’ offensive coordinator

By Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 4, 2012 12:10AM MDT

Utah’s newly anointed coordinator is still too young to rent a car from some companies, but Utah coach Kyle Whittingham trusts Brian Johnson enough to not only give him the keys to Utah’s offense — he’s also going to let him open up the hood and tinker with the engine. Johnson, who turns 25 on Feb. 16, said he wants to run a multifaceted offense next year that would not only utilize returning running back John White and recent signee Kelvin York, but also get more aggressive in the passing game....