Utah Utes Basketball: So That’s How You Schedule

Mar 15, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UNLV Rebels cheerleader performs during the game against the Colorado State Rams during the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Lobos defeated the Aztecs 60-50. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

One thing I should give credit to Utah Utes basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak real credit for is fixing the mistakes he makes.  I’ve always been a bit puzzled because he makes some mistakes that seem so very obvious, which I wish would stop.  But they get corrected, which doesn’t happen everywhere, so that is a very good thing.

The latest one is the schedule.

All they way back when our schedule was announced for last season, I pointed out how badly it blew.  I get that he was trying to put wins on the board.  But it was also a mistake and one that I and a few others saw coming.

First you could have scheduled a few tougher teams and still accomplished what you wanted.  Second, if your team is just a little better than you think, a schedule like that is what will keep you out of the NCAA’s.  Well the Utes were just a little better and it did keep us out.  Even just having a few good teams, even if we’d lost, that schedule still might have gotten us there.  Or at the very least maybe we don’t blow so many Pac-12 games late.

It turns out that schedule also hurts your NIT seeding where you end up going to St. Mary’s and then choking on a big ‘ol something that would make you choke.

That problem in the coming year is getting fixed.

As you kids likely know by now, Utah, in addition to facing BYU in Provo, will also face Kansas in Kansas City and the Wichita St. Shockers in Salt Lake City.  We also learned today that Utah will play UNLV at the MGM Grand Garden.  Those are four games that will go a long way to not having the 2nd worst OOC schedule in the nation.

UNLV, while struggling last year, likely has one of the best classes in the nation coming in.  Plus it’s an excuse to head to Vegas in November or December.

What I’d like to see fill out the rest of the schedule is one more team you’ve heard of for the home schedule, like Wyoming or New Mexico.  It also seems that Utah St. is being a pain in the ass in scheduling Utah, so I say screw them.

No matter what else, it’s very nice to see this scheduling crap go away.