Strong schedule shaping up for Utes in '08-'09

The Utah basketball season may end tonight, or tomorrow night or perhaps next week at the NIT or College Basketball Invitational. That is, unless the Utes somehow manage to win the MWC basketball tournament and advance to the NCAAs.
Already the U. has put season basketball tickets on sale for what promises to be an upgraded home basketball schedule in 2008-09.
The Utes will be playing Oregon and California of the Pac-10 in the first two weeks of December and perennial Top-25 team Gonzaga on New Year’s Eve. That’s a much better slate than this year’s which included the likes of Missouri State, Cal-Irvine and Idaho State.
In addition, the Utes will have some tough games away from home. They’ll have four games in the Glen Wilkes Classic including three in Daytona Beach, Florida in November. The first game will be played on Nov. 14 at the Huntsman Center, perhaps against Tennessee Tech and three games will be played the following weekend at the 8,000-seat Ocean Center. The field has not been finalized, but among the teams that may be Ute opponents are Clemson or Virginia of the ACC, Mississippi of the SEC and Butler of the Horizon, according to Utah Director of Basketball Operations Jon Dykema.
Also the Utes will play a road game at Oklahoma with a return trip to the Huntsman Center the following year and will play return games at Missouri State and Cal-Irvine.
When he was first named coach at Utah, Jim Boylen promised he wanted to upgrade the Utes’ schedule.
It looks like he’s off to a pretty good start.