Utes' lack of quickness exposed in NCAA loss

It was a sad ending for the Utah basketball team last night as their season ended with an 84-71 defeat in Miami. Arizona was definitely the better team Friday and would probably beat the Utes if they played again. The Wildcats are the only team in America with two lottery picks in Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger. The both played well in scoring 17 and 20 points, respectively, but the guy who killed the Utes was point guard Nic Wise, who was listed at 5-10, but looked more like 5-8. Wise finished with 29 points, almost double his season average.
The Wildcats exposed the Utes’ speed and quickness like no other team all season. Their pressure defense rattled the Utes from the opening seconds and got them out of their rhythm, making them play faster than they were used to.
The Utes are losing four seniors who have carried the team all season. But perhaps new players such as Shawn Glover, Jay Watkins and Marshall Henderson will bring a little more quickness to the next year’s team. The Utes are going to need it if they want to advance in future NCAA Tournaments.