Utah

With the off-season now upon us and the spring signing period well under way, this is a good opportunity to attempt to forecast some of the teams who could make the jump next season. Is there a team out there like this past season’s Drake Bulldogs, who went from ninth place to a dominating run through the Missouri Valley? Or how about Arizona State, a team that went from dead last in the Pac-10 to fifth place and could have the makings of a conference title run this season? With one pick for each conference, here are 31 teams you should keep an eye on next season.

Aaron Bruce (Baylor)

Aleks Maric (Nebraska)

Patrick Mills (Saint Mary's)

Luke Nevill (Utah)

Andrew Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)

Continuing with my conference player rankings, its on to the Mountain West. This list was compiled just before the season started, but some names not listed have gotten off to quality starts: Andrew Henke of Air Force is averaging 15 and 7 after two consistent games. Senior Alvarado Parker is averaging 14 and 10 after two games, including a double-double in a blow out win over Rice.

Top 10 Players in the MWC

1. Brandon Ewing, G, Wyoming
2. Luke Nevill, C, Utah
3. Trent Plaisted, C, BYU
4. Wink Adams, G, UNLV
5. JR Giddens, G, New Mexico

After a disappointing 11-19 season, things are looking up for Utah in part due to the arrival of Jim Boylen.  Boylen, the lead assistant under Tom Izzo the past two year, brings impressive NBA coaching experience to the table and a focus on toughness.  With some good tools to work with such as possible future pro Luke Nevill, the Utes have a shot to reach the postseason:

Utah Utes

 

Overall Rank: #130

If you're wondering what game I am referring to in the title, that would be the overtime thriller between Utah and Rhode Island, won 85-84 by the homestanding Rams on Saturday. What could possibly taint a game like this? For starters, the game was nowhere to be found on television. Of course, a game between these two programs would be left off the major networks schedules, but shouldn't the game at least be televised locally? I don't live in either state, so I had to refer to the NCAA's TV schedule (http://www.ncaasports.com/broadcast/schedule/divi-m-basketball) to figure this one out. Had this game been on TV, we all would have some visual evidence to see whether or not the second negative was justified.

Young Luke Nevill (12 ppg) is ready to emerge as an MWC star in his sophomore season.