Boylen's claim to fame this year is that he didn't get blown out. Nice!

In reality, he has had a year to get this team to play and win...and didn't get it done. They were picked to take 3rd in the league, and they took 6th. I guess it's his job now to "change the culture" that he has created.

Rumor has it that there will be some defections from this team due to Boylen's unstable and sometimes manic demeanor. It will be interesting to see how long he can hang on at Utah before he crashes and burns.

"were #101, were #101"..Man, first tiger loses and now the ewetes. What is the world of sports coming too.

Once again foul shots do the Utes in. This is a conspiracy involving referees all over this country.

Hey Coach, I'd like to point out the disparity in free throws. They shot way more than you. Now that we're best friends, can you buy me lunch? Seriously, Ute fans, give Boylen a chance. The team showed terrific progress this year and I think he's got his team playing so much better than last year. This year won more games, they put a scare into a lot of teams and were never considered a gimme by their opponents. And they were invited to the prestigious CBI.

you bitter byu fans are funny. lol

I guess the Ute dream season is over.

Let's hope the Utes can find a point guard quickly -- otherwise next year will be no better than this season.

Tear us down all you want, but the fact is, long after Dave Rose and his delicate little team had cleaned out their lockers and gone home, the Utes were still playing basketball.

Just like old times. Get used to it!

My Man Darrell, We have a point guard in sophomore to be Carlon Brown. If Boylen will let him out of the cage and loose the shackles around his ankles we would be a 20+ team guarenteed. Drca is fair and Kepkap is a two. The kid was great in the first half but the perimeter players, with the exception of Bryant could not buy a basketball. I hope Boylen gets the message this off season and give the point guard to the veteran now Carlon Brown. Can't wait till next year...GO Utes

Ref: Dear Zoob's
I was cheering for you Utey.... but it just didn't happen. It's too bad that your first thought after the loss is to throw stones..........and by the way......old times for you Utey, means the the dark ages........Keep living in the past.

Just to let everyone know, I watched the game last night online, and I am not a person to bring down officiating. But last night, that game was clearly decided by the refs. In the first half, our 4 best players had to sit down with two fouls and every one of those fouls were ticky tack fouls. That is why the foul shots were clearly unbalanced. When boylen got the technical foul, it was ridiculous, he didnt do anything that warrented that. The second half was more frustrating, clearly there was home cookin going on. For example, carlon brown came down the lane twice and the defender was CLEARY moving and they called an offensive foul, then the very next play the tulsa guy came down and ran green over and through it up and it went in, and green was standing still and it was a foul on green. It was a completely bogus officiated game.

I guess getting wacked by Memphis three times this year prepared Tulsa to beat the Utes on their home court. And so ends a disappointing year for the non-Running Utes. Along with football neither team as given its fans much to look forward to.

Dr. Chris Hill’s State of the Utah Athletics Program Address should go like this “While currently mired in mediocrity, we see hope for both football and basketball in the future….uh, but for the moment I cannot state my reasons for such optimism.”

I apologize for being overly-dramatic, but I don’t see long-term improvement with either team, and it begins with the current AD and coaches. Looks now like Hill got extremely lucky with Majerus and Meyers. Whittingham is certainly shown no brilliance if not toughness and Boylen, albeit in his first year has his work cut out for him.

Same can be said of the MWC. A 3-1 bowl record – OK – however a fourth might have raised some eyebrows. But a 2-5 basketball tourney record is sure not to set up the conference for next year.

Lots of work, lots of work ahead.

Will Luke Nevill please report to the basketball team? Paging Luke Nevill...

I know this team has issues, but the biggest has to be the absence of their center. I was astounded to read yesterday that he had four - count 'em, 4!!! - double-doubles this year. Is he going to be the next Greg Ostertag for the U? (Lots of talent, you just don't know what night he's going to show up)

It would be awesome if Boylen could find a point guard, as posted earlier, but it would be even better if he could find a center somewhere inside Luke Nevill!

GO UTES!!

Yes give Boylen a chance. The Utes won more games (although there were MWC gimme games this year and not last), we have a better record (thanks to wins over powerhouses like SC Spartenburg, High Point, Weber St, Dixie St, Missouri St, and Idaho St). Thats right, I have seen terrific progress over last year, we are an amazing 6th place in the conference and lost to Santa Clara at home by 15. Yes we got swept by BYU. But heck yea I like where this program is going. It is going with the players that can't wait to defect from this team and their lunatic coach. Who cares how the team finished this year, we can all look forward to the JIMBOY mic grabbin' freak show at the end of each home game!

Tarheel Ute - man, what a baby! Your football team went to yet another bowl game, worked through injuries, etc. You actually won a postseason tourney game in basketball which none of the other teams (major college)in Utah were able to do. What are you looking for? Newsflash - your BCS bowl run in football and your NCAA championship game run in basketball were fortunate exceptions - a perfect storm situation with the right players, coaches and opponents coming together at the right time. Not going to happen again - get used to it. Be happy with the winning programs you have.

All bad things must come to an end too...

I can't believe 'Aggie Boy' just dissed the Utes! What have the mighty aggies done in recent memory to warant being mentioned in the same breath as the Utes athletically? Your future doesn't look so good either.

Losing is never a pleasant experience. Even if a program wins during the regular season and loses post season, it is hard to take. (This is confirmed regularly with our tds friends.)
The Ute football program has shown progress each year of Whittinghams tenure and we will see it again this next season. Boylen took over a program in the bottom third of D-I programs and brought it up to the upper third. That is progress. We will see additional improvement next year too.
While annual treks to the Final Four and BCS bowls will likely not happen, it is not out of the question to see such accomplishments from the Utes occassionally. If we look at the last 10 years they are the only local school to advance into Sweet 16, Final Four and BSC country. It wold be nice if others could simply recognize that and work for thier own schools to follow in that path.
GO UTES!

It's tough to lose. BYU has been out for a week or so, so at least we did better than them.

Everyone knew that Boylan was manical on the court when they hired. Unfortunately this unstable attitude has carried over to the team. All teams need a stable coach. Boylan needs to get more stability in his coaching.

Just a question. Would someone tell me why both BYU and UofU have such terrible free throw statistics. High school teams shoot better from the free throw line that these two teams. (I think BYU is worse.) Why do these coaches ignore the problem. It seems making these young men put up 100 free throws at every practice would help. Your hear the excuse "we were beaten at the free throw line." But THEY NEVER DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Poor coaching. I would guess.

Ute fans, step away from the ledge. Are team is getting better! Boylen is the right guy. It’s all about the players. Kepkay was a juco superstar that has struggled to make the transition to D1. Nevill would be a lottery pick if he had somebody like Andre Miller running the offense. Bogut never would have been a #1 draft pick if Marc Jackson wasn't there. Boylen knows the needs of the team and will get the right personnel for the position. I'd much rather see small steady improvements game by game, season by season, than a 1-N-done (coach Giac) type of season. I can’t wait to see what’s in our future. Go Utes!

Utes lose. Yawn.

One thing I look for in a good coach is if their team is better at the end of the year than they were at the start of the year. Coach Whitingham has shown over and over that his teams are better at the end of each year. Coach Boylen has shown just the opposite. I know he can get excited, pull funny faces, but I wonder if can he coach? That is the question.

MadMax - I'm guessing you didn't do well on the reading comprehension portion of the ACT...I wasn't dissing the Utes at all. I was in fact trying to point out that their athletic programs ARE doing well and that their fans expect far too much. How is that a dissing the Utes? Maybe you suffer with 'little man' syndrome as well from your little rivalry w/ BYU. Geez, chill! I would love to see the kind of success Utah has had in our football program. We are a long way from that level at this time, although I think we will improve. Anyway, try to enjoy some success and realize that you have young teams that will only improve next year.

Ute fans are great. This idea that you had a better season than BYU because you played one more game just makes me laugh. Any team in the country would rather make it to the NCAA tournament and lose in the first round than even win the NIT or CBI or whatever it is. And "Utes on the rise", "Are" team is getting better? Hopefully better than your grammar. Way to put that U of U education to work.

Coach "Boiling" Mad needs to quit complaining about the Refs and start looking for other excuses for the foul discrepancies. He complained that BYU bought, brought and used their own referees in Provo. Then a few nights later, those same BYU referees did the Wyoming game. Now those same BYU referees did another game in Oklahoma. "Boiling" needs to look at his Dirty Playing, and his childish misbehavior ON THE FLOOR, and learn to quit his bellaching.

...And so the season ends, and melifluous tears are shed at what might have been.

Another thrill-packed ride, another heart-stopping adventure! What will they do for an encore?

Actually, I'm glad that Chris Hill and Jim Boylen chose the CBI as hospice where the Utes' season could go to die. Even though it's sorta like dying a pennyless pauper.

Good luck next year amigos!

Coach Whit has shown improvements despite the injury plagued season. He's doing great and on schedule for a 10 win season. Your question to Coach Boylen should be... can he recruit? He's shown that he gets more out of Nevill by bringing him off the bench (improving his FG% and scoring) obviously he knows how to coach the guys he's got. Yes, he pulls funny faces and is very entertaining to observe, but at least he's got his players attention. Did you forget how much Giac would yell during games but nobody was listening.

Aggie Boy - I respectfully but wholeheartedly disagree.

My history with Utah sports extends to the early seventies. While my loyalties are to the Utes first, I remember seeing Utah, Weber, Utah State and BYU in the NCAAs in the same year. That was a success all Utahans enjoyed regardless of their loyalties. I would like to see a resurgences of USU and Weber programs, but have higher expectations of course for Utah. BYU.... OK them to.

I do not fault the Utes ball players this year - by in large they left their hearts on the ground. I am not willing to call this year a success, however, certainly considering what the Hill, Whittingham and Boylen are paid, the facilities and emphasis by the UofU and general great Ute fan support. Those three accept their paychecks they deserve a reasonable accounting. I think my comments were fair.

Otherwise, I cannot believe you are happy with Utah State results, but it seems you are more willing than I to accept them.

Boylen has a mouth on him that would turn a trucker's face RED. He is rude, insulting, he makes personal verbal attacts on the players. No other Coach at D1 is bouncing around the sidelines like Boylen. Hopefully this will change as he enters his second season. Big different COACH being the Captain of the ship rather then the 1st mate that you have always been during your term in the NBA and NCAA terms. Let the team play you totally over-control the floor. Mr. Thankful ... take a long hard look at the game film and you will see your shortcomings.

You must be proud. Looking down from you high horse coming up with that impressive "grammar smack". You've got to be really smart to believe that you've got any right to talk smack when you cougars haven't a clue how to win in the NCAA's for I don't know how many years. What a joker. Oh and for the record you shouldn't make any assumptions about my BYU Idaho edumucation. LOL! (you were wrong about that too)

I just wanted to say congrats on your season (good wins in the CBI) and I look forward to football now more than ever. Just one favor, please don't compare the CBI to the NCAA tournament, in reality it is a small tournament for teams not in the NIT. Good luck next year and here's to one awesome match up in November.

Byu fans say the future is theirs but they still cannot win a game in the tourney, that is a short future. The utes showed some ability to stay in games but were too inconsistent. Until the coogs can actually win a game that matters, (they just cannot compete out of conference) then you can talk smack.

The Utes are on the right track. Next season will be better than this one. BYU fans you had a nice season but again you didn't deliver in the tourney. The last really great BYU team I can recall was in 1981 and until you get to that level again...your whining makes you sound insecure. Utah basketball fans know the tradition of the program and realize there are peaks and valleys. Next season's games between the Utes and Cougars should be great ones.

I actually agree that the free throws were ridiculous. It's a huge issue in this sport, especially this year. It happened with a NCAA tourney team on Friday, and I haven't paid near the attention to that tourney as I did before. It was a potential Cinderella team too, so that angered me. I'm losing interest in the sport at this level because it seems so favored sometimes, and it's not right.

Ute fans, you have to admit, whether you think it's great your team was still playing in the postseason, that the tourney was lame. Who wants to see a bunch of average joe's see who is the best average joe? I'll give props to one ute who can actually admit this.

As for knocking BYU on never winning, there are no excuses, just win, but they deserve some recognition that they are forced to play defending national champs, or teams who take the #1 seed to OT or the wire.

I'd much rather have my team be in the NCAA tournament than play post season with teams as average or worse than my team.

Why do so many people seem to thing that anything other than a final four appearance or BCS bowl game constitutes "mediocrity"?

The problem with ripping on BYU for not winning a game in the tournament is that you forget that y'all haven't even qualified for the tourney the last few years. At least BYU knows how to dominate the conference and get to the tourney, the winning a tournament game will come along with it shortly. Utah didn't make their big run in the tournament their first few years there- it took a while to get themselves to the point where they were ready to make their run.

As for past history, you really can't compare from one coach or one team to the next. Coach Rose has had two chances now as an 8 seed, and has lost both times. I'm sure that he's learning though, and will be better prepared for next year. Here's hoping (kind of) that Boylen will learn enough after his first year to actually do better than 6th in the conference, then maybe they can return once again to the real tournament.

There are a lot of 3 year olds that apparently know how to use a computer and type. I've said it before, worst thing that happened to newsprint are these online message/comment boards. Too much emotion going into these posts. An objective look...the Utes improved over last season. They underachieved because the media predicted a 3rd place finish? Most of you blast the media, but seem to be giving them a lot of credibility here. If they did underachieve, that shouldn't be how it's measured. Does this team still have holes? Absolutely. That's clear. Is there a different attitude and mentality on this team? Yes. Is Boylen perfect? No. He's new to this head coaching stuff. Every profession has a learning curve. Expectations for next year will be based on the foundation he's set this year...not by the media. And lastly, there's no point for rants from BYU fans here, nor return rants attacking BYU fans. This article is about the Utes' game against Tulsa and the season. Likewise, the Utes shouldn't be brought up in online message boards on BYU articles that don't relate to Utah. Now, go to recess and come back in when the bell rings.

might you expand on who may defect? And where exactly do you hear these rumors?

You know maybe we didn't produce in the tourney, but we did enought to win the regular season outright for the 2nd year running; beat Yewtah in SLC again and returned the favor in Provo - again; extended our win streak in Provo to I think 47 games; and made it to the big dance - again. Not a bad year for a team that lost its best player last year.

As far as the posts that claim Yewtah "played a week longer" than BYU, as if that is a feather in your cap - keep it up Yewts. Your are hilarious! It simply show how "emotionally-charged you are as well as your utter lack of a basketball IQ!

See you next fall. Remember, no nightmares about what might happen next year - like a 3-peat for BYU in football and baskeball!

Sweet dreams.

The utes did better than BYU? what a joke. I am a faithful Ute fan and am embarassed by that statement, if the utes won the NIT (let alone the CBI) their season would be worse than the cougs. I see no JC transfer PG on the horizon, why? Without a PG the cougs will hand it to us next year again. Boylen will figure it out, but bringing Luke off the bench the last three Reg. season games makes one wonder what he is thinking (probably for fouls) but, it sends the wrong mental message. Luke is the key next year with no JB.

I don't know which is worse making the dance and losing the first game or not making the dance and not winning.
Wait a minute yes I do. I can finally say it, BYU was better this year but next year you all have another shot. Good luck next year.Go BYU.

"And lastly, there's no point for rants from BYU fans here, nor return rants attacking BYU fans. This article is about the Utes' game against Tulsa and the season. Likewise, the Utes shouldn't be brought up in online message boards on BYU articles that don't relate to Utah."

Well said my friend, it gets old when I go to look at comments on my Cougar's articles and half of the posts are bashing BYU or the Mormon Church. Likewise, it bugs me when BYU fans get on Utah articles and talk smack about the Utes. In the end it's just a game and some people take this stuff way too seriously. I like watching both teams perform well, I just don't see where the anger and hatred come from.

We 3 years olds disagree. Who made you the BLOG's irritating, snobby older sister. This and other BLOGs are exactly the forum for emotion whether objective or otherwise. When has sports not involved emotion?

Also I see absolutely no reason why BYU and Utah fans should stay away from each others articles, particularly since their programs and fans in traditionally interconnected. Heaven forbid they counteract some of the homers each fan base is rife with.

Maybe should go find some scientific or religious BLOG where the decorum or segmentation is more to you liking. Oh wait there generally is a little emotion displayed there on occasion.

Quietly now… GO UTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nice comment dear ananymous. I'm sure once the games in NC are over Duke and Heel fans completely forget about each other......not! I've been there and seen it, in the middle of the summer there is animosity that has never been seen in this state, it is what makes a rivalry a rivalry-love your team, hate the opposition with every fiber of your being.

Utes? They are BIG in talk, especially about their past. What a pathetic program. Go (down) Utes!

maybe its because our past is filled with tradition, and I mean only 3 or 4 years ago-sweet 16? the Utes have made it there and the finals since the last time the cougs won a tourney game. I would want to forget my past too if it involved a 1 win season and a coach claiming a player let down the LDS church. It might be a down couple of years, but it is not a pathetic program.

Let's see who still is playing. NC, Louisville and Michigan state still in the sweet 16, all three opponents of BYU this year. Ute fans, where are SC Spartengurg, High Point, Weber St, Dixie St, Missouri St and Idaho St? None of your pathetic opponents are still playing at any level. Oh I forgot, the pathetic Santa Clara team that beat you at home by 15 is also not playing

The Ute program pathetic? I do not even think this years team was pathetic, considering a winning record. Now BYU's 1996-1997, 1-win, 25-loss team, now that team was pathetic.

In fact the Utes "program" while down the last two years has alot to show for itself - as a program. You don't have to reach to far back into past for evidence of that.

So pick you stat, there are arguements a plenty. BYU has the bragging rights over Utah over the last two years. And witin the state Utah it matters. But outside of Utah, faint priase is given to Utah teams of recent memory, but nothing of BYUs - that is as a program.

nice attempt at coming up with an alternate name for the Utes, maybe your cewegges should win a tourney game sometime?

Another BYU fan's futile attempt to stir up the Ute faithful.

I can do it too. Rumor has it there are to be numerous defections from the BYU football program due to an innumerable amount of scheduled firesides.

Do you see how credible you are?