Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Can you take away anything substantial from an 84-point win against an NAIA team? Perhaps not, but we're going to do it anyway.
Loveridge picks up right where he left off
Sophomore Jordan Loveridge began to come into his own late last season, leading the Runnin' Utes on their surprise Pac-12 tournament run. The athletic forward looked better than ever, scoring 24 points on 6-for-8 shooting with 13 boards, three assists and three steals, playing just 24 minutes in Utah's runaway victory.
Wright could be a star in the making
Junior college transfer Delon Wright was everywhere against the Geoducks (pronounced "gooey-ducks", by the way). When he wasn't picking off passes, he was dishing out impressive dimes of his own or getting to the basket at will. It often seemed as if he was just toying with the Evergreen State players, finishing not too far off from a quadruple-double: 17 points, 10 boards, seven assists and seven steals. Oh and don't forget about his three blocks.
Wright is a player that does not need to be scoring big points to make a game-changing impact, though he can score in several different ways. He flat out makes his teammates better, which should become more and more apparent as the season goes on.
Related:
Utah sets Huntsman scoring record in 128-44 victory
Jordan Loveridge matched his career-high with 24 points and collected a personal-best 13 rebounds, while Delon Wright narrowly missed a quadruple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and seven steals as Utah demolished Evergreen State in their season opener Friday night, 128-44.The defense is still stiffling
Perhaps one of the few redeeming factors from head coach Larry Krystkowiak's first couple of rocky seasons was his implementation of a tough, gritty defensive culture.
That defensive mindset still envelops this Utah squad. The Utes caused 20 turnovers for 33 points, accruing 17 steals and allowing just 27.5 percent from the field and only 4.2 percent from beyond the arc.
The offense isn't bad either, and will only get better
Scoring 128 points, even against a far inferior opponent, is always a good sign. It was the program's most points scored at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in school history — an impressive feat considering some of the teams that have graced the JMHC floor.
Every Ute that entered the game scored, seven of them eclipsing double figures. Fluid and often seemless ball movement led to 26 team assists.
Youngsters will contribute
Sophomores Brandon Taylor, Dakarai Tucker and Jeremy Olsen began to see extensive playing time late last season, and will be strong contributers again this season. They tallied 16, 13 and seven points, respectively, against Evergreen State.
In addition, freshmen Parker Van Dyke, Ahmad Fields and Kenneth Ogbe look to make contributions off the bench. Each of the three made cases for a role off the bench, with Van Dyke registering 12 points and five assists, Fields adding 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Ogbe scoring 10 more.
Again, Evergreen State isn't any good so you can't take too much from tonight's performance, but in a game like this you have to take what positives you can and there were plenty against the Geoducks.
Next Friday's matchup against UC Davis will be a little more telling. Tyson Maddy has covered the University of Utah football and men's basketball teams as a contributing writer for ksl.com Sports since 2011. Follow his Utes coverage on twitter @Tyson_Maddy
