Utah Basketball: Red and White reaction


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SALT LAKE CITY — Basketball season is officially underway now up on the hill as the Utes had their annual night with the Runnin' Utes and the Red-White game.

I was curious to see what the Utes had coming back and what they had coming into the third year of head coach Larry Krystkowiak.

The Utes welcome back starters Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge. Some of the newcomers are Delon Wright, Ahmad Fields, Kenneth Ogbe, Princeton Onwas, and local recruits Parker Van Dyke and Connor Van Brocklin.

This year's Utes team looks athletic, unselfish, and ready to make the next step to possibly winning 20 games, aided by an extremely weak non-conference schedule.

It looks like Dakarai Tucker will play a bigger role on this year's team. Tucker's outside shot looks to be much improved just from a mechanics standpoint. Delon Wright and Brandon Taylor bring a swagger to the point guard position and Van Dyke and Ogbe will see some action behind those two at Point Guard.

Ogbe looks to have a real upside to him. He plays under control, and when he shoots, he looks to get his feet under him and is fundamentally sound. He is a big kid at 6 foot 6 inches and will only get better.

Below is a breakdown of the scrimmage from the University of Utah basketball sports information director Drew Wiseman:

Fans flooded the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Wednesday night to catch a glimpse of the men's basketball team at the annual ‘Night with the Runnin' Utes'.

"It's a great atmosphere in the Huntsman Center and it felt great to play in front of these fans," said freshman Kenneth Ogbe. "I am a little excited before every game and a little nervous, but I just like to play in front of people."

The Utes divided into Red and White squads and battled through a full-speed, physical 40-minutes. Eight Utes reached double digits as the Red Team topped the White Team 70-66.

After an evenly played first half, the score was tied 41-41. Four players scored in double figures with newcomer Ogbe leading the way with 14. Returnees Jordan Loveridge, Dakarai Tucker and Brandon Taylor all reached double digits during the first stanza.

In a time-shortened second half, the score was tied at 66 with 1:25 on the clock. The Red Team drained two shots in the final minute to pass the White Team for a final score of 70-66.

Ogbe ended the night with 21 points, draining 8-9 shots from the field going 3-3 from three-point range, to lead both Ute squads in scoring.

"I think I had some struggles with my shot in the past, but I worked a lot on my shot," said Ogbe. "I went to the gym and got a lot of extra shots up and I think that's working. The practice is helping with my consistency." Senior Renan Lenz added 13 points to the mix, as junior transfer Delon Wright led the Utes in rebounds (9), while also chipping in with 11 points.

Loveridge's shots continued to fall into the second half as he totaled 20 points on the night. Tucker also added 16 points to the mix.

The Runnin' Utes return to action next Friday at 7:30 p.m. for their lone exhibition game against St. Martin's.

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Mike Grant

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