Have You Seen This? Local college basketball fans line up over reporter's visit to Utah

TOURING THE WASATCH FRONT — The need for constant information and social media has turned independent journalists into something akin to celebrities, and one national correspondent got just such treatment during his visit this week to the Beehive State.

College basketball reporter Jeff Goodman, who works for Stadium and Field of 68 Media, took a trip to Utah to visit four Division I programs in the northern half of the state — and fans loved it.

Goodman teased his arrival in Salt Lake City with photos of the capitol city's picturesque geography.

He then made his first-ever visit to Damian Lillard's alma mater to meet with second-year coach Eric Duft shortly after Weber State's road win over Eastern Washington on the weekend.

A couple of hours later (Goodman must not have hit rush-hour traffic heading south on I-15), he stopped in Provo to check in on No. 25 BYU, which hosts a mammoth game Tuesday night against No. 11 Baylor in the Marriott Center.

Goodman also spent time in Orem, talking with first-year Utah Valley coach Todd Phillips, whose Wolverines host UTRGV in Western Athletic Conference play Thursday.

Spending the night in Salt Lake City, Goodman ran into one happy college basketball fan who "was in a good mood after a big win at UCLA" Sunday night (that would be Runnin' Utes head coach Craig Smith, by the way).

Finally, Goodman dropped a key reason for his trip: to take in Utah State's home game against No. 19 San Diego State in the Spectrum — a key Mountain West fixture for both teams in head coach Danny Sprinkle's first year with the Aggies.

Hopefully Goodman grabbed a pint of Aggie ice cream and a bag of Cache Valley cheese curds on his drive to Logan (trust us; they're worth it), while also meeting local college basketball fans excitement for the week.

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