Everyone is wondering what is the matter with the University of Utah basketball team so far this year.
There are several obvious problems - lack of leadership, lack of chemistry, poor shooting, poor rebounding, injuries . . . they've all added up to the disappointing 1-4 record.Something that is often overlooked is defense, something the Utes have been known for during Lynn Archibald's six years as coach. The Utes have usually held their opponents in the low 40s in field goal percentage and last year the Utes were 9th in the nation in scoring defense.
Last year at this time, the Utes were holding their opponents under 40 percent, compared to 46 percent so far this year. And the Utes are giving up 72 points a game compared to 61 last year. "Our defense is still not there," said Archibald after the Santa Clara loss. "But I'm encouraged because we've had some good spurts. We just need to continue for 40 minutes."