16 | UTAH
BALANCING ACT
The Utes caught a big break when Jakob Poeltl, a 7-foot forward from Vienna, Austria, and a likely first-round pick, put off the NBA to return for his sophomore season. Poeltl averaged a respectable 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 23.3 minutes last year even though he spent long stretches on the bench in foul trouble. Coach Larry Krystkowiak watched footage of every one of those fouls with Poeltl—who was whistled four or more times in nine games—and taught him to lower his center of gravity. Packing on 14 pounds of muscle (he's up to 249) will also help. If he's not getting pushed around so easily, Krystkowiak says, Poeltl won't need to reach and pick up silly fouls.
While Poetl shot a Pac-12-leading 68.1% from the field last season, he relied on length and quickness to get around defenders; the added bulk will enable him to power through them. He also spent the summer learning to take more balanced shots (so that he's in position to rebound his own misses), improving his form at the foul line (where he shot a team-worst 44.4%) and perfecting two go-to moves (a skyhook and a simple counter).
The Utes lost their other experienced big men when 7-foot Dallin Bachynski graduated and 6'10" Jeremy Olsen retired because of hip and back injuries. That makes it all the more important for Poeltl to stay on the floor and be a force inside.
PROJECTED TEAM STATS
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY 112.3 (30th)
DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY 93.4 (13th)
PAC--12 RECORD 12--6 (T-2nd)
X-FACTOR
Kyle Kuzma, a 6'9", 210-pound sophomore, played sparingly as a freshman, but he's one of the team's best passers and a good two-way rebounder. Defenders will have a tough time when he takes the court with Jakob Poeltl.
STAT SHEET
With 2015--16 projections for the top six scorers
Coach Larry Krystkowiak (5th season)
[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
PPG | RPG | APG | OFF. RATING | USAGE | ||
F-C | Jakob Poeltl* 7'0" Soph. | 12.4 | 8.1 | 0.9 | 114.0 | 22.7% |
PG | Brandon Taylor* 5'10" Sr. | 12.2 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 115.5 | 19.2% |
F | Jordan Loveridge* 6'6" Sr. | 10.9 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 112.2 | 20.8% |
PF | Brekkot Chapman 6'8" Soph. | 9.2 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 109.7 | 21.5% |
SF | Dakarai Tucker* 6'5" Sr. | 8.5 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 114.6 | 17.5% |
G | Lorenzo Bonam* 6'4" Jr. | 6.1 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 98.3 | 19.5% |
*Starter
TOURNAMENT TRACKER
[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]
TITLE GAME
FINAL FOUR
ELITE EIGHT
SWEET 16
ROUND OF 32
ROUND OF 64
'11--12
'12--13
'13--14
'14--15
'15--16
PHOTO
GREG NELSON FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (POELTL)
PHOTO
RICK BOWMER/AP (KUZMA)
CHART
