As the NCAA Tournament comes to a close, GMS likes to review some of the power conference or power program teams that made it to the Big Dance and ask whether or not they’ve got a shot to return to the show next season. We continue on with teams eliminated in the second round.
Recruit and Reload: Utah Utes
Key Losses: Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge, Jakob Poeltl
Key Returners: Lorenzo Bonham, Kyle Kuzma
Key Newcomers: Jayce Johnson, Tyler Rawson, Devon Daniels
Breakdown: Besides Cal, no one from last year’s top group in the Pac-12 loses more to graduation and the NBA than Utah. Taylor and Loveridge were program building blocks for Larry Krystkowiak, while Poeltl was the talent that took the program to the next level during the rebuild. Now, there are questions about just what kind of staying power the Utes have amongst a deep and talented Pac-12 Conference.
Johnson, a former four-star recruit, should give the Utes size and talent (however unproven) in the middle, while Bonham will continue to anchor the PG spot. Kuzma is the x-factor, the guy who made the biggest jump from his first to second year in the program. Throw in Rawson and Daniels for depth, and you have a team that should challenge for their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
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