Devoe Joseph scored 21 points and Oregon made 15 3-pointers in a 94-48 win over Utah Saturday to end the regular season.

Carlos Emory also scored 19 and Garrett Sim added 13 points for the Ducks (22-8, 13-5 Pac-12), who locked up third place in the conference and secured a bye in the first round of next week’s Pac-12 tournament.

Jason Washburn scored 26 to lead the Utes (6-24, 3-15), while also collecting a team-high seven rebounds and blocking two shots.

Oregon took a big lead early, going up 34-2 in the first 13 minutes of the game. Oregon finished off the half with four straight 3-pointers to lead 52-14 at halftime.

Joseph finished 8 for 9 from the floor with six rebounds and five assists. Overall, Oregon shot 56.5 percent from the field, including 65.6 percent in the first half.

The regular season ends today for the University of Utah here in Eugene, Oregon. As I’ve detailed here before, it’s been a historically bad season for Utah Basketball. The first 20 loss season in school history and the first season in school history without a road win, though that could change at Matthew Knight Arena Saturday afternoon. The question I’m asked recently more than any other is: How much better will Utah Basketball be next season?

This is a difficult question to answer in detail, but my simple response is they will be better from a talent and on court product. How many more wins will this result in? I can’t say. Larry Krystkowiak and his staff have already secure commitments from 5 quality recruits in the early signing period, plus 2 transfers. Here’s a quick snap shot of who they are and what they will bring:

• Jordan Loveridge – The West Jordan High School Senior who is in the process of leading his squad in the 5A State Playoffs. Loveridge is a 6-6 wing player who ranked in the ESPN Top 100 recruits for 2012. He will be an immediate impact player for Utah next season.
• Dallin Bachynski – This 6-11 Canadian/Return Missionary/Transfer from Southern Utah might be the “find” of this recruiting class. He’s big and physical, but also with the skill to step out on the floor and shoot the ball. Will provide excellent depth up front next season.
• Josh Hearlihy – The LA area product is 6-7 small forward. I got a chance to meet Josh and his family at the USC game. He’s excited about getting to Utah and helping to turn the program around.
• Justin Seymour – Here’s where the backcourt help comes in. Seymour is a 6-3 combo guard from Marietta, Georgia. He along with LSU transfer Aaron Dotson should provide quality and depth at the 2 guard position.
• Jeremy Olsen – Another big body, Olsen already a member of the Utah Basketball family, returns from a mission with his 6-10 235 pound frame. The Georgia native will add yet more size to what has been a thin frontline this season.
• Glen Dean – The Eastern Washington Point Guard transfer will likely run the show next season. Dean, who had major brain surgery in December, is right on schedule in his recovery. He is a former Big Sky Freshman of the Year and a leader that is well liked by teammates.
• Aaron Dotson – The LSU Shooting Guard transfer is the most likely candidate to start at the two guard spot next season. Dotson has been able to practice all this season and at 6-4 meets the right physical build and skill set for a Pac 12 shooting guard.

In addition, the Utah staff continues to hit the recruiting trail hard this spring for additional potential commitments to the program. There will most certainly be turnover over again this offseason that is inevitable with the need to upgrade the talent and skill within the program. There will be tough decisions for Larry Krystkowiak and his staff to decide who stays and who goes. It’s all part of the rebuilding process with Utah Basketball.

I don’t know how much better things will be next season, but I do know that they will be better. After spending nearly a full season around this staff I feel confident that Utah Basketball is in good hands moving forward and that better days aren’t too far off.

Jared Cunningham had 17 points and six assists, Joe Burton added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Oregon State snapped a five-game losing streak with a 77-67 win over Utah on Thursday night.

Ahmad Starks added 13 points for the Beavers (16-13, 6-11 Pac-12), who boosted their hopes of posting a winning season for only the second time since 1990. Oregon State led by 21 at halftime and as many as 30 in the second half before a late Utah run.

Dijon Farr had 16 points, nine rebounds and three steals to lead the Utes (6-23, 3-14), who fell to 0-14 on the road. Leading scorer Jason Washburn had 14 points but was scoreless in the first half. Chris Hinesadded 12 points.

The Utes did rally in the final 10 minutes, but couldn’t recover after committing 10 turnovers and shooting just 22 percent in the first half.

The Beavers won for the first time since beating the Utes on Feb. 4. Oregon State suffered subsequent defeats against the Arizona and Los Angeles schools before a heartbreaking 74-73 loss against Oregon.

The Utes have not been competitive in games away from the Huntsman Center this year, losing by an average of 22 points. But Utah did appear to have gained some confidence from a 58-57 win over Stanford on Saturday.

That confidence disappeared quickly. Down 20-14 in the first half, Utah went scoreless for nearly five minutes while the Beavers put together a 13-0 run, including a rim-shaking dunk by Moreland and a 3-pointer by Roberto Nelson. Oregon State took a 36-15 advantage into halftime as the Utes made just 5 of 23 shots before the break.

The trouble continued in the second half for Utah, as the Beavers opened with a 15-5 run to lead 51-21. The Utes were much better down the stretch, finishing the game on a 23-9 run as the Beavers began to empty their bench.

Junior guard Chris Hines and junior center Jason Washburn combined for 36 points and the University of Utah men’s basketball team (6-22, 3-13 Pac-12) defeated Stanford (19-10, 9-8 Pac-12) Saturday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. 

The Utes shot 44.7% (17-of-38) from the floor, compared to a 36.8 mark (21-of-57) for the Cardinal. Utah connected on 17 of its 21 free throws (81%), while Stanford was 9-of-14 (64.3%) at the stripe. During Utah’s 68-65 loss in Palo Alto, Calif., on Jan. 11, the Utes went 1-of-9 from the free throw line in a 68-65 loss. 

Defensively, Utah set a new season high with 10 steals and also grabbed 25 defensive rebounds, compared to 18 for Stanford. 

Hines tied for game-high honors with 19 points, including a 5-of-8 effort from 3-point range. He has recorded double figures in five straight games and nine of the last 10. The guard from Houston, Texas grabbed a career-high seven rebounds as well. 

Washburn turned in 17 points off a 6-of-9 effort from the floor. He posted his fourth straight game of 10 points or more and the 29th career double-digit-point effort. The Battle Creek, Mich., native also grabbed five rebounds and tied his career high with three steals. He also buried his first career 3-point field goal with the shot clock expiring at the 6:10 mark of the first half.

Junior forward Dijon Farr recorded his seventh game of 10 points or more this season with a 12-point effort to go along with six rebounds. 

Junior wing Cedric Martin dished out a team-high four assists, compared to one turnover. 

Washburn scored Utah’s first six points of the game within the first three minutes and the Utes held a 6-4 lead before back-to-back Stanford 3-pointers gave the Cardinal a 10-6 edge. A Hines’ 3-pointer cut Utah’s deficit to one point. From that moment, Stanford reeled off six straight points to push its lead to seven points (16-9). The Cardinal pushed its lead to as many as 10 points (21-11) before Washburn’s first career 3-point field goal spurred an 11-2 Utah run that tied the game for third time, 27-27. The game would be tied once more at 33 points apiece before a Javon Dawson free throw gave Utah a 34-33 edge heading into halftime. Utah is 4-1 this season when leading at halftime. The only time the Utes lost a game they led at halftime was at Arizona on Feb. 11. Washburn and Hines led the way 11 points in the opening half as Utah hit 14 of its 16 free throw attempts. 

As Stanford found itself in a drought for 6:02 (from 1:35 in the first half to 14:33 in the second half), Utah built its largest lead of the game, five points (38-33), early in the second half before Stanford came back to force the fifth tie of the contest at 38 points apiece. The game would tied two more times before a pair of Martin free throws, his only two points of the game, gave the Utes a 49-48 lead heading into the final media timeout. 

A hectic final 3:55 ensued as the lead changed hands seven times. The teams traded 3-point field goals before an Aaron Bright layin gave Stanford a 53-52 edge. A free throw by each team made the score 54-53 before a Washburn jumper pushed Utah to a 55-54 advantage. A Dwight Powell tip-in gave Stanford a 56-55 lead before Hines drained a clutch 3-pointer for a 58-56 edge. Stanford’s Josh Owens then made one of two free throws to cut Utah’s lead to one (58-57), but the Utes were able to keep the Cardinal off the board for the remainder of the game to preserve a 58-57 victory. 

Stanford was led by 19 points from Chasson Randle, while Anthony Brown scored 11 points and dished out four assists. 

The Utes are at Oregon State next Thursday. Tipoff in Corvallis is set for 8 p.m. MT. 

- UU -

“Every end is a new beginning” – Proverbs

Saturday marks the end of what history will call the worst home season in the last 38 years of University of Utah Men’s Basketball. It will be the first losing season at home since 1972-73. Those of us close to the program knew wins would be thin this season, but that doesn’t make at 5-9 record at the Huntsman Center any easier to swallow for Ute fans. Call this a “lost season” in many ways, with the player departures from the program last spring and the late start Larry Krystkowiak and his staff got on bringing players in for this season.

Next season in many ways will be when the rebuilding process begins for Utah Basketball. Three veteran players sitting out this season will be key components on the floor: David Foster, Glen Dean and Aaron Dotson. And a five man recruiting class with more talent, plus what is certain to be a number of recruits signing on this spring too. The good news is that even with very few wins to show for the season, the impact of the coaching staff is apparent if you look closely. Utah continues to play very hard and give outstanding effort, despite being outmanned in nearly every Pac 12 Conference game. That’s a credit to the kids and the coaching staff, if the message from the staff wasn’t getting through you wouldn’t see the effort from the players on game days. When I talk to opposing players and coaches, they all rave about the effort that Utah gives and the improvement they’ve seen from the early parts of the season till now.

There has been a small, but vocal minority of Utah fans who have been extremely critical of the coaching staff this season. I completely understand the frustration with the losing, but the situation was going to be no-win for whoever took over for the last staff. I spoke with Ute Great, Josh Grant, on my radio show this week about this very topic. Grant, who is honest and straight forward about the program good or bad, said that Krystkowiak and his staff have done an admirable job with the hand they were dealt this season. But Grant does expect better results with more talent in the program next year.

Bottom line, Saturday evening will be the final time for Ute fans to get a home look at this season’s squad. While the season may be a forgettable one for many, let’s look at this end as a beginning of bigger and better things with Utah Basketball. The next time you see the Utes at the Huntsman Center, expect to see a better brand of basketball.

Junior guard Chris Hines led the University of Utah men’s basketball team (5-22, 2-13 Pac-12) with 15 points, but the Utes fell to California (23-6, 13-3 Pac-12), 60-46, Thursday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Three Utes were in double-figures in points as Hines tallied 15 points and connected on five of his 10 field goal attempts for his fourth straight game of 10 points or more and his eighth game out of the nine that he has scored 10 or more. It was the Houston, Texas native’s 14th double-figure game and the 22nd double-figure game of his career.

Junior wing Cedric Martin contributed 11 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, which tied his career-best mark.

Junior center Jason Washburn made five of his 10 shots from the floor for 10 points to go along with five boards.

Freshman Kareem Storey dished out a team-high four assists, while junior wing Dijon Farr grabbed seven rebounds.

After Cal scored the opening bucket, the Utes went on a 6-0 run to climb to an early 6-2 edge.

The Golden Bears countered with a 6-2 spurt to tie the game for the second time at eight points apiece. The game would be tied two more times, the last coming at 12-12, before Cal used a 10-4 stretch to take a 22-16 lead. The Golden Bears went on to take a 12-point lead at 35-23 into halftime. Hines led the Ute attack in the first half with a game-high-tying nine points on 3-of-5 shooting. Martin had six points to go with three rebounds in the first half, while Farr grabbed a game-high five rebounds. The Utes held a slight 42.9-41.2 advantage in shooting average over the Golden Bears.

The Golden Bears got off to a fast start in the second half and built their lead to as many as 16 (46-30). Utah put together a 9-0 run around the midway point of the second half to pull within seven points, 46-39. Unfortunately, Cal was able to build its lead back to 14 points (53-39) and Utah was not able to pull within 10 for the remainder of the game and eventually suffered a 60-46 loss.

Cal was led by 17 points and seven rebounds from Harper Kamp, while Jorge Gutierrez scored 12 and David Kravish added 11.

The Utes close their home schedule on Saturday against Stanford. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. MT.

- UU -

Junior center Jason Washburn posted his third career double-double and junior guard Chris Hines knocked down four 3-pointers, but it was not enough to lift the Utes past Colorado at the Huntsman Center Saturday as the Buffaloes captured a 55-48 defensive affair.

Washburn poured in a game-high 16 points on 8-of-15 from the field and collected 10 rebounds to complete his first double-double in Pac-12 Conference play. He also blocked a pair of shots to reach 92 for his career, tying Nate Althoff (1997-2001) for ninth all-time at Utah.

Hines’ four 3-pointers tied his season high as he scored double digits for the seventh time in his last eight games. Junior guard Cedric Martin was also influential on the offensive end for the Utes (5-21, 2-12 Pac-12), recording a game-high five assists with zero turnovers, to go with five points and three rebounds.

Andre Roberson led the Buffaloes (18-8, 10-4 Pac-12) with a double-double of his own as he scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Austin Dufault nearly had a double-double as well, finishing with 11 points and nine boards.

Both teams set the tone for a staunch defensive battle at the beginning of the game as the two squads combined for an 0-of-11 start (Colorado 0-of-7, Utah 0-of-4), before the Utes got on the board with the game’s first field goal at the 14:30 mark.

Colorado led by as many as nine points in the second half but the Utes kept the game within reach, then made a 14-5 run of their own to tie the game at 40-40 with 6:25 remaining. Utah was never able to wrestle the lead away from the Buffaloes, but tied it up at 42-42 and 44-44 before CU went on a 6-0 run to take the lead for good.

Utah shot 35.7% (20-of-56) from the field, including 6-of-19 from 3-point range. Colorado finished the game at 35.8% (19-of-53) including 2-of-11 from 3-point range, but shot 19 free throws to only three for the Utes. The Buffaloes were 15-of-19 from the charity stripe while Utah was just 2-of-3. Colorado also dominated the boards, grabbing 46 rebounds, the most by any Utah opponent this year, while holding the Utes to just 28 on the glass.

The game capped off Utah basketball’s Alumni Weekend which included a halftime celebration of the Utes’ 1976-77 WAC championship team.

Utah is back in action Thursday, Feb. 23, as the Utes stay home to host California at 7 p.m., followed by Stanford on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m.

There’s no sugarcoating this season, the University of Utah Men’s Basketball program is suffering through a historically bad season. At 5-20 coming into today’s contest, with fellow Pac 12 newbie Colorado, the Utes have suffered their first 20 loss season in more than 100 years of playing Dr. Naismith’s game. A minimum of 6 games remain for Larry Krystkowiak’s team this season, then the rebuilding project begins with his first “real” recruiting class coming in next season, along with a pair of talented transfers (Glen Dean and Aaron Dotson) sitting out and ready to play next season.

Today at the Huntsman Center, Utes fans will get a chance to forget this season’s struggles for just a little while and remember fondly one of the great seasons in Utah Basketball History. Today Utah will honor the 1976-77 Men’s squad, coached by Jerry Pimm and led by Jeff Jonas and Jeff Judkins. The team that went 22-7 won the WAC Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. That season was highlighted by an early season wins over national powers UNLV and at Rupp Arena against Kentucky.

I had dinner last week in Arizona with Jeff Jonas and then spoke with him again on Thursday on my radio show. The one thing that shines through when talking to Jonas or any of his teammates from that team and era of Utah Basketball is the pride in the program and love of the school. It’s something the Krystkowiak and his staff are trying to build once again with the players in the program. Names like Buster Matheney, Greg Deane, Tony Hodges, Michael Dunn and more were key players on the 1976-77 Utah squad, but also key names in Utah Basketball History.

I’m looking forward to meeting the man that put that team together, Head Coach Jerry Pimm. I’ve been around Utah Basketball for more than 10 years now and I don’t recall a time when Coach Pimm came back to a game. He’s living and retired in Santa Barbara, after 15 very successful seasons as Head Coach of the Gauchos. Pimm was 173-86 in his nine seasons as the bench boss at Utah and had a number of very good teams, winning 3 WAC Championships. You can make a case (and those being honored today probably will) that the 76-77 team was Pimm’s best at Utah.

So in a season, where things haven’t gone the way that Utah fans have grown accustomed over the years, today will be a nice chance to reflect on the good times, honor those who brought them and look forward to a time when Utah Basketball is great once again.

If you can’t make it to the Huntsman Center this afternoon, join us on the radio. Jimmy Soto joins me on today’s broadcast on the Flagship Home of the Utes, ESPN 700. Pre Game coverage begins at 2:30 and tipoff at 3pm.

Jason Washburn and Cedric Martinhad 15 points each for the Utes, who lost at Arizona 70-61 on Saturday.

Utah (5-11, 2-11) hit 9 of 18 from the arc against the Pac-12′s best team at defending 3-pointers, but didn’t hit a shot from anywhere over the final 5:42.

Coming off three solid wins, Arizona (18-8, 9-4 Pac-12) came out flat against Utah, falling into a 13-point first-half hole.

Nick Johnson hit a 3-pointer with just over a minute left and had 18 points, Kyle Fogg added 17 points and Arizona overcame an ugly first half to beat Utah.

The Wildcats rallied in the second half behind the 3-point shooting of Fogg and Brendon Lavender, then held on after Johnson’s 3-pointer to win their fourth straight game. Solomon Hill had 14 points and Lavender hit four 3-pointers for all of his 12 points.

Carrick Felix scored 15 points, including a pair of critical free throws with 11.7 seconds to play, and Arizona State held off Utah 57-52 on Thursday night, sending the Utes to their fifth straight loss and 11th in 12 games.

Their lone victory in that span was a 64-43 rout of Arizona State in Salt Lake City on Jan. 21. Trent Lockett had 12 points, along with an assist on Felix’s dunk with 47 seconds remaining, in his first game back after missing six games with a sprained right ankle. The Sun Devils had gone 1-5 in Lockett’s absence.

Chris Hines was the only player in double figures for Utah (5-19, 2-10) with 10 points, but he made just 3 of 15 shots.