Deseret News Sports Report

In this episode, listen to audio from Jakob Poeltl's press conference where he announces his decision to opt for the NBA after two seasons with the Utah Runnin' Utes, plus where he's projected to go.

Ryan McDonald and Kincade Upstill discuss Utah Jazz's playoff odds after a disappointing loss, as well as Golden State chasing history.

DeseretNews.com writer Ryan McDonald and contributor Kinkade Upstill discuss Utah Jazz's important matchup with Houston on Wednesday and the future of point guard Shelvin Mack.

March Madness is finally here! And with that, Utah and Weber State will represent the state in this year's tournament field, with Utah receiving a No. 3 seed, facing No. 14 Fresno State in Denver on Thursday. Weber State, the Big Sky Conference champions, received a No. 15 seed and will play No. 2 Xavier on Friday. In this week's episode, DeseretNews.com writer Carter Williams takes a deeper look at Utah and its analytical tournament odds, where Utah is the probability favorite to make it to the Sweet 16 from the Denver pod of the Midwest Region. Also, listen to audio from Utah players Brandon Taylor, Kyle Kuzma, Jakob Poeltl and Jordan Loveridge as they reacted to the news on Sunday, as well as head coach Larry Krystkowiak. Utah, of course, made it to the Sweet 16 last year before losing out to eventual champion Duke. This year the team is looking for more with experience under its belt. "I think it's big difference as in we've been (to the tournament) before, I think that's the biggest thing for us," Utah forward Kyle Kuzma said on Sunday. "We have at least seven guys that have played for us in the dance. I think that'll help out big time for us." Finally, Carter chats with Mountain West Connection writer Matthew Kenerly to get a better picture of the Mountain West Conference champion Fresno State Bulldogs (25-9). Fresno State comes into Thursday's matchup on a nine-game winning streak, and guard Marvelle Harris leads the way averaging 20.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game this season. Kenerly says Fresno State isn't the best jump shooting or 3-point shooting team and could struggle in the paint against Poeltl, but the key to success this season and especially down the stretch has been forcing turnovers, which the Bulldogs lead the conference in steals at 8.2 per game and with a +4.29 turnover margin, and a better shot selection. "I feel like they’ve been more successful when they’ve avoided the temptation to throw up a lot of 3-pointers," he says. He adds Fresno State is a team that knows how to rally, which makes it a difficult team to play. "This is a team that (if they get) down, you're not going to see any panic on the court," Kenerly say. "This is a team that has three or four guys that can score, two or three guys that can rebound, that can play defense and that can work their way back into a game and make it competitive. They found a way to come back, I believe, six times on the season from double-digit deficits, so even if Utah gets ahead at any point, I wouldn't get too comfortable because Fresno State is a team that can come back." This and much, much more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

Selection Sunday is just days away and in this week's episode, national college basketball analytics expert Ken Pomeroy joins DeseretNews.com writer Carter Williams in Las Vegas to answer questions about the Pac-12 Tournament, where Utah, California, Oregon and Arizona each advanced to the semifinals. Pomeroy also discusses the NCAA teams in the Pac-12 and across the country on the bubble and who he believes will get in and who can make an impact within the Pac-12 and country. That includes bubble teams such as Wichita State, Monmouth, Valparaiso and Syracuse. It has been a wild ride during the conference tournament season, where teams other than the No. 1 seed won 11 of the first 12 conference tournaments played. Will that upset-heavy trend carry into the NCAA Tournament? Pomeroy answers that too. As well as the teams starting to pull away as national title favorites. This and much, much more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

A look into how Utah has won six straight and 11 of 13. The argument is also made on why Jakob Poeltl could be Pac-12 player of the year, as the sophomore center enters the week leading the conference in player efficiency rating and field goal percentage, while second in scoring and third in rebounding. Diving into BYU basketball headed to Las Vegas and Kyle Collinsworth winning the player of the year in the conference. Williams and Judd also make their WCC tournament predictions. With BYU spring football underway, Judd talks about Jamaal Williams and Taysom Hill returning to practice, as well as the status of center Tejan Koroma. In addition, hear from Hill and head coach Kalani Sitake as they prepare for the 2016 season.

Now that Taysom Hill is back for one more season, what should BYU do with him? That's the question Carter and Brandon discuss in this week's episode. There's also audio from offensive coordinator Ty Detmer as he addressed that situation in a press conference. Brandon and Carter also give a brief primer about locals in the NFL Combine, and, in switching gears, Carter gives an update on the Utah basketball team with 3 weeks left in Pac-12 play.

Tune in every week as DeseretNews.com writer Carter Williams and contributor Jay Yeomans discuss the hottest topics in Utah sports and in the country.

Anyone that has paid attention to the post-season all-star college football games has likely noticed that the state of Utah has been represented well. From Tevin Carter to Bronson Kaufusi, Gionni Paul, Kyler Fackrell and much, much more to Southern Utah University's James Cowser, LeShaun Sims and Miles Killebrew. Cowser (East-West Shrine Game) and Killebrew (Senior Bowl) have garnered some of the state's top attention as the NFL Draft process begins, and are expected to add to the Thunderbirds lone draft pick in history (Brad Sorensen, 2012). In fact, NFL.com's Chase Goodbread even listed Killebrew as a potential 1st-round pick, among those participating in the Senior Bowl this weekend. What do the trio of Cowser, Killebrew and Sims have in common? They were all recruited and/or coached by Demario Warren, who was promoted from SUU's secondaries coach to defensive coordinator in 2014 to head coach in January after Ed Lamb left to take an assistant head coach job at BYU. In this weeks episode, Warren joins DeseretNews.com writer Carter Williams to discuss his path to coaching, being a part of the process of finding those diamonds in the rough garnering NFL attention, taking over the helm of the Thunderbirds, which won the 2015 Big Sky Conference title and have appeared in the FCS playoffs twice in the last three years. Warren describes some of the recruiting process, including when SUU nearly lost out on FCS's all-time sack leader Cowser to Weber State because of not initially offering a full scholarship. "I just remember the whole recruiting process because we offered him something when he was on his (visit to SUU) and he went home and I think at the time Weber State offered him more (scholarship) money," Warren recalls. "Our coaching staff really, really wanted Cowser, so we talked to Lamb and Lamb was like we need to go out there. I think it was Justin Ena and coach (Ryan) Hunt, coach Lamb and some of the other guys went up there (to Davis County) and said 'that was our mistake, we're going to offer you full (scholarship) and we want you to come down to Southern Utah.'" Meanwhile, Warren also discusses the future of the T-Birds, including an impending quarterback battle between BYU transfer McCoy Hill and Tannon Pedersen, while the team also adds linebacker Zak Browning, the team's leading tackler (115 tackles) in 2012 as a freshman and second-leading tackler (106 tackles) in 2013 that returned off his LDS mission this offseason. This and more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

In this week's edition of the Deseret News Sports Podcast, DeseretNews.com writer Carter Williams chats with first-year Utah women's basketball head coach Lynne Roberts about the Utes' turnaround from a 9-22 (3-15 in conference) team last season to a 12-5 start (4-2 in conference) this season heading into a crucial stretch that begins with a five-game home stand. "I think change is sometimes good," Roberts says. "I think it can give you a shot of adrenaline just as a program. I think it was just kind of maybe jolt — change is leadership sometimes makes everybody work a little bit harder — kind of get after it more. … and we got some players that had been injured back healthy and that’s been huge." Roberts also discusses her path the coaching, which began with an interest in science (following the footsteps of her brothers who finished off post-doctorate degrees) before taking multiple jobs to help her pay through graduate school. "My passion was definitely basketball and I was a college basketball player, so I loved that," she recounts. "I kind of bounced around major wise and couldn’t really sink my teeth into anything. Then my college coach, who is now the coach at Boise State, he said 'you ought to think about coaching' and I said 'all right.'" She also shares the funny story behind why her office in the Jon Huntsman Basketball Facility became soundproofed because of her upstairs neighbor’s loud musical selection. This and more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

Utah and BYU aren’t playing basketball next year after Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak nixed the scheduled matchup for the 2016-17 season, citing concerns about the heated state of the rivalry. That’s a topic creating opinions and filling social media and other places ad nauseam. That’s why in this edition of the Deseret News Sports Podcast is just the words spoken or released by those involved in the process and nothing else. This week, listen to Krystkowiak (1:30 mark) as he explains his decision to halt the series for the time being, as well as reaction from BYU head coach Dave Rose (24:33 mark) and Utah athletic director Dr. Chris Hill (28:36 mark). Krystkowiak talks about his reasons for canceling the game, including how it sometimes even brings the worst of him. "There’s part of this where I’m actually protecting myself from myself and I don’t know exactly how I’d come across with our players in the week leading up to the BYU game with maybe a little toxin and the venom that I have inside of me. It puts me in a little quandary," Krystkowiak says. "I don’t have any problem with what people think. I know what I know, I know what a feel and I also know that I’m in charge of a bunch of young men right now and I need to talk about discipline and self-control." In addition, he discusses previous incidents (not just the most recent game) that make him feel as if the game and rivalry has gone out of control, and plenty more. Rose fires back stating, he was shocked that Krystkowiak would break off his word for the game. "I’ve been doing this for 32 years — in high school, junior college and now Division I level and we’ve had hundreds of agreements on games. Verbal agreements, handshake agreements, contractual — written contracts and this is the first time I’ve had one not fully executed, so I was surprised." Finally, Hill shows his agreement for Krystkowiak among other topics, such as looking to replace that game on the schedule and more. "We talked quite a bit about it but at the end of the day, we support Larry’s decision and that’s how we feel," Hill says.

With 2015 coming to an end, DeseretNews.com Sports staff Aaron Morton, Brandon Judd and Carter Williams discuss their favorite sports moments of the 2015 year, beginning with the return of the Utah-BYU rivalry, the continuing rise of Utah in the national football scene, Tanner Mangum's magical moment, the coaching change at BYU, as well as many other topics regarding the Utah Jazz, college basketball, high school athletics, and nearly anything that really stood out in 2015. Brandon and Carter also discuss the athletes and sports people that made an impact on and off the field of play this year, such as Damian Lillard receiving his diploma at Weber State or Matt Wells' influence after a serious incident before the season began at Utah State. This and much, much more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

Both Utah and BYU made some major additions Monday. In this week’s episode, hear Utah men’s basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak discuss the addition of four-star 7-foot center Jayce Johnson, who enrolled at Utah early and is eligible to play immediately. In addition, Krystkowiak looks back at Utah’s 77-75 overtime win over Duke on Saturday and evaluates where the Utes are, including the defensive and turnover problems the Utes need to fix, heading into Pac-12 action next week. “Defensively, we’re not happy with where we are,” Krystkowiak says. “The last two games, I think we re-committed and dedicated ourself to playing some defense. It wasn’t fun to hear we were last in the Pac-12 in defensive field goal percentage and I don’t think that’s something that our guys are proud of.” But the fun doesn’t stop there. BYU officially welcomed in Kalani Sitake as its new head football coach on Monday. The former Utah and Oregon State defensive coordinator, as well as ex-Cougar football player, embraced his return to BYU and in this episode, you will hear snippets from that press conference. In addition, DeseretNews.com writer Brandon Judd chats with former BYU running back Luke Staley and current BYU running back Algernon Brown about the hire. “He’s the right guy for the job,” Staley says. “Somebody that’s passionate, somebody that’s driven and can do the best job for what the job entails.” This and much, much more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

Carter and Brandon break down the reaction to the BYU/Utah tilt in the Las Vegas Bowl, as well as players to watch and more.

Oh yes, Thanksgiving football. This year, among the family pigskin rivalries, comes BYU and Utah State's end-of-the-season matchup. But is it a rivalry? In this week's episode, DeseretNews.com writers Carter Williams and Brandon Judd discuss. The duo also take a look at the most recent College Football Playoff rankings heading into the final week of the regular season. But why stop there? Southern Utah University made it to the FCS playoffs for the second team in three years (and Big Sky champions this year). In this episode, you will also hear from FCS coach of the year candidate Ed Lamb and potential NFL Draft pick Miles Killebrew, who leads the team with 122 tackles and will be the first to represent the Thunderbirds in the Senior Bowl at season's end. This and much, much more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

College basketball is back and in this episode, DeseretNews.com writer Brandon Judd sits down with BYU forward Kyle Davis and Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. Davis discusses what he learned from sitting out a year (following his transfer from Utah State, and host Carter Williams recalls a player comparison given to him from a previous coach back in 2010 that has a bit of a local tie). Meanwhile, Pope chats about how plans on rebuilding the UVU program and what he learned from being an assistant at BYU. "Getting to study under (Dave) Rose is a privilege for any coach," Pope says. "He's got a unique philosophy and a unique approach to the game and a unique way to deal with his staff, and with his players and team that has been incredibly successful. From top to bottom, the education I was able to garner under him will help as we try and build a program here." You will also hear from Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak from his last media session before the season starts, as he talks about Utah pumping up its tempo of the game and the fluidity of the starting lineups heading into this season. In addition, Weber State head coach Randy Rahe, Utah State head coach Tim Duryea and SUU head coach Nick Robinson describe their program this year using one word. This and plenty of more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

The first College Football Playoff ranking was released Tuesday night and there were some surprises, while Clemson, LSU, Ohio State and Alabama claimed the early lead. Yes, it's early, but the first ranking is the best indicator in knowing what the selection committee is looking for out of the teams. In this week's episode, DeseretNews.com writers Carter Williams and Brandon Judd discuss the first rankings, and how important November will be for everyone. Utah comes in at No. 12 in the first poll, and coach Kyle Whittingham says it's solid starting point while senior receiver Kenneth Scott says winning is the most important part, not the current poll. "Right now we can be No. 13 and the next week we can be No. 23, so we don't really pay too much attention to that. We just worry about after the season, like at the end — once all our games are done where we're sitting at. All we're controlling right now is how much we win," Scott says. Meanwhile, Carter and Brandon discuss if the Big 12 Conference is in trouble again this season, and if Utah (this season) and BYU (down the road) can capitalize off of that, as well as how an undefeated season doesn't mean as much anymore. PODCAST BONUS: On a completely different note, Carter replays parts of an interview he conducted back in August with one-time Taylorsville High infielder Christian Colon, who helped Kansas City win the World Series with a go-ahead RBI single in the 12th inning of Game 5 Sunday night. In the interview, Colon reminisces about the 1 1/2 years he spent living in Utah and returning 10 years later. This and more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

The long wait is finally over, as the Utah Jazz tip off the 2015-2016 season Wednesday night at Detroit. There are plenty of question marks heading into the new year, so DeseretNews.com writer Carter Williams brought in KSL.com writer and Salt City Hoops managing editor Andy Larsen, and DeseretNews.com writer Ryan McDonald to break down all you need to know to be set for the new season. The Jazz are headed into year two in the Quin Snyder, and the hope is high after how well the team played at the end of the season. The crew dives into the question if the Jazz can rekindle that success to start this season, and if some of the preseason criticism is fair. They also discuss why fans should look out for Raul Neto, and which positions are strongest and weakest. And, of course, this big question: Can the Utah Jazz make it back to the postseason this year? This and much, much more on the Deseret News Sports Podcast!

On the day after Real Salt Lake’s home season ended, DeseretNews.com producer and RSL superfan Aaron Morton and Matt Montgomery, manager and writer at RSL Soap Box, discuss the future of the franchise as the Claret and Cobalt missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Will Jeff Cassar remain at the helm, who will step up in the future, who can RSL target in the offseason, and are we looking at the end for Javier Morales? All topics, and more, discussed on the Deseret News Sports Podcast this week!

We've reached the midseason point of the college football season and Utah has put together a great start. No. 4 Utah remains undefeated at 5-0 and 2-0 in the Pac-12, while BYU is 4-2, Utah State (3-2, 2-0) is tied for the lead in the Mountain West's Mountain division and SUU (3-2, 2-0) is tied for the Big Sky Conference lead and Weber State (3-3, 2-1) is just a game back of the Thunderbirds. In this week's edition, DeseretNews.com writers Carter Williams and Brandon Judd discuss the DeseretNews.com's midseason awards given Tuesday, including the state's MVP at this point in the season, as well as top offensive player, top defensive player, top coach, top player and more. The two also argue how Kyle Whittingham to USC rumors are more of a sign of respect to Whittingham's coaching performance rather than necessarily believing he is a fit for the now vacant job. This and much, much more in this week's edition of the Deseret News Sports Podcast!