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Show DAIEI LY 8 UTAH CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 22, 2013 Runnin' Utes will impress this season tah basketball is on a twogame winning streak. OK, so it came from two different teams, but ever the optimist, I'm still calling it a winning streak. Both the men's and women's teams picked up their first Pac-12 wins last weekend, moving each out of the conference cellar. One team is bound to finish better than the other, and as a gambler, I need to figure out which to put my money on. The Utah women have been performing exactly as expected to this point. They have faced an undeniably tough schedule in the early going of conference play, with four of their five losses coming against Top 25 teams. They fell to No. 7 California first, then No. 6 Stanford, U StaffWriter then fell in back-to-back matchups against No. 20 Colorado. Aside from the five-point shortcoming versus Cal, all were decisive losses. They have to face Top 25 opponents on the road three more times in the next two weeks but after that, their schedule lightens up. When Arizona State came to town on Sunday, Utah finally picked up a W in a game it was favored BASKETBALL BULLINGER Continued from page 6 Continued from page 6 "To be honest with you, I can say tonight we did good on both ends of the floor," Taylor said. "We defended very well and then we put the ball in the basket. We made the right plays — we weren't selfish." Washburn had another nice outing and forward Jordan Loveridge added 17 points, but the star of the night was Taylor. Little-used early in the season, Taylor's minutes have steadily increased as Krystkowiak searches for production from his backcourt. Whenever Washington threatened to make the game close, Taylor was somehow involved in a play to stave off the Huskies' momentum. It was fitting the last two points of the game were from Taylor at the charity stripe. "Coach calls you, you got to be ready to go in and make plays," Taylor said. "Coach trusted me enough to make the right plays." threw 13 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He wasn't putting up Peyton Manning numbers, but he was playing clean, smart football and San Francisco was 6-2-1 with Smith at the helm. Nevertheless, he got pulled and Kaepernick was inserted. It was a questionable move by 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, and many thought Smith should have kept the reins to the offense. Unfortunately for Smith, the gift of hindsight allows us to see Harbaugh made the right choice. But during Kaepernick's entertaining run, there was always the thought that he would screw up and give Smith another shot at starting. RED ROCKS Continued from page 6 had the high score with a 9.9. One of those three went to Kassandra Lopez, who made her return from a calf injury. She was expected to be an all-arounder, but strained her calf in the last practice before the r.mcdonald@ chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @ryanwmcdonald to win. If the Utes can continue to pick up most of the wins they are expected to versus some of the weaker programs in the conference, they should finish right where the preseason rankings placed them. The men's team, on the other hand, is doing everything but what's expected of it. The Utes gave thenNo. 3 Arizona a run for its money in Tucson, Ariz., falling just three points short in the final seconds. They lost to Arizona State by just one point in overtime in Tempe, Ariz., and they had UCLA — ranked No. 24 a week ago — shaking in its boots at the Huntsman Center. They missed four opportunities to tie or take the lead in the final minute of that game. The Runnin' Utes were turning heads in the Pac-12 after those first three conference contests. Then they lost by 17 to a horrible USC team at home and followed that up with another embarrassing loss to Washington State in Pullman, Wash. I had all but given up hope on the men until they went into Seattle and handed the Washington Huskies their first Pac-12 loss Saturday. And they looked good doing it, never surrendering a lead or even a tie. This team has had flashes of brilliance and has risen to the occasion against its toughest opponents thus far. The Runnin' Utes' defense is outstanding, ranked ninth in the NCAA in opponents' field goal percentage, but their shots just didn't fall when they really needed them in close contests. Wagering on the women to finish with a better record than the men would be a safer way to go because they have smoother waters ahead and will probably end up finishing in the middle of the Pac-i2. However, my money is on the men. With 12 games to go, I think head coach Larry Krystkowiak's team is going to continue to surprise, picking up wins where they shouldn't, holding opponents to season lows and continuing to work hard to rebuild the program. I've always enjoyed betting on the long shot anyway. It's a better payout. So, does anyone want to make a bet? c.mobley@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @Chad Mobley Sunday's game put all of those thoughts to rest. Kaepernick's greatest asset thus far has been his legs, and he's proven to be one of the more deadly dual-threat quarterbacks in a league now filled with them. But he wasn't putting up outstanding throwing numbers, at least not until the NFC title game. Kaepernick didn't beat the Falcons with his legs — he had just two carries for 21 yards. He didn't scramble around like a nervous middle schooler on pass plays, trying to get outside the pocket to narrow his options. Instead, Kaepernick looked like a seasoned veteran. He sat patiently in the pocket and made throws on par with the NFL's elite quarterbacks. Kaepernick went through his progressions. He made smart decisions, often finding wide-open receivers in the seams. When he had to, he made tight throws only possible with a rifle of an arm and confidence that usually takes years to build. In all, Kaepernick looked like a bona fide NFL starter, and one San Francisco can bank on for years to come. This is great for Kaepernick and the Niners, but it's awful for Alex Smith. One can infer the 49ers will deal Smith in the offseason, which would give him an opportunity to start for another team. But could Smith succeed anywhere else? He was a remarkably accurate quarterback who thrived in throwing short- and mid-range passes. Smith-led offenses relied on the running game, and didn't have much pressure on them because San Francisco possesses a wonderful defense. Smith isn't the kind of quarterback who can take an inept offense and immediately add a jolt of life to it. That being said, he also is far better than many of the current quarterbacks who have starting roles. Given the right situation, Smith could be a playoff-bound quarterback again. There is one strength Smith would undeniably bring to a new team — reserve. He had the dream opportunity with San Francisco's running game and defense and was successful in the starting role. But better players come along, and that's exactly what happened to Smith. Hopefully he can be that better player somewhere else and get a second chance to prove himself as a starter. team headed to California last week. She said her calf is feeling much better and was not bothered on the dismount from bars. "I was really happy [I was able to return]," Lopez said. "I practiced, I was training over the pit just to be safe, not to irritate it more and I was ready." Freshman Breanna Hughes looked impressive for a second straight week as a bars and beam specialist. She said she was nervous in front of a raucous home crowd of 14,917 fans, but she was able to control her nerves and earned a 9.8 on bars and a 9.875 on beam. Another freshman, Taylor Allex, made her debut for the Utes after sitting out last week with a back injury. She was solid in her first collegiate appearance, earning a 9.800 on vault, but she also said the home crowd was a bit intimidating. "It was kind of scary, but it's cool," she said. "I've never been to a home meet before so it was great to be a part of." NOMINATE HER NOW! Ph ographers j.bullinger@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @jakebullinger m.ellis@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @mattellis_utah led Contact c.zavala@chronicle.utah.edu to apply Deals for food, entertainment • and everything else for students, The Office for Equity and Diversity, the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, and the Women's Week 2013 Committee are accepting nominations for the faculty and staff 15th annual Linda K. Amos Award for Distinguished Service to Women. This award recognizes a female staff or faculty member who has selflessly given time and energy to improve the educational and/or working environment for women at the University. Deadline for Nominations Friday, January 25, 2013 at Noon For the latest info on at the University Arts events going on around the U and Salt Lake City, follow our Twitter account at of Utah. twitter.conn c h ro ny arts Please send nomination materials electronically to: amos-award@utah.edu Subject line: LK Amos Award Nomination Workshop: Budgeting Office for Learn how to keep your financial New Year Resolution! EQUITY AND DIVERSITY , ® THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Diversity = Educational Excellence For more information go to: www.pcsw.utah.edu/amos Go to: www.UtahCampusDeals.com and sign up today to get $10 in Deal Bucks! Saving Money 1U1 , PERSONAL MONEY MANAGEMENT CENTER THE UNIVERSITY OE UTAH Wednesday, Jan 23, from 12:15 to 1:15 Union, Parlor A Free Lunch! Please RSVP: jwaite@sa.utah.edu *Tell us where you want deals from email adsautalledu |
