Utes and Yotes

The final thing standing between Utah and the Pac-12 season is the College of Idaho from the Cascade Collegiate Conference (NAIA, Div. II).

The only question I have about the "Yotes" is how do they pronounce their name: is it pronounced yoh-tees (as in coyotes) or yoats (rhymes with notes)? Guess we'll wait and find out tomorrow.

We'll also find out how our Utes compare with the 'ol Westminster Griffins from down the way on 13th East. The Yotes hosted the Griffins just last month and lost by eighteen, 68-50.

And get this: the 1954-55 basketball team is considered the greatest in C. of I.'s history. They went 23-4 and were led by a little someone known as . . . oh, I don't know . . .  Elgin freakin' Baylor? Maybe you've heard of him?!? He averaged 30.9 ppg that year for the Yotes before going on to complete his college career at Seattle U. And the rest is history.

It's been a big couple weeks for the Yotes. Thirteen days ago, they beat the defending NAIA Div. II National Champion, Oregon Tech, 79-72. The next day, they took the #12 Southern Oregon to overtime before losing, 100-93. Then last week, they just missed another upset bid by falling to #21 Northwest, 76-71.

But what does this all mean? I honestly don't know, but I suspect we'll beat these guys silly tomorrow night. Unless Taylor Pruett (13.1 ppg, 8 rpg) and/or Rodney Delgardo (13 ppg) each turn into the second coming of Elgin Baylor, the Yotes just don't have enough size and fire power to hang with the Utes.