Utah
What is fueling No. 20 Utah heading into matchup with No. 5 UCLA
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25241034/01192024_UU_WBB_Vs_USC_Er_Edits_91.jpg "What is fueling No. 20 Utah heading into matchup with No. 5 UCLA")
Two weeks ago, Utah women’s basketball coach Lynne Roberts and star forward Alissa Pili, along with Jenna Johnson, showed the frustration in their faces after a difficult week marked by close losses to Arizona and Stanford.
That had dropped the No. 20 Utes to 1-3 in Pac-12 play, even though Utah had been close, or led, in the fourth quarter of every loss.
Last Friday, though, the frustration was replaced by smiles for Roberts and Pili after Utah knocked off No. 6 USC by 20 points.
Roberts made a promise after that Stanford loss, vowing the disappointment would “motivate us.” Pili made a similar statement, saying the Utes would “keep swinging” and eventually they’d “come out on top.”
After thoroughly handling the Trojans, the pair discussed the team’s emotional state after their second straight blowout win that has Utah back on an upward trend.
“I think we were tired of that, like we had lost a lot of close games to ranked teams and I think we were sick of coming up short. We talked about before Cal and even tonight, like let’s not let it to where things that are out of our control matter in the outcome, let’s control we can control,” Roberts said.
“I’m proud of our team for fighting back and not pouting or not feeling sorry for ourselves or whatever, with the adversity. They’ve just battled back and I think we’ve played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. I’ve coached with a little chip on my shoulder. That’s the way it is. I think that’s the difference. We’re playing with a little more swagger.”
“They’ve just battled back and I think we’ve played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. I’ve coached with a little chip on my shoulder. That’s the way it is. I think that’s the difference. We’re playing with a little more swagger.” — Utah coach Lynne Roberts
The Utes followed up a 37-point win over California with that 78-58 victory over the Trojans.
Utah (13-5, 3-3 Pac-12) held USC to 36.1% shooting in a game where the Utes led nearly from start to finish.
The All-American Pili tied her career high with 37 points, shooting an efficient 13 of 16 from the field and 5 of 6 from 3-point range, while also adding six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
“Like coach said, we’re obviously frustrated with how the last few games were going against Stanford and Arizona. I think our attitude is just different and it kind of pushed us to just want to play harder and want to, I guess just really buy into our team and focus on what we could do to win,” Pili said.
“And like coach said, we don’t want to leave it in the refs’ hands, so why not blow out teams by 40 and 20 like we did the last two games.”
Utah also got back senior guard Issy Palmer, who was out for two months with an undisclosed injury.
Palmer played nine minutes in her return and had four points, two assists and a rebound to go with two turnovers.
“She was on a minutes restriction, so we had to be careful of how much she could play. But I thought she did a nice job,” Roberts said. “You know, you could tell she was a little rusty which is to be expected. She hasn’t played in 10 weeks. That’s a long time. But I’m proud of her for pushing through what she’s been through.”
Up next for Utah is No. 5 UCLA, which is fresh off a road win at No. 3 Colorado.
The Bruins (15-1, 4-1 Pac-12) are arguably as formidable as any opponent the Utes have faced this season — that list includes teams like No. 1 South Carolina, No. 3 Colorado, No. 8 Stanford and No. 12 Baylor.
Utah lost to all four of those schools. The Utes’ lone win over a top 25 team came Friday against the Trojans.
A victory over UCLA would get Utah, the defending Pac-12 regular season co-champions and the preseason favorite to win the league, right back in the thick of the conference race.
The Bruins are led by 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, who averages 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Four others average double-digit points, including senior guard Charisma Osborne, who averages 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting a team-best 39.1% from 3-point range.
It will be a rare late afternoon tip on Monday at the Huntsman Center, with Utah and UCLA meeting at 5 p.m. MST in a game televised on ESPN2.
“I think we’re playing a lot better. We’re playing a little more cohesive. There’s a lot more, I can sense, just kind of synergy out there. I think people have settled into their roles,” Roberts said.
“I do feel like we’re hitting our stride. But you know, this league is merciless and we’re gonna enjoy this tonight and feel good about it. And then tomorrow, we wake up to play the No. 3 team in the country on Monday, and we’ll be ready.”
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz missed out on the NBA Playoffs, but still scored a big win thanks to a coin flip.
In Monday’s tiebreaker coin flip to determine who had the fourth-worst record in the league last season, the Jazz came out winners over the Sacramento Kings, who had the same 22-60 record.
Had the Jazz lost the coin flip, they would have been fifth in NBA Draft Lottery odds. Only the worst four teams are guaranteed to remain within the top eight of the lottery.
If Utah had fallen to fifth, there would have been the chance they could have dropped out of the top 8 teams in the lottery, and owed the draft pick to Oklahoma City, which was top-8 protected in a previous trade.
The Jazz now have an 11.5 percent chance to win the first overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 10.
The Utah Jazz are rolling into a big offseason before they into what’s projected to be a wildly different-looking 2026-27 campaign from what they had just seen this past 22-win season.
But before that season is able to get underway, the Jazz have some priorities to address in the offseason––both in terms of constructing their roster and retaining a few key pieces from last year’s group into next year.
That makes their salary cap situation and everything around it important to be aware of in the next few months. So with that in mind, we’ve put together an offseason cap tracker for a glimpse of what the Jazz are dealing with in terms of cap space, contracts, and any of their own free agents hitting the open market.
Let’s break it down:
Maximum Possible Cap Space: $24.7M
The Jazz are currently projected at just under $25 million in cap headed into the summer. That’s without any additional moves made to the roster from how they’re entering the offseason, and without factoring in any free agents’ pending cap holds.
That number is bound to get smaller once the Jazz hash out their contract situation for Walker Kessler, but it could also see an uptick if Utah were to shed salary with some of their non-guaranteed deals, or any other player they wanted to pivot from.
As of now, it allows the Jazz to make a couple of moves around the edges in free agency, but the main focus will lean on signing Kessler to a long-term deal.
Contracts
A glimpse of the Jazz’s contract values for the 2026-27 season, and when they’re slated to hit free agency from their current deals:
– Jaren Jackson Jr.: $49.0M, ’29 PO
– Lauri Markkanen: $46.1M, ’29 UFA
– Ace Bailey: $9.5M, ’29 RFA
– Keyonte George: $6.5M, ’27 RFA
– John Konchar: $6.1M, ’27 UFA
– Cody Williams: $6.0M, ’28 RFA
– Brice Sensabaugh, $4.8M, ’27 RFA
– Svi Mykhailiuk: $3.8M*, ’28 UFA
– Kyle Filipowski: $3.0M, ’28 RFA
– Isaiah Collier: $2.7M, ’28 RFA
– Hayden Gray: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Bez Mbeng: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Blake Hinson (two-way), ’27 RFA
Total: $142.1M
*- non-guaranteed
The biggest chunk of the Jazz’s salary leans on their top two veterans, Markkanen and Jackson Jr., each making a combined $95 million next season alone.
However, the rest of the roster isn’t taking up much money. No one else will be making more than $10 million, and their payroll is a little less than $150 million in total.
Another noteworthy fact: the Jazz’s key roster pieces outside of George and Sensabaugh are all under contract through the next two seasons.
Both of the aforementioned names are also bound to see extension discussions take place this summer, which might lock in their future for even longer.
Free Agents
A look at who from this season’s roster is set to hit the free agent market in July:
– Kevin Love (UFA)
– Jusuf Nurkic (UFA)
– Walker Kessler (RFA)
– Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way)
– Elijah Harkless (two-way)
The biggest name of note is, of course, the Jazz’s restricted free agent big man, Walker Kessler, who Utah is bound to hand a big payday, but it remains to be seen how much that contract––or offer sheet from another team––will be.
Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Love have also expressed their desire to return to the roster as they hit free agency. Re-signing both likely wouldn’t cost much for the Jazz financially, but instead relies on a question of whether the roster space is readily available to keep both.
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Utah
Golden Knights vs. Mammoth Game 1 prediction: NHL odds, picks, best bets for Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Utah Mammoth is going to be a trendy underdog pick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not only does Utah have the novelty of this being its first-ever appearance in the postseason going for it, but the Mammoth tick plenty of other boxes that punters look for in a dark horse. They’re fast, dynamic, and create plenty of quality scoring chances.
The only problem is that they are running into the Vegas Golden Knights, arguably the best defensive team in the Western Conference, in Round 1.
Vegas is a -170 favorite to win the series, and it is -152 to win Game 1 on Sunday night.
Mammoth vs. Golden Knights odds, prediction
The Golden Knights had a weird season. Vegas started hot, took its foot off the pedal, and struggled to regain its form down the stretch. That led to a surprising coaching switch late in the campaign, but the move paid immediate dividends as John Tortorella led the Knights to a 7-0-1 record in his eight games behind the bench.
It should be noted that Tortorella benefited from an easy schedule since taking over in Vegas, but it’s hard to deny that the team looks sparked with a new voice in their ear.
What’s especially encouraging for Vegas is that its most glaring weakness, the play of goaltender Carter Hart, has started to trend in the right direction at the exact right time.
And Vegas is so good in its own zone that Hart doesn’t need to stand on his head to get the team over the line against Utah. If he’s just average, the Knights will stand a chance, especially since Utah’s goaltending situation is just as much of a question mark.
Betting on the NHL?
Outside of Vejmelka outplaying Hart, the Mammoth will also need to get this series on their terms if they want to pull the upset. Utah grades out as a slightly above-average defensive outfit, but its strength is up front with dynamic playmakers like Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller, plus sharp-shooter Dylan Guenther.
For those stars to have an impact, the Mammoth will need to get Vegas to open up and engage in a back-and-forth style. I just don’t see that happening with a team that was so disciplined in its own zone all season. The Knights led the NHL in expected goals against and high-danger chances conceded at 5-on-5, which shouldn’t be a shocker given the personnel in Sin City.
Not only does Vegas boast a deep blueline, but forwards Mitch Marner and Mark Stone are regarded as two of the best defensive minds in the entire sport.
Perhaps Utah can blitz Vegas and pull the upset, but I’d need a bigger number to go against the experienced, defensively savvy Knights in a best-of-7.
And if you’re looking for a play with more upside, have a good look at Vegas to pull off the sweep at 12/1.
The Play: Vegas moneyline (-152) | Vegas to sweep the series (12/1, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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