Connect with us

Utah

Will BYU and Utah State face off in March Madness?

Published

on

Will BYU and Utah State face off in March Madness?


The NCAA Tournament is just three weeks away, and the Beehive State should be well represented in the field.

BYU and Utah State are each slated to earn at-large bids for the big dance, while Utah Valley currently sits atop the WAC standings and could make its first-ever tournament appearance by claiming the conference championship.

The majority of current bracket projections have both the Cougars and Aggies hovering between No. 7 and No. 10 seeds, which could lead to a unique outcome — the longtime in-state rivals playing each other in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round.

Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”

Advertisement

Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

Such a matchup has occurred once before, when BYU defeated Utah State 91-82 back in 1971. A 2025 rematch would certainly be compelling television.

Here’s a look at where the local teams are currently projected to play in the NCAA Tournament.

What are the latest bracketology projections for BYU, Utah State and Utah Valley?

ESPN

  • BYU: No. 8 seed vs. Utah State in the first round, San Francisco subregional
  • Utah State: No. 9 seed vs. BYU in the first round, San Francisco subregional
  • Utah Valley: No. 14 seed vs. Texas Tech in the first round, Denver subregional
  • Best matchup: Clearly BYU/Utah State. Not only would the basketball itself be highly entertaining, but it would be one of the most memorable sports moments in state history.

CBS Sports

  • BYU: No. 10 seed vs. UCLA in the first round, Wichita subregional
  • Utah State: No. 8 seed vs. Vanderbilt in the first round, Raleigh subregional
  • Utah Valley: No. 14 seed vs. Iowa State in the first round, Milwaukee subregional
  • Best matchup: BYU/UCLA. Fans will remember when the Cougars were upset by the underdog, Final Four-bound Bruins in 2021. Revenge on UCLA would be a fitting way for BYU to capture its first tournament victory in more than a decade.

USA Today

  • BYU: No. 8 seed vs. Vanderbilt in the first round, Newark subregional
  • Utah State: No. 7 seed vs. Nebraska in the first round, Milwaukee subregional
  • Utah Valley: No. 14 seed vs. Kentucky in the first round, Denver subregional
  • Best matchup: Utah Valley/Kentucky. Mark Pope looking for his first-ever tournament win as a head coach against his former program. Utah Valley looking for its first-ever tournament win against its former head coach. A grudge match for the ages!

The Athletic

  • BYU: No. 9 seed vs. UConn in the first round, Raleigh subregional
  • Utah State: No. 8 seed vs. Gonzaga in the first round, Lexington subregional
  • Utah Valley: No. 14 seed vs. Arizona in the first round, Denver subregional
  • Best matchup: BYU/UConn. The Cougars have not defeated a single digit seed in the tournament since 1991. Taking down the two-time defending champion Huskies would be a rewarding way to finally end that streak.

The Washington Post

  • BYU: No. 9 seed vs. Illinois in the first round, Lexington subregional
  • Utah State: No. 8 seed vs. UConn in the first round, Raleigh subregional
  • Utah Valley: No. 14 seed vs. Texas A&M in the first round, Denver subregional
  • Best matchup: Utah State/UConn. Jerrod Calhoun has already proven to be a home run hire for the Aggies, but beating Dan Hurley would make it feel like more of a grand slam.

Team Rankings

  • BYU: No. 8 seed
  • Utah State: No. 9 seed
  • Utah Valley: No. 14 seed

When is Selection Sunday?

This year’s NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on Sunday, March 16. The selection show announcing the 68-team field will be televised at 4 p.m. MST on CBS.

The 2025 tournament will begin with the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, on March 18 and 19, then first and second round games will be played from March 20-23.

Advertisement

The Final Four will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 5 and 7.



Source link

Utah

Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon

Published

on

Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon


A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.

He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.

MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche

In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.

Advertisement

“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.

A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.

Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

_____

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas

Published

on

911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas


CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.

LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.

Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.

The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.

Advertisement

MORE | Murder-Suicide

Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.

10:33 a.m. — Call 1

After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.

Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.

“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”

11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3

As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.

Advertisement

“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”

11:26 a.m. — Call 4

Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.

“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”

She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.

Police indicated officers were on the way.

Advertisement

2:26 p.m. — Call 5

Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.

Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.

“They found a note on the door.”

2:35 p.m. — Call 6

Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.

“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”

Advertisement

A dispatcher responded:

“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”

2:36 p.m. — Call 7

Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:

“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”

2:39 p.m. — Call 8

Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.

Advertisement

“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”

He repeats the details he knows for the second time.

3:13 p.m. — Call 9

Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.

“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”

Dispatch responded:

Advertisement

“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”

4:05 p.m. — Call 10

More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.

“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”

The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.

Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.

Advertisement

The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.

5:23 p.m. — Call 11

Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.

“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”

She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.

Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference

Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.

Advertisement

The investigation remains ongoing.

______



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing

Published

on

Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing


AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”

Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.

“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.

Advertisement

Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.

“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.

2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:

  • Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
  • Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
  • Does it support a ban from classrooms?

Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.

“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.

MORE | Utah State Legislature:

Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.

Advertisement

“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.

“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.

The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.

Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

Advertisement

___



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending