OCR Text |
Show HOOPSTERS brag come-from-behind victories SCORES Utah Opp. Non-conference: American All Stars 103 76 Texas Tech .................. 70 58 Colorado .................... 95 84 Utah State....................102 90 Wichita State ..............106 91 Stanford ......................101 92 San Jose State ............ 82 81 ¦k-^:vh>:v/]a aMvi^h) ... $*' v;>: Denver University........ 99 87 Oregon ........................ 64 63 North Carolina............ 84 86 Washington State........ 85 78 Washington ................ 76 93 Seattle University........ 77 79 Oregon ......................... 77 85 Utah State ..................106 92 77 Arizona ...................... 83 77 New Mexico................ 66 72 Wyoming .................... 72 81 Brigham Young .......... 91 89 Wyoming.................... 97 89 New Mexico................ 71 64 Brigham Young .......... 90 93 Arizona........................ 79 89 Arizona State.............. 82 83 ¦I Although it was not a season of glory, Utah's basketball team did provide countless thrills during the 1967-68 season that have become typical tradition at Uteville. The Runnin' Redskins piled up a respectable 17-9 record, but could only manage a second place tie with Wyoming in.the final Western Athletic Conference standings. The season had several disappointing moments, but those were overshadowed by many performances that made the season a definite success. For the first time in many years, Utah went through the season undefeated in 14 games in Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse. Those victories included wins over west coast power Southern California, Wichita State, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah's 19th straight home win over New Mexico. The highlight of the home season came with the Redskins' miraculous come-from-behind victory over BYU to end a seven game losing streak with that Provo institution. With eleven straight victories under their belt, the Utes traveled to Portland, Oregon, to participate in one of the toughest holiday tournaments in the nation, the Far West Classic. An opening round squeaker past Oregon set the stage for the contest of the tournament, pitting then seventh-ranked Utah against fourth-ranked North Carolina. The Utes reached their peak during the first half of that contest, building up a 17-point bulge over one of the toughest defensive crews in the nation. The tar heel determination eventually got to Utah, however, and the 'Skins dropped their first game of the season by an 86-84 count. An easy consolation win the following night gave Utah third place honors and set the stage for another grueling WAC title race. Disaster struck as Utah fell to defeat on five straight road games, including WAC losses to New Mexico and Wyoming. That road trip also set another precedent in Utah basketball history. In a game against Oregon, an irritated referee banned coach Gardner from the playing floor after "The Fox" violently protested unnecessary roughness under the Oregon basket. That event topped the longest losing streak in Jack Gardner's 14 year reign as Utah's coach, and the Utes had their work cut out for them in returning to conference wars. 85 |