As the year draws to a close we remember the good, the bad and the ugly but hopefully mostly the good. With every bad team there are several good teams and a few great teams in the state. There are so many great teams at the prep, college and pro levels but we decided to choose four nominees that performed exceptionally well and let the fans vote on our social media. We provide the resumes and YOU cast your votes before the end of the year.
Nominees:
1. Utah Jazz:
Accomplisments: The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second straight year despite losing their All-Star forward. They won 48 games and earned the fifth seed in the NBA playoffs. They defeated the Thunder in 6 games and lost to the Rockets in five games. They earned this spot because they made won of the greatest comebacks in NBA history. They went from a bad 19-28 record to a blazing 29-6 finish including an 11 game win streak and tied a franchise record 12 game road winning streak.
Utah State Football:
Accomplishments: The Aggies haven’t finished their season yet but they’ve already accomplished a lot and we will update you as the season draws to a close. They went undefeated at home. They won the Old Wagon Wheel over BYU for the second straight year. They currently are leading the Mountain Division over Boise State. Their record is 9-1 which is the best start since the 1960s. Their only loss was a 7 point game at ranked Michigan State. Speaking of rankings they are currently ranked #14 in the AP Poll and #13 in the Coaches Poll. They currently rank 1st in the nation in points per game with 51.3 points per contest.
3. Utes Basketball:
Accomplishments: The Utes beat the Aggies in the inaugural Beehive Classic at Vivint Arena. They tied UCLA for third in the PAC-12 with an 11-7 conference record. They were the best team in the PAC-12 to be left out of the NCAA tournament so naturally they did damage in the NIT. Their overall record was 23-12. They lost to Penn State in the NIT championship game in Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a respectable year for the Utes who were the first team to make it all the way to New York since BYU lost in the NIT semifinals in 2016.
BYU men’s volleyball:
Accomplishments: BYU men’s volleyball continued their dominance as they made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to the eventual runner-up UCLA. A tiny step back after being the runner up to Ohio State the previous year, the Final Four is considered a huge success in any collegiate sport. BYU finished first in their conference with a record of 10-2 in conference and 22-7 record overall. BYU men’s volleyball had the best postseason team performance of the school year for Brigham Young University.