At the end of last season, the Utes watched four of its top six scorers walk out the door, including one NBA first-round pick, and two of their most-experienced returners weren’t even eligible for part of last season due to transfer rules.
And so Utah landed in seventh place in the Pac-12 preseason poll released at the conference’s media day — a clear signal onlookers expected a significant drop off from recent seasons.
Senior graduate transfer Justin Bibbins, who attended Media Day in California, referenced the poll after Utah swept the Oregon schools on the road to start Pac-12 play, saying at the time, “We know where we were seeded, so we just every day play with a chip on our shoulder and come out here and compete.