Utah Wins...Just Like Old Times

 I don't attend the games anymore. I could, but the cost and moving an extra sixty miles away makes it that much more difficult. But, there was a time when I attended almost every University of Utah men's home basketball game. As a student, we got free tickets (free...). One season my friend and I were on Row 2 on the aisle. Those were great seats. The place was sold out every home game and the Utah Utes almost always won.

My, how things have changed.

I did a screen shot of tonight's U of U vs BYU game from the Utah Athletic's X account. The clip shows the final seconds of the game. The Utah player drained a free throw putting the game out of reach. Those lucky enough to have attended were given a treat, a game of rivals as passionate as any in the country. It's a feeling desperately lacking in that building, a feeling that was once a given...not anymore. Some can say things are returning to normal, but it's going to take a lot more of what happened tonight to reach "normal." 

Normal is the Utah program being one of the best men's basketball programs in the country, always making the tournament and even coming close to winning ANOTHER national championship. Normal is where teams come into Salt Lake hoping for a win, but expecting to lose. Normal is getting top international talent choosing Utah over other blue chip programs. 

Normal is a long way away.

Normal is what I saw as a twenty-something student with Rick Majerus coaching future NBA stars, NBA champions. We had it so good, so good in fact, we thought the successful Utah Ute brand would shine forever. That's not how things have gone. Many people have worked very hard since those days to return the program to its former glory, but it's difficult. It's so much easier to descend from on high than to go the other direction.

I didn't watch tonight's game. We were on the road, and because we cut cable last month so I wouldn't have been able to watch it even if we were home. I did not listen to the broadcast, either, so I didn't know the score. We did drive through SLC after the game was over and I looked at the mountain to see if the "U" was flashing, or only lit up. 

I saw neither.

I figured, no flashing U meant a loss. It wasn't until I got home that I checked the final score. Watching that clip, seeing a Utah W and a full Huntsman Center, it took me back to when that was normal...

Just like old times.