Utah Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Utes

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Utah Utes fans gesture as a player shoots a free throw during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Utes 66-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JANUARY 14: Head coach Larry Krystkowiak of the Utah Utes reacts to a first half call during their game against the UCLA Bruins at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on January 14, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images) /

The Utes lose some scoring punch but return some talented youth

The bad news for the Utes and their fans is they return just two of their top seven scorers and only three players that played in more than 10 games return. Gone are leading scorer Sedrick Barefield, and their top two rebounders, Jayce Johnson and Donnie Tillman (who transferred to Marquette and respectively UNLV).

There is good news, those three returning players, Timmy Allen, Both Gach, and Riley Battin is all sophomores. The 6-6 Allen is their top returning scorer, having averaged 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He is good at getting to the free-throw line, making and attempting the most on the team.

It will be interesting to see if he worked on his perimeter game, he only took seven threes as a freshman but made four of them. Gach is a versatile wing at 6-7, he can play guard or forward, even though he averaged just seven points per game, he flashed the ability to put the ball in the hoop, scoring a season-high 22 against Kentucky.

The last of the three sophomores are the 6-9 Battin who averaged six points and 3.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game last season. The only other players returning from last season are sophomore guard Brooks King and senior forward Marc Reininger who each played in seven games.

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