you would understand. I don't think anything should be saying "Utah is back". After all, what does that mean? To me, that means that Utah is competing for conference championships and making regular appearances to the NCAA tournament and advancing. This year's team will be lucky to make it to the any post-season tournament.

However, I can still distinctly remember attending a game maybe 3 years ago in the Huntsman against BYU. It was the single most atrocious game of basketball I had ever watched at the collegiate level.

This wasn't a one game or one year thing either. This was a trend (with a few random positive seasons sprinkled in as you mentioned). But more than just the win-total, it was a steady deterioration of a once proud program.

This year's team is something new. They may not be the most talented, but they work hard, they rebound hard, they defend, they have an organized offense (even though they don't have any knockdown shooters). It's hard to describe if you haven't watched Utah through the years, but there is a reason for fan excitement and that doesn't mean that people think Utah is suddenly a contender.