This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The talk surrounding Utah basketball this season has been a non-conference schedule most criticized as soft.
That criticism won't be able to be made next year or the year after.
A source tells the Salt Lake Tribune that Utah will make several moves to beef up future schedules - the most prominent being a matchup against national power Kansas in 2014. The series will be a one year deal and will be played at a neutral site in Kansas City. Bill Self's team - with another banner recruiting class coming in - will almost assuredly present Larry Krystkowiak with a top-10 opponent.
Furthermore, the source says the Utes are verbally commited to play in the 2015 Puerto Rico tip-off tournament, now one of the premier of its kind nationally. The field in Puerto Rico this season included Michigan, Georgetown, Virginia Commonwealth, Florida State and Kansas State.
Those moves will assuredly beef up future non-league schedules. And as Krystkowiak's team gets stronger - he will return almost everyone next season - he has said he will schedule harder. He is living up to that statement.
Also, a source tells the Tribune that the BYU-Utah hoops series will very likely continue without interruption. The two athletic directors - Chris Hill and Tom Holmoe - have spoken directly about extending the series and a deal will likely get done in the coming months.
So despite speculation to the contrary, Utah and BYU doesn't seem to be in any real danger of ending.
Tony Jones