its loss last week. It wasnt unusual, though. Th

SALT LAKE CITY -- Dennis Lindsey and Quin Snyder are doing their best to temper expectations, but recent moves to improve the Utah Jazz say plenty.The organization has been working toward this moment for more than half a decade. It drafted Gordon Hayward in 2010 and traded for Derrick Favors months later. Lindsey was hired as general manager in 2012, and he hired Snyder as coach in 2014. The first-time general manager then slowly built a young, talented roster and allowed it to grow.This offseason, Lindsey added veterans Joe Johnson, George Hill and Boris Diaw with an eye on reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2012.The time to reap the rewards of all that patience is now.Our goal is to make the playoffs, Hill said at Jazz media day Monday. Anything less is not a good season for us.Lindsey and Snyder werent quite that direct, but Lindsey has been adamant in the past about not adding pieces at the expense of internal development. The difference now is the Jazz have the core they need.Both Hayward and Favors are six-year veterans and borderline All-Stars. Center Rudy Gobert is healthy and one of the top defensive centers in the league. Dante Exum, fifth-overall pick in the 2014, is back after missing all of last season with an ACL tear. Rodney Hood enters his third season after averaging 14.5 points in 2015-16.The next step is a playoff berth after finishing a game behind eighth-seeded Houston in the Western Conference with a 40-42 record.Just in the playoffs, just out of the playoffs, I dont think it would have changed this offseason much, Lindsey said. We wanted to get experience, size, skill, physicality, shooting, passing. We were able to do so. Its very complementary to our younger veterans that have been here for a while.It was a natural step. I dont think we were skipping steps by any means.The front office may downplay expectations, but this is the simplest situation the Jazz have faced in years. No more waiting on young players to develop, and no more searching for an identity. Defense is the foundation, and some quality players are going to have to fight for their minutes.The fundamental approach that you have toward playing the game doesnt change, Snyder said. If that enthusiasm, comfort, fear, whatever emotional baggage you bring into a season that impacts your emotional state, that has to be supplanted by hunger, hard work, unselfishness, passion.Sometimes that enthusiasm is really good. Oftentimes its great. But that doesnt necessarily mean its channeled the right way. Youve heard people be too excited or too emotional. What that means to me is you just lost a little bit of focus on the things you need to do to be successful. We know what those things are. We just have to hold on to them and work toward them.Hayward and Favors have been in the Jazz program long enough to stick closely to the teams message, but this is a pivotal year for both. Hayward will likely opt out of his contract after 2016-17 for a much bigger deal. The 26-year old has repeatedly said hes not looking to leave, but Hayward is entering the prime of his career and wants to win.Favors has two seasons left on his deal and could sign an extension, but also wants to consistently play in the postseason.We have a lot of expectations of ourselves, Hayward said. For us, though, we dont want to get ahead of ourselves at all. We havent accomplished anything as a group yet.I think we hopefully play with a chip on our shoulder. Were starting to turn the corner as an organization.Favors tried to avoid saying playoffs when listing his expectations, saying the team hopefully improves and reaches its goals. He laughed when pressed to specify that goal.Just to win games, Favors said. Every teams goal is to get in the playoffs. Obviously, thats what we want to do. Thats what were going to try to do. Fake Shoes . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Fake Sneakers . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. https://www.fakeshoes.net/ . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Fake Nike Shoes . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Cheap Fake Shoes . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. LUBBOCK, Texas -- The last time West Virginia came to play at Texas Tech as a ranked team, the Mountaineers got trounced by 35 points.On Saturday, the Red Raiders will aim for a repeat of 2012, when they toppled the fifth-ranked Mountaineers. This year West Virginia is ranked No. 20 and unbeaten.Theyre a good team, Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. Dana (Holgorsen) does a good job schematically week in week out to try to take advantage of what youre doing defensively.Holgorsen and Kingsbury met more than 15 years ago, when the Mountaineers coach worked for former Red Raiders coach Mike Leach and Kingsbury was the teams quarterback.Kliff knows what hes doing, Holgorsen said of the fourth-year coach. Hes going to get those guys ready to go and we have our work cut out for us on defense.The Mountaineers (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) have had two weeks to prepare, having a bye week after a 17-16 home win Oct. 1 over Kansas State. The Red Raiders (3-2, 1-1) are coming off a 44-38 loss to the Wildcats last week.At least Texas Tech doesnt have to be concerned about kicker Josh Lambert, who in 2014 hit a career-long, 55-yard field goal as time expired in Lubbock to give West Virginia a 37-34 victory. Holgorsen announced this week -- without explanation or further comment -- that Lambert, who missed the first three games due to a suspension, was no longer with the team.A few more things to look for when Texas Tech hosts West Virginia:MAHOMES AND HIS RECEIVERSJunior QB Patrick Mahomes, who leads the nation in passing yards per game (454.8), has plenty of receivers to pick from in the Red Raiders pass-heavy offense. Seven of them -- Jonathan Giles leads the league and the corps in receiving yards per game (122.8) -- have caught at least 11 passes for a combined 2,125 yards. Mahomes, who has passed for 20 TDs and run for seven more, has a great grasp of his offense, Mountaineers defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. He understands getting rid of the ball, Gibson said.dddddddddddd He puts it in the right place at the right time. He lets his wideouts work for him, and when he wants to throw it over the top he can do that as well. He is so big, you have guys falling off of him, and he keeps plays alive.RUSHING MOUNTAINEERSWest Virginia, the Big 12s fifth-ranked rushing offense (187.2 ypg), will face the leagues sixth-ranked rushing defense (179.4 ypg). Junior RB Justin Crawford ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 331 yards on 60 carries, averaging 82.8 ypg. This year the Mountaineers have run the ball 52 percent of the time (164 of 315 plays). Kingsbury figures the Mountaineers will run the ball often. Last year they ran it, I think, 57 times versus us, he said. So Ive known hes been doing that the last three or four years.PENALTY PROBLEMSTexas Tech was flagged for five 15-yard penalties -- including one that erased a TD -- in its loss last week. It wasnt unusual, though. The Red Raiders rank 121st in the nation in penalty yards per game, having committed 48 penalties in five games to average 80.2 ypg. Weve really been stopping ourselves with penalties, making it third and 15, third and 20, and then thats a hard position to be in, WR Cameron Batson said. So we have to cut out the penalties and be more disciplined.RED ZONE FACEOFFTexas Tech is nearly twice as efficient in scoring touchdowns once inside the red zone than the Mountaineers. The Red Raiders have connected for TDs 26 of the 32 times theyve been there (81 percent), while West Virginia has found the end zone on just eight of 18 trips inside opponents 20-yard line (44 percent). The guys have to score, Holgorsen said. Were moving the ball. Were averaging a lot of yards. We have to score more, period.---Follow Betsy Blaney on Twitter at www.twitter.com/betsyblaney---Online: AP College Football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '