The University of Utah men’s basketball team picked up a quality win over the Colorado Buffaloes at home on Saturday night. The win keeps them right in the mix for a top-four seed in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament with a gauntlet of opponents on the schedule heading down the stretch of the season. Utah led this game wire-to-wire, tearing the game wide open halfway through the second half. Colorado is a good team, and Utah showed what they were made of with a strong effort tonight in an 11-point win.

BC for Three

Branden Carlson can shoot. Heading into this game, Carlson stood at a crisp 37.6% from three with 3.5 attempts a night. Although that’s a good amount of shots for a seven-footer, count me among the crowd who thinks he should be shooting even more. A big man who can space the floor is one of the most valuable things in the sport today. It helps Utah win and it’s also steadily raising Carlson’s stock among professional scouts, as he’s developed into a legit shot-blocking pick-and-pop seven-footer. That’s a rare skill set, but it’s one he possesses. 

Carlson typically shoots from the top of the key in transition opportunities or when the defense slacks off, not expecting him to be able to make them pay. In both of those scenarios, he’s given a ton of space to set his motion up, which is likely the only time he’s been given the green light to pop. 

There’s room for him to take even more attempts, which could raise Utah’s ceiling as an offense. It would be nice to see the Utes scheme up more shot attempts for him through using Carlson as the screener and having him pop out instead of dive, or using him as the ball handler in the pick-and-roll. Carlson can knock threes down; he deserves more chances as a part of his shot diet.

“Generally speaking, I love when he shoots,” said Utah head coach Craig Smith. “Usually something good happens. I just like when he has the ball.”

Utah’s Tourney Chances

The Utes are almost certainly out of the picture for the NCAA Tournament, but if they can somehow run the table they give themselves an outside chance to get in. The Pac-12 is especially weak this season, but the Utes’ remaining schedule is not easy. UCLA, USC and Arizona all still remain, with Arizona State and Colorado rounding out the picture. That’s a tough five-game stretch, and Utah will need to escape with a few wins where they probably shouldn’t be winning. Possible, but unlikely. In the event they miss the tournament, an NIT bid is close to guaranteed. 

“[This was a] good win as we start our toughest stretch of the season,” Smith said.

Up Next

Utah faces the Arizona Wildcats on the road on Thursday. The Utes pulled off a huge upset against Arizona at the beginning of Pac-12 play this season, and will hope to do that again. The No. 4 Wildcats are coming off a loss to the unranked Stanford Cardinal. Utah faces Arizona in Tucson on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. MST.

“We know how good Arizona is and how tough that road trip is gonna be,” said Marco Anthony.

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