The Utah men’s basketball team opened up Pac-12 play with a dominating 80-58 win over a Washington State team that entered the game with an impressive 9-2 record.
Utah held just a 2-point lead at halftime but was able to run away with this one thanks to key halftime adjustments made by head coach Craig Smith and his staff. Utah continued to dominate defensively, holding Washington State to just 31% from the field and 20% from three, completely dismantling the high-tempo Cougar offense.
First Half
The first half was tight throughout as the Cougars and Utes traded buckets back and forth. Utah played stellar defense through the first 20 minutes, playing entirely man-to-man and forcing Washington State into tough contested jumpers. Midway through the half, Utah held a 20-10 lead before Washington State made a big run to cut the Utah lead to just one point at the 5-minute mark. The Cougars matched Utah’s defensive energy through the majority of the first half by not allowing the Utes to get the ball down low to their three dominant big men. As the first half ended, Utah held a 31-29 lead in a low-scoring affair. This one looked like it was going to be a highly competitive game after 20 minutes of play.
Keba Keita led the Utes in scoring through the first half, dropping 10 points as the first man off the Utah bench. Branden Carlson continued his consistent play, putting up seven points in the first half. Despite the two big men combining for 17 of the Utes’ 31 points, Utah was having difficulty finding the bottom of the basket early on and would need to make adjustments in the second half if they wanted to continue their win streak.
Second Half
The Utes came out of halftime and looked flustered as Washington State began to turn it up on the offensive end, taking a 40-34 lead into the first media timeout. The Cougars may have gotten a little too comfortable after grabbing a 6-point lead because, coming out of the timeout, Utah was playing with an entirely different energy on both ends of the floor. A Gabe Madsen layup would be the catalyst for an incredible 46-18 run in the last 15 minutes of the game to not only beat Washington State but dominate them.
The second half 3-point shooting was the story in this one, as Utah was able to knock seven threes to just two from Washington State. The Utes were able to get clean looks for their shooters thanks to the stellar playmaking ability of Rollie Worster and the incredible display of ball movement throughout the majority of half number two.
Utah looked like a completely different team in the last 15 minutes compared to the first 25. Coach Smith has done an unbelievable job all year, making adjustments at different points in the game to give his team the best chance to win these games down the stretch. Utah looks like a very complete team schematically and is giving the Utah faithful a whole lot to cheer for in the early months of the season.
Utes Stuffing the Stat Sheet
Madsen led the Utes in scoring with 20 points on the night, 18 of which came in the second half to help pace the offensive clinic that Utah put on. Carlson stuffed the box score, recording an astounding 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five blocks. Carlson continues to show that he is one of the best centers in the entire country, and it is only a matter of time before the rest of the country is aware of his talent. Keita continued to show his steady improvement as a scorer, putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. Worster has been a difference-maker at the point guard position for Smith, as he tallied 11 points and seven assists to help control the Utah offense.
What’s Next for the Utes?
Utah narrowly won 95-90 against the University of Washington on Sunday, Dec. 31, at the Huntsman Center. The Utes have won their last 8 games. They play Arizona State next on Jan. 4 at the Desert Financial Arena at 9:00 p.m. MT.
