Takeaways: Plummer and the Utes Rally to Beat Colorado

The Runnin' Utes rallied back from 19 down midway through the second half to steal a win from a good Colorado Buffaloes squad, 77 to 74. The Utes have now won three of their last five games and seem to be starting to play more up to their potential.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Plummer sparks the comeback

It was a rough first half for Alfonso Plummer who saw action for only a minute and a half, before committing two fouls and finding himself on the bench for the rest of the first twenty minutes. Ultimately in the Utes big second half turnaround, Plummer scored 21 of his 23 points in the final eight minutes to lead the charge. He hit four three-pointers off the bench. Plummer's 4-point play at the 3:24 mark gave the Utes a 70 to 69 lead that they held onto until the end.

Draining 23 points in just 17 minutes shows the kind of hot streak that Plummer can find himself in at any point during a game. While him coming off the bench raised some eyebrows earlier this season, there is no question that he gives the bench an extra boost when he catches fire. It’s not about who starts, it’s about who finishes. However, it’s still debatable as to whether he’s maximized in that role.

Allen earns second double-double on season

Timmy Allen added 17 points to Plummer's 23, but Allen also pulled in 10 rebounds for his second double-double on the season. Allen had 15 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds in the loss to Washington last week. Utah needs Allen to consistently play well in the final month to have any shot at making some noise in the conference tournament.

The dependable junior does so many things well that don’t end up in the box score. He’s a steady floor general, even though he’s a forward. He’s a rock-solid defender. He’s a calming voice and almost another coach on the floor. Allen is averaging close to 35 minutes a game since the new year, showing how much the team is leaning on him.

Jones' struggles continue

Rylan Jones finished the game with zero points and two assists in 17 minutes. Last season, Jones was one of the constants, but this season, his numbers have dropped considerably. Will Jones find his game down the home stretch? He’s too elite of a talent to have this type of drought. If he can regain his form in the remaining weeks of the season, he will bring a level of stability to a team that at times seems to be close to figuring things out.

Krystkowiak stated that of the 360 minutes of conference play, his guys have been ahead for 210 of it. There are a lot of reasons for the games not ending Utah’s way: the lack of physicality on the roster, struggles with in-game adjustments, and the season-long struggle from their promising floor general. Jones is the easiest of those three to get fixed and when he catches his groove, this team will show more upward consistency.

Up next

After the schedule was initially adjusted for the Utes to play Arizona State twice in one week, their game on Tuesday has now been canceled. The Utes will host the Arizona Wildcats this coming Thursday in Salt Lake City at 5PM and then host the Sun Devils at noon on Sunday.