The Runnin’ Utes continued they’re resurgence under Craig Smith with a statement win on Saturday against the No. 14 BYU Cougars.
Despite Utah’s early dominance, BYU made a late run to make it a nail-biter, but the Utes hung on 73-69.
Here are the takeaways from the game:
The opening minutes won the game
Utah got off to a hot start, immediately from the tip, leading at one point 17-5. Cole Bajema got the Utes started on the opening possession with a three-pointer and stars Branden Carlson and Gabe Madsen both scored the majority of their points in the first half. Of Carlson’s 15 points, 13 came in the first half. Madsen led all scorers with 17 for the game, and 11 of those came in the first.
With Carlson and Madsen taking the lead, Utah shot 56.7% from the field in the first half and 40% from three-point range, drilling 6-15. Utah outrebounded the Cougars by seven in the crucial half and stretched their biggest lead to 14 with 1:11 before the break.
As impressive as that start was, BYU went on to make adjustments and Utah got cold, leading to a memorable rivalry game finish.
Utah was uncomfortably stuck on 58
With 12:54 remaining in the game, Utah seemed to be cruising and comfortably ahead, 58-48 after a Rollie Worster layup. But, that’s when all hell broke loose. Utah didn’t score again until the 6:23 mark on a Lawson Lovering free-throw. In that span they missed six shots in a row and two turnovers. Even after Utah broke their scoring drought, BYU maintained the momentum and got as close as 61-59.
Utah then went on the last important run of the game to stretch their lead to 68-61as sophomore menace Keba Keita had two key baskets. He finished with 10 points and six rebounds, but his biggest moment came on BYU’s final possession before their half court heave. Let's discuss it more in the next takeaway…
Keita is a budding star and a menacing force
Utah’s sophomore enforcer might be the most pleasant surprise for the Runnin’ Utes on a season filled with so many early on. Saddled with foul trouble on Saturday, he only played just under 14 minutes, but the Cougars will be happy they don’t see him the rest of the year.
Keita brought his trademark punishing nature to the game on both ends of the court. With nine seconds left and down 71-69, BYU made a critical mistake by attacking Keita near the block. He disrupted the rhythm of the play against Aly Khalifa as he passed it to Dallin Hall, as Keita closed the lane on Hall, leading him to losing the ball out-of-bounds.
Ballgame. What a force. What a weapon. Along with Worster, Keita has become a glue guy that's extremely vital to Utah’s success.
Up next
The Runnin’ Utes have a week to relish their victory over BYU, while also preparing for the Utah Valley Wolverines. UVU has struggled to a 6-4 record so far under new head coach, Todd Phillips. The Wolverines are led by forward Caleb Stone-Carrawell who is averaging 13.6 points per game. He’s followed by guards Drake Allen and Tanner Toolson, also average double-figures with 11.6 and 11 points per game, respectively.
The one big question next week: Does Utah crack the Top 25 for the first time under head coach Craig Smith?
