The Runnin' Utes and the Colorado Buffaloes faced off on Wednesday night in a game that started off slow as both teams struggled to put up points. Ultimately, Utah would gain control for most of the game and pull away in the end, 72-59.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Utah led for nearly all 40 minutes, but…

The Buffaloes' lone lead came with 13-10 left in the first half on a Javon Ruffin three-pointer. The Utes trail for 45 seconds before retaking the lead and never looking back. Despite that positive, the (9-13, 0-11 Big 12) Buffs kept the game close through the majority of the night.

The Utes finally put enough comfortable distance between them and Colorado with 3:17 left in the game on a three from Hunter Erickson. Utah’s biggest lead was 15 and it didn’t come until 1:06 left in the game, as Utah had finished an 11-0 scoring run in the closing minutes.

A win is a win, but the fact that the Utes struggled at home against the Colorado team that is winless and conference play should be concerning. The game was much closer than the final score indicated.

Madsen brothers led the way

Gabe and Mason Madsen both finished in double-figures with Gabe tallying 17 points and Mason 10. Lawson Lovering finished with 12 and Ezra Ausar had 10. In what still seems to be an interesting decision, Mason hasn’t played 20+ minutes in a game since Baylor on 12/31, and that was the last time he had scored in double-figures before Wednesday.

After a prolonged cold-streak, Gabe seems to finally have his shooting touch back. This was his third straight game with 15+ points.

It was a strong defensive effort

The Utes held Colorado to 20 first half points on 27.6% shooting overall and 18.8% from long-distance. The Buffs shot better in the second half, with 50% and 36.4%, respectively but it was enough as the hole had already been dug. The Utes, for their part, shot miserably from the free-throw line going 18-35 for the game, helping keep Colorado in the game.

There’s really no definitive defensive takeaway to take from this game and look forward to going forward, as Colorado is just a bad basketball team in 2024-25.

Up next

The Utes will finish the week by traveling to Morgantown to face off against 14-8 West Virginia.