The 10-2 Runnin’ Utes are cruising and on a seven-game winning streak, and they defeated 9-3 Washington State in the Pac-12 opener on Saturday night, 80-58. After a good first half, Utah fell behind in the second, only to see Gabe Madsen go from ice cold to scorching hot.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Madsen led jaw-dropping second half

The Utes led 31-29 at the end of the first half, and the Cougars came out hot after halftime, leading by as many as six points with 16:08 left to play. Madsen, Utah’s sharpshooter had been held scoreless in the first half and only had two points, until suddenly going en fuego. He scored 16 points over the next four minutes, putting Utah comfortably ahead by nine. Madsen would finish with a game-high 20 points.

The Utes shot 63.6% from long-distance in the second half and 41.2% for the game. Overall, they shot 60% from the field in the final half and 47.5% for the game. Despite their strong start after halftime, Washington State was stymied most of the game by Utah’s defense, shooting 31.7% from the field and 20% from long-distance.

Along with Carlson, Utah now has a Core Four

In past years it’s seemed like the stars to the game would be Branden Carlson and then maybe one other guy. Suddenly and with consistency this season, Gabe Madsen, Rollie Worster, and Keba Keita have all delivered steady performances.

This team is much deeper than recent squads, with several others giving impactful moments and minutes, but the core four has Utah winning consistently and battling in every game.

To go along with Madsen’s big night, Carlson had a huge performance with 19 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and five assists. The do-it-all big man as joined in double-figures by both Keita and Worster. Keita had 18 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Worster finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Rank these men

Utah has impressive wins on their resume over Wake Forest and No. 14 BYU. Their two losses came to No. 3 Houston and a solid St. John’s squad while Utah was without their enforcer Keita. They’ve been on the fringes of the Top 25 for weeks now. After an impressive blowout win against a good Washington State, it’s time to reward their hard work.

If the Utes can beat the Washington Huskies on New Year’s Eve, Utah should once again have a Top 25 basketball team.

Up next

It's time to pack the Huntsman Center and usher in the new year on Sunday as the Utes face the 8-4 Huskies. As mentioned, win that and they are in the Top-25. However, the next week gets difficult. Utah will head out on their Arizona road trip to face 7-5 Arizona State on Thursday, before a big showdown with the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats on Saturday.

Sweep the following slate and Utah makes a big jump in the polls. First however, their need to finish business this weekend against Washington.