After starting Big 12 play 0–3, the Runnin’ Utes now find themselves on a two-game winning streak after defeating TCU in Fort Worth, TX on Wednesday night, 73–65.
For the second game in a row, Utah has led from start to finish. It’s been a refreshing sight as of late, as young talents continue to grow into their roles and merge.
Here are the takeaways from the victory:
Is the lineup getting solidified?
At times it’s been a mystery why some guys have a strong showing and then don’t play much the next game. Utah head coach Craig Smith has acknowledged it’s because of the game to game matchups, but at certain points that explanation sounds like an excuse.
Smith seems to finally have the front court figured out, as Keanu Dawes (16 points and six rebounds) and Jake Wahlin (eight points and 11 rebounds) are playing too good to be benched.
The back court now seems to be a head-scratcher as Utah’s third leading scorer Mason Madsen (10.2) didn’t see a minute against TCU and only saw five against Oklahoma State. Utah has instead elected to go with Hunter Erickson, likely due to positional versatility. Erickson is averaging 4.4 points per game on the season and he’s scored three points in his last four games combined, while playing over 20 minutes in each of them.
It was a block party
The Utes recorded seven blocked shots for the second straight game, which was their fourth time this season tallying seven or more blocks. Ezra Ausar and Lawson Lovering each had two, while Jake Wahlin, Gabe Madsen and Keanu Dawes each had one. For the season, Utah is averaging 4.2 blocks per game. One key component is Utah’s long positional length.
How much will this continue? A lot will be dependent on the consistency of the above takeaway regarding the lineups.
Utah finds way to win with inefficient Gabe Madsen
This is a small sample size, but one thing is clear: Utah will not be able to have sustained success without a more of fishing Gabe Madson. Madson led all scores on Wednesday night with 17 points, but he did so shooting 4–15 from the field and 2–11 from three-point range. In the two previous games, he scored one more point in each then he had shot attempts and before those three games, Gabe went through a four game stretch where he didn’t hit double figures in scoring.
The reality is, Gabe needs to play, so that’s not an issue. When he’s on, Utah can compete with most teams. However, it’s becoming painfully apparent that he needs to get in a more efficient groove on the basketball court for Utah to make any kind of statement over the long-haul of their first big 12 season.
Up next
The Runnin’ Utes will finish the week looking for a three-game Big 12 winning streak against rival BYU. The Cougars have yet to live up to their preseason hype. Both teams are tied in the conference standings with 2-3 conference records. BYU has five losses on the season compared to Utah’s six. The game will see the returns of former Utah big-man and one-time fan favorite Keba Keita and former Ute player and coach, Chris Burgess.
