The Utah - BYU men's basketball conference rivalry was renewed on Saturday night in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, with Utah winninga back and forth battle 73 to 72 in overtime. Throughout the game, Utah looked in control , although struggling to make open baskets kept the game close for BYU, including going only 5 for 12 from the free throw line in overtime.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Lovering and Ausar controlled the game in the second half

Lovering had 7 points at half time and Ausar just two, but they both came out dominating BYU’s bigs in the paint in the second half, particularly Ausar. BYU’s Traore and Keita both struggled early to keep Ausar under control as Ausar quickly scored 12 points early in the second half. Lovering left the game with 4 fouls around the 8-minute mark that gave BYU a bit of breathing room, but the combination of Lovering and Ausar on offense could be one to watch the rest of the season as Lovering finished with 13 points and a career-high 26 points for Ausar. Foul trouble and missed free throws kept the frontcourt duo from a truly special performance.

Utah looked the part against BYU

For the better part of the last 10-15 years, BYU has clearly looked like the better team in the rivalry. Utah has earned some wins during that stretch, but BYU has typically looked like the stronger, tougher, and more athletic team. The tone felt different in this episode of the rivalry from the opening tip, with Utah generally looking like the more complete team most of the game with the exception of missed open shots by the Utes. BYU hit some well-timed shots throughout the game to keep it close, and Utah missed many good looks from three, shooting only 26% on the night (6 for 23). Aside from poor shooting and high effort from BYU, Utah looked like the stronger team.

Guard play was lacking

A glaring deficiency in the game for Utah was the guard play. Gabe Madsen's struggles have been well-documented, but he, his brother Mason, Mike Sharavjamts, and Hunter Erickson only combined 19 points on 2 of 22 shooting, including Madsen going only 1 of 11 from three. Gabe’s shooting seems lost to the ice age, and the guard play seems to follow his streakiness. Utah shot less than 30% from behind the arc as a team, and the guards were mostly non-factors in the second half with the exception of Hunter Erickson in overtime. On a slightly related-note, the Utes continue to struggle from the free throw line, shooting only 53% on 32 attempts, missing several freebies in clutch moments, including four in a row missed in overtime that could have put the game out of reach.

Up next

The Runnin’ Utes travel to Houston to play the #10 Cougars on Tuesday evening on ESPN+. The Utes are now 11-6 on the season and 3-3 in Big 12 play.