At the start of the new year, the Utes had a 2-0 conference record, an 11-2 overall record, and were creeping closer to receiving a top 25 ranking.

Following a frustrating loss to Arizona State to begin the new year, the Utes hoped to steal a game from Arizona Saturday night. The Utes were able to keep it close for a half, but ultimately fell to the Wildcats 92-73, dropping them to 11-4 and 2-2 in the Pac-12.

Here’s the takeaways:

Utah Couldn’t Cool Down Arizona’s Shooters

Arizona was red hot from the floor Saturday night, and shot over 60% from the field and 55% from three point range. The Utes forced 10 first half turnovers, and shot the ball well to keep up in the first half, but couldn’t maintain that pace in the second half as the Wildcats continued to put the ball in the hoop with ease.

Utah continued to improve in forcing takeaways, forcing 17 turnovers in the game, but they still haven’t found an answer for limiting outside shooting.

In all, there were eight lead changes, before Arizona began to pull away for the victory. Wildcat star, Caleb Love, scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the decisive second half.

Both Carlsons Struggled

As is often the case, the Utes success was tied to the success of Branden Carlson — and Ben Carlson’s quiet but successful approach. Saturday night, though, was a rough night for both of them. The two shot a combined 3-14 from three point range and 7-22 overall.

With Keiba Keita exiting the game early in the first half with an injury and Lawson Lovering in foul trouble most of the game, both Carlson’s were depended upon throughout the game, and it just wasn’t their night.

As effective as both Brandon and Ben have been, they’ll need to become much more physical presences if Keita, Utah’s enforcer, is out for a long period of time.

Madsen Shined in the Loss

Despite most of the Utes struggling in this contest, Gabe Madsen had a great game offensively. He led Utah with 18 points, hitting 4-9 three-pointers and shot over 50% on the night (7-13).

One game after putting up only four shots, Utah did what they could to get their sharpshooter involved.

As Utah gets into the thick of Pac-12 play, they will need offensive consistency from both Madsen and Branden Carlson. Without that, they best they can likely finish is middle of the pack. The Utes will need Madsen, especially, to stay hot and look for his shot as they look to get back on track in conference play.

Up Next

The 11-4 Runnin’ Utes will return to the Huntsman Center this Thursday to face the surprisingly struggling 6-8 UCLA Bruins. They will follow that up hosting 7-7 Stanford a few days later.