Tonight’s match-up between the Runnin’ Utes and the Oregon Ducks came down to the wire. Big defensive plays and forcing turnovers were key in the second half for Utah, cutting the Oregon lead down to one with just under a minute left on the clock, but it wasn’t enough to have the edge. The Utes would eventually fall short in a 80-77 loss to the Ducks.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Madsen continues his growth in the Utes system

In just over two minutes of action to start the game, Utah freshman Gabe Madsen hit a quick barrage of three three-pointers. He would lead the Utes in points with 19, hitting five total three-pointers.

Madsen would have two opportunities in the final seconds to tie the game but both three-point attempts would fall short. Oregon extended their lead back to three off a breakaway layup which ultimately solidified their win in the Huntsman Center.

Utah head coach Craig Smith is rewarding his freshman with valuable opportunities, knowing it will eventually pay off. After his hot start, Madsen would go on to shoot 2-10 from long-distance the rest of the night, so there’s room for more growth. Eventually those late-game threes will also fall for him with more regularity.

For the remainder of the season, fans will be rewarded with encouraging performances by Madsen and fellow freshmen Lazar Stefanovic. They’ll also have their freshman moments, like Stefanovic did against the Ducks, only totaling four points on 2-5 shooting.

It’s all a part of the growth progress. Their positive development as cornerstones for the Utes’s future is obvious.

Oregon’s solid all-around shooting was too much for Utah

Utah’s quick start behind the hot shooting of Madsen faded fast. Oregon would go on a 13-0 run against the Utes as Utah struggled to stop the Ducks the remainder of the first half. The Utes themselves would only shoot 39.8% from the field in the opening half of play, despite Madsen’ hot start.

The difference-maker for the Ducks was Will Richardson, who was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points, hitting five of seven from the three-point line.

For the game, Oregon shot 43.9% from the field while the Utes would shoot 41.5% percent overall in a second-half surge. The Ducks would hit five more three-pointers than Utah with two less attempts.

Ultimately, Utah unfortunately would struggle from the free throw line hitting only 15-23 while Oregon made 9-10 attempts.

Taking pride in the small wins

Despite their size and athleticism, the Ducks only outrebounded Utah by three, 41-38. They also committed two more turnovers than Utah, 13-11. Utah was able to stay in the game in large part because of their points off turnovers (21 to Oregon’s 15) and points in the paint (32 for Utah to 26 for Oregon).

Going forward, Utah needs to focus on the small wins and these are two of them. For most of the season, they’ve been either outrebounded or lost the turnover battle. However, taking care of the ball is something they’ve shown great improvement in lately.

Marco Anthony recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Other key contributors for the Utes as they fought back from a 14-point deficit included Rollie Worster, who had 13 points and six assists, and Branden Carlson with 11 points and six rebounds.

This isn’t looking at games as if they’re moral victories. Instead, it’s understanding who you are as a team at this point in the season and taking pride in the improvement. There was enough to like and be encouraged by on Saturday night.

A great honor long overdue

Utah honored former Runnin’ Ute Tom Chambers by retiring his no. 42 jersey at halftime. Chambers’ played for Utah from 1977-81, he was a two-time All-WAC center and led the Utes to two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was the No. 8 pick in the 1981 NBA Draft by the San Diego Clippers and played 16 seasons in the league.

Like Wat Misaka, it was an honor long overdue and Utah’s athletic director Mark Harlan and his staff deserve a lot of credit for recognizing this and making it happen.

Up next

After an encouraging week of basketball, Utah won’t play until next Saturday, as they head out on the road to face the 14-9 Colorado Buffaloes. It gives the team time to refresh, evaluate plenty of film and see how they can take their next positive steps forward under Smith.