The undermanned Runnin’ Utes fought hard on Saturday against the no. 18 BYU Cougars, but ultimately lost 75-64. The Utes hung with the Cougars for most of the night, before ultimately running out of steam, as BYU pulled away.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Worster stepped up in Anthony’s absence

With Utah’s best defender Marco Anthony out with an injury, guard Rollie Worster blanketed BYU star Alex Barcello for most of the game and made life difficult for him. Barcello still finished with 17 points, but 11 of his came from the foul line, where he was 11-12 on the night. Barcello was 6-6 at the line with under two minutes to play, as the Utes were continuously forced to foul.

Offensively, Worster finished his night with 13 points on 6-10 shooting, with six rebounds and five assists. It was an encouraging game, despite a difficult matchup for Utah’s young point guard.

Depth and rebounding were big issues

The Utes allowed two offensive rebounds on free throws in the closing minutes of the game which really put it out of reach, but were out-rebounded all game. The Utes for the most part played good defensive game, but they gave way too many second chances opportunities. With six players taking the majority of the minutes, by the end of the game Utah looked gassed.

The reality is this is a rebuilding program that gave great effort, but came up just short. It should be no surprise if this happens frequently, come Pac-12 play. It’s progress that fans need to be okay with, knowing this was never going to be a quick fix by Craig Smith and his staff. Also, Utah’s depth is about to be a year-long issue…

The injury bug has bit the Utes hard

Already playing without Bostyn Holt (season-ending) and glue-guy Marco Anthony, Utah lost their physical presence, Dusan Mahorcic one minute into the game to what looked to be a nasty leg injury. The program should know the severity soon, but they could be two guys for the season already, before Pac-12 play.

However long Anthony is out will be a big loss for the Utes. Losing Majorcic is just as bad, as he was becoming the enforcer in the paint.

Up next

Utah begins Pac-12 play and has a quick turnaround facing USC Wednesday 12/1 at 9:30 PM MST. They’ll then face Cal at home on 12/5