Takeaways: Runnin’ Utes vs. Cal

The University of Utah honored former athletic director Dr. Chris Hill at halftime for his 31 years at the helm by retiring the number 31, and the Runnin’ Utes added to the occasion with a 60-45 victory over the California Golden Bears. The win completes a sweep of the Bay Area schools and pushes the Utes to 14-9 on the season and 5-6 in conference conference play.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Will the real Runnin’ Utes please stand up?

Even with all of the ups, downs, and injuries of the season so far, the Runnin’ Utes have defended the Huntsman Center all year. They have won by an average of 9.4 points, not counting the NCAA record setting 94-point victory over Mississippi Valley State University. The performances at home and a couple non-home victories over Nevada and Kentucky have given evidence that this team can compete in tough environments, but huge losses to San Diego State, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and UCLA leave fans wondering exactly who this team is. Are they the team that beat a seasoned BYU squad and powerhouse Kentucky in the month of December, or are they more like the team that was run out of the states of Colorado and Arizona? The answer lies somewhere in between the extremes, but the wins at home are providing a solid foundation of confidence for this young team.

Role players are starting to show improvement

For the first part of the season, it was clear that this team was going to be led by Timmy Allen, Rylan Jones, and then Both Gach, if not by choice, by necessity. Gach began struggling in December and his recent injury completed his current disappearing act, and conference teams locked in on Allen’s limited, yet effective, offensive game, while also focusing on Jones.

With those three in check, any significant offense was a serious question mark. Fans have heard about solid practices and guys finally learning what it is like to play P5 basketball, and now the work is starting to show itself in games. Branden Carlson is becoming a defensive force, Jaxon Brenchley is developing into a reliable three-point threat, and Alfonso Plummer’s defense is starting to catch up to his versatile offensive skillset. Mikael Jantunen and Riley Battin continue to steady the ship, but the role players are starting to grow just at the right time of the season.

Utes controlled the game even with poor shooting from outside

On a night where the baskets seemed to have lids attached—that kind of sounds like a broken record—the Utes held control for the entire game after jumping out to a 17-6 lead early in the contest. Despite only shooting 5-18 from three-point range (27.8%), Cal only threatened the lead a couple times throughout the game and their only lead came when the led 2-0. Utah’s control of the game really shows up in the turnovers, as the Utes only committed nine to Cal’s seventeen. The Runnin’ Utes outscored the Bears 22 to 7 on points off those turnovers and also won the battle in the paint, 32 to 24. The Runnin’ Utes paced the game, maintaining the lead for over 38 minutes of the game.

Up next

Utah begins the second half of their 2019-20 Pac-12 schedule as it hits the road again, next week. They’ll face off against Oregon State (14-9 overall, 4-7 Pac-12) on February 13th, as they look to sweep them on the season, and they’ll look for revenge against Oregon (18-6 overall, 7-4 Pac-12) on February 16th.