The Runnin’ Utes played host to the USC Trojans late Thursday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the first half of the final homestand of the season. Although the Utes won by single digits, winning 83 to 74, it seemed throughout the game that the outcome was never really in doubt.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

The seniors’ (nearly) final show was an impressive one

Seniors Parker Van Dyke, Sedrick Barefield have been long-standing pieces of Larry Krystkowiak’s squad, and Novak Topalovic has provided solid depth for the oft-injured junior Jayce Johnson. This season, these seniors have been crucial to the composure of an otherwise young Utah team. The second half of the season and tonight’s game was a great representation of their roles this year. Barefield had 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Van Dyke chipped in 20 of his own, going six for nine on three-pointers. Topalovic did not score a lot of points, but he had four points to go with seven rebounds and two blocks.

Timmy Allen continues to shine

The touted freshman from Arizona has grown into quite a force in his own right this year and Thursday night was another great example. Like Barefield, Allen had an all-around good game himself, scoring 19 points, grabbing five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block. Much like the team as a whole on the season, Allen has steadily improved over the course of the year. While Barefield and Van Dyke get the attention with their three-pointers, Allen has provided a great third option, adding a versatile piece of the Utah offense and establishing a solid foundation for next season’s team. In many ways, he's been the most consistent Ute, all season.

Topalovic Stepped Up

One of the pleasant surprises in the victory against USC, was the performance of Novak Topalovic. Starting center Jayce Johnson sat out with an unexpected ankle injury which resulted in more playing time for Topalovic. His numbers don’t stick out on the stat sheet but he made a big impact for the Utes. He scored four points and made both of the shots he attempted, while also recording seven rebounds.

Topalovic has had a bit of an up and down season and has struggled to find his rhythm on offense but he played one of his best games as a Ute on Thursday night. He also played great defense against Nick Rakocevic, who is one of the best centers in the Pac-12. The seven-foot Serbian also played 33 minutes which is a season high for Topalovic. Jayce Johnson’s ankle sprain doesn’t sound too concerning, but the solid play by Topalovic helped the Utes cruise to victory last night.

Up next

The Runnin’ Utes enter their Saturday matchup all alone in third place, as a bye in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament is in their sights. How important is a win on Saturday, though? Four conference foes are only one game behind them. Of those four, Utah split their season series Colorado, while they lost their only games to Oregon and Oregon State--only UCLA would have a worse overall record than Utah. What does all this mean/ Well, the Utes just need to focus on themselves and win.