Advertisement
basketball Edit

Takeaways: Shorthanded Utes Lose to the Stanford Cardinal

On a night where the University of Utah had to dig deep into their bench, a hot start was all for not, as the Runnin' Utes went ice cold eight minutes into the game. The Stanford Cardinal took advantage of the Utes sudden lack of depth and ended Utah's three game win streak with a 73-66 victory.

Here are the takeaways from the game:


Cold stretch puts Utah in hole

The Utes led 14-4 with 13 minutes left in the first half, but then a 23-4 Stanford run gave the Cardinal a 27 to 18 lead just nine minutes later. During that time, Utah only made one field goal, a three-pointer by Branden Carlson, and a free throw. Alfonso Plummer looked like he was going to have another great night, scoring eight points in the first few minutes, but it was a tough going from that point on, ad he finished with 14 points on 5 of 14, and just 3 for 9 from three-point range.

These rough stretches game games have become a norm, as either cold shooting or in-game adjustments seem to always get the best of the.


Missing pieces felt

Rylan Jones sat in street clothes and a sling, and Mikael Jantunen was called up by the Finnish national team for a few games. From there, it’ll depend on how long he could have to quarantine, before the Utes have Jantunen back. Their absences are big, as those two have logged a majority of the minutes on the season, and this team was looking like it was starting to really put things together.

Despite Jones' struggles this season, his on-court presence provides stability in an uncertain season, and Jantunen has been a consistent, solid performer who does all of the needed and under-appreciated dirty work. Without Jantunen banging down low, the Utes were out rebounded 34-30. Say what you will about Jones’ sophomore struggles, but these two are vital to Utah’s success.

One game after a career high, Ian Martinez was saddled with foul trouble. Combine that with Jantunen’s absence and the Utes had to turn to two guys that seldom see the court: Jordan Kellier and Jaxon Brenchley.

Utah’s depth is getting tested and guys have a golden opportunity. Can they take advantage of it? Not against the Cardinal, at least.


Bright spots - Allen and Carlson

Brandon Carlson posted a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling in 11 rebounds. He's stepped up his game in the last few weeks, and earning a double-double is another piece of evidence of his suddenly sustained improvement, in 2020-21. Timmy Allen finished the game with 18 points and eight boards, just missing on his own double-double. After initially struggling, Allen found his game in the second half, scoring 14 of those points, as the Utes made a late push to claw back into the game.

With Jones and Jantunen out, the Utes need big performance by these two on a nightly basis. And they delivered on that, despite the loss.


Up next

The Runnin' Utes continue their road trip and travel to Corvallis on Thursday to take on Oregon State, who is currently on a two game losing streak. They’ll close out their Pacific Northwest trip on Saturday against a tough Oregon Ducks squad.


Advertisement