Takeaways: Utah vs MVSU
The Runnin’ Utes opened their 2019-20 home schedule on Friday night in NCAA record-breaking fashion, thanks to a 143-49 trouncing of the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. It was a decisive win that, regardless of the opponent, should give Ute fans a lot of hope and intrigue for the season.
Here are the takeaways from the game:
That wasn’t exactly running up the score
The Utes set a D1 record on Friday with a 94-point thumping of Mississippi Valley State. Just hearing that number, there’s a lot to unpack. Most will come away thoroughly impressed, while some are sure to point out that Utah ran up the score against an inferior opponent.
Here’s the thing though, the same Delta Devils squad that scored only 49 points against Utah, scored 74 against Iowa State.
The Utes have a team of 11 freshmen—that’s actually a number that needs to stop being said, since it includes walk-ons—playing in their second game. Are you really going to restrict guys that are new to the college game, when you’re trying to get momentum going forward? Most coaches wouldn’t.
Not to mention, go back, watch the film and you’ll see that Mississippi Valley State constantly tried pushing the tempo. Within all of that, Utah out-rebounded them 68 to 28 and the Utes shoot nearly 40% better from the field. The Utes also took 34 high-risk shots from three-point range and drilled 50% of them. This included two walk-ons making 5/7 three-point attempts.
Sure there’s one area where you can say Utah ran up the score, but instead I look at it as them giving their hotshot, unselfish, and team-first point guard the ultimate confidence boost. This leads us to…
Both Gach and Rylan Jones should have more triple-doubles to come
As a bigger and versatile guard—who can also play at forward—Gach has the size and raw athleticism to fill up the stat sheet. Listed at 6 feet, Jones does not. However, both have excellent court vision that helps them as both passers and finding gaps to go to in the rebounding lanes. Last night was especially easy for them to get rebounding opportunities, as Mississippi Valley rarely seemed to get set on offense.
The two triple-doubles were reportedly the first for the Utes since Alex Jensen in 1999–which is a bit of surprise. It was also the first time a D1 team had had two players reach that feat, in twenty years.
The Utes are fortunate to have two talented playmakers, and between the two of them, more triple-doubles are likely to come.
The Utes have two sharpshooters off the bench
Okay, now that’s something that, regardless of the early practice reports, not many would have expected. Both Alfonso Plummer and Jaxon Benchley were on fire from three-point range going a combined 9/15, with Brenchley making 4/4.
Going into the season, the question for Brenchley was when he would shake off his mission rust. If he can, at the minimum, stretch the court and provide early season depth, anything after that for Pac-12 play will be an added bonus.
The question for Plummer wasn’t anything he did or didn't do, it was more the track record of late pickups from the JuCo ranks under Krystkowiak. Many times those JuCo guys have had high preseason praise, only to struggle throughout the season. Plummer shows a court awareness and swagger that could make him an outlier like Delon Wright was, and not the norm.
Up next
The Utes will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers next Friday 7PM MST at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. While Utah has a week off, Minnesota will have two big games against Oklahoma and Butler. Therefore, while Utah May be the more rested of the two, the Golden Gophers will be much more battle-tested. It’s sure to be a perfect early season measuring stick for the Utes.