The Utah Utes Men’s Basketball Team (6-2, 1-1) suffered a tough loss to BYU at home in what was their real first challenge of the season. Since then, the Utes have started their conference play, facing off against the then-No. 20 USC Trojans and unranked Cal Golden Bears.

Injury Woes

They split the games, losing to USC and beating Cal, but the biggest loss this Ute squad has suffered comes from an injury to star center Branden Carlson, who went down early against the Trojans. Carlson was able to return against the Golden Bears, though on limited minutes and seemingly hampered by his injury.

The Utes would be wise to let Carlson fully recover, as the dominant center is essential to their success and style of play. Coach Craig Smith likes a team that rebounds and plays defense, and Carlson leads the Utes in both aspects, not to mention his scoring.

The Utes are already banged up as it is. Gabe Madsen, Marco Anthony, Bostyn Holt, and Dusan Mahorcic all made significant contributions for Coach Smith, and don’t have a definite timetable for recovery. The one exception is Holt, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Trojan Domination

First up, we can talk about the road matchup against USC. The Trojans had just a three-point lead against the Utes when Carlson went down, but quickly took advantage of the lack of size and interior defense that the Utes displayed, getting consistent quality looks at the rim.

The Trojans ran away with the game, ending the half with a 48-28 advantage, and finishing the game with a final score of 93-73. For the Utes, guard Both Gach scored 28 points in 31 minutes. David Jenkins Jr., another guard, scored 21 points in his 30 minutes, pitching in four assists as well.

The Utes sorely missed Carlson, as they got outrebounded 51 to 32, and allowed the Trojans to get 16 offensive rebounds.

Bouncing Back Against Cal

The Utes overcame a six-point halftime deficit at home to beat the Golden Bears 66-58. It was a rough night for all parties on offense, as Cal only shot 40% from the field, while the Utes shot an abysmal 38%.

Cal was unable to find anything from long-distance, going 4/20 from three. The Utes weren’t much better, as they went 8/25. The shooting edge for Utah came at the charity stripe, where the Utes shot 12/15 over Cal’s 8/13.

The Utes were led in scoring by Both Gachs, who put up 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Branden Carlson was able to contribute 12 points and four rebounds in his 20 minutes of play.

 

 

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