Utah Utes guard Lazar Stefanovic (20) will get to a unfastened ball as Jacksonville State Gamecocks ahead Marcellus Brigham Jr. (4) stumbles on the Jon M. Huntsman Heart in Salt Lake Metropolis on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
It is likely to be time for the nation’s faculty basketball consultants to start out paying just a little consideration to those Runnin’ Utes.
Coach Craig Smith has assembled a stable, good, robust and cohesive staff in his second season in Salt Lake Metropolis.
Every week after routing No. 4 Arizona and 4 days after bettering to 2-0 in Pac-12 play with a giant highway win in additional time at Washington State, the Utes returned to a smallish introduced crowd of 5,295 followers on the Huntsman Heart on Thursday evening and made fast work of a good Jacksonville State staff that was .500 getting into the mismatch.
“Now we have excessive stage decision-makers. Now we have a variety of guys who can shoot it, cross it, dribble it.” — Utah basketball coach Craig Smith.
“Jacksonville State goes to have a superb 12 months, I'm simply telling ya,” Smith mentioned.
Utah (2-0, 8-2) is on its option to a incredible 12 months, or so it appears.
Lazar Stefanovic scored a career-high 20 factors, Branden Carlson scored 19 factors and grabbed eight rebounds in 23 minutes and Gabe Madsen added 16 factors and 4 assists as Utah blitzed the Gamecocks 99-58 in one other hardly-broke-a-sweat-stroll on the Huntsman.
The Utes went 16 of 28 from 3-point vary (57%), which was higher than they shot from the sphere (55.9%) ,and customarily toyed with its opponent the whole evening. The 16 3-pointers ties three different video games for the fourth-most in a single sport in Utah basketball historical past.
“We had a superb taking pictures evening, that’s true,” mentioned Stefanovic. “We had been two (3-pointers) from the file (truly, only one). Too dangerous we didn’t get that. We're a staff stuffed with shooters, and once we transfer the ball the best way we all know, all people is open, we get rhythm pictures, and so they all fall down. We simply gotta belief it.”
Belief this, in case you haven’t been paying consideration, or exhibiting up on the video games — and there are a lot of of you in that latter class: Utah is fairly good, people. This isn't Smith’s 11-20 staff of a 12 months in the past, not even shut.
Utah’s solely losses had been to an athletic and senior-laded Sam Houston staff and 52-49 to undefeated Mississippi State (8-0) in Florida.
And the routs will possible proceed, with UTSA arising Tuesday after which a highway journey to Provo to face struggling BYU up subsequent week in what's wanting like one of many greater mismatches in latest rivalry historical past.
“Now we have excessive stage decision-makers,” Smith mentioned. “Now we have a variety of guys who can shoot it, cross it, dribble it.”
It was the primary time since a sport in opposition to Missouri final 12 months that three or extra Utes scored 15 factors or extra. Marco Anthony added 10 factors and 5 assists and teamed with reigning Pac-12 Participant of the Week Rollie Worster (eight assists) to place the defensive clamps on JSU’s two greatest gamers, Demaree King and Skyelar Potter.
It’s time to provide this ball membership, which is simply No. 50 in KenPom.com and solely receiving votes within the AP High 25 ballot, just a little extra respect.
“I don’t suppose we fear about it an excessive amount of. It's good to get just a little props right here and there, however we're simply targeted on ourselves proper now and simply controlling what we are able to management, and simply getting higher,” Branden Carlson mentioned, after grabbing eight rebounds and blocking two pictures to go together with his 19 factors.
How dominant had been the Utes Thursday evening?
Some followers felt so dangerous for Jacksonville State that they really cheered when the Gamecocks made their first basket, which got here with 14:24 remaining within the first half. In fact, simply earlier than that Utah had a 19-0 lead and followers had been questioning if the guests had been ever going to attain, having missed their first six pictures.
Utah went on a 19-5 run within the second half to place it away.
About the one non-positive information for the Utes was a pregame announcement that BYU graduate-transfer Gavin Baxter, who had appeared in Utah’s first seven video games, is medically retiring.
“I believe the world of Gavin,” Smith mentioned. “… He was excellent for us. My coronary heart goes out to him. He’s an exquisite particular person.”
Carlson mentioned it was a tough choice for Baxter to make.
“However he seems like it's your best option for him proper now, and we help him quite a bit. We're going to miss him on the staff,” Carlson mentioned.
One of many greatest roars got here when time was stopped. Madsen took over mopping duties early within the second half throughout a break to wipe up some perspiration close to the scorer’s desk, drawing applause.
The most important cheers, nonetheless, got here a number of moments later when freshman sensation Keba Keita swatted a shot on the defensive finish, ran the ground, took a lob from Stefanovic and slammed house his second two-handed, rim-wrecking dunk to provide the Utes a 70-32 lead with 12:42 left within the second half.
Keita, who's shortly turning into a fan favourite together with his blocked pictures and ferocious dunks, had six factors on 3 of 4 taking pictures.
“He’s sort of a quiet man, however he simply brings a lot vitality,” Carlson mentioned.
A number of moments after Keita’s jaw-dropping explosions on the rim, Carlson took an alley-oop from Madsen and dunked it house. If that wasn’t spectacular sufficient, after a Stefanovic 3-pointer, Carlson had a rebound dunk.
"When @Keba_Keita_13 dunks, the rim kinda shivers..."🥶
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) December 9, 2022
Protection, creates offense 🔨🔨
📲 https://t.co/ixPI2ALTlb#GoUtespic.twitter.com/p9DNSATpJg
Carlson and Anthony left the sport for good with Utah main 82-36 with slightly below 9 minutes left.
Jacksonville State missed its first six pictures and didn’t rating till Clarence “Monzy” Jackson made a 3-pointer greater than 5 minutes into the sport. The Gamecocks shot 37% from the ground and dedicated 15 turnovers.
“I really feel like we all know one another approach higher now,” Stefanovic mentioned. “I really feel like we're wonderful defensively, quite a bit higher than final 12 months. I believe that was an enormous factor for us the entire 12 months, to this point.”
Madsen led the Utes’ first-half onslaught as Utah jumped out to a fast 19-0 lead. He scored 13 factors within the first 20 minutes on 5 of 10 taking pictures from the sphere, together with 3 of 6 from 3-point vary. Utah led 45-23 at halftime, taking pictures 47% from 3-point vary (7 of 15) and 49% from the ground (17 of 35).
“It feels nice, it feels nice,” Stefanovic mentioned of his career-high. “Everytime you win its feels wonderful. How a lot you rating is just not as vital. Our staff performed nice, and I'm actually blissful for it. A variety of guys had good video games and we're in a superb rhythm proper now.”
And possibly due just a little extra nationwide respect.