It might be time for the nation’s college basketball experts to start paying a little attention to these Runnin’ Utes.
Coach Craig Smith has assembled a solid, smart, tough and cohesive team in his second season in Salt Lake City.
A week after routing No. 4 Arizona and four days after improving to 2-0 in Pac-12 play with a big road win in overtime at Washington State, the Utes returned to a smallish announced crowd of 5,295 fans at the Huntsman Center on Thursday night and made quick work of a decent Jacksonville State team that was .500 entering the mismatch.
“We have high level decision-makers. We have a lot of guys who can shoot it, pass it, dribble it.” — Utah basketball coach Craig Smith.
“Jacksonville State is going to have a good year, I am just telling ya,” Smith said.
Utah (2-0, 8-2) is on its way to a fantastic year, or so it seems.
Lazar Stefanovic scored a career-high 20 points, Branden Carlson scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 23 minutes and Gabe Madsen added 16 points and four assists as Utah blitzed the Gamecocks 99-58 in another hardly-broke-a-sweat-stroll at the Huntsman.
The Utes went 16 of 28 from 3-point range (57%), which was better than they shot from the field (55.9%) ,and generally toyed with its opponent the entire night. The 16 3-pointers ties three other games for the fourth-most in a single game in Utah basketball history.
“We had a good shooting night, that’s true,” said Stefanovic. “We were two (3-pointers) from the record (actually, just one). Too bad we didn’t get that. We are a team full of shooters, and when we move the ball the way we know, everybody is open, we get rhythm shots, and they all fall down. We just gotta trust it.”
Trust this, in case you haven’t been paying attention, or showing up at the games — and there are many of you in that latter category: Utah is pretty good, folks. This is not Smith’s 11-20 team of a year ago, not even close.
Utah’s only losses were to an athletic and senior-laded Sam Houston team and 52-49 to undefeated Mississippi State (8-0) in Florida.
And the routs will likely continue, with UTSA coming up Tuesday and then a road trip to Provo to face struggling BYU up next week in what is looking like one of the bigger mismatches in recent rivalry history.
“We have high level decision-makers,” Smith said. “We have a lot of guys who can shoot it, pass it, dribble it.”
It was the first time since a game against Missouri last year that three or more Utes scored 15 points or more. Marco Anthony added 10 points and five assists and teamed with reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Rollie Worster (eight assists) to put the defensive clamps on JSU’s two best players, Demaree King and Skyelar Potter.
It’s time to give this ball club, which is just No. 50 in KenPom.com and only receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll, a little more respect.
“I don’t think we worry about it too much. It is nice to get a little props here and there, but we are just focused on ourselves right now and just controlling what we can control, and just getting better,” Branden Carlson said, after grabbing eight rebounds and blocking two shots to go with his 19 points.
How dominant were the Utes Thursday night?
Some fans felt so bad for Jacksonville State that they actually cheered when the Gamecocks made their first basket, which came with 14:24 remaining in the first half. Of course, just before that Utah had a 19-0 lead and fans were wondering if the visitors were ever going to score, having missed their first six shots.
Utah went on a 19-5 run in the second half to put it away.
About the only non-positive news for the Utes was a pregame announcement that BYU graduate-transfer Gavin Baxter, who had appeared in Utah’s first seven games, is medically retiring.
“I think the world of Gavin,” Smith said. “… He was outstanding for us. My heart goes out to him. He’s a wonderful person.”
Carlson said it was a hard decision for Baxter to make.
“But he feels like it is the best choice for him right now, and we support him a lot. We are going to miss him on the team,” Carlson said.
One of the biggest roars came when time was stopped. Madsen took over mopping duties early in the second half during a break to wipe up some perspiration near the scorer’s table, drawing applause.
The biggest cheers, however, came a few moments later when freshman sensation Keba Keita swatted a shot on the defensive end, ran the floor, took a lob from Stefanovic and slammed home his second two-handed, rim-wrecking dunk to give the Utes a 70-32 lead with 12:42 left in the second half.
Keita, who is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his blocked shots and ferocious dunks, had six points on 3 of 4 shooting.
“He’s kind of a quiet guy, but he just brings so much energy,” Carlson said.
A few moments after Keita’s jaw-dropping explosions at the rim, Carlson took an alley-oop from Madsen and dunked it home. If that wasn’t impressive enough, after a Stefanovic 3-pointer, Carlson had a rebound dunk.
Carlson and Anthony left the game for good with Utah leading 82-36 with just under nine minutes left.
Jacksonville State missed its first six shots and didn’t score until Clarence “Monzy” Jackson made a 3-pointer more than five minutes into the game. The Gamecocks shot 37% from the floor and committed 15 turnovers.
“I feel like we know each other way better now,” Stefanovic said. “I feel like we are amazing defensively, a lot better than last year. I think that was a huge thing for us the whole year, so far.”
Madsen led the Utes’ first-half onslaught as Utah jumped out to a quick 19-0 lead. He scored 13 points in the first 20 minutes on 5 of 10 shooting from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Utah led 45-23 at halftime, shooting 47% from 3-point range (7 of 15) and 49% from the floor (17 of 35).
“It feels great, it feels great,” Stefanovic said of his career-high. “Whenever you win its feels amazing. How much you score is not as important. Our team played great, and I am really happy for it. A lot of guys had good games and we are in a good rhythm right now.”
And probably due a little more national respect.