Runnin’ Utes get 2 of their big men back from injury in blowout victory over Mississippi Valley State

The most noticeable difference about the Utah men’s basketball team on Tuesday night against Mississippi Valley State was quite noticeable — think 7 feet tall.

That’s because the Runnin’ Utes’ two tallest players — Lawson Lovering and Zach Keller — were available for the first time this season.

That gave Utah fans something to monitor in an otherwise expected blowout, as the Runnin’ Utes ran past the Delta Devils 94-48 at the Huntsman Center.

“I loved our last two days of prep coming into the game — we had a great look to us before the game, and I thought we played like it,” Utah coach Craig Smith said. “I just thought there was a rhythm to what we were doing on the offensive end. I loved how connected we were defensively, just did a lot of great things.

“It was awesome to see Lawson and Zach out there. We looked totally different.”

It was the first game in the two-part Mountain to Sea Showcase the Utes are hosting this year — essentially a two-game home MTE event for Utah (5-1).

While the Utes have traditionally gone out of state for these holiday time tournaments — last year, they played in the Charleston Classic and faced St. John’s, Wake Forest and Houston — the hometown tourney gave Utah fans who braved the wintery weather a preview of what could be coming with Lovering and Keller in the lineup.

“It feels good to make some plays right out of the gate and kind of get yourself going and get yourself in the flow, especially coming back after not playing for a month, really. It was great to do that.”

—  Utah center Lawson Lovering

The senior Lovering, in particular, showed well in his first action this season.

He started the game with a dunk on the opening possession — Lovering rolled off a screen and threw down the game’s first points off an assist from Gabe Madsen.

Later in the first half, he missed a short left-handed shot, collected his own miss, then dunked it home.

His quick start made it apparent any nervousness that Lovering, coming back from an ankle injury, may have felt didn’t phase him.

“It feels good to make some plays right out of the gate and kind of get yourself going and get yourself in the flow, especially coming back after not playing for a month, really. It was great to do that,” Lovering said.

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His final points of the game came when he got a circus shot to fall on a play where he was undercut and fouled. Lovering then banked in the free throw.

Lovering had 12 points — all in the first half — to go along with seven rebounds (four on the offensive end) and two assists in 12 minutes. He played just three minutes in the second half.

“It felt good. You know you watch on the sidelines, you hope that you can get out there someday and play with the guys and contribute to the team,” Lovering said, who added he’s not 100% but improving each day. “It felt good to actually be out there and help our guys win this game.”

Both of Lovering’s assists went to Ezra Ausar, leading to points close to the basket.

“He’s become a lot better player around the basket, finishing plays, and he saw a little bit of that tonight,” Smith said of Lovering. “He missed a couple, but I mean, it’s finding his rhythm and his spots again.

“That was very, very noticeable for our players, for every coach in our program, to build confidence that way. And it was awesome to see him.”

Keller’s night was quieter, though the Wake Forest transfer got his first minutes as a Ute, playing 16 in the win while adding three points on an and-one opportunity late in the game to go with three rebounds.

While nerves appeared to affect Keller in his early minutes, he began to settle down as the game progressed.

“He’s just another versatile guy that can bring a lot of different things to the table,” Smith said. “And what I really love about him is just he knows who he is, you know what I mean, and he’s a totally team guy, and he’s super physical and rugged.”

While Lovering and Keller, along with several other standout efforts, were a nice sideshow against Mississippi Valley State, the main show was — as always — Madsen.

The Utes’ fifth-year senior poured in 27 points, four off his career high and tying his season, and hit seven 3-pointers while shooting 10 of 13 from the floor.

“Gabe is playing really, really well right now. I think what I’m most proud of with him is just, he is talking a lot more than he ever has, but he just — he just loves to play, and every guy on this team believes in him,” Smith said.

Miro Little, the sophomore point guard transfer from Baylor, continued to look more confident in his expanded role with Utah, after playing so sparingly for the Bears last year.

He had a career-high 16 points against Mississippi Valley State, hitting a pair of first-half 3-pointers back-to-back to get rolling offensively.

Little added six rebounds, five assists (to just one turnover) and a steal.

Hunter Erickson tied Little for the team high with five assists of his own, while his second-half slam showed off his athleticism — again — and brought the crowd to its loudest fever pitch of the night.

“It’s just fun playing with a team where everyone’s trusting each other, and we know we’re all good shooters, but it’s a lot easier to shoot those shots when you know that your teammates are wanting you to shoot them,” Erickson said. “So it’s just fun playing out there.

“And it really helps with Lawson out there. He’s a really good trigger to us just getting action on the ball on offense and moving the ball against screens, players, whatever it may be.”

Mason Madsen and Ausar also scored 9 points each on a night where the Utes got the chance to spread things out offensively, while shooting 55.9% for the game. Utah also had 29 assists on its 33 made baskets.

The Utes, who entered the game leading the nation in field goal percentage defense at 33.8%, held the Delta Devils to 34% shooting.

Utah put an exclamation point on the dominant effort with an 18-0 run over a five-minute stretch with just under 10 minutes to play.

After the Utes return to action following Thanksgiving, they’ll get the chance to further see how the team can evolve with Lovering and Keller on the court.

Eastern Washington is up next on Saturday — in a 3 p.m. MST game at the Huntsman Center — followed by a visit from unbeaten Saint Mary’s on Dec. 7.

“It’s exciting to see, and we’re just going to keep tinkering and keep hopefully climbing the ladder and getting better,” Smith said.