Utah’s second straight blowout loss to start Big 12 play was a ‘potpourri’ of issues
The Runnin’ Utes couldn’t hang on either end, especially defensively, as the Red Raiders rolled at the Huntsman
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Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Federiko Federiko (33) dunks the ball while guarded by Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Isaac Hale, Deseret News
That’s the reality Utah basketball is facing right now early in its life in the league.
The second lopsided score came at home, as the Runnin’ Utes lost 93-65 to Texas Tech at the Huntsman Center on Saturday night.
“We didn’t guard all night and they went at us and we didn’t have much for answers,” Utah coach Craig Smith said.
Smith called it a “potpourri of everything” that ended up sinking the Utes against the Red Raiders.
That “potpourri” included Texas Tech shooting 58.6% for the game, making double the number of 3-pointers (12 to 6) and leading by as many as 29 points as Utah gave up more than 80 points for the third straight game.
All of those have been losses.
“We weren’t terrible offensively, but in the second half, when things maybe don’t go our way offensively, sometimes we let that affect us on the other end, and we simply can’t let that happen,” Ute forward Jake Wahlin said. “We’ve got to take care of defense first, and offense will follow and take care of itself.”
The Red Raiders got 19 points, nine assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals from forward Darrion Williams, one of six Texas Tech players who scored in double figures.
While both teams did well in the turnover department — Utah had nine to five for Texas Tech — the Red Raiders owned a 15-8 edge in points off turnovers.
Utah’s perimeter game was also off. The Utes shot 6 of 23 from 3-point range, including just 2 of 11 in the second half.
The Utes’ leading scorer, Gabe Madsen, was held to four points, all on free throws. He was 0 of 6 from the floor, and 0 of 5 from 3-point range.
Mason Madsen, after scoring in double-digits for three straight games, missed his only field-goal attempt and was held scoreless in 12 minutes.
“That was a huge focus,” Texas Tech guard Elijah Hawkins said of the Red Raiders’ ability to shut down the Madsen brothers. “We knew if we took them out of the game then it’s going to be hard for them to score, so we made an emphasis to try to make them take as few shots as possible.”
Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland praised his team for “flying around” on defense, and specifically noted the effort of guard Chance McMillian, who played 35 minutes.
“We made it clear to our team that we felt like this was going to be an endurance race, like honestly, who can stay the course with the energy and physicality over the course of the entire game, but (also) over the course of possessions, offensively and defensively. I think our team took that to heart,” McCasland said.
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Utah Utes forward Jake Wahlin (10), Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Kevin Overton (1) and guard Kerwin Walton (24) look to rebound a free throw during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Caleb Lohner (11) slaps hands with his teammates as his name is announced with the rest of the Utes’ starting lineup before an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Grant McCasland calls out to his players during an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Utah Utes held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Gabe Madsen (55) slaps hands with his teammates as his name is announced with the rest of the Utes’ starting lineup before an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Mike Sharavjamts (25) lays the ball up against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Mike Sharavjamts (25) shoots the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Gabe Madsen (55) drives the ball toward the basket while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Darrion Williams (5) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) lays the ball up against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) lays the ball up against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Miro Little (1) drives the ball while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson (4) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes head coach Craig Smith react to a referee’s call during an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes fans celebrate a three-pointer against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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The Utah Utes dance team performs during an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Gabe Madsen (55) lays the ball up against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Zach Keller (32) lays the ball up against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Federiko Federiko (33) dunks the ball while guarded by Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes head coach Craig Smith react to a referee’s call during an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Gabe Madsen (55) and Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Chance McMillian (0) compete for possession of a loose ball during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Caleb Lohner (11) backs down Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Kerwin Walton (24) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Grant McCasland calls out to his players during an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Utah Utes held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Caleb Lohner (11) looks to shoot the ball while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Kerwin Walton (24) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Mike Sharavjamts (25) brings the ball up the court while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Elijah Hawkins (3) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes head coach Craig Smith claps during an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Darrion Williams (5) passes the ball out while guarded by Utah Utes forward Caleb Lohner (11) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Hunter Erickson (0) tries to pick off a pass from Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson (4) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Texas Tech Red Raiders forward JT Toppin (15) drives the ball on Utah Utes forward Zach Keller (32) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Miro Little (1) looks to pass the ball while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson (4) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Miro Little (1) prepares to take free throws after getting roughed up on a play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) shoots the ball while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Jack Francis (10) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Mike Sharavjamts (25) drives the ball toward the basket while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson (4) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Zach Keller (32) shoots the ball while guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Federiko Federiko (33) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes forward Jake Wahlin (10) blocks a shot from Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Chance McMillian (0) during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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Utah Utes guard Mason Madsen (45) and Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Kevin Overton (1) compete for possession of a loose ball during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
The night brought another starting lineup change for the Utes, who were missing Ezra Ausar as he attended to personal matters (he is expected back soon).
Caleb Lohner and Mike Sharavjamts were inserted into the starting five, alongside the Madsen brothers and Lawson Lovering. It led to some positive moments early, when Lohner and Sharavjamts showed some connectivity on the offensive side.
Utah ended up getting better-than-usual nights from a handful of post players, among them Zach Keller (12 points, two rebounds), Wahlin (10 points, three rebounds, one block) and Keanu Dawes (11 points, five rebounds, one block).
That was, in part, by design.
“We made guys that probably weren’t their leading scorers be leading scorers in a game that I thought was pivotal,” McCasland said. “I mean, when you’ve got Wahlin and Dawes and Keller as their leading scorers … we wanted to make those guys see if they could beat us with twos around the basket, and we were pretty consistent in the game plan.”
Dawes, who had seen his playing time diminish after being a key contributor earlier in the year when the Utes were dealing with some injuries, ended up playing 20 minutes.
When asked if Dawes could be among those earning more minutes going forward, Smith said, “I mean, he played almost 20 minutes tonight and I anticipate him seeing the floor consistently.”
Both Texas Tech and Utah went into Saturday’s matchup needing to bounce back after losing in their Big 12 openers — the Utes lost by 25 at No. 25 Baylor, while the Red Raiders fell by four at home against UCF.
The Red Raiders got the early jump on Utah, leading by as many as 10 just five minutes in, before the Utes muscled their way back into the contest.
Miro Little scored his first points on a 3-point basket with 6:34 until halftime and was fouled. While he missed the free throw, his 3 gave Utah a 30-29 lead.
That was the last time the Utes would be in front, though.
Texas Tech answered with a quick eight points over the next minute, and the Red Raiders ended the first half on an 18-6 run to go into the half up 47-36.
Even though Utah had just four turnovers in the first half and had shot 55.6% from the field, they were down double-digits. Texas Tech had been better — with just one turnover while shooting 61.3%.
“I thought it was a potpourri of everything. Got to get stops,” Smith said.
The last real bastion of hope for Utah came early in the second half, when it had the ball and was trailing 48-39. Lohner’s inside shot was blocked, though, and the Red Raiders responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to give them a then-game-high 15-point lead.
Utah ended up missing its first seven field-goal attempts of the second half and shot 28% in the final 20 minutes, finishing at 42.3% overall.
“The second half, obviously we struggled on the offensive end,” Smith said. “I thought we pressed a little bit on that end and didn’t finish enough plays.”
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It doesn’t get any easier for Utah, which now heads on the road for a matchup against No. 3 Iowa State.
“I mean, this game is over, so we’ve got a quick turnaround. We’ve got practice tomorrow,” Keller said. “We’ve just got to turn a new page and focus on the next team.
“Whatever happened today, just figure it out, go back to the drawing board, figure out what we’ve got to do and then move on, see what we can do against Iowa State.”
Utah will face Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday, with tipoff at 6 p.m. MST. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on 700 AM.
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