Utah men’s basketball coach Craig Smith is known for his ability to turn questions asked in press conferences into long, elaborate answers that can touch on a variety of topics.
So it wasn’t a surprise when Smith’s postgame presser after the Runnin’ Utes’ 73-72 overtime win over BYU last Saturday lasted nearly 20 minutes.
Smith, though, had plenty to gush about — and it wasn’t limited to the effort he had seen his team put forth in the win over their rival.
How Utah is growing up, on and off the court
After a painfully slow, overmatched start to Big 12 play, Utah is turning things around — and the Utes have a three-game winning streak to show for it.
“I’m really proud of our guys, really proud of our coaches, in the work that they put in and the time that they put in,” Smith said after the win over BYU. “And when I say that, it’s the coaches and the players, the guys just showed a lot tonight — their connectivity really showed during some tough times.”
There have been growing pains for Smith’s squad that saw so much roster turnover this past offseason — and there will be plenty of growing pains as the season continues, with the Utes competing in one of the nation’s toughest basketball conferences.
That doesn’t stop Smith, though, from appreciating the effort he is seeing from his guys.
“We’re growing up. There’s a lot of guys that haven’t won at a very high level, and they’re starting to figure out how to win, and that can be hard to do, because there’s selflessness that goes in there. There’s sacrifice that goes into it,” Smith said.
“There’s a level of physical and mental toughness that is a big part of this thing, specifically mental toughness and understanding what we’re trying to do. I’m really, really proud of them, because (BYU) kept throwing haymakers and we kept throwing them back, and we just found them enough, found a way to win that game.”
Senior guard Hunter Erickson, who had nine points in the victory over BYU, including six in overtime to help the Utes rally past the Cougars, praised the connectivity that the group is showing.
“I think for us, it starts just off the court. We got all of the guys on the team are just great guys, and we’re genuinely good friends, and I think that over time, it starts kind of forming out onto the court,” Erickson said.
“We just take what teams give us, and we’ve got a lot of guys who can do a lot of things. And obviously just, if you just look at box scores from all the games, you can see that different guys are stepping up every game. We have confidence in every single one of them. And I think that’s just where it starts, and that’s kind of what we hang our hats on.”
Utah is finding its identity
Just a few weeks ago, it was clear the Utes hadn’t established an identity, and they were suffering because of it.
At that point, Utah hadn’t shown it could beat higher-end opponents — the Utes’ win total had been built on victories over Quad 3 or Quad 4 opponents.
Following a humbling 28-point home loss to Texas Tech, though, Smith and the Utes really started to hone in on what they want to become — a physical team that loves to attack the paint.
That version of the Utes has been on full display the past two weeks.
“I think focusing on owning the paint, especially the defensive end, and clogging it up, making a mess out of it,” said Lovering, as to what has become Utah’s identity.
“Obviously in Big 12 play, there’s a lot of big, physical, strong guys that want to own the paint. Making a mess out of it kind of changes the game and changes that dynamic of the game, and helps us get it going on the offensive end, too.”
Erickson echoed those sentiments, while adding that Utah’s success in the paint leads to making plays in other avenues.
It has resulted in three straight victories — over Oklahoma State and BYU at home, sandwiched around a victory at TCU. That was the Horned Frogs’ first home loss of the season.
“A lot of the time, the team that wants it the most is gonna get it, and you can’t get mad — everyone’s gonna have mistakes, but one thing we control is our effort,” Erickson said. “So every game we’re coming out and we’re trying to be physical and dominate the paint. And I think when we branch everything off of that, it’s just been working out for us.”
Big challenges this week: Houston and Baylor
Utah will be challenged to keep this physicality going by its next opponent — No. 7 Houston.
The Cougars are well-known for their tough defense and plodding pace that forces opponents out of their rhythm.
The Utes (11-6, 3-3 Big 12) and Cougars (14-3, 6-0 Big 12) were originally supposed to play Tuesday night, but the game was rescheduled to Wednesday afternoon (4 p.m. MST, ESPN+) due to a storm going through the Houston area.
Big 12-leading Houston is a heavy favorite, and — barring a massive upset — Utah’s win streak is expected to end at the Fertitta Center.
Then, the Utes will return to the Huntsman Center to host Baylor on Saturday (2:30 p.m. MST, ESPN2).
The Bears (11-6, 3-3 Big 12) gave Utah a rude welcoming party to the Big 12 in the league opener for both teams, as Baylor beat the Utes by 25 in Waco, Texas.
While Baylor was ranked in the top 25 last week, the Bears are on a two-game losing streak and have looked like a different team on the road.
That should give some confidence to Utah, which is given a 42% chance to beat Baylor by KenPom in his latest projections.
No matter if Utah is able to pull off a win this week, or the Utes fall to a pair of Big 12 powers and need to rebound from another losing streak, Smith likes the direction his program is headed.
“It’s not perfect, it’s not a utopia. It’s easy to talk like this when you win, but I was saying this when we lost to (No. 3) Iowa State, it’s a good group, man, it is, and they want to get better,” Smith said. “And I think what shows is just how much more physical and how connected we play, specifically on the offensive end, but we’ve been able to self-correct and really figure it out defensively.
“Those (losses) against Iowa State, Baylor and Texas Tech, those are three really good offensive teams, but we were just disjointed on that end of the floor, and we’ve been able to go through some things together and figure it out.”
