Utah’s 2024-25 campaign ended in Las Vegas on Monday, and with an 86-84 loss to Butler in the first round of the College Basketball Crown, the Alex Jensen era has officially begun.
The focus moving forward will be on whether Jensen, the Runnin’ Utes legend, can get Utah back to the NCAA Tournament and reliving some of the program’s former glory.
In the present, though, the Utes — who entered the postseason with several players already in the transfer portal but willing to play — gave one final valiant effort that, again, came up short.
Pierre Brooks II drove through the Utah defense and made a driving floater with 3.2 seconds left to play, giving Butler a two-point lead, and after a timeout, the Utes didn’t get an ideal shot — Ezra Ausar ended up taking a running 3-point attempt that was off the mark — as Utah fell at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“It’s been such a great group to be around. And you know, I’ve been been around the college game for a long time, and there’s never been a complete season where I was excited to walk down to practice every single day. So credit to our guys. And love being around these guys, and then they do things the right way. But we just came up short tonight,” said Utah interim coach Josh Eilert.
Monday’s game at the new-fangled College Basketball Crown, where the winning team earns $300,000 of an overall $500,000 NIL package, was a microcosm of the season for Utah.
The Utes (16-17) stayed competitive and even led by double-digits, but a costly drought bit Utah again.
Butler (15-19) found itself down 60-49 just over five minutes into the second half as the Utes attacked the paint and ballooned their halftime lead from four to 11 points.
A Gabe Madsen technical — when the Utah guard thought he was fouled on a dunk attempt — ended up being the spark the Bulldogs needed.
Butler proceeded to go on a 24-7 run over the game’s next eight minutes and Utah found itself down 73-67. At one point, the Utes missed 9 of 10 shots from the field as the Bulldogs made their decisive run.
“We always talk about it’s a game of runs. We were doing a pretty good job at the half. You know, we went up 10 or so and (then) they went on a run, and credit to them,” Madsen said. “They made some shots, (Brooks) played really well. So it just came down to getting stops.”
To their credit, the Utes fought back and even took a one-point lead twice. Madsen made three 3-pointers in the game’s final four minutes, including one that tied the game at 84-84 with 1:17 to play.
In the final minute though, Butler slightly outexecuted the Utes.
Both teams had an empty possession in the final minute before the Bulldogs took a timeout with 12.8 seconds to play.
Coming out of the timeout, Brooks drove through the lane and nailed what ended up being the game-winner, slicing past Madsen and Jake Wahlin, who came over to help on the play.
In a lot of ways, it was reminiscent of Darius Johnson’s game-winning shot in Utah’s four-point loss at UCF on Feb. 23, one that was followed the next day by head coach Craig Smith being let go.
In the seven games following that loss, the Utes went 1-6 under interim coach Josh Eilert, including Monday’s heartbreaker.
There were individual efforts to applaud. Madsen finished up his storied Utah career with 17 points, including five 3-pointers.
Keanu Dawes, one of the handful of Utes who’s in the transfer portal, put up another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, showing the kind of promise that the sophomore forward will take with him wherever he plays next season — whether that’s at Utah or elsewhere.
Ausar, after missing Utah’s Big 12 tournament loss to UCF, had 15 points and five rebounds, while Lawson Lovering (nine points, six rebounds), Wahlin (10 rebounds, two assists) and Zach Keller (eight points) helped the Utes own a 38-34 edge in points in the paint.
Brooks, though, led the charge for Butler, which will now play in Wednesday’s second round of the College Basketball Crown against the winner of Boise State and George Washington.
He scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range after halftime. Brooks also had nine rebounds and three assists.
Butler ended up hitting 13 3-pointers, compared to 10 for Utah, an important statistic in a game where the stat sheet was pretty even across the board.
The Bulldogs also got nine points from seldom-used freshman Evan Haywood, all on 3-pointers, as Butler found ways to win despite its top player, Jahmyl Telfort, not being available.
“I knew coming into the game it’s probably whoever wanted to be there more so than the other guy you know lined up against, and the first thing I’m thinking of right now is shoutout to Evan Haywood. He hasn’t played much this year, and he came out there with the opportunity to prove himself, and he really got them going,” Eilert said. “And that’s, that’s the type of mentality you have to have, take advantage of every single opportunity you have in life.”
The Utes expressed optimism about going to Las Vegas with a tight-knit group and playing together one last time.
Unfortunately, it ended with an early exit — one that signals the start of a new generation for Utah basketball.
The Utes, though, were gracious in defeat after a loss that ended a trying season.
“That’s why I ended the message with our team this afternoon in the locker room, opportunities dry up, and if you don’t take advantage of them, sometimes you’ll regret it. Our guys fought, but at the end of the day, you know, they made shots, and credit to them,” Eilert said.
