The Runnin’ Utes made a statement when they beat Ole Miss 75-74 last week at the Acrisure Series: Alex Jensen’s process and system can work at the power conference level.
The Rebels advanced to the Sweet Sixteen last season and are viewed as potential NCAA Tournament contenders this year. Despite Utah entering that contest on a two-game losing streak, the Utes played arguably their best game of the season in beating the Rebels in a wildly entertaining matchup.
For Utah, which is looking to establish its identity under the first-year head coach with a roster full of newcomers, the win showed positive steps in that regard.
Jensen said that after losing to Grand Canyon 68-58 the night before, his squad seemed to have “a little more pop” to them against Ole Miss.
“It’s kind of the maturity, the growing pains you have as a group. I think we got up ... as high as 14 or 16 (on Ole Miss), we let them back in. I mean, that’s going to happen. Give them credit. But (it’s about) just kind of maintaining a level of play, whether we’re up or down, if that makes sense,” Jensen said.
“Ole Miss got the momentum, came back, took the lead, but we kept playing. And it’s, again, great clips to learn from. It’s good to be in a situation like that in a close game and come out on top.”
The next game for Utah (6-2) will also be a challenge, with its own kind of reward if the Utes can win again. On Tuesday, Jensen’s team heads to California for its first true road game of the season, at former Pac-12 foe California (8 p.m. MST, ACCNX).
The Golden Bears (6-1), like Utah, are coming off a defining victory.
Last Tuesday, Cal beat then-No. 18 UCLA 80-72, the first win over a ranked opponent for the Bears under Mark Madsen in his two-plus seasons as head coach.
After going into the half trailing by five, Cal outscored UCLA 44-31 in the second half and got 22 points from Chris Bell, who was 5 of 7 from 3-point range. As a team, the Bears shot 11 of 22 from 3.
“I think this just shows what kind of team we are,” Bell said, according to Sports Illustrated. “We know we’re one of the best teams in the country, we just got to go out there and show it.”
California has shown growth under Madsen’s leadership.
When he took over the program ahead of the 2023-24 season after four years as Utah Valley’s coach, the Bears had gone six seasons without a winning record and were coming off a three-win campaign.
“I think they’ve kind of taken on Mark’s approach and personality. I mean, they keep coming — we told our guys that. It’s kind of the way we want to play; whether we’re up by 10 or down by 15, they play the same. They keep coming,” Jensen said of Cal.
“I think he’s put together a good roster where guys know their roles and they fit well together, which you always aim for. They’ve had some good wins — obviously, the one against UCLA — and they’re gonna be well-coached. Like we told our guys today: it’s got to be 40 minutes, 35 or 30 might not be good enough.”
California went 13-19 and 14-19 in Madsen’s first two years at the school and is off to a 6-1 start this year, headlined by the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2020.
In his final season at UVU, his fourth on the job in Orem, Madsen led the Wolverines to a 28-9 record and a run to the NIT semifinals.
While the competition level is much higher in the ACC than what he experienced in the WAC, Madsen has Cal trending in the right direction.
There is familiarity between Jensen and Madsen, too.
They were both college basketball players around the same time in the 1990s, and their respective schools — Jensen was at Utah, Madsen at Stanford — made the Final Four in the same season, 1998, though they didn’t play each other.
After their pro careers — Jensen played overseas and Madsen in the NBA — both also coached in the G League in the early 2010s before spending several years in the NBA as assistant coaches.
Now, their paths cross again.
“We’re the same age, the same class. When he went to the Final Four at Stanford in ’98, that was the year, obviously, that we went. But I’ve known Mark since I think Nike camp in what year would have been, 1993 maybe?” Jensen said.
“And obviously when he was with the (Los Angeles) Lakers, we had run-ins, and he’d spend some of his offseason here. So I’ve known Mark for a long time, and I respect him as a person and a coach.”
A look ahead
Following Tuesday’s game at California, Utah will return home to face Cal Baptist at the Huntsman Center on Saturday (5 p.m. MST, ESPN+).
The Utes played their first six games of the regular season at home before their two contests last week at the Acrisure Series, which included the win over Ole Miss and a loss to Grand Canyon.
The Cal Baptist game is the start of another three-game stand where Utah won’t leave Salt Lake City. Following Saturday’s game, the Utes will play Mississippi State at the Delta Center on Dec. 13, before hosting Eastern Washington at the Huntsman Center on Dec. 20.
Utah will finish up nonconference play after Christmas with a road trip to Washington on Dec. 29.
Cal Baptist (7-1) is off to a strong start this season, having won its first seven games before falling by eight to another Big 12 team, Colorado, on Monday.
The Lancers are led by WAC preseason player of the year Dominique Daniels Jr., who is averaging 18.9 points and 4.3 assists per game, and were picked to win the WAC this year.
Cal Baptist will play BYU on Wednesday at the Delta Center before facing the Utes.
Going into Tuesday, Cal Baptist was just two spots behind Utah in KenPom’s ratings, with the Utes at No. 126 and Lancers at No. 128.
How to watch Utah at California
The Utes’ game against the Bears will be live-streamed on ACC Network Extra.
The matchup will be available to anyone who has an ESPN+ subscription and can be live-streamed here, through the ESPN app or on the ESPN website.
