Utah got the win Thursday night, but the 67-57 result over Towson came with plenty of baggage attached.
At the Huntsman Center, the Runnin’ Utes moved to 2-0 by doing enough things right to stay in control for most of the game - and by doing enough things wrong to keep the finish far messier than it needed to be. The defense held up, the bench chipped in, and the free throws were there when it mattered. But the turnovers kept dragging everything back toward chaos.
That’s been the theme through two games. Utah has shown it can survive ugly stretches. What it hasn’t shown yet is the kind of clean, steady play that turns a win into a comfortable one.
The biggest issue was impossible to ignore: 18 turnovers. Utah had 11 of them in the first half alone, while making just 10 baskets.
That’s a tough formula no matter who’s on the other side. The Utes cleaned it up some after halftime, but seven more giveaways still left them with a number that kept Towson alive.
And the Tigers had more chances because of it. Towson took 56 shots to Utah’s 44, a gap that came directly from the Utes’ ball-security problems.
The turnovers only produced 11 Towson points, so the damage wasn’t catastrophic in the box score. But every lost possession matters.
It cuts into rhythm, limits separation, and gives the other team too many chances to hang around.
Utah did, at least, finish the job.
The Utes led by 15 with 15:20 left, but Towson stayed close enough to make the closing stretch uncomfortable. Utah answered with enough made shots and enough trips to the line to protect the lead, shooting 10-for-18 in the second half and 16-for-19 on free throws overall. Alec Anigbata was a big part of that, finishing with 13 points and going 9-for-11 at the stripe.
The defense deserves its share of the credit, especially for how it handled the first half. Towson shot just 7-for-31 before the break and went 3-for-13 from three, while Utah blocked four shots and kept the Tigers to 19 points. That allowed the Utes to take a 27-19 lead despite all the offensive sloppiness.
Utah’s defense held up even when the offense was making life harder than it had to be. That matters.
Last season, an ugly offensive possession could lead straight into a bad defensive one. This group at least avoided that chain reaction early.
The full-game defensive numbers were respectable, too. Towson finished at 39.3% from the field and 30% from deep, while Utah blocked six shots and won the rebounding battle 35-30.
Still, the second half showed the limits of that control. Towson shot 60% after the break and scored 38 points, so this was not a 40-minute lockdown.
There was also a clear sign that Utah is still figuring out who does what on offense. The starters combined for just eight first-half points, while the bench produced 19. Taison Chatman and Jaxon Johnson gave the Utes offense the kind of lift the opening group wasn’t providing.
Chatman was Utah’s best scorer on the night. He finished with 15 points on 4-for-6 shooting, knocked down three shots from beyond the arc, and made all four of his free throws. He scored eight of Utah’s 27 first-half points and gave the Utes a much-needed efficient option when the offense was struggling to find one.
Johnson added five points and seven rebounds, and Utah’s bench finished with a 26-8 edge in scoring.
Even so, the broader issue remains the same. Utah is still sorting out its rotation, still sorting out its hierarchy, and still giving away too many possessions while that process plays out.
The Utes are getting contributions from different places, which is a good thing. But the next step is making sure those contributions come without the kind of mistakes that keep games unnecessarily close.
In Other News...
Utah Just Landed A Huge Chance To Impress Alex Jensens Target
A busy stretch is ahead for Matija Lukic, and Utah is right in the middle of it. The Serbian prospect is set to make a whirlwind run of official visits over eight days, with stops that also include BYU, Boston College, Duke, N.C. State, North Carolina and UConn. For the Utes, it is a meaningful opportunity to make an impression on a player whose profile has been built well beyond the usual high school circuit.
Alex Jensen has already made it clear that European recruiting and the programs overseas connections matter in this chase, and Lukic fits that mold. He is coming off a strong international resume, including a silver medal with Serbia at the FIBA U17 World Cup, while also developing with Casademont Zaragoza in Spain. Utah gets its turn to sell itself in a crowded race, and the next few days could go a long way in showing where it stands. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Holy War Path May Come Down To One Brutal Matchup
The build-up to this Holy War has plenty of familiar pressure points, but the most obvious one may be the ground game. Utahs defense has been stout against the run all season, and that matters because BYU has had trouble getting its rushing attack going. If the Utes can control that part of the field, it would force the Cougars into a tougher offensive script and put more weight on the passing game and the little edges that tend to decide rivalry nights.
For Utah, the other big swing factor is Devon Dampier, whose play at quarterback could help determine whether the Utes can keep enough balance on offense to match the stakes. Special teams and turnovers also loom large in a game with College Football Playoff implications and ranking consequences hanging over it. In a matchup this tight, the team that handles the hidden yards and the pressure moments may end up shaping the entire conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Landed A Four-Star Guard With Real Big 12 Upside
Utah added another notable piece to its backcourt with the commitment of four-star point guard Jamaal McKnight Jr., a senior at Iowa United Prep who originally hails from Maryland. McKnight has built a rsum that includes stops at DeMatha Catholic and Long Island Lutheran, and he drew interest from multiple major programs before settling on the Utes.
For Utah, the appeal goes beyond rankings. McKnight pointed to the coaching staff and the campus atmosphere as key factors in his decision, a sign the Utes were able to make a strong impression in a crowded recruiting race. In a Big 12 landscape where guard play matters so much, landing a player with McKnights background gives Utah another reason to feel better about its long-term perimeter outlook. [Read more 🡒]