Utah’s season opener delivered the kind of result a coach can live with and the kind of tape that will keep Alex Jensen busy.
The Runnin’ Utes dug out of a 17-point second-half hole and slipped past Long Beach State 66-63 on Monday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, with Trey Campbell leading the way with 20 points.
The comeback was real. So were the problems that put Utah in that mess in the first place.
For long stretches, the Utes looked sloppy, disconnected and a step behind. They turned the ball over too much, didn’t defend with enough bite and let Long Beach State dictate too much of the first half.
Utah still shot 50% before halftime, but 10 turnovers led directly to 18 Long Beach State points, and the Utes went to the break trailing 40-28. The margin ballooned to 17 early in the second half.
The good news for Utah was that it found a gear it simply didn’t show early. The bad news is that it had to wait so long to find it.
TJ Burch was a big part of the turnaround. His pressure and energy helped trigger the defensive stretch that changed the game, and his plus-minus was the best on the team.
Utah’s offense kept the door open, but the defense finally slammed it shut. After giving up 40 points in the first half, the Utes held Long Beach State to 23 after the break.
A scoreless stretch of more than four minutes helped Utah tie it at 56 with 7:44 left, and Long Beach State managed only seven points after reaching 56.
That kind of resistance gave Utah a chance to play downhill instead of chasing the game. Once the stops started coming, the comeback had room to breathe.
Campbell was the steady hand Utah needed. He had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first half and hit both of the Utes’ first-half 3-pointers.
When Utah needed someone to settle things down and make the right play, he kept delivering. He finished with 20 points, eight assists and four steals entering the final minute, giving the Utes a dependable presence when the game was wobbling.
Utah also found a path inside. The Utes finished with a 40-18 edge in paint points and a 38-26 advantage on the glass entering the final minute, and that interior work helped them survive the rough shooting night from deep.
Jackson Holcombe added 14 points with rebounding and rim protection, while Malek Gomma grabbed 11 rebounds before the final minute. Even so, Utah left too many points on the table around the basket, finishing just 14-of-23 on layups.
That inefficiency mattered because the Utes were already fighting other self-inflicted issues. They entered the final minute with 15 turnovers and were just 9-of-17 at the free-throw line, which kept Long Beach State close even after Utah had seized control of the game’s momentum. The ball security improved after halftime, but the missed foul shots meant the Utes never fully separated.
Utah got the win, and it got a clear picture of what it can be when the defense tightens up and Campbell is running the show. It also got a blunt reminder that the urgency that fueled the rally has to show up from the opening tip, not after a 17-point deficit forces the issue.
In Other News...
Utahs Unbeaten Start Still Comes With One Huge Playoff Doubt
Utahs unbeaten start has put the Utes squarely in the national conversation, but the first College Football Playoff rankings could still leave them with work to do. ESPNs Rece Davis said the committee is likely to view Utah as one of the countrys top teams, yet the resume may not carry the same weight as some of the other unbeaten contenders because the schedule has not been as demanding.
The next few weeks should help clarify whether that perception changes. Games against BYU, Arizona, TCU and West Virginia give Utah a chance to add the kind of wins the committee tends to reward, and the stretch begins with an opponent that could say plenty about how seriously the Utes are being taken. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Gets A Huge Chance To Expose BYU In The Big 12
Saturdays matchup gives Utah a chance to make a statement not just in the Big 12 race, but in the broader conversation around how good BYU really is. The Utes have been one of the more efficient teams in the country by the underlying numbers, and that kind of profile tends to travel well in a rivalry game where the emotions are already built in and the margin for error usually shrinks.
BYU, meanwhile, has been living a little higher in the rankings and in the public eye than some of its performance metrics suggest, which only adds to the intrigue here. If Utah can control the game the way its efficiency profile suggests it should, the Utes would do more than win a rivalry game - they would force a harder look at whether BYU belongs in the same tier as the teams around it. [Read more 🡒]
Utah-BYU May Come Down To The Same Costly Mistake Again
Turnovers have been the hidden hinge in this rivalry lately, and the recent history between Utah and BYU makes that impossible to ignore. In game after game, one costly giveaway or takeaway has swung momentum, changed field position and helped decide outcomes, turning a hard-fought matchup into one team chasing the mistake it just made.
This week, ball security feels like more than a coaching point for Utah. The Utes have done a solid job creating takeaways this season, and BYU has been careful enough with the ball to keep itself in position, which is exactly why the next turnover could loom so large when these teams meet again. [Read more 🡒]