Branden Carlson block party helps Runnin’ Utes advance in NIT

Branden Carlson may have sent a message to the NIT field with his stellar defensive game against UC Irvine oan Tuesday.

None. Shall. Pass.

Carlson amassed five blocks as the Utah Runnin’ Utes beat the Anteaters, 84-75, at the Huntsman Center. Utah will host Iowa in the second round of the NIT later this week.

“We have the best bigs ever — [Carlson], Lawson [Lovering], Keba [Keita],” Deivon Smith said. “If somebody gets beat, we trust them to go up there and go get the ball, whether it’s a rebound or crack down.”

Twice in the first half it looked like a UC Irvine player had an easy fast break layup only for Carlson to sprint back on defense and wow the crowd with a chase down block. Another of his denials led directly to Gabe Madsen making a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half to give Utah some much-needed momentum.

The Runnin’ Utes never looked back.

Carlson led Utah in scoring with 21 points and added 11 rebounds. Coming into Tuesday, Carlson averaged nearly 1.5 blocks per game. His five blocks tied a season high for the third time.

“Being the all-time leader in blocked shots at the University of Utah I think says a lot about his skill, his timing, his instincts that way,” coach Craig Smith said of Carlson. “He’s kind of doing it at a different position, which, in a way, in my eyes, is even more impressive.

The Runnin’ Utes led by as many as 17 points in the second half. But UC Irvine played the foul game late, sending Keba Keita to the line on multiple consecutive possessions due to his 56.4% accuracy. The Anteaters made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut their deficit to four with 2 minutes remaining in the game.

Smith took Keita out of the game at that point, and Utah hung on to win.

Gabe Madsen scored 16 points and had seven rebounds and five assists. Deivon Smith added 13 points and 10 assists.