The Runnin’ Utes Big 12 era has begun.
And, with a grueling schedule on the horizon, Utah head coach Craig Smith was still looking for answers as his team prepared to take on No. 25 Baylor on New Year’s Eve.
A week earlier, Utah led Iowa by 11 at one point, but crumbled due to second-half defensive miscues in the paint, which allowed the Hawkeyes to win by seven points.
The same defensive issues, Smith said, were present in Utah’s losses to Saint Mary’s and Mississippi State earlier this season.
“Our second-half defense is what let us down,” Smith said, “especially like the last 10 minutes or so of the game. We have to get better. You’ve got to be able to be able to get stops when you need to get stops to win those types of games. We’re probably eight to 10 possessions away from being undefeated.
“We’re close, really close, but you have to be able to finish those games.”
The Utes' Big 12 opener exposed even more issues.
Baylor cruised to an 81-56 victory on the final day of 2024. The Bears jumped out to an 11-0 lead as Utah missed its first six shots of the day. The Utes went 1-for-12 from deep in the first half and trailed by 20 at the break. They were never able to recover.
Hunter Erickson led Utah with 13 points. Mason Madsen had 10. Gabe Madsen finished with just three points on a 1-of-7 performance.
Baylor had four scorers in double figures, led by 19 from guard VJ Edgecombe.
The Utes were already 0-3 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 non-conference opponents in the NCAA’s NET Rankings. But Smith said he was determined to get the Utes back on track.
That makes Utah’s path in the Big 12 that much more important if it wants to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
Nine of the Big 12’s 16 teams currently rank inside the top 50 in the NET. Each of Utah’s first three conference opponents — Baylor, Texas Tech and Iowa State — are all inside of the top 25 of the rankings. Even with Tuesday’s loss, the Utes still have a chance to make some early noise in their new conference.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah men’s basketball team takes on Queens at the Huntsman Center on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.
That starts with fixing their defensive issues.
“I always feel like everything’s fixable,” Smith said this week. “You just have to identify what it is, right? And so at the end of the day, we just haven’t been able to get enough stops late in the game against all three of those teams.
“There’s a lot to look at. Are certain guys playing too many minutes? You know, is it a scheme? Do we have to mix things up more? The other thing is, just, we have to be better with concentration and focus then we have to carry it forward.”
So far, Smith has already tinkered with his lineups.
To start the season, junior guard Mike Sharavjamts started nine straight games before slowly being transitioned into a bench role. He has played an average of 10.7 minutes per game in Utah’s last four contests.
Mason Madsen, the brother of Gabe Madsen, started his first game as a Ute against Iowa, scoring a season-high 26 points on 10 of 20 shooting. A game before, Erickson was slotted into the starting guard spot in Utah’s win against Florida A&M.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes guard Mason Madsen (45) as Utah hosts Eastern Washington, NCAA basketball in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
“I wouldn’t say anybody solidified in this spot or that spot,” Smith said. “We can go a lot of different ways. And you know, it might be a thing that keeps revolving until somebody really owns up to it
“It could be a thing where certain guys have a great week of practice. It could be or they start really playing super sound. It could be a thing where matchups dictate it.”
The emergence of Caleb Lohner, who played with Utah’s football team as a tight end in the fall, has also affected the front-court rotation.
Rice sophomore transfer forward Keanu Dawes played at least 16 minutes in his first six appearances. In his last three appearances, he’s played less than 11 minutes in each contest and didn’t even see the floor against the Hawkeyes.
“He’s got a very bright future,” Smith said of Dawes. “But you have to demonstrate that on a consistent basis. Certainly (Keanu’s) right in the picture. He’s just gotta keep going and keep getting better and keep pushing forward.”
For now, though, the Utes are still in search of their first big win of the season.
“We have to find a way to get stops,” Smith said. “That’s the bottom line. We have to be able to find a way to get stops and possessions on a consistent basis against good teams.”
