Craig Smith slapped his palms on his face and covered his eyes.
Another time, he punched the air so hard his red tie flipped backward across his neck. Then he was smiling. Then he wasn’t.
Clearly, Smith went through the spectrum of emotions during Utah’s 69-66 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. And there was a fine line between ecstasy and misery.
Finding a way to win despite having 19 turnovers will do that to you.
“We were just all over with that,” Smith said of Utah’s turnovers after the game.
“I felt like our guys thought they were Magic Johnson and John Stockton out there. And guys, you’re not. Just make simple plays. Because when we kept saying it time and time again. When we make simple plays and simple decisions, we’re scoring ... and we were getting almost anything we wanted.”
Gabe Madsen was at a loss of words, too.
“I can’t even really think about everything that just went down,” Madsen said. “But obviously it’s good to win even if you have 19 turnovers.”
So how did the Runnin' Utes do it? The win ended a two-game losing streak and put them back in 10th place in the Big 12 with a 4-5 conference record.
Utah led in almost every statistical category in the contest, but it was a key stops and seven consecutive points from Madsen — scored on five free throws and one mid-range jumper — that iced the game.
The senior guard finished with a team-high 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting night. He endured another tough shooting night from range, going 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.
But he came through when it mattered most, even if his 3-point shooting slump continued.
“Obviously, I’ve never really been through something like this,” Madsen said. “I’ve been talking to my dad about it. Whenever I would go through like a little slump in high school, we’d just talk about going back to the basics, taking what the defense gives you.”
Keanu Dawes and Hunter Erickson played a key part in the victory, as well. Dawes scored seven of his 11 points in the second half.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes head coach talks to Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) and Utah Utes forward Jake Wahlin (10) During a break in the action, in Big 12 basketball action between the Utah Utes and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Jan 11, 2025.
Erickson swished a 3-pointer and made a layup to keep the Utes on the high side of a contest that saw nine lead changes.
“[Sometimes] it’s about figuring out a different way to win,” Madsen said. “It’s an ugly game sometimes, and we’ll figure all that stuff out. But, obviously, that’s how it went tonight, and we found a way, and it feels good.”
One could say Tuesday’s win was indicative of what life is truly like in the Big 12. The Runnin' Utes opened up conference play 0-3.
Then they won three in a row before dropping another two in a row. Utah is now one game removed from .500 with its win against Cincinnati.
As the old saying goes: A win is a win.
Even if the Runnin' Utes had 19 turnovers.
“When you win, like the old cliche, you’re enjoying it until midnight,” Smith said. “And, I’m going to because when we lose, I am beating the living you know what out of myself, no matter what. Then you have to move on, right? There’s a process to it, and it’s hard. So it’s amazing how, when you can win a game by one point or one possession like tonight, and you’re on the good side of that, there’s elation to it.
“And when you lose, it’s hard.”
Up next the Utes might have one of the easiest stretches they’ve had in the Big 12. They face Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Then Utah will return to Salt Lake City to take on Colorado at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The pair of teams have a combined 2-15 record in conference play.
“That’s huge,” Smith said. “Last week, I just felt like we were off, and I’m not sure why. Honestly, I said that to the team on Sunday after film. Houston can make you feel off, they are really good. Then, Baylor’s a talented team.
“I felt like tonight we did a lot more things back to the way we did.”
And, in a conference like the Big 12, every win counts.
Sometimes it’s the ugliest wins that pay dividends at the end of the season.
“At the end of the day, we turned it over 19 times. That’s a problem,” Smith said.
“But it was big [to win]. In this league you have to take advantage of the opportunities that you can.”
