Runnin’ Utes guard Gabe Madsen breaks a Utah record in win over No. 17 Kansas

Gabe Madsen backpedaled and looked out into the crowd of 11,056 fans.

He had just pump-faked and pivoted into his favorite fadeaway 3-point shot. The ball launched from his tattoo-covered arms and splashed through the net with 1:58 remaining in the game.

But the full reality of the situation didn’t hit him until center Jake Wahlin shoved him on the sideline.

Yes, it was the senior guard’s fifth 3-pointer of the game. Yes, Madsen had iced the Runnin’ Utes’ upset 74-67 victory over No. 17 Kansas with his heroic shot.

And, yes, he had just nailed his 288th triple as a Ute, breaking Nick Jacobson’s school record for the most career 3-point field goals made.

Talk about a perfect shot for the perfect moment.

“It’s been an up and down year for me, shooting-wise,” Madsen, who finished with a team-high 24 points, said afterward. “To do it tonight and in that fashion is pretty cool. I mean, that’s one I’ll remember for a long time.”

Madsen might’ve been shy with his words at the podium, but Wahlin — the first player to celebrate with him on the court — wasn’t scared to dish out praise to his teammate.

“I’ll say it for him, people have no idea how consistent and how perseverant this guy is,” Wahlin said. “He won’t let anyone know about it. It’s his thing, and it’s been so cool for me to see and be a part of. His consistency and his hard work and effort make him an easy example [to follow] in the locker room. I’m proud of him.”

Kansas head coach Bill Self even complimented Madsen’s 3-point wizardry. According to KU guard Jayhawks', Madsen was atop the Jayhawks defensive scouting report heading into the game.

“What he does that I think is very impressive, I think he’s one of the best movers without the ball,” Self said. “He’s good at getting the defenders to stop and then move quickly. He probably doesn’t get the credit that he probably deserves for being athletic because he can create separation, and he’s got great legs. But the bottom line is he hurt us bad.”

Madsen’s 2025 has had ups and downs. He’s had to adjust to the physicality of Big 12 basketball. He went 12 of 65 beyond the arc in January. For the first time in his five-year collegiate career, he was in a slump. His confidence was rattled.

But Utah coach Craig Smith finally saw Madsen getting back into his groove three weeks ago. The coach could tell in practice when his leading scorer’s body language was improving. Madsen’s demeanor was also taking a turn for the better. There was also an easy tell: his shots were falling again.

The guard has now scored at least 24 points in back-to-back games for Utah.

“There’s a lot going on this year,” Smith said. “We had a really, really healthy talk three weeks ago, but you could kind of see he was getting back to himself with his body language, his mindset, mentality. He’s kind of had to learn to play a little bit differently with this team versus the last three years, and he’s just letting it ride now. He’s just being Gabe Madsen, and I think that’s the difference.

“He’s always been about the team. It’s all he cares about. Like, he doesn’t talk about himself. All he wants to do is win. It’s all he wants to do. He could have gone to a lot of places this summer, but he chose to stick it out.”

Before the contest, Madsen had no clue he was five 3s away from breaking Jacobson’s record. Utah’s PA announcer broke the news to him during the Utes’ pregame warmups. The sharpshooter was lofting up 3-pointers, doing his normal routine and clearly clueless of what might transpire.

Then, as he was walking off the court, he found out.

“I was like, ‘I really wish I didn’t know that now‚” Madsen said. “But I’m always going to stay consistent. I think [it was] kind of a test for me. Do I believe in what I do? Do I believe in the work that I put in? But, yeah, it’s been an up-and-down year, but I think I’ve really grown a lot mentally. It’s just cool that it happened tonight.”

Madsen didn’t let it faze him, however.

His first 3-point make landed at the 18:18 mark. Madsen caught a low pass from Mike Sharavjamts and splashed an open jumper from the wing.

Then he made three more.

And, finally, the big one landed when the Runnin’ Utes needed it most, giving them their first Quad 1 win of the 2024-25 season.

Utah now stands at 14-11 on the season, with a 6-8 record in Big 12 play. One could equate the Runnin’ Utes season to Madsen’s stretch in January: up and down, with high peaks and low valleys.

Its win over KU broke a two-game losing streak.

“Like, I said, it’s been really hard,” Madsen said of this season. “But, yeah, just as a team there’s ups and downs. We just continue to talk about the process. Every year in the NCAA, there’s a team or a couple teams that just come out of nowhere, and, I mean, it’s just basketball at the end of the day. So you can just, you know, figure it out at the right time. Who knows what can happen?”