Utah won’t have much time to shake off loss to Sun Devils with No. 10 Arizona up next
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Utah doesn’t have time to waste bemoaning what could have been in an 82-70 loss at Arizona State on Thursday night that snapped an eight-game losing streak, and maybe that’s a good thing.
The Runnin’ Utes have another big challenge — No. 10 Arizona — up next, with Utah facing the Wildcats on Saturday (6 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Network) at historic McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona.
“They’re a really good team. I mean, they have great size, they have excellent shooting. They have great playmaking, in terms of their guard play.” — Utah coach Craig Smith on Arizona
The Utes (11-3, 2-1 Pac-12) didn’t have a lot of things go right against the Sun Devils, either offensively or defensively, while Arizona beat Colorado by 47 on Thursday night, setting up what appears to be a monumental task for Utah heading into Saturday’s matchup.
“Arizona is really good. First of all, they have an elite home-court advantage. Their fan base is electric and they show up and they show out and they make their presence known,” Utah coach Craig Smith said after Thursday’s loss, speaking about the atmosphere his team is about to encounter.
Back to the ASU loss for a moment, though.
The Sun Devils’ swarming defense did a lot to disrupt Utah offensively at Desert Financial Arena — the Runnin’ Utes shot 41.2% in the game, though that percentage was in the 30s for much of the night, and they missed several shots at the rim while committing 15 turnovers.
Utah guard Gabe Madsen, normally reliable for double-digit points, hit a 3-pointer to give the Runnin’ Utes an 8-3 lead just three minutes in but was shut out after that. He finished 1 of 4 from the field, all from 3-point range, and had a team-high five assists.
Adam Miller, a two-time transfer making just his fifth appearance for ASU, played an integral role in stopping Madsen offensively.
“Adam Miller’s defense on Madsen was unbelievable. It was hard for him to even get a shot off,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said, per the team’s website. “He’s one of their guys that we really wanted to try and take out of the game and I thought Adam was terrific in that regard.”
The Sun Devils’ game plan also included lessening Utah center Branden Carlson’s impact.
One game after he set career highs with 34 points and seven assists in a comeback win over Washington, Carlson had to work for his 19 points and eight rebounds Thursday.
“I thought our switches were pretty good. We lost them once early in the first half. He’s a tough matchup because their offense is designed to create those switches and get a smaller guy on them,” Hurley said about facing Carlson.
“I thought our help defense loaded to him pretty well. We have been feisty at that end of the floor and it was a priority to try and make his catches difficult because of the quality of player he is.”
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Now, Utah turns its attention to the Wildcats (11-3, 2-1 Pac-12).
Sophomore guard Kylan Boswell scored 14 points, made a team-high four 3-pointers and dished out four assists for Arizona in its blowout win over a shorthanded Colorado squad, while former Ute Pelle Larsson scored a team-best 18 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.
In addition to those two, the Wildcats are led by North Carolina transfer Caleb Love, who is averaging 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, as well as center Oumar Ballo, a matchup nightmare (even for the tall Utes) who puts up 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.
“They’re a really good team. I mean, they have great size, they have excellent shooting. They have great playmaking, in terms of their guard play. They’re defending at a much higher level than they’ve defended, at least in my two years here,” Smith said in scouting Arizona, which was ranked No. 1 earlier this year.
“They cause a lot of problems on the offensive end — they can score at the rim, they’ve got great pull-up guys and they’ve got guys that can shoot the 3.”
Utah beat Arizona handily in Salt Lake City last season, but winning in Tucson has been a different story — the Utes haven’t won there in 37 years.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd praised his next opponent in his postgame press conference Thursday and believes Utah is an NCAA Tournament-caliber squad.
“Utah is a really good program. Craig’s done a good job,” Lloyd told reporters. “He had a good team last year, he’s got a lot of guys back and he’s added a piece or two. They’re playing really big with a couple 7-footers.
Runnin’ Utes on the air
Utah (11-3, 2-1 Pac-12
at No. 10 Arizona (11-3, 2-1 Pac-12)
Saturday, 6 p.m. MST
McKale Center (Tucson, Arizona)
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: 700 AM
“... They present a lot of challenges — a couple of knockdown shooters, an experienced point guard. I think they definitely are an NCAA Tournament team for sure.”
For Smith and the Utes, the next game is about trying to shake off a bad performance in Tempe while facing a Quad 1 opponent in Arizona — the Wildcats are No. 4 in the NET rankings.
“They’re good, but that’s what you expect. That’s what you want. That’s what we’re trying to go and this is one loss and it’s difficult, but you got to learn, you got to grow and you got to move forward and give our best shot,” Smith said.
