News on Everything Utah!
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
Three days after Utah couldn’t hold a late lead in falling at Cincinnati, the Runnin’ Utes reversed those fortunes to beat West Virginia 61-56 at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Wednesday night.
After the Mountaineers cut Utah’s 15-point second-half lead to two points, the Utes came together and held off a West Virginia charge to snap a seven-game losing streak.
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That was Utah’s first road win since Jan. 15, 2025.
Here are three takeaways from the win that pushes Utah’s record to 10-16 overall and 2-11 in Big 12 play.
Utah had its best start all season, jumping out to an 18-3 lead over the shellshocked Mountaineers.
The Utes hit their first six shots of the game and ended up taking a 31-21 lead into halftime after enduring a couple scoring slumps.
Coming out of halftime, Utah again got off to a great start, pushing their lead at high as 15 on three different occasions. The last time made it a 45-30 game with 14:35 to play.
Utah made five of its first seven shots of the second half, before West Virginia started the rally.
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West Virginia’s last two wins involved the Mountaineers coming back from 14-point second-half deficits both times, and for a while, it looked like West Virginia might be able to pull it off again.
The Mountaineers whittled down that Utah lead, and after a 7-0 run over a minute and a half stretch, West Virginia trailed 53-51 with 3:59 to play.
Utah could have folded, like they did when the Utes lost 69-65 to Cincinnati on Sunday after the Bearcats scored the game’s final nine points.
Instead, it was the Utes making the key plays down the stretch and forcing West Virginia into mistakes.
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All year, Alex Jensen has preached that the Utes need to be solid defensively and let that lead to offensive rhythm.
It worked against the Mountaineers, as Utah set the tone of the game with its defensive effort, led by Seydou Traore.
Traore started the game off guarding West Virginia’s top scorer, Honor Huff, and though Huff ended up with 12 points, it came on 4 of 15 shooting.
In the final minute when a 3 could have tied things, Traore recovered on defense and got his hand in Huff’s face on a 3-point attempt, forcing an air ball.
Traore ended up with 17 points, six rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists in his most well-rounded game of the season.
Terrence Brown and Don McHenry each had 16 points, while Brown added eight rebounds and three assists.
Utah ended up outrebounding West Virginia 38-28.
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
The Utah Jazz have a pair of veterans on their roster who could be interested in a stay longer than just one season.
Those two veterans are Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Love, who, according to Deseret News‘ NBA insider Sarah Todd, would be interested in an extended stay on the roster past this season after coming aboard last summer.
“I have it on good authority that both Nurkić and Love have enjoyed their time enough to consider making their stays in Utah a little more permanent,” Todd wrote.
“That said, when it comes to Nurkić specifically, his play this season has been pretty remarkable considering what the narrative was coming into the year. He might have played himself into a bigger role with more money.”
Both Love and Nurkic were brought into Utah earlier this offseason via their respective trade pathways. Love was added via the Jazz’s three-team deal with the Miami Heat involving John Collins, and Nurkic was brought in as part of the Collin Sexton swap with the Charlotte Hornets.
Initially, both were seen as a bit more of rental veterans who would have a brief stay up until this year’s trade deadline or for the rest of the season, without much thought going into either’s status as a long-term fit. For Love in particular, there were doubts he’d even be suiting up for a game in Utah as a potential buyout candidate.
But as the season has progressed, it’s begun to turn into a bit more of a strong fit between both veterans and their roles within Utah, to the point where both could be a part of the Jazz’s plans heading into next season.
Love has been an extremely positive veteran voice in the locker room, and has been a serviceable backup big man in the games that he’s played in. Nurkic, who’s been vaulted into a much bigger role than he was suspected to have before the season, has been one of the many pleasant surprises of the Jazz’s season altogether, and a big reason as to why he wasn’t dealt at the deadline earlier this month.
Now, as Todd mentions, there’s a world that for Nurkic, he’s played his way into a larger contract from another team later this summer due to how well he’s performed during his debut season in Utah; filling in as a quality starting five in place of the injured Walker Kessler, and being a central hub for the team’s offense as a playmaker in the frontcourt.
But, if the price is right, it seems more than likely both the Jazz and Nurkic would have a mutual fit for a deal on next year’s roster, as both Will Hardy and Nurkic himself have been vocal about how well they like to have each other around.
It’s not only a testament to the environment Hardy and the rest of the Jazz staff have built heading into what should be a strong 2026-27 campaign, but also a nod to the success Utah’s front office put together this past offseason despite some initial doubt revolving around their trades around the edges to add guys like Love and Nurkic in the first place.
Source: Utah News
Utah Tech Trailblazers (16-11, 9-4 WAC) at UT Arlington Mavericks (14-11, 6-7 WAC)
Arlington, Texas; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Utah Tech seeks to keep its six-game win streak alive when the Trailblazers take on UT Arlington.
The Mavericks have gone 8-3 at home. UT Arlington scores 72.2 points while outscoring opponents by 4.1 points per game.
The Trailblazers are 9-4 in WAC play. Utah Tech is fifth in the WAC with 32.4 rebounds per game led by Ethan Potter averaging 7.8.
UT Arlington’s average of 5.3 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.7 fewer made shots on average than the 6.0 per game Utah Tech gives up. Utah Tech has shot at a 47.2% clip from the field this season, 4.7 percentage points greater than the 42.5% shooting opponents of UT Arlington have averaged.
The Mavericks and Trailblazers face off Thursday for the first time in WAC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Raysean Seamster is averaging 13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Mavericks. Marcell McCreary is averaging 12.1 points over the last 10 games.
Potter is averaging 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Trailblazers. Noah Bolanga is averaging 13.7 points over the last 10 games.
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LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 4-6, averaging 72.0 points, 33.4 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.5 points per game.
Trailblazers: 7-3, averaging 74.8 points, 32.5 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.8 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Source: Utah News
For the second time during Big 12 play, Utah is on a two-game road swing.
Unlike the first time, though, when the Runnin’ Utes traveled to Manhattan, Kansas and Provo, this one involves travel out to the far eastern reaches of the conference.
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Utah already lost the first game of this road trip when the Utes blew a five-point lead with 1:56 to play in a 69-65 loss at Cincinnati on Sunday.
The back end of the road swing has Utah heading to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. MST, FS1).
Sunday’s result was the closest the Utes (9-16, 1-11 Big 12) have come to a win since beating TCU on Jan. 17, before their current seven-game losing skid.
Per ESPN Analytics, Utah had a 74% chance of winning against Cincinnati when Keanu Dawes scored to give the Utes a 65-60 lead with just under two minutes to play.
Over the final 90 seconds of the game, though, the Bearcats outscored Utah 9-0 while the Utes were 0 of 4 from the field and missed the front end of two 1-and-1s.
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“I do kind of go back to those things that you can control every game, and we just got to keep getting better at that. We were in a great position (to win),” Utah coach Alex Jensen said in his press conference after the game, per video from BearCat Journal.
“A lot of guys on my team haven’t been in this position. I keep talking about a maturing process. Got to continue to head in that direction.”
There were positives to take from Utah’s effort in the loss, among them the fact that their grittiness helped them out-rebound the taller Bearcats 40-30, including 16-8 on the offensive glass.
“That’s something we give up in a lot of the games in the conference is size. We did a good job of that,” Jensen said.
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As has been the case too often this season, though, the Utes suffered lulls at the most inopportune times in losing to Cincinnati.
That included not being able to come up with a defensive rebound with 1:34 to play — if Utah would have secured the possession, the Utes would have gone into the final 90 seconds with the ball and a five-point lead.
It’s those lapses that have plagued Utah this season, and in this case, Cincinnati made the Utes pay for it. Day Day Thomas scored to make it 65-62, and less than a minute later, the Bearcats recaptured the lead for good.
Now, the Utes will try and build off the positives as they face a West Virginia team that is trying to stay in contention for the NCAA tournament. In ESPN’s latest bubble watch outlook, the news outlet lists West Virginia as a team with “work to do.”
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The Mountaineers can ill afford a stumble against a Utah team that is lowest among Big 12 teams in the NET rankings, at No. 129.
Honor Huff leads the West Virginia attack — he is averaging 15.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game, while Brenen Loriant (11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds) and Treysen Eaglestaff (9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds) also play big roles.
The Mountaineers are tough defensively, too. They allow the second-fewest points among Big 12 teams (63.8) and are rated a top 25 team nationally in defensive efficiency by Team Rankings. West Virginia is top 10 nationally in defensive efficiency at home.
Though it’s unclear how many of the players on Utah’s current roster will be around next season, Jensen continues to stress to his players the importance of staying aggressive, even amid the struggles.
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That kind of mentality and stick-to-it-ive-ness — and not allowing mistakes to make them tentative — will have lasting effects.
“It’s game to game. I asked them after, ‘Were you good enough to win that game? You are if we play hard and we play better,’” Jensen said.
“Give credit to Cincinnati. It’s the maturity process being at this level and confidence is huge, especially on the road. But I’ve told multiple guys on my team, ‘I can’t believe in you more than you do, that doesn’t work. You got to go out there and make mistakes of being aggressive, not the mistakes of being passive.’”
Source: Utah News
Coming off a gut-wrenching loss to Cincinnati, Utah looks to get back in the win column for the first time in over a month on Wednesday as it travels down to Morgantown, West Virginia, for a Big 12 matchup with the Mountaineers.
Tipoff from Hope Coliseum between the Runnin’ Utes (9-16, 1-11 Big 12) and Mountaineers (16-9, 7-5 Big 12) is set for 6:30 p.m. MT on Fox Sports 1.
Let’s take a look at some key figures and numbers for Utah and West Virginia.
Utah has struggled mightily on the road over the past year, to say the least. Its last win in a hostile environment came nearly 400 days ago, when it knocked off TCU in a 73-65 final from January 15, 2025. Since then, the Runnin’ Utes have dropped 15 straight true road games, nine of which have come by double-double margins.
A major reason why Alex Jensen’s group specifically has endured its share of letdowns on the road is slow starts. In its eight true road games this season, Utah has led at the halftime break once (at Washington in December). More often than not, the Runnin’ Utes spend the second half trying to climb out of the hole they dug themselves into during the first 20 minutes of play.
And they aren’t always small potholes, either. Utah trailed Colorado 11-1 at the 17-minute mark of their matchup in Boulder on Jan. 7, then fell behind 12-3 to Texas Tech through the first 3 minutes of their bout in Lubbock a week later. It took nearly 7 whole minutes of game play for the Runnin’ Utes to make a field goal against their in-state nemesis BYU, when the two faced off Jan. 24 at the Marriott Center.
The point is, If Utah plays catch-up for most of Wednesday’s contest against West Virginia — the No. 8 scoring defense in the country — then its road losing streak has a good chance of being extended to 16.
Utah, having the worst 2-point field goal percentage among Big 12 teams this season, certainly can’t be pinned on Keanu Dawes. The versatile 6-foot-7 forward has been quite efficient inside the arc, where he’s shooting 71.3% (97-of-136) through 25 games. According to KenPom, only 21 other players in the country are better from 2-point range.
Dawes has been effective while increasing his shot total, too. He’s attempted at least 11 field goals in each of the last three games after reaching that threshold just four times in his previous 22 games. Since the start of February, he’s 21-of-29 (72.4%) from inside the arc.
West Virginia and its frontcourt featuring 6-foot-9 forward Brenen Lorient (1.3 blocks per game) should pose as one of Dawes’ toughest challengers of the season. The Mountaineers rank No. 12 in the country in 2-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 45.4% from inside the arc, and have held their last five opponents to below 50% shooting on 2s.
Despite rostering one of the top 3-point shooters in the Big 12 in Honor Huff, the Mountaineers as a whole have been inconsistent from behind the arc as of late. West Virginia hasn’t knocked down 30% or more of its 3-point attempts in a game since going 11-of-24 from long range against Arizona State on Jan. 21. In the six games that followed, the Mountaineers went a woeful 32-of-131 (24.4%) from downtown.
Huff shouldn’t have to shoulder the blame for the Mountaineers’ cold shooting, though the 5-foot-10 guard hasn’t necessarily been efficient himself. Huff has missed 40 of his last 54 looks from outside the arc and shot 27% from the field overall in his last six games, which admittedly pit West Virginia against some of the best defenses in the Big 12 (Arizona, Cincinnati and Texas Tech, namely).
It’s also not Huff’s fault that he’s the only West Virginia player shooting above 35% from 3 on volume this season.
For Utah, it’ll be essential that its guards run Huff off the 3-point line. West Virginia is 5-6 in games in which he makes two or fewer 3s, and 11-3 when he knocks down three or more.
Over the past few years, West Virginia has handled its business against teams it’s supposed to beat. The Mountaineers haven’t lost to a team ranked outside the top 100 in KenPom since falling to No. 117 Oklahoma State, 70-66, on January 27, 2024, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Why is this relevant now? Because Utah is No. 119 on KenPom as of Tuesday and trending toward its worst finish on the website since ending the 2021-22 campaign at No. 122 under Craig Smith.
Combine that with Utah’s recent road woes, and the steep hill the Runnin’ Utes face in order to knock off the Mountaineers gets even steeper. In fact, West Virginia has lost to just two sub-100 KenPom teams at home since 2013 and boasts an incredible 92-2 record in such instances since joining the Big 12.
That all said, let’s take a deeper look into the statistics for both teams.
Utah: 113.9 (No. 92 nationally)
West Virginia: 97.6 (No. 26)
Utah: 76.4 points per game (No. 171)
West Virginia: 63.8 points allowed per game (No. 6)
Utah: 52.1% (No. 148)
West Virginia: 48.3% (No. 55)
Utah: 35.3% (No. 97)
West Virginia: 35.3% (No. 248)
Utah: 8.1 (No. 158)
West Virginia: 7.6 (No. 170)
Utah: 51.6% (No. 188)
West Virginia: 45.4% (No. 12)
Utah: 11.3 (No. 146)
West Virginia: 11.6 (No. 198)
Utah: 50.9% (No. 226)
West Virginia 57.3% (No. 304)
Utah: 109.8 (No. 196)
West Virginia: 111.3 (No. 129)
Utah: 79.5 points allowed per game (No. 325)
West Virginia: 70.1 points per game (No. 312)
Utah: 52.9% (No. 252)
West Virginia: 51.7% (No. 171)
Utah: 34% (No. 179)
West Virginia: 33.9% (No. 187)
Utah: 7.1 (No. 93)
West Virginia: 7.9 (No. 170)
Utah: 53.8% (No. 268)
West Virginia: 52.3% (No. 158)
Utah: 9.7 (No. 336)
West Virginia: 11.1 (No. 128)
Utah: 47.3% (No. 49)
West Virginia: 52.4% (No. 183)
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News
Source: Utah News