Takeaways: Utah Basketball’s 81-56 Loss To No. 25 Baylor
Dec 31, 2024, 5:02 PM | Updated: Jan 2, 2025, 2:26 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — In the first-ever conference game as members of the Big 12, the Utah men’s basketball team looked ill-equipped against the No. 25 Baylor Bears.
Craig Smith’s squad struggled mightily on the offensive end, and the Utes lost 81-56.
Even with two former Bears on the squad, Utah simply did not look comfortable inside the Foster Pavilion.
The Utes began the game 0-for-6 from the field and Baylor built an 11-0 lead in the first five minutes, which set the tone for the game.
Final
Utah 56
#25 Baylor 81— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) December 31, 2024
Hunter Erickson led the team with 13 points off of the bench, thanks to 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Mason Madsen added 10 points and those two were the only Utes in double-figures.
Utah’s starting backcourt was almost non-existent
Utah’s Gabe Madsen is the unquestioned leader of the squad. He’s the veteran who’s been with Coach Smith since he took the job and has earned the designation as the focal point of the offense this season. Point guard Miro Little has been praised for his vocal leadership and presence on the floor.
Unfortunately, neither was able to make much of a positive impact for Utah today.
G. Madsen scored only 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting and committed four turnovers. Baylor’s defense effectively pressured him, allowing him little space to maneuver. However, as the go-to guy on offense, G. Madsen cannot afford to be shut out like this.
Little, who played for Baylor last season might have felt a bit of added pressure today. He seemed off after going 0-for-9 from the field. He still managed to contribute with 3 assists to just 1 turnover, but getting the ball to go through the hoop proved to be a challenge for him.
Coach Smith needs these two to consistently produce. Baylor is a tough introduction to the Big 12, but these two have to find a way to succeed.
Keanu Dawes was a bright spot
Despite him being a productive presence on both ends of the floor prior, Dawes has not played in the last few contests.
The 6-foot-9 forward is a versatile athlete on the floor that just always seemed to produce whenever he was on the floor. So, his lack of playing time in the last few games has been a bit of a head-scratcher.
Even more so after today, when he got 11 second-half minutes and scored 7 points, behind only Erickson and M. Madsen. He also grabbed 3 rebounds and notched an assist as well.
Dawes seems like such an obvious candidate for playing time under Smith. He plays hard, defends, and rebounds; after today, hopefully his playing time will continue to increase.
The offense lacked detail and organization
The Utes finished the game 21-of-66 from the field (31.8%), 7-of-30 from 3-point range (23.3%), to go along with 17 turnovers.
Utah’s offense was much better in the second half of the game. Unfortunately, they were down about 20 points for most of it.
For most of the game, Utah looked unorganized and lacking detail. The offense was a hodgepodge of passing and dribbling, it seemed to lack purpose.
Last year’s offense was based more in offensive sets, which provided structure and clarity. This season’s offense has been more free-flowing, which has been fine up until today.
Baylor was able to take away a lot of Utah’s typical scoring looks and the squad was unable to create beyond that.
With the first conference game out of the way, it’s clear that Utah needs more structure and detail on the offensive end.
