Utah searching for consistency with Oklahoma State coming to town

[ad_1]

Utah guard Mike Sharavjamts (25) tries to block a shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall

From shooting woes to defensive lapses to turnover issues, it’s been a rough start to Big 12 play for the Utah men’s basketball team.

The Runnin’ Utes’ inconsistencies have them sitting at 0-3 in conference action and losing by a league-high average of 25.3 points per game.

That puts Utah in a precarious position as one of three still-winless teams in conference action heading into its matchup Saturday against Oklahoma State (5 p.m. MST, ESPN+) at the Huntsman Center.

While each of Utah’s first three Big 12 opponents are in the top 25 of the NCAA’s NET rankings, Oklahoma State (9-5, 1-2 Big 12) is No. 106.

The Utes, by comparison, are No. 84.

This would classify as a Quad 3 win for Utah, but stopping a four-game losing streak that extends back to the Utes’ nonconference finale against Iowa is more of a priority for Utah (8-6, 0-3 Big 12).

What Utah coach Craig Smith is looking for is consistency across the board from his team, something that’s eluded the Utes when they’ve played Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents.

Utah is 0-6 in games against teams that currently classify as Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents, while it is 8-0 against Quad 4 teams.

To finally start having some success in their first season in the Big 12, the Utes will need to start performing better — whether in terms of improved efficiency on offense and defense or finding personnel groupings that work well together — to make an impact in league play.

“That’s all I think about right now. You’re always, ‘How can you make your team better?’ I think about personnel all the time and typically I do that as a head coach — who should be playing more, who maybe should be playing less, who brings this to the table? We need more consistency up and down our roster, quite frankly,” Smith said.

“… And so, just trying…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/utah-searching-consistency-oklahoma-state-043728381.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2025-01-11 04:37:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.