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A new group of Utah basketball players got its first taste of facing someone else Wednesday night, as the Runnin’ Utes opened exhibition play with a 79-69 win over UNLV in Las Vegas.
Here are three takeaways from Utah’s victory at the Thomas & Mack Center.
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“The exhibition games are great for us because you get to play against somebody else. And I don’t think it’s changed where we need to get to, but with a whole new team, it’s good to play together,” Utah coach Alex Jensen said.
Guard play was encouraging
It was a good day all around for the Utes’ guard lineup.
A few hours before tipoff, a school spokesperson shared that Trey Campbell was granted a temporary restraining order in his legal battle with the NCAA over eligibility and is eligible to compete.
Campbell, who played the past four seasons at Northern Iowa, spent the offseason pursuing a fifth year of eligibility in the wake of the NCAA’s new eligibility model that will allow student-athletes five years to compete in up to five seasons.
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That included filing a lawsuit against the NCAA last month in Utah’s Business and Chancery Court, seeking an additional season of eligibility.
It didn’t take long for Campbell to make an impact on the floor for Utah in Las Vegas. He hit a pair of early 3-pointers and knocked down two free throws in the game’s first six minutes on his way to scoring 11 first-half points.
Campbell had a solid night overall, scoring a team-high 17 points, hitting 3 of 7 3-pointers and adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes of play.
While Campbell led Utah’s guard line from the starting lineup, TJ Burch came off the bench and sparked the Utes.
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Burch was active on both ends, scoring 16 points while adding five rebounds, one assist and four steals. He made 8 of 10 free throws, leading the Utes’ 21-of-25 effort from the free-throw line.
Defensive effort comes with gains and things to improve
Since taking over the program last season, Jensen has preached…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-takeaways-utah-basketball-exhibition-054921369.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-08 05:49:00
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