Sad news: The top player for the Utah Utes is suspended due to the following:
In addition to suffering a severe blow to the team, the Utes lost to Washington State 79-57 after an exhilarating victory against Oregon and a breakout performance by Deivon Smith.
Smith sustained a lower leg injury while defending a jumper beyond the arc, earning him the title of Pac-12 Player of the Week following his outstanding performance against the rival Oregon Ducks. Despite the team’s success with the “next man up,” he is now the third starter to go down this season, and the injuries are beginning to catch up with the players.
Branden Carlson led the Runnin’ Utes in scoring, shooting 9 out of 17 from the field for 20 points. Keba Keita grabbed nine rebounds, seven of which came from the defensive end, to lead the team in rebounding. With three at the end of the game, Gabe Madsen led Utah in dime-dishers.
Isaac Jones led the Cougars in both points and rebounds, finishing with 17 points and a double-double after shooting 6/16 from the field and 5/6 from the free throw line. With six assists, Myles Rice topped the club in that category.
The fact that Smith is injured doesn’t help either, but the Utes also shot a pitiful 18.2% from outside the arc and lost the rebounding and turnover battles. After the setback, the Utes’ record in the Pac-12 standings is tied with Washington State’s at 14-6 overall and 5-4 in the conference. The Runnin’ Utes’ next voyage will be to Seattle, where
