Seydou Traore ‘Took the Challenge’ — And Led Utah To The Win
Feb 19, 2026, 12:11 PM | Updated: Feb 20, 2026, 2:24 pm
Morgantown, W.Va. — The Runnin’ Utes earned a valuable road win last night. They didn’t win the game with shot-making flair or offensive rhythm. It won it with discipline, with poise, and with defense when it absolutely had to have it.
“I’m just happy for our guys because we’ve lost a couple close games like that at the end. But I think we made the plays especially defensively, even though we struggled offensively,” Alex Jensen said to open his postgame presser.
UTES EARN THE ROAD WIN🛣️
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In a season defined by near-misses and late-game heartbreak, the Utes finally flipped the script in a 61–56 road win over West Virginia — their first road conference victory of the year and their first true road win in 399 days.
And when the moment tightened, when the crowd rose and the margin shrank to two, Utah made the gritty plays they needed to.
Seydou Traore: “He Took the Challenge”
When asked specifically about West Virginia guard Honor Huff’s struggles, Jensen didn’t frame it as fortune, instead he credited his guy for stepping up.
“He’s one of those guys who could score a lot of points in a little amount of time,” Jensen said. “We started Seydou on him, and he did a great job.”
“It’s kind of a point I’ve been making to our guys — when you focus on the defensive part of it, which Seydou took the challenge of guarding him, and it’s amazing how it makes your offensive game easy.”
Traore’s late-game defensive plays — including two blocks on Huff in crunch time — were pivotal plays in the outcome of the game. He finished the game with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. He was also credited with a game-high 9 defensive stops, and an 87.9 defensive rating.
As for Huff, he finished with just 12 points on 15 field goal attempts, after scoring 21 points on 12 attempts against UCF last Saturday. Creating that sort of inefficiency is what Utah needs defensively.
TALK ABOUT BALL MOVEMENT ‼️‼️
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In previous contests, Utah failed to make those sort of plays on the defensive end. Jensen even pointed out moments beyond the highlight plays.
“There was a couple plays late in the game where James did a great job… he was aware of Huff coming off the pick,” Jensen said. “So, great job by Seydou, and I think collectively as a group, we were aware of him for most of the night.”
That word — aware — matters. Utah has struggled at times this season with defensive discipline late in games. Rotations have been slow. Closeouts have been undisciplined. Focus has wavered.
Against West Virginia, despite the late surge, Utah stood strong and made the plays they needed to walk off the floor victorious.
Growth on the Road
If you’ve followed Utah this season closely, Wednesday night felt eerily familiar. The early surge. The energy. The sense that things were clicking. Then the opponent’s inevitable second-half run. The tension creeping in. The margin shrinking.
The question lingering: would this be another one that slips away? The difference this time was the response.
From the opening tip, Utah played with purpose. The ball moved side to side. Shots were taken in rhythm. Defensive rotations were sharp. There was an edge to their approach that hasn’t always traveled with them this season.
“That’s been kind of a focal point for us all year… especially on the road,” Jensen said. “If we don’t start well, it’s a hard force to come back.”
On the road, deficits feel heavier. Crowds amplify every mistake. Momentum swings faster and harder. Jensen knows that. His players know that. And in Morgantown, they attacked first instead of reacting.
Even West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge recognized it.
“I’m going to give coach Jensen and his team all the credit in the world,” Hodge said. “They’ve been close, they’ve been in these situations before and they’ve just ended up on the wrong side of it… they started the game with force, pace, and shot making, and we just didn’t match that.”
That acknowledgment carried weight. Utah has been “close” before. They’ve been in these environments. They’ve kept games tight, they’ve even built leads. They’ve also watched leads evaporate and opponents pull away.
When West Virginia cut the lead to two late, the building felt ready to swallow the game whole. That’s where earlier versions of this team caved and gave up its grip on the game.
Instead, Utah slowed itself down. The composure showed up, specifically on the defensive end.
The Bottom Line
This wasn’t a masterpiece. Utah shot just 40% from the field, turned it over 12 times, and missed critical free throws late. The offense stalled for an uncomfortable of time in a couple of stretches. West Virginia cut a double-digit lead down to a single possession late.
But Utah showcased the growth this specific group needed to. Earlier in the year, this is a loss because this group completely unravels on both ends of the floor.
A late three falls. A rotation is missed. A rushed shot misses. A loose ball bounces the wrong way. The story becomes “so close” again.
Instead, Utah held West Virginia scoreless for over three minutes (3:58 – :33) as they rebuilt their margin back to six, 57-51 with half a minute to go in the game.
The Utes certainly had their chances to put it away for good but allowed the Mountaineers to hang around, but this was a victory earned nonetheless.
