Utah basketball seeks sharper start, fewer mistakes against Towson
Nov 5, 2026, 9:14 AM | Updated: 10:29 am
TJ Burch in Utah men's basketball vs. Long Beach State in the 2026-27 season-opener. Photo courtesy by Utah Athletics
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah basketball proved it could recover from a poor start in its season opener. Alex Jensen would prefer his team skip that part Thursday.
The Runnin’ Utes host Towson at 7 p.m. at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on ESPN+, looking to build on their second-half response against Long Beach State while correcting the mistakes that complicated a 66–63 victory.
Erasing a 17-point deficit demonstrated resilience. It also means Utah fell into a 17-point hole vs Long Beach State.
“We’ve got to come out and start this game like we did the second half against Long Beach State,” Jensen said. “So, we can’t have a first half like we did against Long Beach and hopefully be fortunate enough to try to turn it on in the second half.”
𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 🫡
🆚 Towson
🏟️ Jon M. Huntsman Center
📅 THU, NOV 5
⏰ 7:00PM MT
📺 ESPN+
📻 ESPN700🎟️ https://t.co/M7qWznTyRY
#GoUtes https://t.co/RPWt61kOLv
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) November 5, 2026
Utah must stop giving possessions away
Utah’s most immediate correction involves taking care of the basketball. Ten first-half turnovers against Long Beach State produced an 18–5 disadvantage in points off turnovers and a 40–28 halftime deficit. Utah was making shots, but too many possessions ended without an attempt.
“Going through our three exhibition games and the Long Beach game, turnovers has been a kind of a constant common theme in all those,” he said. “So again, don’t beat ourselves. Don’t give away possessions.”
The challenge is improving decisions without making the offense hesitant. Utah needs to attack openings while avoiding forced passes and unnecessary risks.
“So we’ve worked on that,” Jensen said. “It’s the balance of doing that but staying aggressive as well.”
Establish the defense immediately
Utah’s comeback took hold when its defense began producing consecutive stops. The Utes held Long Beach State to 23 second-half points and 31.8% shooting after the break. That resistance allowed productive offensive possessions to become sustained progress.
TJ Burch supplied pressure during the turnaround, while Utah’s veterans provided direction. Jensen identified fifth-year players Trey Campbell and Malek Gomma as important parts of the response.
“You can’t make up for that experience,” Jensen said. “They’ve seen a lot. And I think, especially if you’re older, other guys will follow.”
Thursday tests whether that leadership can establish the standard from the opening tip. Communication, defensive engagement and pursuit of loose balls need to become dependable habits.
Campbell provides stability
Campbell finished the opener with 20 points, six rebounds, eight assists and four steals, helping stabilize an offense that spent too much time fighting itself. Jensen believes the veteran guard has room to grow.
“Trey is quietly playing well, I think he’s better than a lot of people think,” Jensen said. “Very solid, not flashy.”
Utah would benefit from distributing the responsibility more evenly. Better ball security and consistent contributions around Campbell would give the offense additional options.
Game 1 ☑️
#GoUtes https://t.co/kEvoTxrEJv
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) November 4, 2026
“Hopefully, we don’t need to ask him to do as much as we did last game,” Jensen said.
Jackson Holcombe’s activity can help. Jensen values the competitiveness he brings while adjusting to new teammates and responsibilities.
“It’s hard to take guys like that off the court, even when they make mistakes, because you know you’re going to get everything out of them every night,” he said.
Finish possessions against Towson
Towson arrives after an 89–70 loss at Santa Clara. Zion Stanford and Jaquan Womack scored 15 points apiece, with Womack adding 12 rebounds. Reserve Chike Ndefo collected eight rebounds in 18 minutes.
Those performances give Utah reason to prioritize defensive rebounding. Forcing a difficult shot accomplishes little if the Tigers recover the miss.
Jensen cautioned against overlooking a program led by longtime coach Pat Skerry.
“They’re established,” Jensen said. “It’s an underrated team from an underrated conference.”
Utah’s task is to make Monday’s second-half approach its starting point. A sharper opening, fewer wasted possessions and consistent defensive effort would represent meaningful progress.
