Takeaways From Utah’s 81-72 Loss To Oklahoma State
Feb 1, 2025, 4:19 PM | Updated: Feb 2, 2025, 2:28 pm
SALT LAKE CITY—Unfortunately, Utah basketball failed to capitalize on a decent opportunity against Oklahoma State to secure a road win in the Big 12.
The Utes lost to the Cowboys 81-72 in a wire-to-wire finish. Utah’s slow start was ultimately a telltale sign of what was to come.
GAMER: Utah Basketball Unable To Overcome Oklahoma State’s Strong Start, Fall 81-72
Final from Stillwater
Utah – 72
Oklahoma State – 81— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 1, 2025
Here are the takeaways from the game…
Oklahoma State responded to each and every Utah run
After jumping out to a 6-0 lead, Oklahoma State led wire-to-wire in this one. Utah would put together runs, including a 12-2 run in the first half, which trimmed the lead to 21-19.
However, what would become the story of the game, the Cowboys answered every Utah run with one of their own. Shortly after that 21-19 score, the Cowboys were back up 26-19.
In the opening second-half minutes, Utah trimmed the lead to 9 points. However, Oklahoma State quickly rebuilt the lead to 15 a couple of minutes later.
Later in the game, Ezra Ausar led a charge, scoring 7 of 10 points on a run that trimmed OSU’s lead to 65-57 with about five minutes left. Unfortunately, two minutes later, OSU’s Byce Thompson made a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 13 points.
The Utes continued to fight in the final couple of minutes, even reducing the lead to 77-70 with 1:12 left in the game. Still, Oklahoma State did enough to preserve a three-possession game until the final buzzer.
The story of today’s game was simply Utah couldn’t get over the hump. They didn’t string together the series of defensive stops they needed or convert the scoring opportunities they created on the other end.
Ultimately, Utah’s performance was disappointing, and they missed an opportunity to add a rare road win in the Big 12.
Just more efficient scoring for Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State was a little more offensively efficient than Utah in this one. They converted a bit more at the free throw line, and knocked down one more field goal than Utah did.
The Utes finished the game with shooting splits of 22-of-55 overall, 7-of-28 from 3-point range, and 21-of-30 from the charity stripe.
The Cowboys ended the game 23-of-47 from the field, 8-of-20 from deep, and 27-of-36 from the free throw line.
Utah needed more production across the board, but a bit more efficiency from Utah’s top producers would’ve helped significantly.
The veteran leader, Gabe Madsen, went 5-of-15 from the field today for 15 points. Ezra Ausar finished 6-of-10 for 18 points but only converted 6-of-12 from the charity stripe. Mike Sharavjamts added 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists but only 1-of-5 from the field.
Another above-average shooting night for Utah’s opponent
Utah’s 3-point defense has become a disappointing trend in Big 12 play. The Utes have allowed multiple opponents to have better-than-average nights from deep, and that was an issue again today.
Coming into this one, Oklahoma State was converting 3-pointers at a 32% clip in conference play. They finished this one 8-of-20 for a 40% rate, which resulted from multiple open looks. Bryce Thompson was a 33% shooter before this one and finished 4-of-4 from 3-point range.
Utah’s perimeter defense was weak today, which has been an issue in several games this season. It’s become clear that Utah isn’t as athletic on the perimeter as most teams in the Big 12, but the Utes have to improve in this regard.
Squandered an opportunity to get to .500
To their credit, the Cowboys have been playing better lately. They kept it fairly competitive against Arizona and Texas Tech on their home floor. Still, it seemed like Utah had a good chance to secure a rare road win in league play.
A win would have elevated them to .500 in the Big 12, and they would have had a good shot at getting to +1 in the W/L column on their home floor next Wednesday.
Unfortunately, Utah looked unprepared for the game and ultimately squandered the opportunity.
Way too many whistles
Utah and other former Pac-12 teams have had to adjust to refereeing in the Big 12. In many contests, refs have allowed a lot of physicality on the floor. Today, the refs were very prominent in the game.
The two teams combined for 53 foul calls and 66 free-throw attempts. Certainly, both teams could have played cleaner basketball, but that is excessive. It hindered the flow of the action, making the game difficult to watch for most of it.
Still, Utah’s focus moving forward must be on playing a cleaner defense. They must emphasize playing defense without hand-checking, staying completely vertical on shot contests, and,, most importantly, setting absolutely perfect stand-still screens on the offensive end.
UP NEXT – Colorado Vs. Utah
The Utes return home with an extra day of prep before hosting Colorado on Wednesday, Feb. 5, inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Veteran play-by-play man Mark Neely will have the call alongside former Arizona Wildcat Corey Williams as the Runnin’ Utes and Buffaloes square off in their third conference together starting at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+.
