Utah Basketball Suspends Center Dusan Mahorcic Indefintely
Jan 29, 2022, 2:43 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah men’s basketball head coach Craig Smith announced that center Dusan Mahorcic has been suspended indefinitely.
The news of Dusan Mahorcic’s suspension came one hour before Utah basketball was scheduled to face Washington in Seattle on Saturday afternoon. According to the release sent by Utah basketball, Mahorcic violated team rules.
When Smith met with the local media after Utah’s loss to Washington State on Wednesday, the coach was asked why Mahorcic didn’t play in the second half. Smith gave a very vague answer and simply said that they decided to not play him in the second half.
Utah basketball announced that Dusan Mahorcic has been suspended indefinitely. #GoUtes @kslsports
— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) January 29, 2022
Utah Has Thinner Frontcourt Without Dusan Mahorcic
This news softens the blow for Utah’s frontcourt now that Branden Carlson is back in the lineup after missing over two weeks with appendicitis. Mahorcic played in 13 games this season and started the last two contests. He averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
Mahorcic missed some time due to a knee injury he suffered against BYU on November 27. The rotation tightens now that Mahorcic will be out of the lineup. Expect Carlson to be inserted back into the starting lineup and Lahat Thioune getting some time as the backup. Utah could also go with a smaller lineup with Riley Battin or Marco Anthony at the center position.
Thioune is averaging 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He has played in 19 games with five starts against Fresno State, Washington State, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA this season.
Utah will look to snap a nine-game losing streak when they face the Washington Huskies on Saturday, January 29 at 3 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Network.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com, Co-Host of Faith, Family and Football podcast with Clark Phillips III and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports.
