Utah Basketball Wins Convincingly In Exhibition Against Westminster
Nov 2, 2022, 9:50 PM
New Utah Utes head basketball coach Craig Smith. (Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY- Utah basketball wrapped up exhibition play Wednesday night in convincing fashion against Westminster, 93-58. While the Runnin’ Utes still clearly have things to work on, their energy and athleticism were undeniable in their route of the Griffins.
#LightTheU
Utah wins their exhibition with Westminster convincingly 93-58. #GoUtes #UteProud pic.twitter.com/J6jg1aAwJ3— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 3, 2022
Leading the way was guard Rollie Worster with 13 points, seven rebounds four assists, and two steals in 25 minutes of play. Big man Branden Carlson was hot on Worster’s heels with 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 16 minutes of play.
The Runnin’ Utes finished the night 32-71 from the field, making 45% of their shots and were 9-30 in their 3-point shots making 30% of their tries. Utah made their trips to the line count going 20-26 for a 77% shooting average.
As a team, the Utes only turned the ball over nine times, had 45 total rebounds, six blocks, 13 steals, and 15 assists.
Craig Smith’s Thoughts On Utah Basketball Exhibition
The man in charge, Craig Smith seemed very positive about where his team was at in his post-game thoughts while also admitting they are still a work in progress. Smith also owned he purposely didn’t give his team a lot of instruction heading into the game with Westminster, wanting instead to see how guys reacted under pressure while also attempting to keep some things under wraps.
“I intentionally as a coach didn’t give our guys a lot of structure,” Smith said. “The game is on Pac-12 TV- for scouting purposes we are doing a decent amount of new things this year and I just don’t want to have to show it for our opponents. Then, just to see where our guys are at with synergy and playing connective- being able to make the right reads with some things that they are doing on their own.”
Up next, the Runnin’ Utes will be at home again on Monday, this time starting regular season play against Long Island University in a double header with women’s basketball. Tipoff for the men will be 9 p.m. MT and will be aired on Pac-12 Networks.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
