Utah Must Continue Its New Standard Of Play Against TCU
Jan 15, 2025, 11:47 AM
Jan 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jamyron Keller (14) dribbles against Utah Utes forward Caleb Lohner (11) during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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SALT LAKE CITY—Craig Smith and the Runnin’ Utes have traveled back to Texas for their second road trip to the Lone Star state. Tonight, they will take on the 9-6, 2-2 TCU Horned Frogs in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.
Utah broke through with their first Big 12 conference win on Saturday, an 82-63 win over Oklahoma State. In that game, Utah clearly showed progress as a team and tonight’s contest is another opportunity to showcase growth.
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🆚 TCU
🏟️ Schollmaier Arena
🕰️ 6pm (MST)
📻 @ESPN700
🚘 @SiriusXM Ch. 390
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🎙️ Lowell Galindo / Brandon Johnson
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📊 https://t.co/f8JAuHY1VU#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/fXIkDYRWkN— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) January 15, 2025
Utah vs TCU, How To Watch, Listen
Date: Saturday, January 15, 2025
Tip-Off: 6:00 pm (MST)
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN 700 AM
Utah will get an extra day of prep as it heads down to the heart of Texas for a midweek match-up against TCU next Wednesday, Jan. 15. Lowell Galindo will once again guide fans through the action on ESPN+ alongside Brandon Johnson starting at 6 p.m. (MST) as the two former conference foes once again duke it out – this time as members of the Big 12 Conference.
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Cementing this new standard of play in the Big 12
The Utes faced a difficult introduction to Big 12 basketball. However, in their game against Oklahoma State, they demonstrated significant improvement, showcasing better offensive balance, intensity, and toughness.
“We’re playing big boy basketball in this league; we’re playing physical and with aggression,” Coach Smith said. “That’s what a lot of these teams in the Big 12 do, they load up, they come after you, and you’ve got to play tough but also make the right play to make them pay.”
Utah not only excelled defensively and managed the ball effectively but also scored 46 points in the paint by the end of the game. This marks a significant shift from their early season dependence on the 3-pointer and is a reflection of their overall progress.
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— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) January 15, 2025
“It was great to see the offensive balance because I do believe this team has a lot of balance,” Smith continued. “We certainly played in attack mode and made so many of the right plays. Every team has really good defenders and some not-so-good defenders, and usually, the ball can find those guys and exploit them when we make the right play, which is what we did more of and need to keep doing.”
With the first Big 12 conference win, Utah can’t afford to ease up in any way. Utah has to continue to play at this new standard of play, especially on the road, and continue the process of cementing this as their identity.
“That’s got to be who we are, bottom line, and if you’re not playing at that standard, you’re not going to see the floor, it’s just that simple,” Coach Smith stated pretty succinctly.
Utah must lock in defensively against TCU’s backcourt
Utah cannot afford to let TCU guards Noah Reynolds and Vasean Allette get going in this one. The Horned Frogs’ top two scorers can score at all three levels. They aren’t necessarily super efficient, but they will shoot the ball early and often.
Reynolds is currently averaging 12.5 points on the season, 20.5 in Big 12 play, and shooting 45.5% from the field. Allette is averaging 10.9 points on 38% shooting on the season, and 13.5 points on 36% in Big 12 play.
They are both capable of getting hot, so Utah has to lock in on these two. The Horned Frogs aren’t particularly big on ball movement, as they rank last in the Big 12 in assists per game. That means a lot of this will be 1-on-1 basketball, which will require Utah’s perimeter defenders to be locked in.
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Getting to know the TCU Horned Frogs
Utah will travel to Fort Worth, TX, for a Wednesday night contest against TCU. The Horned Frogs are 9-6 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play, which includes wins over BYU and Kansas State.
“Jamie Dixon’s been at this thing a long time and been very successful, his teams are always really good defensively,” coach Smith said. “Just really difficult to score on these guys, they just don’t make many mistakes defensively.”
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The Horned Frogs are giving up just 65.7 points per game through 15 contests. However, they’ve allowed 71.0 points per game through four Big 12 contests. Similarly, TCU has gone from allowing 42.3% shooting on the season to 47.6% shooting in league play.
Through four conference games, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Noah Reynolds is leading the Big 12 in scoring. He is averaging 20.5 points on 52% shooting and 37% from 3-point range.
“Noah Reynolds is leading the Big 12 in scoring, and he can really get it going,” Smith said. “He plays at his pace, he just keeps you off balance, he’s got every shot in the book and is just a really crafty guy.”
Former Ute Brendan Wenzel has landed at TCU after a couple of seasons with the Wyoming Cowboys. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward is averaging 8.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting a career-high 45.5% from 3-point range.
