Alex Jensen calls out Utah basketball's selfishness following loss to Oklahoma State

Runnin' Utes lost for the eighth time in their last nine

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen reacts after a play against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah men's basketball head coach Alex Jensen isn't mincing words anymore.

A week after saying his team "quit" down the stretch of a double-digit loss to BYU, the Jensen delivered another brutally honest assessment of the Runnin' Utes following their 81-69 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

"We were very selfish tonight," Jensen said during his postgame press conference. "I thought we were getting better at that, but we were individually very selfish."

Jensen's group was neck-and-neck with the Cowboys for a majority of their Big 12 tilt at the Huntsman, until another late-game collapse costed Utah (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) another opportunity at earning a league win.

Despite a stretch of miscues, the Runnin' Utes found themselves down by three with just over 6 minutes left in regulation. They struggled to find the bottom of the net the rest of the way, though, leaving the doors open for the Cowboys to grow their lead to double-digits inside the final 2 minutes.

Utah's offense stalled, in part, because of a lack of ball movement. The Runnin' Utes didn't have an assist in the final 6:40 of regulation and finished the game with 11 dimes total, tied for their third-fewest in a game this season. Utah went 3-for-11 from the field after falling behind, 62-59, with 6 minutes left in regulation.

"Too many guys are in their own world," Jensen said. "Too many guys started the game thinking about just scoring."

"There's other ways to be selfish: guys not talking, guys not being ready to shoot. Players win games, not coaches, and the players can't do it unless they do it together."

Utah looked less than prepared to defend Cowboys fifth-year guard Anthony Roy, a career 42.8% shooter from 3 who came into Saturday as one of the top outside shooters in the Big 12. The 6-foot-3 Oakland, California, native lived up to his reputation against Utah, as he knocked down five treys in a 26-point performance to lead Oklahoma State.

"We're not a very good defensive team," Jensen said. "A lot of times it's not the scheme; you just got to guard the guy in front of you. I don't have a solution for that right now."

The defensive end of the floor continued to be a problem for Utah, which dropped to No. 234 in the country in adjusted efficiency on KenPom.com. Saturday was Utah's 11th time allowing 80 or more points this season.

Perhaps the only positive Jensen took away from Saturday: the energy inside the Huntsman Center noticeably improved from where it was at the start of the season.

"The crowd was great tonight," Jensen said. "I'm embarrassed because that was far from the University of Utah team that's been here for decades. We might lose, but we're not going to lose that way. So we're going to work on it and find some different combinations."

Terrence Brown led Utah with 20 points, marking his 15th such game of the season. Only Andrew Bogut (22) and Keith Van Horn (20) have more 20-point games in a single season in Utah history.

Keanu Dawes added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Don McHenry had 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting.

The Runnin' Utes are back in action Wednesday for a home game against Arizona State (7 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network).