MBB: Utah vs. Washington Livestream: Utah Wins Season Opener 76-62
The wait is finally over!
Utah will begin the 2020 college basketball season with a conference game against Washington on Thursday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
It's an interesting dilemma the Runnin' Utes will face as it’s the latest start date for a season opener in the modern era. It's also the earliest start date in decades where the Utes will face a conference team this early in the December.
Regardless, head coach Larry Krystkowiak says his team is ready for the Huskies after most of the boys (and Krystkowiak himself) have battling COVID-19 for the better part of the last month.
“I think for the most part we’ve been wounded, and we’ve had our moments, but there is not a team out there that doesn’t feel like they’ve been turned upside down in some way and been affected by COVID,” Krystkowiak said. “It is far from perfect, so I think this is one of those times that flashes back to your younger days when you were on the playground or in an open gym and if you were a basketball player you went in and you didn’t want to lose. You played really, really hard. … And that’s what we are going to do.”
PREGAME
*The 2020 college basketball season if finally underway for the Utes, beginning things with a Pac-12 conference game against Washington.
*The Huskies enter Thursday night winless after suffering losses to No. 2 Baylor (86-52) and UC Riverside (57-42) over the past five days.
*Utah junior forward Timmy Allen was selected to the preseason all-Pac-12 first team, after averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last year.
*Utah Starters: Rylan Jones, Alfonso Plummer, Timmy Allen, Mikael Jantunen and Branden Carlson
*Washington Starters: Quade Green, Nate Roberts, Jamal Bey, Erik Stevenson and Hameir Wright
*Utah finished 16-15 last season, in a tie for eighth place in the Pac-12
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
FIRST HALF
*Washington wins the tip and we are officially underway…
*Huskies known down a three-pointer on their first possession, and in perfect fitting Plummer's first shot of the season is a three-pointer, albeit he missed it
*It appears that Alfonso Plummer has cooled down from the last time he was on a court for the Utes — a 35-pt, 11 three-pointer performance in the Pac-12 conference tournament
*Utah trailing 5-0 early on, which is to be expected after not playing yet this season. Huskies look more comfortable two minutes in
*Plummer gets the Utes on the board just over three minutes into the game with a fast break layup off a steal by Allen
*Utah starting to calm down a bit on both sides of the ball after showing some rust early on…
Utah 4 — Washington 5
15:39
The Utes are starting to develop a little bit of rhythm after showing early, but expected, signs on rust. Plummer and Carlson with the early buckets
*Carlson has picked up where he left off last season, continues to improve each game. Most importantly, no fouls early after dealing with fouls trouble quite a bit last season. Also with two blocks…
*One thing that hasn't been touched yet, Rylan Jones is beginning to look like a man. He's got a buzz cut, facial and some defined muscle...
*Carlsen continues to be a problem after being fouled on an offensive rebound. He looks so comfortable out on the court after having a full offseason to get ready
*After struggling for much of the first two games fro beyond the arc, the Huskies are 3-for-7 early on in this one, as Utah trails 15-11
Utah 11 — Washington 15
12:44
Freshman Pelle Larsson already contributing, catching a great lob from Jones for the score
*Larsson continues to impress, dishing to Battin for a three-pointer, the Utes first of the season. Larsson can play basketball
Utah 14 — Washington 17
11:23
Utah showing signs of putting it altogether. Early impression is that this team can definitely be better than its projected eighth place finish…
*With Jones out, Larsson is running the point guard role. Interesting development there...
*Krystkowiak called Plummer one of the best shooters he’s ever coached and said he carried it over into the offseason. Struggling right now, just 1-5 form the floor and 0-3 from beyond the arc
*Larsson with a nifty inbounds pass to Jantunen cutting the deficit to two, 21-19. He’s got 4 assists now…
*THERE IT IS!!! Plummer knocks down a corner three to give Utah a 22-21 with 7:52 to play, his first of the season
Utah 22 — Washington 21
7:42 left 1H
Utes on an 8-0 run, the last three points coming on a Plummer three-pointer, his first of the season
*I expected more Utes to play thus far, but currently going with eight-deep. Larsson is the only freshman thus far — no Martinez and no Kellier the most surprising...
*Allen is a playmaker at the free throw line in this Washington zone. Can take it off the dribble but dished a beautiful pass to Carlson for the dunk
*Plummer is dynamite, now with 8 points after knocking down his last two three pointers
*First deep shot of the season by Allen is missed, but it definitely looks a lot more in rhythm and smoother. That hitch is nearly gone — you can tell he put a lot work in during the offseason
Utah 29 — Washington 23
4:47 left 1H
Plummer up to 8 points with Allen and Battin each adding 6 thus far
*Quade Green of UW is hurting the Utes right now, leading the Huskies with 12p, 4a and 3r — he’s coming off an 18-pt performance against UC Riverside
*Utah in a little funk offensively, not getting the best of looks and missing some early free throws. But Larsson ends it by knocking down two free throws to give the Utes a 1-pt lead
*Great hustle play by Plummer. Missed a deep three but got a steal and lay-up on the other end. His defense was lacking last season, but his effort is all there so far
*Freshman Ian Martinez checks into the game with 1:02 left in the first half, replacing Larsson who has two fouls
*Great sequence by the Utes. Carlson blocks Green, grabs the rebound and gets the outlet to Martinez, who finds a cutting Allen for two free throws
Utah 37 — Washington 32
HALFTIME
Plummer leads the Utes with 11p, Carlson has 5p, 4r and 3b. Allen with 7p and 3r while Larsson has 6p and 5a
HALFTIME
*Utes look good thus far. After breaking off some early rust, the team has settled in nicely. You can already tell the difference in skill level and maturity from last season to this one...
Utah vs. Washington — Halftime Stats
*Plummer still has the green light from anywhere on the court, and after being a little too hyped up, really settled in nicely
*Larsson appears to be the real deal and worthy of the hype. Plays with a calmness that is rare for a freshman, while also displaying a sweet-looking shot and play-making ability
*Allen definitely worked on his shot during the offseason as it looks much prettier right now. He's also shooting it with more confidence, although it hasn't dropped as much as he'd like so far
*Utah leads by 5 at the half, and that's with Jones being largely irrelevant in the first half. Has only taken one shot and has two rebounds and two assists. Once he finds his groove, the backcourt of Jones, Plummer and Larsson could be trouble
*Utah has turned 9 UW turnovers into 15 points. Utes have turned it over just three times, that’s the biggest difference in the game thus far
*Utes have also done a good job inside, attacking the paint and the bucket. They're 10-for-15 from the free throw line, while the Huskies are just 2-for-2
SECOND HALF
*Carlson knocks down a free throw to start the scoring in the second half
*Allen able to grab a rebound and immediately turn into a point guard pushing the ball into the paint is a scary thing moving forward. Really enjoy that part of his game — and knocked down back-to-back jumpers for the Utes
*Jones first bucket of the season came in the second half, and was a 27-footer that hit nothing but net
Utah 49 — Washington 40
15:35 left 2H
Allen starting to heat up, now with a team-high 13 points
*Kind of a slog to the start of the second half as the Utes are slowly pulling away. Allen and Jones combined for 11 of the points
*Washington getting back into the game as back-to-back turnovers by the Utes have led to a 6-0 Husky run
Utah 54 — Washington 46
11:58 left 2H
Teams trading baskets at this point. Have to figure Green and Huskies have one more run in them, will be curious how Utes handle that and what their conditioning will be like in the end
*Just as Wyking Jones said, “Plummer is a bad man, he’s a bad man” He knocks down a three-pointer and has a team-high 16 thus far, helping the Utes out to an 8-0 run
*Through 30 minutes and I think Utah will be better than its eighth-place predicted finish in the Pac-12. This team has made a lot of strides from last season. If Plummer can knock from deep and Larsson is as good as advertised, this team will be solid
Utah 64 — Washington 46
9:22 left 2H
Utes starting to open this game up now, looking confident and playing comfortably now. Playing patient and attacking when necessary against the UW zone
*Utah currently on a 13-0 run...
*Plummer with a beautiful fake and then buried another three. He’s the key because his shooting allows Allen, Carlson and the big men to work down in the paint
*Plummer up to a game-high 19 points as the Utes lead by 21. And don’t forget, this is their first game of the season against a Pac-12 opponent who’s already played two games
*WOW, Utah's been so efficient on offense that they knocked the Huskies out of their zone defense, forcing them to play man-to-man
*Worst thing to happen this far, Jones passes to a wide open Plummer in the corner but he never got the ball as Battin ran right in front of the pass and took it off the head
*Martinez just checked in for Plummer at the 5-minute mark... would assume the lone senior's night is over after 21 points and four made three's
Utah 72 — Washington 51
3:44 left 2H
Utes on a 21-5 run as Plummer has 21 points. Allen has 14p, 8r and 4a as well
*Utah has emptied the bench as Allen, Jantunen, Jones and Carlson are all out of the game, joining Plummer on the bench...
First impression is that Jordan Kellier is a lot bigger than expected...
Utah 76 — Washington 62
FINAL
Utah shines in season opener, dominating Washington in the second half. Plummer finished with a team-high 21 points, Allen added 14p, 8r, 4a
Utah vs. Washington — Final Stats
POSTGAME
*Utah looks very good in season opener, taking down a conference opponent
*The ceiling remains very high for the Utes, and will get a tough test in a little over a week when they travel south to play Provo against BYU.
*Plummer picked up where he left off last year / Allen's shot looks smoother and his overall game has improved / Larsson could be very very good by year's end / Jones, Carlson and Battin have taken the next steps forward in their respective games.
*Utah is a team that, if continues to improve, will finish in the 4-6 range in the Pac-12
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