Runnin' Utes Run Out Of Gas In Quarterfinals Of Pac-12 Tournament
It was bound to happen at some point.
After an extremely taxing game on Wednesday in the Pac-12 tournament opener — a 98-95 victory over No. 10 Washington — No. 7 Utah was bound to get tired and run out of gas at some point when facing No. 2 USC just 24 hours later.
It didn't take 40 minutes, and it didn't even take another extra five minutes of overtime for Utah to be vanquished. But the Utes finally ran out of gas, and players, in the second overtime.
With four players having fouled out, Utah couldn't give it one last gasp and saw its season come to an end following its 91-86 loss to the Trojans in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament on Thursday night.
"There was just no quit in us," Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said postgame. "We were outnumbered, we're playing against an elite team, and our guys, there was no quit. We got down 10, got down a number of times and stayed in the fight. I'm one of the brothers with them and I couldn't be more proud of the way they handled them self on and off the court. ... Pretty special."
Krystkowiak wasn't wrong when he said the Utes didn't give up.
Utah found itself trailing 56-47 with 8:59 remaining following an Isaiah White dunk, which capped off a 5-0 Trojans run that appeared to be the first nail in Utah's coffin. But the Utes didn't go quietly as Timmy Allen responded with a three-pointer, the first sign that Utah was not about to go quietly into the night.
After slowly climbing back into the game, Utah found itself trailing 67-61 with 3:05 left but Ian Martinez closed the gap with a made jumper.
Still trailing by four with 25 seconds remaining, Allen made a layup with 16 seconds remaining to keep the Utes alive. After Ethan Anderson missed the front end of a one-and-one, Martinez was fouled with 2.3 seconds remaining, knocking down both free throws and forcing overtime.
I thought he really stepped up," Krystkowiak said of Martinez. "He's in the middle of a freshman season that I don't know if he's ever felt probably as beaten and battered, and it's fun, it's part of the right of passage to the next level. It's never easy to be a freshman and consistency is hard."
But the biggest shot of the game for Utah came at the end of the first overtime, which in returned forced another five minutes of action.
Anderson sank two free throws for USC to give the Trojans an 80-77 lead with under a minute to play, setting the stage for the heroics of Alfonso Plummer.
After taking a timeout with 30 seconds remaining, Krystkowiak drew up a gorgeous inbounds play that used Allen — Utah's leading scorer — as a decoy and screener for Plummer and his long range ability. After clearing out one side of the court, Plummer used staggered screens by Branden Carlson and Timmy Allen to get a little bit of daylight and tie the game at 80.
The second overtime is where Utah just ran out of gas and players.
Starters Mikael Jantunen and Allen and bench players Riley Battin and Martinez all fouled out by the time the game was over. The Utes were whistled for 31 fouls, seven more than USC.
The teams combined for 69 free throw attempts as Utah went 25-of-30 from the charity stripe while the Trojans finished 29-of-39. Allen went 8-for-10 while USC star Evan Mobley went 11-of-14, scoring 13 of his 26 points in the two overtimes.
Mar 11, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) is fouled by USC Trojans forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
In what could've been Allen's final game in a Utah uniform — he declared for the NBA draft last season before electing to return — he finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, his second consecutive double-double in the tournament.
Plummer, who is the lone senior but could elect to return next year, finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Over the past two Pac-12 tournaments, Plummer is averaging 24 points per game as one of the premier three-point shooters in the conference.
Martinez added a career-high 18 points off the bench while Jantunen added 10 points and five rebounds.
"I think the past couple games have been some of the better basketball we played all year and this game reflects that," Allen said postgame. "To know coming into this tournament I don't think a lot of teams really wanted to play us because we would be problems for a lot of teams matchup-wise and just the way we run and move the ball, move the rock. So I don't think our record reflects how good and together we were or are, but I'm happy with the guys. I mean, we just laid our heart out on that floor. So I can't ask for anything more than that."
Mar 11, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes guard Ian Martinez (2) shoots over the defense of USC Trojans guard Ethan Anderson (20) during the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mobley, the Pac-12's defensive, freshman and player of the year, finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and two assists. The four other Trojans starters all finished in double figures, led by White's 14 points and 13 each from Tahj Eaddy and Drew Peterson.
Mar 11, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC Trojans forward Evan Mobley (4) dunks during a second overtime period against the Utah Utes at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Utah will now turn its head to the offseason, which is expected to be a very important one regarding the development of the players. Allen is most definitely on NBA scouts radars while Plummer could elect to not return for his 'super' senior season. Other than that, every player is expected to return.
Who knows where the Utes go from here, but it's safe to say that this is the most important offseason in recent memory.
"I just made it clear in the locker room, would love to have everybody back, coaching, coaching this group again. We can lace it all up, everybody can come back, got a couple additions to the roster. ... So I remain optimistic," Krystkowiak said. "Guys can work on their basketball game, but we can come back as a brotherhood and hopefully play in front of fans. I have no question in my mind, contrary to a lot of the noise, that this is a program that is on the rise. We have got a number of young players that are playing games, we got guys that want to get in the weight room, got a lot of high-character people. So I have no reason to believe otherwise."
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