Video: Utah MBB highlights vs. Cal
It's been a long Pac-12 season for Timmy Allen.
After struggling for much of the conference season, Allen found his groove again against Cal on Saturday night — leading the Utes to a 60-45 victory.
“Man, I've been missing shots I should make and I still did today, truthfully. ... But it feels cool. I've got a lot more work to do," Allen said. "I think it's just what I do. ... I don't think it's what the defensive team does. I was just more strong today, just played without stress and played free, truthfully."
Facing double teams for much of Pac-12 play, Allen has struggled with trusting his teammates to hit open shots. So he will either force the action and take a bad shot, or turn it over. Either way, his struggles had manifested in struggles with the entire offense.
So his showing on Saturday was a massive bonus. Allen chose when to attack double teams or when to be patient, and his success in the position allowed the Utes to thrive on offense.
It wasn't just Allen on offense, as Utah's defense was stifling for much of the night.
Utah's defense limited the Golden Bears to 16-for-50 (32%) from the field and 3-of-11 (27.3%) from beyond the arc. The Utes forced 17 turnovers, scoring 22 points in the process to help offset some of its own offensive deficiencies.
Utah now travels west this upcoming for games against Oregon State and Oregon. The Utes face the Beavers on Thursday, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.