What to watch for during Utah basketball's home game vs. Weber State

Utes host Wildcats seeking 2-0 start to the Alex Jensen era

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen on the sideline against the San Jose State Spartans during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Following Alex Jensen's first career win as head coach, the Utah men's basketball team will look to keep it rolling when Weber State pays Jon M. Huntsman Center a visit for a nonconference tilt Saturday.

The Runnin' Utes (1-0), coming off an 84-75 victory over San Jose State, seek their seventh consecutive 2-0 start to a season against a Wildcats squad (1-0) that won its opener in historic fashion on Monday, setting a new school and Big Sky record for margin of victory with a 130-38 triumph over Division II constituent West Coast Baptist (California).

Let's take a look at some things to watch for as Utah and Weber State prepare for their first hardwood meeting since 2019.

Defending Weber State's driving lanes

Utah's perimeter defense, particularly its inconsistencies in slowing down San Jose State's dribble penetration, was one area Jensen wished to clean up following Monday night's opener.

"I think just the talking as a unit and keeping them out of the places they want to go, especially the paint and the fouls," Jensen said after the game. "It was just not being prepared for when the guy had the ball."

The Utes struggled to keep the ball in front of them on several occasions, especially early on in the first half when it seemed like the Spartans were getting any sort of look they wanted; whether it was a layup at the rim or a strong drive and kick out to an open 3-point shooter on the wing.

San Jose State continued to get into the teeth of Utah's defense in the second half, turning its deficit into a 1-point lead before the Runnin' Utes started forcing more contested shots from outside the painted area. Still, the Spartans managed to go 23-of-45 (53.3%) from inside the arc, which would've been the second-most 2-point attempts the Utes allowed in a single game last season.

Against a Wildcats squad that shot just 32.4% from downtown and got 51.5% of its points inside the arc last season, Utah will look to defend the Wildcats' driving lines and take away open looks from 3 created off dribble penetration.

Utah's frontcourt rotation

Even with Babacar Faye out of the picture due to injury, the Runnin' Utes have options regarding their frontcourt rotation.

Seydou Traore's ability to play the "3" or small-ball "4" positions give Jensen some flexibility in how he manages his substitution patterns. Utah started Monday's game with a "bigger" starting five featuring Traore on the wing with 6-foot-9 junior college transfer Josh Hayes and 6-foot-9 junior Keanu Dawes up front, giving the Runnin' Utes size and versatility at a couple of positions.

For a solid chunk of the second half, Jensen leaned on a smaller lineup that saw 6-foot-6 Jacob Patrick at the "3," with Traore manning the frontcourt next to either Dawes or 6-foot-8 freshman Kendyl Sanders. Patrick provided a threat from the outside, going 2-for-5 from 3-point land, while Dawes and Traore made for quite the dynamic pairing given their versatile skillets.

Sanders gave Utah a strong presence on the glass with seven boards, including five offensive rebounds, in 21 minutes off the bench. Through Tuesday's games, his 26.5% offensive rebounding rate ranked No. 21 in the country.

Weber State probably won't challenge Utah on the glass like San Jose State did at times, though it'll still be worth monitoring how Jensen and his staff choose to maximize their set of forwards.

Terrence Brown-Don McHenry dynamic

If Monday's contest was any indication, Utah's starting backcourt is going to apply a lot of pressure on its opponents this season.

How point guard responsibilities are shared between Terrence Brown and Don McHenry will likely ebb and flow over the course of the first few games. It's already apparent, though, that either is capable of jump-starting Utah's offense.

"Don and TB, they both come from teams, last year, where they needed to score 20 points a game," Jensen said of his backcourt. "That's what their particular teams needed. That's not an easy thing to do, but I've asked them to control the team, run the team, pass the ball; and I think they both did a great job with that [against San Jose State]."

McHenry took control early with a handful of strong drives to the rim on Monday, finishing the first half with a team-high 12 points. Brown, meanwhile, ended the night with eight assists, tying a career-high he reached twice during his two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson, after setting the table for his teammates throughout the night.

Both guards are quick off the dribble and aren't afraid of contact, combining for quite the tandem in Utah's backcourt. It'll be worth monitoring how primary ballhandling duties are divied up between the two moving forward.

Seydou Traore's encore performance

Traore came up big when it mattered most on Monday, scoring 18 of his career-high 23 points in the second half to prevent the Runnin' Utes from completely squandering their double-digit to the Spartans.

The Iowa transfer was often the source of Utah's offense, whether it was in the post or out on the perimeter. He finished 9-of-14 from the field while knocking down five 3-pointers, which was more than half of the amount of 3s he made across 27 games with the Hawkeyes last season (nine).

Whether Traore remains aggressive from behind the arc remains to be seen, though there's no doubting his versatility and presence on defense will be Utah's driving force on both ends of the court.

Along with his career-night offensively, Traore recorded four steals and had two blocks against the Spartans, showcasing his tenacity in more ways than one.

"He's a great player," Sanders said of Traore. "He has a big role on this team. We didn't have him against Oregon, but he really showed out in this game."

How Traore follows up his dominant performance on Saturday will be worth keeping an eye on.