Utah Men’s Basketball beats Washington State 80-58 | Postgame Press Conference
Well that’s a great win for us you know uh we took care of business got to take care of business at home um in League Play but at all times that’s a good team over there two nine and two teams going at it Kyle Smith does a great job in his
Coaching staff um you know coming into tonight obviously their metrics are really really high and um I find myself talking more about metrics than I ever have I’m I don’t know if that’s good or bad but um but defensively they they can they’re just so long they’re so big you
Saw it tonight um one of the top teams in the country in blocking shots and there was you know especially that first half I mean they blocked a lot of them it felt like they were everywhere um I thought we really settled in obviously in that second half
I mean to score 49 points and a half against these guys that that is incredibly difficult to do so uh I do want to thank our crowd I thought our crowd really impacted our game tonight I thought they really got into it um and were very very active we didn’t give him
A lot to cheer about in that first half uh and then obviously going down 40 to 34 we called the timeout and I had a good conversation and really proud of how our guys responded in a major way in every facet uh rebounding because they were getting
Every you I think first what I think they had three offensive rebounds in the first five possessions of the second half and scored uh and that’s what they do they’re Elite at uh uh getting to the offensive boards um but after that I thought we were able to get get a bunch
Of stops in a row start the game getting uh nine straight stops I believe um got that jump and then obviously um then we weren’t very good you know the next 15 minutes or so but um lot of good things at the end of the day but more so I’m
Just proud of how we responded getting down six um and calling that timeout and how our guys reacted and you know BC played like a like a senior you know during that timeout he just took it on you know what I’m saying like just handled it
Like a man like a leader like a veteran uh Raleigh did the same Gabe did the same and um and then we got going uh but we were able to get a lot of stops together did a great job on Isaac Jones Isaac Jones is a very good player we
Held him four for 16 from the field um you know he has 12 points on 20 like one possessions that’s really good uh defensive efficiency and then the other guy is Miles rice miles rice can really get it going a kid is a a big- Time playmaker and to hold him to seven
Points on 14 shot attempts that was that was big for us we really protected the rim at a high level tonight nine block shots and then offensively really settled in you know this game is always a hard game a playing Washington State it’s a root con like it’s I mean it’s a
Rock fight it’s just every time we play these guys just an ugly game um but then I thought we really settled in and then on top of playing these guys it’s your first game after Christmas break so having the nine days of not playing uh combined with kind of our non-conference
Schedule the way we went into Christmas you know we just didn’t have a lot of game rep so uh it showed I thought offensively just kind of out of rhythm some of that was them some of that was us but then we really really settled in that second half obviously Gabe got
Going um which really stretched them out BC got it going inside outside we just made a lot of the right plays Raleigh was Raleigh again like he always is uh he guarded rice the whole game then I thought Devon really gave us a great spark uh you could kind of see him he
Looked a lot different tonight than he has the last two games out just kind of settled in I thought he competed hard on both ends of the floor bring some a different kind of pace to us really had great vision um finding Shooters and uh just played really
Within himself five assists um so 22 assists on five turnovers lowest turnover game of the year against the T that was one of our three biggest Keys is take care of the ball because these guys Force I know it’s man this a long answer but um these guys Force and and
Get a lot of catastrophic turnovers meaning they turn it over and they get dunks the other way and layups the other way and I think the only that I can recall is was I think they had one um so that was a big part of the game is not
Letting them get easy offense off of our offense so great team effort we shortened the bench like I told our team this team is a deep team we have a deep team and I think that’s what deep I think that’s what good team have his depth versatility and so
Tonight it was certain some certain guys and you know two days from now when we play in 36 hours it could be a whole different handful of guys last guy I didn’t talk about kada I thought really impacted the game uh with his shot blocking Rim protection and he just
Played with a lot of force and a lot of physicality and that’s what you got to do when you play Washington State all right guys I’ll see you tomorrow it seemed like during that stretch in the second half where you had the most success Avon was on the CES on
The floor seemed like they flow the flow of the game don’t even know what I’m saying anymore flow of the game was much better is that indicative of kind of the lineup that you’re hoping to have or like you said is more situation no I
Don’t I don’t think um well it could be I’m not saying it’s not going to be um I I think that stuff all plays itself out right guys got to earn it like I do believe in our depth and a major way and On Any Given night it’s going to be
Different guys so but what I was what I was excited I mean obviously they got you know it’s 40 to 34 I thought we were getting out toughed you know we had a good start to the game although we had some empty possessions I mean we were up
What was it I don’t know 8 Z and whatever to whatever but I felt like we should have been up more I thought we settled I thought we took some bad shots Auto Rhythm shots uh that’s not us we don’t do that very often and again if you want to look at
The um there’s two ways to look at it or did we like lack discipline or we trying to get our own and I don’t think it’s that we’ve never shown that so I do think it was more of the break of Christmas and their defense right but I
Just thought we were really settling on the offensive end I thought we competed hard defensively the whole night uh but we didn’t play with the physicality we needed and um C brings a lot of physicality right and we went with Devon just a uh I thought he had a really good
First half he didn’t play a ton in the first half I mean he played probably more in the first half than he did the first two nights first two games um but it just felt like we needed you know some just a little different uh juice so
To speak and the way he was guarding we were really excited about that so um yeah I just think it was the way the flow of the game every game is such a unique and own Masterpiece I guess you could say and it just happened those two guys were
Out there a lot tonight and those guys were really cooking and it just felt like you know what we hardly subbed in the second half the those those five guys out there just had a great look to them and we were going to ride them give
Him a quick little breather to BC and CBA at that one little spot and then of course when Gabe out his fourth foul took him out for a couple minutes but we were going to ride with those guys because they were they were really competing in your eyes what’s the biggest
Difference that that Devon brings to just what do he bring well he for our team you know Raleigh’s such a good point guard he’s just a really just a really good player he does everything like that guy there’s nothing that guy doesn’t do and everybody loves to play with him so
Devon just brings us another ball handler right when you can play Devon and Raleigh together with hunter in there like those three guys are our best handlers so having another guy and then Raleigh doesn’t have to I mean Raleigh’s guarding almost always the other team’s best perimeter player then he’s always
Playing point guard and he’s logging a ton of minutes so I think it gives him a chance to kind of breathe a little bit you know what I mean and just find his spots but Devon is obviously he’s a a very good Handler um he can guard uh uh and he you
Saw how he he he’s sneaky rebounding wise like Raley can really rebound Davon can go get rebounds and you saw a few of them tonight where it’s like a 50-50 ball and he’s the one winning that you know jump ball or tipping it to a
Teammate so he’s got a high IQ um and then of course just his speed made a couple really good plays in transition tonight the one that really stands out is the one over the top to BC I think BC was trying to Duna got fouled that was a
Really good play right and I thought he pitched it up ahead a few different times um to lead to some uh really easy baskets whether it’s direct or one more pass but he just brings a different dimension to our team just with his speed athleticism that that pace that he
He brought in the second half really kind of stood out is that something you want to see more of is that something you hope to see guess yeah I that’s something Davon and I were talking about is like okay like and I told him this in when he checked into the second half
Like you have to play on attack without you’re a good player trust your instincts in play I I think but it’s but then I’m also like put yourself in his shoes right that guy’s hardly practic with our with Lawson and CBA he’s practiced more with CBA um but not as
Much with BC Lawson Raleigh Gabe right so like he’s still kind of feeling out how he fits into the equation I thought he passed up a couple opportunities in the first half where he could have just drove it in transition had a seam but
Just didn’t take it and I was like no be a player like be who you are right and uh and I thought he really settled in but like on the flip side it’s his third game since last January so it takes time basketball’s a rhythm and timing game it
Takes time to settle in and at the end of the day he’s had five practices um since he’s found out he’s had his since he’s found out he’s been able to play so um certainly I felt like he was going to play better tonight even though it’s the
Best team he’s played against um but just simply having three straight practices after Christmas to kind of find his way a little bit if that makes sense and certainly that second half he he um uh played the best he’s played as a running Ute but going back like it’s
Not just lip service guys when I say we want to be the running Utes I know I’ve said this for two and a half years now but this year we have become that like we do play with good pace and we want to run and my the teams I’ve coached have
Always been good in transition and we’re not where we need to be that way with some of our decision making but I think we’re getting there I feel like we’re getting there I you guys all first behind the AR obviously gab comes in that part of that
Resolve is him making those shots kind of start how much do those shots really kind of relax you guys and allow you guys really settle Gabe kind of has that way about him first of all threes are such momentum plays both both ends when another team when the other team makes
Threes it’s it’s just it’s not deflating but it’s not far from deflating and when you make them the fans really get into the game and I mean that like our thought our fans were outstanding tonight I thought in every facet they were locked in when we were making
Threes and dunks like they were exploding and um and they let their opinion be felt on some um some other things which was awesome and but that’s what like home court matters right home court matters and uh but Gabe can be a security blanket right uh just
Our guys have ultimate confidence in him the guy works his you know what off dude’s just in the gym nonstop uh working on his game he’s made such a monster step and I think we were 0 and 0 for six from the three at halftime and
Then uh I think was probably out of that timeout off the out of Bounce play where where he hit the one that in the corner and then he starts feeling it and he can get it going and our guys look for him right and he really works hard and plays
Without the ball to find uh openings in the defense and and um and our guys were able to find him and then of course BC started getting to going to you know kind of that middle half where he was able to stretch the defense and our guys
Were able to find him so uh I thought that was obviously very very big for us but he is a security blanket no doubt and he’s a big time gabes a really good player y taking it back tooni defensely we talked abouty I’m sensing you like no I’m just
Kidding no it’s good no it’s good it’s his third game yeah right it’s new right so we talked about all the other guys no yeah exactly over the years but his ability his athleticism really shined on the defensive end I feel in all three games
And his impact on that end of the not just his play but does it help Ry become defense play where he can essentially match up with whoever the best players I think it helps everybody when you don’t um he he brings a different like Raleigh’s a highle Defender Devon’s a different type of
Defender right and so that’s the when you try to build your team you you do it so you have different right strengths and versatility and you can play to different things okay they’re doing this or this guy right this guy can guard this guy better so Devon just because
He’s so quick it’s hard to beat him off the bounce it’s really hard to beat him off the bounce um but he he just brings a different element of quickness he’s got really quick hands um so he gets his hands on a lot of balls there was a
Stretch there in that second out he forced a I don’t know if he was credited with steals but he got his hands on the balls that created 50-50 balls that we came up with that led to transition and and he has that to him he’s quick to the
Ball he’s really quick to the ball uh whether it’s rebounding or a 50-50 ball so it does bring a different dimension to us now we have a we’ve kind of simplified our scheme a little bit not just as our team sometimes we can do a
Little too much maybe um but it takes a little while when you have I don’t care if you’re a veteran guy or not right Davon this is his fourth year of playing Lawson it’s his uh third year of playing Kohl’s is fifth year of playing there’s still an adjustment with learning new
Terminology new scheme what we’re trying to do so it takes some time the good news for Devon is even though it’s game three he’s been able to go through all this stuff now it’s different because instead of being the scout team player he’s walking through to know exactly
What we need to do but uh we’ve been very happy with how he’s been able to defend all three games okay Craig kind of called you the security blanket the guy that can kind of be trusted do you kind of embrace that role or what do you
See as your role on this team especially tonight in that your threes kind of sparked it yeah sometime I just try to pride myself in is being consistent um being a veteran guy you know third year here um that’s something yeah I just try to pride myself in being a day-to-day
Guy who just you know who you’re going to get in this game once that first shot Falls especially in a moment like that I mean how how much better does it feel as a team yeah no it’s I mean took a while to get going but obviously as a good
Shooter it only takes takes one shot so yeah feels good obviously to get see one go in you guys had think it was nine blocks tonight you had three of them just what did you think of the defensive intensity you guys had tonight um I mean I think first half
We’re not good defensively and we picked uh we picked that up on second half and um I mean coach kind of got into us so we have to pick that up I know you saw that so yeah uh so yeah K you’re getting more and more time
On the floor you seem more and more comfortable just kind of talk about your game and and how it’s it’s grown especially this year um I mean just uh it’s a mindset you know just got to go and compete I just think about just just go and compete you know
Whatever happens happen you know just go out there and compete that’s a mindset J kind of what’s your thoughts on K’s performance yeah I mean obviously you can tell he’s getting a lot more comfortable this year and he’s playing with a lot of force and like you said
He’s just going out there and competing keeping it simple and I just I’ve told the story many times but when kba came on his recruiting visit we went out to eat and we were just kind of sitting there pretty quiet and C just tells me I dunk block and
Rebound I think he’s been doing that pretty well this year you remember that I me that’s what I do what uh you’ve had three games now with Deon just what do bring wise to this yeah I mean he’s he’s just a guy who’s played a lot of games
Obviously and uh he brings a different kind of pace for us and somebody who can I mean he’s obviously pretty freaky athletic kind of reminds me of myself um but yeah he really gets I mean he’s brought he just brings you know a comfort level for us and somebody like I
Said played a lot of games that’s a team that likes to rebound they do a good job at it seemed like when you were in the game you really tried to take a focus on being the most physical out there what was kind of your mindset or did you have
A mindset going into that just trying to get the ball yes uh yeah I did I mean we knew you know very really good team offensive I mean getting to a board offensive board and so the mindset was you know to just out top him you know
Just get there be the most physical team out there you know yeah seems like you and BC have had a nice connection especially late in the game you guys were he you know I think he had a couple passes to you that you were able to get open pretty well how’s that connection
Coming along and do you feel more comfortable with that uh I mean we I mean we practice together every day I don’t really get uh we just talk you know it’s just about communication talk to each other you know understand each other’s game um so I think yeah that’s that was a key
That’s a key of our connection uh Gabe five turnovers tonight I think that was the season low for you guys yeah just how important especially against the Washington State team that came in you know with that defensive pressure right leading the league in field goal percentage defensively right
How important was it to go out there and take care of the ball yeah I mean every night it’s obviously important to take care of the ball but uh in a game that was close for a long time especially it’s important and you know if you turn
The ball over it can get ugly pretty quick so yeah I think you know just veteran group guys who uh you know played a lot of games and I think uh just take care of the ball well yeah last question C would you say like to go
Compete what would you like say you like to go compete yes and when you block a shot with two hands what goes through your mind why don’t you just grab the ball uh I mean I don’t want to be called for goed I don’t know if the ref have seen that
Before or not so I’m just going to you know swap it out of bounds there you go I mean you know
Hear from Head Coach Craig Smith, Gabe Madsen and Keba Keita after the Utes victory over the Washington State Cougars. The Runnin’ Utes were lead by Gabe Madsen scoring 20 points followed closely by Branden Carlson with 19 points. This is the first conference game and win of the season.
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