Runnin' Utes rout USC

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Runnin' Utes bounced back from a 0-2 Washington road trip with a win over USC (9-8, 0-4) Thursday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Here are the takeaways from Utah's 13th win of the season.

Home sweet home

There's no question the Utes have struggled on the road this season, sporting a 0-3 mark so far. They were undoubtedly glad to be back in front of the hometown crowd in the friendly confines of the Huntsman Center.

And sure enough, after a back-and-forth first half, Utah managed to take a three-point lead coming out of halftime and turn it into a full-on rout of the Trojans, scoring a 45-30 advantage in the second half.

Whether it's some fantastic, schizophrenic phenomenon or just youth growing pains, this Utah team is completely different at home than away. Now 13-1 at home, the Utes appear as though they are capable of beating virtually any team in the conference when playing on the hill. Their only loss came in overtime to a then-top-10-ranked Oregon squad in a game Utah had multiple chances to win.

Away from Salt Lake City, on the other hand, has been a much tougher road for Utah. The defeats have all been narrow — by three points or less — but the Utes played below their standards in each and still could have won each, had they executed better down the stretch.

Wright being Wright

Delon Wright enjoyed another one of his signature outings, putting together a 22-point, six-rebound, six-steal, five-assist and two-block stat line. The junior guard was everywhere on both sides of the ball. He got to the basket at will, and when he didn't convert in the lane, he did so from the foul line. He made six of his 13 shot attempts and 10-of-11 free throws while turning the ball over just a single time.

Wright, averaging 15.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists, has proven to be one of the better guards in the Pac-12 — a conference full of backcourt talent. He can influence the game in so many ways and makes the players around him better.

Tucker's big night

Sophomore guard Dakarai Tucker had a rough time shooting the ball on the Utes' recent road trip, but he bounced back in a big way against the Trojans. Knocking down 6-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, Tucker netted a career-high 18 points to go with six rebounds.

In their previous two games — both resulting in losses — the Utes didn't get much offensive production from anyone aside from Wright and sophomore Jordan Loveridge, so Tucker's success Thursday night was a good sign for Utah, especially if he can sustain it for a longer stretch.

Next up: UCLA (14-3, 3-1) comes to visit Saturday at 2 p.m. The Bruins are ranked No. 25 in the nation and are coming off a 69-56 victory at Colorado Thursday night. It will be the second matchup against a ranked opponent this season for Utah (13-4, 1-3). Tyson Maddy has covered the University of Utah football and men's basketball teams as a contributing writer for KSL.com Sports since 2011. Follow his Utes coverage on Twitter @Tyson_Maddy