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SALT LAKE CITY — In a matter of a few weeks, Utah lost its best outside shooter and its floor leader to injury.
While injuries are part of the game and many teams deal with similar situations at this time of the year, it couldn't have come at a worse time for a Runnin' Utes program that was hitting its stride and had a real shot to earn a first-round bye in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament.
Utah still remains in contention for that bye with its fourth place spot in the conference standings, but a home bout against the two Los Angeles schools this week will be quite the challenge without Gabe Madsen and Rollie Worster, who Utah head coach Craig Smith said he "wouldn't anticipate either one of those guys playing this week."
Worster suffered an ankle injury on Saturday midway through the game against Arizona State, a game Utah controlled before eventually losing in the final minutes. But Smith said there was no "structural damage" and the team is not expecting him back on the court this week.
"I wouldn't anticipate — I would be surprised if he plays, I'll just put it that way," Smith said. "Not saying something couldn't change, those things can change pretty rapidly sometimes, but we're not holding our breath.
"Rollie's as tough as they come. I mean, he's a competitive guy, and when he went down against Arizona State, just kind of how he reacted and watching him, and you see him; like, if he can't go, it's probably not a great thing, because he's one that'll power through it typically."
Utah has attempted to play without Madsen for nearly a month now and has struggled to find a consistent scoring threat in his absence. But losing Worster, Smith said, is a big blow to the team, who views the veteran guard as the team's "rock."
"He's had an outstanding year overall," Smith said. "Obviously, he's our primary ball handler, he's one of our best defensive players, he's just one of our few veteran guys with real experience coming into the season. He's got a great voice and he's just a steadying force for our team. He's just a rock.
"He's one of those guys, when asked ... who do you love to play with? Almost every guy will say Rollie, so I think that says something. So, yeah, it's big. I mean, he does a lot for us in a lot of different ways. He's so versatile and what he can do defensively in guarding anybody out there. So the combination of losing the two of them ... it changes things."
Utah has already replaced Madsen in the lineup with Lazar Stefanovic, who has performed well enough to give the team an outside shooting threat, but he hasn't been as versatile as Madsen on the court. It's a temporary stopgap, but the offense generally flows better with Madsen on the floor.
Smith, now, has a dilemma on his hands of who he can insert into the starting unit to replace Worster. In the short term, Wilguens Exacte Jr. has filled in and done well in the limited role he's been given during his freshman campaign, but losing a veteran floor general is difficult to replace without the team missing a beat.
Exacte has proven to be a threat from 3-point range but, at times, has struggled to make the right read in game situations to setup his team and move the offense. It's really just a freshman — albeit a promising one — that hasn't been introduced to the scenarios and situations that Worster has been involved in, and who is more instinctual. But, once again, Exacte is a natural stopgap.
That challenge won't get any easier with the fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins coming to the Huntsman Center on Thursday (9 p.m. MST, FS1) and its top-level defense. Points will come at a premium, Smith said, especially with a team that has yet to consistently find an answer on the offensive end over the last month of play.
Utah will continue to hone in on its defensive success this season and attempt to limit UCLA, but Smith said the team can't get too focused on one aspect of the game. Playing lock-down defense doesn't mean offense should suffer, but focusing primarily on scoring shouldn't limit the team's ability to play well on defense.
With or without Madsen or Worster in the lineup, Smith hopes to get a balanced effort out of his team, and one that doesn't sacrifice one aspect of the game for another. Defense leads to offense, and offense leads to momentum and chemistry on the court, which in turn leads to limiting mistakes and finding a way to win games, even through adversity.
"The primary goal is to be the best that we can be, and whatever happens, happens; however, it matters," Smith said, speaking about his team's push to finish the season strong and potentially earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament. "I mean, you have to win."
The margin remains razor thin for Utah.
