Charleston Classic MTE an early test to prove Runnin' Utes' mettle for March hopes

SALT LAKE CITY — Craig Smith wasn't shy about his desire to return Utah to its Runnin' Utes moniker when he took over the job three years ago.

Smith wanted Utah to be an up-tempo team on the offensive side of the ball, while being known for its gritty defense on the other end. Push the tempo to keep the defense on their toes, and then grind them into the ground on the other end.

It was the blueprint to what he envisioned to be an eventual NCAA Tournament team.

But with a makeshift roster his first two seasons at Utah — a compilation of leftover Larry Krystkowiak recruits and others from Smith's time at Utah State, as well as a handful of players from the transfer portal — there wasn't enough available to make it work.

In totality, the skillset lacked and there weren't enough impact players to run the offense, in particular, effectively. That was felt most last season when Gabe Madsen went down for an extended period of time late in the season and Utah lost a deep-threat asset.

Utah lost seven of its last nine games in the regular season, and Smith simply tried to find anyone to consistently make a basket — it never came. His dream of being the Runnin' Utes would have only exacerbated the issue — pushing the tempo with nobody to make the shot only meant the opponent got the ball more to build up a lead quicker.

Not a great strategy when the shooting draughts persisted.

In his third season with Utah, though, Smith may finally have the roster to run what he wants as he attempts to get Utah back to meaningful games in March for the first time since the 2016 season. He's got two bigs that can work together in the paint — and stretch the floor as 3-point threats — and he's got three guards that can consistently hit shots from 3-point range.

And they can do it all while pushing the tempo, at least if the team's first two games of the season are any indication as to what Smith has with his current roster.

"We have way more weapons," Smith said. "We have more depth in our frontcourt and in our backcourt. We're more athletic, we have more speed, our bigs can really run, and then we can shoot it. ... I tell our guys, though, if you're going to run, you've got to be able to run from defense to offense, and you've got to be able to run from offense to defense. It's not just gonna be a one-way train on that deal."

It's an system that suits the personnel, but one that also makes Utah extremely difficult to challenge if it can execute it well.

"I think it fits us," Colorado transfer Lawson Lovering, who is averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, said. "I think the reason why we can do that is I think we have guys that are smart, know how to make the right plays, unselfish guys, which allows that to happen, where we can get out there and run and play.

"We've also got guys that can freakin' run, like guys got wheels on our team. ... We're all really mobile. And, yeah, I think that combination of that allows us to play that way, and I want to play that way, and that's hard to guard."

It's been an effective strategy thus far in the early part of the season — where Utah holds a 2-0 record and has outscored its opponents by a combined 65 points — but it came against Quad 4 teams.

But as Utah turns its attention Thursday to the Charleston Classic, a multiple-team event, or MTE, where they'll be paired up first with Wake Forest, the Runnin' Utes will get their first true test of the season.

The Demon Decons are considered a Quad I game and are the gatekeeper to a potential matchup against a Houston team ranked No. 6 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll (and No. 2 in KenPom).

"Over the last five years, they've won the third most games in college basketball," Smith said about Houston. "And there's a reason they're ranked (No. 6), depending on the poll or whatever you look at, so it would be exciting."

And though a matchup against Houston is the desired outcome — a resume-building game and ultimate early-season test — it can't happen if Utah doesn't take care of business against a Wake Forest team that has four players that already average double figures in scoring. And for that reason, Wake Forest has all of Smith's attention.

"They have four guys that average 17 points or more," he said. "They're a high-octane offense, and they can make some real plays and certainly we haven't seen a team like that this year. And we certainly haven't seen individual scorers like this that can score at all three levels."

Regardless of the outcome, it's a much-needed early-season test against Quad 1 opponents in a shortened timeline to help Utah simulate as much as possible the Pac-12 Tournament, and potentially the NCAA Tournament.

"I think our guys are just excited to play against really good teams," Smith said. "It's a hungry team. ... Everybody wants to win the Pac-12 championship and get the automatic qualifier, but one team does that, and so to set yourself up to get at-large bids, and these tournaments can really help do that. Of course, it really helps when you win that first game to be in the winner's bracket, but we want to cut down the net."

Utah opens up play at the Charleston Classic against Wake Forest Thursday (7 p.m. MST, ESPNU). The winner of that game plays the winner of Houston-Towson on Friday (2:30 p.m. MST, ESPN2).

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