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SALT LAKE CITY — There was an expectation Utah would be included.
With an 11-2 record, a win over a ranked BYU team, and a resume that has the Runnin' Utes 18th in the NET and a 98.4% chance of making the NCAA Tournament, according to Team Rankings, Utah seemed primed to be included in the week's Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
With wins over Washington State and Washington over the holiday weekend to start Pac-12 play, inclusion in the poll almost felt like a foregone conclusion for many that follow the program closely.
Instead, the Utes remained on the outside looking in as one of several teams "receiving votes."
To be fair, Utah received more votes than the week prior, but it still wasn't enough to dethrone those currently ranked in a week where there wasn't a lot of movement in the poll. Utah still has more work to do, or at least that was the message received.
Utah head coach Craig Smith said he doesn't concern himself with the rankings and is more focused on controlling what he can control as a coach, and that's winning games.
"I've always said you've got to earn respect," Smith said. "With polls, it's one of those things I don't spend any time worrying about it. I'm worried about the next game, because we've got to control what we can control. ... But we're just going to keep controlling what we can control — our attitude and effort — and keep trying to improve the very best that we can. And then all that stuff — if we're good enough, it all works out; if we're not, then it won't. It's really that simple."
Utah is certainly much improved over the last few years, that's for sure, but consistency is key — especially with voters looking to include a team in their ballot.
The rankings have their value in the sport — and players and coaches care about them, Smith admitted — but it's just one data point toward having a successful season. And whether the Utes are included in the AP poll or any other poll is irrelevant to the team's ultimate goal of getting to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
So far, everything is in Utah's favor to obtain that goal — advanced metrics, included — but the upcoming two games on the road in Arizona serve as a sort of benchmark for the program to measure success.
Neither is a "must-win game" this early in the season, but wins in the Grand Canyon state would go a long way toward establishing Utah's level of competition this season.
"When you look at the history, it's been a long, long, long, long, long time since we've won at Arizona, and it's been since 2019 since we've won an Arizona State," Smith said, "so this has been a very difficult road trip for the Utes historically, and we're gonna have to play awfully well."
Branden Carlson's stardom, versatility grows as Runnin' Utes leader
Branden Carlson's 34-point night was a career high, but it's becoming more routine to see him as the central focus of the offense for Utah.For all intents and purposes, a road game in Tucson against Arizona has practically been a scheduled loss — for nearly four decades. Utah has gone 37 years since its last win — a 68-67 win on Dec. 6, 1986 — at Arizona in 12 attempts.
KenPom gives Utah the best chance of beating No. 10 Arizona at 21%, Team Rankings gives Utah a 17.1% chance, and ESPN has the least optimism at 14.3%. But even those odds have improved after Arizona suffered its third loss of the season last week.
Still, Arizona remains the elusive game. But a win on the road against another ranked opponent would be a strong signal to the college basketball landscape that Utah is the real deal. Smith simply hopes the momentum of an eight-game win streak, an undefeated December, and veteran roster will give Utah one of its best chances in recent years.
"Being ranked top 10 in the country all year, No. 1 in the country at one point, elite home court with that fan base, and obviously incredibly talented, so it's gonna be very difficult road trip," Smith said. "At the same time, we're coming off a great month of December and we have some momentum, and we just need to continue to play well."
Utah has found recent success with a new lineup of Deivon Smith and Keba Keita on the floor with starters Rollie Worster, Gabe Madsen and Branden Carlson. According to CBB Analytics, that unit ranks as one of the most efficient for the team on offense in almost all meaningful statistical categories.
It's still a small sample size, but it's an encouraging unit for a Utah team that features a deeper bench that Smith can mix and match to help combat the various looks of an opposing team.
"I've been excited how they've been able to gel with Rollie — who seems to play well with almost anybody he's on the floor with — BC, obviously, is in the same boat, and then Gabe's just a really good player that can kind of blend with people and he's taken his game to a different level," Smith said. "I think part of its synergy, I think part of it is Deivon and Keba have played a lot together during practice.
"But I'm not like crazy surprised that that lineup has played so well up to this point. It is just two games, so it's a very small sample size, but it's something that we feel confident is going to keep growing."
How that new lineup fares in Utah's first road contest since Nov. 27 remains to be seen, but Smith is optimistic it will be a pivotal aspect to his team's already improved resume. Wins on the Arizona road trip would just add to the respect he hopes his team can gain moving forward.
And though Arizona remains the elusive win opportunity — and provides the biggest resume win of the weekend — the road trip starts in Tempe Thursday (9 p.m. MST, ESPN2) against an always tricky Arizona State squad.
