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SALT LAKE CITY — Welcome back to the NIT, Utah.
After a five-year hiatus from postseason play, the Runnin' Utes were back to postseason basketball Tuesday night. No, it wasn't the NCAA Tournament, but it was extra basketball nonetheless.
And with that first appearance in some time, while showcasing a No. 2 seed in the invitational tournament, Utah got some work in and secured a 84-75 win over the visiting UC Irvine Anteaters at the Huntsman Center.
More importantly for the Runnin' Utes, it gave the team its 20th win of the season, which is the first time since the 2017 season that Utah has eclipsed that mark. And though just a number, it's one that Utah head coach Craig Smith said is important to his team.
"We only have three or four guys on our team that have ever been part of 20 wins at the Division I level, so it's pretty cool," Smith said. "It's hard to do, it's not easy to do, and so to be able to do that, we're excited about it, and it was good for our guys to experience that. Now we want to get 21."
"I've never been a part of a 20-win season," added Gabe Madsen. "It's just kind of a number, but a lot of people talk about it, so it's becomes something. But it just shows that there's progression here."
Utah (20-14) led by as much as 17 points with 10:14 left in the game before UC Irvine (24-10) fought back and cut the deficit to 4 with two minutes left to play after a 9-0 run over 1:20. Smith said Utah was caught "over dribbling" at times, which led to turnovers and some careless play; and in turn, it led to UC Irvine stealing some of the momentum.
In total, the Anteaters used a 13-4 run to erase the deficit, while employing the foul game in hopes of cutting more into the lead. And for a time, the strategy worked — especially on a night when the Utes had shot 60% from the free-throw line up to that point.
But Branden Carlson staved off a potential UC Irvine comeback by going 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the closing minutes, and Gabe Madsen went 3-of-4, to build back up the lead despite the team finishing the night 69% from the free-throw line.
Carlson led the way for the Utes with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks — tying a season high in blocks — en route to a 55% shooting percentage by the team and 23 assists on 32 made baskets.
The assists, Smith said, is one of the things he was most proud about in his team's win. That stat — tied for a season high — along with a season-high 11 blocks, showcased the team's "connectedness" on a short turnaround.
Madsen led the way early for the Utes with 11 first-half points, including a behind the back pass to himself before hoisting up a near half court buzzer-beater to give the Utes a 6-point lead at the halftime break, capping off a 12-2 run to closeout the half over a nearly two-minute period.
The buzzer-beater, along with the 3-pointer he drained on the previous possession — a play that Smith said was executed flawlessly — was something that really changed the tone of the game, Smith said, and gave "some real momentum."
Now THAT is how you end a half. #NIT2024@UtahMBB
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 20, 2024
📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/R1zdY5sQaR
From there, the Utes built up a double-digit lead and kept it there for much of the second half until the Anteaters mad their late run.
Madsen finished with 16 points, including three 3-pointers, seven rebounds and five assists; and Deivon Smith nearly added another triple-double to his total with 13 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in the win.
Hunter Erickson, who has come on hot lately offensively, added 13 points, which included a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range.
The Anteaters had four players finish in double figures, with guard Darin Saran contributing a team-high 16 points and five rebounds in the final game of the season for UC Irvine. Devin Tillis added 14 points, including three 3-pointers, and seven rebounds.
With the win, Utah advances to the next round of the NIT, where they will host No. 3 Iowa at the Huntsman Center on either Saturday or Sunday. The exact date and time will be released later.
"It feels good, obviously, to start off with a win," Madsen said. "If you don't then you're done, so just build a little momentum. It was nice to be two-seed knowing that you get to play another one at home."
