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SALT LAKE CITY — Branden Carlson spotted up at the top of the key behind the 3-point line, received the pass, and let the ball fly.
Nothing but net.
It was not a bad start for the fifth-year senior in his final game of his career at the Huntsman Center. His shot gave Utah an early 3-0 lead over VCU and sparked an 18-2 run in the opening minutes of the game for a team with its sights set on a semifinal berth in the NIT.
Utah's 16-point lead didn't last long as VCU went on a run of its own to eventually make it a 3-point game late in the first half. But like many times before it, Carlson reset the momentum and hit another 3-pointer, which was followed by a Gabe Madsen 3-pointer — his 100th 3-pointer of the season — on the ensuing possession to quickly put distance on the visiting team.
Madsen's hot hand jumpstarted an 11-0 run by Utah to help the team push the lead even higher. And the team followed suit to pull away for a 74-54 win in the final game at the Huntsman Center.
Utah will now play Indiana State in the NIT semifinal at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 2.
"That's a great win for the running Utes," Utah head coach Craig Smith said. "I'm so happy, so proud of our team, and just the way we competed today. It was just tremendous in so many facets."
Deivon Smith, who hit a 3-pointer at the top of the arc with the buzzer sounding to give Utah (22-14) a 10-point lead at the halftime break, finished with his fifth triple-double of the season, recording 15 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the rout. With anxious anticipation, the Huntsman Center crowd waited patiently for Smith to get his 10th rebound to complete the mark.
With 6:03 left to play in the game, Smith went up and recorded his 10th rebound, and the Huntsman Center crowd responded with a standing ovation in a raucous scene, with the crowd chanting "triple-double."
Smith has long brushed off the importance of triple-double games, but admitted after the game he was chasing his fifth of the season.
"It was a blessing," Deivon Smith said. "Honestly, before games, it didn't mean anything, but tonight I really wanted to break it, especially at home. I really wanted it tonight. ... I just feel like we're super connected right now and we're playing our best basketball."
"He's just lucky he has some bigs that box out so you can fly in," Carlson quipped back.
"That, too," Smith conceded, while offering a laugh.
In the final season of the Pac-12, Smith now holds the record for the most triple-double games in a season in the conference — a record that will never be broken. Smith is now one triple-double shy of tying NCAA record holder, former BYU player Kyle Collinsworth, for the top spot in a season.
"What an accomplishment that is," Craig Smith said. "You've got to have really good talent, and you better have some talent around you to be able to do that."
In his final game at the Huntsman Center, Carlson finished with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists before being subbed out of the game with 1:32 left and the team up by 22 points. The Huntsman Center crowd gave him a worthy celebration with a standing ovation.
"We had an amazing turnout with fans, so thank you to all those guys for coming out and supporting," Carlson said. "Their energy was amazing tonight, so it was a great last game here."
Craig Smith said Carlson "wanted this one bad" to give himself a positive memory of his end at the University of Utah.
"Super happy for Branden," Smith said. "So glad he could be able to go out like that at home. We want to play two more games, but to be able to take care of business and earn that victory in the fashion that we did, and the way he played, was just tremendous.
"BC created a memory of a lifetime."
VCU (24-13) was led in scoring by Sean Bairstow, who finished with 13 points and four rebounds, and was the only Rams player to end the game in double figures.
The Rams — who average 36% shooting from 3-point range on 8.6 made shots — was held to just 5-of-26 shooting from behind the perimeter against an improved Utah defense that limited clean looks. That, Smith said, was one of the shining moments of the night from his team.
"We did a great job with our game plan," Smith said.
"Obviously, the second half we were really cooking," he added. "I mean, I thought we really guarded very, very well, made things very difficult for them, really got our transition game going — we did early in the game and then certainly in that second half where we just got it going."
