Utah
Takeaways From Utah's 72-59 Win Over Colorado
SALT LAKE CITY—Though it wasn’t pretty, Craig Smith and Utah basketball ultimately took care of business in a 72-59 win over Colorado.
Utah needed a late scoring outburst to secure the 13-point win, as the Buffs held tough for most of the game.
With the win, the Utes improved to 13-9 overall, 5-6 in Big 12 play. They will travel east to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday.
With some major clutch buckets tonight, @GabeMadsen53 is tonight’s Player of the Game‼️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/2xDzjFZayv
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 6, 2025
If you stuck it out, Utah’s 17-point outburst was worth the wait… almost
After an inexplicably sloppy game for most of the night, Utah finally went on a run that almost made it all worth it.
It was a 55-52 game after a Trevor Baskin bucket at the 3:58 mark. It seemed like Colorado had the momentum and were trending towards a breakthrough win.
Then, Gabe Madsen got a layup to go to start Utah’s run. The Utes got a defensive stop and then added a Hunter Erickson 3-pointer after Lawson Lovering secured an offensive rebound.
Mike Sharavjamts blocked a layup attempt, and the rebound was collected by Lovering again. He was fouled and after a night of struggles at the line, he actually knocked down both attempts.
Utah then got another stop, and got out in transition, which led to a Ezra Ausar one-handed slam, plus the foul.
With the HAMMER PLUS THE FOUL‼️💪@ezraausar making a statement‼️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/iZ2I2Sxfuu
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 6, 2025
Unfortunately, he missed the free throw, and then Sharavjamts added a couple of free throws but missed a couple as well. Lastly, Jake Wahlin connected on two 3-pointers as the knockout blows in the game.
This was the sort of run Utah needed to take control much earlier in the game. It’s disappointing that it took until the 3:40 mark in the second half to get it going, but they finally went on the run to get the job done.
Were the Utes overlooking the Buffs?
As exciting as the final three minutes were, the other 37 were pretty rough. Utah didn’t look very sharp, but the difference in ability level between Utah and Colorado was obvious, which is saying something.
Given Utah’s upcoming schedule—games on the road against West Virginia and Cincinnati—it would make sense for the team to spend a little extra time preparing for those games.
Utah turned the ball over frequently, finishing the game with 15. Most of them seemed to be inexplicable unforced turnovers, where a surprisingly bad pass or fumbled catch led to the giveaway.
And to be totally fair to Colorado, the Utes were only a 6.5-point favorite coming into the game. So, suggesting Utah may have overlooked them is an obvious stretch.
The main point is that Utah’s execution was surprisingly sloppy. Coach Smith must clean things up moving forward if they want to have a shot at a road win in the next two contests.
Frankly, tonight’s performance should be worrisome because Colorado clearly lacks the horses to compete in the league. They are winless in Big 12 play, and nearly giving this game away to them is concerning.
The unsung heroes for Utah basketball tonight
Gabe Madsen led the squad with 17 points on a rather efficient 5-of-10 overall, including 4-of-7 from deep and 3-of-4 from the line.
Though he only finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, Ezra Ausar led the effort and energy for the Utes on both ends of the floor.
However, the unsung heroes were the difference tonight for the Utes.
Mason Madsen and Zach Keller were the guys that helped Utah settle in on the offensive end. Utah struggled through the first four minutes, then Keller added a layup and M. Madsen added one shortly after. They finished the half with 9 combined points, but M. Madsen was +9 and Keller was +5.
Their positive play continued in the second half, as M. Madsen seemed a bit more aggressive and Keller got a couple more layups to go.
All in all, M. Madsen finished the game with 10 points and 5 rebounds, while Keller ended up with 8 points and 2 boards. More importantly, they just played effective basketball for the Utes on both sides of the floor.
18-of-35 from the line
That’s what Utah shot from the free-throw line tonight. It was pretty rough to start the game, as they began 1-of-8 from the stripe.
They eventually converted four-consecutive from the line, but the up-and-down roller coaster ride continued throughout the rest of the game.
Utah has worked extensively on its free throws, but the struggles continue. The pressure can be felt in the Huntsman each time a player steps to the line.
Ultimately, it may just be that Utah simply doesn’t have good free throw shooters. It’s hard enough to get a quality win when they convert them, if they continue to shoot like this, they won’t stand a chance in their upcoming games.
UP NEXT – Utah Vs. West Virginia
Utah will take its first two-game road swing starting this weekend when it first heads to Morgantown for a battle with West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 8. Eric Rothman will be on the call alongside Tim Welsh beginning at 3 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+ as the Utes check off the 39th state they’ve ever competed in on when the two square off in WVU Coliseum.
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
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‘2.5 minutes of terror’: Passengers sue Delta, alleging crew flew into dangerous weather despite warnings, injuring dozens
Twenty passengers allege the airline ignored repeated weather warnings before the flight hit severe turbulence that sent dozens of people to hospitals
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A Delta airplane travels down the runway at Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City last March. Passengers on a Delta flight last July are suing the airline over injuries suffered because of violent turbulence.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Utah and Salt Lake County a total of $3.5 million in grants to assess potentially polluted properties for eventual cleanup and redevelopment.
The agency announced a $2 million grant to Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality and $1.5 million to Salt Lake County to conduct environmental assessments and inventory brownfield sites for cleanup. Brownfields are sites that may be difficult to redevelop or expand because of “the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant,” according to the agency.
“These brownfields grants will help Utah communities clean up contaminated sites and unlock opportunities for redevelopment and investment,” EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western said in a news release announcing the grants earlier this week. “By transforming underused properties into community assets, EPA is helping create healthier neighborhoods and stronger local economies.”
The two grants awarded to Utah and Salt Lake County are among more than $248 million awarded to nearly 200 communities nationwide for brownfield assessment and cleanup. Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality plans to focus the resources on several areas in Ogden, Heber City and Fillmore, among others, according to Bill Rees, who leads Utah’s brownfield cleanup program.
“What we do is work to secure the funding and then begin to reach out to our communities across the state, say, ‘Listen, there’s opportunity to do some assessment work in your community if you’re interested,’ and then work with our rural partners, work with our urban partners to see if there are sites that will fit that bill,” he told KSL.
The state has received similar grants in the past, and Rees said the money can help local governments determine what to do with ailing properties such as old schools, hospitals or private property that have gone to waste.
“Is there asbestos in it, or is there hazardous material in it? Or could there be something that’s impacting the soil or the groundwater, and a policymaker needs to make a decision?” asked Rees. “Knowledge allows you to make good decisions.”
The $1.5 million awarded to Salt Lake County is the largest brownfields assessment grant the county has ever received, according to a county press release.
“This grant is a real win for our communities,” said Mayor Jenny Wilson. “This funding will let us do vital environmental work on a larger scale and in more neighborhoods. It reflects exactly the kind of partnership between local and federal government that gets results for residents.”
The county grant funds will be used to help create cleanup plans in three areas, including a vehicle storage yard in Salt Lake City’s Ballpark Neighborhood, a 4.26-acre vacant lot in Millcreek and a small commercial building in Magna that was damaged during an earthquake in March 2020, according to the EPA.
Contributing: Don Brinkherhoff
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued red flag warning Friday morning as emergency workers continued to battle one of the state’s largest wildfires in its history.
The red flag warning, issued when critical fire warnings are occurring or imminent, was to be in place through midnight Saturday.
“This is the FIRST Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning issued in NWS Salt Lake City history. This is an exceptionally rare event,” the federal agency said in its warning.
A map of the area under the warning covered much of central and southwest Utah, with an area of the southwest, central and southern mountains also outlined as “particularly dangerous red flag.”
The particularly dangerous area includes the Cottonwood Fire, near the town of Beaver, which started Monday and had grown to covering almost nearly 71,000 acres by Thursday, 15 News reported. The fire forced evacuations.
The NWS warned that gusty winds and dry conditions would lead to rapid fire growth.
Utah also was dealing with the Iron Fire, which started June 19, and nearly destroyed the town of Eureka. The fire was about 27% contained Friday morning.
The fire danger led Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to issue executive order restricting fireworks statewide during the July 4 holiday, which marks the nation’s 250th birthday this year. The ban is in effect through July 5.
“Nothing about this decision was easy,” Cox said in a statement issued by his office Thursday.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. We’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations” Jamie Barnes, Utah state forester and director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, added in the statement.
Cox allowed cities and local communities to set aside areas where fireworks could be safely used. The city of Provo announced it would enforce a citywide prohibition on fireworks and would not designate a safe area for fireworks.
“This year is different,” Provo Mayor Marsha Judkins said in a statement. “The wildfire danger facing our community is real, and protecting lives, homes, and our natural spaces must come first.”
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