Last Year: 17-15; Seventh (10-10) in the Pac-12 Conference; No Postseason
Head Coach: Craig Smith (Third Year; 28-35 at Utah, with no NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| PG Rollie Worster – 6’4″, 204 – Senior |
| W Cole Bajema – 6’7″, 184 – Senior (5th) |
| W Gabe Madsen – 6’6″, 203 – Senior |
| PF Ben Carlson – 6’9″, 228 – Senior |
| C Branden Carlson – 7’0″, 223 – Senior (5th) |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Rollie Worster: 8.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.0 apg, 0.8 spg – 42.1% FG
Cole Bajema: 8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.9 spg – 36.0% 3FG @ Washington
Gabe Madsen: 11.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg – 36.9% 3FG
Ben Carlson: 4.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.2 bpg – 46.8% FG
Branden Carlson: 16.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.0 bpg – 33.1% 3FG
Experienced Reserves
| G Deivon Smith – 6’1″, 165 – Senior – awaiting NCAA waiver |
| W Wilguens Exacte, Jr – 6’6″, 233 – Sophomore |
| F/C Keba Keita – 6’8″, 235 – Sophomore |
| G Hunter Erickson – 6’1″, 194 – Senior |
| C Lawson Lovering – 7’1″, 244 – Junior |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Deivon Smith: 8.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.9 apg, 0.7 bpg @ Georgia Tech
Wilguens Exacte, Jr: 3.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.2 spg – 33.0% FG
Keba Keita: 3.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 0.5 spg – 60.9% FG
Hunter Erickson: 12.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5.4 apg, 42% 3FG @ Salt Lake Community College
Lawson Lovering: 4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.0 bpg – 55.4% FG
Freshmen
| F Jake Wahlin – 6’10”, 206 – Freshman – Returning from LDS mission |
| F Karahan Efeoğlu – 6’7″, 231 – Freshman / Turkey |
It’s only been seven years, but the current drought that Utah basketball is experiencing is the longest span of NCAA Tournament-less basketball that fans in Salt Lake City have endured since the 1970’s. Though the Runnin’ Utes had some very high-quality teams just about a decade ago, the momentum couldn’t be sustained. This season, the Utes are focused on ending that drought. And they’ve got a great, proven big man who, if the Utes can do it, will surely be the straw that stirs their pointedly caffeinated beverage.
Craig Smith was hired away from Utah State three years ago to replace Larry Krystkowiak, the architect of those past contenders, as head coach. While he was in charge in Logan, USU made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and was one of the top programs in the Mountain West. Last season, coach Smith led the Utes to their first winning season since 2019-20, but they lost in the first round of the Pac 12 Tournament and did not participate in any post-season tournaments.
Much of last season’s roster has returned, though, and Smith’s crew got a huge boost at the end of May, when two-time All-Pac 12 center Branden Carlson decided to return to school instead of pursuing his NBA dreams. Now, Ute fans are excited to see if the best squad they’ve had in years can return to the Madness. Carlson is a sweet-shooting modern big man, a seven-footer who is nearly as dangerous spotting up from the perimeter as he is at the rim. He’s a career 34% shooter from downtown, and last season canned 41 triples, good for third-most on the team. The Utes don’t have a tremendous arsenal of proven shooters on the roster, so Carlson’s deep threat is an important factor. “Because of his skillset growing and evolving, the combination of that and us adding Lawson Lovering and Keba (Keita) coming into his own, we are going to play BC at multiple positions this year,” Smith told the Desert News this summer.
As important as his shooting talents are though, in his final year Carlson is hoping to return to Utah as more of an imposing physical presence on both ends of the court. He’s an effective shot blocker at the back of a defense which allowed the second-fewest points in the Pac 12 a season ago. Offensively, he’s hoping to operate more effectively with his back to the hoop, and make more assertive use of his length – and hopefully, strength – at the rim. If Carlson can cash in on some more paint touches, finishing more tough looks despite opponents getting physical against him, it will collapse opposing defenses and will be a tremendous boon to the sometimes-stagnant Ute offense.
With Branden Carlson receiving the main attention of opposing defenses, Coach Smith is hoping that Gabe Madsen can grow into a star scorer on the wing. Madsen is the team’s second-leading scorer from a year ago, a shooter with good length who has knocked down 38% of his triples in a Utah uniform. The former Cincinnati transfer is hoping to fully emerge as a dangerous option 1-B to Branden Carlson, and the team really needs his perimeter threat to help space the floor for Utah’s offense to operate effectively. Madsen is not particularly well-suited to guarding some of the more athletic wing players out there, but uses his reach well and helps intelligently. He earned 29 minutes per night a year ago, and Coach Smith is sure to have Madsen out there for all the minutes he can handle this winter.
Secondary scoring, or lack thereof, may well determine Utah’s fate this season
Secondary scoring, or a lack thereof, may well determine Utah’s fate this season. With the losses of young shooter Lazar Stefanovic and veteran forward Marco Anthony to the Transfer Portal and graduation, respectively, the Utes must replace 20 points per game – and Stefanovic was second on the team in made three’s a year ago.
Rollie Worster is an old-school floor general and distributor at the point, but he has never yet been much of an outside threat. He’s started 85 collegiate games with a career two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio, but has knocked down just 66 career triples. Coach Smith needs consistent outside shot-making from his guards to help space the floor and avoid extended scoring droughts, and a real improvement from Worster’s jumper would really help. Even if he may not do a Ray Allen impersonation any time soon, Worster is tough-minded and can always get a bucket with his willingness to go to work in the paint when he’s got an advantageous matchup. He is also a quality defender with the size, strength and tenacity to cover a variety of opposing guards. That defensive versatility should give Coach Smith increased options to mix and match lineups this year.
That’s because Worster is far from the only point guard on the roster, and each of the three offers something a bit different. That is, if all three can play. Former Georgia Tech transfer Deivon Smith is a former 4-star recruit who would probably be a very intriguing NBA prospect on the wing if he stood four inches taller. Alas, he is a smaller guard, but no one has ever seemingly been bold enough to explain that to Smith. Playing much larger than his stature, Smith can be a fearless driver who attacks the paint both to score and to create for his teammates; and sometimes, to throw down a thunderous dunk. He’s an exceptional rebounder for his size, and loves to create transition opportunities for cheap points off of his aggressive hunting of the passing lanes as well as his pressure on the ball. He can finish through contact, but if he gets to the foul line, Smith’s only real weakness comes to the fore: he just isn’t a great shooter. For his career, Smith is at 27% from deep and has hit only 56% of his foul shots; including bottoming out at 45% last season. Unfortunately, Smith needs an NCAA waiver to be approved in order to play, as he is a two-time undergraduate transfer, and is still awaiting that decision.
The third point guard is former BYU reserve-turned junior college standout Hunter Erickson. While he may lack Worster’s size and Smith’s athleticism, Erickson can hit from the outside. After playing just 140 minutes in Provo, he moved down a level and splashed 59 triples in 34 JuCo games, posting a 2.5:1 Ast/TO ratio along the way. If he can take care of the ball and provide a deep threat off the bench, Erickson will be in line see more minutes on this side of the Holy War. “I think our 3-point shooting has really improved,” Craig Smith said this summer. “Cole (Bajema) can really shoot it. Deivon is a better shooter than his numbers. Jake Wahlin can really shoot it, Hunter Erickson can shoot it. Karahan (Efeoğlu can shoot it. Ben Carlson I feel like has made a good jump. Wil (Exacte) has made a good jump. Rollie has become a better shooter.”
Joining Madsen on the wing is Cole Bajema, a former top prospect whose length and smooth stroke from the outside are coveted assets to this Ute program. Coming out of high school in 2019, Bajema was a consensus Top 100 recruit. That was 96 games, 97 made treys and three Power 5 universities ago. It has taken Bajema awhile to hit his stride; but last year, back in his home state of Washington, Bajema posted career-best numbers across the board – including scoring in double figures 14 times. He also played the best defense of his career so far, and if he can deliver steady outside shooting and a consistent defensive presence, Bajema will see the court often enough to post lots more career-highs. Coach Smith is counting on it. Sophomore Wilguens Exacte, Jr has quite a different body type from Bajema’s lanky frame, but the hope is that Exacte is also a shooter. Playing in every game last year and even starting a pair down the stretch, Exacte offered some exciting flashes of potential. He projects as a versatile, high-quality defender and if he can make shots, his role will only grow. Up front, Branden Carlson is joined by a couple of up-and-comers and a pair of veterans who are looking to deliver on their considerable talent.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 68.6 – Possessions Per Game (248th) |
| 63.8 – Opponent Points Per Game (28th) |
| .584 – Assists Per FG Made (25th) |
| 49.0% – Team Effective FG Percentage (257th) |
| 45.0% – Opponent Effective FG Percentage (#10) |
Ben Carlson had a career season last year after transferring from Wisconsin, starting every game. Even so, he only scored in double figueres five times last season, and managed to shoot under 40% from both three point territory and the charity stripe. Carlson is a solid rebounder and defender, but he doesn’t create for teammates or block shots: his calling cards have always been his size, length and shooting ability. For a team that needs guys to knock down shots, Ben Carlson (no relation to Branden) must find the confidence in his shot or he may be passed up in the rotation.
Like Ben Carlson, Lawson Lovering averaged about 5 points and boards each game while starting all year for a Pac 12 team. The difference is that Lovering was the #1 center for rival Colorado, and spent four games the past two years guarding Branden Carlson and competing against Utah. In fact, Lovering was (and so too were his Buffs teammates) burned by Branden Carlson the past two years to a tune of 18.3 points per contest. It appears that what Utah has at center is a case of, ‘if you can’t beat ’em, become the heir and learn from ’em’. He isn’t going to unseat Branden Carlson this season – but Loverinh could certainly present Coach Smith with one of the best 1-2 punches in the West if he can hold down the pivot cleanly and assertively. Lovering doesn’t shoot it from the outside the way that Branden Carlson can, but there are times when Lovering is capable of doing just about everything else on the court. He has great length and anticipation defensively; his awareness and timing both improved markedly from his freshman season, leading to plenty of blocks and steals.
There are times when opponents can hardly make a pass inside the three point arc without Lovering getting his fingers on the ball, and times when he makes a snappy pass of his own to keep the posession out of harm’s way or set up a teammate. Lovering has had his two biggest games againt big-time opposition: see his 13 points & 14 boards against USC, or the 21 & 7 he posted against Aziz Bandaogo and Utah Valley in last season’s NIT. There are other moments, though. Moments when he bricks both foul shots (he’s at 43% from the stripe through two collegiate years); moments when he picks up two fouls in about a minute of gameplay. Coach Smith’s hope is that Lovering can sand down the rough edges of his game by watching and practicing against Branden Carlson, and in a year’s time be ready to break out in his own right. Until then, Ute fans are hoping for 12-15 minutes per game from Lovering which are filled with more of the good moments than the bad.
Last year’s top prospect, Keba Keita, is back after proving himself a strong rebounder and highly capable post defender. He isn’t the tallest, but Keita has good length and quickness around the rim which helps him gobble up boards, stick back friendly misses, and swat opposing attempts. After a year’s experience defending larger, stronger players, the hope in Utah is that Keita will blossom into a great defender who can hit a few jumpers in addition to his cleanup work and developing offensive game in the paint. A new post player was added later on in summer when Utah signed Turkish forward Karahan Efeoğlu. He is a combo forward who can shoot it out to the land of trey, and his new coach thinks that Efeoğlu will contribute soon. “He’s a legit 6-7, 231 pounds,” Smith said this summer. “Obviously he has got a man’s body. Can really shoot.”
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| N – Houston / Towson – November 17 |
| @ Saint Mary’s – November 27 |
| N – Wake Forest – November 16 |
| N – TBD Charleston Classic – November 19 |
| vs BYU – December 9 |
Maybe the biggest potential x-factor up front is another guy who, up until recently, was also on the other side of the BYU/Utah rivalry. Jake Wahlin was all set as a Cougar signee two years ago prior to departing for Lithuania on an LDS Mission. The lanky forward has now returned to the USA and college, and he’s also donned a different color jersey. Having added muscle and grown about two inches while on his Mission, Wahlin now stands 6’10 and remains in possession of the perimeter skills which have always made him more of a wing than a back-to-the-basket big. He can create his own shot and put the ball on the floor to drive his man, and if Wahlin can hit the ground running, it will create some mismatches and open up the Ute offense. And there’s more, potentially. Wahlin is close friends with current BYU signee and Class of 2022 Top 50 scoring guard Collin Chandler. While Chandler is currently both pledged to Brigham Young University and also serving his own LDS Mission in Sierra Leone, he was closely recruited by Utah as well. Now that his friend Wahlin has gone over to the Utes, rumors of a flip seem likely to continue floating around until Chandler steps onto a court in a Cougars jersey.
Craig Smith’s teams have come to be known for a few things in his short time as a head coach on the high-major stage. His teams defend tenaciously; they’re positionally sound and help intelligently. They rebound as a pack, and don’t beat themselves. This is certainly the best roster that Coach Smith has had at Utah, and the expectation is that it should strongly compete for an invitation to the Big Dance.
“I am really excited about the guys that are coming back,” Craig Smith appraised his team for the Desert News. “Good combination of veteran experience and young guys that got to play meaningful moments last year and have certainly taken a step forward throughout the spring, summer and, of course, our foreign trip.”
It’s been awhile for Ute fans, and stars like Branden Carlson don’t come around all that often. While there haven’t been huge, stop-the-presses additions to the roster, Utah has added needed outside shooting at a couple of positions and versatility up front. Wahlin and Deivon Smith, if he can play, could go a long way as individuals towards improving the Utah attack, if only then can both hit a couple of shots each game. The Utes will be able to go toe-to-toe with everyone on their schedule this season, while that was far from the case just over a year ago. Coach Smith has put this program back on the right track. Now, all he needs to do is get this team to deliver on its promise and dust off those Dancing shoes.
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