Film study: Utah is struggling in Alex Jensen’s first year

SALT LAKE CITY – With a win against cellar-dweller Utah, the 21-2 (9-1 Big 12) Houston Cougars will share the lead in the Big 12 with 7 games to go. Houston has won four in a row (and 15 of their last 16) as they head into the game against the Utes (9-14, 1-9 Big 12) and first-year head coach Alex Jensen.

To say Utah is struggling would be putting it kindly. They do not look great on film and look even worse on paper. They have some good pieces, but have not gelled on the court. But they get the Coogs at home after a solid game at Kansas and in the second game of a two-game trip to the Beehive State.

Point guard Terrence Brown is the “Head of the Snake” for this one. He is a big-time scoring threat from all three levels. He gets his teammates involved and is an excellent playmaker. I also really like forward Keanu Dawes. When I scouted Dawes a couple of years ago, when he was a freshman at Rice, I was impressed with him. His game is similar to that of former Coog Fabian White Jr.

If Houston is focused after their big win Saturday night in Provo, they should not have any issues with Utah. Weirder things have happened, but I don’t see the Utes hanging with these Cougars. I think it’s a good night to see Chase McCarty to return from his wrist injury to get his legs under him, and to give several of the guys off the bench a chance to play early.

Utah Offensive Notes

• Not very good offensively. They are ranked #14 in the Big 12 in scoring offense at 77.9 points per game (138th nationally).
• The only stat that Utah is ranked in the top 100 in the nation in is three-point percentage at 36.1%, which is 64th in the nation and 5th best in the Big 12.
• Their friends in Provo had really poor scoring from their bench (352nd), but the Utes are almost as bad, ranking #341 out of 361 teams. YIKES!!!
• They are bad in FG% (150), assists (199), getting to the line (218th), and making them (206th), offensive rebounding (252nd), on the fastbreak (192), and taking care of the ball (272 in turnover margin). Other than that, they’re pretty good on offense!

Utes Defensive Notes

• They’re struggling even more on defense. They’re ranked #331 out of 361 teams in scoring defense.
• Utah is really bad at field goal percentage defense (#332), ranked last in the Big 12. They’re bad in defensive rebounding (204), total rebounds (243), and rebounding margin (292). UH should punish them.
• The Utes force very few turnovers (325th nationally) and rarely create steals (270th). It could be a double-double night for Kingston in points and assists.
• Every possession this season, the Utes have run a man-to-man defense. They try to blitz the pick and rolls (similar to the Coogs) but really struggle recovering.
• Dribble hand-offs (DHOs) really give them fits. I’d look to have JoJo dribble hand-off to get Kingston, Eman, or Milos downhill. They could also fake the DHO and do the little drop pass going towards the basket.
• The only times they have shown full-court presses this year are at the end of games that they’re behind and are desperate.
• I’d look for the Coogs to have a heyday on the offensive glass. Can UH get to 20 offensive boards? It’s only happened twice in the last three years (Baylor a month ago and ULM in the 2023-24 opener).

Utah Personnel (*Indicates likely starters)

*#2 – Terrence Brown – 6’3″ – JR – Guard – (Fairleigh-Dickinson) – 21ppg, 2rpg, 4apg.

• Head of the Snake;
• Three-level scoring guard;
• Does a nice job getting to the rim, and gets the majority of his points in the paint;
• Solid at pulling up for the jumper off the bounce with a nice little step-back on his jump shot;
• Pretty good three-point shooter (29-83, 35%). Can shoot from DEEP;
• Does a good job of getting paint touches that lead to kicking out to open shooters.

*#8 – Keanu Dawes – 6’9″ – JR – Forward – (Rice) – 13ppg, 9rpg.

• I’ve said for three years…I’d LOVE for him to be a Coog!
• Big skilled forward, and I’ve always thought he could have Fabian White Jr. potential;
• Capable but struggling from beyond the arc this year (20-65, 31%);
• Solid at getting to the basket. Really strong around the rim and draws a lot of fouls driving;
• Works really hard on the boards on both ends of the court.

*#3 – Don McHenry – 6’2″ – 5th – Guard – (Hawaii-Hilo, Indian Hills CC, Western Kentucky) – 18ppg, 3rpg.

• LEFTY;
• Three-point specialist shooting guard (59-147, 40%);
• Has 28 more made three-pointers than the next guy on their roster;
• Not bad at driving to the paint to shoot a left-handed floater;
• He WILL leg kick and fall down on his three-point shot at times. He turns his body at a weird angle when shooting because of being so left-handed, but he’s able to make it look natural when he falls.

*#0 – Seydou Traore – 6’6″ – JR – Forward – (Manhattan, Iowa) – 9ppg, 4rpg.

• Big/strong/athletic three-level scoring forward;
• Shoots a lot of three-pointers, but has been average. Loves the corner three (31-99, 31%);
• Solid at driving to the rim and has a nice variety of moves in the paint;
• Good in the pick and roll. He’s a strong finisher when rolling to the basket.

*#32 – James Okonkwo – 6’8″ – 5th – Forward – (WVU, UNC, Akron) – 3ppg, 6rpg.

• World traveler. On his 4th college;
• Strong, big-bodied post player;
• Not going to score outside of the paint;
• Big-time screen setter. Pretty solid rolling to the rim for dunks;
• Good rebounder, especially on the offensive end. 3 offensive rebounds per game.

#13 – Kendyl Sanders – 6’8″ – FR – Forward – 5ppg, 3rpg.

• Tall “Three and D” shooter;
• Really good from the corner three. Solid outside shooter (24-58, 41%);
• LOVES the left corner right in front of their home bench (2nd half);
• Capable of driving to the basket, but prefers to shoot the three;
• Strangely much better from outside than at the line (8-26, 31%).

#21 – Obomate Abbey – 6’0″ – FR – Guard – 3ppg, 2rpg, 2.5apg.

• Smaller/stocky back up point guard;
• Does a good job driving to the paint;
• Not a good outside shooter; (7-29, 24%);
• Draws a lot of fouls when he drives to the basket;
• Second on the team in assists.

#7 – Josh Hayes – 6’9″ – JR – Forward – 3ppg, 2rpg.

• Tall/skinny forward;
• Not a threat outside of the paint;
• Does a good job finding soft spots in the defense to hide and duck in for a low-post shot.

Utah Cheat Sheet

What I’ll Be Watching…

1. A guard double-double? I think either Kingston or Milos could potentially get a double-double in this game. Given Utah’s defense, I think the guards could have a big night scoring and dishing out assists.
2. Rebounding master-class?: Utah struggles rebounding on both ends of the court. Oh boy. It could be a BIG night on the glass for the Coogs!
3. Under 5 turnovers again? The Coogs have had three consecutive games with 5 or fewer turnovers. That is literally CRAZY!!! Utah doesn’t tend to turn teams over. It could be a fourth consecutive game for the Coogs.