Pac-12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

After five straight seasons without an NCAA tournament appearance, the Utes decided to change directions and forge a new path with former Utah State head coach Craig Smith, who parlayed his success with the Aggies and their surprising three straight tournament selections. Smith is bringing his vaunted defensive system to Salt Lake City, which had Utah State as KenPom’s 8th ranked defense in 2020-2021.

In his first season, Smith will be tasked with shoring up a roster that saw massive turnover during the offseason. The Utes lost their two leading scorers Timmy Allen and Alphonso Plummer to Texas and Illinois respectively and 3-point threat Pelle Larsson decided to transfer in conference to Arizona to play for Tommy Lloyd’s euro-centric brand of basketball.

Smith brought two of his Aggies players, guards Rollie Worster and Marco Anthony, which should help retain some continuity and offer a steady hand in the transition. Anthony and Worster will no doubt champion Smith’s physical defensive play, helping lock down the perimeter. Anthony was an All-Defense honoree in the Mountain West Conference. Worster will be the de facto floor general after performing admirably as a freshman when he averaged 9.1 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Branden Carlson is an interesting returning player who will shine on both sides of Smith’s schemes. Offensively, he shows a remarkable amount of finesse and shooting for his 7-foot size. He averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in just 23.4 minutes per game. If he can increase the volume of his perimeter shooting, he will be a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams. What really should excite Utah fans is the pairing of Carlson with Smith’s defense for extended minutes. Carlson averaged 1.7 blocks per game and will only be emboldened by the style Smith likes to play.

This season with its massive turnover and roster depletion will likely cap a lot of the Utes’ potential this season. But as Smith has proven, he’s up for a challenge, making an on-paper lackluster roster shine and come together by conference play. Opposing teams better not assume anything’s guaranteed when matching up with the Utes.