PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 14, 2024

Craig Smith

Branden Carlson

Gabe Madsen

Utah Utes

Postgame Press Conference

Colorado - 72, Utah - 58

CRAIG SMITH: First of all, I want to congratulate Colorado. Played an outstanding game. They have real momentum coming into tonight. That's, obviously, they won seven in a row now. They're playing outstanding. They're a very good team of the.

They're healthy. They're playing super connected. They don't have a whole lot of holes on either side of the ball. And they played like that tonight.

So they're always good defensively. They make it hard to score in the paint. And then they play super connected on the offensive end. And KJ Simpson is a really good point guard that makes a lot of plays for a lot of different people.

Early in the game, we had two stops to start the game, and then they score on 10 straight possessions. We had to be better and more consistent on that end of the floor.

I am proud of our guys. We had great resolve to fight back. I think we actually went ahead by one there for a stretch. And we finished that half stopping them 12 out of 14 possessions, which is really hard to do against that team.

And so to be down three at halftime, we actually felt pretty solid about things. They kept coming at us.

We played super, super hard. Obviously tonight we struggled to make shots consistently, and that happens sometimes.

They do a good job of making it hard to score around the basket. In the first half we were 2-for-14 around the rim, and it just felt like they sped us up. We were quick and we were just kind of -- shot some hope shots instead of playing strong off of two feet, getting your weight on your inside shoulder and finishing those plays at the basket.

Second half we really tried to get the ball to BC. Obviously he scored a couple times there in a row in the paint, and we lost some sight of that.

He's such a great weapon down there. And obviously a really, really good player. And we've got to be able to make those plays and find him when he's out there battling like crazy.

Teams that do that, not only get some chip-shot baskets but they also get to the foul line. And they were able to do that.

Eddie Lampkin had an unbelievable game for him. You really felt him out there. He gets five offensive rebounds, goes 8-for-14 from the field for 17 points.

It's going to be hard to win against a good team when you shoot 33 percent and 26 percent from the 3. And basketball is a humbling game, as are all sports. Yesterday it felt the basket was as big as it could possibly get. And tonight we really struggled to get the ball in the hole.

I'm really proud of our team and these guys even though it didn't go exactly as we wanted. I said this last night in the postgame. March Madness is a special thing. And BC is a fifth-year guy. Gabe has the opportunity to play five years because of COVID.

But these guys grow up dreaming to play in March Madness, and grew up dreaming to play in games like this in a world-class facility, and you only get five or four years of your life to do it.

I'm not sure people totally understand, just meeting with the team afterwards, those are hard things. Because the amount of time these two, but everybody -- I'm speaking for the University of Utah and all the teams around the country -- the amount of sacrifice and discipline and work -- and I say work, bigger, stronger, faster, strength and conditioning, your nutrition -- everything that goes into it. And then it comes to it where you know you're not going to make the NCAA Tournament like that. And there's a lot that goes into it.

So it's really, really hard. This team's had to go through a lot of different things throughout the year. It's hard when it's final. Tonight we just weren't able to get it done.

Q. What are your initial emotions right now after all of that's gone through this season?

BRANDEN CARLSON: It just sucks, we work hard. As Coach said, you want to make the NCAA Tournament. And at this point you know you're not going to make it. It just sucks.

GABE MADSEN: I would say the same thing. It's been a roller coaster every year. And for it to end like that, it doesn't feel great.

Q. Would you like to play more basketball, Gabe?

GABE MADSEN: Of course. Nobody wants -- this team has been through so much, and for it to just be done would suck. But, yeah, I just really love this team. As many times as you can play basketball, I feel that's a good thing.

Q. Branden, all season we've known how much affection there is within this group. Would you like to play more basketball with these guys?

BRANDEN CARLSON: I mean, yeah. I play because I love the sport and I want to play as long as I can. So whatever it is. You only get -- you play for the games.

Q. Thoughts on, Coach, the possibility of playing in the NIT. How do you get a team ready for that? And how much benefit do you think, if you guys get the chance, how much of a benefit would that be for your team? And just thoughts on that tournament, and how it can be for the program.

CRAIG SMITH: Thanks for asking that and I appreciate that question for these guys.

First of all, what Gabe said, and BC, this group is a really connected group. So it's hard. Right? And going into the locker room after the game, you sit there a little bit, and you can look at this (referring to stat sheet) but at the end of the day not being in the NCAA Tournament is hard.

I didn't bring up being able to play more basketball.

So to hear these guys say that without us even -- we've never talked about it. These guys love to play, they love to compete. Some guys love to play, they don't always love to compete. And I think there's a big difference.

And these guys love to play and they love to compete, specifically these two. And, so, so happy to hear that, quite frankly.

Does it help us? Of course it does. When you love the game and you love competition and you love what that brings, and when it's a true passion, that's what I alluded to earlier. The season alone is five and a half to six months. And that's not counting the offseason.

So the dedication and everything that goes into it, it's like most people don't understand unless you've really been through that before, and I don't care what sport it is.

So hopefully we'll have that opportunity. I feel strongly we will. And so then it's a little bit of everything. You want to have everybody on board, but we have a lot of guys that love to play and compete.

So just hearing that from these two guys, it's a huge thing right there. And I feel like this group will rally around itself and find a way to come out and put our best foot forward with the next challenge at hand.

Q. You put Lawson on Lampkin. Obviously I would assume probably based on defense that you're trying to kind of keep him in. It seemed like you tried to mix and match with Gabe at different times do different things. What was the strategy with him knowing he is who he is?

CRAIG SMITH: Lawson is easily our best post defender, one-on-one. Legit seven-footer. He has got great instincts, understands positioning.

Lampkin played great. In hindsight, maybe we should have brought more double teams to him. Easy to say. The five offensive rebounds I'd be curious how many points he had off of those offensive rebounds. But he played really, really well, and we're very familiar with him.

Branden had to guard him for two years when he was at TCU. We played those guys the last two years. He's a load down there, and you've really got to get your work done early and try to get him off his spots because he has great size and strength.

But we see that all the time in this league, with N'Faly Dante and Ballo and the guy at UCLA, Bona. So we're used to seeing big, strong, athletic dudes. It's a heck of a league, and we've got to perform better that way.

But certainly, in hindsight, maybe we should have brought more double teams. We haven't always been great with that. He is a very good passer. So you're always trying to keep those guys fresh. They don't have a lot of depth at that spot. So we just try to keep throwing bodies at him and try to wear him down. But credit to him, he was outstanding.

Q. Branden, obviously you're not fully healthy. You've got that brace on your elbow. But how difficult is this knowing that this is your last Pac-12 Tournament, trying to compete in that environment when you don't feel fully healthy?

BRANDEN CARLSON: I just didn't want to end this journey with any regrets. So I knew I had to go out and give it a try. And obviously it's not completely healthy and its had its moments where it wasn't feeling so great.

But for my team, for myself even, I had to go out and compete and try my best just because I didn't want to go out with regrets of not trying.