Runnin’ Utes riding high heading into Pac-12 play. Can they keep a winning streak rolling?

Craig Smith has his Utah program playing well heading into Pac-12 play in the Runnin’ Utes final season in the conference.

Not only is Utah on a six-game winning streak, the Utes are being projected as an NCAA Tournament team at this point in the year, with the chance to solidify that belief in league play.

Will the Utes (9-2) be able to break a seven-year NCAA drought?

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• How each Pac-12 basketball team is trending heading into conference play

• Where BYU, Utah, Utah State land in latest bracketology projections heading into conference play

That will come down to Pac-12 action, which tips off for Utah on Thursday in a home matchup with Washington State (6:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network).

Smith said he loves the depth and balance of his team that is led by a veteran group — guys like Branden Carlson and Gabe Madsen — mixed with a handful of impactful transfers who showed there’s solid chemistry in the program during nonconference play.

“I think any given night, we have a lot of different guys that can step up to the plate. At the same time, I think this team still has a lot of room to grow and get better. That’s what is really exciting,” he said.

What Washington State does well

Washington State (9-2) has one of the toughest defenses in the league: the Cougars give up just 62.4 points per game, second-fewest in the Pac-12, and are allowing opposing teams to shoot 37.3%. That field goal percentage defense is seventh nationally and tops in the conference.

That includes allowing the opposition to make just 28% of their 3-point attempts. Utah, meanwhile, is coming in shooting 38% from 3-point range, second-best in the league.

“They’re very good defensively. They’re very difficult to score on. They’re long, they’re big, they’re athletic all the way up and down their lineup,” Smith said.

On offense, Washington State is shooting 48.3% from the field — fourth in the Pac-12 and just behind Utah at 48.6% in third.

The Cougars are paced by fifth-year transfer forward Isaac Jones, who is averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting an efficient 63.4%, second in the league, from the 4 spot.

Utes on the air

Utah (9-2) vs. Washington State (9-2)

Thursday, 6:30 p.m. MST

Huntsman Center

TV: Pac-12 Network

Radio: 700 AM

Redshirt freshman Myles Rice, who’s twice been named Pac-12 freshman of the week, is adding 15.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds per contest.

The Cougars are among the league’s best at rebounding — they average 8.7 more than their opposition per game and 11.6 offensive boards per contest.

Washington State also leads the league in blocked shots at 5.7 per game, a challenge for Utah, which is the second-tallest team in the country.

It’s an opportunity for Washington State, which has earned the majority of its wins against Quad 4 competition (7-0 at this point) to grab a Quad 1 victory — the Utes are currently No. 25 in the NET rankings.

Similarly, the game is an opportunity for Utah to pick up what would classify right now as a Quad 2 win — the Cougars are currently No. 44 in the NET.

“When you play them, it can be a bit of a rock fight. It’s physical and rugged,” Smith said. “You just don’t get very many easy shots at the basket. They’re great at taking away the 3, yet they make it incredibly difficult to score around the basket and they don’t give you many opportunities for second chance shots.”

How long will it take for Deivon Smith to get up to speed?

Just before nonconference play wrapped up, the Utes learned that guard Deivon Smith would be eligible for the remainder of the season, thanks to an agreed-upon court injunction that will allow multiple-time transfers to play through the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

The coach called the Utes a “little bit of a different team” adding Smith to Utah’s available arsenal, even while the team waits to see when Wilguens Jr. Exacte could make his season debut — he’s missed the entire year due to injury.

In the Utes’ most recent game — a 42-point win over Bellarmine on Dec. 20 — Smith showed glimpses of what he can bring to the guard lineup in his second game of the season.

“It definitely had a different vibe going into the Bellarmine game than it did Utah Valley, just because he was able to get a couple practices under his belt,” Craig Smith said.

After a relatively quiet first half against Bellarmine, outside of a pretty drive-and-assist to center Keba Keita, Deivon Smith made several impressive plays as the second half wore on.

He made his first field goal as a Ute — a pull-up jumper — with 11:18 to play, and finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and a steal in 17 minutes played.

The highlight came with just over 10 minutes to play — after fellow guard Hunter Erickson stole the ball near midcourt, he bounced an alley-oop pass off the backboard for a trailing Smith, who slammed home two electric points in transition.

The Utes head coach said time will tell how long it takes for the guard to get up to full speed integrating into Utah’s rotation — depending on how he meshes with the rest of the lineup.

“Certainly, you can see his progress and his ability to be comfortable in getting a feel for who he’s playing around from day to day,” Craig Smith said.

What the Pac-12 race could look like

Outside of No. 4 Arizona, the clear frontrunner in the conference, the Pac-12 hasn’t gone according to plan (aka the preseason poll) thus far.

Programs like Utah, Colorado, Washington State and Washington State are exceeding expectations, while others like USC and UCLA aren’t living up to some lofty projections.

In ESPN’s latest bracketology, three Pac-12 teams are projected to make the NCAA Tournament — Arizona as a No. 1 seed, along with Utah and Colorado as No. 8 seeds. Joe Lunardi has Washington as the first team out.

Some of the premiere matchups of the first weekend of conference play will involve Utah. The Utes will also face 8-3 Washington on Sunday. In addition to playing Utah, both Washington State and Washington will face 9-2 Colorado.

In his eyes, as Smith put it, there is more depth in the league, particularly in the middle of the pack.

“I do think there are a lot of different teams that can win on any given night,” he said.