Utah Utes basketball: Utes batter Rams, tied for first place

Who would have guessed that the Utah men's basketball team would find itself in first place in the Mountain West Conference at some point this season?

Certainly not after early-season losses to Southwest Baptist and Idaho State, but that's where the Utes find themselves after Saturday's 82-66 victory over Colorado State at the Huntsman Center.

The Utes improved to 3-1 in MWC play and 12-6 overall and are tied with another surprising team, TCU, at the top of the standings. Of course, there's a long way to go, but for now, the Utes are happy to be at the top of the heap.

"It's a good thing — since I've been here, I've never been in first place in anything," said Lawrence Borha, who led the Utes with 20 points and sank two big 3-pointers when the game was still on the line.

"It's a good feeling. We need to stay on top and get some road wins and keep (winning) at home."

"It means we've got a very competitive league, and it means we have a good team," said Utah coach Jim Boylen of being tied for first.

This was a game the Utes expected to win, but the Rams aren't the same team that went 0-16 in the league a year ago. Just three nights earlier, they knocked off the MWC preseason favorite, UNLV, in Fort Collins, and they stayed with the Utes until the final three minutes.

The Utes jumped out to an early 11-point lead, saw the Rams come back to take a brief two-point lead, then opened it up in the second half thanks to some stellar defensive play.

"I thought we came out of the halftime focused," Boylen said. "Lawrence Borha is the best defender in the league, and I thought what he did on (Marcus) Walker in the second half set the tone. Our second-half defense was as good as it's been."

Walker is the Rams' leading scorer at 15 points per game, and, at halftime, he had nine points on 2-of-5 shooting. However, when the game ended, he still had nine points as he missed all six of his second-half shots, thanks in part to the defense of Borha.

Boylen said Borha plays better offensively when he plays well defensively, and Borha agrees.

"My mind is to go in there and be a defensive stopper and, if I get an open shot, knock it down," Borha said.