Utah cllicking on all cylinders ahead of matchup vs. Florida A&M

If you're looking for someone to lend a helping hand, ask the Utah Utes.

Heading into a nonconference home game Tuesday night against Florida A&M, Utah lead Division I in assists with 20.6 per game. In their 81-63 home win over Radford on Saturday night, the Utes drew helpers on 22 of 28 made buckets.

Unselfish play has helped Utah get off to a 7-2 start and rank second in the Big 12 Conference in scoring margin at 21.8 points per games, albeit against a soft schedule. Six of its wins have come against teams rated 256th or lower in kenpom.com, although the losses were close games against then-No. 25 Mississippi State and Saint Mary's.

The good news for the Utes is that while their current offensive run might not be sustainable once they get into conference play, their defense appears capable of at least keeping them in games. Opponents are hitting just 41.1 percent of their 2-point shots, the second-lowest figure in Division I.

"No matter how the offensive side of the floor is going, we have to stay true to who we are defensively," forward Jake Wahlin said.

Gabe Madsen leads the team in scoring at 21 points per game and is coming off a 15-point effort Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Rattlers (3-5) haven't played since Dec. 6, when they routed visiting Trinity (Fla.) 130-58. The output matched the school record for most points in a game that was set in 1989 against Delaware State.

Sterling Young, the Rattlers' leading scorer at 13.4 ppg, sank six 3-pointers and scored 25 points to lead five players in double figures. First-year coach Patrick Crarey's team utilizes the 3-point line frequently, averaging 10 3-point makes per game.

Florida A&M will spend the week in Utah, playing at BYU on Friday.

"We're playing two Big 12 teams, which is one of the premier conferences in America," Crarey said. "It's going to be a great opportunity for us to learn."

Utah won the teams' only previous meeting in 2018.

--Field Level Media