Utah, Saint Mary's collide in early season test

Utah coach Craig Smith is preparing his players for a possibly unpleasant -- but hopefully productive -- experience when the Utes host Saint Mary's on Saturday in Salt Lake City.

"You know, it's a little bit like going to the dentist," Smith said of playing the Gaels during an ESPN700 interview. "They muck it up and they're good. ... They're just very rugged and skilled. They shoot the three well. They get to the rim well. They know who they are, and so it's gonna be a great test for us."

This is an intriguing matchup between Saint Mary's (8-1), a West Coast Conference powerhouse, and Utah (6-1), a new Big 12 program.

Utah has won all six games at the Huntsman Center, while this will be the Gaels' first true road game after going 2-1 in neutral-site contests.

The Utes entered Friday ranked No. 4 nationally in rebounding (44.29), with the Gaels tied for sixth (43.78).

Utah won its third game in a row last Saturday with an 88-80 victory over Eastern Washington. Aside from the 78-73 loss to Mississippi State, it was their closest game of the season.

Gabe Madsen scored 28 points, Ezra Ausar netted 20, and Lawson Lovering contributed 16 points and eight rebounds to lift Utah.

Saint Mary's also had a competitive game in its last outing. The Gaels outlasted UTSA 82-74 in overtime on Tuesday.

Augustas Marciulionis totaled 23 points, eight assists and three steals, while Mitchell Saxen contributed 15 points, including five in OT, to go with 13 rebounds, four steals and four blocks in the win. Paulius Murauskas added 12 points and 12 boards.

Saint Mary's was coming off of its only loss of the season, a 68-64 setback to Arizona State in the championship game of the Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, Calif. The Gaels had won their first seven games, including neutral-site victories over Southern California (71-36) and Nebraska (77-74).

Utah, which is averaging 90.4 points (fourth in the nation entering Friday) and an NCAA-leading 21.3 assists, beat Saint Mary's on the road last season, 78-71.

Madsen leads the Utes with 22.7 points per game, followed by Lovering (14.0), Ausar (12.6) and Mason Madsen (11.1). Lovering is the top rebounder (7.5), with Miro Little dishing six assists per game.

Marciulionis averages 15 points to lead the Gaels. Murauskas (13.1), Luke Barrett (10.8) and Mikey Lewis (10.8) also average in double figures. Murauskas pulls down a team-best 9.8 rebounds per game, while Marciulionis averages 5.8 assists per contest to top Saint Mary's.

--Field Level Media