The Madsen brothers combined for 42 points in the Runnin' Utes' season-opening win

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah guard Mike Sharavjamts orchestrated the perfect play.

With time running out in the first half, Sharavjamts dribbled the ball at the top of the key and laid the ball off for Gabe Madsen to score in the corner. He then instructed striker Ezra Ausar to move from the post to the top of the key. The piece worked perfectly.

Sharavjamts took advantage of Ausar's move to distract a visiting Alcorn State team closing in on the forward, and the guard known as “Mongolian Mike” quickly fired a pass in the corner to Madsen, who finished with a simple catch-and-shoot. 3-pointers scored the half.

“That pass that Mike played to Gabe at the end of the first half is a high-level play – I want to see that and shoot the ball into the far corner in time and on goal, where Gabe just has to catch it.” “It's a tough game,” Utah head coach Craig Smith said.

But when Madsen took the court on Monday, there was no question who the best player was.

The veteran sharpshooter was unstoppable for the Runnin' Utes in the season opener, with Madsen scoring a game-high 19 points at halftime and a 27-point performance in Utah's 100-59 victory over Alcorn State.

Twin brother Mason Madsen contributed to the family night with 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting from distance, giving Utah the offense it needed to push aside a Braves team that was trying to outrun the Runnin' Utes in all aspects of the game to speed up the game.

But Utah was undeterred, shooting 56% from the field while setting up 29 of the team's 32 baskets in the first half.

“There’s real synergy there, and these guys are weapons,” Smith said of the twins. “I mean, you really have to hold them accountable.”

Sharavjamts was a key contributor to the team's ball movement, setting players up all night long – including a no-look pass to a rushing Ausar for a dunk – while hitting 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-from -3, ten points scored deep and five assists.

His assist numbers may not have been the highest, but he helped give Utah an off night with the ball as he worked to beat the Braves with heavy ball movement.

“He’s really fun to play with,” Gabe Madsne said. “I mean, I've been saying for a while now, he's just like a quarterback – he sees things before they even happen. … He just sees the game in such a unique way, and it's really simple. Honestly just playing with him.”

Utah built a 32-point lead with 14:34 to play before Utah head coach Craig Smith began using more of his bench before finally sending the starters to the sideline for good with 3:52 to play and a near 40-point lead .

Utah finished the night with 19 3-pointers – the most by a team in the Big 12 since Dec. 23, 2023 – while shooting 68% from behind the arc. Although it was a team effort, 11 of the threes came from the Madsen brothers.

“It was obviously fun to start like that, with a good start, but yeah, I love this team a lot, man. It’s just fun the way we play and share the ball,” said Gabe Madsen.

Although Alcorn State had to play 12 players in the loss, no member of the Braves scored in double figures on the night. Alcorn State was led by Keionte Cornelius, who scored 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

The Runnin' Utes were without Lawson Lovering, Zach Keller and Ibi Traore in the season opener due to injuries.

Traore, who Smith said had recently made a turnaround and shown his potential, suffered a season-ending injury in practice a few days ago, affecting Utah's depth for the season.