Runnin’ Utes split weekend series, but come away with bigger success

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s opening weekend of Pac-12 play was not expected to be favorable to a program with few signature wins and a poor nonconference record.

After all, the Runnin’ Utes were on the road to face an Arizona State program that was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 the week prior and was seen as one of the top programs in the Pac-12, and an Arizona program that has dominated Utah at home for decades — Utah’s last win at the McKale Center came in 1986.

The most probable of scenarios ended with Utah coming away with a 0-2 start in a conference that has struggled to remain relevant among its Power Five counterparts. Worse yet, they’d be bottom dwellers in a conference that might…