Gabe Bealer added 13 points for the Utes while David Collette and Tyler Rawson chipped in 12 apiece. Utah (21-11) improved to 3-0 against SEC teams this season and also beat the Tigers for the fourth time in five meetings between the two schools.

Tremont Waters scored 19 points while Skylar Mays added 16 and Aaron Epps chipped in 12 to lead LSU. The Tigers (18-15) saw their season come to an end after failing to stop the Utes on the perimeter or keep up with them on the glass.

The Utes will next face top-seeded Saint Mary's in the NIT quarterfinals Wednesday night after the Gaels held off Washington 85-81 later Monday evening.

Utah hit 14 of 27 from 3-point range and finished with a 37-26 advantage in rebounds. LSU had little success on the perimeter itself, going just 8-of-30 from long distance.

Utah dominated LSU on both ends of the court in the first quarter. The Utes made eight straight shots at one point and hit 12 of 15 from the floor in the first nine minutes. It helped Utah open up a 30-9 lead over the Tigers.

The Utes broke the game wide open with a 19-2 run. LSU got within 11-7 on a layup from Duop Reath. It all unraveled for the Tigers after that point. Collette scored on a layup and a dunk to push the lead out to double digits. Bibbins and Barefield capped off the barrage with back-to-back 3-pointers.

Things didn't improve much for LSU during the second quarter. Utah made four straight baskets, culminating in a Rawson layup, to stretch its lead to 45-18.

The Tigers closed the quarter on a 12-2 run, fueled by three straight baskets by Mays, and cut the deficit to 47-32 on a steal and layup by Waters to open the second half.

That's as close as LSU would get. Collette threw down a dunk to shift momentum back in Utah's direction. The Utes built up their lead to 60-36 midway through the third quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers from Bealer and Rawson.

--Field Level Media