A junior guard in his first full season on the court, Barefield came into this season as the team’s second-leading returning scorer from last season (9.0 points per game). He appeared poised to be the backcourt leader and potentially a go-to playmaker prior to the start of the season, but he went into the Arizona game mired in a shooting slump.
Barefield broke out with a season-high 23 points and a career-high six 3-pointers (6-of-11) in the Utes’ 94-82 loss to the Wildcats in the Jon M. Hunstman Center. While the big scoring day certainly didn’t leave Barefield upbeat, it did provide an opportunity to exhale and at least a temporary respite from his ongoing aggravation.