A 5-foot-8, 150-pound graduate transfer from Long Beach State, Justin Bibbins joined the Utes men’s basketball program in the summer perceived as a small guard from a small conference trying to play against the big boys.
Now, Bibbins leads the Utes in scoring (14.2 points per game), assists (4.8 per game), 3-point shooting (44.6 percent) and steals (1.3 per game). He’s been arguably the best player for a team predicted to be in the bottom half of the Pac-12, but is instead competing for a top-four finish.
And how Bibbins plays — and powers the Utes — in the final three games of the regular season, starting Thursday against UCLA in the Huntsman Center, will go a long way toward determining if Utah finishes on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.