SAN FRANCISCO – The long wait is finally over for the Utah men's basketball team as the Pac-12 released its inaugural 20-game matchup schedule for the 2020-21 season on Thursday. Specific dates and TV selections have yet to be finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Of the two additional league games held in December, only one date switched. The Utes will kick open the Pac-12 Conference slate with a home game against Washington on Thursday, Dec. 3, as previously scheduled. However, Utah's game at Arizona State was moved to Tuesday, Dec. 22. A year older, the sophomore laden Utes team hopes to exorcise their road woes from last season and notch their first road victory in league play since defeating Washington State, 92-79, on Feb. 23, 2019.
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The Runnin' Utes will remain on the road the following week after visiting Tempe and play UCLA/USC the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 3 before returning home to host the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers the week of Jan. 6-10. Utah remains home for another set of games as it welcomes Cal and Stanford the week of Jan. 13-17. The Utes then hit the road the next two weeks with a trip to Washington and Washington State Jan. 20-24. Utah will then wrap up the month of January with a trip to Boulder to face Colorado (Jan. 27-31).
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Arizona and Arizona State will then make their trip to Salt Lake City the week of Feb. 3-7 before the Runnin' Utes fly to the Bay Area to play the Bears and Cardinal on Valentine's Day weekend (Feb. 10-14). The road swing will continue for Utah as it heads to Matthew Knight Area and Gill Coliseum to face the Ducks and Beavers Feb. 17-21. The last time Utah swept the Oregon schools on the road was the 2017-18 season.
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Utah will then return home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the remaining two weeks as it entertains the Bruins and Trojans (Feb. 24-28) before welcoming Colorado (March 6 or 7) on senior day as it honors the lone senior on the squad,
Alfonso Plummer. The Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament will take place not too long after at T-Mobile Arena March 10-13.
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The Runnin' Utes are set to open the 2020-21 campaign against a stacked field in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. The Utes will face a highly touted Creighton team led by Big East Preseason Player of the Year Marcus Zegarowski in their tournament-opener on Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. (MT) on ESPN2.
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