Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73
Final Score
Men's Basketball
66
vs No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round)
73
The University of Utah Athletics
BC Opens Season on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List
10/27/2023 11:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Utah center Branden Carlson was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List to start the 2023-24 season.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Utah center Branden Carlson was 1-of-20 named to the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List on Friday by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame committee.
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The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball and is in its 10th year of existence. The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January and then to paired down to five finalists in late March. Presentation details along with the winner will be announced at the Final Four in Phoenix.
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Carlson is 1-of-4 players from the Pac-12 listed on the initial 20-person watch list and is joined by Aday Mara (UCLA), N'Faly Dante (Oregon) and Oumar Ballo (Arizona). The Pac-12, Big 10 and Big East lead the Power 6 leagues with four players each on the watch list while the SEC and Big 12 checking in with three players each.
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The 7-footer had his best season yet in 2022-23, leading the team with 16.4 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game. Carlson was much improved shooting from the flooring, recording a .496 clip from the field to go with a .331 clip from beyond the arc. He was also just 1-of-5 players listed as centers last year that made 40 or more shots from 3-point range and was the only one from a Power 6 league.
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Carlson ended his season with 22-consecutive games scoring double-digit points – including three-straight games with a double-double to close out the year. He enters the 2023-24 season with 1,279 career points as a Ute, tying him with Alex Jensen (1994-95, 1997-2000) for 24th on the all-time scoring list at Utah.
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The Runnin' Utes have strong ties to the award with former Consensus Second-Team All-American Jakob Poeltl winning the award back in 2016 – its second year of existence. Poeltl, who was the second of three-consecutive players from Utah to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft in 2016 (ninth overall by the San Antonio Spurs), led the Runnin' Utes to 27 wins and a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16. He led the team in scoring (17.2ppg), rebounding (9.1rpg), field-goal percentage (.646) and blocked shots (56) that year while his 620 points that season made him the first Utah player to eclipse 600 points in a single-season since Andrew Bogut tallied 715 points during the 2004-05 campaign.
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SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets now and secure their seats ahead of the 2023-24 season online at UtahTickets.com/basketball, reaching out to their ticket representative or by calling the Utah Ticket Office at 801-581-8849.
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UP NEXT
Utah gears up for its lone exhibition game of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 1, against Westminster at 6 p.m. (MT) before opening the 2023-24 campaign on Monday, Nov. 6, against Eastern Washington at 7:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks with Krista Blunk and Earl Watson on the call.
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Admission is FREE for all spectators in the lower bowl, with the exception of the floor seats, for Wednesday's exhibition game against Westminster. In addition to schedule posters and schedule magnets on hand for all fans, there will also be an autograph session postgame on the Huntsman Center floor.
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For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball and is in its 10th year of existence. The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January and then to paired down to five finalists in late March. Presentation details along with the winner will be announced at the Final Four in Phoenix.
Â
Carlson is 1-of-4 players from the Pac-12 listed on the initial 20-person watch list and is joined by Aday Mara (UCLA), N'Faly Dante (Oregon) and Oumar Ballo (Arizona). The Pac-12, Big 10 and Big East lead the Power 6 leagues with four players each on the watch list while the SEC and Big 12 checking in with three players each.
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The 7-footer had his best season yet in 2022-23, leading the team with 16.4 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game. Carlson was much improved shooting from the flooring, recording a .496 clip from the field to go with a .331 clip from beyond the arc. He was also just 1-of-5 players listed as centers last year that made 40 or more shots from 3-point range and was the only one from a Power 6 league.
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Carlson ended his season with 22-consecutive games scoring double-digit points – including three-straight games with a double-double to close out the year. He enters the 2023-24 season with 1,279 career points as a Ute, tying him with Alex Jensen (1994-95, 1997-2000) for 24th on the all-time scoring list at Utah.
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The Runnin' Utes have strong ties to the award with former Consensus Second-Team All-American Jakob Poeltl winning the award back in 2016 – its second year of existence. Poeltl, who was the second of three-consecutive players from Utah to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft in 2016 (ninth overall by the San Antonio Spurs), led the Runnin' Utes to 27 wins and a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16. He led the team in scoring (17.2ppg), rebounding (9.1rpg), field-goal percentage (.646) and blocked shots (56) that year while his 620 points that season made him the first Utah player to eclipse 600 points in a single-season since Andrew Bogut tallied 715 points during the 2004-05 campaign.
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SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets now and secure their seats ahead of the 2023-24 season online at UtahTickets.com/basketball, reaching out to their ticket representative or by calling the Utah Ticket Office at 801-581-8849.
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UP NEXT
Utah gears up for its lone exhibition game of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 1, against Westminster at 6 p.m. (MT) before opening the 2023-24 campaign on Monday, Nov. 6, against Eastern Washington at 7:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks with Krista Blunk and Earl Watson on the call.
Â
Admission is FREE for all spectators in the lower bowl, with the exception of the floor seats, for Wednesday's exhibition game against Westminster. In addition to schedule posters and schedule magnets on hand for all fans, there will also be an autograph session postgame on the Huntsman Center floor.
Â
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
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