Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus #1/2 Arizona on January 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM
2:00 PM
Men's Basketball
vs #1/2 Arizona
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
The University of Utah Athletics
Saturday, January 3
Salt Lake City, UT
2:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Arizona
Utah Men's Basketball Welcomes in No. 1 Arizona for Saturday Matinee
12/31/2025 5:18 PM | Men's Basketball
The Runnin’ Utes welcome in top-ranked Arizona for a 2 p.m. (MST) match-up on Saturday, Jan. 3.
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team will open Big 12 Conference play with a tall task as it welcomes in the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats for a 2 p.m. (MST) contest inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, to ring in the new year.
Â
James Westling will guide fans through the action alongside former Wildcat Matt Muehlebach on Peacock as the Runnin' Utes battle the No.1 AP ranked team for the 12th time in program history – second ever at home.
Â
HOW TO WATCH THE GAME
To watch Saturday's game, fans must have a Peacock subscription – which can be purchased for as low as $7.99 per month. With a subscription, fans can watch stream on multiple devices such as Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Samsun, LG, Vizio and Xfinity. Fans can also stream through their mobile devices such as their iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets as well as on the PlayStation, Xbox or Meta VR. Web Browsers such as Chrome, Safari and FireFox on any Windows or macOS computer/laptop.
Â
CONFERENCE OPENERS
Since the 1999-2000 season, Utah is 18-8 in its conference opening game and 13-1 when those games have occurred at home. Meanwhile, the Utes are 8-6 in conference openers since 2011-12 when they made the jump to a Power Conference and 6-1 when those games have been at home. In addition, Utah is 1-3 since the turn of the century when opening conference play against a ranked opponent and 1-1 when those games have been inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Ironically, it's lone victory at home against an AP ranked opponent was against No. 4 Arizona on Dec. 1, 2022, 81-66.
Â
RECORD IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
Since 1999-2000
Overall: 18-8
Home: 13-1
Away: 5-7
OT: 0-3 (H: 0-1 / A: 0-2)
OT2: 0-1 (A: 0-1)
Ranked Opponents: 1-3 (H: 1-1 / A: 0-2)
Â
Since 2011-12
Overall: 8-6
Home: 6-1
Away: 2-5
OT: 0-3 (H: 0-1 / A: 0-2)
OT2: N/A
Ranked Opponents: 1-3 (H: 1-1 / A: 0-2)
Â
AGAINST THE RANKED
Below is how Utah has fared against AP Ranked opponents.
Â
VS. AP RANKED OPP: 71-169 (.296)
VS. AP RANKED OPP (HOME): 41-45 (.477)
VS. AP RANKED OPP (OT): 8-5 (.615)
VS. #1 AP RANKED OPP: 3-8 (.273)
VS. TOP-5 AP-RANKED OPP: 11-40 (.216)
LAST WIN VS. TOP-5 AP RANKED OPP: 12/1/22 vs. #4 Arizona – 81-66
LAST WIN VS. #1 AP-RANKED OPP: 12/30/02 vs. #1 Alabama – 51-49
LAST WIN VS. AP RANKED OPP: 2/15/25 vs. #17 Kansas – 74-67
LAST WIN VS. AP RANEKD OPP (HOME): 2/15/25 vs. #17 Kansas – 74-67
LAST WIN VS. AP RANKED OPP (OT): 3/18/18 at #25 Saint Mary's [NIT] – 67-58 (OT)
LAST WIN VS. AP RANKED OPP (CONF): 2/15/25 vs. #17 Kansas – 74-67
Â
AGAINST THE TOP
Utah is 3-8 (.273) all-time against No. 1 AP ranked team in the country but has history on its side with a 1-0 record when hosting said teams. Utah last hosted the No.1 team in the country on Dec. 30, 2002, and came out victorious against Alabama 51-49 inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Â
Â
TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
The last time Utah faced off against an undefeated ranked Arizona team to start conference play at home was Dec. 1, 2022, an 81-66 affair in favor of the Runnin' Utes inside the Jon M. Huntsman Centers against a fourth-ranked Wildcats team.
Â
Branden Carlson led a quartet of double-digit scorers for Utah with 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Rollie Worster chipped in with a near triple-double, scoring 12 points with 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Meanwhile, Ben Carlson and Gabe Madsen had 11 points each. As a team, the Utes outrebounded the Wildcats 51-42 and shot .437 from the floor compared to Arizona's .352 shooting clip.
Â
UP NEXT
Utah will hit the road for its first road conference game the following week as it heads to Boulder, Colo., to face Colorado on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+ inside the CU Events Center.
Â
LOOKING HEAD
The Runnin' Utes return home for another top-10 match-up as they'll welcome in No. 10/10 BYU to the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the 167th edition of the Red vs. Blue rivalry. Dave Flemming will have the call alongside former UCLA Bruin Sean Farnham as Utah looks to secure its third-straight win over the Cougars at home starting at 8 p.m. (MST) on ESPN.
Â
SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS
Fans still have time to purchase season tickets for the 2025-26 Utah men's basketball season under first-year head coach Alex Jensen. In addition, fans can also choose between two mini plans; the Saturday ONLY Plan starts at $125 while the Conference ONLY plan starts at $150. Single-game tickets for non-conference games are also on-sale starting at just $10 per ticket.
Â
Fans interested in buy season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets (non-conference) can do so by going online at UtahTickets.com or by phone at 801-581-UTIX (8849).
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. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360 app.
Â
Â
James Westling will guide fans through the action alongside former Wildcat Matt Muehlebach on Peacock as the Runnin' Utes battle the No.1 AP ranked team for the 12th time in program history – second ever at home.
Â
HOW TO WATCH THE GAME
To watch Saturday's game, fans must have a Peacock subscription – which can be purchased for as low as $7.99 per month. With a subscription, fans can watch stream on multiple devices such as Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Samsun, LG, Vizio and Xfinity. Fans can also stream through their mobile devices such as their iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets as well as on the PlayStation, Xbox or Meta VR. Web Browsers such as Chrome, Safari and FireFox on any Windows or macOS computer/laptop.
Â
CONFERENCE OPENERS
Since the 1999-2000 season, Utah is 18-8 in its conference opening game and 13-1 when those games have occurred at home. Meanwhile, the Utes are 8-6 in conference openers since 2011-12 when they made the jump to a Power Conference and 6-1 when those games have been at home. In addition, Utah is 1-3 since the turn of the century when opening conference play against a ranked opponent and 1-1 when those games have been inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Ironically, it's lone victory at home against an AP ranked opponent was against No. 4 Arizona on Dec. 1, 2022, 81-66.
Â
RECORD IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
Since 1999-2000
Overall: 18-8
Home: 13-1
Away: 5-7
OT: 0-3 (H: 0-1 / A: 0-2)
OT2: 0-1 (A: 0-1)
Ranked Opponents: 1-3 (H: 1-1 / A: 0-2)
Â
Since 2011-12
Overall: 8-6
Home: 6-1
Away: 2-5
OT: 0-3 (H: 0-1 / A: 0-2)
OT2: N/A
Ranked Opponents: 1-3 (H: 1-1 / A: 0-2)
Â
AGAINST THE RANKED
Below is how Utah has fared against AP Ranked opponents.
Â
VS. AP RANKED OPP: 71-169 (.296)
VS. AP RANKED OPP (HOME): 41-45 (.477)
VS. AP RANKED OPP (OT): 8-5 (.615)
VS. #1 AP RANKED OPP: 3-8 (.273)
VS. TOP-5 AP-RANKED OPP: 11-40 (.216)
LAST WIN VS. TOP-5 AP RANKED OPP: 12/1/22 vs. #4 Arizona – 81-66
LAST WIN VS. #1 AP-RANKED OPP: 12/30/02 vs. #1 Alabama – 51-49
LAST WIN VS. AP RANKED OPP: 2/15/25 vs. #17 Kansas – 74-67
LAST WIN VS. AP RANEKD OPP (HOME): 2/15/25 vs. #17 Kansas – 74-67
LAST WIN VS. AP RANKED OPP (OT): 3/18/18 at #25 Saint Mary's [NIT] – 67-58 (OT)
LAST WIN VS. AP RANKED OPP (CONF): 2/15/25 vs. #17 Kansas – 74-67
Â
AGAINST THE TOP
Utah is 3-8 (.273) all-time against No. 1 AP ranked team in the country but has history on its side with a 1-0 record when hosting said teams. Utah last hosted the No.1 team in the country on Dec. 30, 2002, and came out victorious against Alabama 51-49 inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Â
| DATE | OPPONENT | H / A / N | RESULTS |
| 1/26/14 | Arizona | A | L, 65-56 |
| 11/28/03 | UConn | N | L, 76-44 |
| 3/23/03 | Kentucky | N | L, 74-54 |
| 12/30/02 | Alabama | H | W, 51-49 |
| 3/28/98 | North Carolina | N | W, 64-59 |
| 3/21/91 | UNLV | N | L, 83-66 |
| 12/19/82 | Virginia | N | L, 80-57 |
| 3/17/56 | San Francisco | N | L, 92-77 |
| 3/11/55 | San Francisco | N | L, 70-65 |
| 12/21/54 | Kentucky | A | L, 70-65 |
| 12/18/54 | La Salle | A | W, 79-69 |
TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
The last time Utah faced off against an undefeated ranked Arizona team to start conference play at home was Dec. 1, 2022, an 81-66 affair in favor of the Runnin' Utes inside the Jon M. Huntsman Centers against a fourth-ranked Wildcats team.
Â
Branden Carlson led a quartet of double-digit scorers for Utah with 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Rollie Worster chipped in with a near triple-double, scoring 12 points with 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Meanwhile, Ben Carlson and Gabe Madsen had 11 points each. As a team, the Utes outrebounded the Wildcats 51-42 and shot .437 from the floor compared to Arizona's .352 shooting clip.
Â
UP NEXT
Utah will hit the road for its first road conference game the following week as it heads to Boulder, Colo., to face Colorado on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+ inside the CU Events Center.
Â
LOOKING HEAD
The Runnin' Utes return home for another top-10 match-up as they'll welcome in No. 10/10 BYU to the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the 167th edition of the Red vs. Blue rivalry. Dave Flemming will have the call alongside former UCLA Bruin Sean Farnham as Utah looks to secure its third-straight win over the Cougars at home starting at 8 p.m. (MST) on ESPN.
Â
SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS
Fans still have time to purchase season tickets for the 2025-26 Utah men's basketball season under first-year head coach Alex Jensen. In addition, fans can also choose between two mini plans; the Saturday ONLY Plan starts at $125 while the Conference ONLY plan starts at $150. Single-game tickets for non-conference games are also on-sale starting at just $10 per ticket.
Â
Fans interested in buy season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets (non-conference) can do so by going online at UtahTickets.com or by phone at 801-581-UTIX (8849).
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. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360 app.
Â
###
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballUtah Basketball Media Availability | 12.11.25
Saturday, December 13
ESPN+ Feature | Utah Basketball's Terrence Brown
Sunday, December 07
Utah Basketball Media Availability | 12.4.25
Friday, December 05
Utah Basketball Media Availability | 11.30.25
Sunday, November 30