Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Nevada [Exh] on October 17, 2025
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Men's Basketball
vs Nevada [Exh]
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Wednesday, February 26
Tucson, AZ / McKale Center
7:00 PM
University of Utah
at
Arizona
Men's Hoops Battles #22 Arizona Wednesday Night to Wrap Up Road Swing
2/25/2025 12:42 PM | Men's Basketball
The Runnin’ Utes and Wildcats square off for the first time as members of the Big 12 Conference at 7 p.m. (MST) on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
TUCSON – The Utah men's basketball team wraps up its final road swing of the regular-season this Wednesday, Feb. 26, when it battles No. 22/21 Arizona inside McKale Center.
Pete Sousa will have the call on ESPN+ alongside former Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase as the former Pac-12 foes duke it out for the first time as members of the Big 12 Conference. Meanwhile, Utah looks to grab its first win inside McKale Center since Dec. 6, 1986 (68-67) and third win overall since the building opened on Feb. 1, 1973.
UTAH ATHLETICS MOVES ON FROM CRAIG SMITH
University of Utah director of athletics Mark Harlan announced a change in leadership for the Runnin' Utes program on Monday, Feb. 24, relieving fourth-year head coach Craig Smith. He also announced that first-year assistant coach Josh Eilert will now serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
"I want to thank Craig for his work and commitment since he arrived in Salt Lake City. He has led us to special moments and memorable victories, and Craig has poured his heart into building our current team. However, we have greater aspirations for our men's basketball program, both within the Big 12 Conference and nationally, and our expectation is to regularly compete in the NCAA Tournament. After evaluating our program under Craig's leadership, I believe a change is needed to get us to where we want to go. The time is now to begin that process, and we will surround our student-athletes, Coach Eilert and the staff with support as they continue with their season.
We have continued to invest in our men's basketball program, adding staff, increasing compensation and significantly enhancing NIL opportunities with our partners for our student-athletes. And our investments will only grow. I am confident that our national search, which has already begun, will lead us to the right coach to take our storied program back to national prominence.
We wish Craig and his family the very best."
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Through games on Sunday, Feb. 23, Utah owns a 14-3 record at home and 1-7 record on the road. The Utes have won four-straight games inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center but conversely have lost five-straight on the road.
SAME, SAME, BUT DIFFERENT
Wednesday's match-up between Utah and Arizona will be the third conference the two programs have been a part of together. The two first played in the Western Athletic Conference (1962-78) together before linking back up from 2011-24 as members of the Pac-12 when Utah made the jump to a power conference. The Utes trail the all-time series 40-32 and also trail the Wildcats 34-21 in conference games.
WINS INSIDE MCKALE CENTER
McKale Center has been a house of horrors for the Utah basketball program, going just 2-18 all-time in there – including an 0-11 mark when the two were together in the Pac-12. Utah's two wins inside McKale Center below.
DATE RESULT
Feb. 16, 1978 83-72
Dec. 6, 1986 68-67
UP NEXT
Utah returns home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center this weekend as it plays host a familiar face from the Valley of the Sun on Saturday, March 1, in Arizona State. Pete Sousa will once again have the call and will be joined by former Arizona Wildcat Corey Williams on the ESPN+ broadcast set to start at 5 p.m. (MST) as the two former Pac-12 programs battle it out as members of the Big 12 Conference.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Runnin' Utes program will honor six seniors on Tuesday, March 4, at the Utah vs. West Virginia basketball game. Ted Emrich and former Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase are calling the action as the Utes look to split the season series against the Mountaineers starting at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+. Interim head coach Josh Eilert will also be coaching against his former team that he spent 17 seasons with – including the 2023-24 campaign where he served as the interim head coach.
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, the official app of Utah Athletics, through the Apple Store or Google Play.
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Pete Sousa will have the call on ESPN+ alongside former Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase as the former Pac-12 foes duke it out for the first time as members of the Big 12 Conference. Meanwhile, Utah looks to grab its first win inside McKale Center since Dec. 6, 1986 (68-67) and third win overall since the building opened on Feb. 1, 1973.
UTAH ATHLETICS MOVES ON FROM CRAIG SMITH
University of Utah director of athletics Mark Harlan announced a change in leadership for the Runnin' Utes program on Monday, Feb. 24, relieving fourth-year head coach Craig Smith. He also announced that first-year assistant coach Josh Eilert will now serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
"I want to thank Craig for his work and commitment since he arrived in Salt Lake City. He has led us to special moments and memorable victories, and Craig has poured his heart into building our current team. However, we have greater aspirations for our men's basketball program, both within the Big 12 Conference and nationally, and our expectation is to regularly compete in the NCAA Tournament. After evaluating our program under Craig's leadership, I believe a change is needed to get us to where we want to go. The time is now to begin that process, and we will surround our student-athletes, Coach Eilert and the staff with support as they continue with their season.
We have continued to invest in our men's basketball program, adding staff, increasing compensation and significantly enhancing NIL opportunities with our partners for our student-athletes. And our investments will only grow. I am confident that our national search, which has already begun, will lead us to the right coach to take our storied program back to national prominence.
We wish Craig and his family the very best."
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Through games on Sunday, Feb. 23, Utah owns a 14-3 record at home and 1-7 record on the road. The Utes have won four-straight games inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center but conversely have lost five-straight on the road.
| HOME | CATEGORY | AWAY |
| 80.2 | Points Per Game | 63.0 |
| +14.0 | Scoring Margin | -13.5 |
| .470 | FG% | .409 |
| .353 | 3FG% | .289 |
| .333 | Defensive 3FG% | .335 |
| 41.6 | Rebounds Per Game | 34.9 |
| +8.1 | Rebounding Margin | -1.3 |
| 19.1 | Assists Per Game | 14.9 |
| 11.2 | Turnovers Per Game | 15.5 |
| 1.7 | A/TO Ratio | 1.0 |
| 7.1 | Steals Per Game | 5.1 |
| 4.2 | Blocks Per Game | 3.6 |
SAME, SAME, BUT DIFFERENT
Wednesday's match-up between Utah and Arizona will be the third conference the two programs have been a part of together. The two first played in the Western Athletic Conference (1962-78) together before linking back up from 2011-24 as members of the Pac-12 when Utah made the jump to a power conference. The Utes trail the all-time series 40-32 and also trail the Wildcats 34-21 in conference games.
| CONFERENCE | YEARS | RECORD |
| Western Athletic | 1962-78 | 17-15 |
| Pac-12 | 2011-24 | 4-19 |
| CONFERENCE | HOME | AWAY | NEUTRAL | VS. RANKED COLO | OT |
| Western Athletic | 12-4 | 5-11 | -- | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Pac-12 | 4-7 | 0-11 | 0-1 | 2-15 | 0-3 |
| TOTAL | 16-11 | 5-22 | 0-1 | 4-16 | 2-4 |
WINS INSIDE MCKALE CENTER
McKale Center has been a house of horrors for the Utah basketball program, going just 2-18 all-time in there – including an 0-11 mark when the two were together in the Pac-12. Utah's two wins inside McKale Center below.
DATE RESULT
Feb. 16, 1978 83-72
Dec. 6, 1986 68-67
UP NEXT
Utah returns home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center this weekend as it plays host a familiar face from the Valley of the Sun on Saturday, March 1, in Arizona State. Pete Sousa will once again have the call and will be joined by former Arizona Wildcat Corey Williams on the ESPN+ broadcast set to start at 5 p.m. (MST) as the two former Pac-12 programs battle it out as members of the Big 12 Conference.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Runnin' Utes program will honor six seniors on Tuesday, March 4, at the Utah vs. West Virginia basketball game. Ted Emrich and former Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase are calling the action as the Utes look to split the season series against the Mountaineers starting at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+. Interim head coach Josh Eilert will also be coaching against his former team that he spent 17 seasons with – including the 2023-24 campaign where he served as the interim head coach.
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, the official app of Utah Athletics, through the Apple Store or Google Play.
###
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