Runnin' Utes Return Home to Welcome in UCF Knights

Saturday, February 21

Salt Lake City, UT

7:00 PM

University of Utah

UCF

Buy Tickets

Runnin' Utes Return Home to Welcome in UCF Knights

2/20/2026 4:11 PM | Men's Basketball

Utah Notes UCF Notes Utah Media Availability

Utah men’s basketball hosts UCF at 7 p.m. (MST) as part of Saturday doubleheader.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team returns home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center this Saturday to host the UCF Knights in a 7 p.m. (MST) bout on ESPN+ as part of a doubleheader day of basketball up on the Hill.

Salt Lake Bee's play-by-play man Tony Parks will have the call on ESPN+ alongside former Runnin' Utes assistant coach Joe Cravens while Sammy Miller roams the sidelines as Utah looks to build upon its victory this past Wednesday on the road.

DOUBLE UP
Fans with a Utah men's basketball game for Saturday, Feb. 21, vs. UCF can visit the Utah Tickets Office inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center to claim a complimentary ticket to the Utah women's basketball game earlier that afternoon against in-state rival BYU at 2 p.m. (MST).

Fans with a Utah women's basketball game ticket for Saturday, Feb. 21, vs. BYU can also visit the Utah Ticket Office inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center to claim a complimentary ticket to the Utah men's basketball game later that evening against UCF at 7 p.m. (MST).

ANNUAL TEDDY BEAR TOSS
Saturday's game against UCF will also serve as the annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Ford benefiting the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to bring a "Bear in a Bag" or donate at the game to get a "Hawk to Toss." All "bagged" bears will be donated to Primary Children's Hospital while all donations go directly to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Fans can get more information from Ford team members throughout the concourse inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

SNAPPED
Utah finally got over the hump this past Wednesday when it picked up its first road win of the season and snapped a 15-game losing streak in true road games that started last season. The drought spanned 399 days, but the Runnin' Utes finally put an end to it against West Virginia with their 61-56 victory.

SEYDOU STEPS UP
Junior Seydou Traore has gradually eased himself into the offense the last 5 games, reaching double-figures in four of the last five while averaging 12 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-high 7 steals during that stretch with a .438 shooting clip. His 17 points against West Virginia is second-most on the season behind his career-high 23 points against San Jose State in the season-opener.

HAYES PROVIDES SURGE
Junior Josh Hayes provided the Utes energy off the bench on the road this past Wednesday, pulling down a season-high 7 rebounds – 5 of which came from the offensive glass. His 5 offensive boards in the first half accounted for 4 of the 9 second-chance points Utah recorded in the narrow 61-56 win.

DEFENSE HOLD STRONG
Utah's defense held West Virginia to just 56 points in its win on Wednesday and is now 56-6 since 1996-97 when holding opponents to 56 or less in road a game. From that, the Utes are 12-4 since the 1996-97 season when they've held opponents to 56 points or less in a road game. The last opponent the Utes held 56 points or less in a road game was Oregon State on Jan. 26, 2023, when Utah held the Beavers to just 44 points inside Gill Coliseum.

UP NEXT
Utah closes out its short homestand the following Tuesday, Feb. 24, against #6/6 Iowa State starting at 7 p.m. (MST) inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Carlo Jimenez is set to guide fans through the action while former Arizona Wildcat Matt Muehlebach serves as the analyst on FS1 as the Cyclones make their first visit to SLC.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Runnin' Utes hit the road for the second to last time this regular-season after their game against Iowa State and square off against Arizona State for the second time this season on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. (MST) on TNT with a simulcast on TruTV to wrap up the month of February.

TICKET DEALS
Fans interested in buy tickets to the final three remaining home games can do so by going online at UtahTickets.com or by phone at 801-581-UTIX (8849).

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.

###