# 2024–25 Utah Utes men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Utah Runnin' Utes men's basketball team represents the University of Utah during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by interim coach Josh Eilert and play their home games at the Jon M. Huntsman Center located in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is the Utes' first season in the Big 12 Conference.
The school fired fourth-year head coach Craig Smith on February 24, 2025. Assistant coach Josh Eilert was named the interim coach.

## Previous season

The Utes finished the 2023–24 season 22–15, 9–11 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, Utah won their first-round game against Arizona State before losing to Colorado in the quarterfinals. The team received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, being the only Pac-12 team to accept one of two automatic bids for teams in the conference. This marked the program's first appearance in a postseason tournament since the 2018 NIT. They defeated UC Irvine, Iowa, and VCU to advance to the semifinals. There they were eliminated by Indiana State.
The season marked the team's final season in the Pac-12, leaving to join the Big 12 in 2024.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Num. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Ben Carlson | 1 | F | 6'9" | 223 lbs | Senior | Woodbury, MN | Pursuing pro career (signed by QTSA United) |
| Cole Bajema | 2 | G | 6'7" | 188 lbs | GS | Lynden, WA | Graduated |
| Deivon Smith | 5 | G | 6'0" | 173 lbs | Senior | Decatur, GA | Transferred to St. John's |
| Wilguens Jr. Exacte | 11 | G | 6'6" | 236 lbs | Sophomore | Montreal, Canada | Transferred to Bowling Green |
| Keba Keita | 13 | C | 6'8" | 231 lbs | Sophomore | Bamako, Mali | Transferred to BYU |
| Luka Tarlac | 21 | G | 6'7" | 220 lbs | Sophomore | Belgrade, Serbia | Transferred to Cal Poly |
| Rollie Worster | 25 | G | 6'4" | 204 lbs | Senior | Missoula, MT | Transferred to Nebraska |
| Branden Carlson | 35 | C | 7'0" | 220 lbs | GS | South Jordan, UT | Graduated (signed by the Toronto Raptors) |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school(s) |
| Miro Little | 1 | G | 6'3" | 194 lbs | Sophomore | Tampere, Finland | Baylor |
| Ezra Ausar | 2 | F | 6'8" | 242 lbs | Junior | Atlanta, GA | East Carolina |
| Brady Smith | 6 | G | 6'1" | 173 lbs | Sophomore | Logan, UT | Salt Lake CC |
| Keanu Dawes | 8 | F | 6'9" | 218 lbs | Forward | Houston, TX | Rice |
| Caleb Lohner | 11 | F | 6'8" | 235 lbs | GS | Flower Mound, TX | BYU, Baylor |
| Mike Sharavjamts | 25 | G | 6'9" | 190 lbs | Junior | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Dayton, San Francisco |
| Zach Keller | 32 | F | 6'10" | 234 lbs | Junior | Highlands Ranch, CO | Wake Forest |
| Mason Madsen | 45 | G | 6'4" | 193 lbs | GS | Rochester, MN | Cincinnati, Boston College |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaxon Johnson PF | Sandy, UT | Alta High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 2, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Ibrahima Traore C | Bamako, Mali | West Oaks Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Jul 8, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| David Katoa SG | Salt Lake City, Utah | Utah Prep Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 26, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 59 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Utah Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. "Utah Utes 2024 Player Commits". ESPN.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

Big 12 Preseason Poll
| | Big 12 Coaches | Points |
| 1. | Kansas | 215 (9) |
| 2. | Houston | 211 (5) |
| 3. | Iowa State | 194 (1) |
| 4. | Baylor | 185 |
| 5. | Arizona | 179 (1) |
| 6. | Cincinnati | 140 |
| 7. | Texas Tech | 135 |
| 8. | Kansas State | 133 |
| 9. | BYU | 116 |
| 10. | TCU | 90 |
| 11. | UCF | 83 |
| 12. | Arizona State | 64 |
| 13. | West Virginia | 62 |
| 14. | Oklahoma State | 46 |
| 15. | Colorado | 37 |
| 16. | Utah | 30 |
| Reference: (#) first-place votes |||
Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team

### First Team

| Player | School |
| Caleb Love | Arizona |
| LJ Cryer | Houston |
| J’Wan Roberts | Houston |
| Tamin Lipsey | Iowa State |
| Hunter Dickinson† | Kansas |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||

### Second Team

| Player | School |
| Norchad Omier | Baylor |
| Jeremy Roach | Baylor |
| Keshon Gilbert | Iowa State |
| Dajuan Harris Jr | Kansas |
| Coleman Hawkins | Kansas State |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||
* Player of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
* Co-Newcomer of the Year: Jeremy Roach, Baylor & Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
* Freshman of the Year: V. J. Edgecombe, Baylor

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2024* 7:00 p.m. | | CSU Pueblo | W 98–67 | – | 17 – Erickson | 7 – Lovering | 9 – Little | Jon M. Huntsman Center (801) Salt Lake City, UT |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Alcorn State | W 100–59 | 1–0 | 27 – G. Madsen | 7 – Wahlin | 7 – Little | Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,785) Salt Lake City, UT |
| November 7, 2024* 8:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Central Arkansas | W 98–63 | 2–0 | 25 – G. Madsen | 11 – Dawes | 8 – Sharavjamts | Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,722) Salt Lake City, UT |
| November 12, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Queens | W 96–65 | 3–0 | 24 – G. Madsen | 11 – Ausar | 5 – Sharavjamts | Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,757) Salt Lake City, UT |
| November 17, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Mississippi State Mid-South Showdown | L 73–78 | 3–1 | 15 – Ausar | 12 – Dawes | 6 – Little | Landers Center Southaven, MS |
| November 22, 2024* 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Utah Tech | W 84–53 | 4–1 | 19 – G. Madsen | 11 – Little | 8 – Little | Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,969) Salt Lake City, UT |
| November 26, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mississippi Valley State Mountain to Sea Showcase | W 94–48 | 5–1 | 27 – G. Madsen | 7 – Lovering | 5 – Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,604) Salt Lake City, UT |
| November 30, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Eastern Washington Mountain to Sea Showcase | W 88–80 | 6–1 | 28 – G. Madsen | 8 – Tied | 7 – Little | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,064) Salt Lake City, UT |
| December 7, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Saint Mary's | L 63–72 | 6–2 | 15 – G. Madsen | 10 – Little | 6 – Little | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,435) Salt Lake City, UT |
| December 14, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Radford | W 81–63 | 7–2 | 18 – Erickson | 5 – G. Madsen | 7 – G. Madsen | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,370) Salt Lake City, UT |
| December 17, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Florida A&M | W 89–59 | 8–2 | 15 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,699) Salt Lake City, UT |
| December 21, 2024* 4:00 p.m., BTN | | vs. Iowa | L 88–95 | 8–3 | 26 – M. Madsen | 6 – M. Madsen | 5 – Sharavjamts | Sanford Pentagon (3,367) Sioux Falls, SD |
| Big 12 regular season |||||||||
| December 31, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 25 Baylor | L 56–81 | 8–4 (0–1) | 13 – Erickson | 7 – Lohner | 3 – Tied | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| January 4, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Texas Tech | L 65–93 | 8–5 (0–2) | 12 – Keller | 5 – Dawes | 5 – Sharavjamts | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,798) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 7, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 3 Iowa State | L 59–82 | 8–6 (0–3) | 20 – G. Madsen | 6 – Lovering | 4 – Tied | Hilton Coliseum (13,496) Ames, IA |
| January 11, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma State | W 83–62 | 9–6 (1–3) | 21 – Ausar | 9 – Dawes | 6 – Lovering | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,922) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 15, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at TCU | W 73–65 | 10–6 (2–3) | 17 – G. Madsen | 11 – Wahlin | 5 – G. Madsen | Schollmaier Arena (5,459) Fort Worth, TX |
| January 18, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | BYU Rivalry | W 73–72 $^{OT}$ | 11–6 (3–3) | 26 – Ausar | 9 – Wahlin | 4 – Lovering | Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,558) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 22, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 7 Houston | L 36–70 | 11–7 (3–4) | 8 – G. Madsen | 9 – Dawes | 2 – Wahlin | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 25, 2025 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | Baylor | L 61–76 | 11–8 (3–5) | 19 – Ausar | 7 – Tied | 7 – Little | Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,311) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 28, 2025 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Cincinnati | W 69–66 | 12–8 (4–5) | 11 – Ausar | 6 – Wahlin | 4 – Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,570) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 1, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Oklahoma State | L 72–81 | 12–9 (4–6) | 18 – Ausar | 5 – Tied | 5 – Sharavjamts | Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,040) Stillwater, OK |
| February 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Colorado | W 72–59 | 13–9 (5–6) | 17 – Madsen | 7 – Ausar | 3 – Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,581) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 8, 2025 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at West Virginia | L 61–72 | 13–10 (5–7) | 14 – Dawes | 11 – Dawes | 2 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (13,166) Morgantown, WV |
| February 11, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati | L 75–85 | 13–11 (5–8) | 28 – G. Madsen | 7 – Wahlin | 4 – Lovering | Fifth Third Arena (10,510) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 15, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 17 Kansas | W 74–67 | 14–11 (6–8) | 24 – Madsen | 12 – Wahlin | 4 – Lovering | Jon M. Huntsman Center (11,056) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 17, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Kansas State | W 74–69 | 15–11 (7–8) | 21 – Ausar | 10 – Lovering | 4 – Little | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,537) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 23, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UCF | L 72–76 | 15–12 (7–9) | 23 – Madsen | 6 – Tied | 6 – Sharavjamts | Addition Financial Arena (6,379) Orlando, FL |
| February 26, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 22 Arizona | L 66–83 | 15–13 (7–10) | 18 – Tied | 10 – Tied | 7 – Madsen | McKale Center (14,264) Tucson, AZ |
| March 1, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Arizona State | W 99–73 | 16–13 (8–10) | 25 – Ausar | 11 – Dawes | 6 – Sharavjamts | Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,780) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | West Virginia | L 69–71 | 16–14 (8–11) | 23 – Madsen | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,763) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 8, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at No. 23 BYU Rivalry | L 74–85 | 16–15 (8–12) | 21 – Little | 12 – Ausar | 3 – Tied | Marriott Center (17,978) Provo, UT |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2025 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (11) | vs. (14) UCF First round | L 72–87 | 16–16 | 21 – Dawes | 15 – Dawes | 4 – Tied | T-Mobile Center (12,929) Kansas City, MO |
| College Basketball Crown |||||||||
| March 31, 2025* 1:00 p.m., FS1 | | vs. Butler First round | | | | | | MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain Time. |||||||||
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