2023–24 Utah Utes men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Utah Runnin' Utes men's basketball team represented the University of Utah during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Craig Smith. They played their home games at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2023–24 Utah Utes men's basketball
NIT, Semifinals
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record22–15 (9–11 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaJon M. Huntsman Center
(Capacity: 15,000)
Seasons
2023–24 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 11 Arizona 15 5   .750 27 9   .750
No. 23 Washington State 14 6   .700 25 10   .714
Colorado 13 7   .650 26 11   .703
Oregon 12 8   .600 24 12   .667
UCLA 10 10   .500 16 17   .485
Utah 9 11   .450 22 15   .595
California 9 11   .450 13 19   .406
Washington 9 11   .450 17 15   .531
USC 8 12   .400 15 18   .455
Stanford 8 12   .400 14 18   .438
Arizona State 8 12   .400 14 18   .438
Oregon State 5 15   .250 13 19   .406
2024 Pac-12 tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Utah started the season with strong non-conference play, winning landmark games on the road against Saint Mary's and at home against then #14th-ranked BYU. Prior to their final out-of-conference game against Bellarmine, Utah received the 29th-most votes in that week's AP poll and were projected to be a 9th-seed in that year's NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[1] Despite being dominant at home, even giving UCLA their second-worst loss in program history,[2] the Runnin' Utes failed to win all but one conference road game, scoring a last-second basket to beat the same team in Pauley Pavilion.[3] After home losses to Arizona and Arizona State, Utah was considered to be on the bubble for an NCAA tournament bid.[4][5] After a road loss to Oregon State in which Branden Carlson scored a career-high 40 points, it was reported that "Utah’s NCAA tournament hopes were all but extinguished".[6]

This season, Branden Carlson broke the all-time Runnin' Utes blocks record, finishing the season with 241 blocks.[7] Incoming transfer Deivon Smith was unable to play until December due to double-transfer eligibility rules, but was able to debut in Utah's game against Utah Valley University after judge John P. Bailey extended a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit against the NCAA to the end of the season.[8] After becoming eligible, Smith would go on to score five triple-doubles in the rest of the season, breaking the all-time Pac-12 record that was previously held by Jason Kidd.[9]

In the 2024 Pac-12 men's tournament, Utah won their first round game against Arizona State before falling to Colorado in the quarterfinals.[10] The team played in the 2024 National Invitation Tournament, being the only Pac-12 team to accept one of two automatic bids for teams in the conference.[11] This marked the program's first appearance in a postseason tournament since the 2018 NIT six years prior. Utah advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated by the Indiana State Sycamores.[12]

This was their final season as members of the Pac-12 Conference after 12 years before they will join the Big 12 Conference in the 2024–25 season.[13]

Previous season

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The Utes finished the 2022–23 season 17–14, 10–10 in Pac-12 play, to finish in 7th place. They lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament to Stanford.[14]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Gavin Baxter 0 F 6'9" 224 Senior Provo, UT Retired from basketball due to injuries[15]
Mike Saunders Jr. 2 G 6'0" 184 Junior Indianapolis, IN Transferred to McNeese State
Bostyn Holt 3 F 6'6" 193 Senior Portland, OR Graduate transferred to South Dakota
Jaxon Brenchley 5 G 6'5" 195 Senior Providence, UT Graduate transferred to Denver
Marco Anthony 10 G 6'5" 223 RS Senior San Antonio, TX Graduated
Lazar Stefanovic 20 G 6'7" 185 Sophomore Belgrade, Serbia Transferred to UCLA
Eli Ballstaedt 32 G 6'5" 198 Senior Midway, UT Walk-on; graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Hunter Erickson 0 G 6'3" 195 Junior Provo, UT Salt Lake CC
Cole Bajema 2 G 6'7" 190 GS Senior Lynden, WA Washington
Deivon Smith 5 G 6'1" 172 Senior Loganville, GA Georgia Tech
Lawson Lovering 34 C 7'1" 225 Junior Cheyenne, WY Colorado

Recruiting classes

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2023 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jake Wahlin
#42 PF
Provo, UT Timpview High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 22, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 75
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • 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:

  • "2023 Utah Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com.
  • "Utah Utes 2023 Player Commits". ESPN.com.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2024 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
David Katoa
#43 SG
Salt Lake City, UT Real Salt Lake Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 26, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 75
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • 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:

Roster

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2023–24 Utah Utes men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Hunter Erickson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Jr Salt Lake CC Provo, UT
F 1 Ben Carlson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Sr Wisconsin Woodbury, MN
G 2 Cole Bajema 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 194 lb (88 kg) GS Washington Lynden, WA
G 3 Jayden Teat (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Fr Capital Christian School Sacramento, CA
G 5 Deivon Smith 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Sr Georgia Tech Loganville, GA
F 10 Jake Wahlin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Fr Timpview Provo, UT
G 11 Wilguens Exacte Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 233 lb (106 kg) So NBA Academy Latin America Montreal, QC
C 13 Keba Keita 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Wasatch Academy Bamako, Mali
G 14 Brandon Haddock (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Jr Carroll HS Southlake, TX
G 21 Luka Tarlac 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 224 lb (102 kg) So International School of Belgrade Belgrade, Serbia
G 25 Rollie Worster 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Sr Utah State Missoula, MT
F 32 Ayomide Bamisile (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Lagos, Nigeria
C 34 Lawson Lovering 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 244 lb (111 kg) Jr Colorado Cheyenne, WY
C 35 Branden Carlson 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 223 lb (101 kg) GS Bingham HS South Jordan, UT
G 45 Jerry Huang (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Fr Wasatch Academy Taipei, Taiwan
G 55 Gabe Madsen 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Sr Cincinnati Rochester, MN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: April 8, 2024

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2023*
6:00 p.m.
Westminster W 84–61 
 18  Bajema   9  Be. Carlson   4  Bajema  Jon M. Huntsman Center (–)
Salt Lake City, UT
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:30 p.m., P12N
Eastern Washington W 101–66  1–0
 20  Madsen   11  Keita   8  Worster  Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,632)
Salt Lake City, UT
November 10, 2023*
8:00 p.m., P12N
UC Riverside W 82–53  2–0
 18  Lovering   7  tied   7  Worster  Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,565)
Salt Lake City, UT
November 16, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Wake Forest
Charleston Classic quarterfinals
W 77–70  3–0
 31  Br. Carlson   7  Be. Carlson   9  Worster  TD Arena (2,745)
Charleston, SC
November 17, 2023*
2:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. No. 6 Houston
Charleston Classic semifinals
L 66–76  3–1
 29  Madsen   8  tied   6  Worster  TD Arena (3,029)
Charleston, SC
November 19, 2023*
3:30 p.m., ESPN
vs. St. John's
Charleston Classic third-place game
L 82–91  3–2
 22  Br. Carlson   8  Br. Carlson   3  tied  TD Arena (3,841)
Charleston, SC
November 27, 2023*
9:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Saint Mary's W 78–71  4–2
 17  tied   8  Worster   3  Br. Carlson  University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
Moraga, CA
November 30, 2023*
7:00 p.m., P12N
vs. Hawai'i W 79–66  5–2
 17  Br. Carlson   9  Worster   3  Worster  Delta Center (4,686)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 5, 2023*
7:00 p.m., P12N
Southern Utah W 88–86  6–2
 23  Keita   10  Be. Carlson   10  Worster  Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,161)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 9, 2023*
5:00 p.m., P12N
No. 14 BYU
Rivalry
W 73–69  7–2
 17  Madsen   8  Br. Carlson   8  Worster  Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,648)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 16, 2023*
2:00 p.m., P12N
Utah Valley W 76–62  8–2
 26  Br. Carlson   11  Lovering   9  Worster  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,349)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 20, 2023*
7:00 p.m., P12N
Bellarmine W 85–43  9–2
 17  Lovering   9  Be. Carlson   4  Worster  Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,310)
Salt Lake City, UT
Pac-12 regular season
December 29, 2023
6:30 p.m., P12N
Washington State W 80–58  10–2
(1–0)
 20  Madsen   11  Keita   7  Worster  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,235)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 31, 2023
4:00 p.m., P12N
Washington W 95–90  11–2
(2–0)
 34  Br. Carlson   11  Madsen   7  Br. Carlson  Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,468)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 4, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Arizona State L 70–82  11–3
(2–1)
 19  Br. Carlson   8  Br. Carlson   5  Madsen  Desert Financial Arena (6,259)
Tempe, AZ
January 6, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N
at No. 10 Arizona L 73–92  11–4
(2–2)
 18  Madsen   6  Be. Carlson   5  Worster  McKale Center (14,688)
Tucson, AZ
January 11, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
UCLA W 90–44  12–4
(3–2)
 14  tied   14  Br. Carlson   8  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,934)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 14, 2024
3:00 p.m., P12N
at Stanford L 73–79  12–5
(3–3)
 16  tied   10  Smith   11  Smith  Maples Pavilion (3,037)
Stanford, CA
January 18, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
Oregon State W 74–47  13–5
(4–3)
 18  Keita   15  Keita   8  D. Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,063)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 21, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN
Oregon W 80–77  14–5
(5–3)
 24  Smith   9  Smith   8  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,919)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 24, 2024
8:00 p.m., P12N
at Washington State L 57–79  14–6
(5–4)
 20  Br. Carlson   9  Keita   3  tied  Beasley Coliseum (2,605)
Pullman, WA
January 27, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Washington L 73–98  14–7
(5–5)
 20  Smith   7  Keita   3  tied  Alaska Airlines Arena (7,419)
Seattle, WA
February 3, 2024
3:00 p.m., P12N
Colorado
Rivalry
W 73–68  15–7
(6–5)
 21  Madsen   11  Smith   9  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (9,294)
Salt Lake City, UT
February 8, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 8 Arizona L 99–105 3OT 15–8
(6–6)
 27  Br. Carlson   15  Br. Carlson   10  D. Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (10,944)
Salt Lake City, UT
February 10, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
Arizona State L 77–85  15–9
(6–7)
 25  Br. Carlson   11  Br. Carlson   9  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,235)
Salt Lake City, UT
February 15, 2024
9:00 p.m., FS1
at USC L 64–68  15–10
(6–8)
 19  Smith   9  Smith   7  Smith  Galen Center (5,122)
Los Angeles, CA
February 18, 2024
5:00 p.m., FS1
at UCLA W 70–69  16–10
(7–8)
 17  tied   7  Br. Carlson   10  Smith  Pauley Pavilion (9,537)
Los Angeles, CA
February 24, 2024
7:00 p.m., P12N
at Colorado
Rivalry
L 65–89  16–11
(7–9)
 18  Madsen   6  tied   5  Smith  CU Events Center (9,075)
Boulder, CO
February 29, 2024
6:30 p.m., P12N
Stanford W 90–68  17–11
(8–9)
 21  Bajema   10  Smith   10  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,833)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., P12N
California
Senior Night
W 88–59  18–11
(9–9)
 30  Br. Carlson   10  tied   10  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,841)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 7, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Oregon State L 85–92  18–12
(9–10)
 40  Br. Carlson   7  Br. Carlson   10  Smith  Gill Coliseum (3,362)
Corvallis, OR
March 9, 2024
5:00 p.m., P12N
at Oregon L 65–66  18–13
(9–11)
 19  Br. Carlson   6  Smith   4  Lovering  Matthew Knight Arena (8,668)
Eugene, OR
Pac-12 tournament
March 13, 2024
9:30 p.m., P12N
(6) vs. (11) Arizona State
First Round
W 90–57  19–13
 22  Baejma   10  tied   9  Smith  T-Mobile Arena (10,133)
Paradise, NV
March 14, 2024
9:30 p.m., FS1
(6) vs. (3) Colorado
Quarterfinal/rivalry
L 58–72  19–14
 13  tied   6  tied   5  Smith  T-Mobile Arena (11,428)
Paradise, NV
NIT
March 19, 2024*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
(2) UC Irvine
First Round – Villanova bracket
W 84–75  20–14
 21  Br. Carlson   11  Br. Carlson   10  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (3,137)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 24, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
(2) (3) Iowa
Second Round – Villanova bracket
W 91–82  21–14
 31  Madsen   10  tied   10  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (3,804)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 27, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
(2) VCU
Quarterfinals – Villanova bracket
W 74–54  22–14
 18  Madsen   11  Smith   12  Smith  Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,008)
Salt Lake City, UT
April 2, 2024*
5:00 p.m., ESPN
(2) vs. (1) Indiana State
Semifinals
L 90–100  22–15
 28  Smith   7  Smith   6  Smith  Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Source:[16]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV
CoachesRVRVRVRVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.

References

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  1. ^ Judd, Brandon (January 31, 2024). "3 things we learned about Utah basketball during nonconference play". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Utah puts historic beat-down on UCLA". Reuters. January 11, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 19, 2024). "Utah shocks UCLA on last-second basket, ending Bruins' six-game winning streak". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Coles, Joe (February 12, 2024). "Where Utah's NCAA Tournament résumé stands after sweep by Arizona schools". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "Bubble-riding Utah makes dreaded trip to Oregon State". CBSSports.com. March 7, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Coles, Joe (March 8, 2024). "Utah's NCAA Tournament hopes all but extinguished after 92-85 loss at Oregon State". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  7. ^ Bodkin, Michelle (February 10, 2024). "Branden Carlson Makes More History As A Runnin' Ute". KSL Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Coles, Joe (January 31, 2024). "Deivon Smith makes debut in Utah's 76-62 win over UVU". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Bodkin, Michelle (March 27, 2024). "Deivon Smith Breaks 30-Year-Old Pac-12 Record Held By Jason Kidd". KSL Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Judd, Brandon (March 15, 2024). "Utah's likelihood of missing NCAA Tournament again hits home after loss in Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Daschel, Nick (March 20, 2024). "Did Oregon State turn down an invitation to play in the NIT?". Oregon Live. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Judd, Brandon (April 4, 2024). "What Utah said about its run to the NIT semifinals". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Cobb, David (August 5, 2023). "Arizona, Arizona State, Utah join Big 12: Programs follow Colorado departing Pac-12 before 2024 season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  14. ^ "Stanford 73-62 Utah (Mar 8, 2023) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Bodkin, Michelle (December 9, 2022). "Gavin Baxter Announces He Is Medically Retiring From Basketball". Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  16. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Utah Athletics. Retrieved April 8, 2024.