2023–24 Utah Utes men's basketball team
| 2023–24 Utah Utes men's basketball | |
|---|---|
NIT, Semifinals | |
| Conference | Pac-12 Conference |
| Record | 22–15 (9–11 Pac-12) |
| Head coach |
|
| Assistant coaches |
|
| Home arena | Jon M. Huntsman Center (Capacity: 15,000) |
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
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. Despite being dominant at home, even giving UCLA their second-worst loss in program history, 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. After home losses to Arizona and Arizona State, Utah was considered to be on the bubble for an NCAA tournament bid. 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".
This season, Branden Carlson broke the all-time Runnin' Utes blocks record, finishing the season with 241 blocks. 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. 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.
In the 2024 Pac-12 men's tournament, Utah won their first round game against Arizona State before falling to Colorado in the quarterfinals. 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. 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.
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.