How To Watch Utah Men’s Basketball Vs. UC Irvine In NIT First Round
Mar 18, 2024, 4:40 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Runnin’ Utes are making their first postseason appearance since 2017 as a second seed in the NIT against UC Irvine.
While not the quite the NCAA Tournament, this is a major step in the right direction for Craig Smith and the Utes in year three of his tenure.
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How To Watch Utah Vs. UC Irvine In Round One Of The NIT
- WHEN: Tuesday, March 19
- WHERE: Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
- TIME: 9:00 pm MT
- CHANNEL: ESPN2
- TICKET INFO: Utah Tickets
We’re hosting the NIT! Come cheer on your Runnin’ Utes at home this Tuesday, March 19‼️ Ticket info to follow.
🆚 @UCImbb
📍 @HuntsmanCenter
🕰️ 9pm (MDT)
📺 #ESPN2
📻 @ESPN700
🎟️ https://t.co/KMrpmgEBoa#GoUtes | #NITMBB pic.twitter.com/V3WxGwgf02— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) March 18, 2024
A Quick Scout Of UC Irvine
The Utes have a rather quick turnaround after accepting the bid to play in the NIT and finding out their first opponent.
Utah head coach Craig Smith was on hand Monday afternoon to give a little insight into Utah’s excitement level to play in the NIT and what the Anteaters are all about.
“It’s been a whirlwind getting ready for UC Irvine,” Smith said. “These guys have won 24 games. Coach Turner has been there a long time and has had a lot of very good teams. I think it was a few years back when they beat K-State in the NCAA Tournament. I have some familiarity with their program from when I was at Utah State, we played them at their place.”
🏆 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🏆
The Anteaters take home the regular season title for the second consecutive year!#StillHungry | #TogetherWeZot pic.twitter.com/OvCxDVczHZ
— UCI Men’s Basketball (@UCImbb) March 8, 2024
As for this season’s version of UC Irvine, Smith thinks Utah will have their work cut out for them but is excited for the challenge the Anteaters bring.
“They are big,” Smith said. “Their starting center is 7’1″ and 265 lbs. They have great size. They pound it inside and they have a winning pedigree. This program has won a lot of games for a long period of time. They are very good on both sides of the ball. Their starting point guard is No. 2 in the country in assists including the last five games averaging just over nine per game. Then, they play a lot of guys. I think they have 11 guys on their roster that average double-digit minutes per game.”
Utah Fans Can Expect To See All Of Their Favorite Players On The Court
There has been a lot of discussion about the postseason in college basketball, the NCAA Transfer Portal opening up during it, and players no longer wanting to risk injury in a “meaningless” tournament.
We have another chance to cheer on the Runnin’ Utes at home‼️
Let’s pack the Huntsman 🙌 https://t.co/VbWTA5aTr1#GoUtes | @UtahMBB | #NITMBB pic.twitter.com/5T7xpF1UuG
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) March 18, 2024
“There was never a doubt in my mind as to what we should do,” Smith said. “It’s important to play to help your program, to help your individual players keep getting better- it’s hard to simulate games. There is also a championship to be won. I did talk to all of the guys and a common theme I consistently heard from guys is that they want to play. This is the closest-knit team, most together team I’ve ever experienced. We want to keep this thing rolling and want to play for each other and see what we can do.”
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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