Utah Basketball To Play Butler In Inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament

SALT LAKE CITY—Utah basketball has accepted an invitation to compete in the inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament and will face the Butler Bulldogs in the opening round.

The Runnin’ Utes finished the season 16-16 overall, following an 87-72 loss to UCF in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament.

Two weeks from now, they will head to Las Vegas for a tournament that will begin on Monday, March 31, at 1 p.m. local time inside the familiar MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Runnin' Utes are Vegas bound for the inaugural @CBBCrown Tournament!!

📰 https://t.co/jkZKgb2KHb
🎟️ https://t.co/yS3PsPJJXv#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/srzIBsGY1u

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) March 17, 2025

Utah basketball to play in the College Basketball Crown tournament?

The College Basketball Crown is a new 16-team men’s postseason tournament. It features schools from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East, as well as at-large participants.

Teams that did not participate in the NCAA Tournament will be eligible for the event, with two automatic qualifiers coming from each participating conference and additional teams chosen by a select committee.

The field is set. Two weeks from today it all goes down in Vegas. 16 teams. 1 crown. Tickets available via @vividseats now – https://t.co/VjK7Uctf7B pic.twitter.com/5sxdVoFdk7

— College Basketball Crown (@CBBCrown) March 17, 2025

First-round action of the College Basketball Crown will air on FS1 with Tim Brando on the call alongside Donny Marshall with Nick Bahe roaming the sidelines as the Runnin’ Utes look to continue postseason play.

The Utes are among five Big 12 programs in the field, which includes Arizona State, Cincinnati, Colorado, and UCF.

Utah will open the tournament against the Butler Bulldogs and, if they advance, face the winner of George Washington vs. Boise State. That game will be played on Wednesday, April 2, at 5 p.m. (MT).

The Utes are 1-3 against Butler all-time, with the Bulldogs taking the last meeting 81-69 in Indianapolis. Butler enters the inaugural tournament 14-19 overall and 6-14 in Big East play.

RELATED: Will Utah Shift Focus Towards Adding Andre Miller To Basketball Program?

Utah to officially introduce Alex Jensen as head coach

University of Utah officials will officially introduce Alex Jensen as the Runnin’ Utes head coach on Monday, March 17. The introductory press conference will be held at 6:00 p.m. MT, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The press conference will also be open to the public, so Utah fans not only can but are encouraged to attend.

After a swift search, University of Utah President Taylor Randall and Athletics Director Mark Harlan followed through on the highly anticipated move and capitalized in a significant moment of the program’s history. After agreeing to become the head coach of the program last week, Jensen will finally be introduced to the fanbase Monday evening.

RELATED: Behind The Scenes In Utah’s Pursuit Of Alex Jensen For Head Coach

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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