UTAH UTES BASKETBALL

Utah Basketball To Play In 2025 Acrisure Series

Apr 9, 2025, 3:16 PM | Updated: 3:19 pm

Keanu Dawes should be one of the projected starters for Alex Jensen's Utah basketball squad....

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 11: Keanu Dawes #8 of the Utah Utes dunks as Dallan Coleman #6 of the UCF Knights defends during the first round game of the Big 12 men's basketball tournament at T-Mobile Center on March 11, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY- Plans are already being made for next college basketball season, with the fields of several multi-team events being filled out, including an invitation being sent to the Utah Runnin’ Utes.

Utah basketball will be competing in the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, California, between November 25 and 28, during a jam-packed week of exciting non-conference matchups throughout college basketball.

The 2025 Acrisure Series

The Acrisure Series is a multi-team event that started in 2023 and takes place every year in Acrisure Arena in the Cochella Valley, home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.

At the event, men’s and women’s games from both the invitational and series happen non-stop over the course of the event.

In both 2023 and 2024, only four teams have been invited, but the pool in 2025 will be expanded. Last year, the participants were USC, Saint Mary’s, New Mexico, and Arizona State.

This year, teams that have already accepted invites include Stanford, Washington, Tulsa, Northern Iowa, Santa Clara, San José State, CBU, San Diego, Nevada, and Loyola Chicago, with others still to be named.

The schedule and bracket for the 2025 Acrisure Series are still to be announced.

Utah Basketball In Multi-Team Events

The Utah Runnin’ Utes did not participate in a Multi-Team Event in 2024-25. Their last MTE was in November of 2023 at the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic.

In that event, Utah beat Wake Forest in the first round before losing to No. 6 Houston and St. John’s in the following rounds.

RELATED: Mike Sharavjamts Becomes Latest Utah Basketball Player To Enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Alex Jensen Rebuilding Runnin’ Utes Program Will Strengthen Utah Basketball Community

With Alex Jensen now leading the University of Utah men’s basketball program, the former Runnin’ Ute standout will soon begin to lay the foundation for his program.

Jensen’s connection to the university and extensive coaching background uniquely positions him to reconnect the program with its storied history and inspire optimism for the future.

It’s become clear, though, that his mere presence is already resonating with the Utah basketball community, which bodes well for him and the program’s future.

Within the state of Utah, there is a strong basketball community. Thanks to the Utah Jazz and the success of nearly every local college program, basketball carries a lot of value here. The hiring of Jensen strengthens Utah basketball’s own community, which is a tight-knit, passionate group with a dedicated fanbase and former players.

His mere presence has already resonated with Runnin’ Utes fans. Utah’s ticket office has seen a surge in inquiries regarding season tickets, particularly from fans who had distanced themselves in recent years. Not only have previous season ticket holders expressed interest in returning to the Huntsman Center, but hundreds of totally new season ticket requests have flooded the ticket office.

That speaks to one aspect of the Utah basketball community, but another is the relationship between the program and former players. Many Runnin’ Ute alums have expressed renewed enthusiasm, eager to see Jensen steer the program back to prominence.

 

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.
Tanner Tripp is a sports writer for KSL Sports covering all teams across the state of Utah. Follow him on X @tanner_tripp and Instagram @tanner.tripp here.

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Utah Basketball To Play In 2025 Acrisure Series