Runnin’ Utes Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview
Oct 8, 2024, 11:42 AM | Updated: 2:10 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – As the 2024-25 NCAA basketball season draws near, Utah fans, Craig Smith and his Runnin’ Utes men’s basketball program are preparing for an exciting move to the Big 12 Conference.
Featuring a revamped roster, Smith has brought in a mix of talented newcomers, including a strong class of transfers, to complement a solid returning core.
These new faces will be leaned on heavily to keep Utah competitive in the new Big 12. Here is a breakdown of the players on the roster and what to expect from the Runnin’ Utes this season.
Mark your calendars and get your first look at the 2024-25 Runnin' Utes at our exhibition game!
🆚 @CSUPuebloMBB
🗓️ Tuesday, Oct. 29
🏟️ @HuntsmanCenter
🕰️ 7pm (MT)
🎟️ FREE ADMISSION
🌭 $2 Hot Dogs
🖊️ Postgame Autographs
🛒 Season Tickets ↙️↙️https://t.co/euQoTaVQy5#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/3V2apkhYhy— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) October 1, 2024
Returning Core: Runnin’ Utes foundation for success
Though not as big of a returning group as we’ve seen under Smith, the Utes still feature a core of returners that will provide the leadership this team needs.
Utah will be led by sharpshooting guard Gabe Madsen. He enters his fourth season with the program and does so with 70 starts and 86 total appearances under his belt. Madsen took a big step forward last season with career highs in points (13.6), field goal percentage (43.6%), 3-point percentage (38.6%), rebounds (3.5), and assists (2.7).
Lawson Lovering, Hunter Erickson, Jake Wahlin, and Jayden Teat are the other returning scholarship players. Among that group, Lovering and Erickson were the two who played extensively for Smith last year. Each had their ups and downs but finished the season on a positive trajectory. They will be counted on to be more consistent and make a bigger impact this year.
Though he played sparingly, as Utah tried to preserve his redshirt status, Wahlin made good strides this offseason. He’s a versatile forward that can help on both ends of the floor. He should see an increased role this season, which Utah needs from him.
Key Transfers: Fresh faces to bolster the Runnin’ Utes roster
The 2024-25 edition of Smith’s Runnin’ Utes basketball is going to look very different than the previous three iterations. Utah turned over nearly the entire roster from last season, which included a handful of high-level transfer additions.
Fellas brought the energy today 😈⚡️ pic.twitter.com/LWTzEu5k7a
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) October 5, 2024
Ezra Ausar, is a 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward transfer from East Carolina. He averaged 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 51.4% from the field. The 6-foot-3 and 190-pound, Miro Little didn’t play much in a crowded backcourt at Baylor last season but he will counted on to play a significant role in Utah’s backcourt.
Once a top recruiting target for Smith, Keanu Dawes transferred in from Rice. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds as a true freshman last season. The Utes also added Mike Sharavjamts, a 6-foot-8 guard who played previously at San Francisco and Dayton. Both seem to have high ceilings as players.
Lastly, the Utes brought in the twin brother, Mason Madsen and former commit Caleb Lohner. With Madsen, Utah added another shooter, who converted at 37.7% from 3-point range on 60 makes last season. Lohner is currently playing tight end for the football program. He is expected to join the basketball program after the season. He will provide additional size and toughness to the roster.
Calling Card: Defense and offensive versatility
One of the key themes of Utah’s roster is its depth and versatility. Coach Craig Smith has assembled a team that possesses a lot of size up and down the roster. There are only three scholarship players under 6-foot-4, the shortest of which is 6-foot-2.
Not only is there a lot of size and length on the roster, but the athleticism and skill are still present too. Utah will benefit the most from the increased stature of the roster on the defensive end of the floor. The height and length should increase their ability to take away open space and contest shots.
Utah was not as stifling on the defensive end last season as they were the previous two under Smith. With the roster he’s assembled, it seems to point to his desire to improve on that end of the floor. Frankly, in their move to the Big 12, Utah needs to be as gritty as they can be on the defensive end.
How the skill sets of these players impact things on the offensive end of the floor will be intriguing to follow this season. Utah’s brought in some unique talents and guys who do a variety of things at a high level.
Huntsman Center = Dunk Happy Utes 😎 pic.twitter.com/YiaFj177Kv
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) October 2, 2024
Utah Basketball’s full 2024-25 schedule
Utah’s full schedule was recently finalized by the Big 12. Assessing the schedule there are a few important tasks for the team this season.
First of all, Utah has to take care of business in their out-of-conference portion of the schedule. There are eight home games against lower-level competition and a ninth against the very competitive St. Mary’s program.
The moment you've all been waiting for! Our Big 12 schedule is officially 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘! 👀⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/9pTJF73XOG
🎟️ https://t.co/euQoTaVQy5#GoUtes | @Big12Conference pic.twitter.com/21mymTnyjB— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) September 26, 2024
Utah has neutral site games against an SEC and Big Ten program. Mississippi State and Iowa have both had their fair share of success. These will be tough contests but if Utah can secure a win in at least one of these games, that will really benefit them in the long run.
In general, the Runnin’ Utes have to protect their homecourt as best as they can. That will be particularly important in conference play, as the Big 12 projects to be as tough as ever.
- November 4th – Home, Alcorn State
- November 7th – Home, Central Arkansas
- November 12th – Home, Queens
- November 17th – Neutral Site, Mississippi State
- November 22nd – Home, Utah Tech
- November 26th – Home, Mississippi Valley State
- November 30th – Home, Eastern Washington
- December 7th – Home, St Mary’s
- December 14th – Home, Radford
- December 17th – Home, Florida A&M
- December 21st – Neutral, Iowa
- December 31st – Road, Baylor
- January 4th – Home, Texas Tech
- January 7th – Road, Iowa State
- January 11th – Home, Oklahoma State
- January 15th – Road, TCU
- January 18th – Home BYU
- January 21st – Road, Houston
- January 25th – Home, Baylor
- January 28th – Home, Cincinnati
- February 1st – Road, Oklahoma State
- February 5th – Home, Colorado
- February 8th – Road, West Virginia
- February 11th – Road, Cincinnati
- February 15th – Home, Kansas
- February 17th – Home, Kansas State
- February 23rd – Road, UCF
- February 26th – Road, Arizona
- March 1st – Home, Arizona State
- March 4th – Home, West Virginia
- March 8th – Road, BYU
Outlook for the 2024-25 season
Entering his fourth year as head coach, Craig Smith has had quite the offseason. Essentially turning over almost the entire program- there are 10 new players, three new assistants, a new general manager, and two other auxiliary staff members, Smith starts anew in 2024-25.
A point of emphasis in Smith’s recruiting efforts is finding players that fit the system and culture. Smith always wants to be a hard-nosed, competitive program with players that give equal effort on the defensive and offensive end of the floor. He’s assembled a roster that seems capable of accomplishing that.
Smith has done well to develop players and maximize their potential. There are a few guys on this roster- Little, Sharavjamts, and Dawes, to name a few, that seem capable of producing more than they have in their careers to this point. That will be another significant factor in Utah’s potential this season.
As the program transitions to the toughest conference in the country, it will be up to Smith and his staff to get the absolute most out of the roster to be competitive in this new league. Taking care of the non-conference slate of the schedule is an absolute must. From there, Utah has to find a way to get to .500 in Big 12 play.
