Over the 32 days leading up to college basketball season, we’re profiling 32 different teams who could be in the NIT mix, aided in this effort by those who know them best (or the closest we could get). Today, Andrew Crowley responds by email to our questions about Utah.
Andrew Crowley is the host of the Runnin’ Hoops Podcast. He can be found on X at @RunninHoops, and the podcast can be found anywhere you find podcasts.
Here’s the full list of 32 for 32’s published so far, with links:
- Auburn, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- BYU, with Mitch Harper
- Cincinnati, with Zach Fries
- Dayton, with Tyler Cronin
- Duquesne, with Tristan Freeman
- Indiana, with Matt Cox
- Iona, with Sam Federman
- Iowa State, with Joe Stunardi
- James Madison, with Bennett Conlin
- Loyola, with Ky McKeon
- Michigan, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Missouri, with Jim Root
- North Texas, with Harry Miers
- Northwestern, with John Templon
- Notre Dame, with Stuart McGrath
- Ohio State, with Mark Titus
- Oregon State, with Andy Dieckhoff
- Penn State, with DJ Bauer
- South Carolina, with Brian Rauf
- St. Bonaventure, with SBUnfurled
- St. John’s, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Syracuse, with the Marshall Street Podcast
- Texas, with NIT Stu
- Utah, with Andrew Crowley
- Virginia Tech, with Ken Pomeroy
- Washington State, with Dave Andersen
- Wisconsin, with Cole Amundson
The Barking Crow: We never know for sure how close teams were to making the NIT, but our perception was that Utah was one of the first teams left out of the 2023 field. What needs to happen for Utah to get over that hump this winter, and what could go wrong enough that Utah doesn’t leapfrog the NIT and leave us NIT fans in the dust?
Utah was 17-9 and 10-5 in Pac-12 play last year and a virtual lock for the NIT when injuries mounted and the wheels fell off. They lost 6 in a row to close out the season 17-15 and 10-10 in Pac-12 play, becoming an NIT bubble team, and ultimately missing out.
The Runnin’ Utes added more playable depth this offseason in the form of Lawson Lovering (Colorado), Cole Bajema (Washington) and Deivon Smith (Ga. Tech – needs a waiver). If they can avoid major injuries again, they’ve got a real shot at a 20 win season, which would most certainly keep them on the NIT’s radar all season long. In order to leave the NIT in the dust, Utah is going to need to go 2-1 in the Charleston Classic, and do better than .500 in Pac-12 play, with probably 1-3 wins against the top tier of the league (USC, UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado).
TBC: The last time we saw Utah in the NIT was in 2018, when they reached the championship game against Penn State. At the time, the program had stepped back a little from its Larry Krystkowiak peak, but it didn’t seem like there was an active panic, at least from our vantage point. Three years later, results were worse and Krystkowiak was gone, with Craig Smith taking over two offseasons ago. What went wrong for Krystkowiak that led to the university making the change?
On the heels of back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, Larry Krystkowiak took some big swings in recruiting and unfortunately missed on all of them (Lauri Markkanen, Frank Jackson, Killian Tillie) all while ignoring some gems in Utah’s backyard that were seemingly Utah locks (Yoeli Childs). Coupled with a few of his top recruits not being great “fits” (Devon Daniels, Donnie Tillman, and others) — Larry all of the sudden had a talent and transfer problem. Utah was losing transfers before it was cool to do so!
The on-court product was suffering as well as Utah was just barely above .500 in the two seasons after the magical NIT run. The COVID season seemed to be the last straw for the fans and administration. After a 12-13 season which saw a number of game cancellations and more poor play, it became evident that the program needed to go in a different direction and get a new voice in the locker room.
TBC: With Smith hired away from Utah State, Utah Valley on the rise, and BYU and Utah reuniting next year as conference foes, we’re curious about where the power structure stands in the state of Utah. Which basketball program is currently big brother in the Beehive State? Who does everyone else most want to beat?
BYU. Mark Pope has done a really nice job of getting the fans excited in Provo and has created a big time home court advantage for the Cougars.
With all of the coaching changes this offseason, I’d say Utah is right behind BYU, but I acknowledge that the Spectrum at Utah St. would also currently be a tougher venue to go in and get a win than the Huntsman Center. Craig is working on getting that back. Count me in as someone who wants to see Utah/Utah St. return in some form or fashion.
TBC: Looking ahead to next season. With Utah in the Big 12, who—besides BYU—could be a new conference rival for the Utes?
The other three Pac-12 schools that are heading to the Big 12 will be natural rivals that we’ll probably see home and homes against in league play. I think they’ll also renew their rivalry with former MWC foe TCU. They’ve played them each of the last two seasons, and I can see that becoming a league game of note as well.
TBC: Sticking with this season. As Utah prepares to leave the Pac-12, who would Utah fans most like to see the Utes beat on the way out?
Oregon. Utah is 2-27 against Oregon in the Pac-12 era. They get them twice this season and play in Eugene on the last day of the season. There would be no greater sendoff for Utah to the Big 12 than beating Oregon in Eugene.
TBC: This Utah team has a lot of experience, epitomized by fifth-year big man Branden Carlson. With Carlson in his final year of eligibility, what threshold marks success for this team this year? Would an NIT bid be a disappointment? Would an NIT championship be a disappointment?
As Branden has said himself: “I didn’t come back to miss the NCAA Tournament,” so that is pretty clearly the goal for this team. However, I think any kind of postseason “run” would certainly help fans feel good about the Runnin’ Utes heading into the Big 12. While the NIT wouldn’t be preferable, an NIT title would certainly be a nice feather in Craig Smith’s cap in year three.
TBC: Dare we dream of a Utah NIT title?
Utah’s current dream is to hear its name called during the first selection show of the day on Selection Sunday. However, if they do end up in the NIT, they might as well just go out and win it!
