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Utah Utes guard Gabe Madsen (55) dribbles the ball down the court during a first round game of the Big 12 Championship between the Utah Utes and the UCF Knights at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. The Utah Utes were knocked out of the championship by the UCF Knights, with a final score of 87-72. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
The 2024-25 Utah men’s basketball season lives on.
On Monday, the Runnin’ Utes found out they will play in the College Basketball Crown, a new 16-team postseason tournament played in Las Vegas that features many teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East.
Utah (16-16) will take on Butler in a first-round matchup March 31 (1 p.m. MDT, FS1) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Four other Big 12 schools — Arizona State, Colorado, Cincinnati and UCF — will also participate in the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
The Utes’ first season in the Big 12 was rife with challenges, including a coaching change when Craig Smith was fired Feb. 24. The team has gone 1-4 since then under Interim coach Josh Eilert.
There were highs, too. Before Smith’s firing, Utah beat BYU, a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, and blue blood Kansas, which earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAAs.
Utah has already named Smith’s successor — former Ute great Alex Jensen was named the program’s 17th head coach.
Following the Utes’ loss to UCF in the Big 12 tournament’s first round, Eilert and fifth-year senior Gabe Madsen expressed interest to continuing the team’s season if an invite came from a national postseason tournament.
“I’m excited about it. I know players have to make decisions, but I think it would be special to have another opportunity to battle with these guys,” Eilert said.
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