| Year: | 2023–24 |
| Team: | Utah Utes |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Conference: | Pac-12 Conference |
| Conference Link: | Pac-12 Conference men's basketball |
| Short Conf: | Pac-12 |
| Record: | 22–15 |
| Conf Record: | 9–11 |
| Head Coach: | Craig Smith |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Asst Coach1: | Tramel Barnes |
| Asst Coach2: | Chris Burgess |
| Asst Coach3: | DeMarlo Slocum |
| Stadium: | Jon M. Huntsman Center (Capacity: 15,000) |
| Tourney: | NIT |
| Tourney Result: | Semifinals |
The 2023–24 Utah Runnin' Utes men's basketball team represented the University of Utah during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Craig Smith. They played their home games at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Utah started the season with strong non-conference play, winning landmark games on the road against Saint Mary's and at home against then #14th-ranked BYU. Prior to their final out-of-conference game against Bellarmine, Utah received the 29th-most votes in that week's AP poll and were projected to be a 9th-seed in that year's NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[1] Despite being dominant at home, even giving UCLA their second-worst loss in program history,[2] the Runnin' Utes failed to win all but one conference road game, scoring a last-second basket to beat the same team in Pauley Pavilion.[3] After home losses to Arizona and Arizona State, Utah was considered to be on the bubble for an NCAA tournament bid.[4] [5] After a road loss to Oregon State in which Branden Carlson scored a career-high 40 points, it was reported that "Utah’s NCAA tournament hopes were all but extinguished".[6]
This season, Branden Carlson broke the all-time Runnin' Utes blocks record, finishing the season with 241 blocks.[7] Incoming transfer Deivon Smith was unable to play until December due to double-transfer eligibility rules, but was able to debut in Utah's game against Utah Valley University after judge John P. Bailey extended a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit against the NCAA to the end of the season.[8] After becoming eligible, Smith would go on to score five triple-doubles in the rest of the season, breaking the all-time Pac-12 record that was previously held by Jason Kidd.[9]
In the 2024 Pac-12 men's tournament, Utah won their first round game against Arizona State before falling to Colorado in the quarterfinals.[10] The team played in the 2024 National Invitation Tournament, being the only Pac-12 team to accept one of two automatic bids for teams in the conference.[11] This marked the program's first appearance in a postseason tournament since the 2018 NIT six years prior. Utah advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated by the Indiana State Sycamores.[12]
This was their final season as members of the Pac-12 Conference after 12 years before they will join the Big 12 Conference in the 2024–25 season.[13]
The Utes finished the 2022–23 season 17–14, 10–10 in Pac-12 play, to finish in 7th place. They lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament to Stanford.[14]
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | F | 6'9" | 224 | Senior | Retired from basketball due to injuries[15] | |||
| Mike Saunders Jr. | 2 | G | 6'0" | 184 | Junior | Transferred to McNeese State | ||
| Bostyn Holt | 3 | F | 6'6" | 193 | Senior | Graduate transferred to South Dakota | ||
| Jaxon Brenchley | 5 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Senior | Graduate transferred to Denver | ||
| Marco Anthony | 10 | G | 6'5" | 223 | RS Senior | Graduated | ||
| Lazar Stefanovic | 20 | G | 6'7" | 185 | Sophomore | Transferred to UCLA | ||
| Eli Ballstaedt | 32 | G | 6'5" | 198 | Senior | Walk-on; graduated |
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Erickson | 0 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior | Salt Lake CC | ||
| Cole Bajema | 2 | G | 6'7" | 190 | GS Senior | Washington | ||
| Deivon Smith | 5 | G | 6'1" | 172 | Senior | Georgia Tech | ||
| Lawson Lovering | 34 | C | 7'1" | 225 | Junior | Colorado |
|-!colspan=12 style=| Exhibition|-!colspan=12 style=| Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=12 style=| Pac-12 regular season|-!colspan=12 style=| Pac-12 tournament|-!colspan=12 style=| NITSource:[16]
See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. *AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.