College basketball season is here! Well sort of.
The regular season tips off next week, although some schools either have already or are yet to play an exhibition game.
After a 2021-22 season that saw BYU and Utah State qualify for the NIT and Southern Utah reach the semifinals of The Basketball Classic, the state will look to return one of its teams to the NCAA Tournament in March 2023.
But before conference play begins, every team starts each season with a slew of non-conference matchups. Some teams play lower-level squads as a tune-up, while some participate in tournaments that take place hundreds of miles from their campuses.
Every season, there are always a few games that fans have circled on their school’s calendar.
There may be a game between a former conference foe or a team that participated in the last edition of March Madness. It may be a ranked opponent, or perhaps a game against an in-state rival with bragging rights on the line.
With Utah’s seven Division I teams about to tip off a new season, here are three games highlighting each school’s non-conference schedule.
Utah
Thursday, Dec. 8 – vs. Jacksonville State
Time: 8 p.m.
Channel or stream: Pac-12 Network
The Runnin’ Utes host last season’s A-Sun champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier at home. One of the few decent teams on a weak non-conference schedule for Utah in Craig Smith’s second season.
Saturday, Dec. 17 – @ BYU
Time: 4 p.m.
Channel or stream: CBS Sports Network
One of the best rivalries in college basketball. The Utes travel to Provo to battle the Cougars with both teams looking to improve on last season’s disappointment.
Wednesday, Dec. 21 – @ No. 14 TCU
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel or stream: Pac-12 Mountain
The Utes travel to Forth Worth to face an old Mountain West foe. This will be a tough test for Utah, with TCU coming off a 21-13 season and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2021-22.
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BYU
Friday, Nov. 11 – @ No. 19 San Diego State
Time: TBA
Channel or stream: TBA
Renewing a former Mountain West rivalry, the Cougars hit the road to play in front of one of the most hostile crowds in the country. The Aztecs – coming off a 23-9 record and an NCAA bid – are perennially one of the nation’s top mid-major programs.
Wednesday, Nov. 23 – vs. USC (Battle 4 Atlantis)
Time: 3 p.m.
Channel or stream: ESPN2
The Cougars will spend Thanksgiving in the Bahamas, taking part in the Battle 4 Atlantis. BYU will start off with a game against USC, a team that won 26 games and reached last season’s NCAA Tournament.
Saturday, Dec. 10 – vs. No. 9 Creighton (Jack Jones Hoopfest)
Time: 8 p.m.
Channel: FS1
Traveling south to Las Vegas, the Cougars participate in another neutral site matchup. Playing in the Jack Jones Hoopfest, BYU takes on No. 9 Creighton, one of four games against a preseason Top 25 opponent on the season’s schedule.
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Utah State
Monday, Nov. 14 – vs. Santa Clara
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel or stream: Mountain West Network
Facing a solid West Coast Conference team, the Aggies will host the Broncos just one week into the season. Santa Clara is coming off a 21-win season a year ago and qualified for the NIT.
Sunday, Dec. 4 – @ San Francisco
Time: TBA
Channel or stream: TBA
Hitting the road for another matchup with a WCC program, the Aggies face San Francisco at the Chase Center, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Utah State can’t get distracted by the venue, however, as the Dons won 24 games a season ago and reached the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday, Dec. 22 – vs. Seattle (Diamond Head Classic)
Time: 3 p.m.
Channel or stream: ESPN Networks*
Heading to Hawaii for Christmas, the Aggies will take part in the Diamond Head Classic. Utah State starts the tournament with a matchup against Seattle, last season’s 23-win WAC regular season champions.
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Southern Utah
Friday, Nov. 18 – @ No. 5 Kansas
Time: 6 p.m.
Channel or stream: ESPN+
After a run to the semifinals of last season’s The Basketball Classic, Southern Utah has their work cut for them in this game. The T-birds will travel to face the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks, one of the most storied programs in college basketball history.
Wednesday, Nov. 30 – vs. Montana State
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel or stream: ESPN+
Facing a former Big Sky Conference foe, the T-birds host Montana State in the last game of November. The Bobcats were last season’s Big Sky regular season and tournament winners, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Who did Montana State beat out for the regular season title? None other than SUU, who moved to the WAC after the season.
Wednesday, Dec. 21 – @ Colorado
Time: 5 p.m.
Channel or stream: Pac-12 Mountain
Hitting the road, the T-birds face a tough battle with a major conference team. Last season, the Buffaloes won 21 games and reached the NIT.
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Utah Valley
Tuesday, Nov. 15 – @ Wake Forest
Time: 5 p.m.
Channel or stream: ACCNX
Utah Valley travels to North Carolina to face an ACC program in a difficult matchup. Last season, the Demon Deacons won 25 games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT.
Saturday, Nov. 26 – @ Boise State
Time: 2 p.m.
Channel or stream: Mountain West Network
Taking place just two days after Thanksgiving, the Wolverines face off against one of last season’s best mid-major squads. Boise State is coming off a 27-8 season, winning both the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles and finishing No. 23 in the AP poll.
Wednesday, Dec. 7 – @ BYU
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel or stream: BYUtv
Remember last season? UVU faced BYU at home in the UCCU Crosstown Clash, shocking the No. 12 Cougars in overtime. Can they do it again? It will likely be tougher to accomplish on the road featuring a reloaded BYU team.
Weber State
Monday, Nov. 7 – @ Washington
Time: 9 p.m.
Channel or stream: Pac-12 Washington
Weber State is thrown into the fire immediately to begin the 2022-23 season. The Wildcats’ first game? On the road against a Pac-12 program. It doesn’t get much more difficult than that for first-year coach Eric Duft.
Monday, Nov. 14 – @ Colorado State
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel or stream: TBA
The Wildcats face one of last season’s best teams on the road. The Rams won 25 games last campaign, reaching the NCAA Tournament and receiving the No. 24 ranking in the final AP poll.
Monday, Dec. 19 – @ Utah State
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel: Mountain West Network
Weber State already upset the Aggies in football, so why not add a win in basketball? The Dee Glen Smith is as tough a place to play as any as the Wildcats attempt to end a three-game losing streak to Utah State.
Utah Tech
Monday, Nov. 14 – @ Washington
Time: 8 p.m.
Channel or stream: Pac-12 Washington
Entering its fourth season as a Division I program; Utah Tech faces a pair of Pac-12 opponents on the road this year. The first? A trip to battle the Washington Huskies to tip off the season’s second week.
Thursday, Nov. 17 – @ No. 17 Arizona
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel or stream: Pac-12 Network
The other Pac-12 matchup on the Trailblazers’ schedule. Utah Tech travels to Tucson to face the Wildcats, last season’s Pac-12 regular season and tournament winners that reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
Thursday, Dec. 1 – @ Utah State
Time: 7 p.m.
Channel or stream: Mountain West Network
Traveling to Logan to face the Aggies, this will be the first time these two in-state opponents meet on the basketball court. This will be one of the six games against an in-state team for Utah Tech, but just one of two in non-conference play.
What game do you have circled on your team’s schedule?
* To be announced, but will either be shown on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU.
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