Utah Utes

2023-2024 Result: 22-15 record (9-11 PAC 12), NIT semi-final appearance

Projected Starting Lineup

Head Coach: Craig Smith (4th season)

Guard: Miro Little (SO)

Guard: Gabe Madsen (5th year)

Guard: Mike Sharavjamts (JR)

Forward: Ezra Ausar (JR)

Center: Lawson Lovering (SR)

Key Losses

Keba Keita

Deivon Smith

Rollie Worster

Ben Carlson

Branden Carlson

Cole Bajema

Key Additions

Miro Little (Baylor)

Mike Sharavjamts (San Francisco)

Ezra Ausar (East Carolina)

Mason Madsen (Boston College)

Keanu Dawes (Rice)

Zach Keller (Wake Forest)

Jaxon Johnson (4-star recruit)

The Utah Utes transitioning from the Pac 12 to the Big 12 will certainly be a big jump, as they’ve had their struggles offensively the past few years and these issues will only be more obvious in the best conference in America. These issues start with the lack of on ball creation and losing Deivon Smith to the portal will only make this a bigger problem. Miro Little and Mike Sharavjamts will take on most of the ball handling duties, and while Sharavjamts has flashed solid playmaking ability, the turnover rate is a bit too high to trust him in the Big 12. As for the former 4-star recruit Miro Little, he didn’t receive much playing time at Baylor last season so it may take some time for him to adjust to the starting point guard role. Offensive rebounding is typically a strength for Craig Smith led teams, but the Utes may not have the same positive rebound margin they’ve had in the past. There is some frontcourt depth with Ezra Ausar, Lawson Lovering, Keanu Dawes, and Zach Keller, but none of these big men project to be elite on the offensive glass. The Utes will also feel the loss of Pac 12 star Branden Carlson, who provided a big time scoring punch in the frontcourt with his versatile skill set. While Utah has some limitations that will cap their ceiling on offense, they have some solid spot up shooting ability with brothers Mason and Gabe Madsen, along with Sharavjamts and Hunter Erickson. This may take some pressure off Miro Little and the frontcourt, but it’s most likely not enough to keep this offense out of the bottom 5 of the Big 12.

Craig Smith defenses are predicated off overall positional size and length, along with controlling the defensive glass. They definitely still possess this trait, but not to the same degree they usually do. 7’1” big man Lawson Lovering is paired with Ezra Ausar and Mike Sharavjamts at the forward spots, and while this group should hold their own in the paint, it’s not a unit that is going to overwhelm Big 12 opponents. The frontcourt depth pieces of Keanu Dawes and Zach Keller should help keep the paint protection floor fairly high, but it is closer to a Big 12 average unit than an elite one. The backcourt also possesses some size and length, but it may lack the athleticism to move the needle for the Utes defense. Smith doesn’t deploy a super aggressive defense, so there isn’t much turnover forcing upside with this group and they will have to rely on their length to force contested looks and control the defensive glass, but I am not particularly high on Utah being able to execute this scheme at the same level they did in their Pac 12 days. The defense is certainly the better unit than the offense, but there are worries they may be below Big 12 average on both ends of the floor in the 2024-25 season.

It may be a bit of a bumpy road for the Utah Utes in their first year in the Big 12, as it will be for a lot of the new teams in this league. Coach Smith will need to find answers at the guard positions as early as possible if he wants to keep this team competitive against power competition as well. The Utes can have a bright future if Smith can recruit stable guard play along with the elite rim protection he loves, but until then the Utes will be a bottom 5 Big 12 program.