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Utah basketball has received a commitment from a Big Ten transfer

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Utah basketball coach Craig Smith talks to his players in a team huddle as the team opens camp on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021.

Head coach Craig Smith, talks to his players as the University of Utah’s men’s basketball team opens camp with practice inside the Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Facility in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

The Utah Runnin’ Utes basketball program received its third commitment in two days on Saturday as head coach Craig Smith puts together his roster for the 2022-23 season.

In the afternoon on Saturday, former Wisconsin Badgers forward Ben Carlson announced his pledge to the Runnin’ Utes via Instagram, joining Friday commits Luka Tarlac (Serbia) and Gavin Baxter (BYU transfer).

Listed by Wisconsin at 6-foot-9 and 226 pounds, Carlson was a consensus 4-star recruit coming out of high school in Minnesota as part of the Class of 2020, but he didn’t make a whole lot of impact for the Badgers on the court in two seasons.

As a freshman, he appeared in just seven games before suffering an injury and missing the rest of the season.

Last season as a sophomore, he appeared in 30 games and started twice but averaged just 1.6 points and exactly two rebounds in 9.1 minutes per contest.

He entered the NCAA transfer portal on March 30.

Carlson will join an incoming group for Utah that is also primed to include Baxter, Cincinnati transfer Mike Saunders Jr. and freshmen Tarlac, Keba Keita and Wilguens Exacte Jr.