Utah men’s basketball team finally has a start date for the 2020-21 season.
The Runnin’ Utes will open the year on Thursday, Dec. 3, against Washington, the first game in a 20-game conference schedule that is a first for the Pac-12.
Utah’s pre-Christmas slate will include four non-conference games, three of which will be played in the Huntsman Center, as well as two conference games.
After opening with the Huskies, Utah will play Idaho State at home on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. Four days later, Utah will face in-state rival BYU in Provo, on Saturday, Dec. 12. It will be the 261st meeting between the rivals, and tip time is currently to-be-determined.
The following week, Utah will host an in-state opponent in Utah Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m. It will be only the second meeting between the two programs (the Utes won the first meeting in Salt Lake City back in 2016). The Utes will also host Idaho on Dec. 18.
Utah will not be playing New Orleans, as previously reported, after consulting with the team medical staff. The decision, per a release from the university, was made to keep the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and support staff at the forefront.
Exact dates, tip times and network selections have yet to be finalized for the remainder of the Pac-12 schedule post-Christmas.
The Dec. 3 opener against conference foe Washington will be the first time the Utes have started a season against a league opponent since 1925-26 when Utah hosted BYU in an all Rocky Mountain Conference schedule. The last time Utah opened a season against the Huskies came during the 1952-53 campaign when the Utes played Washington back-to-back days on the road.
The Utes first road conference game this season will be on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at Arizona State. That game will wrap up Utah’s pre-Christmas schedule.