Weekly Pac-12 Matchups Set for Men's Basketball
SAN FRANCISCO – The long wait is finally over for the Utah men's basketball team as the Pac-12 released its inaugural 20-game matchup schedule for the 2020-21 season on Thursday. Specific dates and TV selections have yet to be finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks.
Of the two additional league games held in December, only one date switched. The Utes will kick open the Pac-12 Conference slate with a home game against Washington on Thursday, Dec. 3, as previously scheduled. However, Utah's game at Arizona State was moved to Tuesday, Dec. 22. A year older, the sophomore laden Utes team hopes to exorcise their road woes from last season and notch their first road victory in league play since defeating Washington State, 92-79, on Feb. 23, 2019.
The Runnin' Utes will remain on the road the following week after visiting Tempe and play UCLA/USC the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 3 before returning home to host the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers the week of Jan. 6-10. Utah remains home for another set of games as it welcomes Cal and Stanford the week of Jan. 13-17. The Utes then hit the road the next two weeks with a trip to Washington and Washington State Jan. 20-24. Utah will then wrap up the month of January with a trip to Boulder to face Colorado (Jan. 27-31).
Arizona and Arizona State will then make their trip to Salt Lake City the week of Feb. 3-7 before the Runnin' Utes fly to the Bay Area to play the Bears and Cardinal on Valentine's Day weekend (Feb. 10-14). The road swing will continue for Utah as it heads to Matthew Knight Area and Gill Coliseum to face the Ducks and Beavers Feb. 17-21. The last time Utah swept the Oregon schools on the road was the 2017-18 season.
Utah will then return home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the remaining two weeks as it entertains the Bruins and Trojans (Feb. 24-28) before welcoming Colorado (March 6 or 7) on senior day as it honors the lone senior on the squad, Alfonso Plummer. The Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament will take place not too long after at T-Mobile Arena March 10-13.
The Runnin' Utes are set to open the 2020-21 campaign against a stacked field in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. The Utes will face a highly touted Creighton team led by Big East Preseason Player of the Year Marcus Zegarowski in their tournament-opener on Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. (MT) on ESPN2.
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