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Craig Smith Era Officially Begins with Runnin' Utes in SLC Nov. 9

by Utah Athletics
Nov 5, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY – The Craig Smith Era official begins on The Hill next Tuesday, Nov. 9, as the 2021-22 Utah men's basketball team welcomes in Abilene Christian for its season and home opener inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
 
Todd Harris will have the call in the first meeting between the Runnin' Utes and Wildcats while former Utah assistant coach Joe Cravens returns to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center to serve as the analyst on the Pac-12 Mountain broadcast.
 
TIP-OFF TUESDAY
With all 12 teams in the Conference of Champions kicking off the season next Tuesday, Nov. 9, the Pac-12 will be opening up access via the Pac-12 Now app and on Pac-12.com for fans to catch 10-plus hours of FREE continuous basketball coverage starting at 1 p.m. (MT).
 
 The Pac-12 Now app is free to download and available via iOS, Android, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
 
OPENING TREND
Heading into Tuesday's home and season-opener, Utah is 98-16 overall in its home-openers and 78-13 all-time when those home-openers have also served as the season-opener. In total, Utah is 86-26 all-time in season-openers.
 
FIRST YEAR HEAD COACHES
In the 113 seasons of Utah men's basketball, first-year head coaches have gone 8-7 all-time in their debut with the Runnin' Utes. Since the departure of legendary head coach Rick Majerus, the last three head coaches in recent history have gone 2-1 in their season-debut with the Utes. Additionally, first-year head coaches at Utah are 9-3 all-time when their season-debuts occurred at home.
 
WINNINGEST ACTIVE HEAD COACHES
Heading into the 2021-22 season, Craig Smith is 23rd on the winningest active head coaches by percentage according to the NCAA record book. Coaches must have minimum of five years as a Division I head coach and includes record at four-year U.S. colleges only.
 

Rk. Coach School Years Won Lost Pct.
1. Mark Few Gonzaga 22 630 125 .834
2 Bill Self Kansas 28 729 223 .766
3 Mike Krzyzewski Duke 46 1,170 361 .764
4 John Calipari Kentucky 29 742 231 .763
5 Chris Jans New Mexico State 5 116 37 .758
6 Eric Musselman Arkansas 6 155 53 .745
7 Tony Bennett Virginia 15 364 136 .728
8 Bruce Pearl Auburn 26 600 237 .717
9 Tom Izzo Michigan State 26 643 254 .717
10 Chris Beard Texas 9 208 85 .710
11 Rick Pitino Iona 33 659 274 .706
12 Jim Boeheim Syracuse 45 982 409 .706
13 Randy Bennett Saint Mary's 20 454 192 .703
14 Bob Huggins West Virginia 39 900 382 .702
15 Steve Forbes Wake Forrest 6 136 59 .697
16 Ray Harper Jacksonville State 22 437 191 .696
17 Nathan Davis Bucknell 12 249 111 .692
18 Jay Wright Villanova 27 612 274 .691
19 Jamie Dixon TCU 18 424 194 .686
20 Chris Mack Louisville 12 272 125 .685
21 Nate Oats Alabama 6 138 65 .680
22 Mick Cronin UCLA 18 406 193 .678
23 Craig Smith Utah 10 225 108 .676
24 Grant McCasland North Texas 7 155 75 .674
25 Will Wade LSU 8 174 85 .672

 
 
UP NEXT
The Utes remain at home and welcome in Sacramento State for a 7:30 p.m. (MT) tip-off inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday, Nov. 13. The contest between the Utes and Hornets will be part of a double-header as the Utah women's basketball team plays host to Xavier earlier in the day at Noon. Todd Harris and Joe Cravens will once again have the call on the Pac-12 Mountain broadcast.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The three-game homestand to open the Craig Smith Era continues as Utah battles Bethune-Cookman on Pac-12 Mountain at 8 p.m. (MT) on Monday, Nov. 15 as part of the Sunshine Slam before departing for the tournament few days later.
 
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
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