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Smith, Carlson and Anthony to Represent Runnin' Utes at Pac-12 Media Day

by Utah Athletics
Oct 25, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO – Utah men's basketball student-athletes Branden Carlson and Marco Anthony will accompany head coach Craig Smith at Pac-12 Media Day this Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Pac-12 Networks Studios in the heart of the SOMA District in San Francisco.
 
Live coverage of Pac-12 Media Day begins at 11 a.m. (MT) / 10 a.m. (PT) local as Commissioner George Kliavkoff and Deputy Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich kick things off with opening remarks live on Pac-12 Networks, Pac-12 Insider and via the Pac-12 NOW App.
 

  • A complete schedule of events can be found here
  • Complete coverage of the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Day can be found here
  • Each team will be featured for 15 minutes with all in studio shows airing on Pac-12 Networks while all press conferences from the podium will air on Pac-12 Insider
  • Coach Smith, Carlson and Anthony will be featured in studio beginning at 2 p.m. (MT) before the trio takes questions on the podium at 3:50 p.m. (MT) with the media
  • All in studio shows are available to users with a login and password from their cable providers on the Pac-12 NOW app with their iOS or Android device and also available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast
  • Team-specific push notifications can also be set via the app as each school's turn on the show begins
  • Pac-12 Insider is free for all users on Pac-12.com as well as through several OTT platforms that can be found here

 
Fans also can follow along with the action on Wednesday through Twitter (@UtahMBB, @pac12, @Pac12Network), Instagram (@utahmbb, @pac12conference) and Facebook.
 
YEAR TWO ON THE HILL
Utah head men's basketball coach Craig Smith has added eight newcomers to his roster for the 2022-23 campaign that features three Division I transfers [Gavin Baxter (BYU), Ben Carlson (Wisconsin) and Mike Saunders Jr. (Cincinnati)], three freshmen [Wilguens Junior Exacte, Keba Keita and Luka Tarlac] and a pair of return missionaries in Brandon Haddock and Hunter Mecum. Smith and Company will look to improve upon last season's overall record and conference mark with a much deeper roster. On the coaching side, Smith replaced long-time assistant Eric Peterson with a familiar face to Utah fans in former Runnin' Ute Chris Burgess.
 
NOTES ON BRANDEN CARLSON
Branden Carlson was recently named a Preseason All-Pac-12 First-Team selection on Monday, Oct. 24, ahead of Pac-12 Media Day. The 7-0 center started in 23-of-24 games he played in last season averaging 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Utes. His 13.6 points per game was good for the team lead and 11th overall in the Pac-12 while his 6.0 boards per game was good for 13th in the Conference of Champions. Carlson opened his junior campaign in 2021-22 with six-straight games of double-digits points – including a double-double in the opener with 14 points and 10 boards against Abilene Christian. He scored 15 points with 13 rebounds in the championship game at the Sunshine Slam Tournament to give Utah the tournament crown and earned tournament MVP honors as well. He finished the year scoring double-digit points in nine of the 10 final games in the regular-season – including a career-high 25 points on 11 rebounds at Colorado. Meanwhile, the South Jordan, Utah, product started in 14-of-15 league games he played in and tallied a team-best 16 blocks. For his efforts, Carlson was named Second-Team All-Pac-12 last season – making it the 10th-straight season that Utah has had a player earn All-Pac-12 honors since joining the league in 2011-12.

 
NOTES ON MARCO ANTHONY
Marco Anthony led the team in rebounds last season, averaging 7.0 boards while posting the second-highest scoring average on the team at 9.1 points. At season's end, Anthony was 1-of-22 players to record 10-plus offensive boards in a single game and 1-of-7 players to do so from a Power 6 conference. In the second game of the season, Anthony pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds against Sacramento State, which was the third-highest single-game total in the Pac-12 that year. He also helped Utah capture the Sunshine Slam Tournament title averaging 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the two games in Daytona Beach. In Pac-12 play, he recorded double-digit rebounds in four-straight games – including back-to-back contests with a double-doubles against Oregon and Colorado on the road. He then posted a season-high 19 points against Arizona State, going 7-of-12 from the floor.
 
UP NEXT
Runnin' Utes fans can get a sneak peek of the 2022-23 Utah men's basketball team next Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. (MT) inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center when Utah welcome in Westminster. It will then open the season on Monday, Nov. 7, against Long Island with a 9 p.m. (MT) tip-off on Pac-12 Networks. Krista Blunk will have the call while Mary Murphy serves as the in-game analyst.
 
SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets for the 2022-23 season now by calling the Utah Ticket Office at 801-581-8849 or purchase online. Fans with questions regarding season tickets that would like to have a ticketing representative call them can do so by filling out a form online.

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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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