Utah Men's Basketball Opens 2026-27 Campaign Monday Night with Long Beach State

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team officially kicks off the 2026-27 campaign next Monday, Nov. 2, against Long Beach State inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Chris Sylvester will have the call alongside former Runnin' Utes assistant Joe Cravens on ESPN+.

HOME ON THE HILL
The Runnin' Utes faithful will have plenty of opportunities to see the 2026-27 squad with 12 home games during the non-conference season. Utah will kick off the year with a five-game homestand before heading to Charleston, S.C., for the Charleston Classic. It'll then return home to the friendly confines of the Jon M. Huntsman Center for seven-consecutive home contests to close out the non-con slate.

AGAINST THE BEACH
Heading into its season-opener against Long Beach State, Utah is 3-1 all-time against the Beach and currently holds a three-game winning streak. Utah's lone loss against Long Beach State came at home back on Dec. 10, 1977, an 80-79 battle that went in favor of the Beach.

The 2026-27 LBSU squad only has two players returning from the 2025-26 campaign in JJ Chaikovsky and Christian Jones for a total of 78 points from last year's offense (.032). Second year head coach Chris Acker has brought in 13 new players to join Chaikovsky and Jones – 9 from the transfer portal, 2 from the JC ranks and 2 incoming freshmen.

RUNNIN' UTES EXPRESS SHUTTLE
The Runnin' Utes Express Shuttle returns for the 2026-27 season in modified form. The FREE service will ONLY run from the Eccles Broadcast Lot (LOT 27) to the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The shuttle service will begin 60 minutes before each scheduled tip-off and will run continuously, as demand warrants, until 45 minutes after the game's conclusion.

UTES IN THE NBA
Utah is well represented in the Association between Jakob Poeltl, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Carlson. Poeltl, who was drafted 9th-overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, is on his second stint with the Toronto Raptors and in his 11th season overall in the NBA. Kuzma, who was draft 27th-overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, is in his third year with the Milwaukee Bucks and 10th year overall in the NBA. The Flint, Mich., product became the fourth Ute ever to win an NBA Championship when he helped the Los Angeles Lakers hoise the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the end of the 2019-20 season. Carlson, who went undrafted in 2024, enters his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers and third season overall in the NBA. The South Jordan, Utah, native was a member of 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder Championship squad on a two-way deal and saw action in 32 games that year but was unable to participate in the playoffs as a two-way player.

Lawson Lovering is the latest Runnin' Ute to join the NBA ranks, having signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 28, 2026. The Cheyenne, Wyo., product made his NBA debut on Feb. 11, 2026, against the Denver Nuggets as member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

OPENING TREND
Utah is 92-26 overall in home-openers and 83-13 all-time when those home-openers have also served as the season-opener. Head coach Alex Jensen (1-0) looks to make it 2-0 in season-openers next Monday, Nov. 2, when the Utes take on Long Beach State to kick off the 2026-27 season.

UP NEXT
The homestand continues for Utah men's basketball as it welcomes in Towson for a 7 p.m. (MDT) match-up on Thursday, Nov. 5, inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Chris Sylvester and Joe Cravens will once again have the call for fans on ESPN+ as the Utes and Tigers square off for the first time in program history.

LOOKING AHEAD
Utah will play host to Weber State for the second-straight year, this time on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Tip-off between the Runnin' Utes and Wildcats is slated for 7 p.m. (MDT) on ESPN+ as Chris Sylvester and former Utah assistant coach Joe Cravens guides fans through the action.

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, X and Instagram. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360 app.

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