SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah men’s basketball team has a few non-conference games remaining on the schedule that will take them through the end of December. Up next, the Utes take on Mississippi State on Saturday in Delta Center, playing inside the arena traditionally used for the Jazz.
“Hopefully it will be accompanied with a win,” said Utah coach Alex Jensen when asked about returning to coach in the NBA arena. “I think it’s fun for our guys. It’s fun for the fans, and it’s not far away, and it’s a great opportunity.”
Jensen spent 10 seasons with the Jazz from 2013-23, before heading to Dallas and the Mavericks coaching staff for a few seasons.
Utah forward Seydou Traore shared his excitement for playing in the venue usually reserved for the best basketball players in the world.
“It’s going to be a great experience for me,” he said. “Eventually, later in my career, I would like to play there a lot, all the time. But this time, just live in the moment and cherish it.”
At 7-3 on the season, the Utes spoke about what they've taken from non-conference play so far.
“We got to be more consistent,” said Utah guard Jacob Patrick. “There’s games where we get up 15, 20, and we let teams slowly get back into it, and then in the end it’s way closer than it has to be.”
“My message to our guys and our group is to not beat ourselves, and I think we’ll be fine as long as we limit that, not beating ourselves,” Jensen explained.
The team has flashed versatility, though, which is a strength they want to build on the rest of the season.
“That’s definitely our M.O. of the team, we just got different players, that can just pick it up,” Traore said. “Anybody on the team can have 20 (points) for us any night.”
