SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 1, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — It may not be the Final Four, but the University of Utah is one of just four teams remaining in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Runnin’ Utes (22-14) won three home games to reach Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and will take on Indiana State (31-6) at 5 p.m. MDT Tuesday for an opportunity to play for the NIT championship. The game is being televised by ESPN.
The winner between the Utes and Sycamores will take on either Georgia (20-16) or Seton Hall (23-12), who meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The NIT championship game tips off at 5 p.m. Thursday on ESPN.
“At this time of year, there’s eight teams playing,” said Utah coach Craig Smith, referring to Connecticut, Purdue, Alabama and NC State at the Final Four in Phoenix and the four teams squaring off at the NIT in Indianapolis. “There’s 362 teams in Division I men’s basketball, and there’s eight teams that are still standing. And so we’re excited about that.”
The Utes’ postseason run has extended the stellar college basketball career of fifth-year center Branden Carlson, who leads the team in points (17), rebounds (6.6) and blocked shots (1.5) per game.
“To be able to just continue our season and play these games and [have] more time with these amazing friends and brothers of mine, it’s been great. It’s been a good experience,” Carlson said. “We love playing basketball, and just being able to have more games and more opportunities to play has been amazing.”
The South Jordan native and former Bingham High School star became the first player in school history to earn three All-Pac-12 Conference honors only the second with back-to-back All-Pac-12 First Team selections, joining Delon Wright (2014 and 2015). Carlson was an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection in 2021-22.
Utah’s star 7-footer will be sharing the spotlight Tuesday night with Indiana State’s Robbie Avila, who averages 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The bespectacled 6-foot-10 sophomore also boasts some of best nicknames in college basketball:
- Cream Abdul-Jabbar
- Larry Blurred
- Milk Chamberlain
Avila scored 22 points and hit a key 3-pointer with one minute remaining to break a 77-77 tie and lead Indiana State to an 85-81 victory over Cincinnati in the NIT quarterfinals.
The Sycamores are making their first trip to the NIT’s final four, and it’s also their first-ever matchup with the Utes.
After losing 84-80 to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game, Indiana State topped Southern Methodist (101-92), Minnesota (76-64) and Cincinnati (85-81) to reach the NIT’s final four.
The Utes are enjoying their most successful season since 2017-18, when they went 20-12 and advanced the the NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Utah lost that game to Boise State (73-68) but now has another chance to claim its second NIT title in school history, joining the 1947 championship team.
Utah defeated UC Irvine (84-75), Iowa (91-82) and Virginia Commonwealth (75-54) at the Huntsman Center to advance to Indianapolis.
