Reply To: Utah reschedules BYU, adds them to 2017 schedule

[Tony (admin)]

Here’s the whole press release:

Men’s Basketball Schedules Games with Butler, Xavier and BYU
Utes to face Bulldogs and Musketeers in pair of home-and-home contests over next two seasons.

May 26, 2016
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men’s basketball team has picked up two primetime opponents for next season, playing Butler on Nov. 28, 2016, in Salt Lake City and Xavier in Cincinnati on Dec. 10. In addition, athletics director Chris Hill announced today that the Utes will play BYU in Provo in 2017.

“(BYU athletics director) Tom Holmoe and I have agreed to a game in Provo in November or December of 2017,” said Hill. “We are in the process of formulating plans for the future with BYU. We are also looking at future match-ups with other in-state schools.”

Along with Butler, Utah’s non-conference home schedule for the upcoming season includes instate foe Utah Valley, Corcordia, Coppin State, UC-Riverside and Montana State. Xavier is one of two non-conference road trips for the Utes, who will also play in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu over the Christmas Holiday.

Utah will face both Butler and Xavier in a home-and-home series exchange. After hosting Butler this season, the Utes will face the Bulldogs in Indianapolis, Ind., next season. The Utes will make the trip to Cincinnati to face the Musketeers this coming season before turning around to host Xavier at the Huntsman Center in 2017.

The Utes will face the Bulldogs for just the third time in school history. Utah is 1-1 all-time against Butler having won its only meeting with the Bulldogs, 95-66, in Salt Lake City back in 1964. Utah fell to Butler the last time out, 74-62, in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, back on Dec. 22, 2010.

This will mark the first-ever meeting for the Utes against Xavier.

“Adding both Butler and Xavier to our 2016-17 schedule gives us an opportunity to play some elite programs in non-conference play,” said men’s head basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak. “Both Butler and Xavier were NCAA Tournament teams last season and they will give us a great test before starting Pac-12 play a few weeks later in the season.

“In addition, the home contest against Butler will be one of our two cancer awareness games next season,” Krystkowiak added. “We will partner with both the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Butler in support of this cause.”

Butler went 22-11 overall in 2015-16 and finished tied for fourth-place in the Big East with a record of 10-8. The Bulldogs earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and went on to upset No. 8-seeded Texas Tech in the First Round. Butler’s season came to an end in the Second Round with a loss to top-seeded Virginia.

Xavier notched a 35-5 overall record last season and finished second overall in the Big East with a mark of 14-4 in league play. The Musketeers earned a No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament and defeated Weber State in the opening round. Xavier was later upset, falling in the Second Round to Wisconsin.

The Utes finished the 2015-16 campaign 27-9 overall and notched a second-place finish in the Pac-12 with a record of 13-5. Utah, who earned the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region last season, has made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.