Gameday guide: How to watch, what to know about Utah basketball vs. Colorado

Every game matters for Colorado men’s basketball the rest of the way.

As one of the final four teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the Buffaloes don’t have much margin for error at this point in the season. Colorado went 4-4 in the month of January which included painful losses (Arizona State, Cal) and impressive victories (Oregon, Washington).

February begins with a road test at Utah against a Utes team that, like the Buffs, hasn’t lost at home this season (11-0). It’s a matchup that could give Colorado a signature win away from the CU Events Center.

Here’s a look at everything to know about Saturday’s game:

What time does Colorado vs. Utah basketball start?

• Date: Saturday, Feb. 3
• Start time: 3 p.m. MT

What channel is the Colorado vs. Utah basketball game on?

The Colorado and Utah game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.

What are the records, rankings?

Colorado enters Saturday’s game at 15-6 (6-4 Pac-12) but is just 1-5 on the road this season. Utah sits at 14-7 (5-5 Pac-12) after losing to Washington on Jan. 27.

Neither team is ranked in the latest AP poll.

Who are the coaches?

Craig Smith is in his sixth season as Utah’s head coach and is 42–42 (.500) during that span. Tad Boyle is in his 14th season as Colorado’s head coach and is 287-178 (.617) since 2010-11.

Series history

Colorado leads the all-time series 33-30 (6-4 in last 10 matchups) but the Buffs are just 10-20 all-time on the road at Utah.

Stadium information

The game will be at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Huntsman Center has a capacity of 15,000.

Who are the top players to watch?

Here are some players for each team who will be key to the game:

UTAH

• Branden Carlson: Carlson is the Utes’ leading scorer (16.7 points per game) and the big man has made at least one 3-point field goal in 10 consecutive games. The 7-foot senior exploded for 34 points during a win over Washington on New Years Eve and has an eight-game active streak with at least one block (1.5 per game).
• Gabe Madsen: Madsen is shooting an impressive 42.3% from deep this season while averaging 12.6 points per game (second on team). The 6-foot-6 guard leads the Utes in steals (1.5 per game) and can get hot in a hurry, evidenced by his 20-point second half during a win against Washington State on Dec. 29.
• Deivon Smith: The 6-foot senior missed the early portion of the season but has reached at least 20 points in two of his last three games. Smith notched a triple-double (16 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) against Stanford on Jan. 14 and flirted with another one a week later vs. Oregon (24 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists).

COLORADO

• KJ Simpson: Simpson’s 25 points during last week’s loss to Washington State were the most he’s scored since dropping a career-high 34 points in 37 minutes on New Years Eve. The 6-foot-2 guard, one of 20 late season watch-list members for the 2023-24 John R. Wooden Award, leads Colorado in points (19.2 per game), assists (4.3 per game) and steals (1.9 per game).
• Tristan da Silva: da Silva, a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, hasn’t quite re-gained his early-season form since missing three games with a ankle injury (five straight games below 20 points). Nonetheless, the 6-foot-9 senior from Munich, Germany, is second on the team in points (15.6 per game) and assists (2.8).
• Cody Williams: Williams failed to make a field goal (0-4) for the first time in his young college career during last weekend’s loss to Washington State. It snapped a streak of nine consecutive games where the 6-foot-8 freshman scored in double figures. A projected top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Williams is still averaging 14.7 points (third on team) and leading the Buffs in field goal percentage (57.9%) and 3-point percentage (52%).

Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on Twitter.