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Utah announced on Monday that the program has fired men's basketball head coach Craig Smith (52) following the team's 76-72 loss to UCF. Assistant coach Josh Eilert will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The Utes' next game is set for February 26th against 22nd-ranked Arizona, who came under controversy recently. "I want to thank Craig for his work and commitment since he arrived in Salt Lake City. He has led us to special moments and memorable victories, and Craig has poured his heart into building our current team," said Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan. "However, we have greater aspirations for our men's basketball program, both within the Big 12 Conference and nationally, and our expectation is to regularly compete in the NCAA Tournament. After evaluating our program under Craig's leadership, I believe a change is needed to get us to where we want to go. The time is now to begin that process, and we will surround Coach Eilert, the staff and our student-athletes with support as they continue with their season."
Utah is currently 15-12 (7-9 in conference) following the loss to UCF and has four more games left against Arizona, Arizona State, West Virginia, and #25 BYU. His success at Utah State with a 74-24 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances never transferred over to his work with Utah.
Smith led the Utes to a record of 65-62 since he was hired in 2021, failing to make the NCAA Tournament every year. Utah hasn't made the big dance since 2016, a year in which they lost in the Round of 32. "We have continued to invest in our men's basketball program, adding staff, increasing compensation and significantly enhancing NIL opportunities with our partners for our student-athletes," said Harlan. "And our investments will only grow. I am confident that our national search, which has already begun, will lead us to the right coach to take our storied program back to national prominence."
