‘No excuses to play the way we did’: Utah State falters in home loss to UNLV

“There’s no excuses to play the way we did,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “It was a collective effort. We got outcoached, we got outplayed, and it was obviously our worst loss since I’ve been …

LOGAN — In what may have been UNLV’s final visit to the Spectrum, the Rebels left off where they started 43 years ago.

Down by 14 points with just under 13 minutes to go Tuesday night, UNLV rallied back to stun the Aggies on their home court, 86-76.

Ranked 23rd in the AP Top 25 last week, the loss to the Rebels (10-8 overall, 5-2 in the Mountain West) marked the first back-to-back setbacks of the season for Utah State, which also lost at Grand Canyon, 84-74, last Saturday.

“There’s no excuses to play the way we did,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “It was a collective effort. We got outcoached, we got outplayed, and it was obviously our worst loss since I’ve been the coach here, for sure.”

The game was tied 38-38 at halftime before the Aggies (15-3, 6-2) pulled away early in the second half as the Rebels, who already play with a short bench, got into some severe foul trouble.

But despite keeping three players with four fouls on the floor for much of the second half, first-year UNLV head coach Josh Pastner managed to orchestrate a shocking comeback.

The Rebels, who made 12 of their final 15 field-goal attempts, outscored Utah State 42-18 over the final 12 minutes of the game.

“You know, there’s going to be a lot of highs and lows throughout a season, and this is obviously a low for us,” Calhoun said. “I don’t feel like we’ve gotten better over the last seven or eight days, and that really stinks as a coach because you put a lot of time into scouting and practice, and I’m not getting the effort from a lot of our guys.”

Utah State guard Mason Falslev (21 points) scored 20 or more points for the third straight game, while freshman forward Adlan Elamin added 15 points, senior guard MJ Collins Jr. finished with 14 and graduate point guard Drake Allen totaled 10 points, nine assists and just one turnover.

But it wasn’t nearly enough to hold off the Rebels, who put up a season-worst 86 points against USU’s defense, which was second in the Mountain West at just 67.7 points per game.

“Defensively, we need to have better practices — myself included,” said USU forward Karson Templin. “We’ve been lackadaisical, and there’s no excuse for it.

“We just need to play harder and practice and tighten up some of our stuff. That’s totally on us players, myself included.”

The Aggies, who are moving into the Pac-12 Conference this summer while the Rebels will remain in the Mountain West, had won seven-straight games in Logan over their longtime rivals coming into Tuesday’s game.

Overall, Utah State had won 11 of 13 games against UNLV at the Spectrum after losing the first 11 home games and 25 straight games overall in the all-time series, which began in 1983.

The Rebels, who trailed 9-0 to open the game, managed to reach back into their past on Tuesday, getting 21 points from junior guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and 20 from freshman forward Tryin Jones.

Eight minutes into the game, Jones appeared to be lost for the rest of the contest and possibly longer when he barreled into Falslev when the junior guard was shooting a 3-pointer.

The Las Vegas area native got the worst of the collision, grabbing his right knee and writhing on the floor in pain, but after being helped up the tunnel, Jones returned to the court five minutes before halftime with his leg tapped up and ended up logging 32 total minutes.

“He’s a good player … and I think he’s one of the neatest stories in the country,” Calhoun said of Jones, who finished 5 for 13 from field and 10 of 12 from the free-throw line.

“When I saw him six or eight months ago, he was not that. That kid has worked. That kid’s got a motor, and he’s going to be a terrific player. … He’s really, really good. I like him a lot.”

Overall, the Rebels shot 57.1% from the field in the second half after shooting just 43.3% over the first 20 minutes of the game.

UNLV, which was averaging 79 points points per game coming into the Spectrum, also went 7 for 14 from 3-point range, 21 for 25 from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Aggies, 40-31.

Senior forward Kimani Hamilton, who fouled out after playing just 12 minutes, added 10 points for the Rebels, as did sophomore center Emmanuel Stephen.

Senior forward Walter Brown contributed 10 of UNLV’s 19 total bench points.

Similarly, Templin came off the bench to score 10 of the Aggies’ 15 bench points, and was the only non-starter to play more than eight minutes for the home team.

“It was one of the worst bench performances I’ve seen in a long time,” Calhoun said. “We had two kids that were -13 at halftime on the scorecard. It was just a horrific, horrific effort tonight from the bench.”

First in the conference in field goal percentage at 51.6% coming into Tuesday’s game, the Aggies shot just 44.8% from the field, including a 7-for-24 performance from 3-point range.

Even worse, Utah State shot a season-worst 54.8% (17 for 31) from the free-throw line.

The hosts’ woeful performance from the charity stripe didn’t feel like it was going to be an issue after the Aggies scored 22 of the first 30 points of the second half to get the crowd of 9,642 rocking.

But Utah State seemingly went to sleep after that early burst, perhaps due to the late, 9:15 p.m. tipoff, while the Rebels kept battling, making big plays and getting key stops after switching to a 1-3-1 defense.

“I knew that for us to win this game, especially coming off of their loss versus Grand Canyon, we were going to have to be warriors today,” Pastner said. “It’s a great home-court advantage that they have. I’ve been in some great leagues and at some high-level places. I’ve been in the ACC, I was in the old Pac-10 — this is as good of a home court as there is.

“Credit to Utah State, to coach Calhoun and their program for that atmosphere. For us to come into this place and win a game like that, it was really hard to do, but we toughed it out. It wasn’t pretty, but we found ways to make plays.”

Utah State now sits in a two-way tie for second place in the Mountain West with Nevada (14-5, 6-2), behind unbeaten San Diego State (13-4, 7-0).

The Aggies head back out on the road this Friday to take on Colorado State (12-7, 3-5), a team they beat 100-58 at the Spectrum on Dec. 20.

UNLV forward Tyrin Jones (6) shoots the ball as Utah State forward Karson Templin (22), forward Garry Clark (11) and guard Elijah Perryman (1) defend Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Logan, Utah.

Source: Utah News

Utah Mammoth nicknames are badges of honor

What’s in a name? Everything. Perhaps no sport like hockey uses nicknames more creatively. The Utah Mammoth have several nicknames they use for their teammates. They consider it a badge of honor to …

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – What’s in a name? Everything.

Perhaps no sport like hockey uses nicknames more creatively. The Utah Mammoth have several nicknames they use for their teammates. They consider it a badge of honor to have a good nickname.

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“Oh, you want to have as many nicknames as possible,” said center Kevin Stenlund. “It’s always good.”

“It’s part of the game, part of the culture, part of being in any any workplace,” said defenseman Nate Schmidt. “You start to feel like you belong. I don’t know, I love it.”

Nate Schmidt has four points in Mammoth 6-3 victory

Schmidt comes up with more nicknames than almost any player in the NHL.

“Sometimes I give out bad nicknames, but I beat them into submission so that everyone has to enjoy them,” he said.”

Rarely do players call each other by their actual first name.

“I think if I call them by their first name, they look at me like, who?” said defenseman Liam O’Brien.

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“Sometimes I call them by their first name on purpose,” Schmidt said. “Like Michael Carcone, I only call him Michael. He’s like, ‘wait, only my mom calls me that.”

The classic Mammoth nickname is goalie Karel Vejmelka’s “Veggie.”

“Veggie is great,” Schmidt said.

“Veg, yeah, yeah,” said defenseman Ian Cole. “Except he can’t pronounce his “V’s” so it’s Wedgie.”

Then there’s Liam O’Brien, AKA “Spicy Tuna.”

“Way back when, I gave Liam O’Brien the nickname Tuna when we were playing in the American League,” Schmidt said. “He adapted it to Spicy Tuna.”

Vejmelka shines again as Mammoth beat Dallas, 2-1

“He’s claiming that?” questioned Cole. “We’ll have to check the records. Let’s go to the Library of Congress and see what they got.”

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But the newest nickname that has taken the NHL by storm is Russian rookie Daniil But, AKA “Cheeks.”

“Cheeks is great,” said Schmidt, who came up with the name.

“It’s unbelievable,” said O’Brien. “It’s sticking, too. It’s not going anywhere.”

“It’s smart, it’s simple, it’s funny,” Cole said. “It’s to the point, and everyone gets it.

Well, almost everyone.

“I still don’t know what does it mean?” said But, who primarily speaks Russian. “It’s hard to explain in Russian, but [Mikhail Sergachev] says it’s one of the best nicknames in the NHL, so that’s good for me.”

Sometimes, nicknames are inevitable whether you like them or not.

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“We tried giving [Sean Durzi] a new nickname, but he didn’t like it,” O’Brien said. “You can fight against your nickname, but sometimes it just is what it is.”

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Source: Utah News

Wildcats end skid: Takeaways from Kansas State’s basketball victory against Utah

The Wildcats defeated the Utah Utes 81-78 in a back-and-forth basketball game for their first conference victory of the season Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum. It didn’t come easily. K-State had to …

Kansas State’s losing streak is over.

The Wildcats defeated the Utah Utes 81-78 in a back-and-forth basketball game for their first conference victory of the season Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum.

It didn’t come easily. K-State had to survive nine lead changes and a late charge from Utah. But its defense forced Utah to miss six of its final seven shots in crunch time.

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For that reason, and others, K-State (10-9, 1-5 Big 12) is no longer all alone in last place of the league standings. It is now tied with Utah (9-10, 1-5 Big 12) at the bottom of the table.

PJ Haggerty led the way for K-State with 34 points. He was at his best in the second half, as he came up with multiple important clutch buckets down the stretch. His big plays were enough for the Wildcats to hold off the Utes, who got 33 points from Terrence Brown.

This was a big win for the Wildcats, and it showed when Brown missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. K-State head coach Jerome Tang sprinted to the student section and danced like he has after many other notable victories during his tenure in Manhattan. Players also raised their arms and then celebrated with their supporters.

“Shout out to the fans and the student section,” Haggerty said. “Keep coming to the games and just keep believing in us.”

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K-State began conference play with five straight defeats. Now it can think about starting a winning streak.

“We have got to keep moving forward,” Tang said, “but I was very happy with the win.”

Up next for K-State is a home game against rival Kansas on Saturday.

Until then, here are takeaways from Tuesday’s action:

A fun scoring battle between PJ Haggerty, Terrence Brown

Jerome Tang made sure to share a few words with Utah guard Terence Brown during the postgame handshake line.

He felt the need to compliment Brown on a big game, even though he was on the opposing sideline.

Brown led the charge for Utah with 33 points on 24 attempts. He made shots from the perimeter and attacked the rim to give K-State’s defense problems. And he nearly outdueled PJ Haggerty. Had Brown’s final 3-point attempt of the night found the bottom of the net, fans would have seen overtime.

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But Haggerty and K-State prevailed in a battle of elite scorers.

Haggerty scored 34 points on 29 shots to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. He was at his best in the second half, as he scored 28 of his points when things mattered the most.

Utah tried a variety of defenses and double teams to get the ball out of his hands in the final minutes, but Haggerty kept finding ways to score. He was responsible for all but seven of K-State’s points after halftime.

David Castillo said the offensive strategy was easy late in the game.

“Give him the ball,” he said.

That confidence helped fuel Haggerty as the game went on.

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“My teammates trusted me to take those shots,” Haggerty said. “They tell me, just take shots and they will live or die with me. I took good shots, they went in and we came out with the win.”

Maybe David Castillo should start all the time

Sophomore guard David Castillo won the respect of Tang and his K-State teammates when he volunteered to come off the bench earlier this season.

He was viewed as a team-first player when he suggested that he could help the Wildcats in that role because they were lacking bench scorers. His theory even paid off initially after he moved to the bench and knocked down shots when his team needed a boost.

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But he has been in a bit of a slump lately.

Returning to the starting lineup for the first time since early December seemed to bring out the best in Castillo. He came out red-hot and scored 17 points in the first half. There were a few times in the early going when he was outscoring the Utes all by himself.

He finished the day with 20 points

It seems likely that injuries will thrust him back into the starting lineup full-time moving forward. That could be a good thing for him, even though he viewed himself as an ideal sixth man earlier this season.

“I’m fine with whatever,” Castillo said. “I’m going to do whatever the team needs.”

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Kansas State played this game without three usual starters

The Wildcats were not at full strength when they took the floor against Utah.

In fact, they were down four players. Three of them are typically in the starting lineup.

Abdi Bashir and Khamari McGriff were the biggest two absences.

Bashir is the team’s top outside shooter. He was unable to play after the CBS Sports Network broadcast crew announced that he had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot. He will be out indefinitely as he recovers. The Monmouth transfer was averaging 11.3 points per game.

McGriff was also a notable loss. The starting forward was deemed a game-time decision, but he watched from the bench in street clothes. He was averaging 10.3 points and 4.2 rebounds.

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Elias Rapieque and Mobi Ikegwuruka also both missed this game for undisclosed reasons. Rapieque has been out for three straight games. Ikegwuruka has been out for four.

Without them, the Wildcats used a starting lineup that featured Dorin Buca at center, Castillo at guard and Taj Manning at forward along with usual starters Haggerty and Nate Johnson.

“It’s next man up,” Haggerty said. “(Castillo) hit six 3-pointers. (Andrej Kostic) came in and made some shots. So did CJ (Jones). We have got everybody just doing their role and just playing a big part in our team.”

Source: Utah News

3 takeaways from Utah’s 3-point loss at Kansas State

Game matched up two of the Big 12’s best scorers in Terrence Brown and P.J. Haggerty — and they put on a show.

Utah’s pursuit of a second straight Big 12 win came up short, as the Runnin’ Utes fell 81-78 to Kansas State at the Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas, on Tuesday night.

Utah had opportunities to tie the game on its final two possessions, but Don McHenry made just 1 of 2 free throws on the first possession and Terrence Brown missed a 3-pointer on the Utes’ last-gasp try to tie it.

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Here are three takeaways from the loss that moved Utah’s record to 9-10 overall, 1-5 in Big 12 play.

A showcase of two high scorers

Tuesday’s matchup featured two of the Big 12 top scorers in Utah’s Brown and Kansas State’s P.J. Haggerty, the latter of whom led the league in scoring going into the night at 22.8 points per game, while Brown was third at 21.6.

That matchup absolutely delivered.

Brown scored 14 points in the first half, shooting 6 of 11 with a pair of 3-pointers to go with three rebounds and an assist.

Haggerty got off to a slower start with six first-half points on 3 of 11 shooting, though he added four rebounds and four assists.

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Then, they both turned it up a notch in the second half — especially Haggerty.

Haggerty scored 28 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, while shooting 12 of 18 from the floor. That included the go-ahead jumper with 39 seconds to play to give the Wildcats the lead for good.

Haggerty also had eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win.

Brown, meanwhile, scored 33 points on the night, shooting 14 of 24 from the field and 4 of 7 from 3.

He added four rebounds, two assists and four steals, though he accounted for six of Utah’s nine turnovers.

It was fitting that both players had the ball in their hands at the end of a thrilling game.

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3-point shooting a key

One of the few statistics wherein there was a clear winner was 3-point shooting, and it favored the Wildcats.

David Castillo, who was in the starting lineup for injured guard Abdi Bashir Jr., broke his career-high for made 3s with six. He hit 5 of 7 before the break, helping him put up 17 first-half points.

The Wildcats shot 10 of 18 from 3 in the first half, which included Nate Johnson hitting 3 of 4 and Andrej Kostic 2 of 3.

By game’s end, the Wildcats made 12 of 23 from 3-point range, while Utah was 8 of 23.

That played a key role in Kansas State’s win, as it helped the Wildcats overcome losing the rebounding battle 34-29 to Utah and the Utes outscoring the Wildcats 40-32 in the paint.

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Utah got help in the front court

With Utah forward Keanu Dawes dealing with a foot injury and being held scoreless (though he did finish with seven rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot), the Utes had to rely on some other players to step up.

Seydou Traore had his second straight double-digit scoring game with 15 points, and he added six rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal.

Josh Hayes also had one of his best games of the season in the paint, scoring nine points on 4 of 5 shooting while adding three rebounds and a block.

It just wasn’t enough to overcome Kansas State, who also got 20 points from Castillo and 17 from Johnson.

Source: Utah News

K-State Defeats Utah 81-78

The Kansas State Wildcats got 71 points from its starting guards to beat Utah 81-78 Tuesday night in Bramlage Coliseum.

The Kansas State Wildcats got 71 points from its starting guards to beat Utah 81-78 Tuesday night in Bramlage Coliseum.

Without the services of Abdi Bashir Jr. and Khamari McGriff, who both missed the game with injuries, the Wildcats (10-9, 1-5 Big 12) had to rely on P.J. Haggerty, David Castillo, and Nate Johnson to carry the scoring load. Their effort, along with 10 points from the supporting cast, proved just barely enough to beat the Utes (9-10, 1-5).

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Castillo did his best Abdi impression early on, scoring 11 of the Cats’ first 13, canning 5 of his 7 three-point attempts, and pouring in 17 points by halftime. Johnson joined in the early fun, making 3 of 4 from deep and scoring 15 in the first period. They finished the game with 20 and 17, respectively.

The second half featured P.J. doing P.J. things, setting up defenders and getting short-range jumpers and floaters to drop. He scored 28 of his game-high 34 in the second half. The only player other than Haggerty, Castillo, or Johnson, to score after halftime was Taj Manning, who took a nice high-low pass down the lane from Johnson for an easy lay-up.

The Cats shot 31-62 (50%) from the floor, including 12-23 (52.2%) from outside the arc. They committed only 10 turnovers and scored a robust 1.209 points per possession.

Though K-State led by as many as 10 in the first half, the Wildcats could never bury the Utes because (stop me if you’ve heard this before), they gave up far too many easy shots and second-chance points. Utah exploited defensive switches and help in the lane for many layups and stick-backs. They scored 40 points in the paint.

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Utah missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer to fall one shot short of 50% themselves, finishing 32-65 from the floor. They were only 8-23 (34.8%) from outside, but they kept pace by winning the second-chance battle 12-6 and earning a 14-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Wildcats could neither stop nor slow Utah’s Terrence Brown, who dropped in 33 points in 32 minutes of playing time. Two other Utes had 15 each.

For the second straight night, P.J. Haggerty was K-State’s leading rebounder with 8. As a team, the Cats were out-rebounded 34-29.

Three in the Key

  1. After the gut-shot Saturday in Stillwater, it’s nice to win a game that came down to the wire. It would be even nicer to win a game without sweating late. As if we have the luxury of being picky.

  2. At this point, calling for the defense to improve is futile. Let’s collectively hope the Cats can drop at least 80 in the rest of its games and see how many opponents they can keep to 79 or fewer. Dark humor or realism? You be the judge.

  3. What cosmic curmudgeon did we offend, and how? As if the season were not disappointing enough, Bashir is lost for at least a month (word is he had surgery for a stress fracture in his foot and will miss 4-6 weeks). We don’t know about McGriff’s injury, but he has been the lone stalwart in the paint, and the lack of scoring from anyone not named P.J., David, or Nate and the lack of experienced size on the defensive end will make the task of earning more conference wins especially difficult.

NEXT UP:

No. 19 Kansas comes calling at 7:00 Saturday. The Jayhawks have played very well in easy wins against No. 2 Iowa State and Baylor. They are presently in a close contest at Colorado, a game that the absurdity of conference realignment and TV obligations dictated should tip off at 10:00 p.m. Central Time. But remember: We care about our “student-athletes.”

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Coach Tang has broken out some unexpected magic for KU in Bramlage during his tenure. The genie will need to rest up for this one.

Source: Utah News

K-State Wildcats vs. Utah Utes: Big 12 basketball game time, TV, odds and pick

The Utes are in their first season with Alex Jensen as head coach. Utah is off to a 9-9 start. It won its first conference game of the season on Saturday when it defeated TCU 82-79 at home. Terrence …

The Kansas State men’s basketball team will be back in action at 8 p.m. Tuesday when it hosts Utah at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State (9-9, 0-5 Big 12) is coming off five straight losses at the start of conference play. Utah (9-9, 1-4 Big 12) is fresh off a win over TCU.

Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff:

K-State vs. Utah game details

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita

Odds: K-State by 8.5 with an O/U of 169.5.

Probable starters

Utah (9-9, 1-4 Big 12)

  • F (0) — Seydou Traore, 6-6, Jr., 8.8 ppg
  • F (8) — Keanu Dawes, 6-9, Jr., 12.5
  • F (32) — James Okonkwo, 6-8, Sr., 2.7
  • G (2) — Terrence Brown, 6-3, Jr., 21.6
  • G (3) — Don McHenry, 6-2, Sr., 18.2

Kansas State (9-9, 0-5 Big 12)

  • F (21) — Khamari McGriff, 6-9, Sr., 10.2
  • F (15) — Taj Manning, 6-7, Jr., 3.4
  • G (34) — Nate Johnson, 6-3, Sr., 11.3
  • G (1) — Abdi Bashir, 6-7, Jr., 13.2
  • G (4) — PJ Haggerty, 6-4, Jr., 22.8

About Utah:

The Utes are in their first season with Alex Jensen as head coach. Utah is off to a 9-9 start. It won its first conference game of the season on Saturday when it defeated TCU 82-79 at home. Terrence Brown and Don McHenry give the Utes a potent scoring punch, as both players are averaging more than 18 points per game.

Utah is at its best from the 3-point line, where it is shooting 36% on the season. But the Utes aren’t particularly strong on defense.

About K-State:

The Wildcats are the only team in the Big 12 without a conference victory. They are 0-5 in the Big 12 for the first time since 1997.

PJ Haggerty leads the team in scoring. Abdi Bashir and Nate Johnson are next. Khamari McGriff has delivered back-to-back strong games for K-State down low, but he is continually in foul trouble. Avoiding that will be important against Utah.

CJ Jones could see extra playing time for the Wildcats while Elias Rapieque and Mobi Ikegwuruka remain out. He scored eight points as a reserve against Oklahoma State.

K-State game prediction:

This is an important week of basketball for the Wildcats.

Jerome Tang can build momentum and fan interest with home games upcoming against Utah and Kansas. The Wildcats will be favored against the Utes and Tang is 3-0 at home against the Jayhawks. A pair of wins could help some forget about an 0-5 start in Big 12 play.

First up is a home game against Utah.

On paper, this is the most winnable game remaining on the K-State schedule. The Wildcats need to take advantage.

I think they will. The Utes are due for a letdown after they won their first conference game of the season against TCU on Saturday. And the Wildcats are due for a win-at-all-costs effort as they look to end a five-game losing streak.

Furthermore, this is typically the type of matchup that K-State has excelled against this season. Utah is allowing 87.6 points per game against conference opponents. It is allowing teams to shoot 33.6% from 3-point range and 54.1% from within the arc. The Utes also rarely create turnovers on defense and struggle on the offensive glass. Perhaps best of all for K-State, Utah doesn’t usually shoot many free throws.

One more thing: Utah is 0-4 in true road games.

It’s hard to pick K-State to win right now, but the Wildcats should prevail in this game. Here’s guessing they make perimeter shots and Haggerty has a big day on their way to a home victory.

K-State 88, Utah 80

Last game prediction: Oklahoma State 89, K-State 83 ✅ (actual score: K-State 84, Oklahoma State 83)

Season record: 11-7.

Season record ATS: 7-11.

Season record O/U: 12-6.

Related Stories from Kansas City Star

Kellis Robinett

The Wichita Eagle

Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.

Source: Utah News

What are Utah football’s odds to win the 2027 national championship?

Yes, we’re already looking ahead to the next college football season. And yes, a lot can change between Monday’s national championship game and the last week of …

Yes, we’re already looking ahead to the next college football season.

And yes, a lot can change between Monday’s national championship game and the last week of August. But that’s not going to stop us from looking at the early odds for Utah and the rest of the Big 12 to win the conference in 2026.

With Indiana’s 27-21 victory over Miami on Monday night, the Utes opened with +6500 odds to win the 2027 national championship in FanDuel Sportsbook’s initial betting lines for next season. Seventeen other teams had shorter odds of winning the title, with Ohio State and Notre Dame leading the pack at +650.

Coming off its first national championship, Indiana had the third-shortest odds to win it all again next season at +700. Texas (+750) and Oregon (+900) were the only other schools with better than +1000 odds.

In the Big 12, only Texas Tech (+1600) opened with better national championship odds than Utah.

While the Utes’ odds might appear long, fans might as well take solace in knowing the Hoosiers had +10000 odds in the preseason to win the 2026 national championship. For reference, Nebraska — the team Utah would go on to beat in the Las Vegas Bowl — had the same title odds as Indiana going into the season.

In addition to bringing back key pieces from an 11-2 squad that ended the 2025 campaign on a six-game winning streak, the Utes have spent the past few weeks retooling parts of their roster with experienced players Morgan Scalley and his coaching staff have been able to acquire out of the transfer portal.

From the junior college level to the power conference ranks, Utah’s net in the portal has been cast far and wide as it looks to fill the voids that were created by the departures of notable starters and depth pieces on both sides of the ball. Only time will tell how Scalley and company fit all the pieces together for his first season at the helm of his alma-mater.

In reality, one of the only certainties regarding next season is what Utah’s schedule will look like (to a degree). Still, having an idea of the opponents the Utes will play at home and on the road can perhaps lend some sort of idea as to how their 2026 season will play out.

Utah’s 2026 Big 12 Schedule

Home games

  • BYU (12-2)
  • Houston (10-3)
  • Kansas (5-7)
  • West Virginia (4-8)

Away games

  • Arizona (9-4)
  • Cincinnati (7-6)
  • Colorado (3-9)
  • Iowa State (8-4)
  • TCU (9-4)

While the Big 12 is still in the process of finalizing dates for each of its members’ conference schedule, the Utes’ nonleague schedule is already filled out. Utah will kick off the season on Sept. 3 against Idaho at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes return to action Sept. 12 to host Arkansas, then round out nonconference action with an in-state clash featuring Utah State on Sept. 19 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Of course, résumé and strength of schedule matter when it comes to making a case to be included in the College Football Playoff, which is why it’s important to keep the Utes’ schedule in mind when looking at the initial betting lines for next season.

2027 National Championship Odds

  • Ohio State (+650)
  • Notre Dame (+650)
  • Indiana (+700)
  • Texas (+750)
  • Oregon (+900)
  • Georgia (+1100)
  • LSU (+1400)
  • Texas A&M (+1500)
  • Texas Tech (+1600)
  • Miami (+1900)
  • Alabama (+2200)
  • Oklahoma (+2700)
  • USC (+3000)
  • Michigan (+4000)
  • Auburn (+4500)
  • Ole Miss (+4500)
  • Tennessee (+6000)
  • Utah (+6500)
  • Missouri (+8000)
  • Florida (+8000)


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Source: Utah News

Ranking Utah football’s biggest transfer portal losses

Morgan Scalley made it clear during his introductory press conference as the Utah football head coach that player retention would be a top priority for him and …

Morgan Scalley made it clear during his introductory press conference as the Utah football head coach that player retention would be a top priority for him and his first-year staff.

Despite as seamless of a transition as the Utes could’ve hoped for between the Kyle Whittingham regime and the Scalley administration, there were a handful of Utah players who felt like testing their value on the open market.

Whittingham’s decision to take the Michigan coaching job influenced a few of his former players to follow him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, via the transfer portal, causing some outrage from Utah fans over the fallout of his departure.

All things considered, Utah was able to bring back a good majority of the key pieces from last season’s 11-2 squad. Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin both announced they’d be back in Salt Lake City, giving the Utes options at the quarterback position for 2026 and potentially beyond. They’ll be joined in the backfield by Wayshawn Parker, Utah’s leading rusher in 2025.

Defensively, the Utes returned Jackson Bennee, Rabbit Evans, Elijah “Scooby” Davis and Levani Damuni, along with a few other key members of the Utah defense.

That said, the Utes weren’t exempt from the mass roster turnover going on around the country, which meant Scalley and company had to go to work in the portal to fill the voids created by some of their outgoing talent.

Here’s a look at the Utes’ biggest portal losses.

1. JJ Buchanan (Michigan)

Former Utah Utes tight end JJ Buchanan (81).

Former Utah Utes tight end/wide receiver JJ Buchanan. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There wasn’t much contemplation over who was the most deserving of the No. 1 spot on this list; JJ Buchanan proved how valuable he could’ve been to Utah’s future while showing great potential as a freshman in 2025.

The former four-star and top-10 athlete recruit in the 2025 class was listed as a tight end early on but operated more like a wide receiver over the course of the season, developing into one of Devon Dampier’s top targets by the end of the campaign. Buchanan finished with 427 receiving yards — third-most on the team — and five touchdowns on 26 receptions, including a career-high 76 yards on four catches in Utah’s 44-22 victory over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl.

With the Utes’ top two options in the passing game — Ryan Davis and Dallen Bentley — departing in the spring, it was expected that Buchanan would return to Salt Lake City and compete for the role of No. 1 receiver in 2026. But following the changes to the Utah coaching staff, Buchanan decided to test his value on the open market, becoming the biggest portal loss for the Utes in the current transfer cycle.

2. Jonah Lea’ea (Michigan)

Former Utah Utes defensive tackle Jonah Lea'ea (91).

Former Utah Utes defensive tackle Jonah Lea’ea (91). | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Given the attention Utah’s edge rushers garnered and the struggles the Utes faced while defending the run, Jonah Lea’ea wasn’t always talked about as one of the key pieces of Scalley’s unit in 2025.

That said, the jump Lea’ea made as a redshirt sophomore was quite noticeable.

After appearing in six contests in 2024, the 6-foot-5, 285 pound defensive tackle started all 13 games and recorded 34 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and one sack for the Utes this past season. He also deflected a pass against Cincinnati and forced a fumble against West Virginia.

The increase in Lea’ea’s production — which drew high praise from Scalley during his introductory press conference — pointed toward a bright future ahead for the former three-star recruit out of Bishop Gorman High School (Nevada). It also earned Lea’ea a grade as the No. 42 defensive lineman in the portal, according to 247Sports.

3. Dallas Vakalahi (Penn State)

Former Utah Utes defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi.

Former Utah Utes defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dallas Vakalahi didn’t necessarily take a massive step forward in his development after showing promise as a freshman in 2024, as his playing time and backup role to Aliki Vimahi were likely influenced by Vakalahi not being 100% healthy for the whole season.

With Vimahi set to graduate, Vakalahi could’ve been in position to compete for a spot in the starting lineup as a junior; instead, his trajectory with the Utes will be more “what ifs” than anything else.

4. Smith Snowden (Michigan)

FormerUtah Utes cornerback Smith Snowden (2).

Former Utah Utes cornerback Smith Snowden (2). | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Eligibility played a vital role in determining the order of this list — Smith Snowden’s entry was an exception.

Snowden, who completed his third year of college ball in 2025, played a key role for the Utah defense, which ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 in pass defense efficiency (102.3) while allowing the lowest completion percentage (49.4%) and the second-fewest yards through the air on average (177.8) in the league. He finished the season with 37 tackles, including two for loss, and 11 passes defended (nine pass break-ups, two interceptions). That effort earned the Lehi, Utah, native All-Big 12 second team honors.

Snowden had done a little bit of everything over the course of his Utah career, wearing hats as a returner, cornerback, nickel back and even as a wide receiver early on in the 2025 season. He would’ve been an important player for the 2026 squad given his experience and pedigree, especially considering the Utes lost more depth at the cornerback position during the transfer cycle.

5. John Henry Daley (Michigan)

Former Utah Utes defensive end John Henry Daley.

Former Utah Utes defensive end John Henry Daley. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Finding the right spot on this list for John Henry Daley required balancing the All-America season he put together in 2025 with the question marks surrounding his reported Achilles injury he suffered in late November.

If the star pass rusher returns to action in spring like he claimed on social media, then he’d have a chance to be a real force for the Wolverines in 2026. But if he’s still not 100% healthy by the start of next season and follows the typical recovery timeline for an injury of that magnitude, it could be a while before Daley is back to his normal self.

Whether Daley missed all of next season or played and put together another massive stat line, his departure would still loom large for Utah. He’d have at least two more seasons of eligibility (if he doesn’t get another redshirt for 2026) and would’ve been a cornerstone of the Utes defense when healthy.

Admittedly, those are a lot of “ifs.” It’s clear, though, that at full strength, Daley can be one of the best pass rushers in the country.

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Source: Utah News

Southern Utah transfer WR Shane Carr commits to Kentucky

Southern Utah transfer wide receiver Shane Carr has committed to Kentucky, On3’s Pete Nakos reports. This past season, the Bakersfield native hauled in 50 receptions for 744 yards and four touchdowns.

Southern Utah transfer wide receiver Shane Carr has committed to Kentucky, On3’s Pete Nakos reports.

This past season, the Bakersfield native hauled in 50 receptions for 744 yards and four touchdowns. Over the past two years, Carr boasts 81 catches for 1,371 yards and 10 touchdowns. He becomes Kentucky‘s fourth receiver addition out of the Portal, joining Louisville‘s Brock Coffman, UAB‘s Xavier Daisy, and ArkansasJa’Kayden Ferguson.

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Carr was tabbed as the No. 934 ranked player (No. 127 wide receiver) in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

The former Southern Utah receiver is the latest addition out of the Transfer Portal for newly hired Kentucky head coach Will Stein. Stein, who pulled double duty as Oregon‘s offensive coordinator until its loss to Indiana in Semifinals of the College Football Playoff, explained his recruiting philosophy at his introductory press conference.

“Guys still want to be recruited old school,” Stein said. “You have to know mom, grandma, aunt, coach. Have you to be completely entrenched in these people’s lives. When you can do that, you don’t always have to be the highest bidder. If the first conversation is about money, probably not the place for you. Not because lack of it. We have plenty of that here.”

“I talked to about 10,000 people at the basketball game, all willing and supportive of the program. I know we have that. But that can’t be the first thing you talk about. I want guys that love football, that want to compete every single day, be the best version of themselves and win.”

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Carr becomes another target for Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey, who originally committed to Nebraska following his transfer from Notre Dame, but flipped his commitment to Stein and Kentucky the following day.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Source: Utah News