Iowa men face Utah in NIT second-round Sunday in Salt Lake City
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa junior forward Payton Sandfort will have another chance to play the game that he loves on Sunday against Utah in the second round of the NIT.
Iowa will play in the NIT Second Round for a sixth time in program history, facing No. 2 seed Utah in Salt Lake City. It is just the second meeting all-time between the two teams.
A victory Sunday would give Iowa 20 wins for the ninth time under head coach Fran McCaffery and for the 31st time in program history.
With a victory, Iowa also would host either South Florida or VCU on March 26 or March 27 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa is making its ninth NIT appearance in program history and first since 2016-17. It is Iowa’s 11th postseason appearance under
McCaffery (seven NCAAs, 4 NITs) and the 17th postseason appearance of McCaffery’s career.
Iowa advanced to the second round by defeating Kansas State 91-82 this past Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Payton Sandfort led the way for Iowa with a career-high 30 points. He also made seven 3-point baskets and grabbed 12 rebounds.
“I think it’s another chance to play basketball, and honestly, that was some of the most fun I ever had,” Sandfort said after the victory over Kansas State.
Utah brings a 20-14 overall record into the NIT Second Round. Utah defeated UC Irvine, 84-75, on March 19 in Salt Lake City.
Utah finished 9-11 in the Pac-12, tying for sixth place.
The Utes’ leading scorer, Branden Carlson, was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection for a second straight season. He leads the team in scoring (17.2 points), rebounds (6.9) and blocks (52).
Gabe Madsen averages 13.1 points and has a league best 90 3-point field goals, while Devion Smith averages 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds with a team-high 170 assists. Smith, who was an honorable mention all-league selection, has three triple-doubles and 11 double-doubles in 2023-24.
The Runnin’ Utes have six players averaging at least 8.6 points per game and the team averages 8.9 3-point field goals per contest — ranking second in the Pac-12 and 43rd nationally.
Utah is 16th nationally in assists (17.4) per game and ranks in the top-32 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50).
Iowa (19-14) vs. Utah (20-14)
When: Sunday, 8 pm.
Where: Salt Lake City, Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)
What: NIT second-round game
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network
All-time series: Sunday’s game will be just the second meeting all-time between Iowa and Utah. It is the first game played on a home court. The Utes beat Iowa, 92-88, on a neutral court at the Los Angeles Classic in California in 1964.
The game is Iowa’s first against a PAC-12 opponent since facing Oregon in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021. The Ducks downed the Hawkeyes, 95-80.
Iowa and Utah are scheduled to face one another next season in a neutral site game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the Sanford Pentagon on Dec. 21, 2024.
Hawkeyesports.com contributed to this report