Utah to Part Ways With Coach Craig Smith in Shocking Move

The Utes are coming off two big wins over Kansas and Kansas State.

Utah Utes men's basketball coach Craig Smith cheers the team on from the sidelines. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah men's basketball made a shocking move on Monday by parting ways with coach Craig Smith amid the team's 15-12 record, the Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported.

The Utes recently upset Kansas 74-67, which was part of the reason the Jayhawks fell out of the AP Poll this week. They also beat Kansas Statein the next contest. Utah holds a 7-9 Big 12 record.

The timing is odd for many reasons, one being that Utah is slated to face No. 22 Arizona on Wednesday. This would be a huge win for the Utes if they can pull off another upset. The team has four more games left this season, with the season finale being against No. 25 BYU.

Smith took over the Utes program in 2021 and has posted a 65-62 record in that span. He never reached the NCAA tournament with Utah, which might have been one of the main reasons that led to him leaving the program.

BREAKING: Utah is parting ways with Craig Smith, source told @TheFieldOf68.

Strange timing.

Utah is 7-9 in the Big 12.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 24, 2025

Smith does have experience in the NCAA tournament in his coaching career, though, as he led Utah State there three seasons in a row from 2018-21 (even though the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

The Utah position will be a big job opening after the season. The Utes' interim coach has not yet been announced.

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