How to watch, listen to Utah vs. Sam Houston college basketball game

Runnin' Utes enter the back half of their six-game homestead

Utah Runnin' Utes guard Terrence Brown (2) and head coach Alex Jensen speak during a second half break in action in a game against the Weber State Wildcats at Jon M. Huntsman Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The first two weeks of the 2025-26 season provided Alex Jensen plenty of teaching moments for his Utah basketball team to take with it into the thick of the team's nonconference schedule.

Rebounding, communication and defensive intensity were among the key takeaways, providing the Runnin' Utes (3-0) some wrinkles to work as they geared up for their Saturday night matchup against Sam Houston (1-1).

Utah survived the first half of its six-game homestead, which included a come-from-behind win in overtime over Weber State, because it was able to outpace its mid-major opponents on the offensive end of the floor. Terrence Brown led the charge early on with 23 points and 4.3 assists per game, guiding the Runnin' Utes to wins over San Jose State (12 points), Weber State (36 points) and Holy Cross (21 points).

Western Kentucky transfer Don McHenry (18 ppg) and junior forward Keanu Dawes (12.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg) pitched in to do some of the heavy lifting for Utah, which put up 87.7 points per contest through its first three games. Defensively, though, the Runnin' Utes had a hard time containing perimeter players off the dribble and lacked a certain level of focus Jensen would like to see from his squad moving forward.

"I think just overall, making it a priority," Jensen said about his team's effort defensively following the Holy Cross game. "That's where the game starts."

Utah will look to clean up some of its defensive lapses against a team picked to finish No. 9 out of 12 in the Conference USA preseason poll, and one that lost roughly 96% of its scoring production from last season's 13-19 squad.

Scouting the Bearkats

The transfers head coach Chris Mudge brought in over the offseason to make up for the mass exodus registered some positive returns early on, with NAIA All-American Kashi Natt putting up a double-double (11.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg) in the team's first two games of the season against Division III foe LeTourneau (Texas) and Texas Tech.

Natt, a 6-foot-3 guard from Louisiana, helped the Bearkats pester the Red Raiders early on in their Nov. 7 matchup. Sam Houston hung around in the first half, trailing 26-22 with about 8 minutes until halftime, before National Player of the Year candidate JT Toppin (31 points) fueled Texas Tech down the stretch for a 98-77 victory.

Natt finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. George Mason transfer Justin Begg paced in scoring with 17 points. Freshman guard Jacob Walker, coming off a 17-point outing in the Bearkats' 95-59 win over LeTourneau in their season-opener, was limited to five points against the Red Raiders.

Sam Houston did welcome back Damon Nicholas Jr. after he missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. The 6-foot-4 redshirt senior averaged 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 33 games played during the 2023-24 campaign.

The Bearkats entered Saturday's game ranked No. 176 on KenPom.com.

How to watch Sam Houston State vs. Utah

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 15
• Game Time: 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT
• Where: Jon M. Huntsman Center
• How to watch (TV): ESPN+
• Radio: ESPN700
• KenPom's final score prediction: Utah 85, Sam Houston 73