How to watch, stream Utah basketball vs. Nevada exhibition game

Runnin' Utes host the Wolf Pack in first exhibition game of 2025-26 season

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen enters his first season at the helm of his alma-mater. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The first look at the 2025-26 Utah men's basketball team will come via an exhibition contest on Friday against Nevada at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

The free-to-attend event will also be available to stream on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. MT. Bill Riley, the official voice of the Utes, and former Utah forward Sean Mooney will be on the call for first-year head coach Alex Jensen's unofficial debut as the leader of the Runnin' Utes.

Jensen, who took the reins of his alma mater in March after spending over roughly a dozen years in the NBA ranks, revamped Utah's roster over the offseason by bringing in 12 newcomers to surround returners Keanu Dawes, Jerry Huang and Ibi Traore.

Jensen and company's haul includes fifth-year guard Don McHenry (17 ppg at Western Kentucky), Elijah "Choppa" Moore (5.2 ppg at Syracuse), 6-foot-8 forward James Okonkwo (6.9 ppg at Akron), 6-foot-3 guard Terrence Brown (20.6 ppg at Fairleigh Dickinson), 6-foot-6 wing Jahki Howard (4.2 ppg at Auburn), 6-foot-7 forward Seydou Traore (5.9 ppg at Iowa), 6-foot-8 forward Babacar Faye (15.2 pgg at Western Kentucky), 6-foot-10 junior college transfer Joshua Hayes (9.9 ppg at Northwest Florida State College), 6-foot-5 guard Alvin Jackson III (6.4 ppg at Salt Lake City Community College) and German guard Jacob Patrick; plus a trio of freshmen in Kendyl Sanders and Obomate Abbey.

Nov 26, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers guard Don McHenry (2) defends during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Runnin' Utes won't, however, have Faye's services for the 2025-26 season following a leg injury he sustained during practice. The fifth-year forward was expected to bring favorable size, athleticism and productivity to Utah's frontcourt; he was rated a three-star transfer on 247Sports and checked in as the second-most valuable player on Utah's 2025-26 roster based on his Bayesian Performance Rating on EvanMiya.com.

Even so, it'll likely take some time before Jensen and his staff settle on a rotation they believe gives them the best chance to compete in the Big 12.

"[We're] getting a better idea every day," Jensen said of his team's identity during a media availability session in September. "We don't know who's going to start right now, what the rotations will be like, and it's actually been enjoyable, because I like the group we have, and there's a lot of different combinations, I think, that we can go through."

Friday will be the first of two scrimmages for the Runnin' Utes, with another friendly against Oregon set for Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. MT in Eugene, Oregon.

How to watch Nevada vs. Utah

• Date: Friday, Oct. 17
• Game Time: 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT
• Where: Jon M. Huntsman Center
• How to watch (TV): ESPN+