Utah basketball reportedly committed for Charleston Classic multi-team event

A significance piece of the Utah basketball's little-known nonconference schedule for the 2026-27 season may have been revealed Thursday night.

According to Rocco Miller of the bracketeer.org, the Utes are one of five teams committed to play in the 2026 Charleston Classic in Charleston, South Carolina, this November. Dayton, Virginia Tech, Minnesota and Oklahoma State are also set to be part of the event, which will consist of two four-team pods playing games at TD Arena.

The official bracket for the Charleston Classic hasn't been announced yet, nor have the dates for this year's event been revealed by the tournament's organizers. Per Miller, there are still three open spots to fill to get to eight participating teams.

Assuming it's true, Miller's report provides a glimpse at what Utah's nonleague slate for Alex Jensen's second season at the helm will look like. Not much else has been reported about the Utes' schedule to this point, other than it's expected that Utah will host Washington in Salt Lake City as part of the home-and-home series the two schools agreed upon last summer. The Utes lost to the Huskies in Seattle this past season in a 74-65 final.

Utah's first appearance in a multi-team event under Jensen warranted mixed results. After surviving Purdue Fort-Wayne in their Acrisure series opener in Salt Lake City, the Utes traveled down to Palm Desert, California, and lost to Grand Canyon, 68-58, only to then knock off Ole Miss, 75-74, thanks to some clutch free throws from Don McHenry at the end of regulation.

That narrow victory over the Rebels was one of Utah's two wins outside of the Huntsman Center on the season. The Utes will undoubtedly need to better on the road in 2026-27 if they're to avoid another last-place finish in the Big 12 standings.

Perhaps a new cast of characters will warrant better results than a 10-22 record and 2-16 showing in conference play. Four incoming transfers, a recruiting class enriched with international talent and a couple of returners to round out the edges make up Jensen's squad, which lost 11 transfers and a pair of starters to exhausted eligibility.

While Utah's roster is near finalization, more information about the team's schedule will likely come to light in the coming months, with the last piece of the puzzle being the Utes' conference slate. The Big 12 didn't unveil its complete 2026 schedule until late September.

Per multiple sources, the 2026 Charleston Classic will once again consist of the Palmetto Bracket and Lowcountry Bracket. A pair of four-team pods. Dayton, Virginia Tech, Utah, Minnesota, and Oklahoma State are committed with three more spots TBA.#CharlestonClassic https://t.co/IX1DU1ONDV
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) May 8, 2026

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