Utah basketball reportedly schedules mid-major foe for 2026-27 opening week

Four days after the college basketball season starts, Utah will reportedly host Towson in a nonconference matchup at the Huntsman Center.

According to an X post from The Runnin' Hoops Podcast, the Tigers will make the 2,000-mile trip from Towson, Maryland, to face the Runnin' Utes in Salt Lake City on Nov. 5. Neither school has made an official announcement about the matchup.

At this point, it's Utah's earliest-reported game for the 2026-27 campaign, which is set to officially begin on Nov. 1. The Utes could squeeze in another contest to be played earlier that week, though for now, their reported nonconference schedule includes dates with Towson, Weber State (Nov. 10), Abilene Christian (Dec. 13) and Washington (date TBD).

Utah is also one of the teams linked to the Charleston Classic multi-team event, which is still in the process of assembling an eight-team field and finalizing tournament dates.

The Nov. 5 game against the Tigers will pit the Utes against a Coastal Athletic Association squad led by veteran head coach Pat Skerry, who's been at the helm of Towson since the 2011-12 campaign.

Towson has come a long way since going 1-31 in Skerry's first year at the helm, with four 20-win seasons since 2021 underscoring the progress that's been made over the past 15 years. The Tigers' 19-15 showing in 2025-26 actually broke a streak of four consecutive seasons with 20 or more victories and marked a down year for Skerry and company after they'd clinched the CAA regular season title in 2024-25.

Towson lost some firepower to the transfer portal, including its top two scorers in 6-foot-8 wing Tyler Tejada (Cincinnati) and 6-foot-1 guard Dylan Williamson (Rhode Island); plus another starter in 6-foot-7 forward Tyler Coleman. Skerry did manage to retain former three-star recruit and 6-foot-6 forward, Jaquan Womack, for his sophomore season. The Virginia native put up 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game as a freshman last season.

The Tigers' portal haul to this point is highlighted by Denis Badalau, a 6-foot-9 Rutgers transfer who was rated as a four-star recruit when he left his home Romania to play for Steve Pikiell's Scarlet Knights last season. Badalau decided to continue his collegiate career outside of Piscataway, New Jersey, after averaging 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game in 2025-26.

Skerry and his staff have also reeled in 6-foot-6 guard Zion Stanford (Villanova) and 6-foot-4 point guard Ben Roseborough (San José State) out of the portal.

Utah has made several roster changes as well, including the additions of four transfers and a foreign-enriched recruiting class to help replace the 11 portal departures from last season's 10-22 squad.

More #RunninUtes schedule news to pass along. Per multiple sources - Utah will host Towson on Nov. 5th in the Huntsman Center.

The Tigers finished 19-15 last season.

The two teams most recently met in the 2023 Charleston Classic with the Utes prevailing 77-70. #GoUtes
— The Runnin' Hoops Podcast 🏀🎙️ (@RunninHoopsPod) May 15, 2026

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