Utah guard questionable vs. Cincinnati in Big 12 tournament matchup

The Utah men's basketball team is in Kansas City, Missouri, for its opening round matchup against Cincinnati in the Big 12 tournament.

Whether the Runnin' Utes have Lucas Langarita available for Tuesday's postseason contest with the Bearcats (1 p.m. MT, ESPN+) remains to be seen, though, as the freshman guard has been listed as "questionable" in the team's initial availability report.

Langarita, who joined Utah (10-21, 2-16 Big 12) in December, missed a majority of conference play due to an undisclosed injury. He was sidelined for 12 straight games following his debut against BYU on Jan. 10, then appeared in Utah's final three regular season games as a backup guard.

It was thought when Utah signed him from his professional club in Spain that Langarita would be able to provide backcourt depth and shooting for Alex Jensen's squad, though his ailment has prevented those hopes from coming to fruition. In total, the 6-foot-5 guard totaled eight points, three assists, five rebounds and eight turnovers in 52 minutes in his four regular season games.

While the Utes await further information to come out about Langarita, they know for certain that sharpshooting guard Jacob Patrick won't be in uniform once again due to injury. The 6-foot-6 junior who was shooting 46.5% from 3 at the start of the season hasn't played since Utah's home win over Cal Baptist on Dec. 6.

Babacar Faye has, as expected, been ruled out for Tuesday's game as well. The fifth-year forward hasn't played this season due to a leg injury he suffered in September.

The Bearcats (17-14, 9-9 Big 12) will seemingly be at full-strength for Tuesday's tilt at T-Mobile Center after listing Jalen Haynes as the only player who will sit out. Haynes hasn't played all season following successful surgery for a knee injury in the fall. The 6-foot-8 forward was an All-Atlantic 10 first-team selection at George Mason last season.

The winner of Tuesday's game will play 8-seeded UCF in the second round of the Big 12 tournament, set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. MT.

Utah Availability Report

Out

F Babacar Faye
G Jacob Patrick

Questionable

G Lucas Langarita

Cincinnati Availability Report

Out

F Jalen Haynes

How to Watch Utah vs. Cincinnati

Date: Tuesday, March 10
Game Time: Noon PT/1 p.m. MT
Where: T-Mobile Center | Kansas City, Missouri
How to watch (TV): ESPN+
Radio: ESPN 700
Live stats feed: www.statbroadcast.com
KenPom prediction: Cincinnati 76, Utah 66