The Utes were one week removed from beating Kansas and Kansas State. They were a tick under .500 in Big 12 play, and they had a manageable stretch upcoming — so manageable that it was easy to envision the Utes, who were picked dead last in the Big 12’s preseason media poll, finishing as high as sixth or seventh place.

ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla believes Craig Smith’s firing from Utah had little to do with his coaching ability. Instead, Fraschilla pointed to the growing influence of NIL (Name, Image,

Utah men's basketball coach Craig Smith was fired Monday with four games remaining in his fourth season at the school