Utes Bulletin: Things Happening In Utah Athletics (Week Of 1/9/23)

SALT LAKE CITY – With football on a bit of a hiatus till February’s final signing period for the 2023 class and several of the smaller sports in full-swing and having success, we thought a one-stop-shop for little tidbits of information might be helpful for you, the fan. This list will include rankings updates, upcoming events for the week, and important dates to keep track of among other things of interest concerning Utah Athletics for the week of 1/9/23.

Utah Athletics 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊

🏀 @UtahMBB
🏊 @UTAHswimdive
⛷ @utahskiteam
🤸‍♀️ @UtahGymnastics
🏀 @UtahWBB

🎟 https://t.co/pL7bwJAt8N#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/hRIjX2zfGn

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) January 9, 2023

Utah Gymnastics

The Red Rocks impressed last week in their season-opener against LSU coming in at No. 6 this week in the rankings and will be looking to keep the positive momentum going in the Rio Tinto Best of Utah meet. This meet will feature Southern Utah, Utah State, BYU, and of course, Utah gymnastics.

𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝟭 ⇨ Ranked #6

Event Rankings ⤵️
Vault: 5th
Bars: 9th
Beam: 4th
Floor: 14th#trUSt pic.twitter.com/R9XbKKnhnq

— Utah Gymnastics (@UtahGymnastics) January 9, 2023

You check the meet out on Friday, January 13 at the Maverik Center in West Valley, Utah. The podium quad-meet will begin at 6:45 pm MT and can also be viewed on BYUtv if making it in-person isn’t possible.

Utah Women’s Basketball

Utah women’s basketball suffered their first loss of the season last week against Colorado and now sit at 14-1. Despite the setback, the ladies came in ranked Monday afternoon No. 10 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Three #Pac12WBB teams crack the top 10 in this week’s @AP_Top25 poll. 👏

Full rankings ⤵️#BackThePac | @Vegas pic.twitter.com/Je6LqQ4v4m

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) January 9, 2023

Head coach Lynne Roberts and the Utes will be home for the first time since December 22, 2022, this week hosting the Arizona schools and looking to bounce back from the Buffs.

ASU will roll in first on Friday, January 13 at 7 pm MT. Arizona will follow up on Sunday, January 15 at 12 pm MT. Both games can be viewed on the Pac-12 Networks, but fans are highly encouraged to come out to the Huntsman Center if they can.

ASU Game Canceled

Wednesday afternoon Utah Athletics announced the game against ASU for the women’s team was canceled due to a large number of injuries for the Sun Devils. The only game for the Utes this week will take place on Sunday against Arizona at noon.

More Recognition For Alissa Pili

While the announcement of the game cancelation was a downer Wednesday, the announcement of more recognition for junior forward Alissa Pili was not.

Pili was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List. Pili is listed among 21 of the most outstanding women’s college basketball players.

Another Midseason Watch List for @alissa_pili!

Congrats to Alissa on the @USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List. 1 of 21 in the nation!https://t.co/p3C8e6zXrd

— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) January 12, 2023

Last week, Pili was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List. Pili currently leads the Utes in scoring for the year and ranks Top-25 nationally in scoring and field goal percentage.

Runnin’ Utes

The Runnin’ Utes will also be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss at home last week to Oregon where the shots just would not fall. It was their first loss of the year in the Pac-12 after starting 5-0 for the first time in conference play in the history of the program.

THANK YOU to all our fans for that came out tonight!! Your energy was ⚡️‼️ pic.twitter.com/EejpGbPXqh

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) January 8, 2023

Craig Smith and his crew will be hitting the road this week to pay the SoCal schools a visit. On Thursday, January 12 the Utes will be at Pauley Pavilion to take on the UCLA Bruins at 9 pm MT. Utah will then face the USC Trojans on Saturday, January 14 at 8:30 pm MT. Both games will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.

Quick Hit Utah Football Stuff

Ok, we can’t totally not talk about football most weeks and this week is no different. After what felt like a deflating loss in their second-straight Rose Bowl appearance last Monday, Utah football received some good news to start the week.

Tight ends Thomas Yassmin and Brant Kuithe, along with wide receiver Devaughn Vele, and star quarterback Cam Rising all announced they will be running it back for the 2023 football season. There are still some questions surrounding Rising due to an injury he sustained in the Rose Bowl and how quickly he will be able to make it back out onto the field, but the vibes appear to be trending in the right direction. We will obviously keep you all updated there as more information becomes available.

For the here and now, assuming Rising will miss some time, this is still good news all the way around for the program. Thomas, Kuithe, and Vele are all experienced players who can really help to offset potentially breaking in a new quarterback. Having Rising at the very minimum around mentoring and leading in that process is huge and if it turns out he will be able to return for most if not all of 2023? Even better.

A Few Important Football Dates

The transfer portal window for winter officially closes on January 18, 2023. This date is important due to the fact transfers out of the program have been slow because of the Rose Bowl. With bowl season now over for the Utes, expect to see some movement up until that deadline.

The Late Signing Period for college football falls on February 1, 2023 this year. Utah should mostly be set for their 2023 class, but there could be a name or two that comes up on that day to round the class out.

Guys Heading To The NFL

Before the Utes took on Penn State in the Rose Bowl both Clark Phillips III and Dalton Kincaid announced their intent to pursue a career in the NFL. Since the game wrapped up last week, a few of their teammates have joined them in their gratitude toward the program and its fans along with announcing going after the 2023 NFL Draft.

Forever Thankful.#GoUtes #GoVandals pic.twitter.com/8N5cqcYZUG

— Logan Kendall (@loganhkendall) January 7, 2023

Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate, defensive end Gabe Reid, tight end Logan Kendall, and wide receiver Solomon Enis will all be joining Phillips III and Kincaid on the path to the draft.

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” 🙏🏾 #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/7rTxJycerd

— Solomon Enis (@SolomonEnis) January 8, 2023

Utah Athletics And NBA All-Star Weekend

Utah Athletics will be playing host to NBA All-Star Weekend practices, the All-Star Celebrity Game, the NBA HBCU Classic and the NBA G-League Next Up Game at the Huntsman Center.

#NBAAllStar is coming to the Huntsman Center!!

⭐️ All-Star Practice
⭐️ All-Star Celebrity Game
⭐️ NBA HBCU Classic
⭐️ @nbagleague Next Up Game

Be There: https://t.co/K6yIqvuZ6N@NBAAllStar | @utahjazz pic.twitter.com/VrvPeo6xfn

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) January 9, 2023

Vote For Former Ute, Kyle Kuzma

Fan voting for the NBA All-Star weekend lineup has begun and former Runnin’ Ute Kyle Kuzma is in the running.

Let’s give our guy @kylekuzma some All-Star love! ⭐️

Kuz is currently 7th in voting for Eastern Conference frontcourt players!

Vote: https://t.co/KjDrpCOi6E

Voting ends Jan. 21! #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/0eR1Z7lu1o

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) January 11, 2023

RELATED: Utes Bulletin: Things Happening In Utah Athletics (Week Of 1/16/23)

Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports

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