While none of Utah's Division I men's college basketball teams clinched their respective conference championships in the 2020-21 season, two of them still made it into the "March Madness" NCAA tournament.
Teams that won their conference tournaments were automatically given a spot. The others were selected Sunday evening.
Brigham Young University and Utah State University were both lucky (and deserving) enough to receive invites to the "Big Dance."
While the season is now officially over for the five other programs, many of them performed well in their respective seasons and conference tournaments. They all had players who received postseason awards or honors of some sort. Details from their seasons are below.
Team-by-team breakdown:
BYU:
- West Coast Conference tournament 2nd seed
- Bye in first round; Bye in second round; Bye in quarterfinals; Won semi-final 82-77 vs. #3 Pepperdine; Lost final 78-88 to #1 Gonzaga
- 19-5 season record; 10-3 conference
- WCC awards/honors:
- Senior forward/center Matt Haarms: Defensive Player of the Year
- Senior guard Alex Barcello: All-Conference First Team
- Haarms: All-Conference Second Team
- Senior guard Brandon Averette: All-Conference Second Team
- Forward Caleb Lohner: All-Conference Freshman Team
- The Cougars were selected as the 6th seed in the East Region of the NCAA tournament. They will play Saturday against the winner between Michigan State and UCLA.
Utah State:
- Mountain West Conference tournament 2nd seed
- Bye in first round; Won quarterfinal 74-53 vs. #7 UNLV; Won semi-final 62-50 vs. #3 Colorado State; Lost final 57-68 to #1 San Diego State
- 18-7 season record; 15-4 conference
- MWC awards/honors:
- Junior center Neemias Queta: Defensive Player of the Year
- Senior forward Alphonso Anderson: Sixth Man of the Year
- Queta: All-Conference First Team
- Junior forward Justin Bean: All-Conference Second Team
- Queta: All-Conference Defensive Team
- Junior guard Marco Anthony: All-Conference Defensive Team
- The Aggies were selected as the 11th seed in the South Region. They will play #6 Texas Tech on Friday.
Utah:
- Pac-12 Conference tournament 7th seed
- Won first round 98-95 vs. #10 Washington; Lost quarterfinal 85-91 to #2 USC
- 11-12 season record; 8-11 conference
- Pac-12 awards/honors:
- Junior forward Timmy Allen: All-Conference First Team
Southern Utah:
- Big Sky Conference tournament 1st seed
- Bye in first round; Won quarterfinal 91-83 vs. #8 Northern Colorado; Lost semi-final 77-80 to #5 Montana State
- 19-3 season record; 12-2 in conference
- BSC awards/honors:
- Junior guard Tevian Jones: All-Conference First Team
- Junior forward Maizen Fausett: All-Conference Second Team
- Senior guard John Knight III: All-Conference Second Team
- Senior guard Dre Marin; Honorable Mention
Weber State:
- Big Sky Conference tournament 3rd seed
- Bye in first round; Lost quarterfinal 75-80 to #6 Montana
- 17-5 season record; 12-3 in conference
- BSC awards/honors:
- Senior guard Isiah Brown: All-Conference First Team
- Sophomore guard Seikou Sisoho Jawara: All-Conference Second Team
- Brown: Newcomer of the Year
- Forward Dillon Jones: Freshman of the Year
Utah Valley:
- Western Athletic Conference tournament 2nd seed
- Bye in quarterfinals; Lost semi-final 62-78 to #3 New Mexico State
- 11-10 season record; 9-4 conference
- WAC awards/honors:
- Sophomore center Fardaws Aimaq: Player of the Year
- Aimaq: Defensive Player of the Year
- Aimaq: All-Conference First Team
- Senior guard Jamison Overton: All-Conference Second Team
- Aimaq: All-Conference All-Defensive Team
- Aimaq: All-Newcomer Team
- Senior forward Evan Cole: Honorable Mention
- Junior guard Trey Woodbury: Honorable Mention
Dixie State:
- Western Athletic Conference 8th place
- Ineligible for tournament due to transition from Division II to Division I
- 8-13 season record; 4-10 conference
- WAC awards/honors:
- Junior guard Cameron Gooden: Honorable Mention
- Senior forward Hunter Schofield: Honorable Mention
