For the first time as Big 12 conference rivals, BYU and Utah will clash on the basketball court Saturday night in the first of two regular-season showdowns. BYU basketball hasn't exactly hit the ground running in their inaugural Big 12 campaign.

Salt Lake City; Saturday, 9 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cougars -1; over/under is 151 BOTTOM LINE: BYU takes on Utah in Big 12 action Saturday. The Utes have gone 9-2 at home. Utah ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 36.

Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince delivered standout performances as No. 10 TCU edged past No. 23 Utah, 81-73, in a thrilling Big 12 clash on Friday night. Van

Utah’s men’s basketball team hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since Smith arrived in Salt Lake City. But coaching might not be the Utes' problem.

The Utes fell behind by 21 at halftime and rallied in the second half, but couldn’t overcome the Horned Frogs’ star power.

That led to the Utes taking charge from the get-go against Oklahoma State, as they stormed out to a 12-0 lead and never trailed in beating the Cowboys 83-62 for the program’s first Big 12 Conference win. On Wednesday, Utah kept their toughness trend going, as they went into TCU and walked out with a 73-65 win.

And while TCU’s star guards Vasean Allette (19 points, nine rebounds, four assists) and Noah Reynolds (12 points, three assists) ended up with good numbers, Utah didn’t allow them to burn the Utes outside of a few short stretches.

No. 10 TCU takes on the No. 23 Utah Utes after Sedona Prince scored 27 points in TCU's 90-81 win over the UCF Knights.

BYU will look to stop its three-game road losing streak when the Cougars play Utah. The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season.

NIL has been the talk of the town in college football, and it may have been the deciding factor in two of Utah's biggest winter window departures.

Although the basketball version of the BYU-Utah rivalry isn't as heated as football, there will be plenty of emotions and hype for Saturday's showdown in Salt Lake City.