After a crushing loss to UCF on Sunday, Utah basketball and head coach Craig Smith are going their separate ways. Smith is out as the head coach of the Utes as his fourth season nears its end, according to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68.

Smith departs Utah with a 65-62 record there and zero NCAA Tournament appearances. He has had a winning record with the Utes in each of the past three seasons, including a 22-15 finish in 2023-24. This season, Utah spent much of the season on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but Sunday's loss likely ended its hopes of reaching the postseason barring a Cinderella run in the conference tournament.

Utah seemed to be building some momentum late in February, pulling an upset of Kansas at home and then fending off a hot Kansas State squad. Those two wins caused Utah to show up in some bubble pictures, but a bad loss to UCF — one of the worst teams in the Big 12 — dropped them back down the list and proved to be the final straw for Smith with the school.

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Utah has four games left on its schedule, and it will be a challenge for them to get back on track even if a new, interim head coach inspires them to play some better basketball over the course of the rest of the season. The Utes will play their first game without Smith on Wednesday night on the road against Arizona before games against Arizona State, West Virginia and BYU to close the season.

Smith will be a head coaching candidate across the country this offseason in large part due to his time at Utah State before his stint with Utah. In three seasons with the Aggies, Smith led Utah State to the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons while winning two Mountain West Conference championships.

Utah also had to deal with a gauntlet of a Big 12 schedule with an undermanned roster this season, so its somewhat surprising that the Utes would make this move in the midst of its first season in a very difficult conference.