One lawsuit and a global pandemic later, the University of Utah and Fresno State have come to terms on rescheduling a men’s basketball game that was canceled due to COVID-19.
Utah will pay Fresno $90,000 plus two nights lodging for a game to be played Dec. 21 at the Huntsman Center, per the terms of a contract signed late last month.
Utah filed suit last November after Fresno claimed it was owed more than double the original amount agreed upon for the game. Fresno had been guaranteed $90,000 for the game, per the original agreement, but later contended that the school was owed $200,000 as a result of the cancelation. That lawsuit was dismissed two months later, with both teams agreeing to reschedule the game for 2021.
The Runnin’ Utes’ basketball schedule for the upcoming season continues to come together.
The Utes announced this week they will play in the Sunshine Slam tournament Nov. 20-21. Boston College, Rhode Island, and Tulsa will join Utah in Daytona Beach, Fla., for the competition. Utah will host Bethune-Cookman at the Huntsman Center on Nov. 15 before taking on Boston College in Florida on Nov. 20.
The rest of Utah’s non-conference schedule could also be impacted by pandemic scheduling.
The Fresno contest was one of five non-conference games Utah lost to the COVID-19 pandemic last season. Of those five, four were to take place at the Huntsman Center as guarantee games.
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan has previously indicated he would try to reschedule those games against Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State and Rice played, potentially as early as next season. A sixth lost non-conference game, the original Nov. 10 season-opener vs. Utah Valley, was rescheduled for Dec. 15 at a reduced guarantee figure. Instead of the originally agreed-upon $80,000, the Wolverines signed on for $40,000.
