BYU beat Utah at the Marriott Center on Saturday, and at least one member of the Utah faithful came away impressed.
Utah guard Mason Madsen said the Marriott Center atmosphere lived up to his expectations and he wished he played in front of an environment like that.
“I will say, it would probably be fun to play for BYU and have those fans. Because that was pretty sick,” the senior said. “That is something I hope I experience in the future. Not that I haven’t at certain places. But playing where people really care about basketball. So hopefully my pro career takes me somewhere [like that]. That’s the environment to the game, and just the experience.”
It was a sellout crowd on Saturday, inching up to 18,000 fans.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars fans high-five players after the game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Utah Utes in Provo on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
Utah’s home arena, the Huntsman Center, has struggled to fill seats in recent years. It is averaging about 8,000 fans a night, well below its 15,000-seat capacity.
“In all seriousness, that was a pretty good environment. Yeah, one of the best ones I’ve played in,” Madsen said on his YouTube page. “So kind of lived up to the hype. I’d heard good things about the arena. Kudos to all the fans that were there. That was a good environment.”
