Weber State vs Utah prediction: Malek Gomma switches sides as rebuilt Utah hosts rebuilt Weber State
Both rosters return less than a tenth of last season's minutes, so this in-state game turns on new guards, a thin frontcourt and one forward who knows both locker rooms.
- Utah's import-heavy backcourt should control the ball at home against a Weber State roster almost entirely assembled this offseason.
- Malek Gomma against his former team: he started 32 games for Weber State last season and started Utah's exhibition against UNLV.
- No spread or total is posted yet; last season's meeting ended Utah 92, Weber State 89 in Salt Lake City.
One forward, two locker rooms
Very little from last November's game carries over to this one. Utah won that meeting 92-89 at the Huntsman Center. This time almost every player on both benches is new. Weber State returns just 9.2% of last season's minutes, and Utah returns 8.4%.
The clearest thread between the two is Malek Gomma. Last season he started every one of Weber State's 32 games, averaging 8.0 points and 6.9 rebounds. Now he plays for Utah, and he started the Utes' exhibition against UNLV. He also knows the Wildcats' building blocks: ArDarius Grayson and Declan Cutler are the only two players back from last season's group.
The coaches are new to this matchup too. Alex Jensen enters his second season at Utah. Weber State has also changed coaches, with Kaleb Canales listed as head coach.
Utah's guards set the terms
Jensen rebuilt through experienced transfer guards, and they give Utah the edge in proven production. Jackson Holcombe averaged 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds at Utah Valley last season. Trey Campbell, a fifth-year from Northern Iowa, scored 13.7 a game and hit 34.5% from three.
Campbell has been the closer in exhibitions. He led Utah with 14 points in a 71-61 loss at Nevada. Against Oregon, his deep three to open overtime gave the Utes their first lead since the opening basket of an 81-77 win.
TJ Burch addresses Utah's worst problem from last season. The Utes ranked 349th of 365 in forced turnover rate (opponent turnovers per 100 possessions) during a 10-22 year. Burch, the 2026 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 2.6 steals at Wright State. Ohio State transfer Taison Chatman adds shooting after making 47.1% of his threes last season.
Weber State starts from scratch
The Wildcats lost the core of a 16-16 team. Tijan Saine Jr. (17.5 points per game) left for Florida International, and Viljami Vartiainen, who shot 42.2% from three, went to UC Santa Barbara. Grayson is the top returner, and he scored 3.8 points a game off the bench last season.
The incoming transfers are mostly unproven at volume. Augustine Ekwe, a center from New Mexico State, and Brock Felder, from Seattle U, both came off the bench last season. Felder made 79.6% of his shots in limited minutes.
Last season's Weber State team defended the paint poorly. Opponents made 56.5% of their twos, which ranked 344th, and its block rate ranked 363rd. A new roster may play differently, but Utah's slashing guards will test the rim protection early.
Frontcourt questions in Salt Lake
Utah's size is its uncertainty. Center Fynn Schott is out to open the season after right-leg surgery; as of a Sept. 18 update there was no timetable for his return. Babacar Faye's sixth year depends on an NCAA waiver, and no ruling had surfaced as of Oct. 31.
That leaves Gomma and Alec Anigbata, who also started against UNLV, carrying more of the inside work. Weber State finished 29th in defensive rebound percentage last season, though that came with a different roster.
What to watch
- Utah's opener first. The Utes host Long Beach State on Nov. 2, so they will have one regular-season game behind them before this one.
- Tempo. Last season Weber State played fast (70th in pace) and Utah slow (286th). With new rosters, the early possessions will show whose tempo sticks.
- The market. No line had posted as of Oct. 31. Utah was picked 16th in the Big 12 by the league's coaches.
Key players
- Jackson Holcombe (Utah): Averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals at Utah Valley last season.
- Trey Campbell (Utah): Started all 36 games at Northern Iowa last season, scoring 13.7 points per game.
- TJ Burch (Utah): The Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year averaged 2.6 steals last season.
- Malek Gomma (Utah): Averaged 8.0 points and 6.9 rebounds as a 32-game starter for Weber State last season.
- ArDarius Grayson (Weber State): Played 13.1 minutes a game off the bench last season, averaging 3.8 points.
- Augustine Ekwe (Weber State): Blocked 0.8 shots in 10.4 minutes per game at New Mexico State last season.
- Brock Felder (Weber State): Shot 79.6% from the field in a reserve role at Seattle U last season.
Numbers that matter
| Weber State returning minutes | 9.2% | Only Grayson and Cutler are back, so last season's team numbers say little about this roster. |
|---|---|---|
| Utah returning minutes | 8.4% | The Utes rebuilt almost entirely through transfers after a 10-22 season. |
| Utah forced turnover rank, last season | 349th | Burch's arrival is aimed squarely at a defense that rarely took the ball away. |
| Weber State opponent 2-point % rank, last season | 344th | The Wildcats struggled to protect the paint last season, a test for Utah's driving guards. |
| Last meeting | Utah 92, Weber State 89 | A three-point home win for Utah on Nov. 8, 2025, with almost entirely different rosters. |
Weber State vs Utah: quick answers
When is Weber State vs Utah?
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 9:00 PM ET.