When the 2014-2015 basketball season began for Utah, the goal was a return to the NCAA Tournament for the Runnin' Utes. The knock on Utah the previous season was the lack of quality out of conference opponents on their schedule. That is precisely what kept them out of the NCAA Tournament, and a loss at St Mary's in the NIT ended their season. Coach Larry Krystkowiak was determined not to let that happen the following year. Utah went from having one of the softest schedules one season, to one of the most difficult in 2014-15.
Utah began the season with a number of wins, with the lone blemish being a four-point loss at a ranked San Diego State.