Men's Basketball Starts Season Tuesday

Nov. 13, 1999

Game #1
Utah Utes vs. Arkansas State Indians
Preseason NIT - First Round
Nov. 16 ? 7:05 p.m. (MST) ? Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) ? Salt Lake City

The Game at a Glance
Utah Coach: Rick Majerus
Alma Mater: Marquette ?70
Record at Utah: 238-64/11th
Overall Record: 337-116/16th

Arkansas State Coach: Dickey Nutt
Alma Mater: Oklahoma State ?82
Season Record at ASU: 62-51/5th Season
Season Overall Record: 62-51/5th Season

Television: KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City (Ch. 14, TCI 3). Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Frank Layden (analyst).
Radio: Utah Sports Network (570 K-NEWS in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations). Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Jeff Jonas (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Rankings: Utah is 15th in both the A.P. and USA Today/ESPN preseason polls.

Series Record: Utah leads 1-0
Utah Home/Away/Neutral: 0-0/0-0/1-0
Last Meeting: Utah eliminated Arkansas State (80-58) in the first round of the 1999 NCAATournament on March 12.

Utah Probable Starter


						1998-99
No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
35	F	Jeff Johnsen	6-4	200	So.	- -	- -	Murray, Utah
50	F	Alex Jensen	6-7	225	Sr.	12.1	7.6	Centerville, Utah
40	C	Phil Cullen	6-9	215	So.	4.3	2.9	Chelan, Wash.
5	G	Tony Harvey	6-5	200	Sr.	9.0	2.8	Carson, Calif.
32	G	Jeremy Killion	5-11	190	Sr.	8.9	1.9	San Diego, Calif.

Utah Off the Bench

						1998-99
No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
3	G	Gary Colbert	6-1	175	So.	- -	- -	Alta Loma, Calif.
4	G	Adam Sharp	6-2	180	So.	2.3	1.2	Salt Lake City
15	F	Nick Jacobson	6-3	185	Fr.	- -	- -	Roseville, Minn.
21	G	Trent Whiting	6-0	180	Jr.	- -	- -	Kuna, Idaho
25	G	Brandon Sluga	6-4	210	Sr.	1.0	0.5	Taylorsville, Utah
42	F	Mike Puzey	6-8	215	Fr.	- -	- -	Roy, Utah

Arkansas State Probable Starters

						1998-99
No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
21	F	C.J. Pepper	6-4	225	Sr.	11.7	5.9	Hopkinsville, Ky.
42	F	Luis Rivas	6-7	235	So.	5.1	3.3	Quincy, Ill.
34	C	Geoff Williams	6-9	230	Sr.	2.2	3.5	Coahoma, Miss.
11	G	Chico Fletcher	5-6	170	Sr.	17.0	3.0	Osceola, Ark.
50	G	Jamie Rosser	6-2	180	Jr.	- -	- -	Memphis, Tenn.

After This
Should Utah defeat Arkansas State, it would face the winner of the Kentucky vs. Pennsylvania game played Wednesday (Nov. 17) at 9:00 p.m. (EST) in Lexington, Ky. Utah?s second round NIT game would take place on Friday (Nov. 19) at a site to be determined after the first round. The game will be televised by ESPN at 5:00 p.m. (MST).ing from last year. He averaged 17.0 points per game last season and ranked second in the nation in assists (8.3 apg) for the second consecutive year. Fletcher is also the two-time reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Also returning is key reserve C.J. Pepper. The 6-4 senior forward averaged 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds last season.

The Indians went 2-0 in the exhibition season, defeating Athletes First (95-85) on Nov. 4 and the Arkansas Express (60-57) on Nov. 8. Sophomore 6-2 forward/center Kolin Weaver led ASU in scoring both games, tossing in 26 points (10-of-12 FG, 4-of-4 3-FG) against Athletes First and 17 points (7-of-9 FG, 3-of-3 3-FG) against the Arkansas Express. Weaver also added eight rebounds in 26 minutes against the Arkansas Express. He is now eligible after sitting out last season. Junior 6-2 guard Jamie Rosser, a transfer from Northwest Mississippi Junior College, also had a good showing in the preseason, getting 15 points and eight rebounds versus Athletes First and 15 points against the Arkansas Express.

Utes in the Preseason NIT
For the first time in the 15-year history of the prestigious tournament, Utah is participating in the Preseason NIT. Along with the Utes, the 16-team field is headlined by two-time Preseason NIT champion Arizona, 1999 NCAA Final Four participant Ohio State and 1999 regional finalists Kentucky and Maryland. Rounding out the field are Arkansas State, Davidson, Fordham, Hofstra, Kansas State, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, Siena and Tulane.

All first and second round games of the NIT will be played on campus sites. Other NIT first round games on Tuesday include: Hofstra visiting New Mexico State, Arizona hosting Kansas State (ESPN2), Notre Dame traveling to Ohio State (ESPN2) and Siena hosting Davidson. The remaining first round games on Wednesday are Pennsylvania at Kentucky (ESPN), San Francisco at Maryland and Fordham at Tulane.

The semifinal and championship round doubleheaders will take place in New York's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 24 and 26. Both semifinals and the championship game will be televised by ESPN.

Last Meeting
Utah ended Arkansas State?s 1998-99 season with an 80-58 triumph on March 12 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Hanno M?tt?l? had a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds. Alex Jensen had a game-high 11 boards and 18 points. Tony Harvey went 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range for 14 points. Chico Fletcher led Arkansas State with 21 points, going 7-of-15 from the field, and three assists.

Arkansas State trailed by just six points (36-30) at halftime and trailed 39-38 with 15:58 to play in the second half before Utah went on a 24-3 run over the next nine minutes. The Utes outshot the Indians 47.9 to 36.2 percent from the field and had a 40 to 14 advantage on the boards.

NIT Second Round Preview

Scouting Kentucky
The Wildcats return eight letterwinners from last year?s team that made it to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament, went 28-9 overall and finished second in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference with 11-5 record. Kentucky is ranked 14th by the Associated Press and 12th by USA Today/ESPN in the preseason polls.

Sophomore Desmond Allison (G, 6-5, 214) is the only returning starter. He averaged 4.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game last season. Also returning is senior Jamaal Magloire (C, 6-10, 260), who averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season. Tubby Smith takes a 63-13 mark into his third season at Kentucky and a 187-75 record into his ninth season as a head coach.

Scouting Pennsylvania
The Quakers return three starters and seven letterwinners from last year?s team that advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, went 21-6 overall and won the Ivy League with a 13-1 record.

Senior Michael Jordan (G, 6-0, 175), who wears No. 23 just like the original, averaged 15.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last year. Senior Matt Langel (G, 6-5, 190) averaged 11.3 points 4.4 boards per contest last season. Fran Dunphy has compiled a 173-97 career record in nine seasons at Penn.

Team Notes

Utah Falls to California All-Stars In Second Exhibition Game
Despite a game-high 24 points from Hanno M?tt?l?, Utah fell to the California West All-Stars, 70-68, on Nov. 9 at the Huntsman Center.

M?tt?l? went 7-of-10 from the field, made both three-pointers and shot 8-of-9 from the free throw line in 29 minutes before going down with a knee injury. With 5:30 left to play, M?tt?l? took a charge from Corey Anders and fell to the floor.

Jeremy Killion and Alex Jensen added 12 points each for the Utes. Tony Harvey, starting for the second game at point guard, had eight points and four assists in 30 minutes.

The All-Stars trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half but closed with a 7-0 run to take a 37-36 halftime lead on an Anders? three-pointer.

Utah got the ball with 0:03 to play, trailing 70-68. Phil Cullen had a chance to tie the game when Gayland Young fouled him as time expired, but he missed on the first attempt.

The Utes shot 48.8 percent from the field, 60.0 percent (12-of-20) from three-point range and 82.4 percent from the free throw line. However, the U. was outrebounded 31 to 28 and committed 18 turnovers.

Utes Defeat Australian Club Team in Exhibition Opener
Utah opened its exhibition season with a 92-53 defeat of the Nunawading Spectres, a club team from Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 5 at the Huntsman Center.

A couple of sophomores led the way for the Utes. Phil Cullen had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the team in both categories. Jeff Johnsen, still playing his way into shape after a two-year LDS church mission, had a solid all-around game with 16 points, six rebounds, four steals and four assists.

Tony Harvey, who started the game at point guard, and Hanno M?tt?l? had 15 points each. Harvey also shot 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the arc. He dished out three assists and had no turnovers in 22 minutes. M?tt?l? added eight rebounds.

Nunawading, playing the opener of a seven-game swing through the states, stayed with the Utes early. The Spectres jumped out to a 7-0 lead as the Utes missed their first six shots. But Cullen, starting in place of injured center Nate Althoff, scored seven straight points to get his team untracked. Utah led 46-25 at halftime and outscored Nunawading 46-28 in the second half.

Along with Harvey, the Utes are in the process of breaking in two other point guards to replace All-American Andre Miller, the only starter not returning from last year. Gary Colbert, a non-qualifier last season, had five points, two assists and three turnovers in 19 minutes. Trent Whiting, a transfer from Snow Junior College, had one free throw, four assists and six turnovers in 22 minutes.

Utah shot 45.8 percent from the field, 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from three-point range and 65.4 percent from the free throw line. The Utes also had a 44 to 32 edge on the boards and committed 13 turnovers for the game after having just four in the first half.

Rick?s Remarks
On the effort against the California All-Stars -
?I thought defensively we stunk. We didn?t play with great heart, energy or enthusiasm. We didn?t play with a physical presence. The other things we can work out, but first we have to address those issues. We haven?t worked on some things. We?ve been trying to get ready because... I don?t know why we do this. It helps us in February and March if we play these big games early, like the one coming up next Tuesday (against Arkansas State).?

On what to expect against Arkansas State -
?I don?t know. I haven?t seen them nor do I have a film on them. They have not seen us nor do they have a film on us. So, my best guess is last year. Honest to God, I haven?t paid too much attention. They?ve played two exhibition games non-televised and we?ve played two exhibition games non-televised. So, it?s just a crap shoot.?

On the injury situation -
?We?ve been lucky for a long time, but now the injury thing has really hit us. We have no continuity?we just have guys injured.?

In the Polls
Utah was ranked 15th in both the USA Today/ESPN preseason poll released on Nov. 4 and the Associated Press preseason poll released on Nov. 9. Utah has now been ranked in the both of the national polls for eight consecutive weeks.

Utah fell out of the rankings for the first time since the start of the 1994-95 season on Dec. 14, 1998. After a seven-week absence, the Utes returned to the national polls on Feb. 1, 1999. Utah has finished the season ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation three consecutive years.

Utes Favored to Win Inaugural MWC Championship
Both the league coaches and media overwhelmingly selected Utah to finish atop the conference and claim the first-ever Mountain West Conference men?s basketball title. New Mexico was picked second in both polls, followed by a third-place tie in the coaches' poll with UNLV and Wyoming. Colorado State was selected to finish fifth, BYU sixth and then another tie for seventh place between San Diego State and Air Force. In the media poll, UNLV was chosen to finish third, followed by Wyoming, Colorado State, BYU, San Diego State and Air Force.

Ute seniors Alex Jensen and Hanno M?tt?l? and were named to the preseason all-conference team by both the coaches and the media. The media honored M?tt?l? as the league?s top returning player.

Awesome Alex
Senior forward Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) has started all 67 games the last two seasons since returning from a two-year LDS church mission. Jensen is Utah?s second-leading returning scorer (12.1 ppg) and top returning rebounder (7.6 rpg) from last season. He is also an excellent defensive player who can defend all five positions on the floor.

Perhaps one of the best unknown players in the country, Jensen earned first team all-Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division honors last season and was named to the league all-defensive team. A well-rounded player, Jensen led Utah in scoring four times, rebounds 14 times and assists six times. Jensen was also voted the WAC Tournament MVP after averaging 16.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in three games, leading the Utes to the championship.

Jensen ranked ninth in the WAC in rebounds (7.6 rpg) and 16th in assists (3.4 apg) last season. The Centerville, Utah, native was also second on the Utah team in field goal percentage (.543) and was its most accurate three-point shooter (.398) in ?98-99. He scored in double figures 23 times and had 20 points or more twice. Jensen posted 10 double-doubles and one rare triple double (points, rebounds, assists) last season. His triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Fresno State on Jan. 25 was only the second in the 30-year history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center, the other was posted by Magic Johnson of Michigan State in the semifinals of the 1979 NCAA Final Four.

Jensen ranks fourth in career offensive rebounds (259) and sixth in defensive rebounds (397) at the U.

Preseason Honors for Hanno
Hanno M?tt?l? was rated among the top players in college basketball during the preseason. Playboy magazine selected M?tt?l? to their 10-player All-America team. He was also named one of the early finalists for the Wooden and Naismith National Player of the Year awards. Basketball News named M?tt?l? as the 12th-best inside-outers in college basketball.

What the Utes Lose in M?tt?l?
Senior forward Hanno M?tt?l? (6-9, 250), out until possibly late December with a medial collateral tear in his left knee, earned first team all-Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division honors last season and was named second team all-WAC in the Mountain Division in 1997-98. The Helsinki, Finland, native started all 67 games the last two seasons, and is Utah?s top returning scorer (15.3 ppg) and second-leading returning rebounder (5.4 rpg) from 1998-99.

As a junior, M?tt?l? ranked 13th in the WAC in scoring (15.3 ppg) and was Utah?s top scorer during the conference season with an average of 16.4 points per game. He led the conference in free throw percentage (.833) and was ninth in field goal percentage (.482). M?tt?l? also made 35.4 percent of his three-point field goals (34-of-96).

M?tt?l? led the Utes in scoring a team-best 13 times, scoring in double figures in all but four of the 33 games and tossing in 20 points or more on nine occasions. He was the team?s leading rebounder in 11 games and had two double-doubles.

M?tt?l? ranks high in several career statistical categories at the U. He is 22nd all-time in scoring (1,134), seventh in defensive rebounds (305), 10th in offensive boards (145) and 12th in blocked shots (38).

Cullen and Johnsen Asked to Step Up
With the injuries to Hanno M?tt?l? and Nate Althoff, two of last year?s starters, a couple of sophomore will be asked to step into larger roles.

Phil Cullen (6-9, 215) played in 33 games and started two last season. He was seventh on the team in scoring (4.3 ppg), scoring in double figures four times. He was also fifth on the team in rebounding (2.9), and second in blocked shots (25). Cullen started both exhibition games at center in place of Althoff. He had a team-high 24 points (7-of-15 FG, 3-of-5 3-FG) and nine rebounds in 22 minutes against the Nunawading-Australia club team on Nov. 5.

Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 200) is returning from a two-year LDS church mission. As a freshman in 1996-97, Johnsen blossomed into a major contributor late in the season. He played in 32 games and started seven, averaging 3.2 points and 2..2 rebounds. Johnsen scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and had six rebounds, four assists and four steals in 28 minutes against the Nunawading-Australia club team. He had seven points?making all four free throws?two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes against the California All-Stars.

Harvey, Jensen and M?tt?l? Rated Among Top 25 at Their Position
Three Utes were ranked among the top 25 players in the nation at their respective positions by Dick Vitale?s College Basketball. Tony Harvey (6-5, 200) was ranked as the 21st-best shooting guard in the nation, while Alex Jensen (6-9, 250) was rated as the 20th-best swing forward. Hanno M?tt?l? (6-9, 250) was rated at the fourth-best power forward in the country.

Ute Frontcourt Rated One of the Best in the Nation
Utah?s frontcourt of Hanno M?tt?l? (6-9, 250), Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) and Nate Althoff (6-11, 260) was ranked as the third-best in the nation by Athlon Sports. The Ute trio was rated behind UConn?s Kevin Freeman, Jake Voskuhl, Ajou Ajou Deng and Cincinnati?s Pete Mickeal, Kenyon Martin, Jermaine Tate and DerMarr Johnson.

Summer Action for M?tt?l? and Althoff
Hanno M?tt?l? played for the Finnish National Team in a four-country tournament with Lithuania, Russia and Germany in Helsinki in May. M?tt?l? ranked second in the tournament with averages of 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. He also led the tournament in three-point field goals by going 7-of-9 (.778).

Nate Althoff played for the Nike NIT All Stars team that toured Austria and the Czech Republic for 13 days in early August. He averaged 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game during the trip. He also shot 78.6 percent from the free throw line.

Home Unbeaten Streak at 35 Games
Utah enters the Arkansas State game on Tuesday with the third-longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. The Utes have won 35 straight games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to a Dec. 31, 1996 loss to Wake Forest. Utah?s streak, which began with an 84-63 win over Colorado State on Jan. 4, 1997, ranks behind Murray State?s (43) and Duke?s (36). It is also the longest homecourt winning streak in school history. Utah went 14-0 at home in 1998-99 to post the sixth undefeated home season in the 30-year history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Five of those undefeated home seasons have come under Rick Majerus: 1990-91 (16-0), 1992-93 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (13-0), 1998-99 (14-0). The Utes are 129-10 (.928) in the Huntsman Center under Majerus and have never lost back-to-back home games. The Utes also won 27 consecutive home games from Jan. 29, 1994 through Jan 2, 1996. The streak ended with a 65-64 loss to Fresno State on Jan. 8, 1996.

Noting the 1998-99 Season
? Utah tied for the fourth-most wins in school history with a 28-5 record. The Utes? .848 winning percentage was the ninth-best all-time at Utah in seasons with 20 games or more.

? Utah won 23 consecutive games to break the school record. The streak started on Dec. 19 with an 89-55 win over Loyola Marymount at the Huntsman Center and continued through the first round of the NCAA Tournament with an 80-58 win over Arkansas State on Mar. 12. The streak was halted with a season-ending 66-58 loss to Miami (Ohio) on March 14 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

? Utah became the first team in the history of the Western Athletic Conference to go undefeated against league foes. The U. won all of its league games during the regular season with a 14-0 record to win the Pacific Division title by five games over Fresno State and New Mexico. Utah then went 3-0 in the conference tournament to capture its third WAC Tournament title all-time.

Five Straight 25 Win Seasons
Utah joined an elite group in college basketball history by posting its fifth consecutive 25-win season in 1998-99. Only 13 times has an NCAA Division I program won 25 games in five consecutive seasons. The Utes are tied with five other programs with five straight 25-win campaigns, owning the only active streak among that group. This season, Utah could tie Syracuse?s run of six straight 25-win seasons from 1990-96 for the seventh-longest streak of 25-win seasons. UCLA tops the list with 10 consecutive 25-win seasons from 1966-76.

Twenty-Twenty Vision
For the 27th time in its history, Utah won 20 games in 1998-99. Under current coach Rick Majerus, Utah has hit for 20 wins in eight of his 10 seasons, including the last five in a row. Majerus? 20-win seasons at Utah: 1990-91 (30-4), 1991-92 (24-11), 1992-93 (24-7), 1994-95 (28-6), 1995-96 (27-7), 1996-97 (29-4), 1997-98 (30-4), 1998-99 (28-5).

Utes Move to Mountain West Conference
The 1999-2000 season marks the beginning of a new era in Utah basketball history. The Utes joined seven other institutions on July 1, 1999 in the launch of the new Mountain West Conference. It is the newest NCAA Division I conference, but the names of the members should be very familiar. The new conference?half of whose schools were charter members of the Western Athletic Conference when it was formed back in 1962?consists of Utah, Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State and Wyoming.

Craig Thompson is the conference?s first commissioner. Amy Turner is the Assistant Commissioner for Communications. The league concludes its first season of competition with the Mountain West Conference Tournament, March 9-11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Of the eight teams comprising the new league, five received postseason invitations a year ago: Utah and New Mexico were in the NCAA Tournament field, each advancing to the second round, Colorado State, UNLV and Wyoming played in the NIT.

Defense, Defense, Defense
One of the trademarks of a Rick Majerus coached team is a stifling half-court defense. In 10 seasons under Majerus, Utah has ranked in the top 30 in the nation eight times in field goal percentage defense, seven times in the top 25 in scoring defense, seven times in the top 25 in scoring margin and seven times in the top 30 in rebound margin.

Utah ranked fourth in the NCAA in scoring defense last season, giving up just 55.4 points per game. The Utes have been in the top eight three times in 10 seasons. The Utes ranked ninth in the nation in rebound margin last season (8.2 rpg) and have been ranked among the top 15 teams in the country in that category five years in a row. Utah has been among the top 30 teams in the nation in field goal percentage defense five consecutive years, including four top-10 rankings. The Utes were 29th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense last season, limiting their opponents to 39.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Thanks to their stifling defense, the U. has also ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in scoring margin five years in a row and seven times in the last 10 years. The Utes ranked fifth in the nation in scoring margin in 1998-99, outscoring the opposition by an average of 15.9 points per game.

M?tt?l? Third Ute Academic All-American in Two Years
Hanno M?tt?l?, carrying on in the tradition of academic success under head coach Rick Majerus, was selected as a GTE second-team Academic All-American in 1998-99. M?tt?l? carried a 3.33 cumulative GPA in economics.

Utah has more Academic All-Americans than any other program in the last two years. Michael Doleac and Drew Hansen were both named to the GTE Academic All-America team as seniors in 1997-98. Doleac, biology major, was a first-team selection with 3.41 GPA. Hansen, holder of a near-perfect 3.99 GPA in political science/economics, made the third team. Because of them, Utah became the first NCAA Final Four team to have two Academic All-Americans in its starting line-up.

Classroom Champions
Three of the five starters for the Runnin' Utes?Hanno M?tt?l?, Alex Jensen and Jeremy Killion?made the U. of U. academic honor roll for the 1999 spring semester. Reserve Adam Sharp, as well as walk-ons Zac Dalton, Charles Huff, Sid Krommenhoek and Brandon Sluga, were also selected to the honor roll. M?tt?l? and Sharp were named to the Western Athletic Conference all-academic team and honored as WAC scholar-athletes.

During the 1998 fall semester, nine Utes (seven on scholarship) were named to the academic honor roll. Scholarship players making the list with at least a 3.00 GPA were M?tt?l?, Sharp, Shane Willis, Killion, Phil Cullen, Gary Colbert and Brad Crockett. Walk-ons Dalton and Krommenhoek also made the list.

All players on Utah?s roster are on track to graduate. The team cumulative grade point average is above a 3.00. Utah?s team GPA has been above a 3.05 in each of the last three years. Rick Majerus has had 18 players make the honor roll a combined 108 times during his tenure.

Utes on Television
A record of at least 20 Utah games will be televised this season, including all 14 Mountain West Conference regular-season games. The Utes will be featured at least 10 times on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Regional Television, the maximum number of appearances allowed under the Mountain West Conference?s seven-year agreement with ESPN Inc. Utah?s game at Washington State on Dec. 11 will be carried nationally by Fox Sports Net.

The Utes? game at New Mexico on Feb. 19 will be broadcast regionally by ABC at 4:00 p.m. (MST). Five of Utah?s Mountain West Conference games?three of which are at home?will be televised as a part of ESPN?s ?Big Monday? line-up at 10:00 p.m. (MST). The national cable network will carry Utah?s games at San Diego State on Jan. 10, Colorado State at home on Jan. 24, New Mexico at home on Jan. 31, UNLV at home on Feb. 21 and at Wyoming on Feb. 28. ESPN will also televise the Utah?s home game against Texas on Dec. 22 at 10:00 p.m. (MST).

ESPN Regional Television, a syndicated over-the-air network under the moniker of ESPN+Plus, will feature Utah three times in its Mountain West Conference ?Game of the Week? package. KJZZ-TV is the network?s Salt Lake City affiliate. At least nine Utah games will also be televised locally by KJZZ-TV.

Majerus Featured in DIRECTV and ESPN Commercials
Utah head coach Rick Majerus has been named DIRECTV?s advertising spokesman for its college basketball pay-per-view package, ESPN FULL COURT, during the 1999-2000 season. Majerus will appear in both print ads and television commercials produced by DIRECTV throughout the 1999-2000 college basketball season. Majerus will also appear with college basketball analyst Dick Vitale in an ESPN commercial promoting the cable network?s college basketball coverage.

NCAA Tournament Returns to the Huntsman Center in March
The University of Utah?s Jon M. Huntsman Center will host NCAA Tournament West Region first and second round games in March. Four first round games will be played on March 16 and two second round games will take place on March 18.

Recognized as a site of championships, the Huntsman Center, which opened its doors in 1969, has housed numerous national championships. In 1979, the arena accommodated the NCAA Final Four?deemed one of the most successful ever held?featuring Michigan State?s Magic Johnson and Indiana State?s Larry Bird in the championship game. The arena has also hosted eight national gymnastics championships.

This marks the 13th time the Huntsman Center has hosted the NCAA Tournament. The JMHC ranks third among the nation?s arenas for the most NCAA Tournament games hosted, with 63 having been played in the building.

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