Utes Open Busy Week With Stony Brook

Nov. 24, 1999

Game #3Utah Utes             (1-1)vs. Stony Brook Seawolves (0-3)
Nov. 29 ? 7:05 p.m. (MST)Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)Salt Lake City

The Game at a Glance
Utah Coach: Rick Majerus
Stony Brook Coach: Nick Macarchuk
Alma Mater: Marquette ?70
Alma Mater: Fairfield ?63
Record at Utah: 239-65/11th Season
Record at SBU: 0-3/1st Season
Overall Record: 338-117/16th Season
Overall Record: 310-323/23rd Season

Television: None
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 19th in the A.P. poll and 17th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

Majerus vs. Stony Brook
Series Record: First Meeting

After This

Utah has three games next week. After playing Stony Brook at home on Monday, the Utes face Weber State on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. The game will be televised locally by KJZZ-TV. Friday, Utah hosts Augusta State at 7:05 p.m. at the Huntsman Center.

Utah Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
50	F	Alex Jensen	6-7	225	Sr.	9.5	11.5	Centerville, Utah
40	F	Phil Cullen	6-9	215	So.	4.5	1.5	Chelan, Wash.
52	C	Nate Althoff	6-11	260	Jr.	9.0	6.5	Delano, Minn.
5	G	Tony Harvey	6-5	200	Sr.	9.0	4.5	Carson, Calif.
32	G	Jeremy Killion	5-11	190	Sr.	10.5	0.5	San Diego, Calif.

Utah Off the Bench

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
3	G	Gary Colbert	6-1	175	So.	2.0	7.0	Alta Loma, Calif.
4	G	Adam Sharp	6-2	180	So.	2.0	0.0	Salt Lake City
15	F	Nick Jacobson	6-3	185	Fr.	0.0	0.0	Roseville, Minn.
21	G	Trent Whiting	6-0	180	Jr.	7.0	1.0	Kuna, Idaho
25	G	Brandon Sluga	6-4	210	Sr.	1.0	0.5	Taylorsville, Utah
35	F	Jeff Johnsen	6-4	200	So.	7.0	6.0	Murray, Utah
42	F	Mike Puzey	6-8	215	Fr.	2.5	0.0	Roy, Utah

Stony Brook Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
33	F	Chris Balliro	6-7	205	Jr.	10.3	2.3	Swampscott, Mass.
22	F	Joaquim Eriksson	6-8	230	Fr.	2.7	2.0	Ostersund, Sweeden
45	C	Ryan McDermott	6-8	210	Sr.	9.0	6.0	Rexford, N.Y.
4	G	Steve Pratta	6-0	190	Sr.	8.7	3.7	Queens, N.Y.
3	G	Josh Little	6-2	175	Jr.	10.3	2.3	Rocky Hill, Conn.

A Quick Look at Utah

The Runnin? Utes are 1-1 after participating in the Preseason National Invitational Tournament. Utah defeated Arkansas State in the first round at home (76-43) on Nov. 16 and lost at Kentucky in the second round (56-48) on Nov. 19.

Senior 5-11 guard Jeremy Killion leads the team in scoring (10.5 ppg) and is shooting 47.1 percent from the field. Senior 6-7 forward Alex Jensen leads the Utes in rebounding (11.5 rpg), ranks second in scoring (9.5 ppg) and is shooting 46.7 percent from the field. Junior 6-0 guard Trent Whiting, who is averaging 7.0 points per game, is shooting 62.5 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from three-point range. Senior 6-5 point guard Tony Harvey leads the team in assists (4.0 apg).

Utah is outscoring the opposition 62..0 to 49.5 points per game and has a 38.5 to 30.0 edge in rebounding. The Utes are shooting 41.5 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from three-point range and 70.6 percent from the free throw line.

Ute head coach Rick Majerus welcomes back four starters and nine letterwinners in 1999-2000. Utah retains 76.3 percent of its scoring and 70.8 percent its rebounding from a team that went 28-5 overall in 1998-99, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, won the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division title with a 14-0 record and claimed the WAC Tournament championship.

Utah vs. Stony Brook Notes

Scouting the Seawolves

Stony Brook, in its first season as a Division I program after 35 years at the Division III level, is 0-3. The Seawolves play at Hofstra on Saturday before taking on the Utes on Monday night.

Stony Brook opened the season with losses to St. Francis, N.Y. (90-73) on Nov. 20 and Marshall (81-52) on Nov. 21 at the Binghamton (N.Y.) Hoop Festival. The Seawolves dropped their home opener to St. John?s (84-43) on Tuesday night.

Junior guard Josh Little has led the team in scoring twice and tops the roster with an average of 10.3 points per game. Senior center Ryan McDermott leads the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and is second in scoring (9.0 ppg). Senior guard Steve Pratta is averaging 8.7 points and 3.3 assists per game. Stony Brook has been outscored 85.0 to 56.3 points per game and has a deficit of 38.7 to 30.0 boards per game.

Three starters and nine letterwinners return from last year?s team that went 11-16 overall and tied for third in the NECC with a 10-8 record. The Seawolves have scheduled aggressively this season, lining-up games against three teams ranked in the preseason Top 20 in Utah, Auburn and St. John?s. Five teams on their schedule were participants in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach Nick Macarchuk

Nick Macarchuk is in his first season at Stony Brook. He is no stranger to building winning programs, having done so at Canisius and Fordham. At Canisius, he posted a 149-128 record, including two 20-win seasons and a bid to the NIT in 1985. At Fordham, he guided the Rams to two Patriot League championships and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Utah vs. Weber State Preview

Scouting the Wildcats

Weber State is 1-1 after losing to Alabama (81-61) on Nov. 19 and defeating Westminster College (75-60) on Nov. 22. The Wildcats also host Southern Virginia on Saturday before facing Utah.

Two starters and eight letterwinners return from last year?s team that went 25-8 overall, won the Big Sky Conference with a 13-3 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Eddie Gill is averaging 20.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Gill is shooting 46.4 percent from the field and is 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Another returnee, senior forward Harold Arceneaux, is averaging 15.0 points and 12.0 boards per game. Weber State has been outscored (70.5 to 68.0 ppg) and outrebounded (70.5 to 68.0 rpg).

Head Coach Joe Cravens

Joe Cravens is in his first season as Weber State?s head coach. A former assistant at Utah, Cravens filled in as acting head coach when Rick Majerus had heart surgery during the 1989-90 season and posted a 12-12 record. Cravens departed Utah after the 1991-92 season to become the head coach at Idaho, where he went 43-40 in four years.

The Series

Utah leads the all-time series with Weber State, 17-10. However, the Wildcats have an 8-5 advantage in games played in Ogden, Utah. The Runnin? Utes have won five in a row and 10 of the last 12 meetings. Weber State?s last win (98-85) was on Dec. 4, 1993 at the Dee Events Center.

Last Meeting

Utah defeated Weber State, 87-74, on Dec. 9, 1998 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Utes held a slim 41-36 lead at halftime and outscored the Wildcats 46-38 in the second half. Utah outshot WSU 54.7-47.4 percent from the field and had a 34-28 advantage on the boards.

Harold Arceneaux scored 23 points (7-of-13 FG, 8-of-9 FT) for WSU to lead all scorers. Eddie Gill also had 13 points for Weber State.

Five Utes scored in double figures. Alex Jensen had 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes. Phil Cullen got 14 points (4-of-5 FG, 2-of-3 3-FG) in 15 minutes off the bench. Jeremy Killion added 13 points.

Team Notes

Game #2 Rewind

Utah bowed out of the Preseason NIT in the second round with a 56-48 loss to No. 14 Kentucky on Nov. 19 at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

Jeremy Killion scored 15 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range, for the 16th-ranked Utes. Alex Jensen had a game-high nine rebounds and 10 points in 39 minutes. Tony Harvey was the third Ute senior in double figures with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Kentucky held Utah to 40.9 percent shooting for the game and forced 18 turnovers that led to 22 points. After making 6-of-12 first-half three-pointers, the Utes went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the second half. The Wildcats were limited to 43.1 percent shooting from the field, but made just seven turnovers and had a 31-30 edge on the boards.

The Utes rallied from a 10-point first-half deficit to tie the game twice in the final eight minutes. However, Utah never got the lead as Kentucky?s defense clamped down. After Desmond Allion?s 12-foot baseline jumper put Kentucky ahead 52-48 with 1:07 left, the Wildcats denied Utah on three straight possessions to close the game.

It was Utah?s fifth-straight elimination loss to to Kentucky this decade, following NCAA Tournament losses to the Wildcats in 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Rick?s Remarks

On the game against Kentucky -

?We were beaten by a good team and I applaud Kentucky?s effort. Kentucky is a heck of a team. They really played hard and deserved to win the game. I thought that we competed well, but we were beaten by a good team. The tempo favored us. We ground it out and wanted to be there at the end to win the game?and we lost.?

?We had some turnovers where we tried to make some plays, and those were inexperience turnovers. We met the enemy and the enemy was us on five of the turnovers. We had some spacing difficulties, alignment difficulties and we had Kentucky difficulties.?

On the state of the team heading into a 10-day layoff -

?I thought our defense, for the most part, was excellent (against Kentucky). We win with defense. Championships are won with defense. But, our offense is very behind right now. We?re playing without an inside presence. We?re throwing together band-aids right now. (Phil) Cullen was supposed to be a band-aid to play behind Hanno (Mottola). When you don?t have an inside presence, it makes it tough on offense. I like our club. I like the direction we can go. I?m excited about our practice time and our healing time.?

Mottola Sidelined with Knee Injury

Utah senior forward Hanno Mottola, a preseason candidate for the Wooden and Naismith awards, could be sidelined until late December due to a medial collateral tear in his left knee.

Mottola sustained the injury after taking a charge with 5:30 left to play in an exhibition game against the California All-Stars on Nov. 9 at the Huntsman Center.

In the Polls

Utah was ranked 17th in the USA Today/ESPN preseason poll and 19th in Associated Press poll released the week of Nov. 21. Utah has been ranked in the national polls for 10 consecutive weeks, dating back to last season.

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.

Awesome Alex

Senior forward Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) has started all 69 games since the start of the 1997-98 season after returning from a two-year LDS church mission. A preseason all-Mountain West Conference selection, Jensen is off to a great start to the season. He is Utah?s second-leading scorer (9.5 ppg), shooting 46.7 percent from the field, and top rebounder (11.5 rpg). Jensen had a game-high 14 rebounds (5 offensive), three assists and one steal in 29 minutes against Arkansas State on Nov. 16. He nearly missed a double-double with 10 points, a game-high nine rebounds and three assists at Kentucky on Nov. 19. 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.

Last season, Jensen 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). His triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Fresno State on Jan. 25, 1999 was only the second in the 31-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 third in career offensive rebounds (267) and sixth in defensive rebounds (412) at the U.

Preseason Honors for Hanno

Hanno Mottola was rated among the top players in college basketball during the preseason. Playboy magazine selected Mottola 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 Mottola as the 12th-best inside-outers in college basketball. The Mountain West Conference media selected Mottola as the preseason player of the year, while both the media and coaches placed him on the preseason all-conference team.

What the Utes Lose in Mottola

Senior forward Hanno Mottola (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, Mottola 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). Mottola also made 35.4 percent of his three-point field goals (34-of-96).

Mottola 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.

Mottola 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).

A ?Whiting? Hot Shooter

Junior guard Trent Whiting is off to a hot shooting start to his career at Utah. The transfer from Snow Junior College leads the team in both field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. Whiting has hit 5-of-8 field goals and 4-of-6 three-pointers to average 7.0 points in 17.0 minutes per game through two contests. He made 3-of-4 field goals and all three of his three-point attempts to get nine points against Arkansas State on Nov. 16.

Whiting was one of four finalists for the national junior college player of the year award last season and was a first team NJCAA All-American.

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 Mottola and were named to the preseason all-conference team by both the coaches and the media. The media honored Mottola as the league?s top returning player.

Harvey, Jensen and Mottola 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 Mottola (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 Mottola (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 Mottola and Althoff

Hanno Mottola played for the Finnish National Team in a four-country tournament with Lithuania, Russia and Germany in Helsinki in May. Mottola 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 36 Games

After its season-opening win over Arkansas State on Nov. 16, Utah has the third-longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. The Utes have won 36 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 Duke?s (38) and Murray State?s (43). 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.

Mottola Third Ute Academic All-American in Two Years

Hanno Mottola, 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. Mottola 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 Mottola, 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. Mottola 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 Mottola, 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 and the team?s 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 22 Utah games will be televised this season, including all 14 Mountain West Conference regular-season games. The Utes will be featured 11 times on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Regional Television. Utah?s game at Washington State on Dec. 11 will also 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. Ten 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.

Utah Quick Facts

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Founded: 1850
Enrollment: 25,781
President: Dr. J. Bernard Machen
Faculty Representative: Dr. Larry Gerlach
Athletics Director: Dr. Chris Hill
Nickname: Utes
Mascot: ?Swoop? (Red-Tailed Hawk)
Colors: Crimson and White
National Affiliation: NCAA Division I
Conference: Mountain West
Arena: Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)

Basketball Staff

Head Coach: Rick Majerus (Marquette ?70)
Assistant Coaches (Alma Mater):
Donny Daniels (Cal State-Fullerton ?77)
Dick Hunsaker (Weber State ?77)
Jeff Strohm (Eastern Illinois ?88)
Director of Basketball Operations:
Mike Schneider (U.S. Military Academy ?70)
Administrative Assistants:
Jason Shelton (Lipscomb ?91)
Scott Garson (UC Santa Barbara ?99)

Utah Tradition

? Utah has a 1,430-747 all-time record in its 92nd season. The U. entered the year ranking 11th in the NCAA in all-time winning percentage with a .657 mark. Utah also ranked 14th in the NCAA in all-time wins, and was one of just 16 schools that have 1,400 victories.

? The Utes have won three national championships, winning the 1916 AAU championship, 1944 NCAA championship and 1947 NIT title. Utah is one of only 33 schools to win the NCAA Division I men?s basketball title.

? Utah has made four trips to the NCAA Final Four: 1944 (champions), 1961 (4th), 1966 (4th) and 1998 (runner-up). Only 12 teams have more Final Four appearances than Utah. Only 11 schools have been in more championship games than the Utes.

? All-time, only 14 schools have appeared in the NCAA Tournament more times than Utah. The Utes have played in the NCAAs 21 times and have a 31-24 record (.564).

Utes in the Mountain West

Conference Stats

Team

		Rank
Scoring Offense	62.0	7th
Scoring Defense	49.5	3rd
Scoring Margin	+12.5	5th
FG Percentage	.415	6th
FG Pct. Defense	.378	5th
FT Percentage	.706	3rd
Reb. Offense	38.5	5th
Reb. Defense	30.0	2nd
Rebound Margin	+8.5	4th
3 Pt. FG/Game	6.0	4th
3 Pt. Percentage	.316	5th
Assists	12.5	5th
Turnover Margin	-4.5	8th
Steals	6.5	6th
Blocked Shots	3.0	4th

Individuals

Nate Althoff		Rank
Scoring	9.0	28th
Offensive Reb.	2.5	8th
Defensive Reb.	4.0	8th
Free Throw Pct.	.800	13th
Blocked Shots	1.0	5th

Phil Cullen		Rank
Free Throw Pct.	1.000	1st
Blocked Shots	1.0	5th

Tony Harvey		Rank
Scoring	9.0	28th
Assists	4.0	7th
Free Throw Pct.	.857	10th
3 pt. FG/Game	1.0	13th

Alex Jensen		Rank
Scoring	9.5	26th
Rebounding	11.5	1st
Offensive Reb.	4.0	1st
Defensive Reb.	7.5	2nd
Assists	3.0	12th
3 Pt./ FG/Game	1.0	13th

Jeff Johnsen		Rank
Rebounding	6.0	9th
Offensive Reb.	3.5	2nd
Steals	2.0	9th

Jeremy Killion		Rank
3 Pt. FG/Game	1.5	12th

Trent Whiting		Rank
3 Pt. FG Pct.	.667	4th
3 Pt. FG/Game	2.0	5th

Utah in the Polls

	Associated Press		USA Today/ESPN
1.	Cincinnati (31)	1.	Cincinnati (20)
2.	Auburn (10)	2.	Michigan St. (7)
3.	Michigan St. (21)	3.	Auburn (1)
4.	N. Carolina (1)	4.	Temple (2)
5.	Temple (2)	5.	Florida
6.	Florida (1)	6.	N. Carolina (1)
7.	Connecticut	7.	Stanford
8.	Arizona		Connecticut
9.	Stanford (2)	9.	Arizona
10.	Kansas	10.	Kentucky
11.	Kentucky	11.	Kansas
12.	Ohio State	12.	UCLA
13.	UCLA	13.	Syracuse
14.	Syracuse	14.	Ohio State
15.	Illinois	15.	Duke
16.	Duke	16.	Illinois
17.	Tennessee	17.	Utah
18.	DePaul	18.	Tennessee
19.	Utah	19.	DePaul
20.	Texas	20.	Texas
21.	Oklahoma St.	21.	Purdue
22.	Purdue	22.	Maryland
23.	Iowa	23.	Oklahoma St.
24.	Maryland	24.	Miami (Fla.)
25.	Gonzaga	25.	Gonzaga

Utah?s Ranking by Week

	Associated	USA Today/
	Press	ESPN
Preseason	15	15
Nov. 14	16	15
Nov. 21	19	17

Consecutive Weeks Ranked by A.P.	10
Last Time Not Ranked	Jan. 25, 1999
Consecutive Weeks Ranked by USA Today/ESPN	10
Last Time Not Ranked	Jan. 25, 1999

Utah?s Preseason Rankings

Basketball News	17
Blue Ribbon Yearbook	14
Dick Vitale	16
Sporting News	17
Street & Smith?s	19

Current Homecourt Winning Streaks

1.	Murray State	43
2.	Duke	38
3.	UTAH	36
4.	Arizona	34
	Cincinnati	33

1999-2000 Standings

		Conf.	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
1.	Wyoming	0-0	- -	2-0	1.00
	UNLV	0-0	- -	2-0	1.00
3.	BYU	0-0	- -	1-0	1.00
	Colorado St.	0-0	- -	1-0	1.00
5.	San Diego St.	0-0	- -	0-0	- -
6.	New Mexico	0-0	- -	2-2	.500
7.	Utah	0-0	- -	1-1	.500
8.	Air Force	0-0	- -	1-2	.333

Upcoming Schedule

November 26 (Friday)
Wyoming vs. Hawai'i Pacific at Hawai'i	Pacific Tourney, 6:30 p.m.
	(LSU, Oakland (Mich.), Hawai'i Pacific)
New Mexico vs. Sam Houston State at	Lobo Classic, 6:00 p.m.
	(Alcorn State, Tenn.-Chattanooga, Sam Houston State)

November 27 (Saturday)
Air Force at Navy, 3:00 p.m.
Wyoming vs. LSU or Oakland (Mich.) at	Hawai'i Pacific Tourney, TBA
New Mexico vs. Alcorn State/Tenn.-Chatt. at	Lobo Classic, TBA
Colorado State vs. St. Bonaventure at	Sparklett's Invite in Malibu, 3:00 p.m.
	(Pepperdine, UNC Charlotte, St. Bonaventure)

November 28 (Sunday)
Georgetown at UNLV, 1:00 p.m.
Colorado State vs. Pepperdine/UNC Charlotte at	Sparklett's Invite, TBA
Wyoming vs. TBA at Hawai?i	Pacific Tournament, TBA

November 29 (Monday)
Stony Brook at Utah, 7:05 p.m.

November 30 (Tuesday)
San Diego State at New Mexico State, 7:00 p.m.

December 1 (Wednesday)
Colorado State at Arizona State, 7:00 p.m.
New Mexico at Texas-El Paso, 7:05 p.m.
Brigham Young at Arizona, 9:00 p.m. (KSL-TV)
Utah at Weber State, 7:05 p.m.

December 2 (Thursday)
Regis at Air Force, 7:00 p.m.

December 3 (Friday)
UNLV vs. Princeton at	Food Lion Classic,
	7:00 p.m. (North Carolina, Col. of Charleston, Princeton)
Augusta State at Utah, 7:05 p.m.

Climbing the Career Charts

Scoring

1.	Keith Van Horn (1993-97)	2,542
2.	Billy McGill (1959-62)	2,321
3.	Josh Grant (1988-93)	2,000
4.	Mike Newlin (1968-71)	1,849
5.	Luther Burden (1972-75)	1,790
6.	Jeff Judkins (1974-78)	1,740
7.	Danny Vranes (1977-81)	1,701
8.	Tom Chambers (1977-78)	1,698
9.	Mitch Smith (1985-89)	1,628
10.	Andre Miller (1995-99)	1,618
	- - -
22.	Hanno Mottola (1996-Present)	1,134

Blocked Shots

1.	Mitch Smith (1985-89)	157
2.	Keith Van Horn (1993-97)	126
3.	Michael Doleac (1994-98)	124
4.	Josh Grant (1988-93)	109
5.	Albert Springs (1983-87)	76
6.	Larry Cain (1989-93)	67
7.	Andre Miller (1995-99)	65
8.	Paul Afeaki (1990-92)	57
9.	Danny Vranes (1977-81)	49
10.	Tom Chambers (1977-81)	44
	- - -
12.	Hanno Mottola (1996-Present)	38

Offensive Rebounds

1.	Josh Grant, 1988-93	337
2.	Michael Doleac, 1994-98	288
3.	Alex Jensen, 1994-95, 97-Present	267
4.	Mitch Smith, 1985-89	260
5.	Keith Van Horn, 1993-97	235
6.	Andre Miller, 1995-99	189
7.	Walter Watts, 1988-91	178
8.	Brandon Jessie, 1994-96	161
9.	Byron Wilson, 1990-93	148
10.	Hanno Mottola, 1996-Present	145

Defensive Rebounds

1.	Keith Van Horn, 1993-97	839
2.	Josh Grant, 1988-93	729
3.	Michael Doleac, 1994-98	598
4.	Mitch Smith, 1985-89	549
5.	Andre Miller, 1995-99	454
6.	Alex Jensen, 1994-95, 97-Present	412
7.	Hanno Mottola, 1996-99	305
8.	Byron Wilson, 1990-93	301
9.	Phil Dixon, 1989-94	279
10.	Walter Watts, 1988-91	275

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Utah vs. Stony Brook Notes

Utah vs. Weber State Preview

Team Notes

Utah Quick Facts

Utes in the Mountain West

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on March 7, 2026 , Loss , 75, to, 101

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Colorado on March 3, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 92

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Arizona State on February 28, 2026 , Loss , 60, to, 73

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #4/5 Iowa State on February 24, 2026 , Loss , 59, to, 75

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus UCF on February 21, 2026 , Loss , 71, to, 73

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at West Virginia on February 18, 2026 , Win , 61, to, 56

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Cincinnati on February 15, 2026 , Loss , 65, to, 69

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #3/3 Houston on February 10, 2026 , Loss , 52, to, 66

The University of Utah Athletics