Men's Basketball Plays First Exhibition Game Friday

Nov. 3, 1999

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah plays the first of its two exhibition games, hosting the Nunawading-Australia Spectres on Friday at 7:05 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000).

A Quick Look at Utah
Ute head coach Rick Majerus welcomes back four starters and nine letterwinners in 1999-2000. Utah will retain 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.

Back to lead the Utes are two three-year veterans in senior forwards Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) and Hanno Mottola (6-9, 250), both were named first-team all-WAC Pacific Division in 1998-99. Jensen is the team's leading returner in rebounds (7.6 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg), as well as the second-best scorer coming back (12.1 ppg). Mottola is the Utes' top returning scorer (15.3 ppg) and second-best returning rebounder (5.4 rpg).

Junior Nate Althoff (6-11, 260) started 30 of 32 games at center last season, averaging 4.9 points and 4.5 rebounds. Althoff led the team in blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and field goal percentage (.604). Senior guard Jeremy Killion (5-11, 190) is back for his second and final year with the Utes. Killion, who was named to the WAC Pacific Division all-newcomer team after transferring from Palomar Junior College, averaged 8.9 points per game and shot 34.5 percent from three-point range last season.

Another junior college transfer who made an impact in ?98-99 was Tony Harvey (6-5, 200), who filled any position on the floor from point guard to small forward. The transfer from Cerritos Junior College played in the final 24 games of the season with Utah winning 23 in a row before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Harvey is Utah's third-leading returning scorer (9.0 ppg). The senior also averaged 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and shot 35.9 percent from behind the arc last season.

The three other returning letterwinners from last season are sophomore center/forward Phil Cullen (6-9, 215) and sophomore guard Adam Sharp (6-2, 180). Cullen played in 33 games last season and started twice, averaging 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds. He has an excellent shooting touch for a big man, hitting 37.7 percent of his three-point tries as a rookie. Sharp averaged 2.3 points, 1.2 boards and 1.1 assists in 32 games ?98-99. Also back for his fourth season as a walk-on is Brandon Sluga (6-4, 210), who plays both the two guard and small forward positions.

The Utes gain an eligible non-qualifier and two returning Mormon missionaries. Gary Colbert (6-1, 175), a native of Alta Loma, Calif., will be a sophomore this season after sitting out last year under NCAA admission standards. He is expected to contend for the starting position at point guard. Guard/forward Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 200) played in 32 games and started seven as a freshman in 1996-97. He averaged 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Mike Puzey (6-8, 215) sat out the 1996-97 season as a redshirt and will be a freshman this season.

Exhibition Game #1
Utah Utes vs. Nunawading-Australia Spectres
Nov. 5 - 7:00 p.m. (MST) - Jon M. Huntsman Center - Salt Lake City

Postgame Interviews
As per a change in policy this season, the Utah lockerroom will be closed to the media. A member of the Utah sports information staff will collect player interview requests during the final media timeout of the second half. Following a 10-minute cooling-off period, head coach Rick Majerus will address the media in squad room, immediately inside the north tunnel and to the right. Ute players will be made available in a curtained area just off the southeast corner of the court (diagonal from the Utah bench.)

After This
The Utes conclude the exhibition season against the California All-Stars next Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah opens its regular season by playing in the Preseason National Invitational Tournament. The Utes host Arkansas State on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7:05 p.m. to open the tournament.

Team Notes

Night with the Runnin' Utes Rewind
Over 4,000 fans anxious to get an early glimpse of the 1999-2000 team showed up at the Huntsman Center for Utah's annual Night with the Runnin' Utes on Oct. 26.

Senior Hanno Mottola led all scorers with 21 points. Sophomore Jeff Johnsen, who returned from his two-year LDS church mission in June, hit the boards well and looked sharp scoring 17 points.

Phil Cullen displayed an inside-outside game and scored 17 points in a scrimmage of two 15-minute halves. A bulkier Nate Althoff showed off some new inside moves and an 18-foot jumper to toss in 14 points. Tony Harvey, who won both the three-point shooting and dunking contests, contributed 10 points.

Utes in the Preseason NIT
For the first time in the 15-year history of the prestigious tournament, Utah has been invited to participate 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.

Utah hosts Arkansas State on Nov. 16 at 7:05 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Should the Utes reach the second round, they will face the winner of the Kentucky/Pennsylvania game, which will be played on Nov. 17 in Lexington, Ky, at a site to be determined. Utah's NIT second round game would be televised by ESPN on Nov. 19 at 5:00 p.m. (MST).

All first and second round games of the NIT will be played on campus sites. The tournament begins on Nov. 16 with Hofstra visiting New Mexico State, Arizona hosting Kansas State (ESPN2), Notre Dame traveling to Ohio State (ESPN2) and Siena hosting Davidson. The remaining games on Nov. 17 are San Francisco at Maryland and Fordham at Tulane. The sites for all second round games will be determined after the first round.

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.

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.

Utes Add Three Newcomers To 1999-2000 Team
Rick Majerus has added three new players this year's team. Junior college transfer Trent Whiting (G, 6-0, 180) and freshman Nick Jacobson (F, 6-3, 185) are available to play in 1998-99. Chris Burgess (C, 6-9, 245), a transfer from Duke, must sit out this season.

Whiting, from of Kuna, Idaho, played two seasons at Snow College. The NJCAA All-American can play either guard position and is expected to contend for the starting spot at point guard. He averaged 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.4 steals per game in 1998-99. Jacobson spent his senior year at Roseville (Minn.) High School after playing three seasons at Shanley High School in Fargo, N.D. Jacobson was an honorable mention All-American and a finalist for the Mr. Basketball award in Minnesota in 1998-99, averaging 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Burgess will be a junior when be becomes eligible in 2000-01. The Irvine, Calif., native was a McDonald's High School All-American. He played in 75 games and started 16 in two seasons at Duke, averaging 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds.

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.

Magnificent Mottola
Senior forward Hanno Mottola (6-9, 250) has been named one of the top foreign players in college basketball by Sports Illustrated. The Helsinki, Finland, native 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. Mottola 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).

Preseason Honors for Hanno
Hanno Mottola has been rated among the top players in college basketball during the preseason. Playboy magazine selected Mottola to their 10-player All-America team. He has also been 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-outer in college basketball.

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.

Majerus' Mark
Rick Majerus is 238-64 (.788) in 10 years at Utah and is 337-116 (.744) in 15 years as a head coach. He has averaged nearly 24 wins per year at Utah?amazing in that he coached just six games in his first season before undergoing heart surgery (he was 4-2 in 1989-90). In nine full seasons at Utah, he has won 20-plus games eight times, missing out only in 1993-94 (14-14).

In his last nine years, Majerus has averaged 26 wins per year. He has won seven WAC championships?including five straight (the last three being WAC divisional titles). He has taken the Utes to seven NCAA Tournaments and has never lost a first-round game. In that time, he has led Utah to the Sweet 16 four times, the Elite Eight twice and one Final Four. He also took Ball State to the NCAA Tourney back in 1989.

Majerus is the fourth-winningest active coach with a .744 winning percentage. Only Roy Williams (Kansas), Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State) and John Kresse (College of Charleston) have better winning percentages. Majerus ranked seventh among active coaches before the 1998-99 season, but moved ahead of Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Nolan Richardson (Arkansas) and John Chaney (Temple). He also moved into the top 20 in all-time winning percentage last season and currently ranks 15th.

Recording his 300th career victory during the 1997-98 season, Majerus is one of just 12 college coaches all-time to reach the 300-win plateau in less than 15 seasons. Only five coaches have won 300 games in fewer seasons than Majerus. He has earned National Coach of the Year honors in three of his 10 seasons at Utah. He is also a seven-time District Coach of the Year and a five-time WAC Coach of the Year.

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.

Schedule Headlines
Utah's regular-season schedule is highlighted by 11 games against teams that were invited to postseason play in 1998-99. During the non-conference portion of its schedule, Utah has a road game against in-state rival Weber State, which advanced to the second round of the NCAAs last season, on Dec. 1 in Ogden, Utah. Texas, which lost in the first round of the NCAAs last season, visits the Huntsman Center on Dec. 22. Utah also faces 1999 NCAA Tournament participant Louisville on Jan. 6 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.

Once Utah begins its inaugural Mountain West Conference schedule, it will face New Mexico, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, and NIT participants Colorado State, UNLV and Wyoming.

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.

Final National Rankings
The Utes finished the 1998-99 season ranked in both major national polls. Utah finished sixth in the final Associated Press poll released on March 8, before the start of the NCAA Tournament. Utah was also ranked 10th in the final USA Today/ESPN poll released on March 31.

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

Final RPI Ratings
Utah ended the 1998-99 season ranked in the top 20 of both of the major national power ratings. The College Basketball News ranked Utah 18th, while the Sagarin Ratings placed the Utes 14th.

Home Unbeaten Streak at 35 Games
Utah enters the 1999-2000 season 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).

Six Utes Earn All-WAC Pacific Division Honors in 1998-99
Utah's Rick Majerus was named the Pacific Division Coach of the Year and point guard Andre Miller was honored the Pacific Division Player of the Year to headline six Utes awarded all-WAC Pacific Division honors from the league's 16 head coaches.

Joining Miller on the first team were forwards Alex Jensen and Hanno Mottola. Jensen and Miller were also selected to the all-defensive team. Forward Tony Harvey and guard Jeremy Killion were named to the all-newcomer team.

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.

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. 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.

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.

1998-99 Final Rankings

Associated Press      USA Today/ESPN
 1. Duke (69)         1. Connecticut
 2. Michigan St. (1)  2. Duke
 3. Connecticut       3. Michigan State
 4. Auburn            4. Ohio State
 5. Maryland          5. Kentucky
 6. UTAH                 St. John's
 7. Stanford          7. Auburn
 8. Kentucky          8. Maryland
 9. St. John's        9. Stanford
10. Miami (Fla.)     10. UTAH
11. Cincinnati       11. Cincinnati
12. Arizona          12. Miami (Fla.)
13. North Carolina       Gonzaga   
14. Ohio State       14. Temple
15. UCLA   15.           Iowa
16. Charleston       16. Arizona
17. Arkansas         17. Florida
18. Wisconsin        18. North Carolina
19. Indiana          19. Oklahoma
20. Tennessee        20. Miami (Ohio)
21. Iowa             21. UCLA
22. Kansas           22. Purdue
23. Florida          23. Kansas
24. N.C. Charlotte   24. SW Missouri St.
25. New Mexico       25. Arkansas

Utah in the 1998-99 Rankings

           AP  USA Today/ESPN
Preseason  10        12
Nov. 16     9        12
Nov. 23    21        21
Nov. 30    20        20
Dec. 7     22        22
Dec. 14    nr        nr
Dec. 21    nr        nr
Dec. 28    nr        nr
Jan. 4     nr        nr
Jan. 11    nr        nr
Jan. 18    nr        nr
Jan. 25    nr        nr
Feb. 1     20        24
Feb. 8     14        16
Feb. 15    12        13
Feb. 22    12        12
Mar. 1      8         8
Mar. 8      6         6
Apr. 1      6        10

1998-99 WAC/NCAA Stats

Team

	Stat	WAC	NCAA
Scoring Offense:	71.3	10th	- -
Scoring Defense:	55.4	1st	4th
Scoring Margin:	15.9	1st	5th
FG Percentage:	.477	2nd	13th
FG Pct. Defense:	.395	3rd	29th
FT Percentage:	.699	5th	- -
Rebound Margin:	8.2	1st	9th
3 Pt. Percentage:	.345	9th	- -
3 Pt./Game:	6.4	7th	- -
W/L Percentage:	.848	1st	6th

Individual

WAC NCAA Nate Althoff Blocks: 1.3 7th - -

Alex Jensen Rebounds: 7.6 9th - - Assists: 3.4 16th - -

Jeremy Killion 3 Pt. %: .345 19th - - 3 Pt./Game 1.8 11th - -

Andre Miller Scoring: 15.8 12th - - FG %: .491 8th - - Assists: 5.6 4th 26th Steals: 2.6 2nd - -

Hanno Mottola Scoring: 15.3 13th - - FG %: .482 9th - - FT %: .833 1st - -

Sizing Up The MWC
Had the eight schools that now comprise the Mountain West Conference been together a year ago, the conference standings would have looked like this.

		Conf.*	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
1.	UTAH	14-0	1.000	28-5	.848
2.	New Mexico	9-5	.643	25-9	.735
	UNLV	9-5	.643	16-13	.552
4.	Colorado State	7-7	.500	19-11	.633
	Wyoming	7-7	.500	18-10	.643
6.	Brigham Young	6-8	.429	12-16	.429
7.	Air Force	2-12	.143	10-16	.365
	San Diego State	2-12	.143	4-22	.154

*Note: Utah, Brigham Young, UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State formed the WAC Pacific Division in 1998-99, while Air Force, Colorado State and Wyoming were in the Mountain Division. There were no crossover games between the two divisions.

Utes Among Top Returning MWC Players
A look at where Ute players rank statistically among the top returning players in the Mountain West Conference.

Scoring
4. Hanno Mottola 15.3

Rebounds
2. Alex Jensen 7.6

Assists
6. Alex Jensen 3.4

Blocked Shots
2. Nate Althoff 1.3

3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game
5. Jeremy Killion 1.8

3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage
7. Jeremy Killion .345

Field Goal Percentage
2. Hanno Mottola .482

Free Throw Percentage
1. Hanno Mottola .833

Utah Tradition

Utah enters its 92nd season with a 1,429-746 record. The U. ranks 11th in the NCAA in all-time winning percentage with a .657 mark. Utah ranks 14th in the NCAA in all-time wins, and is 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.

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).

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.

The Rick Majerus Era

Under the guidance of head coach Rick Majerus, Utah won the eighth-most games in NCAA Division I during the 1990s. The Utes had a 250-76 record over the last 10 seasons.

Utah was also eighth in the nation in winning percentage in the ?90s (.767).

In the last three seasons, Utah had the second-highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I (.870), falling just a tenth of a point behind the College of Charleston (.871).

The Utes had the fourth-most wins in NCAA Division I in the last three years with an 87-13 record.

Utah has made seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament?including five straight ?in 10 seasons under Rick Majerus (1991, ?93, ?95, ?96, ?97, ?98, ?99). Majerus has led Utah to a 15-7 record and a .682 winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament.

In the ?90s, the Utes had the ninth-most wins (15) and the ninth-best winning percentage (.682) in NCAA Tournament play.

In the past five years, Utah moved up to fourth place in NCAA Tournament wins (12) and eighth place in winning percentage (.706).

Under Majerus, Utah has won all of its first round games and is one of just six programs that have advanced to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past five seasons. Utah has made it to the Sweet 16 four times (1991, ?96, ?97, ?98), the Elite Eight twice (1997, ?98) and the Final Four once (1998).

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