Utes Prepare For Wisconsin-Milaukee

Dec. 30, 1999

Game #12
Utah Utes (9-2)
vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (6-4)
Dec. 30 7:05 p.m. (MST)
Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)
Salt Lake City

The Game at a GlanceUtah Coach: Rick Majerus               Alma Mater: Marquette '70              Record at Utah: 247-66/11th Season     Overall Record: 346-118/16th Season                                        Wis.-Milwaukee Coach: Bo RyanAlma Mater: Wilkes College '69Record at UWM: 6-4/1st SeasonOverall Record: 359-80/16th Season (353-76 in 15 Seasons at NCAA Div. III)

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 21st in the A.P. poll and 24th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

Series Record: Utah has a 5-0 record against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 3-0/2-0/0-0
Last Meeting: Utah defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 66-51, on Dec. 27, 1997 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Majerus vs. Wis.-Milwaukee Overall: 5-0 At Utah: 5-0

Utah Probable StartersNo. Pos. Name              Ht.  Wt. Cl.  Ppg  Rpg  Hometown50  F    Alex Jensen       6-7  225 Sr. 13.5  7.4  Centerville, Utah13  F    Hanno Moettoelae  6-9  250 Sr. 25.7  6.3  Helsinki, Finland40  C    Phil Cullen       6-9  215 So.  6.4  2.6  Chelan, Wash.   32  G    Jeremy Killion   5-11  190 Sr. 13.0  1.8  San Diego, Calif. 3  G    Gary Colbert      6-1  175 So.  5.4  3.3  Alta Loma, Calif.
Utah Off the BenchNo. Pos. Name            Ht.  Wt.  Cl. Ppg  Rpg  Hometown 4   G   Adam Sharp      6-2  180  So. 1.8  0.9  Salt Lake City 5  G/F  Tony Harvey     6-5  200  Sr. 8.9  1.9  Carson, Calif.15   F   Nick Jacobson   6-3  185  Fr. 0.0  0.0  Roseville, Minn.25   G   Brandon Sluga   6-4  210  Sr. 0.8  0.0  Taylorsville, Utah35   F   Jeff Johnsen    6-4  200  So. 7.4  3.7  Murray, Utah42   F   Mike Puzey      6-8  215  Fr. 3.0  2.0  Roy, Utah52   C   Nate Althoff  *6-11  260  Jr. 8.4  4.4  Delano, Minn.        * questionable due to injury
Wisconsin-Milwaukee Probable StartersNo. Pos. Name             Ht.  Wt.  Cl.  Ppg  Rpg  Hometown30   F   Clay Tucker      6-3  195  Fr. 13.3  5.2  Lima, Ohio42   C   Chad Angeli      6-9  240  Sr. 15.7  4.6  Wausau, Wis. 3   G   Shaun Fountain  5-10  175  Sr.  9.0  3.8  Columbus, Ohio 4   G   Kalombo Kadima   6-2  185  Fr.  4.4  4.1  Milwaukee, Wis. 5   G   Ronnie Jones     5-9  165  Fr. 10.0  3.1  Las Vegas, Nev.

Coming Up
The Runnin' Utes open the new millenium by hosting Southern Utah on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

A Quick Look at UtahBR> The Runnin' Utes, winners of seven in a row, are 9-2 after posting an 87-77 win over Oregon State on Tuesday night at the Huntsman Center.

After sitting out the first eight games of the season with a knee injury, Hanno Moettoelae has led Utah in scoring the last three games. He is averaging 25.7 points while shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from three-point range (8-of-11). Moettoelae is also averaging 6.3 rebounds per game. Senior 6-7 forward Alex Jensen is second on the team in scoring average (13.5 ppg) and is tops in rebounding (7.4 rpg). Jensen is also shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range. Senior 5-11 guard Jeremy Killion is also averaging double figures in scoring (13.0 ppg) while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 50.9 percent from three-point range. Senior 6-5 guard/forward Tony Harvey is averaging 8.9 points and shooting 85.7 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore 6-1 guard Gary Colbert leads the team in assists (5.0 apg).

Utah is outscoring the opposition 74.2 to 58.9 points per game and has a 32.7 to 29.1 edge in rebounding. The Utes are shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from three-point range and 68.6 percent from the free throw line.

Training Room Notes

Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff sprained his left ankle with 7:02 remaining in the first half of Utah's game against Sioux Falls on Dec. 17. He is questionable but could be available for the Wisconsin-Milwaukee game.
Senior forward Hanno Moettoelae returned to the line-up on Dec. 18 after missing the first eight games of the season with a partial medial collateral tear in his left knee. Moettoelae 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. Moettoelae did not require surgery.
Junior guard Trent Whiting has been declared as a medical redshirt for the remainder of the 1999-2000 season. Whiting has not suited-up since Dec. 3 and was limited all season by a congenital condition in his femur bones. The Kuna, Idaho, native and former junior college All-American at Snow College averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in five games this season.

Utah vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee Notes

Scouting Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The Panthers are 6-4 after suffering a 93-60 loss at Cincinnati on Monday. Before its Christmas break, UWM posted wins at home over Fairleigh-Dickinson, 76-59, on Dec. 11 and Bethune-Cookman, 84-76, on Dec. 14.

Junior 6-9 center Chad Angeli leads the team in scoring (15.7 ppg) and is second in rebounds (4.6 rpg). Freshman 6-3 forward Clay Tucker is second in scoring (13.8 ppg), shooting 42.2 percent from three-point range, and is the team's leading rebounder (5.2 rpg). Freshman 5-9 guard Ronnie Jones is shooting 45.7 percent from behind the arc and averaging 10.0 points per contest.

The Panthers are outscoring the opposition 69.6 to 69.5 points per game. They are shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point range.

Head Coach Bo Ryan
Bo Ryan is in his first season at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was the winningest coach in the '90s in college basketball at any level. Ryan had a 353-76 record in 15 years at Wisconsin-Platteville. He guided UWP to four NCAA Division III championships (1991, '95, '98, '99) and earned National Coach of the Year honors four times.

Series Notes
All five games in the series have taken place in the '90s. This is the fourth time that Utah and Wisconsin-Milwaukee will meet in Salt Lake City.

In the last meeting, Utah defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 66-51, on Dec. 27, 1997 in Milwaukee, Wis. After playing to a 26-26 tie at the half, the Utes outscored the Panthers 40-25 in the second half. Utah outshot UWM 48.9 to 34.0 percent and had a 41 to 28 edge on the boards.

Three Utes led the way with a game-high 14 points, including Hanno Moettoelae, who shot 5-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 at the line and pulled down seven boards in 26 minutes. Alex Jensen had four points and six rebounds, while Nate Althoff added two points.

Looking Ahead

Scouting Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds are 3-7 after losing three in a row. Most recently, SUU lost at Weber State, 69-59, on Dec. 18 and fell to Boise State, 70-57, at home on Dec. 21. Southern Utah hosts Carroll College on Wednesday night before facing the Utes.

Junior 6-5 forward Fred House, a transfer from Dixie Junior College, leads the team in scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg). Senior 6-7 guard Tyson Hancock is second in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding, and is shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range. Junior 6-0 guard Jeff Monaco is the third T-Bird averaging double figures in scoring (11.1 ppg).

Southern Utah has been outscored 73.1 to 68.0 points per game and has been outrebounded 34.9 to 31.3 boards per game. The Thunderbirds are shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three-point range.

Noting the Utes

Game #11 Rewind
Hanno Moettoelae scored 29 points, including Utah's first 12 of the game, to lead the 21st-ranked Utes to an 87-77 victory over Oregon State on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.

Oregon State (7-3) climbed within 65-57 after Josh Steinthal's second straight three-pointer before Moettoelae smothered any chance of a comeback. The 6-foot-9 senior from Finland took over the game with eight straight points over the next three minutes. Moettoelae had a dunk, two drives for finger rolls in the lane and two free throws to give Utah (9-2) a 73-57 lead with 4:17 to play.

Jeremy Killion scored 16 points for the Utes, who have won seven straight games and extended their home winning streak to 43 consecutive games. Gary Colbert added 13 points for Utah and Alex Jensen had 10.

Deaundra Tanner, who led Oregon State with 24 points, cut the Utes' lead to 52-49. But Utah scored seven consecutive points, including a four-point play. Tony Harvey made two free throws after an intentional foul by Steinthal and Jensen scored on the ensuing possession.

Steinthal scored all 10 of his points in the second half and Clifton Jones added 11 for the Beavers.

Utah led 40-34 at halftime but went scoreless for the first 3:29 of the second half. Meanwhile, the Beavers ran off nine straight points. Tanner's three-pointer gave Oregon State a 43-40 lead. Jeff Johnsen came off the bench to score five points in a 12-4 run that put Utah back on top for good.

After scoring a career-high 32 points in a win over Texas last Wednesday, Moettoelae continued his hot streak by scoring the Utes' first 12 points. With the score tied at 30, Moettoelae hit one of his three first-half three-pointers to spark Utah's 10-5 run to close the half.

Killion also had three first-half three-pointers without a miss, including a buzzer-beater to give the Utes a 40-34 halftime lead. The Utes finished 12-of-20 from beyond the arc to end Oregon State's three-game winning streak.

Utah shot 59 percent from the field but allowed Oregon State to shoot 55.6 percent from the field.

Odd and Ends

Three Utes have shot nearly half or more than half of their field goals from three-point range. Jeremy Killion has taken 55 of his 92 attempts, Tony Harvey has shot 35 of 72 and Phil Cullen has attempted 34 of 61 field goals from beyond the arc.
Utah has allowed its last two opponents to shoot better than 55 percent from the field. Oregon State shot 55.6 percent (30-of-54) against the Utes on Dec. 28, the highest percentage by a Utah opponent this season. Texas shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49) on Dec. 22.
In both losses, Utah was outrebounded for the game and outscored in the second half. Utah also committed more turnovers and more fouls, and allowed the opposition more free throw attempts.
The Utes have scored above 80 points twice this season with 84 in their win over Chicago State on Dec. 18 and 87 in their win over Oregon State on Dec. 28.
Utah shot a season-best 54.7 percent from the field against Washington State (Dec. 11).
Utah surrendered a season-low 42 points in its 35-point win over Utah State on Dec. 7. The Utes also gave up a season-low shooting night to USU, allowing the Aggies to shoot just 30.8 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from three-point range.

Lighting It Up From Downtown
Utah ranks 16th in the NCAA in three-point field goals per game (8.7) and third in three-point percentage (.457). Utah has shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in four of its last six games. During that span, the "Gunnin'" Utes have made 63-of-121 three-pointers (52.1%). The Utes tied a school record with 14 three-pointers against both Utah State (Dec. 7) and Washington State (Dec. 11). Utah also hit 14 trifectas in 1994 against San Diego State and in 1995 against Fresno State. Against Utah State, Utah shot 73 percent (11-of-15) from three-point range in the first half, breaking the school record of 10 three-pointers in a half set in 1993 and 1995, both times against Fresno State. Utah shot 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from three-point range for the game, which ranks as the third-best single-game percentage in the NCAA this season. The Utes continued their hot shooting by going 12-of-20 (60.0%) from downtown against Oregon State on Tuesday.

Rick's Remarks
On the Oregon State game -
"We played hard. We made a lot of mistakes, but we were tired and fatigued. [Deaundra Tanner] was terrific. We knew he was good and we told them he was an all-Pac 10 guard, and he went for 24. He's a hell of a player. This kid's tough. We gave good effort physically. Mentally we didn't give good effort. We just have problems with fatigue. I think part of it is our bodies, part of it is our depth. I commend what [Oregon State] did. They just started what we've done since day one. They had a guy injured (center Jason Heide) who is a meaningful player, and they responded."

"I'm very frustrated defensively. We might be outguessing ourselves here and there and I may have to simplify some more defensively. The score is not indicative of the game. It was a three or four point game... I thought their guys really hung in there. They never quit, and I think they're going to have a very good season."

On playing Wisconsin-Milwaukee -
"This game has come about because I took the team home to Wisconsin twice so that I could play in front of my friends, family and my mother. As we work our way every year through the team, we try to get everybody else home so I thought in 10 years I deserve two trips home for myself to have a bratwurst. I know this, Bo Ryan won a number of (NCAA) Division III national championships. He's an outstanding coach. They're going to crank it out and run a flex offense to death that's highly disciplined. They have outstanding three-point shooters. (Chad) Angeli's an all-league center. We're going to have to play against a tenacious defense. It think the worst thing we can do is look at the Cincinnati score and feel that, because we're the Utes and Cincinnati pummeled them, we're going to have anything other than a very competitive night. I can assure you this, UWM will be, above all else, competitive."

In the Polls
Utah remained at No. 24 in the USA Today/ESPN poll released on Dec. 26 and moved up five places to No. 21 in Associated Press poll released on Dec. 27. Utah has been ranked in at least one of the national Top 25 polls for 15 consecutive weeks, dating back to last season. The Utes are back in the A.P. Top 25 poll after a three-week absence. Utah was ranked 11 consecutive weeks by A.P. before falling out on Dec. 6.

Before falling out on Dec. 14, 1998, Utah had been ranked in the national polls every week since early in the 1994-95 season. After a seven-week absence, the Utes returned to both of the top 25 in both 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 78 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 has Utah's second-best scoring average (13.5 ppg), shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range, and is the top rebounder (7.4 rpg). Jensen has led Utah three times in scoring, seven times in rebounds and four times in assists this season. He has also scored in double figures in all but one game, including two 20-point performances. Jensen scored a career-high 25 points with a career-best nine field goals and three 3-point field goals against Augusta State on Dec. 3. Against Washington State on Dec. 11, he had 21 points by going 7-of-10 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. He also had a season-high nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in 38 minutes against Wazzu. Jensen is 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 Entering Select Company
Senior forward Alex Jensen could become the ninth Ute all-time and the fourth under Rick Majerus to record 1,000 points and 800 rebounds during their careers. Jensen currently has 1,008 career points and 737 career rebounds. He became the 28th Ute to surpass the 1,000-point plateau with 10 points against Oregon State on Dec. 28. The Centerville, Utah, native needs 63 more rebounds to become the ninth Ute to post 800.

Jensen currently ranks 28th in career scoring, ninth in total rebounds, third in career offensive rebounds (285) and sixth in defensive rebounds (448) at the U.

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

He's Baaaack. . .
After missing the first eight games of the season with a partial medial collateral tear in his left knee, senior forward Hanno Moettoelae (6-9, 250) has quickly made his mark after returning to the line-up. He has led the Utes in scoring in all three games since his return. Most recently, Moettoelae had 29 points, making 9-of-13 field goals and 3-of-3 three-pointers, while getting six boards and two blocks in 31 minutes against Oregon State on Dec. 28. He had a double-double with a career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes against Texas on Dec. 22. He also made a personal-best 12 field goals in 21 attempts in that game. In his season debut against Chicago State on Dec. 18, Moettoelae scored a game-high 16 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, in 20 minutes.

Moettoelae 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. As a junior, the Helsinki, Finland, native 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). Moettoelae also made 35.4 percent of his three-point field goals (34-of-96). Moettoelae 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.

Moettoelae ranks high in several career statistical categories at the U. He is 20th all-time in scoring (1,211), seventh in defensive rebounds (318), ninth in offensive boards (151) and 12th in blocked shots (40).

Defense, Defense, Defense
One of the trademarks of a Rick Majerus coached team is a stifling half-court defense. In the last 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.

Through seven games this season, Utah gave up an average of 56.0 points per game to rank 22nd in the nation in scoring defense as of Dec. 13. Through 11 games, Utah's opponents are shooting just 42.6 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from three-point range.

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.

Slow Start, Fast Finish
Starting the season with 2-2 record was not unfamiliar territory for the Utes. Last season, Utah started the season with a 5-4 record before winning its next 23 games. After a splitting its first four games this season, Utah has won its last seven. Here is a statistical comparison between Utah's start and finish to last season, as well as one between its first four games and last seven games this year.

1998-99Games 1-9     FG%   3-FG%     PPG     RPG   AS/TO RatioUtah         44.6    29.7    66.0    36.2     .976Opponents    39.9    40.3    59.3    31.2     .793
Games 10-33   FG%   3-FG%    PPG      RPG   AS/TO RatioUtah         48.9    35.8   73.3     35.9      1.68Opponents    43.7    31.7   53.9     26.5      1.25
1999-2000Games 1-4     FG%   3-FG%    PPG      RPG    AS/TO RatioUtah         46.6    36.2   67.5     36.0       1.09Opponents    39.9    32.3   57.0     30.3       .959
Games 5-10    FG%   3-FG%    PPG      RPG    AS/TO RatioUtah         51.3    50.4   78.0     30.9       1.43    Opponents    44.1    35.0   60.0     28.4       .608

Home Unbeaten Streak at 43 Games
After defeating Oregon State on Tuesday, Utah retained the second-longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. The Utes have won 43 straight in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to a Dec. 31, 1996 loss to Wake Forest. Utah's current streak, which began with an 84-63 win over Colorado State on Jan. 4, 1997, ranks ahead of Duke's 41 consecutive home wins. It is also the longest homecourt winning streak in school history. Murray State has the longest homecourt winning streak in the nation at 46 games. Cincinnati has the fourth-longest (35).

The Utes are 8-0 at home this season. Utah went 14-0 at home in 1998-99 to post the sixth undefeated home season in the 31-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 137-10 (.932) 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. Combining the two lengthy streaks and 13 wins sandwiched in between two losses, Utah has won 83 of its last 85 games played in the Huntsman Center.

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

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.

Moettoelae Third Ute Academic All-American in Two Years
Hanno Moettoelae, 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. Moettoelae 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 Moettoelae, 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. Moettoelae 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 Moettoelae, 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.

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.

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.

Summer Action for Moettoelae and Althoff
Hanno Moettoelae played for the Finnish National Team in a four-country tournament with Lithuania, Russia and Germany in Helsinki in May. Moettoelae 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.

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).

Harvey, Jensen and Moettoelae 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 Moettoelae (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 Moettoelae (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.

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 was also 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 also televised Utah's home game against Texas on Dec. 22.

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.

Leaders By Game

Points
Killion 4
Jensen 3
Moettoelae 3
Althoff 2

Rebounds
Jensen 7
Moettoelae 2
Althoff 1
Johnsen 1
Puzey 1

Assists
Colbert 5
Jensen 4
Harvey 2
Johnsen 2
Sharp 1

Blocks
Althoff 5
Cullen 3
Colbert 2
Johnsen 1
Moettoelae 1

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Nevada [Exh] on October 17, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Oregon [Exh] on October 24, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus San José State on November 3, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Weber State on November 8, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Holy Cross on November 10, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Sam Houston State on November 15, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Purdue Fort Wayne on November 18, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Cal Poly on November 20, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Grand Canyon on November 25, 2025 at 10 PM

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Butler on March 31, 2025 , Loss , 84, to, 86

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 14-Seed UCF on March 11, 2025 , Loss , 72, to, 87

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at #23/22 BYU on March 8, 2025 , Loss , 74, to, 85

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus West Virginia on March 4, 2025 , Loss , 69, to, 71

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Arizona State on March 1, 2025 , Win , 99, to, 73

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at #22/21 Arizona on February 26, 2025 , Loss , 66, to, 83

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UCF on February 23, 2025 , Loss , 72, to, 76

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Kansas State on February 17, 2025 , Win , 74, to, 69

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #17/20 Kansas on February 15, 2025 , Win , 74, to, 67

Utes Prepare For Wisconsin-Milaukee

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