Runnin' Utes Set To Host Utah State

Dec. 6, 1999

Game #6
Utah Utes (3-2) vs. Utah State Aggies (4-2)
Dec. 7 - 7:05 p.m. (MST)

Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)
Salt Lake City

A Quick Look at Utah
The Runnin' Utes are 3-2 following a 69-56 win over Augusta State last Friday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah defeated Stony Brook, 74-45, to open a three-game week on last Monday at home before suffering an 84-72 loss at Weber State last Wednesday. All three of Utah's wins have come at home this season, while both losses have occurred on the road.

Senior 6-7 forward Alex Jensen leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg). Jensen is also shooting 64.1 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range. Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff is second is scoring (10.4 ppg) and rebounding (4.6 rpg). Senior 5-11 guard Jeremy Killion is third in scoring (9.4 ppg). Senior 6-5 point guard Tony Harvey leads the team in assists (3.6 apg).

Utah is outscoring the opposition 67.8 to 56.8 points per game and has a 35.2 to 30.4 edge in rebounding. The Utes are shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 67.4 percent from the free throw line.

Television: KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City (Ch. 14, TCI 3). Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Frank Layden (analyst).
Radio: Utah Sports Network (570 K-NEWS in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations). Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Jeff Jonas (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Rankings: Utah is 20th in the A.P. poll and 25th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

Series Record: Utah leads 125-86
Utah Home/Away/Neutral: 75-32/50-54/0-0
Last Meeting: Utah State defeated Utah, 62-54, on Nov. 18, 1998 in Logan, Utah
Majerus vs. Utah State Overall: 9-3 At Utah: 9-3

The Game at a Glance

Utah Coach: Rick Majerus              Utah State Coach: Stew MorrillAlma Mater: Marquette '70             Alma Mater: Gonzaga '74Record at Utah: 241-66/11th Season    Record at Utah State: 19-15/2nd SeasonOverall Record: 340-118/16th Season   Overall Record: 237-153/14th Season

Utah Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
50	F	Alex Jensen	6-7	225	Sr.	14.4	9.0	Centerville, Utah
52	C	Nate Althoff	6-11	260	Jr.	10.4	4.6	Delano, Minn.
4	G	Adam Sharp	6-2	180	So.	2.3	0.3	Salt Lake City
5	G	Tony Harvey	6-5	200	Sr.	8.0	2.4	Carson, Calif.
32	G	Jeremy Killion	5-11	190	Sr.	9.4	2.2	San Diego, Calif.

Utah Off the Bench

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
3	G	Gary Colbert	6-1	175	So.	3.0	4.0	Alta Loma, Calif.
15	F	Nick Jacobson	6-3	185	Fr.	0.0	0.0	Roseville, Minn.
21	G	Trent Whiting	6-0	180	Jr.	5.0	3.0	Kuna, Idaho
25	G	Brandon Sluga	6-4	210	Sr.	1.3	0.0	Taylorsville, Utah
34	F	Matt Vivas	6-4	210	Fr.	0.0	2.0	Honolulu, Hawaii
35	F	Jeff Johnsen	6-4	200	So.	7.2	4.0	Murray, Utah
40	F/C	Phil Cullen	6-9	215	So.	5.0	2.0	Chelan, Wash.
42	F	Mike Puzey	6-8	215	Fr.	3.8	1.0	Roy, Utah

Utah State Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
11	F	Dan Stewart	6-7	210	So.	4.0	3.2	Salt Lake City
31	F	Tony Brown	6-3	194	So.	8.0	3.8	Hyrum, Utah
5	C	Shawn Daniels	6-6	250	Jr.	10.3	7.2	Bakersfield, Calif.
10	G	Bernard Rock	5-11	165	Jr.	6.0	4.0	Mayer, Ariz.
22	G	Troy Rolle	6-2	210	Sr.	12.3	3.0	Orlando, Fla.

1999-2000 Standings

(As of Dec. 6)	Conf.	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
1. UNLV	0-0	- -	5-1	.833
2. BYU	0-0	- -	3-1	.750
3. Wyoming	0-0	- -	4-2	.667
4. Utah	0-0	- -	3-2	.600
5. New Mexico	0-0	- -	4-3	.571
6. Air Force	0-0	- -	2-3	.400
Colorado State	0-0	- -	2-3	.400
8. San Diego State	0-0	- -	1-2	.333

After This
The Runnin' Utes play at Washington State on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. (PST) before a break for finals week.

From the Training Room: Whiting Probable for this Week, M?tt?l? Out with Knee Injury
Junior guard Trent Whiting is probable for the Utah State and Washington State games. The junior college All-American from Snow College has been playing in pain all season because of a congenital condition in his femur bones. Whiting, averaging 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, has played in five games and started against Augusta State on Dec. 3. However his playing time has been limited to just 17.6 minutes per game due to the injury. Whiting could play in one more game and still be able to take a medical redshirt. Players are able to take a medical redshirt in the first half of the season if they have not played in over 20 percent of a team's total regular-season games.

Utah senior forward Hanno M?tt?l? , 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. M?tt?l? 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. He is entering his fourth week of rehabilitation, is progressing well and has started running.

Junior center Nate Althoff has been bothered by a sprained back since fall practice. He missed both exhibition games but has not missed a regular-season game.

Autograph Party with Ute Football Team Prior to Utah State Hoops Game
To celebrate the Utes' upcoming Las Vegas Bowl appearance, fans are invited to an autograph party with the 1999 Mountain West Conference champion Ute football team before the Utah vs. Utah State basketball game on Tuesday. The session will take place in a tent outside the southwest corner of the Jon M. Huntsman Center beginning at approximately 6:00 p.m. Ute players and staff will be available to sign autographs and 1999 team photos will given away. The party is being sponsored by 570 K-NEWS and KALL-910 AM.

Utah Tradition

Utah has a 1,432-748 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).
During the decade of the '90s, the Utes won the eighth-most games in NCAA Division I with a 250-76 record. Utah's .767 winning percentage in the last 10 years also ranked as the eighth-best in the nation.
In the past 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 have the fourth-most wins in NCAA Division I in the last three years with an 87-13 record.

Utah vs. Utah State Notes

Scouting the Aggies
Utah State is 4-2 after defeating UC San Diego, 82-58, last Saturday night in Logan, Utah. The Aggies lost at Northern Arizona (64-52) last Tuesday. Prior to that, USU went 2-1 in the Maui Classic (Nov. 22-24), losing to Florida (60-58) before defeating Chaminade (70-48) and Southern California (52-50).

Senior 6-2 guard Troy Rolle (12.3 ppg) leads the team in scoring and is shooting 51.9 percent from three-point range. Junior 6-6 forward Shawn Daniels is the team's leading rebounder (7.2 rpg) and is averaging 10.3 points per game. Junior 6-11 center Dimitri Jorsen, who missed two games with an ankle injury, returned to action on Saturday. He has started three games, averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Utah State has outscored (65.3 to 56.2 ppg) and outrebounded (39.5 to 34.5 rpg) its opponents.

The Aggies return one starter and three letterwinners from last year's team that went 15-13 overall and finished tied for fourth place in the Eastern Division of the Big West Conference with an 8-8 mark.

Head Coach Stew Morrill
Stew Morrill is a familiar coaching foe to Rick Majerus. From 1992-98, Morrill was the head coach at Colorado State, a member of both the WAC and Mountain West Conference with the Utes. Morrill had a 3-10 record against Utah at CSU, winning three of the first four meetings. Morrill won his first game against the Utes as USU's head coach (62-54) last season in Logan, Utah. The Provo, Utah, native was also the head coach at Montana from 1987-91.

The Series
The Utes lead the all-time series with the Aggies 125-86 and has a 75-32 edge in games played in Salt Lake City. Utah State is Utah's second-oldest rival. Utah had won five straight and 12 of 15 before last year's 62-54 loss.

Last Meeting
Utah lost to Utah State, 62-54, on Nov. 18, 1998 in Logan, Utah. After the Utes led 28-27 at halftime, the Aggies outscored the U. 35-26 in the second half and had 40.8 to 34.4 advantage in field goal percentage for the game.

Utah was led by an 18-point night from Andre Miller. Alex Jensen had 11 points and seven rebounds. Nate Althoff, Phil Cullen and Jeremy Killion each had four points. Troy Rolle had 11 points and six rebounds to lead Utah State. The Aggies outshot the Utes 40.8 to 34.4 from the field and limited Utah to 18.2 percent three-point shooting.

The Utes led by two (54-52) with 2:44 to play after a Jensen three-pointer. However, Tony Brown answered back with a three-pointer 17 seconds later to put USU up for good as Utah did not score the rest of the game.

Battle for the Old Oquirrh Bucket
The Old Oquirrh Bucket (named after the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of Salt Lake City) is the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy in Utah. The trophy is awarded every year to the in-state college team (Utah, BYU, Southern Utah, Utah State and Weber State) which has the best won-loss record against in-state competition. Utah won the trophy last season, posting a 4-1 record against in-state foes.

Utah lost the first of its in-state games to Weber State (84-72) on Dec. 1. Utah State has yet to play an in-state game.

Utah vs. Washington State Preview

Scouting the Cougars
Washington State is 3-2 entering Tuesday night's home game with Portland. Last week, Wazzu lost at Gonzaga (73-63) and defeated Southern University (80-77) on Saturday at home.

Three Cougars are averaging double figures in scoring. Senior 6-8 forward Chris Crosby leads the team in scoring (16.6 ppg) and is second in rebounding (5.0 rpg). He is also shooting 96.2 percent from the free throw line. Senior 6-0 guard Jan-Michael Thomas is second on the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) with 36 of his 62 field goal attempts coming from three-point range. Sophomore 6-6 guard Mike Bush is averaging 11.0 points per game and is the team's leading rebounder (8.8 rpg). Senior 5-11 guard Blake Pengelly is averaging 6.8 assists per game.

Washington State is averaging 70.2 points per game and allowing 70.0 points per game. It also has a 34.2 to 33.2 advantage per game on the boards, but has committed 105 turnovers to 68 assists. The Cougars are shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three-point range.

Head Coach Paul Graham Paul Graham is in his first season as a head coach. Graham was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State from 1992-99, helping guide the Cowboys to a 150-72 record, five NCAA Tournament appearances and the 1995 Final Four. He was also an assistant coach at SMU (1982-88) and New Mexico (1990-92).

The Series
Utah leads the all-time series with Washington State 10-1. The Utes took the only previous game played in Pullman, Wash., 45-44, on Dec. 17, 1938 to open the series. Washington State's only win was 33-32 on Dec. 14, 1946 in Salt Lake City. Since then, Utah has won nine straight. The teams last met on Dec. 18, 1971 in Salt Lake City with the Utes winning 74-60.

Utah Sports Radio Network

Blanding	KUTA	790 AM
Delta	KNAK	540 AM
Las Vegas	KSHP	1400 AM
Price	KOAL	1080 AM
Richfield	KSVC	980 AM
Salt Lake City	K-NEWS	570 AM
St. George/Cedar City	KSGI	1450 AM
Vernal	KVEL	920 AM

KALL-910 AM in Salt Lake City carries the Utah Coach's Show on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Noting the Utes

Game #5 Rewind
Senior Alex Jensen came up big, scoring a career-high 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting and pulling down 10 rebounds in Utah's 69-56 win over Augusta State on Friday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Tony Harvey, who was relegated to a reserve role as Rick Majerus shook-up his lineup, scored 10 points for the Utes (3-2). Center Nate Althoff also added 10 points. Point guard Gary Colbert, used sparingly in the first four games, played a season-high 29 minutes while dishing out nine assists and committing one turnover.

Jensen came up with some key baskets and free throws to outscore the Jaguars 7-4 over a two-minute stretch to put the game away. Jensen completed a three-point play with 3:34 left, scored on another driving layup on the next possession, and added two free throws with 1:32 to play.

Festus Hawkins, who transferred after starting for Illinois last season, scored 13 points for Division II Augusta State (3-4) before fouling out with 7:30 to play. Even without their big center, the Jaguars made an 8-4 run capped by an emphatic dunk by Oliver Ottley to make it 58-52 with 3:49 remaining.

The scrappy Jaguars stayed with the Utes in the first half and trailed by just four at 24-20 after Hawkins hit back-to-back baseline jumpers. Utah's biggest lead of the half was the 33-25 margin at intermission.

Junior college point guard Trent Whiting and redshirt freshman Mike Puzey started at point guard and power forward, respectively, in place of Harvey and Phil Cullen. Jeff Johnsen, who has also started one game this season, scored seven points and had three assists in 17 minutes off the bench. Jeremy Killion added six points, going 2-of-4 from three-point range, and Cullen scored five.

The Utes outshot Augusta State 48.0 to 37.7 percent from the field and 40.0 to 25.0 percent from three-point range. Utah also had a 32 to 31 edge on the glass and posted 19 assists on 24 baskets.

Odd and Ends
Phil Cullen and Tony Harvey are off to great starts from the free throw line. Cullen is 7-for-7 while Harvey is 12-for-13 ... 21 of Jeremy Killion's 40 field goal attempts have come from three-point range ... In both of Utah's losses, it has been outrebounded for the game and outscored in the second half. Utah has also committed more turnovers and more fouls ... Utah shot a season-best 53.1 percent from the field against Weber State, but also gave up its best shooting night to an opponent (47.5 percent) ... Weber State scored the most points (58) and had the best field goal percentage (72.4) in a single-half against a Majerus-coached Utah team in the second half on Dec. 1 ... Utah's 12-point loss to Weber State (84-72) was its worse since a 13-point loss to Kentucky (72-59) Mar. 22, 1997 in the NCAA West Regional final ... Utah's most lopsided loss all of last year was eight points (66-58) to Miami-Ohio in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Mar. 14 ... After not shooting better than 41.9 percent from the field in either of its first two games, Utah shot 50.9 percent from the field against Stony Brook on Nov. 29. The Utes sank 27-of-53 shots, led by a 4-for-5 effort by Alex Jensen and 6-for-10 night by Nate Althoff. Utah also made 9-of-18 three-pointers (.500) after shooting 33.3 and 30.0 percent from beyond the arc against Arkansas State and Kentucky, respectively.

Utes in the Mountain West

Conference Stats

Team

(As of Dec. 6)		Rank
Scoring Offense	67.8	7th
Scoring Defense	56.8	1st
Scoring Margin	+11.0	4th
FG Percentage	.469	3rd
FG Pct. Defense	.394	3rd
FT Percentage	.674	6th
Reb. Offense	35.2	6th
Reb. Defense	30.4	2nd
Rebound Margin	+4.8	2nd
3 Pt. FG/Game	6.6	3rd
3 Pt. Percentage	.371	3rd
3 Pt. FG Pct. Defense	.303	4th
Assists	16.2	3rd
Turnover Margin	-0.8	7th
Steals	6.6	8th
Blocked Shots	2.6	4th

Individuals

Nate Althoff

(As of Dec. 6)

Rank

Scoring	10.4	17th
Field Goal Pct.	.537	11th
Rebounding	4.6	17th
Defensive Reb.	3.4	14th
Blocked Shots	1.4	4th

Gary Colbert

Assists	4.0	3rd
Assists/TO Ratio	1.8	5th
Steals	1.5	11th

Phil Cullen

Blocked Shots

0.6

12th

Tony Harvey

Defensive Reb.	4.0	11th
Assists	3.6	6th
Assists/T.O. Ratio	1.6	6th
Free Throw Pct.	.923	1st

Alex Jensen

Scoring	14.4	10th
Rebounding	9.0	2nd
Offensive Reb.	3.0	4th
Defensive Reb.	6.0	1st
Field Goal Pct.	.641	2nd
Assists	2.4	14th
Assists/T.O. Ratio	1.5	6th
3 Pt. FG/Game	2.0	6th
3 Pt. FG Pct.	.556	3rd
Free Throw Pct.	.750	12th

Jeff Johnsen

Assists	3.0	11th
Assists/T.O. Ratio	2.1	4th

Jeremy Killion

Scoring	9.4	23rd
3 Pt. FG Pct.	.381	14th
3 Pt. FG/Game	1.6	9th

Trent Whiting

3 Pt. FG Pct.

.417

9th

Rick's Remarks

On the Augusta State game -
"I thought we played very hard. I thought they played very hard too. I don't think any effort could be faulted. We never got off the bus up at Weber-four guys didn't. I thought it was a good game. I (wasn't) surprised by anything with them. I'm trying to address our own problems and work through our own situation."

On the team's injury situation -
"It's very difficult to come every day and not have a practice. Chris Burgess has a bulging disk, Nate's got back ailments, Whiting's got the thigh problem. Of course, Hanno is hurt. We try to get a workout, and it's difficult. But effort is never difficult. We were absent in effort up at Weber State. Everyday I come, and I don't know if Nate's going to be able to practice or play. We cannot have a 10-man practice-an eight-man practice with scholarship players. So now we play against walk-ons and we get a false sense of confidence."

On Utah State -
"I expect a typically well-drilled Stew Morrill team that has tremendous execution, a wide variety of plays, changing defenses. We'll, for sure, see presses and three-quarter court traps. Additionally, we'll see a zone and a tenacious man-to-man. Their accomplishments to date have certainly got my attention. I hope I'm able to convey the success that they had in Maui and the success to date to the team. If we come out thinking that 'Utah' across our chest is going to produce a victory, we're very much in for a surprise."

In the Polls
Utah was ranked 25th in the USA Today/ESPN poll released on Sunday and 29th in Associated Press poll released on Monday. Utah has been ranked in at least one of the national Top 25 polls for 12 consecutive weeks, dating back to last season. The Utes were ranked 11 consecutive weeks in the A.P. top 25 before falling out this week.

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.

Utah in the Polls

Associated Press	USA Today/ESPN
1. Cincinnati (55)	1. Cincinnati (26)
2. Arizona (6)	2. Arizona (3)
3. Stanford (9)	3. Stanford (2)
4. Michigan St.	4. Kansas
5. Kansas	5. Michigan St.
6. Connecticut	6. Connecticut
7. North Carolina (1)	7. North Carolina
8. Auburn	8. Auburn
9. Florida	9. Syracuse
10. Texas	10. Florida
11. UCLA	11. UCLA
12. Syracuse	12. Texas
13. Ohio State	13. Duke
14. Duke	14. Indiana
15. Indiana	15. Tennessee
16. Tennessee	16. Ohio State
17. Oklahoma St.	17. Oklahoma St.
18. Wake Forest	18. Temple
19. Temple	19. Maryland
20. DePaul	20. DePaul
21. Maryland	21. Wake Forest
22. Illinois	22. Kentucky
23. Kentucky	23. Purdue
24. Gonzaga	24. Illinois
25. Purdue	25. UTAH
- -
29. UTAH

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. Duke	39
2. UTAH	38
3. Arizona	35
4. Cincinnati	33

Awesome Alex
Senior forward Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) has started all 72 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 leading scorer (14.4 ppg), shooting 64.1 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range, and top rebounder (9.0 rpg). Jensen has led Utah in scoring three times and rebounds four times this season. He has also scored in double figures in all but one game. Jensen 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 (274) and sixth in defensive rebounds (427) at the U.

Awesome Alex II
Alex Jensen is coming off of a great week. In three games against Stony Brook (Nov. 29), Weber State (Dec. 1) and Augusta State (Dec. 3), Jensen averaged 17.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He also shot 75.0 percent (18-for-24) from the field, 72.7 percent (8-for-11) from three-point range and 90.0 percent (9-for-10) from the free throw line.

Jensen scored a career-high 25 points with a career-best nine field goals and a career-best tying three 3-point field goals in the win over Augusta State. He led Utah with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes against Weber State. Against Stony Brook, he had a team-best 13 points-making 4-of-5 shots from the field and all three 3-pointers-seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Mentioning M?tt?l?
Hanno M?tt?l? was rated among the top players in college basketball during the preseason. Playboy magazine selected M?tt?l? to their 10-player All-America team. He was also named one of the early finalists for the Wooden and Naismith National Player of the Year awards. Basketball News named M?tt?l? as the 12th-best inside-outers in college basketball. The Mountain West Conference media selected M?tt?l? 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 Hanno
Senior forward Hanno M?tt?l? (6-9, 250), out until possibly late December with a medial collateral tear in his left knee, earned first team all-Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division honors last season and was named second team all-WAC in the Mountain Division in 1997-98. The Helsinki, Finland, native started all 67 games the last two seasons, and is Utah's top returning scorer (15.3 ppg) and second-leading returning rebounder (5.4 rpg) from 1998-99.

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

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

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

Althoff Stepping Up
Now in his junior season, 6-11 center Nate Althoff is asserting himself as a presence in the paint. Through five games, the Delano, Minn., native, is averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Althoff is also shooting 53.7 percent from the field. He has scored in double figures four times, including a career-high 14 points against Arkansas State on Nov. 16.

Last season, Althoff averaged 4.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Althoff has improved his numbers this season despite playing with a back sprain that kept him out of both exhibition games and has significantly limited his practice time.

Slow Start, Fast Finish
Going into the Utah State game with a 3-2 record is not unfamiliar territory for the Utes. Last season, Utah started the season with a 5-4 record before winning its next 23 games. Here is a statistical comparison between Utah's first nine games last year, its final 24 games last year and its first five games this year.

Games 1-9

'98-99	FG%	3-FG%	PPG	RPG	AS/TO Ratio
Utah	44.6	29.7	66.0	36.2	.976
Oppon.	39.9	40.3	59.3	31.2	.793

Games 10-33

'98-99	FG%	3-FG%	PPG	RPG	AS/TO Ratio
Utah	48.9	35.8	73.3	35.9	1.68
Oppon.	43.7	31.7	53.9	26.5	1.25

Games 1-5

'99-00	FG%	3-FG%	PPG	RPG	AS/TO Ratio
Utah	46.9	37.1	67.8	35.2	1.13
Oppon.	39.4	30.3	56.8	30.4	.809

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.

Through five games this season, Utah's opponents are shooting just 39.4 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three-point range and averaging 56.8 points per game.

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.

Home Unbeaten Streak at 37 Games
After defeating Augusta State on Friday, Utah has the second-longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. The Utes have won 38 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 39 consecutive home wins. It is also the longest homecourt winning streak in school history. Murray State had won 43 consecutive home games before falling to Detroit (77-68) on Dec. 4.

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 131-10 (.929) 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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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 M?tt?l? (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 M?tt?l? (1996-Present)	38

Offensive Rebounds

1. Josh Grant, 1988-93	337
2. Michael Doleac, 1994-98	288
3. Alex Jensen, 1994-95, 97-Present	274
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 M?tt?l? , 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	427
7. Hanno M?tt?l? , 1996-99	305
8. Byron Wilson, 1990-93	301
9. Phil Dixon, 1989-94	279
10. Walter Watts, 1988-91	275

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

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

All players on Utah's roster are on track to graduate 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.

Rick Majerus
Head Coach -- 11th Season at Utah -- Marquette '70

Considered as one of the top coaches in America, Rick Majerus has entrenched the University of Utah in college basketball's power structure. The Utes' steady rise in national prominence since Majerus' arrival on the "Hill" at the start of the 1989-90 season was crystallized by a trip to the 1998 NCAA Final Four, where Utah finished as the national runner-up.

Entering his 15th season as a college head coach, Majerus' career winning percentage of .744 was the fourth-highest among active Division I coaches and ranked 15th all-time. Among active coaches, only Roy Williams (Kansas), Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State and John Kreese (College of Charleston) had better winning percentages. By notching his 300th career victory during the 1997-98 season, Majerus became one of just one of 12 coaches all-time to reach the 300-win plateau in 14 seasons, only five coaches have won 300 games in less time.

Majerus, who has never had a losing season, has averaged 22 wins per year over the course of his career. He has won 20 games 12 times and 30 games twice. Majerus has also guided eight teams to the NCAA Tournament and four others to the NIT.

A successful coach since the beginning, Majerus' best years have come at Utah. While leading the Utes to unprecedented success, Majerus has become the winningest coach in modern times at the U. Despite the fact that he coached just six games his first season due to heart surgery, Majerus' Utah teams have averaged nearly 24 wins a year. Take away his shortened debut season, and the Utes have won 20 games all but once, averaging 26 wins in nine full seasons under Majerus.

In each of the past five seasons, the U. has won at least 27 games, including a school-record 30 victories in 1997-98. Only 13 times has an NCAA Division I program won at least 25 games in five consecutive seasons. The Utes have claimed five consecutive Western Athletic Conference regular-season championships outright (including divisional titles the last three years) and made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

What Majerus' teams have accomplished since the beginning of his tenure is astounding. Consider:

In the '90s, Utah ranked eighth in NCAA Division I in both wins (250) and winning percentage (.767). Utah has averaged 25 wins over the last 10 seasons.
In the past three seasons, Utah went 87-13 to post the fourth-most wins in NCAA Division I. Utah's .870 winning percentage during that time ranked second in the nation, just a tenth of a percentage point behind the College of Charleston.
The Utes have made seven trips to the NCAA Tournament under Majerus. Utah is one of just six programs to advance to at least the second round of the NCAAs in each of the past five seasons.
Utah has advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 four times and made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 1997 and 1998. The Utes also played in the 1998 NCAA Final Four, losing to Kentucky in the national championship game.
Majerus guided the Utes to the ninth-most wins (15) and the ninth-best winning percentage (.682) in NCAA Tournament play in the '90s. Over the past five years, Utah moved up to fourth place in NCAA Tournament wins (12) and eighth in winning percentage (.706).
Utah advanced it to the NIT Final Four in 1992, placing third.
Before departing the WAC after last season, Utah had won seven regular-season titles-including five in a row-in 10 seasons under Majerus.
Utah won the WAC Tournament championship in 1995, '97 and '99.
His players have been named All-America five times-twice consensus choices-conference player of the year six times and first team all-conference 16 times.

The Majerus File

Year-by-Year at Utah

Year	Overall	Pct.	Conf.	Finish	Postseason
1989-90	4-2 **	.667	- -	- -	- -
1990-91	30-4	.882	15-1	1st	NCAA Sweet 16
1991-92	24-11	.686	9-7	4th	NIT Final Four
1992-93	24-7	.774	15-3	1st-T	NCAA 2nd Round
1993-94	14-14	.500	8-10	5th-T	- -
1994-95	28-6	.824	15-3	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
1995-96	27-7	.794	15-3	1st	NCAA Sweet 16
1996-97	29-4	.878	15-1	1st *	NCAA Elite Eight
1997-98	30-4	.882	12-2	1st *	NCAA Runner-up
1998-99	28-5	.848	14-0	1st *	NCAA 2nd Round
1999-2000	3-2	.600	0-0
Totals	241-66	.785	118-30		11 Years
Career	340-118	.742	140-40		16 Years

* WAC Division Finish
** Majerus missed most of the season due to heart surgery

Breaking Down Majerus' Career Record

	All-Time	At Utah
Overall	340-118 (.742)	241-66 (.785)
Home	194-28 (.874)	132-10 (.930)
Away	106-68 (.609)	75-38 (.664)
Neutral	40-22 (.645)	34-18 (.654)
Conference Games	140-40 (.778)	118-30 (.797)
Conference Tournaments	18-7 (.720)	15-6 (.714)
Postseason NIT	8-4 (.667)	4-1 (.800)
NCAA Tournaments	16-8 (.667)	15-7 (.682)

Career Honors

1999 District Coach of the Year
1999 WAC Pacific Division Coach of the Year
1998 National Coach of the Year (John Wooden)
1998 National Coach of the Year (Playboy)
1998 District Coach of the Year
1997 District Coach of the Year
1997 WAC Coach of the Year (Media)
1997 Utah Sports Person of the Year
1996 District Coach of the Year
1995 District Coach of the Year
1995 WAC Coach of the Year
1993 District Coach of the Year
1993 WAC Coach of the Year
1992 National Coach of the Year (Playboy)
1991 National Coach of the Year (Basketball Times)
1991 National Coach of the Year (UPI)
1991 District Coach of the Year
1991 WAC Coach of the Year
1991 Utah Sports Person of the Year
1989 National Coach of the Year (The Hoop Scoop)

Personal Information
Birthdate: February 17, 1948
Hometown: Sheboygan, Wis.
Education: Marquette, B.A., History, '70
Marquette, M.A.T., Guidance and Counseling, '79
Hired at Utah: April, 1989
First Game: Nov. 24, 1989 vs. Cal State-Stanislaus

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.

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

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

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

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

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 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.

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Utah vs. Utah State Notes

Utah vs. Washington State Preview

Noting the Utes

Utes in the Mountain West

Rick's Remarks

Climbing the Career Charts

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