Utah Utes Prepare For The Colorado State Rams

Jan. 23, 2000

The Game at a Glance

Utah Coach: Rick Majerus
Colorado State Coach: Ritchie McKay

Alma Mater: Marquette '70
Alma Mater: Seattle Pacific '87

Record at Utah: 252-67/11th Season
Record at Colorado State: 30-17/2nd Season

Overall Record: 351-119/16th Season
Overall Record: 54-46/4th Season

Television: ESPN. Bob Carpenter (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst)

Radio: Utah Sports Network (570 K-NEWS in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations). On the Inter- net at www.UtahUtes.com. Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Jeff Jonas (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).

Rankings: Utah is 22nd in the A.P. poll and 20th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

Series Record: Utah leads Colorado State 84-36.

Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 47-14/33-21/4-1

Last Meeting: Utah defeated Colorado State 60-48 on Feb. 14, 1998 in Fort Collins, Colo.

Majerus vs. Colorado State Overall: 12-5 At Utah: 12-5

Coming Up
Utah travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., to face Air Force on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) before returning home to host New Mexico on Monday at 10:04 p.m. (MST) in a game that will be televised on ESPN.

A Quick Look at Utah
The Runnin' Utes are 14-3 overall and 3-0 in Mountain West Conference play. Utah has won 12 of its last 13 and three in a row after defeating Wyoming, 69-61, at the Huntsman Center on Saturday.

After sitting out the first eight games of the season with a knee injury, Hanno Moettoelae has led Utah in scoring in seven of the nine games since his return. He is averaging 19.6 points while shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from three-point range. Moettoelae is also averaging 5.0 rebounds per game. Senior 6-7 forward Alex Jensen is second on the team in scoring average (13.8 ppg) and is tops in rebounding (7.1 rpg). Jensen is also shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 52.5 percent from three-point range. Senior 5-11 guard Jeremy Killion is third on the team in scoring (10.5 ppg) while shooting 42.7 percent from three-point range. Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff is the fourth Ute averaging double figures in scoring (10.1 ppg) and is second in rebounding (5.2 rpg). Sophomore 6-1 guard Gary Colbert leads the team in assists (4.0 apg).

Utah is outscoring the opposition 71.2 to 58.9 points per game and has a 32.9 to 29.1 edge in rebounding. The Utes are shooting 49.0 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from three-point range and 70.9 percent from the free throw line.

Utah Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
50	F	Alex Jensen	6-7	225	Sr.	13.8	7.1	Centerville, Utah
13	F	Hanno Moettoelae	6-9	250	Sr.	19.6	5.0	Helsinki, Finland
52	C	Nate Althoff	6-11	260	Jr.	10.1	5.2	Delano, Minn.
32	G	Jeremy Killion	5-11	190	Sr.	10.5	1.8	San Diego, Calif.
3	G	Gary Colbert	6-1	175	So.	4.1	3.0	Alta Loma, Calif.

Utah Off the Bench

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
4	G	Adam Sharp	6-2	180	So.	1.5	0.8	Salt Lake City
5	G/F	Tony Harvey	6-5	200	Sr.	8.1	2.1	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, Utah
35	F	Jeff Johnsen	6-4	200	So.	6.4	3.4	Murray, Utah
40	C	Phil Cullen	6-9	215	So.	5.4	2.6	Chelan, Wash.
42	F	Mike Puzey	6-8	215	Fr.	2.2	2.2	Roy, Utah

Colorado State Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
45	F	Ceedric Goodwyn	6-8	230	Sr.	18.9	4.7	Lubbock, Texas
54	C	John Ford	6-9	205	Sr.	7.8	3.1	Joliet, Ill.
10	G	Aki Palmer	5-9	175	Jr.	7.9	1.7	Fort Collins, Colo.
32	G	John Sivesind	6-3	195	Jr.	11.4	3.4	Sioux Falls, S.D.
3	G	Ron Grady	6-3	185	Jr.	9.4	3.6	Beaverton, Ore.

1999-2000 Standings

		Conf.	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
1.	UTAH	3-0	1.000	14-3	.823
2.	Brigham Young	3-1	.750	14-3	.823
	UNLV	3-1	.750	12-4	.750
4.	New Mexico	2-2	.500	10-9	.526
5.	Colorado State	1-2	.333	11-6	.647
	Air Force	1-2	.333	5-10	.333
7.	Wyoming	1-3	.250	11-8	.579
8.	San Diego State	0-3	.000	5-11	.313

The Nation's Most Dominant Team in League Play the Last Five Years
As the Utes moved from the WAC into the Mountain West Conference, they took three impressive records with them. Utah's conference record over the past six years en route to a 3-0 start this season and five straight regular-season titles is 74-9 (.892), which is the best mark over that period of time in NCAA Division I. Utah is also the nation's most dominant team in conference games at home the past six years with a 41-1 (.976) record.

After a win over Wyoming on Jan. 22, the Utes have won 31 consecutive league games at home, which is the nation's longest current streak. Kansas had a string of 44 consecutive conference home wins snapped by Nebraska on Feb. 10, 1999. Utah's last home conference loss was to Fresno State (65-64) on Jan. 8, 1996.

Utah has won 22 consecutive regular-season conference games since a 62-56 loss at Wyoming on Feb. 12, 1998. The Utes have won 20 consecutive conference games overall following a 54-51 loss to UNLV on March 5, 1998 in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament. For the first time in the history of the WAC, Utah won all 14 regular season games and all three games in the conference tournament last season.

Majerus Records 350th Career Victory
Head coach Rick Majerus captured his 350th career win with a 56-49 victory at Brigham Young on Jan. 15. Majerus' career mark is 351-119 in 16 seasons. He also has a 252-67 record in 11 seasons at Utah.

Only four coaches in the history of college basketball have won 350 games in fewer seasons than Majerus. Nolan Richardson (Tulsa/Arkansas), Denny Crum (Louisville), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) and John Thompson (Georgetown) reached the 350 career wins plateau in 15 seasons. Jerry Tarkanian (Long Beach State/UNLV), Billy Tubbs (Southwest Texas State/Lamar/Oklahoma), Bob Huggins (Walsh/Akron/Cincinnati) and Everett Case (North Carolina State) also posted their 350th career win during their 16th season.

Majerus became just the third coach at the U. to win 250 games with Utah's 70-55 win at San Diego State on Jan. 10. Vadal Peterson went 385-230 from 1927-53 and Jack Gardner, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, went 339-154 from 1953-71.

Getting Defensive
Utah has cranked it up defensively to start the conference season. Utah's Mountain West Conference opponents are shooting just 38.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. Utah has not allowed an opponent to shot better than 40.0 percent from the field in three MWC games. Utah has also outrebounded every MWC opponent.

The Utes held San Diego State to 38.0 percent field goal shooting (19-of-50) on Jan. 10, BYU to 40.0 percent field goal shooting (16-of-40) on Jan. 15 and Wyoming to a 39.0 percent effort from the field (23-of-59) on Jan. 22. BYU's 40 field goal attempts was the lowest by a Ute opponent this season. The Utes also held BYU without a field goal for the final 7:50 and Wyoming scoreless for the final 2:42 to seal victories.

Utah vs. Colorado State Preview

Scouting Colorado State
The Rams, winners of 10 of their last 12, are 11-6 overall and 1-2 in Mountain West Conference action. Colorado State opened league play with a 71-70 loss to New Mexico at home on Jan. 10 and a 77-71 win at Wyoming on Jan. 15. The Rams lost to Brigham Young, 68-47, on Saturday in Provo, Utah. The Cougars held CSU to 32.6 percent shooting (15-of-46) from the field and 19.0 percent (4-of-21) from three-point range. On the season, Colorado State ranks first in the nation in three-point percentage (42.7), 21st in three-pointers per game (8.2) and 19th in overall field goal percentage (48.4).

Highlighting its non-conference wins, CSU defeated Oregon State (83-78), Colorado (79-57) and Washington State (74-61) at home, and UCLA (55-54) in the Pearl Harbor Classic in Laie, Hawaii.

Senior 6-8 forward Ceedric Goodwyn is second in the MWC in scoring (18.9 ppg). He is also first on the team in assists (2.5 apg) and second in rebounds (4.7 rpg). Goodwyn led the Rams with 14 points against BYU, but was the only Ram in double figures. Junior 6-3 guard John Sivesind is second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and is shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range. Junior 6-3 guard Ron Grady is third on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg). Junior 6-7 forward Garrett Patik is CSU's leading rebounder (5.5 rpg).

Colorado State ranks seventh in the conference in scoring (70.6 ppg), second in scoring defense (62.2 ppg) and seventh in rebound margin, having been outboarded 31.7 to 31.6 rpg.

Head Coach Ritchie McKay
Ritchie McKay's 19-11 record and .633 winning percentage posted in his first season at Colorado State rank as the 10th-best in school history. Forty-five universities in NCAA Division I had new head coaches in 1998-99. Only 10 of those coaches, including McKay, led their squads into postseason competition. The Rams made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT last season. McKay is in his fourth season as a head coach. He went 24-29 in two seasons at Portland State before taking over at CSU.

Series Notes
Utah has won the last nine meetings after Colorado State had won five of six dating back to the beginning of the 1992 conference season. One of the most thrilling games of late in the series was an 86-82 win by the Utes in double overtime on Jan. 18, 1996 in Salt Lake City.

In the last meeting, Utah defeated Colorado State 60-48 on Feb. 14, 1998 in Fort Collins, Colo. The Utes led the Rams 18-14 at halftime after both teams shot just 25 percent in the first half. Both teams also shot only 37.3 percent for the game. However, Utah made 19-of-23 free throws while CSU went 5-of-10 at the line. The Utes also had a 37-30 advantage in rebounds.

Andre Miller led the Utes with a game-high 16 points and six assists. Of the players who will play in Monday night's game, Hanno Moettoelae had 10 points, going 6-of-7 from the free throw line, and eight rebounds in 29 minutes. Alex Jensen contributed two points and six rebounds in 23 minutes.

Game #17 Rewind
Alex Jensen had 19 points and tied a season-high with 14 rebounds as No. 22 Utah survived its worst shooting game of the season to beat Wyoming 69-61 on Saturday. Hanno Moettoelae was held to seven points but his basket with 3:10 to play and his three-point play with 2:17 remaining helped the Utes (14-3, 3-0 Mountain West) extend the nation's longest homecourt winning streak to 46 games. It also was Utah's 31st straight victory at home in league games, including play in the old Western Athletic Conference.

The Utes shot 39 percent (23-of-59) but the defense produced an answer to every threat by the resilient Cowboys (11-8, 1-3), who lost for the fourth time in their last five games.

Nate Althoff scored 13 points and tied a career-high with nine rebounds, and Jeremy Killion had 14 points for Utah, which played Wyoming for the first time since February 1998 because of the convoluted schedule in the old 16-team WAC. LeDarion Jones led the Cowboys with 19 points and Bailey added 12.

Utah led 37-32 at halftime and the Cowboys rallied three times from at least five points down in the second half. But Wyoming couldn't score when it counted the most. After the Cowboys pulled within 63-61 on a basket by Marcus Bailey with 2:42 to play, they didn't score again. One week ago, the Utes won at BYU by holding the Cougars scoreless over the final seven minutes.

Jensen came up with some huge plays against Wyoming, including his block of Chris McMillian's layup with 1:19 on the clock and the Utes leading 66-61. Jensen drew cheers on a steal while falling with 7:47 to play, igniting a fastbreak that Jeff Johnsen capped with a three-point play for a 58-52 lead. But Wyoming answered on a finger-roll under the basket by Josh Davis and two free throws by McMillian.

Killion's three-pointer with 4:12 remaining gave Utah a 61-54 lead. Again, the Cowboys came back as McMillian hit two free throws and Jones capped a three-point play to make it 61-59 with 3:25 left. That's when Moettoelae, who was tentative after getting two fouls in the game's first three minutes, got involved. He hit an eight-foot turnaround and took a feed from Jensen for a layup and, after being fouled, a free throw.

Utah seemed ready to blow the game open early in the second half, after Tony Harvey's two free throws gave the Utes a 48-42 lead. But Jones scored four baskets during an 8-2 run that tied it at 50 with 12:36 remaining.

Odd and Ends

Utah had its worst shooting game of the season against Wyoming, converting just 39.0 percent (23-of-59) from the field and 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from three-point range.

Three Utes have shot over half of their field goals from three-point range. Jeremy Killion has taken 82 of his 128 attempts, Tony Harvey has shot 56 of 104 and Phil Cullen has attempted 44 of 84 field goals from beyond the arc. Alex Jensen has taken over one-third of his field goal attempts from three-point range (59 of 148).

Utah's 20-point loss at Louisville was its worst since suffering a 101-70 loss to Kentucky in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on Mar. 21, 1996. The Utes have not lost a game by more than 16 points (87-71 at New Mexico on Feb. 1, 1997) since then. Utah has lost just three games by 20 points or more during Rick Majerus' 11-year tenure.

With its win over San Diego State, Utah improved to 27-11 in conference openers (16-3 home/11-8 road) since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 1962.

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 had the second-best shooting night by an opponent this season, making 55.1 percent (27-of-49) of its field goals.

Eleven players have started for the Utes this season in seven different lineups.

Utah has shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in five games this season: Stony Brook (50.0), Utah State (66.7), Washington State (50.0), Chicago State (52.4) and Oregon State (60.0).

In all three losses, Utah was on the road, outrebounded and committed more turnovers.

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 has held three opponents below 50 points and 11 opponents below 60 points this season.

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.

Runnin' Utes Enjoy Another Successful Semester in the Classroom
Six members of the Utah basketball team were named to the academic honor roll for the 1999 fall semester. Starter Hanno Moettoelae (economics), a second team GTE Academic All-American in 1998-99, heads the list. Reserves Jeff Johnsen (pre-communications), Mike Puzey (pre-physical therapy), Adam Sharp (finance) and Brandon Sluga (exercise and sports science), as well as transfer Chris Burgess (pre-communications) also made the honor roll.

Just short of meeting honor roll criteria were seniors Alex Jensen (finance) and Jeremy Killion (communications). All four seniors are on track to graduate. Killion and Moettoelae are expected to receive their degrees in May, while Jensen is on pace to finish during the summer semester. Moettoelae has been nominated for Academic All-America honors once again. He is a strong candidate to become the fourth Academic All-American during Rick Majerus' 11-year tenure at the U.

Majerus has had 19 players make the honor roll a combined 114 times during his tenure.

Rick's Remarks

On the Wyoming game -
"I thought that over the whole game we gave a good effort. We did some foolish things. We had some turnovers that weren't very smart. But, I think that we played good defense. They (Wyoming) played good and they played hard. They're a good team and they're very athletic. I thought both teams defended very well. [Alex] played hard and he played like a senior. I though he did a nice job, especially in his defensive contributions and his leadership."

On playing Colorado State -
"It'll be a fun game for our fans and a terrific game for them to watch with the number one team in the country in three-point shooting coming in. But, more important than that, maybe the number one player in the league is coming in. This league is ripe this year with a bunch of great seniors, and Ceedric Goodwyn is one of them. Goodwyn is like (Keith) Van Horn in the sense that he can play you inside, and then also step out on the perimeter and hit the three. They are a team that is very sound defensively and they are having a fine season."

In the Polls
Utah moved up four spots to No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN poll released on Jan. 16 and climbed eight places to No. 22 in Associated Press poll released on Jan. 17. Utah has been ranked in at least one of the national Top 25 polls for 18 consecutive weeks, dating back to last season. The Utes were out of the A.P. Top 25 poll for one week before climbing back in on Jan. 17. Utah has been ranked 14 out of the last 18 weeks by A.P.

Utah had been ranked in the national polls every week since early in the 1994-95 season before falling out in December of 1998. Utah has finished among the top 10 teams in the nation three consecutive years.

Awesome Alex
Senior forward Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) has started all 84 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 (13.8 ppg), shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 52.5 percent from three-point range to rank 17th in the nation. He is the team's top rebounder (7.1 rpg). Jensen has led Utah four times in scoring, 11 times in rebounds and four times in assists this season. He has also scored in double figures in all but three games--including two 20-point performances--and has had seven rebounds or more in nine games.

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. Most recently, he had 19 points--making 6-of-14 field goals, 1-of-5 three-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws--a season-high tying 14 rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes against Wyoming on Jan. 22. 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. 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 1,094 career points and 777 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 23 more rebounds to become the ninth Ute to post 800.

Jensen currently ranks 25th in career scoring, ninth in total rebounds, second in offensive rebounds (298) and fifth in defensive rebounds (479) at the U.

Utah 1,000 Points/800 Rebounds Club


Name	Points	Rebs.
Keith Van Horn (1993-97) *	2,542	1,074
Billy McGill (1959-62)	2,321	1,106
Josh Grant (1988-93) *	2,000	1,066
Danny Vranes (1977-81)	1,701	951
Tom Chambers (1977-81)	1,698	876
Mitch Smith (1985-89)	1,628	1,036
Ken Gardner (1968-71)	1,291	892
Michael Doleac (1994-98) *	1,519	886

* played for Rick Majerus

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 presence known after returning to the line-up. He has led the Utes in scoring in seven of the nine games since his return, averaging 19.6 points per game.

In the five games prior to the San Diego State contest on Jan. 10, he scored 131 points in 152 minutes, shooting 45-of-72 from the field and 9-of-14 from three-point range. Moettoelae had a double-double with a career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds against Texas on Dec. 22. He also made a personal-best 12 field goals in 21 attempts in that game. He had a double-double with 20 points, making 6-of-10 field goals, and 10 rebounds against Southern Utah on Jan. 1. For his efforts, he was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week (Dec. 21-Jan. 2) on Jan. 3. Moettoelae closed out his hot streak with a game-high 27 points--making 8-of-12 field goals, 2-of-3 three-pointers and 9-of-12 free throws--in 31 minutes at Louisville on Jan. 6.

Moettoelae would rank just outside of the top 25 in the nation in scoring if he had played enough games to qualify for the NCAA stats. With the NCAA requirement being 75 percent of games played, the Utes would have to play 32 games this season for Moettoelae to qualify for the NCAA stats.

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. 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 17th all-time in scoring (1,310), seventh in defensive rebounds (338), ninth in offensive boards (156) and tied for 10th place in blocked shots (44).

Take Note of Nate
Junior center Nate Althoff has been on a tear since the start of the Mountain West Conference season. In the last three games, the Delano, Minn., native has averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots in wins over San Diego State on Jan. 10, Brigham Young on Jan. 15 and Wyoming on Jan. 22. Althoff has also shot 17-of-25 (.680) from the field and 10-of-11 (.909) from the free throw line. He leads the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage (.598) on the season.

Althoff tallied career-highs with 20 points and eight field goals made against San Diego State. He went 8-for-8 from the field and 4-for-4 at the line with a team-high 7 rebounds (4 offensive) and 3 blocked shots in 29 minutes against the Aztecs. Althoff then came back with 11 points (10 points in 14 minutes in the first half) by making 5-of-9 field goals and 1-of-2 free throws in 20 minutes against BYU. He also led the Utes with six rebounds. Althoff had 13 points (4-of-8 FG, 5-of-5 FT), a career-high tying nine rebounds and two blocked shots in 25 minutes against Wyoming.

Althoff missed four games with a sprained ankle and returned to action on Jan. 1 to play in the last four games. He has started 11 of the 13 games he has played in this season.

Lighting It Up From Downtown
Utah ranks fifth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.413) as of Jan. 23. As a result of their marksmanship from long range, the Utes also rank 16th in the nation in overall field goal percentage (.490).

Utah shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in four of six games from Dec. 7 through Dec. 28. The "Gunnin'" Utes tied a school record with 14 three-pointers against both Utah State (Dec. 7) and Washington State (Dec. 11). 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. The Utes continued their hot shooting by going 12-of-20 (60.0%) from downtown against Oregon State on Dec. 28.

However, the Utes have not shot better than 41.2 percent from three-point range in its last six games, shooting a combined 34-for-105 (32.4%) from behind the arc during that stretch.

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 17 games this season, Utah has given up an average of 58.9 points per game to rank 12th in the nation in scoring defense as of Jan. 23. The Utes have also ourscored the opposition by an average of 12.3 points per game to rank 25th in the nation in scoring margin. Utah's opponents are also shooting just 41.9 percent from the field and 33.3 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.

Utes Lead the Nation with 46-Game Home Winning Streak
Utah enters this week with the longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. The Utes have won 46 straight in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to a Dec. 31, 1996 loss to Wake Forest. Utah's current streak began with an 84-63 win over Colorado State on Jan. 4, 1997. It is also the longest homecourt winning streak in school history. Murray State had the longest homecourt winning streak in the nation at 47 games before losing to Southeast Missouri State on Jan. 15. Duke currently ranks second (44) and Cincinnati is third (40).

The Utes are 11-0 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 140-10 (.933) 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 the two losses, Utah has won 86 of its last 88 games played in the Huntsman Center.

Current NCAA Division I Homecourt Winning Streaks

	Team	Games	Next Home	Game
1.	UTAH	46	Jan. 24	Colorado State
2.	Duke	44	Jan. 29	Clemson
3.	Cincinnati	40	Jan. 29	South Florida

Majerus Named to Wisconsin's Best of the 20th Century
Runnin' Ute head coach Rick Majerus was honored as one of the "Best of the 20th Century" in his home state of Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The Sheboygan, Wis., native was one of 10 individuals listed under Top Coaches/Managers. Ranked seventh on the list, Majerus was joined by Curly Lambo, D. Wayne Lucas, Bud Grant and Marv Harshman.

Whiting Transfers
Junior guard Trent Whiting, who was previously declared a medical redshirt for this season, has been granted his release from the University of Utah. Whiting has transferred to Brigham Young to attend school as a non-scholarship player. He will sit out this season as a medical redshirt and be eligible to play for BYU as a senior after the 2000 fall semester ends.

Whiting played his last game for the U. on 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.

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.

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. 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.

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).

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 is carrying 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.

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 in the Mountain West Conference/NCAA Stats


Team
(As of Jan. 23)		MWC	NCAA
Scoring Offense	71.2	7th
Scoring Defense	58.9	1st	12th
Scoring Margin	+12.3	1st	25th
FG Percentage	.490	1st	16th
FG Pct. Defense	.419	3rd
FT Percentage	.709	1st
Reb. Offense	32.9	6th
Reb. Defense	29.1	1st
Rebound Margin	+3.8	2nd
3 Pt. FG/Game	7.65	2nd
3 Pt. Percentage	.413	2nd	5th
3 Pt. FG Pct. Defense	.339	5th
Assists	16.94	2nd
Turnover Margin	+0.24	5th
Assists/TO Ratio	1.22	2nd
Steals	6.94	8th
Blocked Shots	2.94	4th

Individuals

			MWC	NCAA
Nate Althoff
	Scoring	10.3	20th
	Field Goal Pct.	.598	1st
	Free Throw Pct.	.771	7th
	Rebounds	5.2	13th
	Blocked Shots	1.08	8th

Gary Colbert
	Assists	4.00	4th
	Assists/TO Ratio	1.52	6th

Phil Cullen
	Blocked Shots	0.59	14th

Tony Harvey
	Scoring	8.1	28th
	Free Throw Pct.	.851	1st
	Assists	3.31	8th
	Assists/TO Ratio	1.96	3rd

Alex Jensen
	Scoring	13.8	10th
	Rebounding	7.1	4th
	Field Goal Pct.	.554	4th
	Free Throw Pct.	.709	14th
	Assists	3.12	11th
	3 Pt. FG Pct.	.525	1st	17th
	3 Pt. FG Made	1.82	9th
	Assists/TO Ratio	1.66	5th

Jeremy Killion
	Scoring	10.5	19th
	Field Goal Pct.	.492	13th
	3 Pt. FG Pct.	.427	8th
	3 Pt. FG Made	2.06	6th

Utah in the Polls


	Associated Press		USA Today/ESPN
1.	Cincinnati (61)	1.	Cincinnati (30)
2.	Arizona (4)	2.	Arizona (1)
3.	Stanford (1)	3.	Stanford
4.	Auburn (3)	4.	Auburn
5.	Duke	5.	Syracuse
6.	Syracuse (1)	6.	Duke
7.	Kansas	7.	Connecticut
8.	Connecticut	8.	Kansas
9.	Florida	9.	Florida
10.	Michigan State	10.	Michigan State
11.	Indiana	11.	Indiana
12.	Oklahoma State	12.	Oklahoma State
13.	Ohio State	13.	Texas
14.	Texas	14.	Tennessee
15.	Tulsa	15.	Ohio State
16.	Tennessee	16.	Oklahoma
17.	Oklahoma	17.	Tulsa
18.	Kentucky	18.	Kentucky
19.	St. John's	19.	UCLA
20.	Vanderbilt	20.	UTAH
21.	North Carolina	21.	North Carolina
22.	UTAH	22.	DePaul
23.	DePaul	23.	St. John's
24.	Maryland	24.	Vanderbilt
25.	UCLA	25.	Illinois

Utah's Ranking by Week


	Associated	USA Today/
	Press	ESPN
Preseason	15	15
Nov. 14	16	15
Nov. 21	19	17
Nov. 28	20	19
Dec. 5	nr	25
Dec. 12	nr	25
Dec. 19	nr	24
Dec. 26	21	24
Jan. 2	18	22
Jan. 9	nr	24
Jan. 16	22	20

Consecutive Weeks Ranked by
Associated Press 1

Last Time Not Ranked
Jan. 10, 2000

Consecutive Weeks Ranked by
USA Today/ESPN 18

Last Time Not Ranked
Jan. 25, 1999

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
	- - -
17.	Hanno Moettoelae (1996-Present)	1,310
25.	Alex Jensen (1994-95, 97-Present)	1,094

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.	Hanno Moettoelae (1996-Present)	44
	Tom Chambers (1977-81)	44

Total Rebounds

1.	Billy McGill (1959-62)	1,106
2.	Keith Van Horn (1993-97)	1,074
3.	Josh Grant (1988-93)	1,066
4.	Mitch Smith (1985-89)	1,036
5.	Danny Vranes (1977-81)	951
6.	Ken Gardner (1968-71)	892
7.	Michael Doleac (1994-98)	886
8.	Tom Chambers (1977-81)	876
9.	Alex Jensen (1994-95, 97-Present)	777
10.	Mike Sojourner (1972-74)	733

Offensive Rebounds

1.	Josh Grant (1988-93)	337
2.	Alex Jensen (1994-95, 97-Present)	298
3.	Michael Doleac (1994-98)	288
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.	Hanno Moettoela (1996-Present)	156
10.	Byron Wilson (1990-93)	148

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.	Alex Jensen (1994-95, 97-Present)	479
6.	Andre Miller (1995-99)	454
7.	Hanno Moettoelae (1996-99)	338
8.	Byron Wilson (1990-93)	301
9.	Phil Dixon (1989-94)	279
10.	Walter Watts (1988-91)	275

Utah's Record When. . .

Leading At Half	14-1
Trailing At Half	0-2
Tied At Half	0-0
Leading With 5:00 Remaining	13-0
Trailing With 5:00 Remaining	1-2
Tied With 5:00 Remaining	0-1
In Overtime	0-0
Utah Outrebounds Opponent	11-0
Opponent Outrebounds Utah	2-3
Utah Commits More Turnovers	3-3
Opponent Commits More Turnovers	11-0
Utah Has More Free Throw Attempts	8-1
Opponent Has More Free Throw Attempts	6-2
Utah Shoots 50% or Better	8-1
Utah Shoots Less Than 50%	6-2
Opponent Shoots 50% or Better	3-1
Opponent Shoots Less Than 50%	11-2
Utah Shoots Better Than Opponent	12-1
Field Goal Shooting Equal	1-0
Opponent Shoots Better Than Utah	1-2
Utah Bench Outscores Opponent Bench	12-1
Opponent Bench Outscores Utah Bench	1-1
Utah Scores Less Than 60	1-2
Utah Scores Between 60-69	2-0
Utah Scores Between 70-79	9-1
Utah Scores Between 80-89	2-0
Utah Scores Between 90-99	0-0
Utah Scores 100 or More	0-0
Opponent Scores Less Than 60	10-1
Opponent Scores Between 60-69	2-0
Opponent Scores Between 70-79	2-1
Opponent Scores Between 80-89	0-1
Opponent Scores 90 or More	0-0
On Mondays	2-0
On Tuesdays	3-0
On Wednesdays	1-1
On Thursdays	1-1
On Fridays	2-1
On Saturdays	5-0
On Sundays	0-0
On ABC	0-0
On ESPN	2-1
On ESPN+Plus	2-0
On Local Television	3-2

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Utah vs. Colorado State Preview

Rick's Remarks

Individuals

Utah in the Polls

Climbing the Career Charts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The University of Utah Athletics