Utes Look For Tenth Straight Win

Jan. 4, 2000

SALT LAKE CITY - The Runnin' Utes, winners of nine in a row, are 11-2. Utah closed out a six-game homestand last week with wins over Oregon State (87-77) on Tuesday, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (71-57) on Thursday and Southern Utah (73-56) on Saturday.

After sitting out the first eight games of the season with a knee injury, Hanno Mottola has led Utah in scoring the last five games. He is averaging 24.0 points while shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from three-point range (9-of-14). Mottola is also averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Senior 6-7 forward Alex Jensen is second on the team in scoring average (13.9 ppg) and is tops in rebounding (6.9 rpg). Jensen is also shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 52.3 percent from three-point range. Senior 5-11 guard Jeremy Killion is also averaging double figures in scoring (11.8 ppg) while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from three-point range. Sophomore 6-1 guard Gary Colbert leads the team in assists (4.8 apg).

Utah is outscoring the opposition 73.8 to 58.5 points per game and has a 33.3 to 28.1 edge in rebounding. The Utes are shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from three-point range and 69.5 percent from the free throw line.

Utah Utes (11-2) vs. Louisville Cardinals (8-3)
Jan. 6 - 7:35 p.m. (EST) - Freedom Hall (18,865) - Louisville, Ky.

The Game at a Glance

Utah Coach: Rick Majerus	Louisville Coach: Denny Crum
Alma Mater: Marquette '70	Alma Mater: UCLA '58
Record at Utah: 249-66/11th Season	Record at Louisville: 652-267/29th Season
Overall Record: 348-118/16th Season	Overall Record: 652-267/29th Season

Television: KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City (Ch. 14, TCI 3). Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Mark Eaton (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 18th in the A.P. poll and 22nd in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

Series Record: Utah leads the all-time series with Louisville 2-1.
Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 1-1/1-0/0-0
Last Meeting: Utah won 78-59 on Dec. 20, 1980 in Louisville, Ky.
Majerus vs. Louisville Overall: 1-0 At Utah: 0-0

Utah Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
50	F	Alex Jensen	6-7	225	Sr.	13.9	6.9	Centerville, Utah
13	F	Hanno Mottola	6-9	250	Sr.	24.0	6.8	Helsinki, Finland
52	C	Nate Althoff	6-11	260	Jr.	8.9	4.8	Delano, Minn.
32	G	Jeremy Killion	5-11	190	Sr.	11.8	1.9	San Diego, Calif.
3	G	Gary Colbert	6-1	175	So.	5.2	3.3	Alta Loma, Calif.

Utah Off the Bench

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
4	G	Adam Sharp	6-2	180	So.	1.8	0.9	Salt Lake City
5	G/F	Tony Harvey	6-5	200	Sr.	8.4	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.	6.9	3.6	Murray, Utah
40	C	Phil Cullen	6-9	215	So.	6.1	2.7	Chelan, Wash.
42	F	Mike Puzey	6-8	215	Fr.	2.7	2.2	Roy, Utah

Louisville Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
3	F	Tony Williams	6-8	220	Sr.	17.7	6.4	Louisville, Ky.
21	F	Nate Johnson	6-6	215	Sr.	17.1	4.7	Camden, N.J.
33	C	Dion Edward	6-9	235	Sr.	5.6	7.8	Cincinnati, Ohio
5	G	Marques Maybin	6-3	180	Jr.	16.0	2.7	Clarksville, Tenn.
22	G	Reece Gaines	6-6	185	Fr.	7.4	3.4	Madison, Wis.

Coming Up
The Utes open their Mountain West Conference schedule at San Diego State next Monday (Jan. 10) at 9:04 p.m. (PST) on ESPN's "Big Monday." Utah plays at Brigham Young next Saturday (Jan. 15) at 1:07 p.m. (MST) before returning to the Huntsman Center.

Mottola Named Mountain West Player of the Week
Utah forward Hanno Mottola, a senior from Helsinki, Finland (Makelanrine HS), was named the Mountain West Conference Player of The Week (Dec. 21-Jan. 2) on Monday. After missing the first eight games of the year due to a partial tear in the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, Mottola returned with a bang and led the Utes to four straight wins over then-No. 14 Texas, Oregon State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Southern Utah.

Mottola scored 104 points (26.0 average) and shot 61.7 percent (37-60) from the field in four games. He went 7-for-11 (64%) from three-point range and 23-for-30 (77%) from the foul line. Mottola also grabbed 32 rebounds (11 offensive/21 defensive), had five assists, two steals and three blocks.

In the 79-73 win over Texas on Dec. 22, he recorded his first double-double of the year with a career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds. Mottola went 3-for-5 from three-point land and 5-for-7 from the free throw line. He also made a personal-best 12 field goals in 21 attempts. Against Oregon State on Dec. 28, Mottola scored 29 points (13-for-19), hit 8-of-10 free throws and went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the 87-77 win. He also pulled down six rebounds and blocked two shots. In the Wisconsin-Milwaukee game Dec. 30, Mottola scored a game-high 23 points (10-for-16) and had five rebounds as the Utes cruised 71-57. Mottola finished the week with his second double-double of the season (seventh of his career) with 20 points and 10 boards in the 73-56 win over Southern Utah, Jan. 1. He was 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.

This is Mottola's first player of the week honor of the season and the second of his career. It also marks Utah's first selection of the season.

Utah vs. Louisville Preview

Scouting Louisville
The Cardinals are 8-3, winning three in a row and eight of their last nine. After losing at Kentucky (76-46) on Dec. 18, Louisville posted impressive wins over Tennessee State (115-76) on Dec. 20 and then-No. 6 North Carolina (97-80) on Dec. 23 at Freedom Hall. Louisville defeated Tulane, 81-70, on Monday night at home.

Senior 6-7 forward Tony Williams (17.7 ppg) and senior 6-6 forward Nate Johnson (17.1 ppg) and lead the team in scoring. Johnson, who is also averaging 4.7 rebounds and shooting 51.4 percent from the field, had a career-high 31 points in the win over North Carolina. Williams leads the team in three-point shooting at 46.3 percent (31-of-67) and is averaging 6.4 boards. Junior 6-3 guard Marques Maybin is the third Cardinal averaging double figures in scoring (16.0 ppg).

Louisville has outscored its opponents 84.5 to 72.5 points per game, but has been outrebounded 37.2 to 36.2. The U of L is shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three-point range and 70.1 percent from the free throw line.

Head Coach Denny Crum
One of the all-time legends in college basketball, Denny Crum is in his 29th season at Louisville. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 and has led the Cardinals to four NCAA Final Fours (1980, '82, '83, '86) and national titles in 1980 and 1986. Entering the season, he ranked 14th among active NCAA Division I coaches in winning percentage (.709). He currently has a 652-267 career record.

Series Notes
Ute head coach Rick Majerus and Louisville head coach Denny Crum have met once before. When Majerus was at Marquette, his Warriors defeated the Cardinals, 65-60, on Jan. 28, 1984 in Louisville, Ky.

After losing the first game of the series, 84-67, on Dec. 23, 1972 in Salt Lake City, Utah has won the last two meetings. The Utes posted a 71-69 victory on Dec. 22, 1979 in Salt Lake City and won 78-59 on Dec. 20, 1980 in Louisville, Ky.

Looking Ahead

Scouting San Diego State
The Aztecs are 5-6 following a 74-63 win over High Point on Sunday in San Diego. In other recent action, San Diego State lost to Ball State (82-65) on Dec. 27 and defeated Loyola Marymount (70-63) on Dec. 30. Before facing the Utes, SDSU hosts Cal State-Fullerton on Wednesday and plays at Pacific on Saturday.

Sophomore 6-6 forward Myron Epps leads the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.1 rpg). Junior 6-1 center Marcelo Correa is second in scoring and is the team's top rebounder (7.0 rpg). Freshman 5-10 guard Bradley Jackson leads the team in assists and is third in scoring (8.3 ppg).

San Diego State has been outscored (72.8 to 64.5 ppg) and outrebounded (38.5 to 32.7 rpg) this season. The Aztecs are shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 27.2 percent from three-point range.

Series Notes
Utah won both games over San Diego State last season by an average of 37 points when the Aztecs were coached by Fred Trenkle. Utah has won the last eight games in the series and has taken 22 of the last 24 meetings. The Aztecs' last win over the Utes was 76-73 on Jan. 22, 1994 in San Diego.

A Match-Up of Two Great Coaches
Two of the top college basketball coaches of the '90s meet for the third time on Monday. Rick Majerus led Utah to a 238-64 record (.788), one NCAA Final Four and seven NCAA Tournament appearances from 1989-99. Steve Fisher led Michigan to a 184-82 record (.691), two NCAA Final Fours and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1989-97. As the interim head coach, Fisher went 6-0 to lead the Wolverines to the 1989 NCAA title.

Fisher has taken both of the previous meetings between himself and Majerus. Utah lost to Michigan, 81-65, on Dec. 1, 1990 in Ann Arbor, Mich., in Majerus' first full season at Utah after coaching just six games during the 1989-90 season due to heart surgery. The two coaches met again on Nov. 23, 1994 in the Maui Invitational with the Wolverines defeating the Utes, 73-69.

Last Meeting
Utah defeated San Diego State, 86-38, on Feb. 11, 1999 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Utes held SDSU to 19 points in both the first and second half and posted 48 points in the second 20 minutes of play. Utah outshot the Aztecs 51.7 to 32.6 percent from the field and made 12-of-24 three-point field goals. The Utes also had a 39 to 28 advantage on the boards posted 23 assists on 31 baskets.

Jeremy Killion led the way against his hometown team with 20 points, making 6-of-7 field goals and 5-of-6 three-pointers. Alex Jensen had 15 points on 6-of-9 field goal shooting and added seven assists and five boards. Tony Harvey and Hanno Mottola contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively. Donte Wilson led the Aztecs with 10 points while David Abramowitz had seven.

Noting the Utes

Game #13 Rewind
Hanno Mottola scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in No. 21 Utah's 73-56 win over Southern Utah on Saturday night to help lead the Utes (11-2) to their ninth straight victory on the season and its 45th consecutive win at home.

Getting his second double-double of the season, Mottola shot 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Utah senior Alex Jensen scored 15 points on a career-high five three-pointers in seven attempts.

Jeff Monoco led the Thunderbirds (4-8) with 13 points, while Tyson Hancock and Frederick House each scored 12. The Utes held Southern Utah to 42.3 percent shooting (22-for-52) and outrebounded the Thunderbirds 39-22. Utah center Nate Althoff had 13 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes in his first game since spraining his left ankle Dec. 17.

Utah, which led by 10 points at halftime, took its largest lead at 72-54 on a dunk by Jeff Johnsen with 1:23 remaining. Mottola's jumper with 12:18 remaining stretched Utah's lead to 54-37. The Thunderbirds got within 59-48 with 6:50 to play on a layup by House, but no closer. Jensen hit his fourth three-pointer at the 6:27 mark and Mottola made two free throws 39 seconds later to make it 64-48. Jensen's last three-pointer came with 3:26 and made it 67-52.

Monoco's three-pointer with 9:46 left in the first half tied the game 14-14. The Utes went on an 18-2 run with Mottola scoring six of the points to take a 37-27 lead at halftime.

Odd and Ends
Three Utes have shot over half of their field goals from three-point range. Jeremy Killion has taken 60 of his 100 attempts, Tony Harvey has shot 41 of 80 and Phil Cullen has attempted 37 of 69 field goals from beyond the arc.

Utah had shot 59.0 percent or better from the field in three of its last four games before shooting 51.0 percent against Southern Utah on Jan. 1. Utah shot a season-best 60.9 percent against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 30.

Before the Wisconsin-Milwaukee game, Utah had 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. The Utes' defense clamped down against UWM on Dec. 30, allowing the Panthers to shoot just 31.4 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three-point range. Southern Utah shot 42.3 percent from the floor and 26.7 percent from behind the arc on Jan. 1.

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 trips to the free throw line.

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 nine 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.

From the Training Room
Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff returned to action against Southern Utah on Jan. 1 after missing four games. Althoff sprained his left ankle with 7:02 remaining in the first half of Utah's game against Sioux Falls on Dec. 17.

Whiting to Transfer
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 will transfer to Brigham Young and 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. Mountain West Conference rules stipulate that he loses a year of eligibility, meaning that Whiting's BYU career will start in mid-December 2000 and end in March 2001.

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.

Majerus Closing In On Two Milestones
Head coach Rick Majerus will take a 348-118 career mark in 16 seasons and a 249-66 record in 11 seasons at Utah into the Utes' game at Louisville on Thursday. He needs just one more win to surpass 250 win plateau at Utah and two more wins to reach 350 career wins.

Rick's Remarks

On playing Louisville
"Louisville is a team that always likes to get in the open court, and they do that with terrific presses. They're going to be a pressing team that traps. They're going to be a team that runs. They have an outstanding coach who is in the Hall of Fame, and I think that speaks for his expertise. They run the UCLA high post to perfection and perhaps only UCLA in coach Wooden's heyday ever ran the offense better. They employ a terrific two-guard front, they are athletic and they have outstanding shooters. Their hustle on the press and their backflow, as well as their traps, are excellent. We're excited to play a game of that quality in that environment. We're looking to forward to the game and it'll be tough."

In the Polls
Utah jumped two spots to No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN poll released on Sunday and moved up three places to No. 18 in Associated Press poll released on Monday. Utah has been ranked in at least one of the national Top 25 polls for 16 consecutive weeks, dating back to last season. The Utes are back in the A.P. Top 25 poll for the second week 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 80 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 (13.9 ppg), shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 52.3 percent from three-point range, and is the top rebounder (6.9 rpg). Jensen has led Utah three times in scoring, eight 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 - and has had seven rebounds or more in eight 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 15 points while making a career-best five three-pointers in seven attempts against Southern Utah on Jan. 1. 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. He 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 1,041 career points and 746 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 54 more rebounds to become the ninth Ute to post 800.

Jensen currently ranks 26th in career scoring, ninth in total rebounds, third in offensive rebounds (287) and fifth in defensive rebounds (459) at the U.

Mentioning Mottola
Hanno Mottola was rated among the top players in college basketball during the preseason. Playboy magazine selected Mottola to their 10-player All-America team. He was also named one of the early finalists for the Wooden and Naismith National Player of the Year awards. Basketball News named Mottola as the 12th-best inside-outers in college basketball. The Mountain West Conference media selected Mottola as the preseason player of the year, while both the media and coaches placed him on the preseason all-conference team.

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 Mottola (6-9, 250) has quickly made his mark after returning to the line-up. He has led the Utes in scoring in all five games since his return, averaging 24.0 points per game. In the last three games, he has scored 104 points in 121 minutes, shooting 37-of-60 from the field and 7-of-11 from three-point range. Most recently, Mottola had a double-double with 20 points, making 6-of-10 field goals, and 10 rebounds against Southern Utah on Jan. 1. on Dec. 22. He also made a personal-best 12 field goals in 21 attempts in that game.

Mottola 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). Mottola also made 35.4 percent of his three-point field goals (34-of-96). Mottola led the Utes in scoring a team-best 13 times, scoring in double figures in all but four of the 33 games and tossing in 20 points or more on nine occasions. He was the team's leading rebounder in 11 games and had two double-doubles.

Mottola ranks high in several career statistical categories at the U. He is 18th all-time in scoring (1,254), seventh in defensive rebounds (328), ninth in offensive boards (156) and 12th in blocked shots (41).

Lighting It Up From Downtown
Utah ranks 16th in the NCAA in three-point field goals per game (8.2) and third in three-point percentage (.448). Utah has shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in four of its last eight games. During that span, the "Gunnin'" Utes have made 74-of-150 three-pointers (49.3%). 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 Dec. 28.

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 13 games, Utah's opponents are shooting just 41.7 percent from the field and 32.9 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 began 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 nine. 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 nine games this year.

1998-99

Games 1-9	FG%	3-FG%	PPG	RPG	AS/TO Ratio
Utah	44.6	29.7	66.0	36.2	.976
Opponents	39.9	40.3	59.3	31.2	.793

Games 10-33	FG%	3-FG%	PPG	RPG	AS/TO Ratio
Utah	48.9	35.8	73.3	35.9	1.68
Opponents	43.7	31.7	53.9	26.5	1.25

1999-2000

Games 1-4	FG%	3-FG%	PPG	RPG	AS/TO Ratio
Utah	46.6	36.2	67.5	36.0	1.09
Opponents	39.9	32.3	57.0	30.3	.959

Games 5-13	FG%	3-FG%	PPG	RPG	AS/TO Ratio
Utah	52.2	48.2	76.7	32.1	1.37
Opponents	42.4	33.1	59.2	27.1	.648

Home Unbeaten Streak at 45 Games
After defeating Southern Utah on Jan. 1, Utah retained the second-longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. The Utes have won 45 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 42 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 (36).

The Utes are 10-0 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 139-10 (.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 two losses, Utah has won 85 of its last 87 games played in the Huntsman Center.

Utah Also Boasts of 30 Consecutive Home Conference Wins
As the Utes move from the WAC into the Mountain West Conference, it will take a streak of 30 consecutive home wins in league action with them. Utah's last home conference loss was to Fresno State (65-64) on Jan. 8, 1996. Over the last five years, Utah's home record in conference games was 40-1 (.976), while its conference record overall was 71-9 (.888) en route to winning five straight regular-season titles.

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

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

Utes 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.

Mountain West Conference Teleconference Scheduled for Wednesday
The Mountain West Conference will hold the first of three teleconferences featuring the league's coaches on Wednesday, Jan. 5. To participate, members of the media should call (719) 457-2662. The confirmation code is 779965. The second MWC conference call will take place Feb. 7, while the third is set for March 6. Utah head coach Rick Majerus will be unavailable for the Jan. 5 teleconference due to travel conflicts.

Time (MST)	Coach/Administrator
10:00 a.m.	Amy Turner, MWC Asst. Commissioner
10:02 a.m.	Steve Fisher, San Diego State
10:12 a.m.	Steve Cleveland, BYU
10:22 a.m.	Ritchie McKay, Colorado State
10:32 a.m.	Fran Fraschilla, New Mexico
10:42 a.m.	Bill Bayno, UNLV
11:52 a.m.	Steve McClain, Wyoming
11:02 a.m.	Reggie Minton, Air Force
11:12 a.m.	Craig Thompson, MWC Commissioner

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

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

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

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

All players on Utah's roster are on track to graduate and the team's cumulative grade point average is above a 3.00. Utah's team GPA has been above a 3.05 in each of the last three years. Rick Majerus has had 18 players make the honor roll a combined 108 times during his tenure.

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

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

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 Mottola Rated Among Top 25 at Their Position
Three Utes were ranked among the top 25 players in the nation at their respective positions by Dick Vitale's College Basketball. Tony Harvey (6-5, 200) was ranked as the 21st-best shooting guard in the nation,

Utah Tradition
Utah has a 1,440-748 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.

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

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.

Utes in the Mountain West Conference/NCAA Stats

Team

(As of Jan. 3)		MWC	NCAA
Scoring Offense	73.8	4th
Scoring Defense	58.5	1st	7nd
Scoring Margin	+15.3	1st
FG Percentage	.505	1st
FG Pct. Defense	.417	3rd
FT Percentage	.695	4th
Reb. Offense	33.3	6th
Reb. Defense	28.1	1st
Rebound Margin	+5.2	1st
3 Pt. FG/Game	8.23	2nd	16th
3 Pt. Percentage	.448	1st	3rd
3 Pt. FG Pct. Defense	.329	5th
Assists	17.92	2nd
Turnover Margin	+0.69	4th
Steals	7.69	6th
Blocked Shots	2.62	6th

Individuals

(As of Jan. 3)		MWC	NCAA
Gary Colbert
	Assists	4.75	3rd
	Assists/TO Ratio	1.63	7th
	Steals	1.33	15th

Phil Cullen
	Blocked Shots	0.62	12th

Tony Harvey
	Scoring	8.4	24th
	Free Throw Pct.	.833	2nd
	Assists	3.15	13th
	Assists/TO Ratio	2.05	3rd

Alex Jensen
	Scoring	13.9	9th
	Rebounding	6.9	5th
	Field Goal Pct.	.558	5th
	Free Throw Pct.	.727	11th
	Assists	3.38	9th
	3 Pt. FG Pct.	.523	3rd
	3 Pt. FG Made	1.77	9th
	Assists/TO Ratio	1.83	5th

Jeff Johnsen
	Field Goal Pct.	.506	15th

Jeremy Killion
	Scoring	11.8	16th
	Field Goal Pct.	.540	8th
	3 Pt. FG Pct.	.483	6th
	3 Pt. FG Made	2.23	4th

Utah in the Polls

	Associated Press		USA Today/ESPN
1.	Stanford (62)	1.	Stanford (29)
2.	Connecticut (5)	2.	Connecticut
3.	Cincinnati (3)	3.	Cincinnati (2)
4.	Auburn	4.	Arizona
5.	Arizona	5.	Auburn
6.	Florida	6.	Florida
7.	Syracuse	7.	Duke
8.	Duke	8.	Syracuse
9.	Kansas	9.	Kansas
10.	Indiana	10.	Michigan State
11.	Michigan State	11.	Indiana
12.	Maryland	12.	Oklahoma State
13.	Ohio State	13.	Tennessee
14.	North Carolina	14.	North Carolina
15.	Tennessee	15.	Maryland
16.	Oklahoma State	16.	Texas
17.	Texas	17.	Illinois
18.	UTAH	18.	Ohio State
19.	Illinois	19.	Oklahoma
20.	Oklahoma	20.	UCLA
21.	LSU	21.	Temple
22.	Tulsa	22.	UTAH
23.	DePaul	23.	DePaul
24.	UCLA	24.	Kentucky
25.	Kentucky	25.	Tulsa

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

Consecutive Weeks Ranked by Associated Press	2
Last Time Not Ranked	Dec. 20, 1999
Consecutive Weeks Ranked by USA Today/ESPN	16
Last Time Not Ranked	Jan. 25, 1999

1999-2000 Standings

	(As of Jan. 3)	Conf.	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
1.	UTAH	0-0	- -	11-2	.846
2.	BYU	0-0	- -	9-2	.818
3.	UNLV	0-0	- -	8-3	.727
4.	Colorado State	0-0	- -	9-4	.692
5.	Wyoming	0-0	- -	8-4	.667
6.	New Mexico	0-0	- -	8-7	.533
7.	Air Force	0-0	- -	5-6	.455
8.	San Diego State	0-0	- -	4-6	.400

Upcoming Schedule

January 3 (Monday)
Wyoming at Idaho State, 7:35 p.m.

January 4 (Tuesday)
High Point at UNLV, 7:35 p.m.

January 5 (Wednesday)
Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State, 7:00 p.m.
Air Force at Wofford, 7:30 p.m.
UC Irvine at BYU, 7:05 p.m.

January 6 (Thursday)
Texas-Pan American at Colorado State, 7:00 p.m.
Utah at Louisville, 7:30 p.m. (KJZZ-TV)

January 8 (Saturday)
North Texas at Wyoming, 7:00 p.m.
San Diego State at Pacific, 7:00 p.m.
BYU at Utah State, TBA

January 10 (Monday)
Denver at Air Force, 7:05 p.m.
Wyoming at Wichita State, 7:35 p.m.
*BYU at UNLV, 7:35 p.m.
*New Mexico at Colorado State, 7:00 p.m.
*Utah at San Diego State, 9:04 p.m. (ESPN)

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
	- - -
18.	Hanno Mottola (1996-Present)	1,254
26.	Alex Jensen (1994-95, 97-Present)	1,041

Blocked Shots

1.	Mitch Smith (1985-89)	157
2.	Keith Van Horn (1993-97)	126
3.	Michael Doleac (1994-98)	124
4.	Josh Grant (1988-93)	109
5.	Albert Springs (1983-87)	76
6.	Larry Cain (1989-93)	67
7.	Andre Miller (1995-99)	65
8.	Paul Afeaki (1990-92)	57
9.	Danny Vranes (1977-81)	49
10.	Tom Chambers (1977-81)	44
	- - -
12.	Hanno Mottola (1996-Present)	41

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)	746
10.	Mike Sojourner (1972-74)	733

Offensive Rebounds

1.	Josh Grant (1988-93)	337
2.	Michael Doleac (1994-98)	288
3.	Alex Jensen (1994-95, 97-Present)	287
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 M?tt?la (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)	459
6.	Andre Miller (1995-99)	454
7.	Hanno Mottola (1996-99)	328
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	11-1
Trailing At Half	0-1
Tied At Half	0-0
Leading With 5:00 Remaining	10-0
Trailing With 5:00 Remaining	1-1
Tied With 5:00 Remaining	0-1
In Overtime	0-0
Utah Outrebounds Opponent	8-0
Opponent Outrebounds Utah	2-2
Utah Commits More Turnovers	2-2
Opponent Commits More Turnovers	9-0
Utah Has More Free Throw Attempts	7-0
Opponent Has More Free Throw Attempts	4-2
Utah Shoots 50% or Better	7-1
Utah Shoots Less Than 50%	4-1
Opponent Shoots 50% or Better	3-0
Opponent Shoots Less Than 50%	8-2
Utah Shoots Better Than Opponent	10-1
Opponent Shoots Better Than Utah	1-1
Utah Bench Outscores Opponent Bench	9-1
Opponent Bench Outscores Utah Bench	1-0
Utah Scores Less Than 60	0-1
Utah Scores Between 60-69	1-0
Utah Scores Between 70-79	8-1
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	8-1
Opponent Scores Between 60-69	1-0
Opponent Scores Between 70-79	2-0
Opponent Scores Between 80-89	0-1
Opponent Scores 90 or More	0-0
On Mondays	1-0
On Tuesdays	3-0
On Wednesdays	1-1
On Thursdays	1-0
On Fridays	2-1
On Saturdays	3-0
On Sundays	0-0
On ABC	0-0
On ESPN	1-1
On Local Television	3-1

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Utah vs. Louisville Preview

Looking Ahead

Noting the Utes

Rick's Remarks

Utes in the Mountain West Conference/NCAA Stats

Upcoming Schedule

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