Utes Look To Maintain Perfect MWC Record

Feb. 2, 2000

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah begins the second half of its Mountain West Conference schedule next week with home games against San Diego State on Thursday at 7:37 p.m. (MST) and Brigham Young on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Utah Utes (17-3, 6-0 MWC) vs.
UNLV Runnin' Rebels (13-5, 4-2 MWC)
Feb. 5 - 7:37 p.m. (PST) - Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) - Las Vegas, Nev.

The Game at a Glance

Utah Coach: Rick Majerus	UNLV Coach: Billy Bayno
Alma Mater: Marquette '70	Alma Mater: Sacred Heart '85
Record at Utah: 255-67/11th Season	Record at UNLV: 81-57/5th Season
Overall Record: 354-119/16th Season	Overall Record: 81-57/5th Season

Television: KJZZ-TV (Channel 14, Cable 3) in Salt Lake City. 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 Internet at www.UtahUtes.com. Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Jeff Jonas (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).

Rankings: Utah is 19th in the A.P. poll and 19th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

Series Record: UNLV leads Utah 9-6.
Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 4-2/2-5/0-2
Last Meeting: UNLV defeated Utah 54-51 on March 5, 1998 in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.
Majerus vs. UNLV Overall: 2-2
At Utah: 2-2

Utah Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
50	F	Alex Jensen	6-7	225	Sr.	14.8	7.5	Centerville, Utah
13	F	Hanno Mottola	6-9	250	Sr.	17.7	4.9	Helsinki, Finland
52	C	Nate Althoff	6-11	260	Jr.	9.2	4.8	Delano, Minn.
3	G	Gary Colbert	6-1	175	So.	4.3	2.8	Alta Loma, Calif.
32	G	Jeremy Killion	5-11	190	Sr.	9.6	1.8	San Diego, Calif.

Utah Off the Bench

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
4	G	Adam Sharp	6-2	180	So.	1.6	0.7	Salt Lake City
5	G/F	Tony Harvey	6-5	200	Sr.	8.7	2.0	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.	6.5	3.7	Murray, Utah
40	C	Phil Cullen	6-9	215	So.	5.3	2.2	Chelan, Wash.
42	F	Mike Puzey	6-8	215	Fr.	2.1	2.1	Roy, Utah

UNLV Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
10	F	Dalron Johnson	6-9	205	Fr.	9.8	6.9	Los Angeles, Calif.
14	F	Donovan Stewart	6-4	210	Jr.	5.3	2.1	Rialto, Calif.
34	C	Kaspars Kambala	6-9	250	Jr.	18.7	8.9	Riga, Latvia
3	G	Trevor Diggs	6-3	185	Jr.	15.7	1.3	Brooklyn, N.Y.
11	G	Mark Dickel	6-2	175	Sr.	14.2	4.4	Dunedin, New Zealand

A Quick Look at Utah
The Runnin' Utes are 17-3 overall and in sole possession of first place in Mountain West Conference with a 6-0 record. Utah has won 15 of its last 16 and six in a row after defeating Air Force, 64-63, last Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo, and New Mexico, 82-70, on Monday night in Salt Lake City.

After sitting out the first eight games of the season with a knee injury, senior 6-9 forward Hanno Mottola is leading the Utes in scoring average (17.7 ppg) while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range. Mottola is also averaging 4.9 rebounds per game. Senior 6-7 forward Alex Jensen is second on the team in scoring average (14.8 ppg) and is tops in rebounding (7.5 rpg). Jensen is also shooting 58.4 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from three-point range. Senior 5-11 guard Jeremy Killion is third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg) while shooting 41.9 percent from three-point range. Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff is fourth in scoring (9.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.8 rpg). Sophomore 6-1 guard Gary Colbert leads the team in assists (3.6 apg).

Utah is outscoring the opposition 71.6 to 60.2 points per game and has a 32.5 to 28.2 edge in rebounding. The Utes are shooting 49.8 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from three-point range and 70.6 percent from the free throw line.

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 6-0 start this season and five straight regular-season titles is 77-9 (.895), 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 43-1 (.977) record.

After a win over New Mexico on Jan. 31, the Utes have won 33 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 25 consecutive regular-season conference games since a 62-56 loss at Wyoming on Feb. 12, 1998. The Utes have won 23 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.

Utah vs. UNLV Notes

Scouting the Runnin' Rebels
UNLV is 13-5 overall and in second place in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-2 record. The Runnin' Rebels are coming off a two-game road trip, defeating Colorado State last Saturday, 78-75, and losing to Wyoming on Monday night, 109-98. UNLV had won four in a row before losing at Wyoming.

Junior 6-9 center Kaspars Kambala ranks second in the Mountain West in scoring (18.7 ppg) and first in rebounding (8.9 rpg). Junior 6-3 guard Trevor Diggs is seventh in the league in scoring (15.7 ppg) and fifth in assists (3.72 apg). Senior 6-2 guard Mark Dickel is averaging 14.2 points per contest while shooting 43.0 percent (34-of-79) from three-point range. Freshman 6-9 forward Dalron Johnson is fifth in the MWC in rebounds (6.9 rpg).

UNLV ranks fifth in the nation in scoring (85.3 ppg), as well as seventh in the conference in scoring defense (77.5 ppg) and first in rebounding margin (+4.9 rpg). The Rebels are shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three-point range and 69.3 percent from the free throw line.

Head Coach Billy Bayno
Billy Bayno has guided UNLV to postseason play three straight years with trips to the NIT in 1997, the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and the NIT again in 1999. He posted back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Bayno came to UNLV after spending seven seasons (1988-95) as the associate head coach at Massachusetts under John Calipari. During those seven seasons, the Minutemen qualified for the NCAA Tournament five consecutive times, advancing to the 1995 regional finals and the 1996 Final Four.

Series Notes
The Utes have won six of the previous 15 meetings with the Runnin' Rebels, taking two of the seven games played in Las Vegas. The two teams have split the last eight confrontations. After Utah got two wins during the 1980-81 season, UNLV has won four of the last six.

During the Rick Majerus era, the Utes and Rebels have met four times. UNLV defeated Utah 83-66 in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on March 21, 1991 in Seattle, Wash. Utah and UNLV played three times during the 1997-98 season. It was the only three games the two programs have played as conference rivals, and they have not met since then. The Utes took both regular season meetings, winning 67-54 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas and 79-68 on Feb. 23 in Salt Lake City.

UNLV came back from a 28-25 halftime deficit to defeat Utah 54-51 in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament on March 5, 1998 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. It would be Utah's last loss before winning five in a row to reach the national championship game. Tyrone Nesby had a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds for UNLV. Of the players who will appear in Saturday's game, Hanno Mottola had 10 points (5-for-15 FG) and five rebounds in 31 minutes for Utah. Kaspars Kambala had five points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. Mark Dickel had 10 points (3-for-5 FG), five rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. Utah outshot UNLV 33.9-33.3 percent from the field, however, the Rebels shot 6-of-13 from three-point range and had a 47-35 edge on the boards. UNLV also made 14-of-22 free throws while Utah made 7-of-11.

Noting the Utes

Jensen Enters 1,000 Point/800 Rebound Club
On Monday night against New Mexico, senior forward Alex Jensen became the ninth Ute all-time and the fourth under Rick Majerus to record 1,000 points and 800 rebounds during his career. Jensen currently has 1,155 career points and 806 career rebounds. The Centerville, Utah, native became the 28th Ute to surpass the 1,000-point plateau with 10 points against Oregon State on Dec. 28. Jensen currently ranks 25th in career scoring, ninth in total rebounds, second in offensive rebounds (300) and fifth in defensive rebounds (494) at the U.

Game #20 Rewind
Alex Jensen scored a career-high 26 points and the 19th-ranked Utes defeated the Lobos 82-70 Monday night at the Huntsman Center, stretching their homecourt winning streak to 48. Utah has defeated the Lobos five consecutive times and taken 13 of the last 16 contests. New Mexico has lost 11 straight at Utah by an average of 15 points.

The Lobos (11-10, 3-3 MWC) stayed with the Utes (17-3, 6-0 MWC) for much of the game until Jeremy Killion ignited an 11-0 run with a 12-foot jumper. The Utes kept the Lobos scoreless for over four minutes and built their lead to 51-39 on Tony Harvey's layup with 12:56 to play. New Mexico cut the lead under 10 on several occasions, but almost every time Jensen answered for Utah with a follow basket or a free throw.

Jensen made 8-of-10 shots from the field and 8-of-11 from the line to keep Utah unbeaten at the Huntsman Center. Harvey scored 14 points and reserve Jeff Johnsen added 10 for the Utes, who have won 15 of their last 16, including six straight.

Lamont Long led New Mexico with 18 points, while Damion Walker added 14 and Marlon Parmer 13. The Lobos ran isolation plays on nearly every possession and let their players try to break the Utes down 1-on-1. New Mexico did not have an assist in the second half.

After leading 35-32 at halftime, Utah built an eight-point lead the first 30 seconds of the second half. Gary Colbert hit a three-pointer while R.T Guinn fouled Hanno Mottola in the lane. On the ensuing inbounds play, Jensen made a baseline jumper.

Long, averaging more than 20 points in conference games, was scoreless until a field goal in the last minute of the first half. But Long scored five straight points and Walker made a shot in the key and New Mexico trailed 40-39 with 17:13 to play.

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

The Utes came back to shoot 52.5 percent from the field (21-of-40) and 52.9 percent from three-point range (9-of-17) against Colorado State on Jan. 24. Before that game, Utah had not shot above 53 percent from the field for five games or above 53 percent from three-point range for six games.

Utah shot a season-best 62.8 percent (27-of-43) from the field against Air Force on Jan. 29, helped by a 72.7 percent effort (16-of-22) in the second half. The Utes accomplished this while attempting a season-low 11 three-pointers.

Utah has shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in six games this season: Stony Brook (50.0), Utah State (66.7), Washington State (50.0), Chicago State (52.4), Oregon State (60.0) and Colorado State on Jan. 24 (52.9).

Utah has shot above 52 percent from the field in nine games this season.

Three Utes have shot over half of their field goals from three-point range. Jeremy Killion has taken 86 of his 139 attempts, Tony Harvey has shot 65 of 125 and Phil Cullen has attempted 50 of 92 field goals from beyond the arc. Alex Jensen has taken over one-third of his field goal attempts from three-point range (71 of 173).

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 eight different lineups. Utah has used the same lineup for five of the last six games (Jensen, Mottola, Althoff, Colbert, Killion) and has not lost with that combination.

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

The Utes have scored above 80 points three times this season with 84 in their win over Chicago State on Dec. 18, 87 in their victory against Oregon State on Dec. 28 and 82 in a win against New Mexico on Jan. 31. All three games were played at home.

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.

Rick's Remarks

On Playing UNLV -
"UNLV has one of the top scorers in the league in Kambala and a terrific point guard in Dickel. They've been together a long time, and now they add Diggs, Brotherson and Stewart to the mix, in addition to a good bench. They're playing excellent defense and they're really running the floor well. I think Billy's done a wonderful job of utilizing his talent to its best end. I know that they're going to be well coached and that they'll come in with a lot of energy, and it will be an excellent game. I have the utmost respect for Kambala. Dickel is the type of point guard that I've looked for and have enjoyed coaching because he's so unselfish and such a high energy player."

From the Training Room
Hanno Mottola suffered a sprained right thumb in the first half and a hyperextended left elbow in the second half of Utah's game at Air Force on Jan. 29. He came back to finish the game and remained in lineup for Monday's game against New Mexico. Jeremy Killion sustained a mild strain of his left shoulder on Jan. 27. He did not start and only played two minutes against Air Force on Jan. 29. However, he was back in the starting lineup and played 34 minutes against New Mexico on Monday.

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 Mottola (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 Mottola are expected to receive their degrees in May, while Jensen is on pace to finish during the summer semester. Mottola 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.

Utah to Retire Andre Miller's Jersey on February 10
Andre Miller, a two-time All-American at the University of Utah, will be honored with the retirement of his No. 24 jersey when the Utes host San Diego State on Feb. 10 in the Huntsman Center. Miller's No. 24 will join Billy McGill's No. 12, Arnie Ferrin's No. 22, Danny Vranes' No. 23, Vern Gardner's No. 33 and Keith Van Horn's No. 44 as the only retired jerseys in Runnin' Ute history.

Miller finished his career at Utah first in steals (254), second in assists (721) and 10th in scoring (1,618 points). As a senior, Miller was named the Basketball Weekly National Player of the Year, as well as Utah's fifth consensus All-American all-time and second since 1962. He was also a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith and Oscar Robertson Player of the Year awards. His junior year, Miller was named third team All-America, leading the Utes to a national runner-up finish. He made the Final Four all-tournament team and was one of 10 finalists for USBWA Player of the Year.

Miller earned first team all-conference honors as a junior and senior. He was also the recipient of the 1998-99 Joe Kearney Award as the male athlete of the year in the Western Athletic Conference.

Miller was selected eighth overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1999 NBA Draft. Recently, he was one of 16 first- and second-year players selected to play in the Schick Rookie Challenge on NBA All-Star Saturday, Feb. 12 in Oakland, Calif.

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 354-119 in 16 seasons. He also has a 255-67 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.

In the Polls
Utah remained at No. 19 in the USA Today/ESPN poll released on Jan. 30 and held steady at No. 19 in Associated Press poll released on Jan. 31. Utah has been ranked in at least one of the national Top 25 polls for 20 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 16 out of the last 20 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.

An Efficient Attack With Long-Strike Capability
Utah ranks third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (41.8) as of Feb. 1. As a result of their marksmanship from long range, the Utes also rank fifth in the nation in overall field goal percentage (49.8).

Never before has one of Majerus' Utah teams been one of the top five three-point shooting ball clubs in the nation. The previous best three-point shooting team during Majerus' 11-year tenure at Utah was in 1993, when the Utes finished 10th (41.0 percent) in the NCAA rankings.

However, running an efficient offense is nothing new at the U. Traditionally propelled by a strong inside game, the Utes have finished the season ranked in the top 25 in the nation in field goal percentage the last five consecutive years and six times overall during the Majerus era. Utah ranked 13th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (47.4) in 1998-99 and was fifth in 1996-97 (49.6).

This season, 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 did not shot better than 41.2 percent from three-point range in its next six games, shooting a combined 34-for-105 (32.4%) from behind the arc during that stretch. Utah broke out of its slump by making 52.9 percent of its three-point tries (9-of-17) against Colorado State on Jan. 24.

Awesome Alex
Senior forward Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) has started all 87 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 has lived up to his billing. During the conference season, Jensen ranks sixth among the league players in scoring (17.8 ppg), first in field goal percentage (66.0), third in three-point field goal percentage (54.2) and third in rebounding (9.2 rpg). In six conference games, he has led the Utes three times in scoring, five times in rebounding and twice in assists.

On the season, Jensen has Utah's second-best scoring average (14.8 ppg), shooting 58.4 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from three-point range to rank eighth in the nation. He is the team's top rebounder (7.5 rpg). Jensen has led Utah six times in scoring, 14 times in rebounds and six times in assists this season. He has also scored in double figures in all but three games?including four 20-point performances?and has had seven rebounds or more in 12 games.

Jensen had his third double-double of the season with a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds against New Mexico on Jan. 31. He went 8-of-10 from the field, 2-of-4 from three-point range and 8-of-11 from the free throw line, and had three assists in 38 minutes against the Lobos. In another recent game, he had 20 points?shooting 8-of-10 from the field, 2-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-4 from the free throw line?and 9 rebounds in 37 minutes at Air Force on Jan. 29. The Centerville, Utah, native had a season-best 14 rebounds and 19 points against Wyoming on Jan. 22. Jensen got 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. 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.

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-outer 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 presence known after returning to the line-up. He has led the Utes in scoring in eight of the 12 games since his return, averaging 17.7 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. Mottola 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. Mottola 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.

Mottola would rank sixth in the conference in scoring if he had played enough games to qualify. With the Mountain West and NCAA statistics requirement being 75 percent of games played, the Utes would have to play 32 games this season for Mottola to make the list.

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. 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 17th all-time in scoring (1,346), seventh in defensive rebounds (347), ninth in offensive boards (161) and tied for 10th place in blocked shots (46).

Let's Hear It For Harvey
Senior guard/forward Tony Harvey (6-5, 200) has become one of the top reserves in the Mountain West Conference. Harvey has scored in double figures in four of the six league games?including three in a row. Harvey got a season-best 14 points while making 4-of-7 field goals, 1-of-2 three-pointers and 5-of-8 free throws in 26 minutes off the bench against New Mexico on Jan. 31. He also came off the bench to get 12 points, a game-high five assists with no turnovers, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in 30 minutes at San Diego State on Jan. 10. During the conference season, the Carson, Calif., native is averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the field overall and 50.0 percent (11-of-22) from three-point range.

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 20 games this season, Utah has given up an average of 60.2 points per game to rank 18th in the nation in scoring defense as of Feb. 1. The Utes have also outscored the opposition by an average of 11.4 points per game to rank 25th in the NCAA in scoring margin. Utah's opponents are shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from three-point range.

Utah ranked fourth in the NCAA in scoring defense last season, giving up just 55.4 points per game. The Utes have been in the top eight three times in 10 seasons. The Utes ranked ninth in the nation in rebound margin last season (8.2 rpg) and have been ranked among the top 15 teams in the country in that category five years in a row. Utah has been among the top 30 teams in the nation in field goal percentage defense five consecutive years, including four top-10 rankings. The Utes were 29th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense last season, limiting their opponents to 39.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Thanks to their stifling defense, the U. has also ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in scoring margin five years in a row and seven times in the last 10 years. The Utes ranked fifth in the nation in scoring margin in 1998-99, outscoring the opposition by an average of 15.9 points per game.

Utes Lead the Nation with 48-Game Home Winning Streak
Utah retained the longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I with an 82-70 win over New Mexico on Jan. 31. The Utes have won 48 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. Duke currently ranks second (45) and Cincinnati is third (41) among NCAA Division I's current active homecourt winning streaks.

The Utes are 13-0 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 142-10 (.934) 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 88 of its last 90 games played in the Huntsman Center.

Getting Defensive
Utah cranked it up defensively to start the conference season. Utah's first three Mountain West Conference opponents shot just 38.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range combined. 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 has also not been outrebounded in any of its Mountain West games, including a 12-board advantage against Colorado State and an eight-board edge over Air Force. Utah's rebound margin in conference games is 5.3 rpg.

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 Lambeau, D. Wayne Lucas, Bud Grant and Marv Harshman.

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.

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 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.

Utah in the Polls

	Associated Press		USA Today/ESPN
1.	Cincinnati (65)	1.	Cincinnati (29)
2.	Stanford (3)	2.	Stanford (1)
3.	Duke	3.	Duke
4.	Syracuse (2)	4.	Syracuse (1)
5.	Ohio State	5.	Arizona
6.	Tennessee	6.	Michigan State
7.	Connecticut	7.	Connecticut
8.	Michigan State	8.	Ohio State
9.	Arizona	9.	Tennessee
10.	Auburn	10.	Auburn
11.	Indiana	11.	Indiana
12.	Florida	12.	Florida
13.	Oklahoma State	13.	Texas
14.	Kentucky	14.	Oklahoma State
15.	Kansas	15.	Kansas
16.	Texas	16.	Tulsa
17.	Tulsa	17.	Kentucky
18.	Oklahoma		Oklahoma
19.	UTAH	19.	UTAH
20.	Iowa State	20.	Temple
21.	Temple	21.	Maryland
22.	LSU	22.	N.C. State
23.	Oregon	23.	Vanderbilt
24.	Vanderbilt	24.	Iowa State
25.	Maryland	25.	LSU

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
Jan. 23	19	19
Jan. 30	19	19

Consecutive Weeks Ranked by Associated Press	3
Last Time Not Ranked	Jan. 10, 2000
Consecutive Weeks Ranked by USA Today/ESPN	120
Last Time Not Ranked	Jan. 25, 1999

1999-2000 Standings (As of Feb. 1)

		Conf.	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
1.	UTAH	6-0	1.000	17-3	.850
2.	UNLV	4-2	.667	13-5	.722
3.	BYU	3-3	.500	14-5	.737
	Wyoming	3-3	.500	13-8	.619
	New Mexico	3-3	.500	11-10	.524
6.	Air Force	2-3	.400	6-11	.353
7.	Colorado State	2-4	.333	12-8	.600
8.	San Diego State	0-5	.000	5-13	.278

This Week's Schedule

January 31 (Monday)
*Wyoming 109, UNLV 98
*Utah 82, New Mexico 70

February 3 (Thursday)
*Air Force at Colorado State, 7:00 p.m.
*BYU at San Diego State, 7:00 p.m.

February 5 (Saturday)
*New Mexico at San Diego St., 12:04 p.m. (ESPN+Plus)
*Wyoming at Air Force, 7:05 p.m.
*Utah at UNLV, 7:35 p.m. (KJZZ-TV)

Last Week's Results

January 24 (Monday)
*Utah 76, Colorado State 70

January 27 (Thursday)
*Air Force 60, BYU 55
*Colorado State 75, San Diego State 67

January 29 (Saturday)
*UNLV 78, Colorado State 75
*Utah 64, Air Force 63
*New Mexico 78, BYU 69
*Wyoming 93, San Diego State 87

Utah's Record When. . .

Leading At Half	15-1
Trailing At Half	0-2
Tied At Half	2-0
Leading With 5:00 Remaining	16-0
Trailing With 5:00 Remaining	1-2
Tied With 5:00 Remaining	0-1
In Overtime	0-0
Utah Outrebounds Opponent	13-0
Rebounds Are Even	2-0
Opponent Outrebounds Utah	2-3
Utah Commits More Turnovers	5-3
Opponent Commits More Turnovers	12-0
Utah Has More Free Throw Attempts	10-1
Opponent Has More Free Throw Attempts	7-2
Utah Shoots 50% or Better	11-1
Utah Shoots Less Than 50%	6-2
Opponent Shoots 50% or Better	4-1
Opponent Shoots Less Than 50%	13-2
Utah Shoots Better Than Opponent	15-1
Field Goal Shooting Equal	1-0
Opponent Shoots Better Than Utah	1-2
Utah Bench Outscores Opponent Bench	15-1
Opponent Bench Outscores Utah Bench	1-1
Utah Scores Less Than 60	1-2
Utah Scores Between 60-69	3-0
Utah Scores Between 70-79	10-1
Utah Scores Between 80-89	3-0
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	3-0
Opponent Scores Between 70-79	4-1
Opponent Scores Between 80-89	0-1
Opponent Scores 90 or More	0-0
On Mondays	4-0
On Tuesdays	3-0
On Wednesdays	1-1
On Thursdays	1-1
On Fridays	2-1
On Saturdays	6-0
On Sundays	0-0
On ABC	0-0
On ESPN	4-1
On ESPN+Plus	2-0
On Local Television	4-2

Consecutive Games with a 3-Point FG	46
Consecutive Games Oppon. under 100 points	119
Consecutive Games Oppon. under 90 points	108
Utah's Last Overtime Game	Mar. 5, 1999 vs. Tulsa (W, 64-61)
Consecutive Games Oppon. Shoots Less Than 50%	x
Number of 100-point games in Utah history	x
Number of 100-point games in Majerus era	x
Consecutive weeks ranked in the AP Top 25	x

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Utah vs. UNLV Notes

Noting the Utes

Rick's Remarks

This Week's Schedule

Last Week's Results

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