Utes Travel To Wyoming

Feb. 27, 2000

Game #27
Utah Utes (20-6, 9-3 MWC) vs.
Wyoming Cowboys (17-10, 7-5 MWC)
Feb. 28 - 10:04 p.m. (MST)
Arena-Auditorium (15,000)
Laramie, Wyo.

The Game at a Glance
Utah Coach: Rick Majerus
Record at Utah: 258-70/11th Season
Overall Record: 357-122/16th
Wyoming Coach: Steve McClain
Record at CSU: 35-20/2nd 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 Internet at www.UtahUtes.com. Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Jeff Jonas (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).

Rankings: Utah is 25th in the A.P. poll and 24th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

Series Record: Utah leads Wyoming 81-65.
Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 51-21/28-42/2-2
Last Meeting: Utah defeated Wyoming 69-61 on Jan. 22 in Salt Lake City.
Majerus vs. Wyoming Overall: 11-5 At Utah: 11-5

Coming Up

The Utes return home to close out the regular season with "Senior Night" against Air Force on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (MST). Utah plays in the Mountain West Conference Tournament next Thursday through Saturday (March 9-11) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

A Quick Look at Utah

The Runnin' Utes are 20-6 overall and 9-3 in Mountain West Conference play, holding a one-game lead for first place in the league standings over UNLV and New Mexico with two games remaining. After starting the season with a 2-2 record, Utah has won 18 of its last 22 games. Utah is coming off a 60-49 loss to Colorado State on Saturday afternoon in Fort Collins, Colo.

Senior 6-9 forward Hanno Mottolo, who has played the last two games off the bench after sitting out three games due to torn ligaments in his left elbow and right thumb, leads the Utes in scoring average (17.3 ppg) and is third in rebounding (4.7 rpg). Mottolo also missed the first eight games of the season with a knee injury. Senior 6-7 forward Alex Jensen is second on the team in scoring average (14.2 ppg) and is tops in rebounding (7.5 rpg). Jensen is also shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 48.4 percent from three-point range. Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff is third in scoring (10.0 ppg), second in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and leads the team in field goal percentage (61.2). Senior 6-5 guard/forward Tony Harvey and senior 5-11 guard Jeremy Killion are tied for fourth on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg).

Utah is outscoring the opposition 71.8 to 61.0 points per game and has a 33.5 to 28.1 edge in rebounding. The Utes are shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three-point range and 72.9 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.	14.2	7.5	Centerville, Utah
13	F	Hanno Mottolo	6-9	250	Sr.	17.3	4.7	Helsinki, Finland
40	or	Phil Cullen	6-9	215	So.	5.5	2.0	Chelan, Wash.
52	C	Nate Althoff	6-11	260	Jr.	10.0	4.8	Delano, Minn.
5	G	Tony Harvey	6-5	200	Sr.	9.4	2.6	Carson, Calif.
32	G	Jeremy Killion	5-11	190	Sr.	9.4	1.9	San Diego, Calif.

Utah Off the Bench

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
3	G	Gary Colbert	6-1	175	So.	3.9	2.4	Alta Loma, Calif.
4	G	Adam Sharp	6-2	180	So.	1.5	0.7	Salt Lake City
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.	6.0	3.9	Murray, Utah
42	F	Mike Puzey	6-8	215	Fr.	2.6	2.8	Roy, Utah

Wyoming Probable Starters

No.	Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Ppg	Rpg	Hometown
0	F	LeDarion Jones	6-7	232	Sr.	13.2	5.1	Bartow, Fla.
44	F	Marcus Bailey	6-5	185	Fr.	7.7	3.2	Cheyenne, Wyo.
22	C	Josh Davis	6-8	230	So.	14.0	8.7	Salem, Ore.
5	G	Anthony Blakes	6-2	188	Sr.	13.5	6.0	Phoenix, Ariz.
10	G	Chris McMillian	5-10	175	So.	9.7	3.2	Brea, Calif.

From the Training Room

Senior 6-9 forward Hanno Mottolo, suffering from torn ligaments in his left elbow and right thumb, returned to action last Monday against UNLV after missing three games. Team doctors estimate that Mottolo is 75 percent recovered from the injuries. At the present time, it does not appear that surgery will be necessary. Mottolo suffered the thumb injury in the first half and the elbow injury in the second half of Utah's game at Air Force on Jan. 29. He came back to finish the game and remained in the lineup for Utah's next two games against New Mexico and UNLV. It was then determined that time off was necessary for Mottolo to recover from the injuries.

Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff hyperextended his right knee and bruised the patella early in the first half of Monday's game against UNLV. Althoff did return to finish the game. Sophomore 6-4 guard forward Jeff Johnsen continues to play with a sprained ankle, suffered in practice on Feb. 18.

Twenty-Twenty Vision

With its win over UNLV on Feb. 21, Utah assured itself of a 20-win season for the 28th time in school history. Under current coach Rick Majerus, Utah has hit for 20 wins in nine of 11 seasons, including the last six 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) and 1999-2000 (20-6).

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 9-3 record this season and five straight regular-season titles is 80-12 (.870), 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 46-1 (.979) record.

After a win over UNLV on Feb. 21, the Utes have won 36 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.

Before its 72-66 loss to UNLV on Feb. 5, Utah had won 25 consecutive regular-season conference games dating back to a 62-56 loss at Wyoming on Feb. 12, 1998. The Utes had also 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. The Utes won their first six league games this season.

Utah has not lost back-to-back conference games since the 1993-94 season when it lost to Colorado State (74-69) on Feb. 3 and Wyoming (60-55) on Feb. 5 on the road.

Mottolo Named to District Academic All-America Team

Senior forward Hanno Mottolo has been named to the 2000 GTE/CoSIDA District VIII Academic All-America team. It is the fourth straight season that Utah has been represented on District VIII team. Mottolo, an economics major with a 3.38 GPA, was named to the team last year, following Michael Doleac in 1997, and Doleac and Drew Hansen in 1998. Mottolo also earned a place on the Academic All-America second team in 1999.

Despite missing 11 games this season due to injuries, the Helsinki, Finland, native is leading the Runnin' Utes in scoring average (17.3 ppg) and is second in rebounding (4.7 rpg). Mottolo is also shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range.

Also named to the District VIII team were Mark Madsen of Stanford, Mate Milisa of Long Beach State, Derek Nesland of Portland State and A.D. Smith of Oregon. The district selections will be placed on the national ballot. The 2000 GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America men's basketball team will be announced March 14.

Jensen and Mottolo Earn All-District 13 Honors

Utes senior forwards Alex Jensen and Hanno Mottolo were named to the All-District 13 team as selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The first and second team members include:

First Team	Second Team
Alex Jensen, Utah	Ceedric Goodwyn, Colorado State
Harold Arceneaux, Weber State	Mekeli Wesley, Brigham Young
Courtney Alexander, Fresno State	Brandon Wolfram, UTEP
Hanno Mottolo, Utah	Eddie Gill, Weber State
Lamont Long, New Mexico	Anthony Blakes, Wyoming

Utah vs. Wyoming Preview

Scouting the Cowboys

Wyoming is 17-10 overall and tied for fourth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-5 record. The Cowboys have won four in a row, winning at New Mexico (99-93) on Feb. 14, at San Diego State (71-57) on Feb. 19 and against Air Force at home (61-51) last Monday. Saturday, UW defeated BYU 85-70 in Laramie, Wyo.

Sophomore 6-8 center Josh Davis ranks 10th in the MWC in scoring (14.0 ppg) and third in rebounding (8.7 rpg). He is also averaging 1.6 blocked shots per game. Senior 6-2 guard Anthony Blakes is 12th in the league in scoring (13.5 ppg) and seventh in rebounds (6.0 rpg). He is also averaging 3.3 assists per game. Senior 6-7 forward LeDarion Jones is the third Cowboy averaging double figures in scoring (13.2 ppg). Junior 6-8 forward/center Ugo Udezue, a preseason all-Mountain West Conference pick, underwent knee surgery after the fifth game and is out for the season

Wyoming ranks eighth in the NCAA in scoring (82.4 ppg). The Cowboys are also eighth in MWC in scoring defense (77.6 ppg) and third in rebound margin (41.0-38.7 rpg). Wyoming is shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 70.0 percent from the free throw line.

Head Coach Steve McClain

Steve McClain is in his second season at Wyoming after posting an 18-10 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the WAC Mountain Division with a 7-7 record in 1998-99. He also led the Cowboys to the second round of the NIT last season with an 81-77 defeat of USC. Before taking the post at UW, he was an assistant coach at TCU under Billy Tubbs from 1994-98. He helped lead the Horned Frogs to the 1998 NCAA Tournament and a No. 15 final A.P. ranking.

Series Notes

The Utes lead the overall series with Wyoming 81-65, but have just a 28-42 record in games played in Laramie, Wyo. Utah has not won in Laramie since Jan. 28, 1993 (64-45), losing during its last four trips.

Utah and Wyoming did not meet during the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons when the old rivals were placed in separate divisions of the 16-team WAC. The Utes have won 11 of the last 16 meetings, but Wyoming has taken four of the last eight contests. Utah took 10 of the 17 games with Wyoming during the '90s.

Last Meeting

Alex Jensen had 19 points and tied a season-high with 14 rebounds as Utah survived its worst shooting game of the season to beat Wyoming 69-61 on Jan. 22. The Utes shot 39 percent (23-of-59) but the defense produced an answer to every threat by the resilient Cowboys, 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. LeDarion Jones led the Cowboys with 19 points and Marcus 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 Bailey with 2:42 to play, they didn't score again.

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 Mottolo, 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.

Noting the Utes

Game #26 Rewind

Colorado State beat No. 25 Utah 60-49 on Saturday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. The Rams, (17-10, 7-5 M-West), who lead the nation in three-point shooting, hit 8-of-15 shots from long range to beat Utah for the first time in six years.

Utah (20-6, 9-3 M-West), which had won 10 straight against the Rams, went 3-for-21 from behind the arc and shot a season-low 33 percent overall. The loss prevented the Utes from clinching a tie for the Mountain West title.

Hanno Mottolo playing his second game since tearing ligaments in his left elbow and right thumb, led Utah with 11 points. Jeremy Killion had 10. Ceedric Goodwyn led all scorers with 21 points, including 13 during a pivotal six-minute stretch of the second half. Aki Palmer finished with 14 points for Colorado State and Ron Grady added 10.

Utah, coming off a 44-point victory over UNLV, trailed by eight at halftime and got as close as three seven minutes into the second half. Goodwyn, averaging 17 points a game, took over from there, hitting three trifectas, a 17-foot jumper and a dunk on a backdoor cut to give Colorado State a 43-28 lead with 6:45 remaining.

The Rams pushed the lead to 17 before Utah started fouling in an attempt to get back into the game. The strategy worked as Colorado State missed 5 of 10 free throws in a two-minute span, and Utah pulled to 55-49 when Mottolo made three free throws with 41 seconds left. Utah didn't score again, giving Colorado State its first home victory over a ranked team since the 1983-84 season.

The Rams, who have won four straight, held Utah to a season-low 15 points in the first half and hit four three pointers to take an eight-point lead at the break. The Utes entered the game shooting 40 percent from three-point range but were 0-for-7 in the first 20 minutes.

Putting Utah's Performance Against UNLV Into Perspective

The Utes scored a season-best 96 points and posted its most decisive win of the season (44 points) over UNLV on Feb. 21. It was Utah's most decisive win since defeating San Diego State by 48 points (86-38) on Feb. 11, 1999.

Also against UNLV, Utah also set season-high marks for field goals made (33), free throw percentage (95.7) and rebounds (50). The Utes haven't pulled down 50 rebounds in a game since getting 56 against Azusa Pacific on Dec. 12, 1997. Utah also limited UNLV to 30.6 percent shooting from the field, the lowest mark by a Ute opponent this season. It was the Utes' best defensive effort since also holding New Mexico to 30.6 percent field goal shooting on March 6, 1999.

Odd and Ends

Utah has shot 52 percent or better from the field in 12 games overall and five conference games this season. Most recently, Utah shot 54.1 percent from the field (33-of-61) against UNLV on Feb. 21. The Utes are 14-1 when they shoot better than 50 percent this season.
Utah had its worst shooting game of the season against Colorado State on Feb. 26, converting just 32.7 percent (18-of-55) from the field and 14.3 percent (3-of-21) from three-point range. The Utes also tied season lows by making just 18 field goals and 3 three-pointers, and set a season low for points in a half with 15 in the first 20 minutes against the Rams.
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.
The Utes broke out of a shooting slump with a 52.5 percent effort from the field (21-of-40) and 52.9 percent night 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 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).
Three Utes have shot roughly half of their field goals from three-point range. Jeremy Killion has taken 108 of his 189 attempts, Tony Harvey has shot 90 of 181 and Phil Cullen has attempted 65 of 118 field goals from beyond the arc. Alex Jensen has taken over one-third of his field goal attempts from three-point range (93 of 223).
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 on Jan. 10, 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.
The Utes have scored above 80 points five times this season: Chicago State on Dec. 18 (W, 84-58), Oregon State on Dec. 28 (W, 87-77), New Mexico on Jan. 31 (W, 82-70), San Diego State on Feb. 10 (W, 83-65) and UNLV on Feb. 21 (W, 96-52). All five games were played at home.
Utah has held three opponents below 50 points and 12 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 allowing the Aggies to shoot just 30.8 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from three-point range.

In the Polls

Utah fell four spots to No. 24 in the USA Today/ESPN poll released on Feb. 20 and descended four places to No. 25 in Associated Press poll released on Feb. 21. Utah has been ranked in the USA Today/ESPN poll Top 25 poll for 23 consecutive weeks, dating back to last season. The Utes have been ranked 19 out of the last 23 weeks by A.P. Utah was out of the A.P. Top 25 poll for one week before climbing back in on Jan. 17.

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 16th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (39.1) and 13th in overall field goal percentage (48.9) as of Feb. 27. Ranking among the top three-point shooting ball clubs in the nation is a rare occurrence for a Rick Majerus-coached Ute team. 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. Utah also made 52.9 percent of its three-point tries (9-of-17) against Colorado State on Jan. 24. However, Utah did not shot above 40 percent from three-point range for five consecutive games before making 42.1 percent (8-of-19) against UNLV on Feb. 21.

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 26 games this season, Utah has given up an average of 61.0 points per game to rank 15th in the nation in scoring defense as of Feb. 27. The Utes have also outscored the opposition by an average of 10.8 points per game to rank 24th in the NCAA in scoring margin.

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.

Awesome Alex

Senior forward Alex Jensen (6-7, 225) has started all 93 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 11th among the league players in scoring (15.0 ppg), fourth in field goal percentage (57.3) and fourth in rebounding (8.3 rpg). In 12 conference games, he has led the Utes four times in scoring, eight times in rebounding and six times in assists. He has already earned first team All-District 13 honors this season.

On the season, Jensen has Utah's second-best scoring average (14.2 ppg), shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 48.4 percent from three-point range to rank 20th in the country. He is the team's top rebounder (7.5 rpg). Jensen has led Utah seven times in scoring, 17 times in rebounds and 10 times in assists this season. He has also scored in double figures in all but five games?including four 20-point performances?and has had seven rebounds or more in 15 games.

Jensen posted his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes against UNLV on Feb. 21. He also had double-doubles in back-to-back games recently. Jensen finished with team-highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds at UNLV on Feb. 5. He went 5-of-8 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line in 37 minutes. In the preceding game against New Mexico on Jan. 31, Jensen had a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds. 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 outstanding performance, 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 against Wyoming on Jan. 22 and made a career-best nine three-pointers against Augusta State on Dec. 3. Jensen is also an excellent defensive player who can defend all five positions on the floor and has excelled in the role as the team's defensive stopper.

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 Joins 1,000 Point/ 800 Rebound Club

This season, senior forward Alex Jensen became the ninth Ute all-time and the fourth under Rick Majerus to record 1,000 career points and 800 career rebounds. Jensen currently has 1,228 points and 851 boards in four years at Utah. The Centerville, Utah, native became the 28th Ute to surpass the 1,000-point plateau with 10 points against Oregon State on Dec. 28. He had 12 rebounds against New Mexico on Jan. 31 to surpass the 800-rebound benchmark. Jensen currently ranks 20th in career scoring, ninth in total rebounds, second in offensive rebounds (318) and fifth in defensive rebounds (533) at the U.

Mentioning Mottolo

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

Mottolo Effective When Healthy

Despite battling injuries all season, senior forward Hanno Mottolo (6-9, 250) is Utah's leader in scoring average (17.3 ppg) and has led the Utes in scoring in 10 of the 15 games he has played in this season. He has already earned first team All-District 13 honors from the NABC.

Mottolo made his second triumphant return from injury this season against UNLV on Feb. 21. Coming off the bench after missing three games due to torn ligaments in his left elbow and right thumb, Mottolo scored a game-high 20 points in 19 minutes. He shot 5-of-7 from the field, 1-of-3 from three-point range and 9-of-9 at the free throw line.

The Helsinki, Finland, native also missed the first eight games of the season with a partial medial collateral tear in his left knee. Mottolo successfully made his return on Dec. 18. In a five game stretch from Dec. 22-Jan. 6, he scored 131 points in 152 minutes, shooting 45-of-72 from the field and 9-of-14 from three-point range. Mottolo 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. Mottolo 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.

Mottolo would rank sixth in the conference in scoring if he had played enough games to qualify. The Mountain West and NCAA statistics requirement is 75 percent of games played.

Mottolo 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. Mottolo 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.

Mottolo ranks high in several career statistical categories at the U. He is 17th all-time in scoring (1,393), seventh in defensive rebounds (356), eighth in offensive boards (164) and 10th place in blocked shots (46).

Let's Hear It For Harvey

Senior guard/forward Tony Harvey (6-5, 200) has significantly improved his play since the start of the Mountain West Conference season, so much so that he has started the last five games at point guard after primarily playing off the bench since early December.

Harvey has scored in double figures in eight of the 12 league games?including seven in a row heading into the Feb. 21 game against UNLV. Harvey equalled a career high with 19 points to go with five rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes against New Mexico on Feb. 19. He made 7-of-17 shots from the field overall and 5-of-10 from three-point range. Harvey had 14 points?thanks in part to making four three-pointers?in the second half alone against the Lobos.

Also since being inserted into the starting line-up, Harvey had 14 points against both San Diego State (Feb. 10) and Brigham Young (Feb. 12). He had a perfect shooting night against SDSU, making all five field goals, his only three-point attempt and each of his three free throws in 26 minutes. During the conference season, the Carson, Calif., native is averaging 11.2 points per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field overall to rank 11th in the Mountain West and 46.8 percent (22-of-47) from three-point range to rank fifth in the league.

Take Note of Nate

Junior 6-11 center Nate Althoff is another Ute who has stepped-up his play in recent weeks.

Althoff was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 14 after leading the Runnin' Utes to two wins in league play over San Diego State (Feb. 10) and BYU (Feb. 12).

In the two games, the Delano, Minn., (Delano HS) product scored 37 points (18.5 ppg) and pulled down eight boards. Althoff shot an astounding 80 percent from the field (12-for-15) and 86.7 percent from the free throw line (13-for-15).

Althoff was the Utes' leading scorer in an 83-65 victory over San Diego State on Feb. 10 with a career-high 22 points. He went 6-for-8 from the field and made a personal-best 10-of-11 free throws. In a 77-62 win vs. BYU on Feb. 12, Althoff hit 6-of-7 shots from the field and went 3-for-4 from the foul line for 15 points and grabbed five rebounds.

The Utes' "Big Man" followed-up his player of the week honor with 17 points (8-of-12 FG), a game-high eight rebounds and two blocked shots in 21 minutes against New Mexico on Feb. 19. Last Monday night against UNLV, Althoff came back from a first half knee injury to score seven points (3-of-4 FG) and grab seven rebounds in 12 minutes.

Althoff currently leads the MWC and ranks 24th in the nation in field goal percentage at 61.2 (85-for-139). He has improved his shooting percentage in conference play to 64.9 (50-for-77), which leads the M-West. Althoff has had two 20-point games and 10 double-figure scoring games this season.

Utes Lead the Nation with 51-Game Home Winning Streak

Utah retained the longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I with a 96-52 win over UNLV on Feb. 21. The Utes have won 51 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.

No other team in the nation has won more than 30 consecutive homes games. Cincinnati had sent 42 consecutive opposing teams home with a loss before losing to Temple (77-69) on Feb. 20. Duke, which had won 46 straight at home, lost to Maryland (98-87) on Feb. 9.

The Utes are 16-0 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 145-10 (.935) 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 91 of its last 93 games played in the Huntsman Center.

Jensen Poised to Close Out Undefeated Home Career

Senior Alex Jensen is one win away from closing out his Utah career without tasting the bitterness of a loss at the Huntsman Center. The Utes went 15-0 during Jensen's freshman season in 1994-95. Since returning from his two-year LDS Church mission, Jensen has been in the line-up for 43 consecutive contests in the Huntsman Center, playing all but the first eight games of Utah's 51 consecutive home wins. Jensen could finish his career as the only four-year Utah player to never lose a home game. Jensen will take to the Huntsman Center hardwood, along with the rest of Utah's senior class, for the final time against Air Force on March 4.

Getting Defensive in the Mountain West

Although the Utes don't rank among the top teams in the nation in rebound margin this season, they have continued to be a dominant team on the boards in league play. Utah has not been outrebounded in 45 consecutive conference games, including 12 games this season. The last time the Utes faced a deficit on the boards in league play was 32-27 in a WAC contest at Tulsa on Feb. 22, 1997. In the Mountain West conference, Utah ranks first in rebound margin with a 5.4 rpg edge over the course of the entire season and a 7.3 rpg advantage in league games. The Utes are 16-2 when they outrebound their opponents this season.

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.

Against BYU on Feb. 12, Utah had a 35-21 edge on the boards. Utah held UNLV to 30.6 percent shooting, the lowest mark by an opponent this season, on Feb. 21. The Utes also had a 50-26 edge on the boards in the 96-52 victory.

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

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 357-122 in 16 seasons. He also has a 258-70 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Utes Picked 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 Mottolo were named to the preseason all-conference team by both the coaches and the media. The media honored Mottolo 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.

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 Mottolo and Althoff

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

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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

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