Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73
Final Score
Men's Basketball
66
vs No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round)
73
The University of Utah Athletics
Boylen Era Officially Begins Friday Night
11/8/2007 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2007
Game #1 - Utah (0-0) vs. South Carolina Upstate (0-0)
7 p.m. MST - Friday, Novmeber 9
Jon M. Huntsman Center
Salt Lake City
Radio: Utah Sports Radio Network
Mike Lageschulte (play-by-play); Mark Rydalch (color analyst)
TV: None
Internet: www.UtahUtes.com live audio, live stats
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Boylen Era Officially Begins Friday Night
The 100th season of University of Utah men's basketball and the Jim Boylen era officially begin Friday night. South Carolina Upstate will visit the Jon M. Huntsman Center for the regular-season opener. It is the first meeting between the Utes and Spartans.
Utah finished the exhibition season with a pair of victories. The Runnin' Utes defeated Montana Tech and Northwest Nazarene by 43 and 45 points, respectively.
South Carolina Upstate is in its first season as a member of NCAA Division I. The school is located in Spartanburg, S.C. The Spartans are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. USC Upstate was 17-11 last season as a member of NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference. Eddie Payne is in his 23rd season as a head coach and his sixth with the Spartans.
Utah has never faced a current member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Runnin' Ute Fast Breaks
? Utah is 75-24 overall in season-openers. The Utes had won 10 straight lid-lifters before last year's 76-73, season-opening loss to Southern Utah.
? Utah averaged 85.5 points per game in its two exhibition outings. The Runnin' Utes allowed an average of just 41.5 per contest to its exhibition competition.
? Utah was ranked 322nd (out of 325) in NCAA Division I in field-goal percentage defense. The Utes' opponents shot .500 from the field against them.
? Utah went 11-19 last season to finish with its worst record since going 8-19 in 1972-73.
? After going 14-15 in 2005-06, Utah had its first back-to-back losing seasons since 1983-84 and 1984-85.
? The nine freshmen and sophomores who played last season accounted for 66.2 percent of Utah's points, 82.7 percent of its rebounds, 65.1 percent of its assists and 67.3 percent of its minutes.
? The Utes lost seven games by one possession and one more by four points in 2006-07.
Things Will Be Great When You're ... Downtown
Utah was one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation last season. The Utes ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field-goal percentage, converting at a rate of 41.4 percent from beyond the arc in 2006-07. Unfortunately, Utah was also one of the worst teams in the nation at defending the three-pointer, allowing opponents to convert at a .463 clip from downtown.
The Runnin' Utes picked up right where they left off -- at least on the offensive end -- in exhibition play this year. Utah hit 20-of-43 from three-point range for a .465 percentage. Meanwhile, Utah opponents shot just .311 from behind the three-point line in the two exhibitions.
Hot Hand Luke
Junior center Luke Nevill ranked ninth in the nation in field-goal percentage last season, converting at a .637 clip from the field. The 7-foot 1-inch Aussie didn't slow down any in Utah's two preseason games. Nevill was 6-of-7 (.857) against Montana Tech on Nov. 1. Nevill followed that up with a 7-for-10 (.700) performance Tuesday night against Northwest Nazarene. For the exhibition season, Nevill was 13-of-17 (.765). He was also very good at the free-throw line during the exhibitions, going 9-of-10 (.900).
Tillie Tallies Rebounds
Sophomore forward Kim Tillie should see plenty of action in the frontcourt this season. He's slated to back up both Shaun Green at the power forward spot and Luke Nevill at the center position. In exhibition play, Tillie showed he can handle the rebounding load that comes with a lot of time in the paint. The 6-foot 9-inch Frenchman led the team with 7.5 rebounds per game in exhibition play. Tillie grabbed 15 rebounds in just 37 minutes of action during the two preseason contests.
-UU-
Players Mentioned
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Former Runnin’ Ute Branden Carlson
Tuesday, May 19
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - College football analyst Yogi Roth
Wednesday, May 06
Utah Basketball Media Availability | 3.2.26
Monday, March 02
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Basketball General Manager Wes Wilcox
Wednesday, February 25