Forward Carlon Brown said it just as well as anybody could -- the Utes knew they needed to win at least two of their three games against UNLV, Brigham Young and New Mexico to stay in the thick of the hunt for a regular-season Mountain West Conference championship.

Check, aaaand check.

So here are the Utes, still sitting in a tie for first place in the league, with a relatively easy road trip coming up at TCU and Wyoming. Just as good, they took another step ahead of last year's pace by beating the Lobos 69-68 today on an impossible baseline jumper by guard Lawrence Borha with 11.2 seconds left at the Huntsman Center.

That's something they couldn't do last season -- just like beating BYU at home -- and showed that this team is indeed growing. In fact, they managed to beat the Lobos despite not having a great defensive game (the Lobos shot 54 percent), not getting a big night out of center Luke Nevill (11 points, six rebounds four blocks and three assists) and not winning the rebound battle (it was tied, 29-29).

"I thought we were pretty tough at the end," coach Jim Boylen said.

Indeed, that's when the Utes shined -- again, when they usually did not, last season. Even earlier this season they didn't look so good in crunch time, but Boylen said he feels as if the Utes learned from their could-easily-have-lost-the-game stretch run against Gonzaga a month ago. It has certainly looked like it lately, with the Utes pulling out close victories over the Cougars and Lobos.

Against the Lobos, the Utes did not allow a point in the final 2:56, after the Lobos had taken a 68-65 lead. The Utes forced three missed shots and two turnovers, spoiling New Mexico's hope of winning back-to-back games at the Huntsman Center for the first time since 1972-73.

"We just did all the little when it came down to it, at the end," Nevill said. "We didn't play that well, but guys stepped up at clutch moments and we did what we had to do."

Sophomore forward Morgan Grim probably will miss the rest of the season for the Utah Utes, after having surgery Thursday to insert a screw to repair a broken bone in his left foot.

The Utes are hoping he can return in eight weeks, but they would have to advance deep into a postseason tournament in order to still be playing at that point.

The 6-foot-8 former all-state star at Riverton High School has averaged less than one point and one rebound per game, in mostly back-up duty -- though he has started four games in place of junior Kim Tillie, who missed time with his own foot injury.

"I am very disappointed for Morgan and for what his loss will mean to our team," coach Jim Boylen said in a statement. "He is a valuable member of this team and this basketball family, and we hope he has a speedy recovery."

Maybe familiarity really does breed contempt. After all, we've grown so accustomed to banging on the flaws in center Luke Nevill -- fewer though they may be, this season -- that we tend to lose sight of the view from the other side.

You know, from the guys who have to play against him?

Credit the New Mexico Lobos for painting an effusive portrait of the 7-foot-2 senior in an article their GoLobos.com Web site. Coach Steve Alford became the latest to describe Nevill as a future first-round pick in the NBA Draft, and his players evidently couldn't stop raving.

"He makes me feel normal," 6-9 forward Daniel Faris said. "He's enormous. ... I think his wingspan is about 12 feet. I can't guard him by myself. The guys are going to have to drop down and help me. If I let him get too deep of a catch, I'm pretty much at his mercy. He's huge, but he's talented. He has some skills."

Added guard Dairese Gary: "Everybody will have to help on him. If he puts it on the floor, we can help. If he puts it in the air, there isn't much we can do."

Another promising sign for the Utes comes from Jerry Palm, whose projection of the NCAA Tournament field also predicts the Utes will make it -- as regular-season champs from the Mountain West Conference.

"This projection is unique among those you'll see because it is based on what I think the final bracket will look like, not necessarily what it would look like if the tournament started today," Palm wrote on CBSSports.com.

"For each conference, the projected champion is the team I expect to win the conference's automatic bid. That is not necessarily the team I think will win the regular season title. UNLV is an example of this. I think Utah wins the Mountain West regular season title, but that UNLV will win the conference tournament, which the Rebels host."

Palm has the Utes as a No. 9 seed playing No. 8 Minnesota and coach Tubby Smith -- you don't think the Utes could reach the tournament without some connection to Kentucky, do you? -- with a potential rematch with Oklahoma looming in the second round in Kansas City.

Even if the Utes don't win the regular-season title -- and they can improve their chances with a win over New Mexico at the Huntsman Center on Saturday, in a game the Utes are saying is now even bigger than the one against Brigham Young -- they continue to get a lot of help building a brilliant RPI ranking.

The Utes are back up to 15th in the Ratings Percentage Index, according to RealTimeRPI.com, thanks in part to big recent victories by LSU at Tennessee, Gonzaga against St. Mary's, and Cal at Washington and against Arizona State. The wins by Utah opponents have helped the Utes' strength of schedule increase to 11th in the country.

Maybe now is a good time to examine how the deeper three-point line has affected the Utes this season.

You'll remember that before the season, there was all kinds of speculation about what effect the move would have -- from forcing shooting percentages down because the line would be farther away, to actually improving them because only the really good outside shooters would attempt threes, anymore.

Well, the Utes are somewhere in between.

Though the team is shooting almost the exact same number of three-pointers per game, it's making fewer -- 6.7 per game, compared to 7.3 per game last year -- and shooting 36.2 percent, after hitting 39.3 percent last season.

But two of its top outside shooters -- point guard Luka Drca and forward Shaun Green -- have improved from last season. While Drca shot only 30.8 percent from long range last season, he's hitting 43.9 percent now (and already shot and made more than he did all of last year), and Green has gone from 37.6 percent to 38.5 percent (although nowhere near the 51.2 percent of his sophomore season).

Others, however, have not been so fortunate.

Guard Lawrence Borha has slipped the most drastically, shooting 37 percent after hitting 43.8 percent last season, and shooting more than twice as many three-pointers per game (about 4.6, compared to about 2.2). Point guard Tyler Kepkay has slipped, too, making 36.4 percent after hitting 41.1 percent last season, though he hasn't increased his firing range quite as much, attempting about one more three-pointer per game (about 3.9, compared to about 2.9). And forward Carlon Brown? Well, we know what he has to work on during the offseason; he has made just 2 of 18 from long range this season, after hitting only 2 of 10 last year.

Of course, we always knew the Utes needed to try to replace the bombs that departed guard Johnnie Bryant hit for them last year.

And speaking of which, Bryant was back for a game at the Huntsman Center recently after playing professionally in Germany. He spent about four months there, he said, but did not plan to return after a midseason break. Instead, he's pursuing some business opportunities around town. Wonder how well he would have fared, with the new three-point line ...

You want a big win?

That was it.

The overtime victory over Brigham Young qualifies as the most important win over the season for the Utes -- arguably, the most important since coach Jim Boylen took over -- at least according to the Ratings Percentage Index. The Cougars are the highest-ranked opponent the Utes have beaten in the RPI, which is a crucial element in determining at-large teams for the NCAA Tournament.

Even the Gonzaga win isn't looking as good.

The Zags are ranked 50th in the RPI, while the Cougars are 38th, with the Utes having jumped up to 16th after sliding a bit with their recent losses to the other top teams in the Mountain West Conference -- San Diego State and UNLV.

And while they won't make quite as big a statement by beating New Mexico at home on Saturday, the Lobos do represent a solid opponent, and a victory would keep the Utes on pace to have a good argument for reaching the Big Dance.

Obviously, there was no shortage of heroes for the Utes in their 94-88 overtime victory over Brigham Young last night. But you could make a good argument that nobody was more important than Shaun Green.

The senior forward grabbed or tipped out three huge offensive rebounds in the final 2 1/2 minutes that allowed the Utes to hang on at the Huntsman Center.

"Coaches kept telling us to go to the glass consistently," Green said. "We kept trying, kept trying. They were blocking us out pretty good, all game. And then, I finally got my hand on a few that I could tip out to the guys, so we could get a new shot clock."

That was particularly important because the Utes could have coughed it up with uncharacteristically poor free-throw shooting in the clutch. The second-best free-throw shooting team in the country had made 21 of 25 through the first minute of overtime, and inched ahead 80-76 on guard Tyler Kepkay's lay-up with 2:23 remaining.

That's when Green arrived to the rescue.

When Kepkay missed his free-throw attempting to complete a three-point play, Green tipped the rebound out and allowed Kepkay to drive for another lay-up, scooping acrobatically toward the rim after taking about 20 seconds off the clock. When Kepkay missed a three-pointer about a minute later, Green tipped out another rebound, allowing guard Luka Drca to draw a foul and get to the line.

But Drca missed one of his two foul shots, continuing a stretch in which the Utes' three best foul shooters -- who entered the game making 86.2 percent, combined -- missed 4 of 7 from the line.

Meanwhile, the Cougars were throwing in lay-ups and three-pointers and keeping their threat alive. Only when Green corralled the rebound of guard Lawrence Borha's final miss with 27.6 seconds left and the Utes leading 87-83 did the Utes regain their foul-line composure and finally bury the Cougs. Kepkay made his last six free throws in the final 23 seconds, to contribute to a 7-for-8 finishing surge and a 31-for-40 total for the game.

"We won the free-throw game and the rebound game," coach Jim Boylen noted, "and that's what you have to do in these big games."

Everybody remembers the trouble point guard Tyler Kepkay had coming through in the clutch last season.

But that's ancient history, now.

The senior was absolutely clutch for the Utes in overtime of their 94-88 victory over Brigham Young at the Huntsman Center tonight, scoring 10 of his 19 points in the extra period -- including back-to-back slicing, scooping lay-ups that ignited the game-winning surge.

"We had the plays there, and I just made them tonight," he said. "I was given the opportunity, and I just made the best of it."

Coach Jim Boylen, however, was far more effusive.

Though Kepkay was far from the only star in the arguably the biggest win of the season for the Utes -- center Luke Nevill scored a career-high 32 points, guard Luka Drca had 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and forward Shaun Green had a bunch of crucial offensive rebounds -- Boylen made a point of praising Kepkay above all the rest.

"He was selfish last year,” Boylen said. "He was out for his stuff. He was separated from his teammates. This year, he's one of the favorite guys on the team. He helps people. He embraces everybody. He's very calm in practice and at the end of games. And it's all because he has made himself part of the team, and he's more worried about winning than starting. More worried about winning than scoring.

"It's a life lesson, to me," Boylen added. "It's what this program is built on ... if you give it up, take your ego out of it, it's all going to come back to you. I'm so happy for that guy. I just hugged him in the locker room and told him I loved him. It's a great story."

So is a victory over the Cougars.

The Utes had lost four in a row to their rivals, and had beaten only one team in the top 60 of the Ratings Percentage Index this season. The victory over the Cougs gives them a crucial second, and one that vaulted them back into a first-place tie in the Mountain West Conference.

"It's tough to swallow," BYU's Lee Cummard said. "You don't ever like to lose to those guys. ... But they made the plays down the strech, and we didn't."

While the Utes are preparing for tonight's big game against Brigham Young at the Huntsman Center, it's worth noting that their counterparts on the women's side are preparing to meet the Cougars, too -- just tomorrow, and down at the Marriott Center in Provo.

But coach Elaine Elliott is doing her usual impressive job with the women, rebounding from a tough start to reach 12-6 with an eight-game winning streak. The Utes also have won 21 straight regular-season games in the Mountain West Conference, and rank among the best shooting teams in the nation, and the best defensive team in the league.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m., with the game broadcast on KALL-AM 700 and BYU-TV.

While coach Jim Boylen was assessing tonight's home game against the rival Brigham Young Cougars -- he said beating them is a crucial step in the rebuilding process -- he expressed his belief that "it's going to come down to support players" in determining who wins.

"We talk about BYU and their three-headed monster they have, with Tavernari, Fredette and Cummard," he said. "But Emery, to me, is an unbelivable addition for them -- his toughness, speed, quickness. He's a ball-hawk type guy. He's a loose-ball type guy. And then Miles has improved greatly and McGregor has improved greatly, and Morgan has improved. So, to me, they have nine solid, solid guys. ... In a way, they might be deeper than last year."

Still, Boylen believes his Utes are better than they were a year ago, too, and the oddsmakers agree, making them a 3 1/2-point favorite at the Huntsman Center.

"We're both good," Boylen said, "and that makes it better."

It will be interesting to see whether the game sells out, with the Jazz playing at home against the Spurs tonight and a full schedule of high school games around the valley. The Utes did not sell out last season's game, which they lost 55-52 after point guard Luka Drca missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity and fellow guard Tyler Kepkay put up an airball on a desperation drive in the final seconds.

Another player who did not have a spectacular game last year was center Luke Nevill, who has been playing much better as he approaches the end of his college career. But he doesn't have BYU's Trent Plaisted to kick around anymore, so it will be fascinating to see how the Cougars try to defend him in the post. Single coverage probably isn't going to do it ...

And if Boylen's right that "support players" probably will determine the outcome, we're probably talking about somebody like Drca, guard Lawrence Borha or even forward Kim Tillie needing to make the difference for the Utes.

The only team in the Mountain West Conference that the Utah Utes have not beaten since coach Jim Boylen took over is only their biggest rival -- Brigham Young, which will visit the Huntsman Center on Tuesday shooting for its fifth straight win in the series.

"Don't think that's not on my mind," Boylen said.

"I get it every day," he added, "when I go get gas or go to the store: 'When are you going to beat BYU?' I get it every day, and it's on my mind. ... My goal is to build this program, and to do it, we have to win tomorrow."

The Utes are favored by 3 1/2 points, according to Covers.com, and played the Cougars to within three at home last season. But as much as Boylen would love to beat the Cougs, he knows it won't be easy. The coach spent much of his weekly press conference today complimenting his rivals.

Forward Lee Cummard is a "tough son of a bitch" and the "head of the monster," he said, guard Jackson Emery is a "great addition" and center Chris Miles has improved greatly. "What BYU doesn't get credit for enough is their defense," he added, noting that the Cougars lead the league in defending the three-pointer.

But he also believes the Utes are better than they were a year ago. "We're both good," he said. "And that makes it better."

Probably should have seen this coming.

After their tough loss at UNLV last weekend, the Utes have fallen back out of ESPN's "Bracketology" projection of the NCAA Tournament field. But they're among the “last four out,” according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, which means they're still within striking distance.

For the first time this season, though, Lunardi is projecting three teams from the Mountain West Conference will reach the tournament -- Brigham Young, UNLV and … get this … TCU. As if Jim Christian doesn't already have league's coach of the year award wrapped up. Lunardi also has Utah State and Weber State in the tournament field.

Coach Jim Boylen repeatedly has emphasized the need to limit turnovers, and that was before his Utes committed 18 and forced only nine in the 75-65 loss at UNLV on Saturday to add to their standing as one of the worst teams in the country in turnover margin.

"We had too many turnovers," forward Shaun Green said.

But it was the things at which the Utes are usually good, that really cost them the game.

The Utes entered the game leading the Mountain West Conference in shooting, rebound margin and free-throw shooting -- and they did all three well in building a 12-point lead in the first half at the Thomas & Mack Center.

But after halftime, it all went away.

The Utes actually committed fewer turnovers while losing the lead in the second half than they did while building it in the first, eight compared to 10. But they shot only 34.5 percent in the second half, were outrebounded 19-15 by a smaller lineup, and managed only five free throws, making just three -- far from the nearly 80 percent they had been shooting, on an average of 21 attempts per game.

"We were a little careless, a little soft, with the ball at times," Boylen said. "Eighteen turnovers is too many down here. And I talked about before the game, you have to win the rebound game and the free-throw game down here, and then the three-point game. We won the rebound game, we won the three-point game, we didn't win the free-throw game. They get nine more points than us from the free-throw line, and that's the difference in the game."

The Utes shot 5-for-8 for the game at the line, while the Rebels were 14 for 21.

Overall, the Utes outrebounded the Rebels 32-30, and made 10-of-16 three-pointers, compared to 5-of-9 for UNLV. They also had one more assist than the Rebels, meaning they lost for the first time in 12 games this season when handing out more than an opponent.

Oh, and for the record, the players who have the ball in their hands the most for the Utes -- guard Luka Drca, forward Carlon Brown and center Luke Nevill -- each committed four turnovers. The Utes had not committed to so many turnovers since beating Gonzaga at home nearly a month ago, and had not committed more since racking up a season-high 20 in the season-opening loss to Southwest Baptist.

By the way, Kim Tillie did return to the lineup for the Utes after missing two games with a foot injury.

But that was easy to miss.

The junior forward did not start the game -- sophomore Morgan Grim made his fourth start of the season, and looked staggeringly overmatched -- and played just six minutes, three in the first half and three in the second. Not sure whether that was a product of his lingering injury or just performance, though he did make his only shot and grab two rebounds.

So, it's settled then.

The Utes are a modestly above-average team that's capable of winning against almost any team at home and bad-to-mediocre ones on the road, but not yet good enough to survive really good teams on the road. It's also a team that needs to be in control and feeling good down the stretch, because it's not going to make some valiant, heart-of-a-lion comeback surge in the final minutes to pull out a victory.

Right?

That's certainly what it looked like in the 75-65 loss to UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center today, when the Utes gave back a 12-point first-half lead and an eight-point halftime lead with an abysmal second half that made them look a lot like the rival Brigham Young Cougars, who lost to the Rebels almost the exact same way three days ago.

But at least the Utes suffered their loss on the road, not at home.

And however much the Utes have yet proven incapable of beating the best teams in their league on the road -- their three league road wins under coach Jim Boylen have come against lowly Colorado State and Air Force -- it's also true that they might not need to be quite that exceptional to reach the NCAA Tournament. Winning at home and taking road games from the bottom half of the league should be enough for the Utes to win 20 games, which would combine with their strong RPI ranking to force the tournament selection committee to give them a long, hard look.

They remain on pace for that.

Still, opportunities like the one they blew at UNLV also could come back to haunt them.

Had the Utes been able to hang on their lead and snap a five-game losing streak to the Rebels in Las Vegas, they would have had a quality win to add to their resume, never mind a tremendous confidence boost going into the BYU game on Tuesday. What's more, they would have proved to themselves that they could do it, rather than shrinking again from the one of the toughest challenges they can face.

"We just kind of gave in a bit," center Luke Nevill said. "We weren't mentally there."

Which is all the more inexplicable given the strong first half the Utes played. It wasn't like the game at San Diego State, when they seemed morose from the start. The Utes were great in the first half -- or at least until they allowed a three-pointer with two seconds left after listening to Boylen remind them again and again to not allow a three-pointer.

It was all downhill from there.

UNLV's Wink Adams revved it up to start the second half, teammate Mareceo Rutledge buried a couple of three-pointers, and the Rebels were suddenly rolling right over the Utes. And if the Utes can't keep control going down the stretch, it's not going to happen for them. They're 1-6 this season when trailing at halftime, and 0-6 when trailing with five minutes remaining.

"There's no shame losing on the road, in this league," Boylen said.

He's absolutely right, so long as you're not losing on the road to CSU, Wyoming and Air Force. And the Utes have held up fine on that account so far. But until they can prove they can beat the other teams in the top half of the league on the road, they're not going to be ready to seriously contend for the league championship.

Technically, he's only the second-best free-throw shooter on the team, going into today's game at UNLV. But guard Lawrence Borha is the one who ranks among the best in the country -- 28th, if you want to be precise -- because point guard Luka Drca hasn't shot enough free throws to qualify for the national rankings.

So what's his secret?

"I just make sure my hands are right," he said. "That's it. When my hands are right on the ball, it's like not often that I miss a free throw. I don't think there's nothing wrong with my mind, or stuff like that, when I step up to the free-throw line."

That could be important, considering that coach Jim Boylen said he expects today's game could come down to free throws and three-point shooting. Borha said he just needs to make sure the tip of the middle finger on his shooting hand rests on the ball's air valve before he shoots. Then, "just let it go," he said.

A 72 percent career free-throw shooter coming into the season, Borha is 52 of 60 for 86.7 percent so far in his senior season -- he was 54 of 66 in all 33 games last year -- and has made 22 of the last 24 over the past five games. Drca, for the record, is 36 of 40 for 90 percent, but players have to average 2.5 made foul shots per game to qualify for the national rankings. The junior would be in the top 15 with his current accuracy, however.

Coach Jim Boylen enjoyed some solid treatment today in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, in an article detailing his efforts to rebuild the Utes, including a great line about his manic sideline demeanor and attempts to recapture fans in his first season.

"I'm just trying to do everything I can to get this back on solid ground," he said. "I was selling. I was like the guy in the market saying, 'I'm going to make you money, trust me.' Everybody was looking at me like I had a horn coming out of my head."

Maybe not quite as much, anymore.

The 12-6 Utes are fighting to reclaim a share of first place in the Mountain West Conference against UNLV today at the Thomas & Mack Center, where they're trying to snap a five-game losing streak against the 15-4 Rebels. Forward Kim Tillie could be back in the lineup after missing two games with a foot injury; he practiced late this week and was considered "day-to-day."

"We've played well down there, but we haven't won," Boylen said. "And we're going down there to win and to play team basketball."

The Utes are about 4 1/2-point underdogs against the Rebels, who are coming off their stunning comeback victory at Brigham Young earlier in the week. Boylen acknowledged it could be difficult for the Rebels to muster the same intensity after such an emotional win -- "I'm sure the UNLV coaches are talking to them about keeping their edge," he said -- but also expects a tough challenge.

"It sets up for a terrific league game, which we knew it would be," he said. "They'll be ready and we'll be ready. Should be a great game."

If you thought the UNLV Rebels were going to be all full of themselves, thinking they're the best team in the Mountain West Conference, after stomping Brigham Young at the Marriott Center the other night, think again.

It's the Utes they seem to regard highly.

"They're probably the best team in the conference right now," forward Rene Rougeau said.

That's pretty high praise coming from a team that has owned the Utes at home in recent years. But while the Utes are searching for an inspired effort on the road in league play, the Rebels are trying to establish some consistency after early losses to TCU and Colorado State and then the beatdown of BYU. "The effort and interest is always great," coach Lon Kruger said, "but the results haven't been consistent."

One recruiting note we forgot to mention earlier in the week, amid coach Jim Boylen's travel to check out prospects Alex Dragicevich and Steven Baird ... Boylen also made his way down south a week ago to take his swings at Kyle Collinsworth of Provo High School.

The highly regarded 6-foot-6 guard for the top team in Class 4-A has been impressing more and more scouts lately, and reportedly has offers from the three big in-state schools along with Washington State. Coaches from Wake Forest also attended a recent game, and came away impressed.

All of which figures to make it tough for the Utes to land a guy who some are calling a stronger prospect than Lone Peak's Tyler Haws, and whose brother played for rival Brigham Young before departing on an LDS Church mission. But you don't win if you don't play, right?

As if the Utes and their fans needed another reason to exult in a loss by rival Brigham Young, there's this:

The letdown effect.

With the UNLV Rebels clearly having been geared up beat the Cougars 76-70 at the Marriott Center last night after their abysmal loss there last season, they might be somewhat spent emotionally, going into their home game against the Utes on Saturday. Happens all the time in college basketball -- look at No. 1 Wake Forest, losing at home to Virginia Tech last night after its stretch of big wins -- and the Utes certainly wouldn't mind if it happened again and gave them a little edge.

After all, winning at the Thomas & Mack Center isn't exactly an easy habit for the Utes.

The Utes have lost five straight to the Rebels in Las Vegas, and seven of the last eight meetings overall. A victory could actually deliver sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference, too, if San Diego State loses at BYU and New Mexico wins at TCU.

We've noted how the Utes have been successful shooting more free throws than last year -- 21.2 per game compared to 16 last season -- and allowing opponents to shoot fractionally fewer. And while that obviously helps translate to the bottom line, it's especially helpful when the Utes are taking such advantage of their foul-shooting opportunities.

Though they have always been pretty good free-throw shooters the last few years, the Utes are now one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country, ranking fourth by making 79.3 percent -- and getting better. The Utes made 20 of 24 foul shots in their victory over Colorado State last weekend, and have made 69 of 79 in their last four games for 87.3 percent.

Must be all that time they spend working on them in practice, under threat of wind sprints or verbal assault.

"Every day, there's pressure on guys to make free throws," assistant coach Jeff Smith said. "And as time goes on, they not only get used to that pressure, but they understand that's what going to happen, and they know they need to step up and make free throws."

Between the increased number of attempts and the improved percentage -- the Utes shot 75.8 percent from the line last year -- the Utes are scoring about 4.6 more points per game from the free-throw line, which can make a big difference in close games.

"A lot of guys just learned that last year we lost a lot of close games because of free throws," forward Shaun Green said. "So a lot of guys put in a lot of time over the summer to better themselves."

Among the rotation regulars, only forward Carlon Brown shoots under 77 percent -- he's hitting 68 percent -- and guard Lawrence Borha ranks 31st nationally by making 86.7 percent. Point guard Luka Drca is hitting 90 percent, but he doesn't have enough attempts to qualify for an NCAA ranking.

With an entire week between games -- the Utes face UNLV in a huge game next weekend -- coach Jim Boylen took the opportunity to head out of town on recruiting.

His targets?

One is Alex Dragicevich, a 6-foot-6 forward from Glenbrook North High School near Chicago, and the other is Steven Baird, a 6-8 forward from James Madison High School in San Antonio, Texas.

Both are evidently great shooters, judging by scouting reports, and seemingly versatile enough to play perhaps a variety a positions -- a key aspect that Boylen frequently says he seeks in his players. And while Dragicevich seems to have been somewhat under the radar until recently, Baird clearly is not; his choices include Texas A&M, Marquette and Kentucky, according to Scouts, Inc.

And speaking of ESPN's Bracketology, it recently featured a question-and-answer section featuring a question about the Utes, and their season-opening loss to Division II Southwest Baptist.

One guy wanted to know, essentially, why the highly rated Utes should not suffer the consequences of losing to such a team when teams such as Boston College watch their Ratings Percentage Index rankings plunge after losses to low-Division I teams such as Harvard. (The RPI does not take into account games against non-Division I teams, win or lose.)

"I know the selection committee will see Utah's entire profile," the reader wrote, "but what they will also see is a computer profile that is vastly skewed by failing to take account of the DII loss. Isn't it time that someone came up with a way to quantify how bad it is to play (and especially to lose to) a DII team?"

Fans should be encouraged by Lunardi's response:

"The main way to quantify it is that Utah will have one less win than other bubble teams which played (and presumably defeated) a DI opponent. Ask Billy Tubbs, whose 30-ish RPI Oklahoma teams once missed the tourney because three of their wins were non-DI games. Having said that, I'd be more concerned with Utah's standing in the Mountain West than I would be about something that happened four months before Selection Sunday. If the Utes are at or near the top of a very good Mountain West this year, the DII loss won't be much of a factor."

Certainly, we had a pretty good idea that the Utes would be back in ESPN's "Bracketology" prediction of the NCAA Tounament field this week, what with their victory over Colorado State and losses last week by Brigham Young, UNLV and San Diego State.

And they are.

But what might make you wince is the first-round match-up that ESPN's Joe Lunardi is projecting -- Utah vs. Kentucky, in Minneapolis.

Just what we need, right? The Utes and Wildcats have met in the NCAA Tournament six times since 1993, with the Wildcats eliminating the Utes each time -- including the 1998 national championship game. But hey, at least the Utes are projected to be in the tournament for the first time in four years (when Kentucky bounced them from the Sweet 16).

The Aztecs are listed among the "first four out," and UNLV isn't anywhere on the board -- in spite of the perpetual complaint that it has the league tournament on its home floor.

It might be his very mission statement, what coach Jim Boylen explained while talking about his ongoing efforts to restore the program to its former glory.

"I don't know if I'll ever be satisfied, or happy," he said. "I don't know if we'll ever be what my dreams are, but I'm going to keep working at it. I want us to be great in every aspect and every facet, and I want Utah alumni and people to be proud of this program. And I think we're making strides."

Today could be a good indication of that.

The Colorado State Rams visit the Huntsman Center as 16 1/2-point underdogs, making the Utes bigger favorites than they have been all season. So fans won't be coming to see the high-profile opponent, but a home team that needs to win games like this one to stay on pace for a place in the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, the Rams will be trying to build on the victory over UNLV that snapped their 19-game league losing streak, using the man-to-man defense and motion offense that coach Tim Miles has finally felt comfortable enough using.

"We were out there running around like a bunch of chickens with our heads cut off for 40 games last year and this year," Miles said, "and you finally get to it, and it's like we have to change something."

The Utes hold statistical advantages over the Rams in almost every category -- the Rams allow exactly the same number of points, 72.2, that the Utes score on average -- and have not won in Salt Lake City since an overtime victory three years ago. The Utes have won three straight in the series.

Guard Jordan Cyphers played a career-high 19 minutes in the blowout of Air Force the other night, scoring eight points with a pair of rebounds to draw praise from coach Jim Boylen for his development in his freshman season.

"He has practiced for about two weeks as good as anybody on my team," Boylen said. "And that's what I've been looking for. Practice not only gives a player confidence, but gives coaches confidence in the player -- especially when you're a new guy learning a system."

Cyphers has played 109 minutes in 15 games so far this season, averaging 3.8 points per game. He's shooting 32.3 percent from three-point range, too, which is pretty encouraging for a freshman adjusting to the longer three-point shot in college.

If the Utes ultimately find themselves on the bubble for an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, they might just want to toss a copy of the latest article by Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated.com.

In it, Davis notes the importance of aggressive scheduling, and how it can make or break bids to the tournament. He then lists the Utes among eight teams that helped themselves by taking on a challenge.

"Give Jim Boylen credit for a brilliant schedule," he wrote. The Utes "have played just one team ranked lower than 200 in the RPI -- but aside from the win over Gonzaga, they haven't won a lot of quality games. The overall strength of the Mountain West should help, but the Utes will also be rooting like heck for LSU, a team Utah routed by 30 points in Salt Lake City."

Indeed, LSU was among the eight teams that Davis listed as not having helped themselves, but its victory over South Carolina the other day was definitely a step in the right direction.

Forward Kim Tillie wound up not playing for the Utes against Air Force last night, because of a lingering injury on the bottom of his foot. Coach Jim Boylen said he's "day-to-day," meaning the junior is questionable to play against Colorado State on Saturday.

In Tillie's place, Boylen opted to give sophomore forward Morgan Grim his second start of the season against the Falcons. Grim was hardly spectacular, grabbing two rebounds and blocking a shot in a modest 12 minutes, but his ascension allowed the Utes to preserve their rotation with senior forward Shaun Green coming off the bench.

Boylen also gave more minutes than usual to freshmen Jace Tavita and Jordan Cyphers.

Cyphers, in fact, played a season-high 19 minutes, scoring eight points, grabbing two rebounds and earning praise from Boylen for a strong, confidence-building performance. Tavita? Maybe not so much. The point guard had two rebounds and a turnover in his eight minutes, and looked so overmatched against the late Falcon press that Boylen had to call a timeout to straighten him out.

While the Utes were obliterating Air Force last night -- and really, they could have won by 50 had they shot a little better themselves or kept the pedal down in the second half -- they enjoyed some surprisingly helpful results around the Mountain West.

Most notably, lowly Colorado State stunned championship favorite UNLV 71-69 to snap its 19-game losing streak on the road in the league, in advance of its trip to play the Utes at the Huntsman Center on Saturday.

"Losing's a bad habit, and it's really hard to break that habit, and it takes a lot more mental work than it does physical work," CSU coach Tim Miles said, "and that's why I was happy the guys were able to pull it out against a high-quality opponent."

Perhaps even better, the Wyoming Cowboys -- whom the Utes just beat last week -- cut down San Diego State 83-79 at home, after the Aztecs beat the Utes last weekend. It's early, but that's the kind of win that can make a huge difference for a bubble team like the Utes, coming down the stretch.

The number in the points column -- seven -- was far from dazzling. Even coach Jim Boylen acknowledged as much.

But Boylen could hardly stop raving about center Luke Nevill and the way he played in the Utes' 57-36 blowout of the Air Force Falcons at Clune Arena tonight, calling it the senior's best game since Boylen arrived to coach him. Not only did Nevill grab 12 rebounds, block four shots -- he's one away from the school record, now -- and make two steals, but he set the tone defensively for a disastrous shooting night for the Falcons.

"He was active, he blocked balls, he stole balls, he communicated," Boylen said. "He's getting screened on every play. They're beating the living tar out of him. I thought he was awesome. I thought he set the tone. He was at the rim on every play. He was also defending the three. Best game he's played, by far. Forget the points, and all that."

Indeed, the Falcons collapsed around Nevill on every possession, limiting him to five shots and five free throws. But their own shooting betrayed them; the Falcons made just 5-of-34 shots in the first 35 minutes, including 2-of-18 from three-point range, to fall behind by as many as 28 points.

"You just have some nights like that," Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said.

Once every dozen years, maybe.

It was so ugly that forward Carlon Brown said the Falcons looked like they wanted to go home, and it was hard to disagree. Not until the final five minutes against the Utah reserves did Air Force put anything together. And Nevill was a huge reason; the smaller Falcons dared not challenge him inside, leaving them to clank almost every shot they took with the game in the balance.

"Luke is always a big key for our team," guard Lawrence Borha said. "If he's in there, everybody's always focused on him, they're always swarming him, and that gives us avenues to drive down the lane."

Coach Reynolds was impressed, too, calling Nevill and "awfully good player," though he also sounded as if he was trying not to give Nevill too much credit for the result. "He's a presence with anybody, not just us," Reynolds said. "He's a pro prospect. He's 7-3, weighs 260 pounds. Now, he couldn't come out on the floor and guard our jump shots. Unfortunately for us, they didn't fall."

Forward Kim Tillie might not play against Air Force tonight. A team spokesman said the junior is a "game-time decision" as he copes with the nagging foot injury that has been bothering him for some time.

If Tillie can't go, it will be interesting to see how coach Jim Boylen juggles the lineup.

Will he just go with seldom-used sophomore Morgan Grim to preserve the rotation off the bench, or put senior Shaun Green back into the starting lineup for the first time all season. We shall see ...

The Mountain West Conference finally announced the pairings for the inaugural MWC/MVC Challenge against the Missouri Valley Conference next season, and the Utes are scheduled to play Illinois State at the Huntsman Center on Dec. 19.

The Redbirds are sitting at 14-2 at the moment, with a No. 55 ranking in the Ratings Percentage Index, on which the league said the match-ups were partly based. In future seasons, a committee comprised of three athletic directors from each league and representatives of each league's office staff will determine the match-ups.

Nine games between the leagues will be played each season for the next four, with one team from the 10-team MVC sitting it out each season. Next season, that will be Evansville, which finished last in the regular-season last year.

The Utes and Redbirds have never met, and their pairing next season means the Utes will play a road game in the challenge the following year.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Brigham Young will kick off the challenge by playing Bradley at the Marriott Center on Nov. 13. Other match-ups include: Colorado State at Indiana State on Nov. 20; Southern Illinois at UNLV on Nov. 21; Air Force at Missouri State on Dec. 5; TCU at Wichita State on Dec. 12; Creighton at New Mexico on Dec. 19; San Diego State at Drake on Dec. 22; and Wyoming at Northern Iowa on Dec. 23.

We've explored the possibility somewhat here, but as the Utes prepare to play at Air Force tonight, we take a look at the chances they can return to the NCAA Tournament this season.

The short version?

Sure, if they keep winning at the rate they have so far. "We can be right there," coach Jim Boylen said.

Step one, of course, is beating the Falcons tonight at Clune Arena -- a place that once was nearly impenetrable but whose mystique is fading fast. The Falcons were 56-2 at home over a four-year span, but are only 19-7 since the start of last year, and down to an average of 2,570 fans this season. So despite Boylen's insistence that "I don't know if any time you go into Air Force, you're saying you should win," the oddsmakers strongly disagree.

The Utes are significant 8-point favorites on the road tonight.

That should tell you something about the undersized Falcons, who have lost four of their last five games -- including one to Stony Brook at home -- and been blown out of their two Mountain West Conference games so far. Coach Jeff Reynolds is hoping to get a little more work for his promising freshmen, but knows his small team must somehow find a way to contain Utah's Luke Nevill.

"You can't let him catch the ball in the lane ... because if he catches it inside the lane, he'll score," Reynolds said.

Seemingly the only thing that gives the Falcons a chance tonight is their three-point shooting. They lead the league, and have the Mountain West's top two shooters in forwards Matt Holland and Andrew Henke. But after starting the season shooting 46.9 percent through the first 10 games, the Falcons have hit just 32.1 percent in those last five games.

If they can't get hot against the league's weakest three-point defending team, they can probably forget about shaking out of their funk.

The Air Force Falcons are generally regarded as having dropped off this season, having lost senior guard Tim Anderson from last year, and they're off to a rough start in the Mountain West Conference season.

But coach Jim Boylen hardly sees an easy task ahead for his Utes at Clune Arena on Wednesday night.

"Their style is so hard to play against," he said. "They are playing more man-to-man defense now maybe than they were last year. Last year, it was all zone. They have bigs who can shoot it. They're shooting 42 percent from the three, which is always a concern for us. You know it will be a meat-grinder, low-scoring game, so every bucket, every basket, every free throw, every turnover is worth almost double, because there's just not that many possessions in these games."

"We expect a dogfight," he added.

That three-point shooting indeed might be the Utes' biggest concern.

Though the Utes have improved in many areas, defending the arc has remained a challenge. They rank last in the Mountain West Conference by allowing 36.4 percent shooting out there (they would still be last, even if you discounted Southwest Baptist hitting a ridiculous 16 of 32 in the season-opener), while the Falcons lead the league by hitting 41.8 percent. Senior forwards Matt Holland and Andrew Henke lead the league by shooting 48.6 and 45.2 percent, respectively.

Forward Shaun Green is Utah's top three-point threat, hitting 39.6 percent, but Boylen said he hopes his Utes can push the pace against the slow-it-down Falcons.

"We want to run," he said. "I haven't made any bones about it, we want to run, we want to be a running team. So we're going to try to get our opportunities in early offense, push the ball and then execute in the halfcourt. We try to push the ball more and more."

Looks like Joe Lunardi took that loss pretty hard.

The college basketball analyst at ESPN dropped the Utes from his weekly "bracketology" prediction of the NCAA Tournament field today, after they fell at San Diego State over the weekend.

In their place?

You guessed it, the Aztecs.

In fact, Lunardi now is picking the Aztecs to win the Mountain West Conference tournament title and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament that accompanies it, after choosing the Utes for that spot previously. The Aztecs are predicted to have a lower seed -- No. 12, compared to No. 11 -- than the Utes, however.

Coach Jim Boylen spoke a bit about next season's schedule at his weekly press conference today, and it's looking just about as tough and exciting as the one he put together this season -- if not more.

Among their non-conference games, the Utes expect to play host to Oklahoma and go on the road to meet LSU and Michigan. In addition, they're playing in the Las Vegas Invitational, whose field includes Oklahoma State, Illinois and Xavier. That's in addition, of course, to the usual in-state games against Utah State and Weber State.

Obviously, next year will be different. But at the moment, Xavier is No. 7 in the Ratings Percentage Index, followed by Oklahoma at No. 9, Oklahoma State at No. 19, and Illinois at No. 28. Nothing soft about that lineup.

Good news for the Utes -- coach Jim Boylen's incoming high school recruits continue to get recognized among the best players in their area.

Both guard Marshall Henderson and forward Shawn Glover rank among the top eight players in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, according to The Dallas Morning News. The sharp-shooting Henderson is No. 1, in fact, ahead of players headed to Memphis, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas, and center Jeremy Olson of Collins Hill High School near Atlanta scored 30 points (albeit in an overtime loss) last weekend.

Meanwhile, forward Jay Watkins is leading the 13-2 College of Southern Idaho by scoring 18.4 points per game and grabbing 8.2 rebounds -- though the Golden Eagles suffered a rare loss to the College of Eastern Utah over the weekend -- and forward Matt Read is averaging 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds for 16-2 Collin County Community College in Texas.

Judging by the replay, you'd have to say that coach Jim Boylen got away with one against San Diego State on Saturday.

In surely the most controversial play of the 72-63 loss to the Aztecs, Boylen interfered with a ball in play while kneeling perhaps a foot out onto the court. The Aztecs' Lorrenzo Wade had just picked Utah's Luke Nevill from behind, and was racing to catch up to the ball as it bounded near the sideline. He appeared capable of corralling it to start a fast break.

However, Boylen opened his hands to catch the ball as he straightened up and tried to get out of the way, appearing to touch it at the same time as Wade.

The ball bounced down and deflected off Boylen's foot and out of bounds. San Diego State coach Steve Fisher and the crowd erupted in disgust -- for the rest of the game, angry fans chided Boylen to get off the court -- particularly after the referees ruled that the ball went out of bounds off the Aztecs.

Which is exactly how Boylen saw it.

"I was kneeling down, out of bounds," he explained. “The ball hit the line, and I caught it. ... The ball hit the line, and I caught it. And that's what they called. The ball hit the line, and I caught it."

The broadcasters calling the game disagreed vehemently, though, saying Boylen should have been assessed a technical foul. "There's no way that you can get away with that," one said.

Yet he did, although Boylen was later assessed a technical foul for taking a few steps onto the court to contest a no-call after having been warned about doing the same thing earlier.

Not that any of it mattered much.

Though the Utes scored on the possession after the sideline incident, their basket only cut the lead to nine, and the Aztecs quickly extended it again to 11 and kept the Utes at arm's length the rest of the way -- with only the modest aide of making one of the two technical free throws.

Add another voice to the chorus that believes center Luke Nevill will be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft in the spring.

San Diego State's Ryan Amoroso chimed in on that, after helping the Aztecs fairly limit the 7-foot-2 senior in a 72-63 victory over the Utes at Cox Arena on Saturday. Nevill scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but never had a tremendous impact on the game the way he did against Wyoming and LSU. The 6-foot-8 Amoroso was among the Aztecs to troubled him just enough on defense.

"It was big, because a lot of what they do is look through Nevill," Amoroso said. "He has been really stepping up his game this year and has probably turned himself into a first-round pick. Our game plan was to have Tim [Shelton] and I have him catch the ball off the block outside of his comfort zone, making him make an offensive move and put it on the floor. By that time, we would have guard digging, giving us ample help."

Amoroso, by the way, scored a season-high 17 points -- mostly down low and on put-backs, but also on two three-pointers. He also outrebounded Nevill by one, in six fewer minutes.

Well, that didn't really teach us anything we didn't already know about the Utes. Pretty much just confirmed it, really.

They have to shoot well from outside, to win.

The Utes lost 72-63 at San Diego State today, in part because the Aztecs played tough defense and hurt them on the fast break, but mostly because the Utes couldn't hit from long range. They made just 6 of 23 three-pointers -- one of their worst performances of the season -- which allowed the Aztecs to continue sagging down on center Luke Nevill and keep him from dominating the way he had the past couple of games against one-on-one defense.

"We bumped him and got him off the block and made it hard for him to feel comfortable," coach Steve Fisher said.

And they were able to do it without much fear of reprisal because the Utes could scarcely hit anything. Guard Lawrence Borha had an airball among his four long-range misses, and fellow guard Tyler Kepkay banged one hard off the glass -- only the worst of the fusillade of line drives that went up this afternoon. Forward Carlon Brown missed not one but two from three-point range, noteworthy because at 1-for-13 on the season, he probably shouldn't be shooting even that many times from out there.

Nevill wound up with 17 points, but nine of them came on free throws and he never seemed to be hurt the Aztecs much.

While coach Jim Boylen praised the Aztecs for being "as good a defensive team as we've played," he also correctly noted that while that defense is good -- entered the game third in the nation in fewest points allowed -- "don't think we didn't have open shots and open looks."

Knocking them down is the thing.

So far this season, when the Utes have failed to make at least a third of their three-pointers -- let's call 33.3 our new magic number -- they have lost five of six games, with the only victory over UW-Green Bay way back at the start of the season. Obviously, that makes them 9-1 when they shoot better than that, not only because they're scoring more points, but also because they force opponents to guard them farther from the basket, generally allowing Nevill more room to maneuver inside.

"Gotta hit shots," Boylen said.

One other thing the Utes have to do, statistically speaking? Lead at the half. The Utes are 9-0 when leading at halftime, but 1-6 when trailing, the way they were against the Aztecs.

If what San Diego State's Lorrenzo Wade says is true, the Utes can make a huge statement by beating the Aztecs at Cox Arena today.

Wade agreed with the assessment of Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds, who last week called the Aztecs the best team in the Mountain West Conference after they crushed his Falcons 61-44 at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs.

"Pound for pound, man for man, I do think we're the best team in the league," Wade said. "If we go out and play our game and do the things we're supposed to do, we can beat any team we play."

The Aztecs beat the Utes at home in overtime last season, with Wade scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. That was part of what has been a miserable road experience for the Utes in recent years, having gone just 5-19 on the road in the Mountain West since their Sweet 16 season in 2005. They have lost four straight league road games, having gone just 2-6 away from the Huntsman Center last season, and they are 3 ½-point underdogs against the Aztecs today.

"We have to keep the same focus and intensity we've been playing with" during their current four-game winning streak, forward Carlon Brown said.

The 10-5 Utes have erupted for 91 points in their last two games, and average 74 points per game, while the Aztecs have reached their 11-3 record on the strength of defense, ranking third in the nation by allowing just 55.1 points. Part of that is clearly a pace thing, though; the Aztecs score only 67.5 points per game, with just two players -- Wade and forward Kyle Spain -- averaging in double-figures.

Wade has played in just six games since returning from a suspension stemming from his arrest on felony burglary charges. A judge last month threw out the charge, clearly the way for Wade to return to the Aztecs.

Incoming recruit Marshall Henderson -- he of the 40- and 50-point games this season -- evidently is not a one-man show for L.D. Bell High School in Texas.

According to an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the shooting guard's prodigious talent remains the motor that drives his team, but it's the players surrounding him that have made the Blue Raiders a complete team.

"It wasn't like he, being Marshall, would just bring it up the floor and shoot it every time," a rival coach said. "He pitches it ahead. He draws the extra player and makes the extra pass. That's what I thought made them a dangerous team."

Somebody asked coach Jim Boylen after the LSU game whether he finally knows his Utes well enough to know what he's going to get from them on the floor every night.

His answer was illuminating.

After a momentary pause, seemingly to figure out how he could diplomatically say "not really," coach replied that "it's getting there. It's getting there."

Yet the man who so frequently describes his players as "young and developing" also acknowledged that part of a winning formula falls to him, and that he has been trying to do a better job of trusting his players to work through mistakes on the floor -- something the second-year head coach maybe had not always done.

"What I've asked this group of men to do is compete every night and believe in each other, and it's coming," he said. "But I have to trust them, too. I learned a long time ago, you want your players to play great, you want your players to do this and do that, you have to trust them. And you have to have them play through a couple things. I think I've done a better job. I've held my timeouts, I've let guys play through situations, not jerking guys in and out. Maybe there's some trust that's building, and maybe that's why we're having success."

When the Utes travel today for their upcoming game at San Diego State, they will join members of the athletic department in wearing T-shirts that read "Vote for Utah" in a show of support for the undefeated football team.

Several players have said they have been inspired by the football team, saying it has forced them to try to raise their own game to keep up and helped fuel their four-game winning streak. "They motivated us to play at a higher level," forward Carlon Brown said.

Well, bite our tongues.

Just as soon as we started giving voice to the possibility that the Gonzaga Bulldogs might not be as good as everybody thought a few weeks ago, they go and come back from 15 points down on the road to beat No. 15 Tennessee for the second time in six weeks, snapping the Volunteers' 37-game homecourt winning streak.

That quality win helped boost the Utes again, pushing their ranking in the Ratings Percentage Index to 15th, according to RealTimeRPI.com, with the 10th-toughest scheduled in the country. The Utes have quality wins over Wisconsin-Green Bay, Mississippi, Oregon and the Zags, to counter their bad loss at Idaho State.

So, how excited should fans be about the prospects for the Utes in the Mountain West Conference?

One of our readers has voiced some skepticism in the comments section of the blog, venturing that while the Utes have aspired to play a good schedule, they have yet to beat the best teams on it. Oklahoma? Nope. Cal? Nope. Utah State? Nope. And Gonzaga might be turning out to be not nearly as good as most people expected earlier in the season.

Which is fair enough.

But the Utes don't have to beat the top teams in the country to reach the NCAA Tournament. They just have to beat most of the teams in the Mountain West, and their preparation against better teams figures to help with that -- even if they didn't actually win those particular match-ups.

Let's extrapolate a bit.

So far, the Utes have lost three of their four games against Division I teams with RPI ratings (as of today) in the top 70, but beaten nine of 10 opponents with ratings higher than that. Presuming they can maintain that same rate of success through the rest of the league season -- the Utes will play six more games against current top-70 teams, and nine games against others -- they should finish around 10-6 or 11-5, which historically has been good for a top-three finish in the league.

That also means they would finish about 19-11 or 20-10 overall, with probably one of the top 40 RPI ratings in the country. (They're currently 21st, according to RealTimeRPI.com.) And that could be enough for an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament, especially if the Utes add a victory or two in the league tournament.

Seems pretty promising to me. Thoughts?

Probably it goes without saying, but the Utes are pretty happy with the way this scheduling thing has worked out.

The Utes blasted the LSU Tigers 91-61 last night in the last of the four marquee non-conference games that coach Jim Boylen booked for the Huntsman Center this season, in the hope that they could steel themselves against tough opposition and win over fans sick of schedules loaded with pushovers. The victory made them 3-1 against the quartet -- Oregon, Cal, Gonzaga and LSU -- with the only loss coming on a three-pointer in the final seconds against Cal.

"It has been real fun," forward Carlon Brown said. "Like coach says, he wants to see us play the best competition ... and it's nice for the fans to come out for these games."

The Utes appear to have accomplished everything they hoped with the schedule.

Not only have they built a Top 25 ranking in the Ratings Percentage Index used to select teams for the NCAA Tournament -- the four opponents are a combined 38-13, aside from their games against the Utes -- but they have attracted larger crowds. The Utes averaged 9,979 fans last season, and just 8,138 for the other four home games so far this season, but drew an average of 10,042 for the four marquee games.

"I was loving my schedule in July, when I was out speaking to everybody and telling everybody about it and had my chest out," Boylen said. "Then it comes to November and December and you have to play it. It's a little different feeling.

"But I think you have to put it out there," he added. "You have to take a chance. You have to put your guys in situations to play in big games, and that's the program we're building. It helps in recruiting, it helps for national attention. It helps for the toughness of my team and the resiliency of my team."

Everybody agreed they were surprised to not encounter a defense doubling-down on center Luke Nevill, just as they were surprised at how badly the Utes blasted the LSU Tigers at the Huntsman Center tonight.

But the first thing definitely led to the second.

It was almost embarrassing, watching the Tigers try to contain the 7-foot-2 Nevill -- who's been on quite a roll lately -- with only 6-11 Chris Johnson, who looked as if he weighed even less than the 210 pounds at which he's listed. Nevill had no problem backing him down in the post, time after time, and jumping over the top of him for dunks and easy hook shots.

"Seeing him dunk on the guy, getting the hooks going, it was real nice," teammate Carlon Brown said. "Real fun."

Nevill scored 17 points by halftime on 8-for-10 shooting, kick-starting the offense while at the same time helping set the tone on defense. By the end, he scored 23 points -- all in the game's first 25 minutes or so -- and grabbed six rebounds with three blocks, while his teammates erupted in similar fashion against a shockingly porous defense. Brown had 17 points and seven rebounds after his near triple-double against Wyoming, and guard Luka Drca and forward Shaun Green added 13 points apiece.

The Utes shot nearly 64 percent, and held the Tigers to just seven baskets in the second half.

"Utah beat the living tarnation out of us, in all phases," LSU coach Trent Johnson said. "They are a good basketball team and they are going to have a chance to do a lot of special things during the course of the year."

Coach Jim Boylen could hardly disagree after the game, praising his team's defensive and rebounding effort, and saying that its dangerous outside shooting is why the Tigers were willing to take their chances one-on-one against Nevill.

"When you have shooting out there and you have the offense that we have ... I think we do a good job," Boylen said. "I have to give my staff credit. The system that we have, if they take this away, we're going to do something else. If they take Luke away, we're going to use him in a different way. My guys are starting to understand that."

It was such a good win -- the Tigers had been 12-1, and beating them boosted the Utes to No. 21 in the Ratings Percentage Index -- that there was room for some post-game levity. Brown joked that the dunk he was planning before he got fouled hard from behind in the second half might have turned out to be his best one yet, and I quickly followed that answer with a question about whether he had any predictions about where the Utes will be sent for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Sadly, he didn't bite.

It will be interesting to see how big a crowd comes to watch the Utes play LSU tonight, considering that fans otherwise have responded to the marquee games that coach Jim Boylen arranged for the home schedule this season.

The Utes have averaged 10,333 fans for the previous marquee match-ups against Oregon, Cal and Gonzaga, with a season-high 12,571 attending the upset of the Zags last week. That compares to an average of only 8,138 fans for the other four home games so far.

Certainly, pro scouts will do their part.

The Utes expect 31 scouts from 21 NBA teams to attend the game tonight, presumably to watch 7-foot-2 center Luke Nevill go against LSU's Chris Johnson, his lean 6-11 counterpart who's versatile enough to play both inside and outside.

The Utes put the final touch on their ambitious non-conference schedule tonight against LSU at the Huntsman Center, going against a team that might not be quite as good as its dazzling record might suggest.

Coach Jim Boylen has been fretting over the length and athleticism of the Tigers, which they no doubt possess.

But in talking with a writer who covers the team, he said the Tigers are frighteningly soft inside, and probably will have a hard time coping with 7-foot-2 center Luke Nevill. What's more, they don't have great depth, which could prove problematic for in the higher altitude, and they're basically the anti-Utes, in terms of scheduling, so it's hard to know yet whether they're really any good.

While the 9-5 Utes have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation so far, the Tigers have built their 12-1 record against mostly a bunch of pushovers -- the Tigers have the 333rd-ranked schedule in the country, according to RealTimeRPI.com -- and almost entirely at home. All 12 victories have come in Baton Rouge, with the loss coming in a neutral-site game against Texas A&M in Houston.

Maybe that's why the Utes are 5-point favorites tonight.

The game marks the return of yet another coach with connections to the Utes.

Coach Trent Johnson was an assistant for the Utes years ago, and was offered the job to replace Rick Majerus. But Johnson turned it down to stay at Nevada, which he did for about five minutes before jumping to take over at Stanford. The Utes, of course, were left to hire Ray Giacoletti, who returned to campus with Gonzaga last week for the first time since effectively being fired nearly two years ago.

Now, Johnson has been trying to build his team's confidence in his first season at LSU, having become well-acquainted with Boylen long ago, when Boylen was an assistant coach with the NBA's Houston Rockets and Johnson was an assistant at nearby Rice.

"We actually had some cookouts together," Boylen recalled. "I met his family. Just a really good, solid guy and a heck of a coach."

Boylen said Johnson made it easy to schedule the game with the Utes, unlike the complaints other coaches often raise about how hard it is to get other teams to visit their arenas. "I was at an AAU tournament in Houston in the spring, and I said, 'Hey Trent, let's get a series,'" Boylen recalled. "He said, 'Sounds great. I'll call you next week.' He called me the next week, it was done."

Tonight comes the payoff.

Not long ago, one of our readers asked whether the Utes planned to make playing Gonzaga on New Year's Eve a habit.

Coach Jim Boylen said he would like that, but it probably won't happen.

Boylen tried hard to be diplomatic by saying that the Utes are lobbying to continue the series with the Bulldogs, but that made it pretty clear that it's Gonzaga that doesn't want to keep it going, for whatever reason. Another match-up almost certainly won't happen next season, at any rate, because the Utes are expecting to visit LSU on Jan. 2, and Boylen typically likes at least two days of preparation time before any game, if he can help it.

The Utes aren't getting votes in the AP Top 25 just yet -- or "again," if you recall that stray vote they inexplicably picked up after a loss last month -- but they are still regarded pretty favorably in ESPN's Bracketology.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi is projecting the Utes will wind up an 11th seed in the NCAA Tournament -- and as the Mountain West Conference tournament champions, as well.

Just like the last Bracketology report two weeks ago, the Utes are projected to match up with Villanova. But Lunardi now sees that game landing in Portland, rather than Kansas City, which certainly would make it easier for fans to attend. Oh, and the Utes are one of only two Mountain West teams that Lunardi foresees in the tournament, including Brigham Young.

Center Luke Nevill said he was disappointed that rival Brigham Young lost to Wake Forest the other night to see their 53-game home winning streak snapped -- but not because he's some closet Cougar fan or anything.

"We would have liked to break the streak," he said with a smile.

Coach Jim Boylen, meanwhile, was highly complimentary of the Cougars. "I just give them credit for scheduling that game," he said. "I'm sure they're disappointed their streak ended, but what they did for the league to play that game, I think it's an awesome statement. ... They might not have won, but I think it will make their team better and tougher and they'll learn from it and grow."

Boylen added that there's "no shame" in losing to the No. 6 team in the country, and said the game was "very similar to some of our losses. If the shots go down, it's a totally different story." He also said that several fellow coaches in the Mountain West Conference -- notably San Diego State's Steve Fisher, Colorado State's Tim Miles and even Wyoming's Heath Schroyer -- expressed similar sentiments about his willingness to play Gonzaga.

"I got calls from half the guys in our league after we beat Gonzaga," Boylen recalled. "Steve Fisher was a great one. 'That's what we have to do in our league to be a three or four-bid league. We have to play the higher-ranked teams, the BCS teams, and we have to beat them, for our league to take the next step.' And I got a lot of support from the guys in the league. ... I think we should have a four-bid league, I really do. Hopefully we can all build to that."

Center Luke Nevill is on a roll.

The 7-foot-2 senior has won the Mountain West Conference's player of the week award for the second straight week -- and the third time this season -- after torching Wyoming for a career-high 29 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high five blocks over the weekend. He also had 15 points and eight rebounds in the upset of No. 16 Gonzaga last week.

In the two games combined, Nevill averaged 22 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and even 1.5 assists while shooting 62.5 percent from the floor and 14-for-19 from the free-throw line. Nobody else has won the award more than once this season.

If coach Heath Schroyer had any lingering hard-feelings toward the Utes after they blasted his listless Wyoming Cowboys 91-67 -- and after a post-game handshake with counterpart Jim Boylen that appeared cordial and genuine -- he certainly didn't show it.

In fact, he offered high praise for the Utes.

"They're a good team for a lot of reasons," he said. "But they have probably the best post presence in our league." Center Luke Nevill is "probably a late first-round draft pick, and they surround him with four guys who can shoot it and a guy who can really slash it. And the second part of that is they're very, very good in transition. So you have two worlds there that you really have to stop."

Schroyer said the Utes have improved with another year of experience in Boylen's system, and are significantly better in transition than last season. "When they shoot the three, I think they're as good as anybody in our league," he added.

No surprise, coach Jim Boylen used a video of Wyoming's last-second alley-oop dunk from last season to motivate his Utes for today's rematch in the Mountain West Conference opener at the Huntsman Center.

But he could have showed them the Three Stooges.

That's just about what the Utes encountered on the floor, where the Cowboys looked about as interested in putting up a fight as in doing their calculus homework on the weekend. They missed nine of their first 10 shots, played ole' defense all day long and basically let the Utes do whatever they wanted in a 91-67 blowout -- hardly an endorsement of that schedule against which they had compiled their 11-3 record.

"This was on coach's mind the whole year," center Luke Nevill said. "We try to take one game at a time, but we were thinking about this beforehand. We were waiting to get the opportunity to play them again. It was kind of like a revenge game, so to speak. We went out there firing, and I think we did the job."

Nevill was tremendous against one-on-one defense, scoring a career-high 29 points with 13 rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots -- part of 11 total blocks for the team. Nobody could stop him, and nobody looked prepared to try. Meanwhile, forward Carlon Brown had 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, guard Tyler Kepkay scored 16 points and the Utes shot 72 percent after halftime to snap a three-game losing streak in the series.

Boylen was even more impressed with the defense.

The Cowboys had been averaging nearly 83 points per game, and the Utes held them to 67, on 35 percent shooting. The new players on the Wyoming roster who had looked so impressive through much of the non-conference season -- guard Sean Ogirri and forward Afam Muojeke -- were embarrassingly absent, combining to make just 5-of-20 shots, and none while they still mattered.

The Utes also dominating the rebounding battle, 39-25, and recorded assists on 20 of their 32 baskets.

"That's what I'm hoping and praying that we become," Boylen said, "is a team that defends and rebounds and shares it, and I thought we did that today."

Indeed, they did, winning their third straight game with ease and bolstering the possibility -- particularly after the victory over No. 16 Gonzaga a few days ago -- that they will have a real say in the league championship race this season, however much Wyoming's lethargy might have played a role in their looking so good.

Coach Heath Schroyer says it was nothing at all, the last-second alley-oop dunk that his Wyoming Cowboys threw to punctuate their third straight victory over the Utah Utes last season in Laramie. "Completely blown out of proportion," he said.

But don't count on the Utes looking at it that way.

The Utes acknowledged they have revenge on their minds, going into their Mountain West Conference opener against the Pokes today at the Huntsman Center, where they are 12 1/2-point favorites in the first meeting between the teams since Utah coach Jim Boylen angrily confronted Schroyer over the dunk just moments after the game. Boylen believed it was a show of disrespect, considering the Cowboys already had assured a comfortable victory.

"Everybody saw what happened last year, at the last second of last year's game up there in Laramie, so we're all pumped up," Utah's Carlon Brown said. "Coach is pumped up."

He has scarcely denied it, either.

Speaking about the possibility that the league opener might be overlooked by fans, sandwiched as it is between marquee non-conference games against No. 16 Gonzaga and LSU, Boylen explained that "with our team, with what we experienced last year with Wyoming, and it being a league game, I think it's a marquee game."

Asked then whether he planned to motivate his players with videos of the dunk, Boylen responded, "we'll see."

"All in good time," he added. "All in good time."

So obviously, there's a little more intrigue surrounding today's game, even though the player who threw down the dunk in question, forward Joseph Taylor, has graduated from the Cowboy program. The player who threw the pass, on the other hand, is back -- and senior guard Brandon Ewing remains one of the best players in the league.

A three-time all-conference selection, Ewing is leading the high-scoring Cowboys by averaging 18.6 points per game, and trying to guide them to a victory that might help validate a glossy 11-3 non-conference record earned against a weak schedule. The 8-5 Utes, meanwhile, are trying to build on their landmark victory over Gonzaga earlier this week.

"It's like the game that's going to build our momentum for the rest" of league play, point guard Luka Drca said. "It's the same game as the Gonzaga game here."