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It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the Utes made their run in the NCAA tournament in 1998, but it has.
Do you remember how the Utes got to the title game?
Here is a quick recap of each game:
Utah 85 - San Francisco 68
It took the Utes a couple of runs to get control of this first round game. Utah was leading 15-13 when Michael Doleac had a couple hoops and Alex Jensen hit a three to put the Utes on a 7-1 run leading 22-14.
Then another 7-2 run put the Utes up 43-30 at the half.
Utah opened the second half on a 13-3 run and that was all but over. Utah won 85-68 behind a huge performance by Doleac. He was 6-10 from the field, 15-17 from the line and finished with 27 pts. Hanno Mottola had 14 points and Drew Hansen added 13. The Utes shot 62.5% for the game.
Utah 75 - Arkansas 69
It was Andre Miller night when the Utes faced Arkansas, especially late. Miller scored 14 points in the final seven minutes to seal victory in the second round game. Miller finished with 28 points on just 14 shots making nine of them. He was 10-13 from the line, making six in the final minute. Miller also had seven rebounds.
Michael Doleac had 16 points as those were the only two Utes in double figures. Hanno Moettola added nine and Britton Johnsen had 8.
The late Rick Majerus couldn't have been happy with the 20 turnovers in the game. Kareem Reid and Derek Hood had 16 points each for Arkansas.
Utah 65 - West Virginia 62
After beating Arkansas it was on to Anaheim for the "Sweet Sixteen." The stars for the Utes came out again and won the game for Utah.
Michael Doleac had 25 points and Andre Miller added 14 but the story of the game was the Utes surviving.
Utah shot 43% from the field and scored the last 12 points from the free-throw line to barely win. Doleac hit two free-throws with 6.5 seconds left to ice the game for Utah. He finished 13-14 from the line.
West Virginia had three chances to with tie or win the game but just couldn't get it done. Brent Solheim had 16 points to lead the Mountaineers and Damian Owens had 12.
For those of you who maybe don't know the history, that is not a typo.
Arizona bragged one of the greatest rosters in all of college basketball in 1998. Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson, and Jason Terry all played 26 minutes+ in the game with Jason Terry being the leading scorer for the Wildcats with 16 pts, but the Utes Andre Miller.
Miller had a game for the ages. Officially there are seven players that have registered a triple-double in an NCAA tournament game. Unofficially there are five more players that have done it (it was before assists and blocks were tracked as statistics). Listen to some of these names:
There were a few storylines in this game when it was over; 1. Miller's triple double 2. Utes first final four in 32 years 3. The triangle and two defense.
Alex Jensen and Drew Hansen locked up Miles Simon and Mike Bibby. The two finished with 13 points combined going a grand total of 4-24 from the field.
Utah took a 29-20 lead into the half and put the pedal to the metal in the second half outscoring the Wildcats 47-31.
Utah had five players in double figures led by Miller's triple-double (18 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists)
Utah 65 - North Carolina 59
It was on to San Antonio for the Final Four for the Utes who for their efforts were rewarded with the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels boasted a couple of the greatest pro prospects in the country with Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter.
The Utes led most the way in this one but victory was in doubt until the end. Ed Cota hit a bucket to make the score 57-55 with about two minutes left in the game. Andre Miller went coast-to-coast on the next possession beating the press for a layup and free throws sealed the victory.
Vince Carter had a game-high 21 points and Antawn Jamison added 14 points. Michael Doleac and Andre Miller each had 16 points. Miller also had 14 rebounds and seven assists. The Utes shot 44% for the game and held UNC to 39%.
Utah was looking for their first NCAA Championship since 1944.
Kentucky 78 - Utah 69
The Utes played about as well as they could have hoped, and then there was the second half.
Utah led by 10 (41-31) in front of 40,509 fans at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas. In the second half they were outscored 47-28 by the Wildcats.
Kentucky had four players in double figures with Scott Padgett leading the way with 17 pts. The Utes were led by Andre Miller with 16 points.
Utah shot 43% from the field and was only 4-14 from 3. Utah turned the ball over 18 times with Kentucky only having 11 turnovers.
