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(KSL News/AP) Tonight the Runnin' Utes hope to end their curse against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Andrew Bogut and company tip off around 5:40 tonight in Austin in the NCAA regional playoffs.
History is not on the side of the Utes. They haven't beat the Wildcats since World War II. It will be the sixth time in 12 years that the Utes and Wildcats have squared off. Utah is 0-5 in the previous five meetings.
Utah's coach Ray Giacoletti appears to be the odd man out among the coaches at the Austin Regional.
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has three NCAA titles and ten Final Four appearances. Michigan State's Tom Izzo has one title and three Final Fours. Kentucky's Tubby Smith won a title in his only Final Four appearance.
Giacoletti earned his way to the tournament by guiding All-America center Andrew Bogut and the Utes through the first two rounds of the tournament and into the regional semifinals against Kentucky tonight.
Regardless of how far Utah goes, Giacoletti's best moves already have been made when he put together his first roster.
To begin with, he persuaded Bogut to return for his sophomore season. That included daily conversations on campus, phone calls to Bogut's parents in Australia and even a trip to their Melbourne home for a face-to-face chat.
( The Associated Press contributed to this story)
