Utah men's basketball releases tough non-conference schedule

SALT LAKE CITY—Keeping with his philosophy that to be a great team you must play great teams, Utah men's basketball coach Jim Boylen has crafted one of the toughest non-conference schedules in school history. With four marquee teams booked for Huntsman Center appearances, the Utes will play their best home schedule since the early 1970s. Season tickets are on sale now at UtahUtes.com and the Rice-Eccles Stadium box office.

"Our fans and our players deserve a schedule that reflects where we are headed with this program," says Boylen. "We are bringing some strong teams into the Huntsman Center this year and we are prepared to prove we belong in their company. I firmly believe that to be an elite program - which is our goal - you need to schedule at the highest level possible. Playing teams you know you can beat does not make you better. We want to test ourselves against quality teams so that we are confident and prepared to succeed in postseason play. Also, we want to play teams that are appealing to the players we are recruiting to this program. This is a schedule everyone associated with our program can get excited about."

Highlights of the 2008-09 Utah home schedule include games with Oregon (Dec. 3), California (Dec. 10), Gonzaga (Dec. 31) and LSU (Jan. 6).

"We've heard a lot of feedback from our fans over the years about our non-conference schedule," says director of athletics Dr. Chris Hill. "Coach Boylen and his staff have addressed their concerns with this year's schedule, which is one of the best I've seen in my long association with the Utah basketball program. We're hopeful that a schedule like this will entice our fans to not only buy season tickets but to come to the games and create the kind of home court atmosphere that is so important for a successful season."

Utah will also face some stiff challenges on the road, including a game with Oklahoma, which went 23-12 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Closer to home, the Runnin' Utes must play Utah State in Logan, where the Aggies went 17-0 last year en route to a 24-11 overall record. Another tough road test awaits in UC-Irvine, an 18-game winner last year.

Utah opens the season with an exhibition game against Grand Valley State, before beginning the regular season against Southwest Baptist - a team that won 22 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament a year ago.

Utah's complete 2008-09 non-conference schedule follows. The Mountain West Conference schedule is typically released in early August.

Date Opponent Location Time

Nov. 8 (Sat.) Grand Valley State (exh.) Salt Lake City TBA

Nov. 15 (Sat.) Southwest Baptist Salt Lake City TBA

Nov. 18-23 Glen Wilkes Classic

(Utah, UW-Green Bay, Mississippi, Marshall, IUPUI, Morgan State)

Nov. 18 (Tue.) Wisconsin-Green Bay Salt Lake City 7:00 p.m. MT

Nov. 21 (Fri.) TBD Daytona Beach, Fla. TBA

Nov. 22 (Sat.) TBD Daytona Beach, Fla. TBA

Nov. 23 (Sun.) TBD Daytona Beach, Fla. TBA

Nov. 28 (Fri.) at Missouri State Springfield, Mo. 7:00 p.m. CT

Dec. 3 (Wed.) Oregon Salt Lake City TBA

Dec. 6 (Sat.) at Idaho State Pocatello, Idaho 7:05 p.m. MT

Dec. 10 (Wed.) California Salt Lake City TBA

Dec. 13 (Sat.) at Oklahoma Norman, Okla. TBA

Dec. 20 (Sat.) Weber State Salt Lake City TBA

Dec. 22 (Mon.) at Utah State Logan, Utah 7:00 p.m. MT

Dec. 27 (Sat.) at UC-Irvine Irvine, Calif. 7:00 p.m. PT

Dec. 31 (Wed.) Gonzaga Salt Lake City TBA

Jan. 6 (Tue.) LSU Salt Lake City TBA

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