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Leilani Mitchell Drafted By Phoenix Leilani Mitchell was selected in the second round by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Draft. Leilani was the 25th overall pick. - SL Tribune

Utah Utes football: Johnson sets sights on big year Utah quarterback Brian Johnson has a long list of things to do this spring. The senior is determined to become an even greater student of the game and work on the little details it takes to help win games. He's also dedicated to giving proper treatment to - D-News

Gridiron Bash events canceled over NCAA rules The cancellation comes after some schools raised questions about whether the participation of football players in a pep rally at the concerts would constitute a violation of NCAA rules prohibiting special benefits for student-athletes. - Knoxnews

Cowboys slam Utes Utah coach Jim Boylen was less than pleased when the Wyoming Cowboys finished off a 72-64 win at the Arena-Auditorium on Saturday with an alley-oop jam as time expired. "We wouldn't have done that," Boylen said afterwards. - Casper Star-Tribune

Utah men's basketball: Utes lose at Wyoming Though center Luke Nevill responded to being benched alongside point guard Tyler Kepkay by scoring 22 points in just 22 minutes, the Utes still shot poorly for most of the game and lost 72-64 at the Arena-Auditorium. - SL Tribune

Rittenberg: Non-BCS spring power rankings 4. Utah Utes What we know: Quarterback Brian Johnson and running back Darrell Mack are back after leading the Utes to wins in eight of their final nine games last season. - ABC

Utes look for end to skid For the second time this season — in fact, for the second time during Mountain West Conference play — the Utah basketball team finds itself in the midst of a three-game losing streak. - Deseret Morning News

Men's Hoops: Jockeying for a tournament seed Instead of finding themselves locked in a tight battle for one of the top four seeds in the upcoming MWC tournament, the Runnin' Utes are in a three-way tie for fifth place after a tough road loss to TCU on Wednesday night. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Ute football: Utes get early commit from Jordan lineman Utah's football team still hasn't finalized its 2008 recruiting class, but that doesn't mean the Utes are waiting to get started on 2009. Utah picked up an oral commitment from Vyncent Jones, a 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman from Jordan High. - SL Tribune

Ute womens' basketball: Utes win 19th straight, ties for MWC title Always the motivator, Utah coach Elaine Elliott looked at her injury-depleted squad of nine players prior to the start of this season and compared them to the 1977 group that won a then record 18 straight games - with just seven players. - SL Tribune

Women's Hoops: Records are made to be set Get out the history books -- some revisions are in order. After downing TCU on Wednesday night, the U women's basketball team secured its place in Utah basketball history with an unprecedented 19th-straight win. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Men's Hoops: Runnin' Utes drop third straight Going into Wednesday night's contest at TCU, Runnin' Utes head coach Jim Boylen knew his team had to stop the Horned Frogs' dynamic trio of Brent Hackett, Kevin Langford and Alvardo Parker. So much for preparation. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Utah Utes basketball: Utes' assistant takes Pepperdine job Utah assistant basketball coach Marty Wilson will be heading back to Pepperdine University at the conclusion of the season as the Waves' associate head coach with the probability of becoming the school's head coach in the near future. - Deseret Morning News

Utah basketball: Bogut, Miller, Van Horn among Utes' All-Century team Andrew Bogut, Andre Miller and Keith Van Horn were among the 16 basketball players named to the All-Century Team at the University of Utah today. - SL Tribune

Ute basketball: Two wins lift Utah women to No. 19 The University of Utah women's basketball team climbed one spot to No. 19 in the latest Associated Press rankings released Monday. - SL Tribune

Gymnastics notes: Utes not repeating the error of their past ways Watching Utah sophomore Jamie Deetscreek fall off the balance beam Friday had to be a jolt for Utah fans, who have probably gotten accustomed to seeing Utah's gymnasts complete one routine after another without a fall. - SL Tribune

Gymnastics: Red Rocks don't love Thursdays On any given Thursday between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., head coach Greg Marsden announces the starting lineups for the upcoming meet. Given Utah's talent breadth, this weekly ritual has become a daunting moment. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Utah's Bryant wins another MWC weekly award Utah's Johnnie Bryant was named the Mountain West Conference player of the week for the second time in three weeks Monday, after averaging 21.5 points in victories over UNLV and Air Force last week. - SL Tribune

Gymnastics: Illnesses, Cougars can't stop No. 2 Red Rocks PROVO -- Sometimes a win can leave the victor a bit unsatisfied. On Friday night, that was the case for the U gymnastics team. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Gymnastics: Makeshift lineup propels U. Competing on one of their biggest rivals' home floor? No problem. Using a lineup missing one injured gymnast and several others who have been sick this week? Not a problem either. - SL Tribune

Women's basketball: Utes eventually run past Air Force Utah is clearly the most dominant women's basketball program in the Mountain West Conference, a fact it solidified again on Saturday by picking up its 100th MWC win, the first program to reach the milestone. The Air Force Falcons? Not so much. - SL Tribune

Utes crash second-half glass "That's a huge play," coach Jim Boylen said. "Offensive rebounds were something that we knew we had to get. You have to try to get extra possessions against that defense, because it's so stingy down there." - SL Tribune

Ute basketball: Utes rally for big win at Air Force Utah's Johnnie Bryant had been in this situation before . . . playing at Air Force, enduring a rotten first half, heading to the locker room at halftime on the verge of a blowout. So he knew just what to say to his teammates this time. - SL Tribune

Utes' work on boards helps deck Falcons Utah coach Jim Boylen knew exactly what it would take to turn back the Air Force Falcons, emphasizing to his team the importance of getting extra shots. - Denver Post

Ute basketball: U. finds perfect tonic Yeah, they were shorthanded and slumping, having lost four of their last five games - as well as three straight on the road. But against the catastrophically overmatched, underinspired and cold-shooting Colorado State Rams, none of that mattered. - SL Tribune

Utah high school football recruits PLAYER DESTINATIONS - Oral commitments made by Utah prep players, or players headed to Utah colleges, for the 2008 season: -Lists and comments compiled by Jay Drew - SL Tribune

Recruiting: Utes, Cougs lose out on highly regarded recruits The Utes saw a recruit dump them for Southern Methodist at the last minute, while the Cougars lost out on one of those high-profile LDS players that coach Bronco Mendenhall desperately needs if he wants to build a BCS-caliber program. - SL Tribune

Wodraska: There's only so much Boylen can do to make Utes a winner A little under a year ago, Ray Giacoletti left the Utah basketball program after a clear division between the coach and his players had formed. The players made it clear what they needed in a coach. - SL Tribune

Utes try not to obsess on scores Knowing judging habits change from meet to meet, Utah's gymnastics team doesn't like to get caught up in following the numbers. But it is hard, after nights like Friday not to wonder just how high a mark this Utah team can earn. - SL Tribune

Utes rout slow-starting Rams Until Saturday, Colorado State didn't look as bad — at least at home — as its winless Mountain West Conference record indicated. A 13-point first half destroyed that perception. - Denver Post

Brown leads Utes to road win over Colo. St. Brown finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks — all career highs — to pace the Utes to an important victory following a home loss to Wyoming three days earlier. - Deseret Morning News

Women's Hoops: Utah crushes visiting Rams Words like "blowout" and "shellacking" don't quite capture how brutally the U women's basketball team beat Colorado State Saturday afternoon at the Huntsman Center. The Utes demolished the Rams 68-28. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Runnin' Utes get back on track against Colorado State The way things had been going, the Runnin' Utes would have taken a road win against a pick-up team from the local YMCA to build confidence. Instead, Utah can use a 67-52 conference win against lowly Colorado State. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Mismatched men hosting Utah Eventually, the Rams figure, they're due for a Mountain West Conference victory. "We need a win, and I think once we get our first win, everybody will get rolling," junior guard Willis Gardner said. - The Coloradoan

Ute basketball: Utes hope to drive out of slump The morning after his latest disappointing loss, coach Jim Boylen was still wearing the same pants and shoes, having slept in his office before an early shootaround and film session with his Utah Utes. In other words, he's still grinding. - SL Tribune

Red Rocks post 10th highest score in team history Postell's night started with a bang when her flawless vault routine earned her a perfect 10.0 and brought the crowd to its feet. She ended the night with a 39.80 and her fourth all-around title in four meets this season. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Utah gymnasts outscore Minnesota With a slight bit of help from an indecisive judge, the University of Utah gymnastics team came up tall on Short People Appreciation Night Friday at the Huntsman Center, totaling the 10th-best score in school history. - Deseret Morning News

Gophers Score Season-Best 194.100, but Lose to Utah The University of Minnesota women’s gymnastics team tallied a score of 194.100, but lost to the No. 2 Utah Utes, who scored a 197.750. - Gopher Sports

Postell's perfect 10 highlights Utah gymnasts' big win Postell capped off Utah's best vault set of the year with a vault she stuck, feet slightly apart. One judge saw it as a 10.0 routine. - SL Tribune

Gymnastics: Red Rocks step up difficulty The U gymnastics team is all about progression. That's why it spent this week working on upgrades in its routines. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Men's Hoops: Runnin' Utes go to Colorado St. searching for a win When Jim Boylen took the reins of the Runnin' Utes' program, it was much like getting the keys to a used Corvette. For someone like Boylen, the Corvette symbolized potential. With enough wrench-turning and elbow grease, that Corvette could run like new. - Daily Utah Chronicle

Late 3-pointer lifts Utah over Wyoming The No. 15 Cowgirls battled from behind all game long and nearly put a stranglehold on the conference race, but instead let the basketball and Utah slip out of their hands in a 60-59 loss on Wednesday at the Arena-Auditorium. - Jackson Hole Star-Tribune

Utes' Drca handed suspension A day after being upset at home by Wyoming, the Utes learned that backup guard Luka Drca would be suspended for Saturday night's game at Colorado State because of an elbow thrown in last Saturday's win over TCU. - Deseret Morning News

A Great Ute... Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has passed away Officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced this evening that Church President Gordon B. Hinckley has passed away. - KSL.com

Coach, Ute players speak out on stabbing Two days after a pair of University of Utah football players were stabbed and a third athlete assaulted following a party in Salt Lake City, police have few suspects in a case that appears to be a random attack. - SL Tribune

Flash Acquire Former Ute Britton Johnsen The Utah Flash acquired the rights to former NBA and University of Utah forward Britton Johnsen from the Bakersfield Jam for guard Michael Cuffee, Flash general manager David Fredman announced today - KSL.com

Oh, Boylen! Utah coach has big day "Oh, man, unbelievable day. You know, I'm so thankful to be at Utah, and to be part of this community," he said, eyes misting. He added, with a catch in his voice, "Big day." - Deseret Morning News

Toughing it out — Utes limit Air Force to 13 points in second half The way things started Saturday afternoon, you'd never have imagined any way the Utah basketball team could eventually take a 22-point victory, even if the Utes were playing against an Air Force team picked to finish near the bottom of the standings. - Deseret Morning News

Kragthorpe: Bryant adjusting to new role Bryant certainly needed some convincing that the role would benefit him after two years as a Ute starter. When the coach came to him with the idea of not starting, Bryant took it the way any basketball player would: as a demotion. - SL Tribune

Ute basketball: Utes win a battle of oddities with Falcons Coach Jim Boylen said he'd never seen anything like it. His Utah Utes scored only five baskets in the entire first half of their Mountain West Conference opener against Air Force at the Huntsman Center on Saturday. - SL Tribune

Ute women: Utes hold off Eastern Michigan What tested Utah women's basketball coach Elaine Elliott's patience more? Trying to explain why her Utes couldn't execute during the second 20 minutes of Saturday's game with the same skill as the first 20, or attempting to get her team back on track - SL Tribune

Ute gymnastics: Primed for a stronger start Utah coach Greg Marsden has enjoyed one of his easiest coaching jobs of his career as the Utes have prepared for the 2008 season. He can thank the disaster that was the start of 2007 for the easy time now. - SL Tribune

College gymnastics preview From Cedar City to Logan, expectations for the collegiate gymnastics programs in the state of Utah are flying as high as the chalk dust in the practice gyms. - SL Tribune

Drew: Judge prep sheds light on recruiting process While other highly recruited football stars will be signing national letters of intent a month from today, Walker's future is still unknown, mostly due to his own indecision and some lack of communication from his hometown team - the University of Utah. - SL Tribune

Ute basketball: Boylen's point Anyone who walked into basketball practice that day would have been stunned. Infuriated that junior guard Lawrence Borha wasn't practicing to his satisfaction, coach Jim Boylen suddenly stopped his Utah Utes and unleashed a scorched-earth tirade. - SL Tribune

Utah basketball: Tillie out with Stress fracture Tillie suffered the injury to a bone that bears less weight than others, however, so Boylen is hopeful that Tillie can recover sooner rather than later. Tillie missed the last 18 games of last season after breaking his ankle. - SL Tribune

Ute basketball: Utes face awkward reunion with Giac It would not have seemed like a great idea to Ray Giacoletti, to begin with, taking the Utah Utes up to Gonzaga for a big non-conference road game against one of his closest friends in the college basketball coaching business. Now, he'd really rather - SL Tribune

Utes and Zags will ring out 2007 A couple of short-handed teams square off tonight in what could become an annual New Year's Eve battle. Utah meets Gonzaga today at 6 p.m. MST at the McCarthey Athletic Center. - Deseret Morning News

Ute basketball: Utes meet the Bulldogs tonight Maybe next year, Phil and Tom McCarthey will root for the Utes. But tonight? "There won't be any question," Phil McCarthey said, "we'll be pulling for Gonzaga." - SL Tribune

Utes get word from highly recruited receiver Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham's fourth recruiting class continues to look better and better. -

Ute football: Poinsettia victory is bittersweet for Utes Winning the conference title was one of the goals the Utes thought achievable when the season started, but one that was dashed with losses to Air Force and UNLV. - SL Tribune

Officials acknowledge late play should have been touchback The officiating crew from the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl has acknowledged an error in a fourth-quarter call that affected Navy's chances to beat Utah. - ESPN

Sloppy Utes finally pull away from Idaho State For much of Thursday night's game against Idaho State, it looked like the Utah basketball team perhaps had a little too much figgy pudding for Christmas. - Deseret Morning News

Ute defense bails out late-starting offense in win The Utah Utes played well enough on defense to defeat Idaho State 68-51 on Thursday night, well enough to bail out their cold shooting, and well enough to continue to show marked improvement from last year. - Deseret Morning News

Former BSU player commits to Utah Former Boise State wide receiver Aiona Key, who spent the past season at Mount San Antonio Community College in California, has given the University of Utah a recruiting commitment. - Deseret Morning News

Ute basketball: Utes survive a letdown Coach Jim Boylen has been complaining all season that his Utah Utes don't know how to handle success. Need another example? - SL Tribune

Fifth-Annual Red Rocks Preview Slated For Jan. 4 The fifth-annual Utah gymnastics Red Rocks Preview will be held on Friday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Huntsman Center. Admission and parking are free. The 2008 Ute gymnasts will hold an intra-squad meet, followed by an autograph signing session. - CSTV

Utes are wise to not take Navy for granted Playing football against service academies isn't unlike getting a scratch. It might seem small and unintimidating at first, but if you don't take care of things, it could turn into an inflammation, then an infection and pretty soon you're down for the cou - Deseret Morning News

Johnson is honored by his Ute teammates Approximately 1,500 players, coaches, administrators, boosters, bowl representatives and media were on hand for a luncheon on the famous aircraft carrier that is now a museum on the water. - Deseret Morning News

Kragthorpe: Don't mess with Utes in December Eric Weddle just cannot help himself. He knows he plays for the San Diego Chargers now, but when the subject turns to his old school, he starts talking as if he's preparing to take the field for Utah in tonight's Poinsettia Bowl against Navy at Qualcomm S - SL Tribune

Navy notes: Coach aware of Utah's success Partly because he was coaching at UNLV when Utah's postseason winning streak was beginning with two Las Vegas Bowl victories, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo is very familiar with the Utes' recent bowl history. - SL Tribune

Utes 'D' will test Navy's running game tonight in Poinsettia Bowl Jump ahead to today, and here the Utes are in San Diego, preparing to play Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl. To get here and be on the verge of a nine-win season for just the sixth time in the program's history is a good enough achievement after what they've b - SL Tribune

Utah women's basketball: Ute point guard blows away Gaels St. Mary's came into its nonconference women's basketball game at Utah with a plan to push the basketball by overplaying on defense. Unfortunately for the Gaels, the tactic played right into the hands of Leilani Mitchell. - SL Tribune

For Navy, change is in name only For Navy's players, tonight's game is a bonus, a reward for another successful season. But for coach Ken Niumatalolo, the Poinsettia Bowl is a chance to show he is prepared to run a college football team. - Washington Times

Midshipmen bring triple-option attack to San Diego Even though Navy features a new coach, the Midshipmen don't intend on using a new offensive approach. Navy (8-4) looks to continue to rely on its triple-option rushing attack when it faces Utah (8-4) on Thursday in the Poinsettia Bowl. - ESPN

Roundup of Navy-Utah predictions The majority of national college football pundits are predicting a tough game for Niumatalolo's squad, which faces a Utah program that has won six straight bowl games. - Baltimore Sun

Poinsettia Bowl: U.'s Johnson finally goes bowling Brian Johnson is ready to go bowling. Aside from a few snaps late in Utah's historic 35-7 win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, the junior quarterback hasn't seen any postseason action for the Utes. - Deseret Morning News

The Lady in Red If you are a University of Utah football fan, you have seen her. As the third quarter draws to a close, all eyes turn to the south end zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the band starts to play and the "Crazy Lady" jumps up to shimmy, shake and show... - SL Tribune

Ask the expert: Utes focused on the bowl? Question: What's your take on how badly the Utes want this game and how the coaches feel about the preparations so far? -- Will H., Ute fan in Alabama Answer: - SL Tribune

Ute football: Mack extra motivated Darrell Mack doesn't need any outside inspiration to run hard; he prides himself on doing his best every time the Utes play. However, he hopes to make his bowl appearance in San Diego a little special to honor the man who helped raise him. - SL Tribune

Navy ramps up for Poinsettia Bowl After Navy's impressive 38-3 victory over Army Dec. 1, clinching the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the fifth consecutive year, the midshipmen are looking ahead to their fifth straight bowl game. - The Dolphin

Utes want to unite with elite Should Utah prevail against Navy in next week's Poinsettia Bowl, the 2007 Utes will join some elite company. They'll become just the sixth team in the program's 116-year history to win nine or more games in a season. - Deseret Morning News

New Coach, Old Style Is Navy's Bowl Scheme Niumatalolo, 42, was introduced as the 38th Navy coach last Saturday. His first order of business will be to get his team ready for the Dec. 20 matchup against Utah (8-4), a team that won seven of its last eight games to make a fifth straight trip to a bo - Baltimore Press Box

UTAH BASKETBALL: What is with Luke Nevill? It has become the most mystifying question of the early season for the Utah Utes, lighting up message boards and enlivening sports-radio talk shows while new coach Jim Boylen tries to rebuild a decimated basketball program: What is with Luke Nevill? - SL Tribune

Strange Days: A look back at the 2007 season The 2007 season will be remembered for a long time for a lot of reasons. After all, it's not every day that two teams that lost home games in November end up playing for the national title. Here's a refresher course on the season that was. - Rivals.com

Utes: Johnson ready to take snaps After taking a couple of days off, the Utah Utes were back at work Tuesday preparing for their bowl game against Navy on Dec. 20. One guy still sidelined, though, was quarterback Brian Johnson. - SL Tribune

Christmas coming early as Utes prepare for Navy Utah quarterback Brian Johnson and his teammates didn't leave Tuesday's practice empty handed. They each left with a new pair of Nike shoes — the first of daily Poinsettia Bowl gifts to be distributed to the players. - Deseret Morning News

Utah, Navy kick off bowl season in Poinsettia Still more than a week away from the Bowl Season getting underway, Chance Harper looks at some of the more intriguing early matchups, beginning with the Poinsettia Bowl. - SBR Forum

Ute basketball: Utes fade in loss to Ducks The pace of the game, the Utah Utes were able to control against run-and-gun Oregon on Saturday. But the Ducks themselves? Not so much. - SL Tribune

In end, seniors give Ducks edge Many of the big oohs and aahs from the 11,447 at the Rose Garden were for Oregon point guard Tajuan Porter, whose shake-and-bake moves, sparkling dribbling were high points of the 19th-ranked Ducks' 75-64 victory over Utah on Saturday. - Oregon Live

Commentary: Coaches don’t deserve right to vote I know most Americans agree that letting the BCS dictate the national championship in college football is a bad thing. The reality is the system is entrenched for now. We can either live with it or move to South America. - Lawrence Journal-World

2007 CFN All-MWest Team & Top 30 Players Defense DL - Martail Burnett, Sr. Utah DL - Tyler Donaldson, Sr. N Mex DL - Jan Jorgensen, Soph. BYU DL - Chase Ortiz, Sr. TCU LB - Russell Allen, Jr. SDSU LB - Beau Bell, Sr. UNLV LB - Bryan Kehl, Sr. BYU DB - Mil'Von James, Sr. UNLV DB - Juliu - CFN.com

Alex Smith to undergo shoulder surgery, done for season Quarterback Alex Smith will undergo surgery on his right shoulder, ending a disappointing season for the San Francisco 49ers' former No. 1 overall draft pick. - KSL.com

Role model — Bryant thriving as Utes' sixth man Johnnie Bryant is not the type who likes to sit. The Ute guard is doing a lot more of it during his senior season, but he's actually enjoying himself more as his team builds a winning record for a change. After leading the team in minutes played for t - Deseret News

Ute basketball: Utes shut down Ags' Carroll on way to easy win It only took three years of trying, but the Utah Utes finally found a way to deal with Utah State's Jaycee Carroll. And they didn't even need a rope and handcuffs. - SL Tribune

USU: Another slow start hampers Aggies So far, Utah State is just not a good road team. To put it more succinctly, when they have traveled away from Logan, the Aggies have been a disaster. - SL Tribune

Utah lands prized running back Alta running back Sausan Shakerin will announce today he orally has committed to the University of Utah, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned. Shakerin is one of the most recruited running backs in state history, rated a four-star recruit by many recru - SL Tribune

2007 All-Mountain West Conference Football Teams The Mountain West announced its 2007 All-Conference football teams and individual award winners today as selected by the nine head coaches and media panel. Air Force running back/wide receiver Chad Hall was chosen as the Mountain West Offensive Player of - MWC.com

Utah starts preparation for bowl Utah kicked off its bowl preparations Wednesday at the Spence Eccles Field House. "It's great to get back out here," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "It's what we needed." - Deseret Morning News

Slow start, big finish Last night, the U men's basketball team got hit in the mouth early by the Weber State Wildcats and a landslide came tumbling after. Only this time, it was the Utes that came out on the better end of a blowout. - Daily Utah Chronicle

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