Utah Women's Basketball To Host Power of Pink Walk Friday

The Utah Women's Basketball team is hosting it's annual "Pink Walk" Friday before the Power of Pink game against Oregon at 5 p.m.

The "Pink Walk" supports Breast Cancer Awareness and begins at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and finishes at the Huntsman Center prior to the Utes game.  The event is free and participants will get free Power of Pink give-a-way items, pre-game snacks and a chalk talk with a coach.

To sign up for the walk, contact Blanca Raphael at (801) 581-7169 or blanca.raphael@hci.utah.edu.

After the walk, make your way to the Huntsman Center for the Utes game against Oregon.  At the game, a lucky student will receive a $300 gift card to the Campus Bookstore and a runner-up will receive a $100 food voucher from Campus Dining.  To enter, there will be a drawing box located at Door 1 before the game and contestants will be drawn during the first half.

All students get in free with their U-Card and can bring a non-student guest. Don't forget to wear Pink. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Utah to Face Colorado and Honor Rick Majerus Saturday

Utah will honor former coach Rick Majerus, who recently passed away due to heart failure, at the Colorado game on Saturday, February 2nd at 12:30 p.m.

There will be a halftime tribute that will feature a video and retirement of Majerus' famous sweater into the rafters at the Huntsman Center.

The first 100 students in attendance will get a free hot dog or popcorn, and a drink. The doors to the Huntsman Center will open at 11 a.m.

Utes Return Home To Face Cal Thursday in Power of Pink Game

With a Pac-12 win under their belt, the Utes look to continue the momentum from their 74-65 road win over Washington as they face Cal on Thursday in a Power of Pink match supporting breast cancer awareness at the Huntsman Center at 6:30 p.m.

After a (6-0) start to the season, Cal has lost seven out of their last 11 games. Athletic guard Allen Crabbe leads the team with nearly 20 points per game and 5.5 rebounds.

When he plays well, Cal usually wins but he's been struggling over the past two weeks. Crabbe is averaging just 12.3 points per game over their last three games. He had just nine points in their home loss to Washington on (3-12) shooting.  For Utah, shutting down the future NBA Draft pick and Pac-12 leading scorer will be crucial.

For the Utes, freshman guard Brandon Taylor had a breakout game in the win over Washington with 19 points and six assists off the bench. Coach Krystkowiak isn't making any promises, but expect him to have a much larger role as the season goes on.

"I think in the opportunities he has had in four or five games he has played really well. He has a lot of savvy and moxie and is as good of a shooter as we have on our team," said Krystkowiak in his press conference Monday. "He plays with a lot of confidence and that’s what we needed. Offensively he gave us a big boost in that game. But as we always say, no one should ever be satisfied and expect ‘big-time’ minutes."

The MUSS needs to #PackTheHuntsman Center and be loud like we were against UCLA and USC to give the Utes the home court advantage needed to win. Tipoff will be Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

UPDATE: Coach K wants to see you at the basketball game this Thursday and he is even buying you dinner! Come to the HPER gym at 5:30 p.m. for free pizza and drinks. Then head to the Huntsman for the 'Power of Pink' game vs. Cal. GO UTES!

Utah Women's Basketball Student Engagement Program

Utah Women's Basketball is starting a great student engagement program, giving away hundreds of dollars in campus related prizes for students who attend games starting Friday with the game against Arizona. The prizes will include:

• Friday, January 18th vs. Arizona at 7 p.m.
• Winning student will receive a $200 food voucher from campus dining
• Runner-up will receive a $100 food voucher from campus dining 
• Friday, February 8th vs. Oregon at 7 p.m.
• Winning students will receive a $300 gift card for any use at the University of Utah Campus Store
• Runner-Up will receive a $100 food voucher from campus dining
• Friday, February 22nd vs. Washington at 7 p.m.
• Winning Student will receive one (1) month complimentary rent in the University of Utah Campus Housing
• Runner-Up will receive a $100 food voucher from campus dining

To sign up for the contest, a drawing box will be located at Door 1 during the three games.  Winners will be drawn and announced during the first half and must be present to win.  Also, one hour before each Women's Basketball game, students can get a free hot dog and drink outside the arena. 

The MUSS Packs The Huntsman Center as Utes Nearly Upset UCLA

The Utes fell in another heartbreak loss to one of the Pac12's best teams, losing 57-53 to UCLA. Despite the loss, The MUSS packed the Huntsman Center and provided the Utes a boost. With a student attendance just under one thousand at the game, it was the largest MUSS crowd in recent years. Here is what the Utes and fans had to say about crowd:

“It was really awesome and cool. Seeing that section up there was huge. Obviously, because of the weather it was a little bit slow for everybody to get here. But there was a little heartbeat over there in the corner of the arena. They were there and we need that. It is a big part of college athletics to have that kind of pulse. I have always said that the student section is kind of the heartbeat of the arena and people are feeding off them. I hope we can continue to build on that and that some of those people will come back and give us a shot on Saturday.” - Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak

“They are on our side and we liked having them. In the last five minutes of the game, we went on that stretch where we started scoring and Loveridge got the dunk, you could hear them. The excitement in the gym just made us excited and it made us play a little harder.” - Senior Cedric Martin

"Yes, the Mighty Utah Student Section (MUSS) made its presence against the Bruins, and they did so in force. In the process, Utah's homecourt felt like - ummmm - an actual homecourt... The MUSS showed no rust against UCLA. They were knowledgeable. They were loud. They were present and they knew when to ramp it up." - Tony Jones - Salt Lake Tribune

"The road inexperience of his teammates showing through as the Utes' crowd continued to boom for the game's final five minutes." - Orange County Register

"By the time the Utes pulled within two, the UCLA freshmen got their first glimpse of a real hostile environment, while the Jon Huntsman Center went bananas after a mighty rally from their Mighty Runnin’ Utes." - GoJoeBruin.com

Utah Hosts UCLA Thursday in Blackout and Pac-12 Home Opener

The Utes were a couple inches away from beating the conferences two best teams on the road, losing to (13-2) Arizona State in overtime and No. 3 (14-0) Arizona. They had shots in the final seconds to win each game that didn't fall, but the Utes sent a strong message to the Pac-12 that they can beat anyone.

Now the Utes face another tough challenge, but they do it in front of a packed Huntsman Center where they are (7-2. The Runnin' Utes open with star studded UCLA and expect a raucous home crowd in their blackout Thursday, January 10th.

UCLA is off to a (12-3) start, but this will be their first true road game of the season and it will be a tough environment.  The Bruins struggled on the road last season, going (4-7) but they are much improved this season with some of the nations top recruits and future NBA lottery picks.

Shabazz Muhammad leads UCLA with 19.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game.  He was rated the  No. 1 recruit in the country coming out of high school and is projected by many to be a Top 5 pick in next years NBA Draft.  Another freshman, Jordan Adams, has also made a strong impact with 16.6 points per game. 

For the Utes, they are also led by a talented freshman in Jordan Loveridge. Loveridge averages 13 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game so far this season.  He is coming off a 17 point performance in Utah's close loss at No. 3 Arizona.  

The MUSS is hosting a pregame event at the Alumni House at 6 p.m.  Come get pumped for the game with free food and giveaways before the 7:30 tipoff against the Bruins.  All students get in free with their student ID and can bring up to four non-student guest for free.  Wear BLACK, be loud and help the Runnin' Utes pull off the upset. 

Who will win?
	Utah
	UCLA
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