Utes remaining positive

Utah's loss to New Mexico on Monday night was its first in 72 days, since a five-point loss to Arizona clear back on Dec. 11.

Certainly nobody on the Utah basketball team wanted to lose to the Lobos, but a couple of Ute players believe the loss can be positive for a team that was feeling the pressure of the second-longest winning streak in the nation.

"It's good because going into the tournament you don't want to have a monkey on your back," said Andrew Bogut. "It's good to get rid of it early I think."

Bogut's roommate, Tim Drisdom, agrees.

"I think so, because the radar has been on us for a long time," he said. "We don't want to come out and lose, but it kind of gives us a chip on our shoulder to come out and finish out the rest of the season."

When Ute coach Ray Giacoletti was asked about that, he wasn't quite so positive.

"I'm not into all that," he said. "We're into reality, and we got beat here tonight. We need to find a way to get better."

The 18-game winning streak ended up tied for second on the all-time Ute list, matching the 1997-98 streak that also ended at New Mexico.

Perhaps that is a good omen. That was the season the Utes went all the way to the NCAA Finals.

CELEBRATION: There was still 1:25 left in Monday's game at The Pit when the P.A. announcer asked the crowd "not to run on the floor after the game."

It may have been a bit presumptuous, even though the Lobos led by nine at the time, to make such an announcement. The Utes did cut the lead to seven and had a chance to cut it to four with a minute left, but Andrew Bogut's 3-pointer missed.

If Bogut's shot had gone in, who knows what would have happened? It sure would have made the announcement sound silly if the Utes had come back to win.

As it turned out, perhaps the announcer just egged the crowd on. Because as soon as the game ended, Lobo fans stormed the court to celebrate the victory.

HEALTH ISSUES: One of the Utes' big concerns right now is the health of the team.

Drisdom has been plagued by a pulled quad muscle in his right leg that has hampered his play of late. Richard Chaney is still bothered by the wrapping on his left hand, which he broke in December. Both Justin Hawkins and Bryant Markson were sick all day Monday and were in and out of the lineup that night. Midway through the second half, Markson left the game for good with a sprained right knee.