Utes without Markson

Uh-oh.

Another team that hasn't beaten Utah at home since 1982 is coming to the Huntsman Center tonight.

Double uh-oh.

The Utes will be without leading scorer Bryant Markson, who was suspended Friday for one game for disciplinary reasons.

"As a head coach I retain the right to discipline my players for a variety of reasons," Utah coach Ray Giacoletti said of the suspension, offering no reason for the action. Reportedly, the suspension is related to unpaid traffic citations.

Ricky Johns, who is averaging 4.1 points, will make his first start of the year in place of Markson, while Luke Nevill will also make his first start in place of Shaun Green.

Back to tonight's opponent, the Rebels haven't beaten the Utes at the Huntsman Center since a 76-67 victory exactly 24 years ago — Jan. 21, 1982.

So?

Well, just 10 days ago in Utah's last home game, San Diego State beat the Utes for the first time here since 1982 with a 73-67 victory.

Tonight (7 p.m.), the Rebels (9-7, 3-1) will try to break that 24-year drought, which is actually a little deceiving, since the two teams were in different conferences most of that time and have met just six times during that span.

The Utes will be trying to end their four-game losing streak, their longest in 16 years, and keep their winning streak over the Rebels alive. The Utes have beaten the Rebels six straight times, including a win in last year's Mountain West Conference semifinals in Denver. But this time, the Utes will have to win without Markson, who leads the team at 14.1 points per game.

As for the 24-year gap since UNLV's last win in Salt Lake, Giacoletti couldn't care less. He's just trying to find some answers with his young team, particularly on the defensive end.

After allowing Colorado State to shoot a season-high 64.5 percent from the field last Saturday, the Utes concentrated all week on playing better defense.

So, how did it work out for Thursday night's game against Air Force? Not good. The Utes allowed the Falcons to shoot 68.4 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from 3-point range in a 66-44 loss.

"If you can't stop them, you're not going to outscore them," Giacoletti said. "Effort and defense is what we talk about."