Utah Utes basketball: Team set to welcome Seattle

Coming off a 40-point win Saturday night, the Utah basketball team could be expecting another easy victory tonight against a school that is playing in its first year of Division I basketball in 30 years.

However, Seattle University will be no pushover.

After starting 0-2, the Redhawks have defeated Fresno State and Weber State in their last two games. That has got Utah coach Jim Boylen's attention.

"They're a pretty good team," he said. "They beat Fresno and Weber. They're athletic, athletic, athletic. … (Charles) Garcia is a big-time athlete and can play the three, four and the five. They have speed and quickness and length and play an up-tempo style. It should be a heck of a game."

Garcia, a 6-foot-10 JC transfer from Los Angeles, is averaging 24.0 points and 10 rebounds a game. Other starters include forward Aaron Broussard (14.3 ppg), guard Cervante Burrell (10.5 ppg) and forward Mike Boxley (10.0 ppg). The Redhawks are coached by former UCLA guard Cameron Dollar.

The Utes are coming off an 88-48 win over Southern University in a game they led by as many as 50 points.

Carlon Brown leads the Utes with a 14.7 average, while Kim Tillie is the top rebounder at 7.0 boards per game. Luka Drca leads the Utes and the Mountain West Conference in assists at 7.3 per game and freshman Marshall Henderson averages 13.3 ppg. David Foster and Jason Washburn are sharing time at center, and between them they average 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds on 25 of 31 shooting (80.6 percent).

UTE NOTES: Tonight's game is part of the HoopTV Las Vegas Invitational … Seattle U. was a national power in the 1950s when Elgin Baylor led the team to the Final Four in 1958 … The Utes will leave Wednesday and bus down to Las Vegas. They play No. 20 Illinois Friday night at the Orleans Arena. Saturday they'll play either Oklahoma State or Bradley, depending on the outcome of Friday's games … This will be the ninth meeting between Utah and Seattle and the first since 1985 when Utah won 107-72. Utah leads the series 6-2.

e-mail: sor@desnews.com

Utes on the air

Seattle (2-2) at Utah (2-1)

Tonight 7 p.m.

Huntsman Center

TV: None

Radio: AM 700