In previous installments, we took the 16 best Utah basketball teams of all time and pitted them against each other in a sweet sixteen bracket. After two rounds, only four teams remain? Who will advance to the championship match and then claim the title of Best Utah Basketball Team of All Time?

Up until this point, the the ‘43-’44 Utes have rode a magical ride all the way to the Final Four. The only team in program history to win a national championship showed during its season that it can ride a hot streak all the way to the end, which is why these Runnin’ Utes have made it this far.

However, just like every other heartwarming Cinderella that’s danced its way to the promised land, this story has to end; with the main reason being the ‘43-’44 Utah team simply cannot matchup with the star-studded roster that is the ‘97-’98 Runnin’ Utes.

I mean, before we even get into the logistics of the game (having a three-point line, newer era of basketball, etc.), the older Utes would have trouble holding a handle to their younger counterparts. Utah great Andre Miller is enough to lead this team to victory by himself, but throw in the help of senior Michael Doleac, the 6-foot-11 center who nearly averaged a double-double, and the ‘43-’44 Utes simply just don’t stand a chance.

The team from the ‘40s can lay claim to the fact that it won Utah’s only championship, but the 97-98 Utes were just one game shy of reaching that mark, falling to eventual champion Kentucky in the NCAA Championship. With a more impressive roster, resume of teams played and the way the game has changed, the ‘97-’98 Utes advance to the Championship Game.

Written by Griffin Adams

This is another matchup that comes down to the best players on the team—some of the best players to ever wear a Utah jersey—Andre Miller of the 98′-99′ Utes and Andrew Bogut of the 04′-05′ Utes.

Miller had a memorable career at Utah, and during his final season, he averaged nearly 16 points per game. He had plenty of great teammates, like Hanno Mottola who averaged just over 15 points per game, to help him out that season. But in the end, this team was unable to replicate its performance from the previous year and lost in the second round of the tournament.

Bogut, on the other hand, lead the Utes to an appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, and was forced to do much of the work on his own. He averaged about 20 points per game, and for this, was named the National Player of the Year in just his sophomore season.

Both players and both teams accomplished great things for the Utah basketball program as a whole.

However, I think the Bogut-led squad would outlast the 98′-99′ Utes. There’s no doubt Rick Majerus would have more experience than Ray Giacoletti, but Majerus would not have anyone to guard Bogut, allowing him to do whatever he wants.

Written by Kim Brenneisen

CHAMPIONSHIP: #2 97′ – 98′ Utes vs. #8 04′ – 05′ Utes

Here it is, the moment we’ve all been waiting for; who will win the Daily Utah Chronicle’s Best All-Time Runnin’ Utes tournament? In the Championship Game, we have the Andrew Bogut-led Utes from 2004-05, squaring off against contest favorite, Andre Miller and the rest of the 1997-98 Utes.

Bogut is probably the greatest Ute to ever done a Ute jersey, and in this season particularly, he was nearly unstoppable with per-game averages of 20.4 points and 12.2 rebounds. His dominating play led to him being drafted first overall in the following year’s NBA Draft, and there’s not anyone in this tournament that could guard the center one-on-one.

But even so, the 1997-98 squad has a bevy of bigs that it can throw at Bogut, with four players on the roster that stand 6-foot-10, or taller, that can slow him down. This includes senior big man Michael Doleac, who averaged 16.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, there’s no one on the 04-05 team that could stop Miller, the dominating guard who has his jersey hanging in the rafters inside the Huntsman Center. As a junior, Miller had his second-best season in his time at the U and was a triple-double threat every time he stepped on the floor. No disrespect to the other players on Bogut’s team, but I don’t think there’s anyone on that roster that can stop Miller, even by committee.

So while Bogut is dominating in his own right, and he would almost certainly get his, the ‘97-’98 team is more equipped to handle the dominating play that would come with the now-NBA center. Because of this, the 1997-98 Utes, who nearly won the program’s second national championship, are your greatest Utah team of all-time.

Written by Griffin Adams