The Runnin' Utes are hitting the road today for the first time this season with a two-game stint in the Glenn Wilkes Classic.

In two seasons, Utah head coach Jim Boylen has talked a lot about toughness. Last Saturday's loss to Division II Southwest Baptist was punch to his team's gut. Tuesday night, the Utes responded.

The Runnin' Utes are relying on their short-term memory after the Southwest Baptist Bearcats handed them a stunning defeat. They are trying to avoid an 0-2 start for the second time in the last three years against the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix.

The Utah men's basketball team is known for its size, with the average player being 6-feet-6-inches, but against Southwest Baptist on Saturday, its size became a disadvantage, as the Bearcats used their speed to beat the Utes on their own floor.

Runnin' Utes head coach Jim Boylen said some Division II teams are good enough to play at the Division I level, which he found out the hard way Saturday with a 80-79 loss to the Southwest Baptist Bearcats.

The Runnin' Utes open regular season play Saturday against Southwest Baptist, a strong Division-II team.

During his years as an assistant in the NBA, Boylen had players such as Sam Cassell and Mario Elie who came off the bench to make major contributions. Boylen adopted the idea and is using it this season with two players whom most would expect to be starters.

The Utes scored the first basket of the game and never lost the lead in their 59-44 exhibition win against Grand Valley State University on Saturday.

When Utah athletic director Chris Hill and head coach Jim Boylen scheduled their first game of the season, they didn't look for a Division-II team that they could blow out. Instead, they looked for a team that would give them a good game.

The Runnin' Utes might be one of the best shooting teams in the country this preseason. However, head coach Jim Boylen would rather focus on another aspect of the game that "wins championships"8212;defense.