# 1995–96 Utah Utes men's basketball team

The 1995–96 Utah Utes men's basketball team represented the University of Utah as a member of the Western Athletic Conference during the 1995–96 men's basketball season. Led by head coach Rick Majerus, the Utes made a run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. The team finished with an overall record of 27–7 (15–3 WAC).

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| Nov 25, 1995* | No. 8 | vs. No. 2 Kansas The Classic | L 68–79 | 0–1 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| Nov 29, 1995* | No. 14 | at Texas | W 70–69 | 1–1 | Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas |
| Dec 1, 1995* | No. 14 | Lewis–Clark | W 91–64 | 2–1 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Dec 4, 1995* | No. 14 | Drake | W 86–50 | 3–1 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Dec 6, 1995* | No. 14 | at Weber State | W 89–60 | 4–1 | Dee Events Center Ogden, Utah |
| Dec 9, 1995* | No. 14 | Utah State | W 59–43 | 5–1 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Dec 15, 1995* | No. 13 | St. Thomas (MN) | W 87–63 | 6–1 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Dec 21, 1995* | No. 13 | at No. 12 Wake Forest | L 56–60 | 6–2 | Lawrence Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Dec 23, 1995* | No. 13 | USC | W 84–49 | 7–2 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Dec 27, 1995* | No. 15 | Cal State Fullerton | W 108–58 | 8–2 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| WAC regular season ||||||
| Jan 2, 1996 | No. 15 | BYU | W 83–77 | 9–2 (1–0) | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Mar 2, 1996 | No. 10 | at BYU | W 96–85 | 23–5 (15–3) | Marriott Center Provo, Utah |
| WAC Tournament ||||||
| Mar 7, 1996* | (1) No. 10 | vs. (8) Hawaii Quarterfinals | W 76–63 | 24–5 | The Pit Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Mar 8, 1996* | (1) No. 10 | vs. (4) Colorado State Semifinals | W 71–69 | 25–5 | The Pit Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Mar 9, 1996* | (1) No. 10 | vs. (2) New Mexico Championship | L 60–64 | 25–6 | The Pit Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 14, 1996* | (4 MW) No. 12 | vs. (13 MW) Canisius First round | W 72–43 | 26–6 | Reunion Arena Dallas, Texas |
| Mar 16, 1996* | (4 MW) No. 12 | vs. (5 MW) No. 17 Iowa State Second Round | W 73–67 | 27–6 | Reunion Arena Dallas, Texas |
| Mar 21, 1996* | (4 MW) No. 12 | vs. (1 MW) No. 2 Kentucky Midwest Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | L 70–101 | 27–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (30,334) Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final |
| AP | 10 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | Not released |
| Coaches | 11 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 |

## Awards and honors

* Keith Van Horn – Consensus Second-team All-American, WAC Player of the Year (2x)