The Gonzaga Bulldogs are in the national spotlight, armed with one of the most successful coaches in college basketball, a No. 16 ranking in the AP Top 25, and a roster full of high-profile players who might soon wind up in the NBA.

It's the guy sitting quietly behind them, however, who will attract much of the attention when the Bulldogs visit the Utah Utes tonight at the Huntsman Center.

Assistant coach Ray Giacoletti is returning to his old home arena for the first time since effectively being fired as head coach of the Utes nearly two years ago, near the end of the team's worst season in 23 years. Though Giacoletti had led the Utes to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament just two years earlier and recently was praised by his replacement as a "good man," many fans have come to view him as the destroyer of the program -- the coach whose choices and judgment devastated the team and continue to haunt it as it strains to reclaim its former glory, under new coach Jim Boylen.

Reaction to his introduction should be interesting.

Yet while Giacoletti is in a decidedly better position now, working under good friend and head coach Mark Few, the mild-mannered 46-year-old characteristically declined to make much of his return.

"It ain't about me," he said. Besides, Giacoletti already has been through this once, in a way.

The Utes played the Bulldogs last New Year's Eve, too, but on the road in Spokane, Wash. Giacoletti downplayed that reunion as best he could, too, though some of his former players acknowledged strange feelings about seeing the man who recruited them on the opposing sideline.

Even Giacoletti acknowledged that sitting on the other end of the floor tonight might feel weird for a moment, "but time has passed and Utah is in a different place now. There's just . . . I don't think it's a big deal. It is what it is." While the Utes are 7-5 and aiming to beat a ranked team for the first time since Giacoletti led them to a victory over Oklahoma in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs have lost three of four since a 7-0 start that had many observers wondering whether Few was fielding the best team in school history.

But the Bulldogs have had some time to rest amid a series of massive snowstorms in Spokane, after a rugged stretch of six games in 17 days -- with opponents that included Arizona and Connecticut. Plus, they have potential NBA players such as senior forward Josh Heytvelt and point guard Jeremy Pargo on which to rely.

"We just have to get back playing the way we did early," Giacoletti said.

For his part, Boylen again downplayed the reunion with Giacoletti, just as he did last year, saying "this is not going to be about Ray Giacoletti coming back." Yet he also empathized with his predecessor about the "tough business" they have chosen, and said Giacoletti has been "nothing but classy" since leaving the Utes.

"He's never had a negative thing to say about my players here or what we're trying to do," Boylen said. "He has said a number of times to me, over the phone and in person, 'I want that group of guys to be successful.' "

Utah vs. Gonzaga

At the Huntsman Center

Tipoff: 6 p.m.

TV: CBS College Sports

Radio: AM 700

Records: Utah 7-5, Gonzaga 8-3

Series: Tied, 2-2

Last meeting: Gonzaga 61, Utah 59 (Dec. 31, 2007)

Line: Gonzaga by 7

About the Utes: They're aiming for back-to-back home wins for the first time since last February. … Senior C Luke Nevill is averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 61.4 percent - all better than last season. … They have shot over 50 percent only once in their last six games. … Sophomore F Carlon Brown is averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in his last three games.

About the Bulldogs: Ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25, they have lost three of four following a 7-0 start. … Senior F Josh Heytvelt is averaging 15.4 points per game, while sophomore F Austin Daye adds 12.9 and junior G Matt Bouldin 11.5. Bouldin scored 26 against the Utes last year. … Coach Mark Few is 244-63 in his 10th season.