Yep, pretty good day for Utah's Andrew Bogut.

Playing what was all but certainly his last home game for the No. 16 Utes along with senior guard Marc Jackson, the 7-foot sophomore center did everything anybody could have asked in leading the Utes to a 72-60 victory over San Diego State at the Huntsman Center on Saturday.

Bogut scored 20 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, handed out four assists - one on a beautiful, long-down-the-floor angle to teammate Justin Hawkins for a fast-break layup in the final minutes - and blocked three shots. He also dribbled behind his back on the fast break (he gave up the ball, then got it back for a basket), snuck behind an Aztec player for a steal far out on the floor, and bounced in a rare three-pointer with 1:46 left that sent the crowd of 14,029 into a frenzy and punctuated the Utes' 17th straight win at home.

"Got the shooter's roll today," he said. "I guess I'm doing something right."

You think?

The native Australian has been so good that he's likely to leave school early and be among the first few picks of the NBA draft in June, which is why the Utes honored him before the game along with Jackson, the team's only senior.

Both players received framed photographs of themselves, offered hugs to their coaches and family members at mid-court, then proceeded to dismantle the Aztecs for the 22nd straight time at home since 1982.

"It was great," Bogut said. "My father was here, and it was great for him to see how much Utah fans appreciate me as a player. It has been great, and I love the fans here and I love playing here. So I'll take my steps slowly now, and see what's best for me and my future."

The immediate future includes the Mountain West Conference tournament next week at the Pepsi Center in Denver, where the 25-4 Utes - owners of the best conference record in history at 13-1 - are the top seed and will play Colorado State in the first round Thursday night.

And that might be just the start.

Bogut said the Utes have only eight games left, which will be true only if they reach the national championship game at the Final Four in St. Louis. In the meantime, it was enough for coach Ray Giacoletti to appreciate Bogut and Jackson one last time at home.

"It does make my job easier," Giacoletti said.

The Utes had four players score in double figures, including Hawkins, who scored 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting after getting a career-high 21 against Brigham Young last weekend. Hawkins also smartly did not react when San Diego State's Chris Walton earned a technical foul for elbowing him in the first half.

Much like their last meeting, the Aztecs tried to body Bogut and keep him from getting comfortable.

It worked for a while, even with leading scorer Marcus Slaughter on the bench in street clothes with a sprained toe. The Utes committed 13 first-half turnovers - mostly trying to force the ball inside through swarming defenders - to negate 64-percent shooting and allow the Aztecs to trail only 32-30 at halftime.

"I guess we got a little comfortable and let our guard down a little bit," forward Bryant Markson said.

The Utes improved in the second half, committing just two turnovers in the first 11 minutes while pounding the Aztecs on the glass and building a 57-48 lead. Jackson helped ignite the 12-4 surge that delivered the Utes there, burying two three-pointers after finding teammate Richard Chaney with a long alley-oop pass.

The Aztecs pulled to within six points twice after that, but Markson and Hawkins slashed for layups - Hawkins, on the long pass from Bogut - that kept them from truly threatening.

Meanwhile, Giacoletti removed Bogut and Jackson so they could receive thunderous ovations, not long after the fans waving double-sided flags - Australian on one side, block U. on the other - chanted for Bogut to stay "one more year!"

The Aztecs lost their sixth straight game to fall to 10-17 and 4-10 in the league - yet insisted they still have a chance in the tournament next week.

"Coach keeps saying to us, there's nobody in this conference that's that much better than anyone else," forward Trimaine Davis said.

Except Bogut, perhaps.

mcl@sltrib.com

KEY STAT - The Utes hammered the Aztecs on the boards, 36-14, with Bogut getting 15 rebounds all by himself.

KEY MOMENT - Trailing by just six points with less than four minutes left, the Aztecs appear to have Utah's Bryant Markson trapped. But the lithe forward slithers between two defenders for a crucial lay-up that starts a 10-3 surge to put the game away.

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