University of Utah men's basketball fans probably remember the old days, when the Utes' nonconference home schedule was loaded with opponents like Cardinal Stritch, Azusa Pacific, Ripon and Cal State-Stanislaus.

No more.

Prior to Wednesday night's game against Michigan -- and Saturday's equally imposing match-up against Oklahoma -- Utah coach Jim Boylen made it clear that early-season improvement for his team is more important than his personal re´sume´.

"It's never been a priority for me to look at our record and say, 'We won 70 percent of our games,' " Boylen said. "I'm not catching Dean Smith. I came here to build a program and win championships."

It's been over two decades since Utah has played back-to-back home games against such high-profile opponents as Michigan and Oklahoma. To find that set of games, you have to go back to a three-day span in 1987, when the Utes defeated Colorado (93-64) and Providence (86-62).

Otherwise, Utah fans have endured a steady dose of unappealing scheduled wins against opponents like Stony Brook, Humboldt State, Concordia and Lewis & Clark.

Utah takes a 4-4 record into its game against the Wolverines, after an easier-than-it-looks 68-56 win over Idaho State on Saturday night.

The victory was a step in the right direction for the Utes, who rolled to a 40-15 halftime lead, thanks to some stifling defense that limited the Bengals to 25-percent shooting.

"I have a willing group, a good group, a developing group," Boylen said. "As I said before, we are a work in progress."

Junior guard Carlon Brown is Utah's top scorer. He averages 12.8 points.

In the win over Idaho State, however, junior college transfer Jay Watkins scored a team-high 15 points in only 19 minutes. Center David Foster contributed his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. A 7-foot-3 sophomore, Foster also had three blocked shots against the Bengals. He alreadt has 30 this season, which is nearly one-third of the way to Luke Nevill's school-record of 92.

All-time, Utah is 2-4 against Michigan. The two schools last met in the 1998 Maui Classic, where the Wolverines rolled to a 71-54 victory. Michigan brings a 4-3 record to the Huntsman Center.

The Wolverines come off a 67-53 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and a 79-62 victory over Arizona.

Michigan's leader is junior guard Manny Harris, who averages 21.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists despite playing most of the season on sore hamstrings.