Utah News

The Miami Dolphins tore apart their roster this offseason as they begin what’s looking like a massive, multi-year rebuild.

While they signed Malik Willis, the Dolphins are not going to try to go all-in for 2026; they’re building for the future. As part of building for that future, the 11th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will be very important.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, the Dolphins are “big fans” of one player, Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano. With such interest in Fano, Reid is reporting the Dolphins would strongly consider him with the 11th pick.

Dolphins are ‘big fans’ of Spencer Fano, would take him 11th overall

“Sources have told me the Dolphins are big fans of Utah lineman Spencer Fano and would take him at No. 11,” Reid reports.

This is a very noteworthy report, as the Dolphins have plenty of different routes they could go down with the 11th pick in the draft.

After trading away Jaylen Waddle and Minkah Fitzpatrick, wide receiver and safety could be options, with players like Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs, Makai Lemon, or Dillon Thieneman all possibilities at 11th overall.

But, as part of this lengthy rebuild, building up the trenches, especially along the offensive line, is a massive priority.

More: Dolphins ‘ideal’ first round involves zero WRs, instead two defensive backs

Adding Fano, a lineman who has inside and outside versatility, would make a lot of sense. He could play along the interior, or take up the right tackle spot with Austin Jackson in the final year of his current deal.

Former Green Bay Packers personnel, including GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, are likely to focus on the trenches, as Green Bay did for a while. And Fano would be a perfect option with the 11th pick.

This is a perfect fit for the Dolphins, and the only question is whether Fano will make it to them. Multiple teams could go Fano ahead of the Dolphins, which could take someone Miami’s front office are “big fans” of off the board.

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I want to write this post, but I’m not sure I should.

More specifically, I’m not sure I should hit “publish” after I’m done. As I’m writing it, I’m not sure that I will. But since you’re reading this, apparently I talked myself into it. That might have been a terrible mistake.

I want to write about this because I think it’s interesting, and finding interesting stuff in the hockey world and then sharing it with you is pretty much my entire job. But I feel like I shouldn’t, because I don’t want to jinx it. The psychological scars of my youth, spent watching way too many Dave Stieb near-miss no-hitters, still loom large.

Forget it, let’s do this.

The Utah Mammoth are five games away from becoming the first team in the history of the cap era to go a full season without having a single game end in a shootout.

That cap era, of course, coincides with the introduction of the shootout way back in 2005. Since that fateful rule change started settling games with individual breakaway contests, no team has managed to go a full 82-game season without sullying their record with at least one of these stupid things.

In fact, nobody’s really come all that close. Five teams have made it through a full season with only one shootout, including three last year — the Bruins, Oilers and Rangers. None made it as far as the Mammoth have. The previous record was held by the 2018-19 Ottawa Senators, an otherwise forgettable team that made it to their 67th game of the season, when Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s goal late in regulation sent the game to a fruitless overtime.

(That goal came when fresh-faced rookie Brady Tkachuk steamrolled the Islanders’ goaltender, leading to the goal being waved off, leading to a coach’s challenge, leading to a lengthy replay review, leading to the call being overturned by the situation room, leading to everyone complaining about how nobody understands goaltender interference. Does all of that add up to this being the single most annoying goal of all time? Many people are saying this.)

One team has managed to avoid the shootout completely, but it was the 2020-21 Oilers. That was the COVID season that was only 56 games long, and we’ve all agreed that everything that happened in that season was completely fake and doesn’t count. We’re looking for 82 games here. And nobody’s ever come as close as the Mammoth are right now.

In fact, Utah hasn’t even had any true near-misses. If we can stretch the no-hitter metaphor, they’ve yet to need any highlight-reel defensive plays. They’ve been past regulation 15 times so far this season, which isn’t an especially high number in a league where just about everyone seems to be playing for loser points every night. Not one of those games has made it to the final minute of overtime. Five have been settled before the one-minute mark, and two more ended just seconds after.

That list includes Tuesday night, when the Mammoth went to overtime with the Oilers, only to have Clayton Keller end it after just 33 seconds.

This team does not seem to want to take any chances. These days, most teams’ ideal overtime involves taking a few minutes just to win the faceoff, immediately changing lines, executing one 180-foot drop pass, changing lines again, and then “regrouping” in the neutral zone half a dozen times before finally thinking about maybe trying a shot on net. The Mammoth? They’ve already hit the postgame shower by then.

The closest Utah has come to losing its streak came a few weeks ago, when it hosted the Blackhawks. That night saw them get dangerously close to the final minute of the extra period, before Karel Vejmelka wisely whiffed on a shot that hit the post and then pretended not to know where the puck was despite it being on the stick of the Blackhawks’ best player. Game over. And far more importantly, for the Mammoth: Integrity maintained.

It’s important to note the context here. This is happening in a year where, according to Hockey-Reference, the NHL has already had more shootouts than in any other season of the three-on-three era. Every other team has had at least three. The Kings have had 14; the Flyers and Penguins each have 13. Those are already the highest totals of the three-on-three era, despite the season still having a week left to play. And that’s not surprising, given how transparently teams are playing for overtime this year. Shayna noted the rise of the three-point game back in December, and that was before the tight playoff races turned every tied third period into that soccer scene from “The Simpsons.”

Combine that with an emerging overtime strategy that has fans begging for a rule change, and it’s no surprise that we’re seeing more shootouts than ever. Just not in Utah. Bless them for it. No, literally. We already know that the hockey gods hate the loser point, so maybe they’ll reward the Mammoth for this.

(By the way, we should note that this is the first year that “the Mammoth” have even existed. Last year, when they had five shootouts, they were the Utah Hockey Club, and before that, they didn’t exist at all, at least according to the NHL’s official record book. That means that “and the Mammoth will go to a shootout” is one of those hockey phrases that has literally never been uttered by anyone, alongside “Gary Bettman admitted a mistake” and “look at this color photograph of a Leafs fan smiling.”)

The point is that the unlikelihood of it all makes the achievement even more impressive. And it’s all the more reason that we should celebrate it. You probably don’t have especially strong feelings about the Utah Mammoth, a team with virtually no history that’s barely had time to come up with a logo, let alone develop any rivalries. But maybe it’s time for that to change. Between their refusal to settle games with a shootout and that weird new Zamboni thing, maybe it’s time to start scouting out space on the bandwagon.

There’s time to figure that out. First, they need to finish the job. They’ve got five games to go, and they won’t be easy. Luckily, Utah doesn’t have to play those dastardly shootout merchants from Los Angeles, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia the rest of the way. But they’ve got the Predators tonight, and Nashville has been to seven shootouts. After that, it’s Carolina (which has eight), then Calgary (seven), Winnipeg (six) and St. Louis (five). It’s not over yet, but we’ve got two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Let’s hope it’s not Roberto Kelly warming up in the on-deck circle.

And yes, I’m well aware that if I end up pulling a Jacob Markström as I did almost a decade ago, nobody will ever forgive me. That’s why I wasn’t sure about writing this. We should all be pulling for the Mammoth to finish the job here. Some day, the NHL will follow Pierre’s advice and get rid of the shootout altogether. Until then, the least we can do is root for the one team that’s apparently already decided to go ahead and do it themselves.

Go Mammoth go. Or don’t, and lose a bunch of games in a blowout. Winning or losing, either is fine. Just make sure your next five games end with real hockey, or at least the three-on-three quasi-equivalent. You’ve got a chance to make hockey history here. Do it by sticking to actual hockey.

Another Senate district has fallen short of signature threshold requirements — marking what is likely the second nail in the coffin for the effort to repeal Utah’s 2018 voter-approved anti-gerrymandering law known as Proposition 4. 

Senate District 12, represented by Sen. Karen Kwan, D-West Valley City, fell four signatures short of its minimum 3,248 needed in order for the repeal effort to qualify in that district, according to the latest signature tallies posted on the lieutenant governor’s website Wednesday. 

According to an analysis of those tallies by the political consulting and public affairs firm Morgan & May, 581 signatures have been removed from the 3,825 verified signatures that the group Utahns for Representative Government (founded by the head of the Utah GOP) had submitted in order to put the Proposition 4 repeal question on the 2026 November ballot. 

It marks the second district to have toppled. Late last month, Senate District 15 — currently represented by Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights — was the first to fall short as signers pulled their names back, putting the Proposition 4 repeal effort on track to fail. As of Wednesday, 1,035 signatures had been removed from Senate District 15, putting it 377 signatures short. 

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The initiative, however, won’t be officially disqualified until Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson makes the call that the repeal question won’t appear on the ballot. But because the window of time to add signatures has come and gone — with still weeks left for voters to remove their signatures by April 23 — the effort is likely already doomed. 

Henderson’s deadline to declare the final fate of the Proposition 4 repeal effort is April 30. 

“We will carefully review all data and ensure that counties have verified their numbers before making the declaration,” Henderson said in a statement when the first Senate district fell short. 

Under Utah law, ballot initiative backers need to gather signatures from not only at least 8% of the state’s registered voters statewide, but also at least 8% of registered voters in at least 26 of the state’s 29 Senate districts. Utah has some of the most difficult requirements in the country for ballot initiatives. 

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The repeal backers had initially gathered enough signatures in the minimum 26 of Utah’s 29 Senate districts, so opposition groups including Better Boundaries — the original sponsor of Proposition 4 in 2018 — that have been urging voters to remove their signatures only needed to tip the scales in one Senate district to block it from the ballot. 

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But now they’ve done it in two. 

In a statement issued Wednesday morning that echoed her remarks when District 15 came up short, Better Boundaries executive director Elizabeth Rasmussen said the group is “going to continue to work and make sure that anyone across the state who was tricked or misled into signing the repeal of Proposition 4 has the opportunity to remove their signature.”

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“Utahns of all political stripes deserve to pick their politicians, not have politicians that pick their voters,” she said. “Our mission of protecting Proposition 4 and the will of the people is exactly the same as it was in 2018 when Proposition 4 was originally passed by voters. As long as those in power keep demanding special treatment, we will be on the side of everyday Utahns.”

Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday, but last month when the initiative first fell into the red, he issued a statement saying Utahns for Representative Government isn’t done fighting for the repeal — either through a lawsuit or a future initiative effort.

“We have significant concerns about the practices utilized by the opposition and continue to review the signature validation and removal process,” Axson said at the time. “Whether now or in the future, by litigation or initiative, we will repeal Prop 4. This fight is not over but just beginning.” 

The Republican-led campaign to repeal Proposition 4 surfaced after Utah’s courts ruled that the 2021 Utah Legislature overstepped when it repealed and replaced it with a law that enabled them to ignore the voter-approved law’s ban on partisan gerrymandering, its neutral map-drawing standards, and an independent redistricting commission’s recommendations.

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The redistricting lawsuit that successfully alleged that the Legislature violated Utahns’ rights to alter and reform their government via ballot initiative eventually led to 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson voiding the Legislature’s 2021 congressional map as the result of an unconstitutional process. To remedy that unlawful map, she put in place a court-ordered map to be used for the 2026 elections. That map turned one of Utah’s four red congressional districts blue. 

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An Oklahoma-based kratom manufacturer is suing over Utah’s new law limiting sales of the compound, saying it could cost the company more than $10 million when it takes effect next month.

Botanic Tonics LLC manufacturers, distributes and sells a dietary supplement made of kratom and noble kava root known as “feel free,” according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on March 31. The company said SB45, which lawmakers passed in the recent legislative session, would prohibit it and three other companies from selling products at more than 300 retail locations statewide.

“Immediate projected losses to plaintiffs due to the statute’s ban on combination kratom dietary supplements exceed $10,704,428,” the complaints states. “To comply with the statute, plaintiffs have notified their direct to store distributors that all kratom leaf products combined with any other ingredient must be removed from store shelves and not made available for sale as of May 6, 2026, unless action is taken by this court to enjoin implementation of the statute.”

It went on to say that the law “denies access to such products for which there is clinical trial data establishing that they do not present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.”

The lawsuit was filed against Utah Attorney General Derek Brown and several state officials: Kelly Pherson, commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food; Amber Brown, deputy commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food; and Bradon Forsyth, director of the Utah Specialized Product Division.

Botanic Tonics filed the suit in conjunction with the Kratom Coalition Inc., asking a judge to declare Utah’s limits on kratom sales unconstitutional and block the state from enforcing it through a preliminary injunction. The company sued Utah’s Department of Agriculture and Food in a separate state court last year, but that complaint was eventually dismissed.

Kratom comes from a tropical tree and is used by some people for pain management. Kratom products have been sold in retail shops and include powders, gummies, teas and energy drinks.

The substance has been called “gas station heroin” because it can act on the same receptors in the brain that opioids do. Synthetic products derived from kratom can lead to overdose.

SB45 takes effect May 6 and will only allow for the sale of pure leaf kratom in Utah, and only in smoke shops and similar stores. It also gives manufacturers one year to stop producing anything other than pure kratom leaf in the state.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, said the law was meant to protect Utahns from the product. He said based on an informal poll he took of gas station clerks, “feel free” is one of the most popular kratom products sold in Utah, and called the product “extremely potent, extremely addictive.”

“I’m not worried about it being struck down,” he said of the law. “And the lawsuit doesn’t surprise me. This company has been very aggressive. They’ve sued the state in the past. Ultimately that case was dismissed, but I am confident in our case.”

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Preservation Utah announced its 2026 Community Stewardship Award recipients on Tuesday, which recognizes individuals and organizations who have made a lasting impact in preserving Utah’s historic places.

Preservation Utah, dedicated to protecting Utah’s historic landmarks, announced the 10 recipients of the 2026 Community Stewardship Awards who will be honored on April 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at Memorial House in Memory Grove Park in Salt Lake City as part of the organization’s 60th anniversary.

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“These 10 recipients represent the full breadth of what historic preservation looks like in Utah today,” said Brandy Strand, executive director of Preservation Utah. “This year’s awardees demonstrate that preservation is not a niche concern. It belongs to every community in this state.”

As listed on Preservation Utah’s website, this year’s awards with their respective winners are as follows:

Adaptive Reuse

Arbor 515 (Wilde Wood Tower), Salt Lake City

Instead of demolishing the vacant 14-story Modernist office tower at 515 East 100 South, the Utah Perpetual Housing Fund and Rocky Mountain Homes Fund converted the 1981 building, designed by Utah Modernist architect Bill Browning, into 96 affordable housing units, a Montessori school, and one of the nation’s first renter wealth-building programs. Supported by over $12 million from the Salt Lake Community Reinvestment Agency, the project was completed in October 2025 and recognized by Governor Spencer Cox and Mayor Erin Mendenhall as a national model for affordable housing. The owners plan to nominate the building to the National Register of Historic Places when it turns 50.

Community Revitalization

The Milk Block, Salt Lake City

Owners Kathia Dang and Sam Sleiman preserved and rehabilitated the 1941 commercial building at 416 East 900 South, a contributing resource in the Liberty Wells Historic District. They uncovered original bow trusses, restored the Art Deco corner marquee, and repaired the terracotta facade. The Milk Block’s anchor tenant is the Wasatch Cooperative Food Market, Salt Lake City’s first food co-op, serving a neighborhood previously without access to fresh food. All other tenants are locally owned businesses. Equality Utah is headquartered at the block, which is named for Harvey Milk Boulevard.

Research Industry Expert

Korral Broschinsky, statewide

Korral Broschinsky has spent over thirty years documenting Utah’s historic resources. Since founding Preservation Documentation Resource in 1999, she has conducted statewide historic surveys, prepared dozens of successful National Register nominations, and supported property owners with state and federal historic tax credit programs. From 2006 to 2012, her firm surveyed nearly 5,000 buildings in Murray for the Utah State Historic Preservation Office. She is the author of two books on Murray history and served two terms on the Murray City Historic Preservation Advisory Board.

Legacy Business

Roosters Hospitality Group, Ogden and Northern Utah

For thirty years, founders Kym and Pete Buttschardt have operated in historic spaces along Ogden’s most significant corridor, viewing older buildings as valuable assets. When they opened Roosters Brewing Co. on Historic 25th Street in 1995, in a building constructed in 1893 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Ogden’s downtown was at a turning point. Their ongoing investment has helped revitalize the street through economic challenges and growth. In 2023, the Utah Restaurant Association honored Roosters with its Golden Spoon: Restaurateur of the Year award.

Heritage Organization

Friends of Historic Spring City, Spring City, Sanpete County

Founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1998, Friends of Historic Spring City has spent over forty years preserving the historic character of Utah’s best-preserved nineteenth-century Mormon village. The organization restored the 1899 Spring City Public School, now the Community Center, securing over $1 million in funding and repaying the Community Impact Board loan ahead of schedule. With about 180 volunteers in a town of 1,000, the Friends now lead efforts to protect the one-acre lots that form the foundation of the Plat of Zion layout, which the National Register district was established to safeguard.

Steward of the Historic Built Environment

Susan Dolemba / Nebeker-Kearl House, Laketown, Rich County

When Susan Dolemba purchased the circa-1880 Nebeker-Kearl House in 2002, the upper story had been deemed uninhabitable. Over eight years, she rebuilt the staircase, restored the kitchen and parlor to their original locations, repaired the sandstone foundation, and returned the exterior to its historic appearance, completing the project in 2010 with federal and state historic tax credits. She has cared for the house for over twenty years. The Nebeker-Kearl House is the best surviving early frame home in Laketown and a leading example of Victorian Eclectic design in rural Utah.

Rehabilitation and Restoration

Bernard O. Mecklenburg Residence, Salt Lake City

Jesse and Erin Deller purchased 951 East South Temple, a 19061907 Classical Box residence designed by a leading early twentieth-century Salt Lake City architect and located in the South Temple Local Historic District. The home had been divided into apartments and suffered years of damage. Without institutional support or historic tax credits, the Dellers hand-stripped paint from historic sandstone, rebuilt original wooden windows using traditional methods, restored the original floor plan, and returned the home’s original front door, which they found at the rear of the house, to its intended place.

Browning Apartments, Ogden

Developer Casey Keller inherited a partially remodeled 1916 Prairie Style apartment building at 2703 Washington Boulevard, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a complex title history and two Utah State Historic Preservation Office site visits documenting prior noncompliant work. He resolved these issues by stripping and refinishing painted Mississippi red gum woodwork, uncovering and restoring original penny tile floors at both main entrances, and fabricating custom wood doors to replace incompatible vinyl ones. The project earned both Federal and State Historic Tax Credits for the first time in the building’s history.

Silver King Coalition Mine Headframe Building, Park City

The Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, a committee of the Park City Museum, led a four-year rehabilitation of the 1926 Silver King Coalition Mine Headframe Building in Woodside Gulch above Park City Mountain Resort. This 12,400-square-foot industrial landmark had been vacant since 1953, was listed among Preservation Utah’s 2024 Most Endangered Sites, and was at risk of structural failure due to a collapsing mine shaft. Completed in October 2025, the project stabilized the shaft, rebuilt the snow-damaged roof using original corrugated metal panels with their historic patina, and secured the building as the centerpiece of the Silver King Coalition Mine National Historic District, designated in December 2024. The building will anchor the Park City Historic Mine Route, launching in September 2026.

University of Utah Fort Douglas Buildings 661, 662 & 663, Salt Lake City

After a 2020 windstorm exposed 1980s-era vinyl siding on three 1891 Army cottages along Connor Road at Fort Douglas, the University of Utah redirected a planned exterior upgrade to a full rehabilitation. The project recreated lost Victorian details, including the transition between fish scale shingles and drop siding, incorporated a significant seismic upgrade while preserving the historic character of the interiors, and restored all three porches to their documented historic configurations. Buildings 661, 662, and 663 will return to housing for faculty and staff in 2026, fulfilling their original purpose.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Drumroll please…. The Utah mammoth hockey team officially unveiled the newest addition to their fan-crazed arena, the “Zammoth.”

Converted from a 2002 Winter Olympic Zamboni, the “Zammoth” will now offer guests an unforgettable off-ice experience at Mammoth home games.

The retrofitted Zamboni no longer cleans the ice, but instead, has been transformed into a mammoth-themed vehicle that guests will have the opportunity to ride around the ice pregame and during intermissions at Mammoth home games.

Designed and built in collaboration with the Diesel Brothers, a Utah-based pair famous for customized high-performance vehicles.

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The “Zammoth” was built using the frame of the Zamboni from the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics — “transforming a relic of Utah’s hockey history into a modernized, mobile fan experience, ” the team said in a press release.

The “Zammoth” is set to be a fully interactive fan experience, carrying up to eight riders pregame and during both intermissions. The ride stands at about 17 ft x 7ft x 8ft and is complete with special effects sure to “wow.”

The ride features custom lighting, a sound system, a 3D printed trunk and tusks, and was constructed using a mix of aluminum and steel.

Catch the “Zammoth” at the next Mammoth home game.

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Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

In a game the Utah Jazz had to lose, they got the job done in a big way against the New Orleans Pelicans, losing 156-137.

Defense was absolutely optional in this one, but it was exceptionally bad for the Utah Jazz, who somehow gave up 156 points. But this is not something to be shamed or mocked, this is the best form of tankmogging. With the Brooklyn Nets winning again and the Jazz tied with the Kings, this is exactly what the Jazz needed to do. Utah is on a mission to land another top pick in the draft and, if successful, could become one of the league’s elite teams. To lose big like this is the biggest expression of competitiveness.

For example, which of these two teams would you rather be? Utah owns their pick in the upcoming draft if it stays bottom-8. Utah has over a 99% chance to keep their pick and will add that player to a core that should compete for playoff positioning next season. It’s also decent odds that they jump into the top of an elite draft that has a great group of players to choose from. On the other hand, you have the Pelicans, who traded the rights to their pick in the upcoming draft to pick Derik Queen and are sitting in the 8th spot in the lottery. They get to watch the Hawks pick someone who would have been added to their core. Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have had some nice moments this season, but they’ve led the Pelicans to the 8th spot in the lottery standings. It’s a pretty easy answer.

It’s also a sign that the Jazz understand the assignment. This is how the Jazz can maximize their chances at a championship. If Utah somehow lucks into a top three to four pick, they become an absolute monster, overloaded with talent at every position.

And that’s just the benefits of losing. Utah is also finding out what they have with their young players. Cody Williams, Ace Bailey, Brice Sensabaugh, and Kyle Filipowski have all shown real signs during this tank, something they couldn’t have done if they were pushing for wins. They’ve also found a nice player in Blake Hinson, who has been almost too good since he joined the team. Oh, and they also might have a guy in John Konchar, who had a triple-double tonight. Which, by the way, is the fourth triple-double of the season for the Jazz.

All in all, it’s a highly successful night for the Jazz, who are now on their way to a potential three-way tie with the Nets and Kings for the third pick. If Utah gets lucky, lottery night could be even more interesting than it looked a month ago.