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Men's Basketball Takes On Idaho State
11/13/2000 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2000
Rankings:
Utah is 13th in the A.P. Poll and 16th in the USA Today/ESPN Poll.
Television: None
Radio: Utah Sports Network (KALL-910 AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations).
On the Internet at www.UtahUtes.com. Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Series Record: Utah leads Idaho State 18-3
Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 10-0/8-2/0-1
Last Meeting: Utah defeated Idaho State, 85-76, on Dec. 21, 1978, in Pocatello, Idaho
Majerus vs. Idaho State Overall: 0-0 At Utah: 0-0
A Quick Look At Utah
The Utes welcome back one starter and three other letterwinners from last season, as well as two return missionaries who played on the 1998 Final Four team. Utah went 23-9 overall, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and tied for the inaugural Mountain West Conference championship with a 10-4 record in 1999-2000.
Senior center Nate Althoff (6-11, 265), a two-year starter at center, averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season. He was also Utah's leader in blocked shots (25) and field goal percentage (60.1) last season. Althoff is the Utes' leading returning scorer and rebounder. Junior Phil Cullen (6-9, 215) played in all 32 games and started 14 last season. Cullen averaged 5.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last year. He also shot 36.5 percent (31-of-85) from three-point range.
Junior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 200) averaged 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds while playing in 32 games and starting five in 1999-2000. Sophomore forward Mike Puzey (6-8, 230) played in 26 games, averaging 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds last season.
Back from LDS church missions this year are guard/forward Trace Caton (6-4, 215) and forward Britton Johnsen (6-9, 205). Both played as freshmen on Utah's 1997-98 team that made it to the national championship game. Caton played in all 34 games during his debut season. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.1 rebounds while shooting 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from three-point range. Johnsen, after missing the first eight games of the '97-98 season with patella tendonitis in his left knee, averaged 3.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 21 games.
Rick Majerus has eight newcomers this year, including two eligible Division I transfers, two junior college transfers a redshirt freshman and three freshmen.
Scouting Idaho State
The Bengals return one starter and four other lettermen from last year's team that went 8-19 overall and 3-13 in the Big Sky Conference to tie for eighth place. Idaho State went 0-2 in the exhibition season, losing to MBK Nikolaev, 78-75, last Wednesday and to the California All-Stars, 85-84, last Saturday.
The only returning starter is 6-11, 240-pound senior center Doug Silva, who averaged 9.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season. The Bengals roster includes 11 newcomers, six of whom are transfers from other Division I schools or junior colleges. Among the transfers is Jordie McTavish (G, 6-1, 180, Jr.), who last played for the Utes during the 1997-98 season and missed last year with a knee injury. Also on the ISU roster are Salt Lake City natives Brandon Anderson (G/F, 6-4, 200, So.), who graduated from Skyline High School, and Tim Erickson (G, 6-3, 195, Jr.), who graduated from Granger High School and played two seasons at Salt Lake Community College.
The Game at a Glance
| Utah Coach: Rick Majerus | Idaho State Coach: Doug Oliver |
| Alma Mater: Marquette '70 | Alma Mater: San Jose State '73 |
| Record at Utah: 261-73/12th Season | Record at Idaho State: 14-39/3rd Season |
| Overall Record: 360-125/17th Season | Overall Record: 14-39/3rd Season |
Exhibition Season Rewind
Utah went 1-1 during the exhibition season, losing its opener to the EA Sports California All-Stars, 88-81, on Nov. 2 and defeating Team Reebok, 90-60, on Nov. 8.
Phil Cullen scored 19 points to lead Utah past Team Reebok. Starting guards Kevin Bradley, a junior college transfer, and Nick Jacobson, a redshirt freshman guard, scored nine points each. Bradley also handed out five assists. Travis Spivey came off the bench to get eight points and a game-high seven assists with no turnovers.
Coach Rick Majerus played his bench liberally, utilizing 11 players for 10 minutes or more. Utah built a 51-30 lead at halftime and cruised through the second half. The Utes outshot Team Reebok 55.7 to 36.2 percent from the field and converted 8-of-20 three-pointers (40.0 percent). Utah also ate up Team Reebok inside, posting a 44 to 31 advantage on the boards and scoring 40 points in the paint.
Cullen helped Utah's healthy shooting percentage by making 5-of-6 field goals, all four three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws in 21 minutes as a starter. Chris Burgess came off the bench to contribute eight points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Britton Johnsen also had eight points and five boards in 16 minutes.
Against the California All-Stars, four Utes scored in double figures, including 14 points from Bradley, who went 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Jacobson, after making all four shots in the first half, shot 5-of-7 for the game and 2-of-4 from three-point range to get 12 points. Britton Johnsen, in his first game back from a Mormon mission, had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior center Nate Althoff had 10 points, eight boards and two blocked shots. Junior Jeff Johnsen contributed a game-high six assists.
The Utes hit their first six shots and 13 of their initial 17 attempts to surge to a 31-14 lead midway through the first half. However, the All-Stars, comprised of former college players, chipped away at Utah's lead, closing to within 10 points (37-27) with 4:26 left in the first half and 44-39 at halftime.
Former UCLA star Kris Johnson, who finished with a game-high 27 points, made a three-pointer with 11:51 to play to give EA Sports its first lead at 55-54. Utah came back to tie it at 58-all with 10:15 to play, but never led again.
Utah shot 68.0 percent in the first half and outshot the All-Stars 57.1 to 52.6 percent for the game. The Utes also made 47.1 percent of their three-pointers. Utah had a 32 to 24 edge on the boards, but committed 21 turnovers while breaking in a virtually-new backcourt.
From The Training Room
Freshman center Jon Godfread did not play in either of Utah's exhibition games. Godfread took a charge from Travis Spivey on Oct. 28 in practice and hit his head on the floor, suffering a severe concussion. As of late last week, Godfread was still suffering from post-concussion symptoms. He is likely to be out of action for several weeks.
Team Notes
Burgess and Spivey Receive Preseason Accolades
A couple of Ute newcomers, junior center Chris Burgess (6-10, 245) and junior guard Travis Spivey (6-1, 205), have received numerous preseason accolades.
Noting some of the sources, Burgess, in his first year on the court with the Utes after transferring from Duke, is predicted to be the Mountain West Conference's ?Newcomer of the Year? by the league media, Basketball News and Preview Sports. The Basketball News and Preview Sports also placed Burgess on their all-conference first team. Spivey, who started as a freshman at Georgia Tech and was a second team NJCAA All-American at Salt Lake Community College last season, was predicted to be the ?Newcomer of the Year? in the Mountain West Conference and first team all-league by The Sporting News. The Basketball News also placed him on its Mountain West Conference preseason first team.
Take Note of Nate
Senior 6-11 center Nate Althoff stepped up his play considerably during the 1999-2000 season. The Delano, Minn. (Delano HS) product was fourth on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg) and and third in rebounding (4.7 rpg) last season, and is the leading returner in both categories. Althoff had two 20-point games and 13 double-figure scoring games last season.
In the 2000-01 preseason publications, Althoff was listed as a second-team all-conference pick by the Basketball News and ?The Best Player over 6-10? by The Sporting News.
Althoff led the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage (60.1) in 1999-2000, also setting the Utah single-season record. He improved his shooting percentage to 64.8 during the conference season, which was also a league-best mark. Althoff ranked 22nd in the MWC in scoring (9.5 ppg), 16th in rebounds (4.7 rpg), eighth in blocked shots (0.89 bpg) and 11th in free throw percentage (71.1). With a 60.6 career field goal percentage, he is on track to break the Utah record.
Preseason Publication/Internet Polls
Despite the loss of four starters and two other letterwinners from last season, the prognosticators haven't hesitated to place Utah in their preseason Top 25 polls this season. Here's a look of where the Utes rank in the various polls: Blue Ribbon, 21st, CBS SportsLine.com, 17th, ESPN.com, 13th, Dick Vitale's, 20th, FoxSports.com,17th, Preview Sports, 18th, Street & Smith's, 16, and The Sporting News, 14th. Utah is also the consensus preseason favorite to win the Mountain West Conference championship.
Media Picks Utes to Win Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference released its preseason media poll and all-conference team Oct. 4 during Basketball Media Day at the Las Vegas Four Seasons Hotel, in Las Vegas, Nev.
The league media selected Utah to claim the Mountain West Conference title for the second straight season, awarding the Utes 18 of a possible 32 first-place votes. Wyoming was picked second in the poll garnering seven first-place votes, followed by UNLV with six first-place tallies. BYU finished fourth and was the only other team to receive a first-place nomination. New Mexico was selected fifth, followed by Colorado State, San Diego State and Air Force.
The preseason all-conference team includes Wyoming's Josh Davis and Ugo Udezue, BYU's Terrell Lyday and Mekeli Wesley, and UNLV's Kaspars Kambala. Top returnee honors went to UNLV senior forward/center Kaspars Kambala, while Utah center/forward Chris Burgess, a transfer from Duke, was tabbed newcomer of the year.
Three Utes with National Championship Game Experience
Utah has three players on its 2000-01 roster that have played in an NCAA championship game. Two of them played for Utah in the 1998 national championship game, which resulted in a 78-69 loss to Kentucky. Britton Johnsen and Trace Caton, who are returning from two-year LDS church missions and will be sophomores this season, played as freshmen in that game. Johnsen had seven points (3-for-4 FG, 1-for-2 3FG) and four rebounds in 16 minutes, while Caton missed his only field goal attempt in five minutes. Senior center Nate Althoff was a freshman on that '97-98 Utah team, but did not play in the national championship game.
Chris Burgess, while still at Duke, played in the 1999 national championship game. Burgess was scoreless and did not attempt a shot while the Blue Devils lost to Connecticut, 77-74.
All in the Family
Utah will have one of 11 brother combinations in NCAA Division I this season in Jeff and Britton Johnsen. The Johnsens, who hail from Murray, Utah, haven't played together for four years. Jeff (G/F, 6-4, 200), a junior this season, began his career at Utah in 1996-97 before going on a two-year LDS church mission to Fresno, Calif. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32 games last season with five starts. Britton (F, 6-9, 205), who resumes his Utah career as a sophomore this season, played for the Utes in 1997-98 before going on his LDS Church mission to Houston, Texas. He averaged 3.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in 21 games as a freshman. The last season the Johnsens played together, they led Murray High School to the Utah 4A state title in 1996.
Rick Majerus has literally made his program a family affair at Utah. The Johnsens are the fifth set of brothers to play for Majerus spanning his 12-year career at the U. However, they are the first to play together.
20/20 Vision
For the 28th time in its history, Utah won 20 games in 1999-2000. Under current coach Rick Majerus, Utah has hit for 20 wins in nine of 11 seasons, including the last six in a row. Majerus' 20-win seasons at Utah: 1990-91 (30-4), 1991-92 (24-11), 1992-93 (24-7), 1994-95 (28-6), 1995-96 (27-7), 1996-97 (29-4), 1997-98 (30-4), 1998-99 (28-5), 1999-2000 (23-9).
Utes Hold the Nation's Best Home Winning Streak
Utah enters the 2000-01 season with the longest active homecourt winning streak in NCAA Division I. After closing out their home schedule with an 86-63 win over Air Force on March 4, the Utes have won 52 straight in the Jon M. Huntsman Center dating back to a Dec. 31, 1996 loss to Wake Forest. Utah's current streak began with an 84-63 win over Colorado State on Jan. 4, 1997. It is the longest homecourt winning streak in school history.
Michigan State has the second-longest active streak with 28 consecutive home wins while Hofstra is third with 26 and Alcorn State fourth with 25.
The Utes were 17-0 at home in 1999-2000 to record the seventh undefeated home season in the 31-year history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Six of those undefeated home seasons have come under Rick Majerus: 1990-91 (16-0), 1992-93 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (13-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 1999-2000 (17-0). The Utes are 146-10 (.936) in the Huntsman Center under Majerus and have never lost back-to-back home games.
The Utes also won 27 consecutive home games from Jan. 29, 1994 through Jan 2, 1996. The streak ended with a 65-64 loss to Fresno State on Jan. 8, 1996. Combining the two lengthy streaks and 13 consecutive wins sandwiched in between the two losses, Utah has won 92 of its last 94 games played in the Huntsman Center.
One of the Nation's Elite Programs in Recent Years
Under the guidance of head coach Rick Majerus, Utah won the eighth-most games in NCAA Division I during the 1990s. The Utes had a 250-76 record from 1989-99, placing them behind Kansas (286-60), Kentucky (282-63), Duke (271-78), North Carolina (270-78), Arkansas (260-83), Connecticut (259-75) and Arizona (256-67).
Utah also ranked eighth in the nation in winning percentage (.767) in the '90s. Kansas had the best winning percentage at .827, followed by Kentucky (.817), Arizona (.793), College of Charleston (.784), Duke (.777), North Carolina (.776) and Connecticut (.775).
In the last five seasons, the Utes had the fourth-most wins in NCAA Division I with a 137-29 record. Utah's .825 winning percentage over the last five years also ranks fourth in the nation, falling behind the College of Charleston (.855), Kentucky (.846) and Kansas (.831). The Utes are tied with Cincinnati (.825) and rank ahead of such programs as Duke (.809), Connecticut (.806), Stanford (.797), Arizona (.788) and Princeton (.786).
Utah Signs Three Recruits In Early Period
The Utes have signed Chris Jackson, a 7-0, 230-pound center from Los Alamos, N.M., Martin Osimani, a 6-3, 200-pound guard from Hialeah, Fla., and Eric Osmundson, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from San Diego, Calif., to national letters of intent.
Jackson averaged 20.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots and 2.0 steals per game last season for Los Alamos High School. He earned honorable mention All-America and New Mexico 3A Player of the Year honors. An excellent student, Jackson scored 1580 points on his SAT and is vying for a National Merit Scholarship. He has a 4.30 GPA and is expected to enroll the U. with enough class credits to bypass most of his freshman-year course work.
Osimani, a combination guard, is originally from Uruguay and played for its Junior National team in the summer of 2000. He averaged 9.0 points and 5.0 assists, and shot 40 percent from three-point range last season for Champagnat Catholic High School. He scored 930 points on his SAT and is an honor roll student with a 3.50 GPA. The Hoop Scoop ranked him as the 66th-best player in the nation among those in the 2000-01 senior class.
Osmundson, a point guard, averaged 16.9 points and 5.0 assists per game as a junior at St. Augustine High School. He was named first team Division III in California and second team Western League. He is an honor roll student with a 4.00 GPA.
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