Men's Basketball Set For Wyoming
1/17/2001 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2001
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Game #18
Utah Utes (11-6, 3-0 MWC) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (10-4, 1-1 MWC)
Jan. 20 * 1:07 p.m. (MST) * Arena-Auditorium (15,028) * Laramie, Wyo.
A Quick Look At Utah The Utes are 11-6 overall and 3-0 in Mountain West Conference play, riding a season-best four-game winning streak and taking seven of their last nine games. Utah has opened Mountain West Conference play with three wins at home, defeating Wyoming (83-71) on Jan. 8, UNLV (79-70) last Saturday and San Diego State (58-39) on Monday.
Utah has four players averaging eight points per game or better, with one in double figures. Junior guard Kevin Bradley, coming off the bench the past five games, leads the team in scoring (10.4 ppg), shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range. He is also second on the team in assists (2.4 apg). Junior forward Phil Cullen is second in scoring (9.9 ppg), shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range, and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg). Senior center Nate Althoff is third in scoring (8.9 ppg). Junior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen is fourth in scoring (8.5 ppg), shooting 36.8 percent from behind the arc and 80.5 percent from the line. Junior forward/center Chris Burgess, who is out until at least late February after spraining his left ankle against San Diego State, leads the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and blocked shots (16). Junior Travis Spivey, who has started the last five games at point guard, is averaging a team-best 2.7 assists per game.
Utah returned just 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.
Majerus Takes Medical Leave for Rest of the Season Rick Majerus announced on Jan. 9 he was leaving the team for the rest of the season to be with his cancer-stricken mother and recover from his own health problems.
Majerus underwent a coronary angiography and stenting of two coronary artery branches on Jan. 2. He had a follow-up procedure performed on Jan. 3. Doctors reported that both procedures went very well. Prior to that, Majerus had been away from the team for seven weeks while undergoing rehabilitation from late-September arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He had anticipated to rejoin the team on Jan. 1 before admitting himself to the hospital with chest pains. Majerus is planning to return to coaching for the 2001-02 season.
Hunsaker Directing the Utes Dick Hunsaker, in his third year at Utah, is serving as the acting head coach in the absence of Rick Majerus. His record as Utah's acting head coach is 10-6, directing the team since the second game of the season.
Hunsaker was the associate head coach under Majerus at Ball State from 1987-89. Hunsaker followed Majerus as the head coach at Ball State from 1989-93. He compiled a 97-33 record with the Cardinals, giving him the seventh-best four-year coaching record in NCAA history. During his stay in Muncie, Ind., Ball State made two trips to the NIT and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He led the Cardinals to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1990. Hunsaker posted four 20-win seasons at BSU. His teams also captured two Mid-American Conference championships and placed second twice. Hunsaker has a 148-61 (.708) record as a college head coach (not counting the games this season.)
Hunsaker came to Utah from Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., where he had been the head coach since 1995. During his three years at Manchester, he posted a 51-27 record and led the Spartans to three of the 10 winningest seasons in the college's 85-year history. He played college basketball one season for Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins at UTEP (1972-73) and finished his career at Weber State (1974-77).
From the Training Room: Burgess Out Six to Eight Weeks
- Chris Burgess, a 6-10 junior forward/center, sustained a non-displaced avulsion fracture of his left ankle in the first half of the Utes' game against San Diego State on Monday night. The injury was detected in x-rays performed by team doctors on Tuesday morning. Burgess is expected to be out six to eight weeks, which would have him returning the last week of February at the earliest. "An avulsion fracture occurs when the ligaments pull on their insertion into the bone, so that the bone is actually being pulled away from bone," said team trainer Trevor Jameson. "In Chris' case, the bone was not displaced from the bone, so surgery will not be necessary." Before suffering the injury, Burgess had started the last 12 games. The Irvine, Calif., native was sixth on the team in scoring at 7.0 points per game, reaching double figures seven times. He also led the Utes with 5.5 rebounds per game and 16 blocked shots. Burgess averaged 20.6 minutes per game and appeared in all 17 contests this season. He played just six minutes against San Diego State before stepping on the foot of an opposing player while jumping out to challenge a shot on the perimeter with 7:41 to play in the first half. Burgess is in his first season of playing with the Utes. He sat out last year after transferring from Duke, where he played for two seasons.
- Sophomore forward Mike Puzey is suffering from two injuries. He has plantar (sole) fasciitis in his right foot and broke his nose in practice on Dec. 28. Puzey has been wearing a plastic protective mask in recent weeks to prevent further injury to his nose.
Utah vs. Wyoming Notes
Scouting the Cowboys Wyoming is 10-4 overall and in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 1-1 record. The Cowboys split their first two games in league play--both on the road--losing the Utes (83-71) and Jan. 8 and defeating Colorado State (70-69 in overtime) last Saturday. Wyoming has not played at home, where it is 5-0 this season, since Dec. 30 when it defeated Wichita State (72-65).
Three players are averaging double figures in points for the Cowboys. Sophomore 6-5 guard Marcus Bailey is third in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg) and is shooting 31.8 percent (14-for-44) from three-point range. Junior 6-8 forward Josh Davis is just shy of averaging a double-double, ranking ninth in the league in scoring (13.1 ppg) and 24th in the nation in rebounds (9.9 rpg). Sophomore 6-10 center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi is 18th in the MWC in scoring (10.4 ppg) and third in rebounding (8.2 rpg). Junior 5-10 guard Chris McMillian is third in the conference in assists (4.4 apg).
Wyoming ranks third in the MWC in scoring (74.1 ppg), seventh in scoring defense (67.4 ppg) and third in rebound margin (+6.1) with a 43.7 to 37.6 advantage per game on the boards this season.
Head Coach Steve McClain Steve McClain is in his third season at Wyoming. The Cowboys did not qualify for postseason play last year after making it to the second round of the NIT in 1999. Before taking the post at UW, he was an assistant coach at TCU under Billy Tubbs from 1994-98. He helped lead the Horned Frogs to the 1998 NCAA Tournament and a No. 15 final A.P. ranking.
Series Notes Utah leads the overall series with Wyoming 82-66, but has just a 28-43 record in games played in Laramie, Wyo. The Utes have not won at the Arena-Auditorium since getting 64-45 decision on Jan. 28, 1993, losing their last five games on the Pokes' homecourt. Last season in Laramie, Wyoming posted a resounding 88-61 win over the Utes on Feb. 28.
Utah and Wyoming did not meet during the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons when the old rivals were placed in separate divisions of the 16-team WAC. The Utes have won 12 of the last 18 meetings, but Wyoming has taken five of the last 10 contests.
Last Meeting Phil Cullen scored 17 points and freshman Nick Jacobson had 14 as Utah beat Wyoming, 83-71, on Jan. 8 in the Mountain West opener for both schools. Chris Burgess added 11 points and Britton Johnsen had 10 as the Utes outlasted the Cowboys in a showdown of teams expected to contend in the Mountain West.
Josh Davis led the Cowboys with 18 points while Marcus Bailey had 11, but Utah held Wyoming's imposing Nigerian frontcourt in check. Uche Nsonwu-Amadi scored eight points and his cousin, Ugo Udezue, went scoreless.
The Utes held a 36-32 lead after an emotional and physical first half but did a better job of setting the tempo in the second half. Utah went ahead 59-49 with 10:40 on the clock after two free throws by Marc Jackson. It was 66-56 after Nick Jacobsen was fouled while attempting a three-pointer and made three free throws with 7:53 to play.
The Cowboys refused to quit, pulling within 74-66 after consecutive baskets by Marcus Bailey, the second with 4:24 to play. But Utah put it away by scoring the next six points. Cullen scored inside and Burgess brought fans to their feet by slamming home an alley-oop from Travis Spivey. When Burgess scored on a three-foot flip on the next Utah possession, the Utes led 80-66 with 3:05 to play.
Utah vs. Colorado State Preview
Scouting the Rams Colorado State 9-5 overall and in sixth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 0-1 record. After getting wins at home over Alabama-Huntsville (80-47) on Jan. 2 and Texas-Pan American (71-62) on Jan. 4, the Rams dropped their MWC opener to Wyoming (70-69 in overtime) at Moby Arena last Saturday. They are 5-2 at home this season.
Three Rams are averaging double figures in scoring. Senior 6-3 guard John Sivesind ranks 12th in the conference in scoring (12.4 ppg) and eighth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.515). He is also a 90.3 percent free throw shooter. Senior 6-10 forward David Fisher is 13th in the MWC in scoring (12.3 ppg), while senior 6-3 guard Ron Grady is 15th (10.8 ppg). Sophomore 6-8 forward Brain Green is seventh in the league in rebounding (6.3 rpg). Sophomore 6-4 guard Andy Birley is tied for sixth in the conference in assists (3.3 apg).
Colorado State ranks fourth in the nation in three-point percentage (.437). The Rams rank second in the MWC in scoring (74.3 ppg), fifth in scoring defense (63.8 ppg) and third in rebound margin (+6.0) with a 35.9 to 29.9 advantage per game.
Head Coach Dale Layer Dale Layer is in his first season as head coach at Colorado State after serving as an assistant the past two seasons under Ritchie McKay. Before moving to Fort Collins, Colo., Layer was the head coach at Queens College in Charlotte, N.C., for nine seasons. He built the Division II program from the ground up and went 168-87 (.659), twice earning NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors. Layer took Queens College to the national tournament twice and produced eight consecutive winning seasons.
Series Notes The Utes lead the overall series record with the Rams 85-37 and have a 33-22 edge in games played in Fort Collins, Colo. In their most recent meeting, Utah fell to CSU, 60-49, on Feb. 26 of last season in Fort Collins to end a 10-game winning streak. The Utes took the first game against the Rams last season, 76-70, on Jan. 24 in Salt Lake City. Colorado State's last two wins over Utah have come in Moby Arena, with its most recent win prior to last year coming by a 74-69 score on Feb. 3, 1994.
Team Notes
Game #17 Rewind Nick Jacobson scored 13 points as Utah defeated San Diego State, 58-39, Monday to stay unbeaten in conference play. Utah (11-6 overall, 3-0 Mountain West Conference) won its fourth game in a row as its suffocating man-to-man defense held the Aztecs to 32 percent shooting and their lowest offensive output of the season.
Randy Holcomb led San Diego State (10-6, 0-3) with 12 points and 10 rebounds but didn't score in the last 16 minutes. Utah, which also got 10 points from Trace Caton off the bench, has won 12 consecutive games in the series and kept San Diego State winless in Salt Lake City since 1982.
San Diego State closed within 42-33 on David Abramowitz's three free throws, but Jeff Johnsen had two buckets in an 11-2 spurt that made it 53-35 for the Utes with 7:45 to play. Utah held the Aztecs scoreless for over five minutes during the span. The Aztecs were averaging 74.9 points a game before going cold on their tour of Utah. San Diego State managed just 50 points against BYU on Saturday (79-50).
The Utes shot only 7-of-29 from beyond the arc but got enough easy baskets on fast breaks and inside the lane against the undersized Aztecs to keep themselves in the MWC's top spot. The Utes outrebounded SDSU 21-9 in the second half.
The Aztecs took a 16-14 lead in the first half as Utah started the game shooting 1-of-11 from 3-point territory. But Jacobson finally found his range with a pair of three-pointers that powered an 18-1 run that gave Utah a 32-17 lead with 1:59 until halftime. Utah, which has been plagued with turnovers this season and averages 15.9 a game, committed just one turnover in the first half and outscored the Aztecs 15-0 in points off turnovers in the period.
Close Calls Lead to Slow Start A few bounces of the ball here or there, and Utah could have had a record far better than its 8-6 mark entering Mountain West Conference play. Utah's six losses during the nonconference season came by a combined 31 points for an average of 5.2 points per game.
Utah suffered a one-point loss (58-57) at Utah State on Dec. 6, a two-point loss at home (79-77) to Weber State on Dec. 9. The Utes had two five-point setbacks to Georgia (Nov. 24) and USC (Dec. 2) by identical 65-60 scores on neutral courts. Utah's worst loss of the season was by an 11-point margin (70-59) at 25th-ranked Texas on Dec. 30.
In four of the six losses, Utah had significant leads in the second half. The Utes led Georgia 55-36 with 12:13 to play, had a 52-48 lead over Utah State with 10:27 to go, a 56-50 cushion over Southern Utah with 10:46 remaining and a 53-50 advantage over Texas with 6:18 left.
Utah's six losses in nonconference play is the most that it has had in the past 12 years. The last time the Utes went into league play with more than five losses was in 1988-89, the last season of Lynn Archibald's tenure, when Utah went 9-6 through its pre-conference schedule. During the Majerus era, Utah has had a high mark of four losses before the start of conference play just twice, going 7-4 in 1989-90 (Majerus' first season) and 10-4 in 1998-99.
What's The Difference Now? The Utes have rebounded from a 4-4 start to win seven of their last nine games. Ridding a four-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Wyoming, Utah has won those games by an average of 13.3 points, defeating Long Beach State (80-67) on Jan. 3, Wyoming (83-71) on Jan. 8, UNLV (79-70) on Jan 13 and San Diego State (58-39) on Monday.
Utah's recent fortunes can be attributed to three things: a sizeable advantage in free throw shooting, improved guard play and the ability to close out games.
- * In the last four games, the Utes have done a much better job of keeping their opponents off the line, while converting on their own opportunities. In the first 13 games of the season, Utah's opponents were averaging 24.0 free throw attempts, compared to just 13.5 attempts in the last four games. Meanwhile, Utah has averaged 15.8 free throws made per game over the last four contests, shooting 76.8 percent. The Utes are 8-2 when they have had more free throw attempts than their opponents this season.
- * Junior Travis Spivey, a transfer from Salt Lake Community College, has started the last five games with fellow junior college transfer Kevin Bradley, the staring point guard for the first 12 games, coming off the bench.
- * Utah's generals had their best floor games of the season against Long Beach State on Jan. 3, combining for seven assists and no turnovers. It was the first time this season both of Utah's top point guards went turnover free. Travis Spivey had four points and three assists in 27 minutes, while Kevin Bradley contributed five points, four assists and one steal in 24 minutes against the 49ers. Their effort helped Utah commit nine turnovers, the second-lowest total this season. Entering the Long Beach State game, Utah was averaging 16.5 turnovers per game. The Utes are 8-1 when they have committed fewer turnovers than their opponents this season.
- * Utah also used Marc Jackson at point guard extensively against Wyoming on Jan. 8 and San Diego State on Jan. 15, and the freshman from Salt Lake City delivered. Jackson made 7-of-8 free throws with three rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 12 minutes against the Cowboys. He had two points, three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 16 minutes against the Aztecs.
- * In a physical game against Wyoming, the Utes committed 12 turnovers--its fourth-lowest total in 17 games--including just two in the second half. Utah turned the ball over a season-low eight times while getting 15 assists against San Diego State.
- * In their last two games against UNLV and San Diego State, Bradley, Jackson and Spivey have combined for a 2:1 assists-to-turnover ratio with 16 assists and eight turnovers. Spivey had a season-high six assists and three turnovers against UNLV on Jan. 13. He also scored 10 points and got two steals in 25 minutes.
- * In four of its six losses Utah had significant leads late in the second half. The Utes' inability to close out games attributed to a 3-5 record in December after letting second-half leads slip away to Utah State, Southern Utah and Texas. During its four games in January, Utah has been the team making plays down the stretch to secure victories. As a case in point, against the UNLV on Jan. 13 with the score tied at 63 with 3:47 to play, Utah went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes.
- * In the last nine games, seven of which have resulted in victories, Utah has had the lead going into the half. The Utes are 9-3 when leading at halftime this season.
Slow Starts, Fast Finishes Dropping games early in the season has been no cause for concern for the Utes over the last three seasons. After blending in newcomers at key positions and filling in for the losses of four NBA Draft picks in the last four years, Utah has had to overcome meager beginnings before only to continue its winning ways.
The Nation's Most Dominant Team in League Play the Last Six Years Off to an undefeated start in their second season as a member of the Mountain West Conference, three impressive records have remained intact for the Utes. The Utes have won 40 consecutive league games at home, which is the nation's longest current streak. Utah's last home conference loss was to Fresno State (65-64) on Jan. 8, 1996. Utah's conference record over the past seven years en route to six straight regular-season titles and a 3-0 start this season is 84-13 (.866), which is the best mark over that period of time in NCAA Division I. Utah is also the nation's most dominant team in conference home games the past seven years with a 49-1 (.980) record.
Conference Rebounding Streak Comes to an End Utah had not been outrebounded for 47 consecutive conference regular-season games until Wyoming posted a 46 to 35 advantage over the Utes last Monday. The last time the Utes came out on the short end of a rebounding battle in league play was 32-27 in a WAC contest at Tulsa on Feb. 22, 1997.
The Utes have come back to form in their last two games with a 37-32 edge on the boards over UNLV on Jan. 13 and a 39-28 advantage over San Diego State on Monday. Utah leads the Mountain West Conference in rebound margin (+7.6 rpg) this season.
Inside the Numbers
- * The Utes have utilized their depth this season. Nine players are averaging at least 12 minutes a game, while just two (Kevin Bradley at 23.6) is averaging more than 23 minutes per contest this season. Utah's bench has been productive, outscoring its opponents bench by an average of 13.8 points per game.
- * The Utes have used six different starting line-ups this season with eight different players starting at least one game. The last five games, Utah has gone with the quintet of Britton Johnsen (SF), Phil Cullen (PF), Chris Burgess (C), Travis Spivey (PG) and Nick Jacobson (SG), going 4-1. Before Spivey took over at the point, Kevin Bradley had started the first 12 games of the season.
- * Eight games into the season, Utah was shooting just 67.2 percent from the free throw line. In the last nine games, the Utes have shot 74.9 percent from the line. The Utes have helped their cause at the stripe by shooting above 80 percent in four of the last nine games, going 39-for-48 (.813) against Washington State, 21-for-26 (.808) against Pepperdine and a season-best 87.5 percent (14-for-16) against both Long Beach State and UNLV (Jan. 13). Utah is now shooting 71.4 percent from the line.
- * With 237 assists and 262 turnovers on the season, Utah has a 0.90 assists-turnover ratio and has averaged 15.4 turnovers a game. A team from the Rick Majerus era has never finished the season with less than a 1.0 assists-turnover ratio. Since the turnover stat was recorded beginning in 1975-76, the only Utah team to finish with less than a 1.0 assists-turnover ratio was the 1981-82 squad that had 404 assists to 419 turnovers (0.96).
- * In 17 games, Utah has held seven of its opponents to less than 60 points. American-Puerto Rico (37) and San Diego State on Jan. 15 (39) have been held below 40 points. Only five teams have reached the 70-point barrier: Weber State (79), Southern Utah (77), Texas (70), Wyoming (71) on Jan. 8 and UNLV (70) on Jan. 13.
- * Only two teams have shot better than 50 percent from the field against the Utes this season. Southern Utah connected on 53.3 percent of its shots (60.9 percent in the second half) and 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from three-point range. Long Beach State shot 51.9 percent from the field, with two players doing the bulk of the damage. Center Travis Reed and guard Ramel Lloyd combined to go 19-of-30 (.633) while the rest of the 49ers shot 8-of-22 (.364).
- * The Utes have been outrebounded just three times: 33-24 to Georgia, 33-27 to Memphis and 46-35 to Wyoming on Jan. 8. The 46 rebounds by the Cowboys is the most by a Ute opponent this season.
- * Utah has shot 50 percent or better in seven games this season, winning five of those contests.
- * With defeats to then-No. 15 Southern California on Dec. 2, Utah State on Dec. 6, and Weber State on Dec. 9, Utah lost three consecutive nonconference games for the first time during the Rick Majerus era. The skid ended with an 87-63 win over Washington State on Dec. 16. Utah's most recent nonconference losing streak of three games or more came in 1988-89, the final season under Lynn Archibald, when Utah dropped four consecutive games to Florida on Nov. 27 (77-68), Cal State-Fullerton on Dec. 1 (59-57), Santa Clara on Dec. 3 (66-60) and Colorado on Dec. 6 (68-65).
- * The last time the Utes dropped three consecutive games overall was during the 1993-94 season. During that streak, the Utes fell to Fresno State on Feb. 17 (95-86), Air Force on Feb. 19 (91-89 in OT) and Brigham Young on Feb. 26 (73-70). Utah had a four-game losing streak during the 1989-90 conference season from Jan. 13 through Jan. 25. That losing streak took place during Majerus' first lengthy absence from the Utah bench. Joe Cravens served as the acting head coach for 24 games that year while Majerus recovered from heart surgery.
Utes Dealing with Rare Occurrence of No Returning All-Conference Selections For just the second time since Rick Majerus took over the Ute basketball program, Utah doesn't feature a single returning all-conference selection on the roster.
Discounting Majerus' first season (1989-90), the only time the Utes haven't returned a first or second team all-conference selection was in 1993-94. That season resulted in the only non-winning season of the Majerus era with Utah going 14-14 overall and 8-10 in the Western Athletic Conference.
In 1991-92, Josh Grant was back for his fourth season with the Utes as the reigning WAC Player of the Year and the only returning all-conference honoree on the roster. However, he took a medical redshirt after helping the Utes win the first three games of the season. Without their leader, Utah finished 24-11 overall and 9-7 in conference play.
Growing Pains Despite only one starter and three other lettermen returning from last season, prognosticators didn't hesitate to place Utah in their preseason Top 25 polls. However, the Utah coaching staff has cautioned all along that this 2000-01 Utah team has some growing to do before it will be capable of living up to those lofty expectations. Here's some illustrations of Utah's struggles early in the season. * On opening night with Rick Majerus still on the bench, Utah shot 66 percent in the first half to lead Idaho State 42-20 at intermission. The Utes built the lead to 46-20 with 18:24 to play and still led by 23 points (50-27) with 15:02 left before seeing their cushion dwindle down to just five points (66-61) with 1:02 left. Utah held on for a 71-65 win. * Against Georgia in the second round of the Puerto Rico Shootout, Utah led 45-36 with 12:13 remaining, but Georgia used a 12-2 run to take a 48-47 lead with 8:43 left and pulled away from there for a 65-60 win. The Utes committed a season-high 22 turnovers. * Utah had a commanding 44 to 34 advantage on the boards and shot 44.0 percent from three-point range, however, the Utes also shot 36.7 percent from the field and went just 5-of-10 from the free throw line in a 65-60 loss to then-No. 15 Southern California in the John Wooden Classic on Dec. 2. * In spite of shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from three-point range in the first half to build a 38-33 lead, Utah shot 20.8 percent in the second half, making just five field goals and getting only five points in the final 10 minutes, in a 58-57 loss at Utah State on Dec. 6. * For the second consecutive game, Utah was unable to score on the final play in a 79-77 loss to Weber State at home on Dec. 9. The Utes shot 50.0 percent from the field and had a 37 to 31 edge on the boards. However, Utah committed 18 turnovers, which led to 23 Weber State points and shot just 65.8 percent from the free throw line in 38 trips. * After two straight wins, Utah allowed Southern Utah to shoot 60.9 percent in the second half and make 8-of-12 three-pointers in the game in a 77-70 loss at the Huntsman Center on Dec. 22. The Utes' 17 turnovers led to 31 SUU points. * Utah jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first half and led by three (53-50) with 6:18 remaining before falling on the road to Texas, 70-59. Utah went without a field goal for the final 5:03 and shot a season-low 32.8 percent (19-for-58) for the game.
Home (Not So) Sweet Home Utah is 8-2 at home this season. The last time Utah lost two home games in the same season was in 1993-94, when it went 11-3 overall and 7-2 in league games in the Huntsman Center. Since then, Utah has posted two one-loss seasons in the JMHC, going 14-1 in 1995-96 and 13-1 in 1996-97, and four undefeated seasons.
The Utes have gone unbeaten seven times in the 32-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) and 1999-2000 (17-0). The Utes are 162-14 (.920) in the Huntsman Center during the Majerus era (including the nine games he has not coached this season) and have never lost back-to-back home games.
With a best-in the-nation 54-game homecourt winning streak through the first two home games of the season, Utah lost two of its next three in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. After a 79-77 loss to Weber State gave Utah its first home loss in nearly four years on Dec. 9, the Utes bounced back with an impressive 87-63 win over Washington State on Dec. 16. The Utes then dropped their second home game of the season to Southern Utah, 77-70, on Dec. 22. Before the loss to Weber State, Utah had won 94 of its last 96 games at home.
Cullen Coming On Junior 6-9 forward Phil Cullen has scored in double figures in eight of the last 12 games, leading the Utes in scoring in five of those contests. Through 17 games, Cullen is second on the team in scoring (9.9 ppg), shooting 45.5 percent from the field and a team-best (for those with over 30 attempts) 41.3 percent from three-point range. He is also second on the team in rebounding (4.9 rpg).
In a six-game stretch from Dec. 2-22, Cullen averaged 13.5 points, shooting 47.1 percent (25-of-53) from the field, 48.5 percent (17-of-35) from three-point range and 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the free throw line.
After playing three straight games off the bench, Cullen got the start against Washington State on Dec. 16. Cullen responded with a career-high 21 points, making a personal-best five three-pointers in six attempts. He also shot 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line in 24 minutes. Cullen led the Utes with six rebounds in the game.
Highlighting other games, Cullen scored 18 points, making 6-of-10 shots from the field and 4-of-7 three-pointers, in 18 minutes against Southern California on Dec. 2. He had 13 points, a blocked shot and three steals in 26 minutes against Utah State on Dec. 6. Cullen followed that up with 15 points, making all four field goals, both three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws, in 19 minutes against Weber State on Dec. 9. In the league opener against Wyoming, Cullen got 17 points, four rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes.
Boasting of Bradley Junior 6-0 guard Kevin Bradley, a relatively unheralded transfer from Compton Community College, has raised some eyebrows with his solid play. Bradley started the first 12 games of the season and has continued to get significant playing time off the bench since then, averaging a team-best 23.6 minutes per game. He leads the team in scoring (10.4 ppg), shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 78.9 percent from the free throw line. Bradley is also averaging 2.4 assists per game (second-best on the team). He has led Utah in scoring six times and assists seven times.
Against UNLV on Jan. 13, Bradley scored in double figures for the eighth time this season with a team-high 13 points. Bradley had a 3-1 assists to turnover ratio through the first four games of the season. He had his best floor game of the season against Washington State on Dec. 16, getting five assists and one steal to just one turnover. He also had 12 points, making all six free throws and 3-of-7 field goals, in 31 minutes. His career-high game was 20 points against Cardinal Stritch on Nov. 28. He had 18 points against Southern Utah on Dec. 22
A native of Los Angeles, Bradley was named the conference player of the year as a senior at Crenshaw High School.
All in the Family Utah has one of 11 brother combinations in NCAA Division I this season in Jeff and Britton Johnsen. Both of the Johnsens rank among the top six players statistically this season.
Jeff (G/F, 6-4, 200), a junior, is fourth on the team in scoring (8.5 ppg), shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range and 80.5 percent from the free throw line. He is also averaging 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists (second-best on the team), and has led the team in scoring three times and assists seven times.
Britton (F, 6-9, 205), a sophomore, is fifth on the team in scoring (7.8 ppg), shooting 55.0 percent from behind the arc (11-of-20), and third in rebounds (4.7 rpg). He has also scored in double figures in seven of the last 11 games. Britton got a career-high 23 points, making 8-of-14 field goals and 4-of-6 three-pointers, with eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 27 minutes against Long Beach State on Jan. 3.
Jeff 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 who resumes his Utah career 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 Johnsens, who hail from Murray, Utah, hadn't played together for four years. 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.
