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Utes Take On BYU In Mountain West Showdown
1/25/2001 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
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Utah Utes (11-8, 3-2 MWC) vs.
Brigham Young Cougars (13-6, 2-2 MWC)
Jan. 29 - 10:05 p.m. (MST)
Marriott Center (22,700)
Provo, Utah
A Quick Look At Utah
The Utes are 11-8 overall and 3-2 in Mountain West Conference play, winning seven of their last 11 games. After reeling off a season-best four-game winning streak, the Utes dropped two games on the road last weekend. Utah suffered a 78-77 overtime loss at Wyoming last Saturday and a 73-65 defeat at Colorado State on Monday. Utah opened Mountain West Conference play with three wins at home, defeating Wyoming (83-71) on Jan. 8, UNLV (79-70) on Jan. 13 and San Diego State (58-39) on Jan. 15.
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 seven games, leads the team in scoring (10.5 ppg), shooting 38.7 percent from three-point range. He is also second on the team in assists (2.3 apg). Junior forward Phil Cullen is second in scoring (9.7 ppg), shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range, and is first in rebounding among active players (4.9 rpg). Senior center Nate Althoff is third in scoring (9.1 ppg). Junior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen is fourth in scoring (8.6 ppg), shooting 40.5 percent from behind the arc and 78.0 percent from the line. Junior Travis Spivey, who has started the last seven games at point guard, is averaging a team-best 2.9 assists per game. Junior forward/center Chris Burgess, who is out until at least late February after fracturing his left ankle against San Diego State on Jan. 15, still leads the team in rebounding average (5.5 rpg) and blocked shots (16).
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 10-8, 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 158-69 record in eight seasons as a college head coach or acting head coach.
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 Jan.15. The injury was detected in x-rays performed by team doctors the next 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.
Utah vs. Brigham Young Notes
Scouting the Cougars
Brigham Young is 13-6 overall and in fifth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 2-2 record. After opening MWC play with wins over San Diego State (79-50) and UNLV (91-63) at home, the Cougars went on the road last weekend to lose at Colorado State (60-55) on Saturday and at Wyoming (85-78) on Monday. The Cougars are 10-0 in the Marriott Center this season and have the nation's 11th-longest homecourt winning streak at 15 games, dating back to a 78-74 loss to New Mexico on Feb. 17, 2000.
Senior 6-9 forward Mekeli Wesley ranks fifth in the MWC in scoring (16.1 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Senior 6-3 guard Terrell Lyday is sixth in the league in scoring (15.5 ppg), shooting 39.4 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent at the line. Senior 6-1 guard Trent Whiting is third on the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), starting the last 12 games at the point. Junior 6-9 forward Eric Nielsen is 19th in the conference in rebounding (4.3 rpg) and junior 6-0 guard Matt Montague is fifth in the MWC in assists (3.7 apg).
The Cougars are fifth in the conference in scoring (72.8 ppg), third in scoring defense (63.1 ppg), fourth in rebound margin (+1.0) with a 34.4 to 33.4 advantage, and first in free throw percentage (.771).
Head Coach Steve Cleveland
Steve Cleveland is in his fourth season at Brigham Young. He led the Cougars to their first postseason appearance in his tenure last season. BYU made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT, going 22-11 overall and placing sixth in the conference with a 7-7 record in 1999-2000.
After taking over a program that had suffered a 1-25 season, Cleveland has improved the Cougars each season, posting 9-21 and 12-16 records in his first two seasons. Before taking over at BYU, he complied a 157-77 record in seven seasons at Fresno City College.
Series Notes
Utah and BYU meet for the 229th time on Monday with the all-time series record tied 114-114. The Utes have a 44-62 record against their oldest rivals in Provo, Utah.
Utah went 2-1 against the Cougars last season. After getting a 56-49 win at the Marriott Center on Jan. 15 and a 77-62 victory at the Huntsman Center on Feb. 12, Utah pulled ahead in the series that dates back to 1908 for the first time. However, BYU then defeated the Utes, 58-54, in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament on March 10 to level the series record once again. Before that BYU win, Utah had won 12 in a row dating back to 1995, which was the longest winning streak by either team in the series.
Last Meeting
Eric Nielsen had a career-high 17 points and Brigham Young held Utah without a field goal for more than seven minutes late in the game to beat the Utes 58-54 on March 10 in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament.
Utah shot miserably to open the game and again in the second half, making only eight of 32 second half attempts. One of those came when Nate Althoff tied the game 42-42 with 8:40 left. But Utah didn't make another field goal until Hanno M?tt?l? hit a three-pointer with 1:30 left to bring the Utes to within 55-49. Utah still had a chance to tie the game, but M?tt?l?'s three-pointer with 4.1 seconds left hit nothing. Utah got the ball back with 2.1 seconds left after Terrel Lyday missed a pair of free throws, but turned the ball over on a bad inbounds pass.
Lyday added 16 points for BYU, while M?tt?l? led Utah with 17 points. Althoff had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Utes.
Utah started the night badly, not making a field goal until Jeremy Killion hit a three-pointer with almost five minutes gone in the game. It was another four minutes before the Utes could make another. In its 15 possessions to open the game, Utah made one of 10 field goal attempts, had two shots blocked and turned the ball over three times. Still, Utah went on a run to end the first half and went into halftime leading 30-26. That lead didn't last long, however, as BYU opened the second half with a 12-3 run to take a lead the Cougars would not relinquish.
Team Notes
Game #19 Rewind
John Sivesind scored a career-high 27 points and went 5-for-5 on three-pointers as Colorado State used its perimeter game to deal Utah its second straight loss, winning 73-65 on Monday night in Fort Collins, Colo.
Sivesind was 8-for-9 on field goals. Ron Grady was 2-for-4 on three-pointers and had 12 points for Colorado State (11-5, 2-1 MWC), which finished 9-for-19 on three-pointers against the conference's top defense.
Britton Johnsen led Utah (11-8, 3-2) with 20 points. Nick Jacobson added 13 points for Utah, which was swept on the Wyoming-Colorado State trip for the second straight year despite shooting 54 percent from the field. Utah hit 11-of-22 shots in the first half, but turned the ball over 10 times and trailed 41-27 at halftime.
Colorado State shot 49 percent in the first half with Sivesind scoring 18 points and hitting all four three-point attempts, two of them in the first four minutes to give the Rams an 11-3 start. Utah pulled to 48-38 in the second half on Phil Cullen's uncontested layup and two free throws by Johnsen. Trailing 50-38 after a Grady fadeaway, Utah went on a 9-2 run to close the gap to 52-47. The Utes stayed within striking distance, but Colorado State converted 7-of-10 free throws, four by Sivesind in the last 1:30, to offset three-pointers by Britton Johnsen and Jeff Johnsen.
Conference Road Woes
After winning three games at home to open its Mountain West Conference schedule, Utah dropped two games on the road last weekend, falling to Wyoming (78-77 in overtime) on Saturday and Colorado State (73-65) on Monday. Here's a statistical breakdown of the Utes in MWC play this season at home and on the road.
Close Calls In Defeat
A few bounces of the ball here or there, and Utah could have had a record far better than its 11-8 mark. Utah's eight losses have came by a combined 40 points for an average of 5.0 points per game.
Utah suffered a pair of one-point losses at Utah State (58-57) on Dec. 6 and at Wyoming (78-77 in overtime) on Jan. 20 and a two-point loss at home (79-77) to Weber State on Dec. 9. The Utes also experienced 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 five of the eight 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, a 53-50 advantage over Texas with 6:18 left and a 54-41 lead over Wyoming with 13:23 showing.
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 the Utes Have Done Well in Recent Wins
The Utes have rebounded from a 4-4 start to win seven of their last 11 games. Winning four games in row before last Saturday's loss at Wyoming, Utah had won those contests 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 Jan. 15
Utah's success in early January can be attributed to three things: a sizeable advantage in free throw shooting, improved guard play and being in position to close out games.
- Before the Wyoming game, the Utes had 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 next four games. Meanwhile, Utah averaged 15.8 free throws made per game, shooting 76.8 percent. Last Saturday, Wyoming attempted 48 free throws, the most by a Utah opponent this season, while the U. connected on just 22-of-35 free throws (.629). 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 seven games with fellow junior college transfer Kevin Bradley, the staring point guard for the first 12 games, coming off the bench at both guard positions. Freshman point guard Marc Jackson has also seed significant playing time as of late, averaging 9.6 minutes per game in conference play.
- Even in its recent defeats, Utah's point guards have continued to play well. In their last four games, Travis Spivey, Kevin Bradley and Marc Jackson have combined for a 1.9:1 assists-to-turnover ratio with 32 assists and 17 turnovers.
- Against Wyoming last Saturday, Utah's trio of ball-handlers combined for nine assists, three steals and four turnovers, as well as 16 rebounds. Travis Spivey had a season-high seven assists and just two turnovers in 37 minutes. In other recent action, Spivey had six assists, three turnovers, 10 points and two steals in 25 minutes against UNLV on Jan. 13.
- Marc Jackson had two of his better games of the season against Wyoming on Jan. 8 and San Diego State on Jan. 15. 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.
- Utah turned the ball over a season-low eight times while getting 15 assists against San Diego State. The Utes are 8-1 when they have committed fewer turnovers than their opponents this season.
- 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. 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. That average has now dropped to 15.1 turnovers per game.
- In five of its eight 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 first four games in January, Utah was 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 10 games prior to its match-up with Colorado State on Monday--seven of which resulted in victories--Utah was tied or had the lead going into the second half. The Utes are 9-4 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 at Home
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 is the nation's most dominant team in conference home games the past seven years with a 49-1 (.980) record.
Strength of Schedule
As of Jan. 13, Utah's strength of schedule ranked 23rd out ouf 319 NCAA Division I schools. Utah was the only Mountain West Conference team in the top 100. However, Brigham Young (106), UNLV (134), Air Force (145), Wyoming (159) all ranked in the upper half. The Mountain West Conference had a 61-35 record in NCAA Division I nonconference games. Four of Utah's losses have come to teams ranked in the top 50 in the Jeff Sagarin RPI ratings released on Jan. 24. Georgia is 18th with a 12-7 record, followed by No. 24 Texas (15-4), No. 30 Southern California (12-4) and No. 41 Utah State (14-2).
Inside the Numbers
* The Utes have utilized their depth this season. Utah's bench has been productive, outscoring its opponents bench by an average of 13.3 points per game. Nine players are averaging at least 12 minutes a game, while just two (Kevin Bradley and Phil Cullen at 23.4) are averaging more than 23 minutes per contest this season.
* The Utes have used seven different starting line-ups this season with eight different players starting at least one game. The last two games, Utah has gone with the quintet of Britton Johnsen (SF), Phil Cullen (PF), Nate Althoff (C), Travis Spivey (PG) and Nick Jacobson (SG), going 0-2. Before Spivey took over at the point the last seven games, Kevin Bradley had started the first 12 games. Althoff has taken over at center the last two games for Chris Burgess, who is injured.
* Eight games into the season, Utah was shooting just 67.2 percent from the free throw line. Since then, the Utes have shot 73.6 percent (92-of-125) from the line. The Utes have helped their cause at the stripe by shooting above 80 percent in five of the last 11 games, going 39-for-48 (.813) against Washington State, 21-for-26 (.808) against Pepperdine, a season-best 87.5 percent (14-for-16) against both Long Beach State and UNLV (Jan. 13), and 7-of-8 (.875) against Colorado State (Jan. 22). Utah is now shooting 71.0 percent from the line.
* With 260 assists and 286 turnovers on the season, Utah has a 0.91 assists-turnover ratio and has averaged 15.1 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).
* 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 seven teams have reached the 70-point barrier: Weber State (79), Southern Utah (77), Texas (70), Wyoming (71) on Jan. 8, UNLV (70) on Jan. 13, Wyoming (78 in overtime) on Jan. 20 and Colorado State (73) on Jan. 22.
* 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, while Long Beach State shot 51.9 percent from the field. Utah's opponents have shot just 40.0 percent this season.
* The Utes have been outrebounded just four times: 33-24 to Georgia, 33-27 to Memphis, 46-35 to Wyoming on Jan. 8 and 58-49 to Wyoming on Jan. 20. The Cowboys have the two highest rebound totals among Ute opponents this season.
* Utah has shot 50 percent or better in eight 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.
Cullen Coming On
Junior 6-9 forward Phil Cullen has scored in double figures in eight of the last 14 games, leading the Utes in scoring in five of those contests. In the league opener against Wyoming on Jan. 8, Cullen got 17 points, four rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes. Cullen is second on the team in scoring (9.7 ppg), shooting 43.6 percent from the field and a team second-best (for those with over 40 attempts) 39.0 percent from three-point range. He is also first on the team in rebounding among active players (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.
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 23.4 minutes per game. He leads the team in scoring (10.5 ppg), shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from three-point range and 76.2 percent from the free throw line. Bradley is also averaging 2.3 assists per game (second-best on the team). He has led Utah in scoring seven times and assists seven times.
Against Wyoming on Jan. 20, Bradley scored in double figures for the ninth time this season with 19 points, making a three-pointer to send the game into overtime and hitting 3-of-7 treys in the contest. Bradley also came up with a career-high nine rebounds. He had a team-high 13 points against UNLV on Jan. 13. Bradley 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 five Utes statistically.
Jeff (G/F, 6-4, 200), a junior, is fourth on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg), shooting a 40.5 percent from three-point range (best among those with at least 40 attempts) and 78.0 percent from the free throw line. He is also averaging 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists (third-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 (8.6 ppg), shooting 57.1 percent from behind the arc (16-of-28), and is second in rebounds among active players (4.8 rpg). He has also scored in double figures in nine of the last 13 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. He had 20 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes against Colorado State on Jan. 22.
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.
Defense, Defense, Defense
* One of the trademarks of a Utah team during the Rick Majerus era is a stifling half-court defense. In the past 11 seasons under Majerus, Utah has ranked in the top 30 in the nation eight times in field goal percentage defense, eight times in the top 25 in scoring defense, seven times in the top 25 in scoring margin and eight times in the top 30 in rebound margin.
* This season, the Utes are giving up 61.8 points per game and ranking just outside of the top 20 in the NCAA as of Jan. 22. Utah ranked 20th in the NCAA in scoring defense last season, giving up 61.8 points per game. The Utes are one of just eight teams to appear in the top 10 in the NCAA in scoring defense at least four times in the last 11 years. Utah is also one of just four teams to rank in the top 25 in the nation in scoring defense at least nine times in the last 11 years.
* Utah has a 6.4 rebounds per game advantage over the opposition this season and ranked just outside of the top 20 in the NCAA as of Jan. 22. The Utes ranked 26th in the nation in rebound margin (4.8 rpg) last season and have been ranked been ranked among the top 30 teams in the nation in rebound margin in each of the last six years. Utah is one of just seven schools to rank in the top 10 at least three times in the last five years. Only Navy's four appearances rank ahead of Utah.
* Opponents have shot 40.0 percent from the field on the Utes this season. Utah is one of just eight schools to rank in the top 30 in the nation in field goal percentage defense four of the last five years. Utah has also been in the top 10 in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense four times during the Rick Majerus era.
* Thanks to their stifling defense, the U. has also ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in scoring margin four times in the last five years and seven times in the last 11 years. Utah has outscored its opponents by an average of 11.3 points per game this season. In the last five years, the Utes are one of just eight teams with four appearances in the top 25, bettered only by Cincinnati's streak of five consecutive years. Utah is also one of just six teams to rank in the top 10 at least three times in the last five years.
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.
Players Mentioned
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