Runnin' Utes Face Southern Utah Tuesday In the Huntman Center

Dec. 17, 2001

Game #9

Utah Runnin' Utes (5-3) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (3-6)

Dec. 18 * 7:07 p.m. (MST) * Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) * Salt Lake City

The Game at a Glance

Utah Head Coach: Rick Majerus            Southern Utah Head Coach: Bill EvansAlma Mater: Marquette, 1970         Alma Mater: Southern Utah, 1972Record at Utah: 267-76/13th Season  Record at SUU: 141-129/10th SeasonOverall Record: 366-128/18th Season Overall Record: 141-129/10th Season
Television: KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City (Channel 14, AT&T Cable 3). Steve Brown(play-by-play) and Thurl Bailey (analyst).Radio: Utah Sports Network (KALL-910 AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations).On the Internet at www.UtahUtes.com and www.kall910.com. Bill Marcroft (play-by-play),Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Series Record: Utah leads 3-1.Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 3-1/0-0/0-0Last Meeting: Utah lost to Southern Utah 77-70 on Dec. 22, 2000 in Salt Lake City.
Utah Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name               Ht.  Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics35  F   Jeff Johnsen    6-4  204 Sr. Murray, Utah            7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg31  F   Britton Johnsen      6-9  213 Jr. Murray, Utah            12.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg34  C   Chris Burgess      6-10 240 Sr. Irvine, Calif.          13.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg11  G   Travis Spivey      6-1  212 Sr. Myrtle Beach, S.C.  6.3 ppg, 5.4 apg15  G   Nick Jacobson      6-4  198 So. Fargo, N.D.         14.4 ppg, 2.4 apg
Utah Off the BenchNo.     Pos.    Name               Ht.  Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics3   G   Martin Osimani    6-3  203 Fr. Montevideo, Uruguay 0.4 ppg, 1.3 apg13  C   Cameron Koford    6-11 230 Jr. Plain City, Utah    2.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg21  F   Trace Caton      6-5  214 Jr. Alamosa, Colo.          4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg32  G   Eric Osmundson    6-3  196 Fr. Carlsbad, Calif.    1.9 ppg, 0.7 apg40  F   Phil Cullen      6-9  221 Sr. Chelan, Wash.           4.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg41  C/F Lance Allred    6-10 239 So. Salt Lake City          3.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg43  F   Cameron Goettschee 6-7  208 Fr. Highlands Ranch, Colo.  0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Southern Utah Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name               Ht.  Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics33  F   Dan Beus       6-5  230 Sr. Kuna, Idaho         14.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg32  F   Donnie Jackson     6-7  195 Jr. Port Arthur, Texas  8.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg34  F   Ross Day       6-5  195 Jr. Folsom, Calif.          6.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg25  G   Brian Gardner      6-2  185 Sr. Fruitland, Idaho    5.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg31  G   Jay Collins    6-3  185 Jr. Farmington, N.M.    12.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg

After This

The Runnin' Utes continue a four-game homestand in the Jon M. Huntsman Center by facing Idaho State on Friday at 7:07 p.m. (MST). Utah will take a break for Christmas before hosting Texas on Dec. 29 at 1:30 p.m. (MST) on ABC.

Quickly The Runnin' Utes are 5-3 entering Tuesday's game against Southern Utah at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah has won two in a row, getting its first road win of the season at Weber State on Saturday (70-59) after thumping Troy State (87-56) on Dec. 8 in Salt Lake City. Sophomore 6-4 guard Nick Jacobson leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg), shooting a team-best 50 percent (24-of-48) from three-point range. Senior 6-10 center Chris Burgess is second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg), and first in rebounds (6.8 rpg), blocked shots (8) and field goal percentage (66.7). Junior 6-9 forward Britton Johnsen is third in scoring (12.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.4 rpg). Senior 6-1 guard Travis Spivey leads the team in assists (5.4 apg).

Scouting the Thunderbirds

Southern Utah is 3-6 after losing 67-49 at Boise State on Saturday night. The T-Birds shot just 32.7 percent from the field and were outrebounded 35 to 23 by the Broncos, who Utah beat 64-49 on Nov. 20 in Salt Lake City. Southern Utah snapped a four-game losing streak with a 68-51 win over Idaho State in Cedar City on Dec. 10.

Senior 6-5 forward Dan Beus leads the Thunderbirds in points (14.0 ppg), rebounds (6.9 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg). Beus is also shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range. He had 17 points and nine rebounds against Boise State on Saturday. Junior 6-3 guard Jay Collins, a transfer from Cochise College, is second in scoring (12.4 ppg). Junior 6-7 forward Donnie Jackson, a transfer from Utah Valley, is third in scoring (8.0 ppg) and second in rebounds (4.8 rpg).

Southern Utah returned just one starter (Beus) and eight lettermen from last year's team that went 25-6 overall and 13-3 to win the Mid-Continent Conference title. The T-birds lost to Boston College (68-65) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was SUU's inaugural trip to the Big Dance.

Comparing the Stats

            Utah    Southern UtahScoring         70.5    65.8Scoring Defense 64.8    67.7FG%         .477    .452FG% Defense .466    .4533-Pt. FG%   .390    .4023-Pt. FG% Def.  .361    .378FT%         .717    .702Rebound Margin  +4.8    -5.8Assists         16.4    13.6Turnovers   15.1    15.8Opp. Turnovers  15.1    18.4Steals          7.0 9.0

Head Coach Bill Evans

Bill Evans took over the reins of the SUU program late in the 1991-92 season. In his 10th full season, he has led the T-Birds to three league titles and a 141-129 overall record. Last year, Evans led the Thunderbirds to their first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, a share of the Mid-Continent Conference title in the regular season and the league's postseason championship. He was named the Mid-Continent Coach of the Year, NABC District 13 Coach of the Year and USBWA District 8 Coach of the Year in 2000-01. Evans is the second winningest coach in SUU history.

Utah-Southern Utah Series Notes

* The Runnin' Utes and Thunderbirds meet for the fifth time on Tuesday night in a series that dates back to Dec. 4, 1996.

* All four of the previous games in the series have taken place in the Huntsman Center, where Utah has a 3-1 record. The Utes won the first three games before losing 77-70 last season on Dec. 22.

* Utah's largest margin of victory over SUU was 20 points (60-40) in the 1996 meeting.

* Rick Majerus has a 3-0 career record against Southern Utah with all of those games coming during his tenure at Utah.

* Utah is 6-1 all-time against the Mid-Continent Conference. The only other team in the league the Utes have faced is Chicago State, going 3-0. Rick Majerus is 12-0 all-time against the Mid-Continent Conference and 6-0 while at Utah.

Last Game

Kevin Bradley had 18 points and Phil Cullen got 11 in Utah's 77-70 loss to Southern Utah at the Huntsman Center last season on Dec. 22. The Thunderbirds shot 60.9 percent from the field and made 5-of-7 three-pointers to outscore the Utes 45-33 in the second half. It was Utah's first loss in four meetings to SUU.

Dan Beus scored 20 points and Fred House had four of his 17 points and added two steals in the final minute for Southern Utah. House made 1-of-2 free throws to put the Thunderbirds ahead 72-70 with 47 seconds to play and then stole the ball from Nick Jacobson, who fouled out trying to get it back. House then converted 3-of-4 free throws before sealing the win for the Thunderbirds on another steal with 11 seconds remaining.

The Utes led 56-50 with 10:46 remaining. Bradley hit a three-pointer to beat the shot clock with 2:50 remaining for Utah's last lead at 68-67.

Despite a distinct height advantage, Utah could not solve the Thunderbirds' matchup zone. The Utes took 21 of their 43 shots from beyond the arc. Utah shot 53.5 percent for the game, making 11-of-21 treys. Southern Utah shot 53.3 percent, making 8-of-12 from three-point range. Utah had a 26 to 22 advantage on the boards, but committed 17 turnovers which led to 31 points for SUU.

The Old Oquirrh Bucket

Tuesday's game continues Utah's bid to win the Old Oquirrh Bucket trophy for 2001-02. The Old Oquirrh Bucket (named after the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of Salt Lake City) is the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy in Utah. The trophy is awarded every year to the in-state college team (Utah, BYU, Southern Utah, Utah State and Weber State) which has the best win-loss record against in-state competition.

Utah has won the Old Oquirrh Bucket 11 times since its inception in 1974-75. The Utes had also possessed the award six years in a row before BYU claimed it last season.

So far this season in the in-state battles, Utah State is 2-1, Utah and BYU are 1-1 and Weber State is 1-2.

Jacobson Prolific From Beyond the Arc

* Before cooling off a bit against Weber State on Saturday, sophomore guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 198) was on fire. In the previous three games, Jacobson shot 59.4 percent from the field (19-for-32) and 72.2 percent from three-point range (13-for-18). Against Weber State, Jacobson went just 4-of-12 from the floor and 1-of-8 from beyond the arc to score 11 points. On the season, Jacobson leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and three-point percentage (50.0). He has scored in double figures in seven of the eight games, including the last four.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Dec. 11, Jacobson ranked eighth in three-point percentage (57.5) and tied for 19th in threes per game (3.3).

* The Fargo, N.D., native got off to a great start in the first two games of the season, shooting 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the field and 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from beyond the arc. Jacobson then went into a two-game slump before getting a career-high 22 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 1, shooting 5-of-6 from beyond three-point range. Jacobson had a career high six rebounds against Arizona State and a career-high five assists versus Troy State. He has 19 assists to just eight turnovers on the season.

* Last season, Jacobson was named the 2000-01 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Ute to garner conference Freshman of the Year honors since Keith Van Horn in 1993-94. Jacobson made the top 10 in five statistical categories on the all-time freshman charts at Utah last season. He ranked eighth in scoring (245 points), eighth in scoring average (7.9 ppg), second in three-pointers made (37), first in three-pointers attempted (97) and first in free throw percentage (.806).

Burgess Playing Big

* Senior center/forward Chris Burgess (6-10, 240) has led the Utes in scoring four times and rebounds six times this season. The Irvine, Calif., native is second on the team in scoring with an average of 13.9 points per game while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. He is also averaging a team-best 6.8 rebounds this season.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Dec. 11. Burgess ranked tied for 10th in field goal percentage (65.3).

* Burgess had a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds versus Troy State on Dec. 8. It was the third consecutive game he scored more than 15 points. He pulled down a Utah career-best 12 rebounds against Pepperdine on Dec. 1 to go with 19 points for his first double-double of the season.

* Returning to the court on Feb. 5 last season after missing four games with an avulsion fracture in his right ankle, Burgess played some of his best basketball down the stretch. In the final 10 games, Burgess averaged 9.1 points per game, reaching double figures six times and shooting 57.6 percent from the field. He also averaged 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots. With Burgess in the starting line-up in Mountain West Conference games, the Utes were 8-1.

Cullen Climbing the Career Charts After A Summer on the Mound

* Even though he is just beginning his senior season, forward Phil Cullen (6-9, 221) has already moved into the top 10 on numerous career charts at Utah. Cullen ranks fifth in three-pointers made (112), sixth in three-pointers attempted (298) and 10th in blocked shots (55). He has started 42 games during his Utah career.

* This season, Cullen is averaging 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game off the bench. Cullen had a season-high nine points (3-of-6 FG, 2-of-2 3FG) in 12 minutes against Pepperdine on Dec. 1.

* This past summer, Cullen played minor league baseball with the Seattle Mariners. The pitcher was taken in the 32nd round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft by Seattle and signed with the organization last August. He climbed to the Class A level with the Everett (Wash.) Aquasox in the Northwest League, starting 14 games. Cullen went 1-4 with a 5.08 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 56.2 innings.

Johnsen & Johnsen

* Junior forward Britton Johnsen (6-9, 213) earned second team all-Mountain West Conference honors last season and was a preseason all-league choice by the media this season. Britton is third on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.4 rpg). Dating back to last season, Britton has scored in double figures in 21 of the last 33 contests, including the last seven games.

* Britton missed his career high by two points with a season-best of 21 against Weber State on Saturday. Britton hit 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range and 3-of-3 at the line. Before the WSU game, he had been shooting just 38.2 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three-point range, his percentages have now improved to 41.3 and 35.7, respectively. Britton had season bests of seven rebounds against both Boise State on Nov. 20 and Pepperdine on Dec. 1.

* Britton is joined on the Utah roster by his older brother Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 204), who is a senior guard/forward. Jeff is averaging 7.4 points (fourth-best on the team) and 2.5 assists (second-best on the team), and has started the last four games. Jeff has scored in double figures in three of the last five games and tied a season high with 12 points against Weber State on Saturday. Jeff tied his career high with five assists versus both Pepperdine on Dec. 1 and Weber State on Saturday.

* 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 13-year career at the U. However, they are the first brothers to play together.

Getting to the Point with Spivey

* Senior point guard Travis Spivey (6-1, 212) has 43 assists to 18 turnovers (2.4:1 ratio) and 10 steals this season. Spivey had a career-high 10 assists against Pepperdine on Dec. 1. He is also averaging 6.3 points per game and got a career-high 18 points against Utah State on Nov. 23.

* Spivey seemed to only get better and better as the 2000-01 season wore on after transferring from Salt Lake Community College. Spivey started the final 19 games of the season at the point, playing over 30 minutes in seven of those games. In the final 16 games of the regular season, the Myrtle Beach, S.C., native had 75 assists to 33 turnovers (2.3:1 ratio). He averaged 4.7 assists and 7.3 points per game, scoring in double figures four times during that stretch.

Take Note of These Utes

* Lance Allred had a career-best 10 points and hit 8-of-8 free throws (personal bests in both makes and attempts) against Alabama on Nov. 26. Allred, a 6-10 sophomore center/forward from Salt Lake City was a perfect 14-for-14 at the line this season before missing both of his free throw attempts against Troy State on Dec. 1. He is shooting a team-best 87.5 percent from the free throw line this season.

* Eric Osmundson got his first points as a Ute in a big way against Alabama on Nov. 26. The 6-1 freshman guard from Carlsbad, Calif., scored nine points, making all four shots from the field and his only three-point attempt, in eight minutes against the Crimson Tide. While getting his first significant minutes of the season as the back-up point guard against Troy State on Dec. 8, Osmundson had a career-best four assists in 18 minutes.

* Trace Caton had a season-high 14 points against Troy State on Dec. 8. The junior from Alamosa, Colo., hit 4-of-8 field goals and 4-of-6 three-pointers.

From the Training Room

* Freshman 6-11 center Chris Jackson broke a bone in his right foot the last week of November and is expected to be out for eight weeks. Jackson has not played in a game this season and was likely to redshirt even before the injury.

* Freshman 6-7 forward Cameron Goettsche was cleared to play and dressed for his first game against Pepperdine on Dec. 1. Goettsche had been sidelined by a bone bruise in his right knee and patella tendinitis in his left knee.

Weber State Game Rewind

Britton Johnsen scored 21 points and Nick Jacobson had eight of his 11 in the last six minutes as Utah beat in-state rival Weber State 70-59 on Saturday night in Ogden. The victory by the Utes (5-3) snapped a two-game losing streak to the Wildcats (6-3).

Chris Woods led the Wildcats with 19 points while John Hamilton added 14. Jermaine Boyette, who scored 27 points in last year's victory over the Utes, was held to 10.

It looked like it would be an easy night for the Utes when they hit their first four shots and built an 18-4 lead seven minutes after tipoff. But the Wildcats charged back, closing the first half with a 14-7 run to lead 34-33 at the break.

After Utah built a 53-46 lead with 11:31 to play in the second half, Weber State pulled within 55-54 on Boyette's basket with 7:16 to play. However, the Wildcats didn't get another field goal until Brad Barton hit a three-pointer with 1:34 remaining. In between, Jacobson scored three straight baskets for the Utes, the last coming after he shook off his defender with a spin move and swished a 15-footer from the left side. That gave Utah a 62-54 lead with 2:28 to go.

Jacobson came in on a roll, shooting almost 60 percent in his three previous games, including 72 percent from three-point range. But he went scoreless in the first half and didn't get going until well into the second half.

Jeff Johnsen added 12 points for Utah. Travis Spivey had a game-high seven assists. The Utes had a season-low nine turnovers in the game and committed just one in the second half.

Rick's Remarks

On his team's play in the Weber State game - "We did a better job in the second half of blocking out. I thought we played hard. I think at the end of the first half we forgot what got us there: ball movement. But I thought that playing through the foul trouble (late in the first half), we did well. We had energy and enthusiasm. I'm proud of the guys, especially in light of exam week. I think Weber's a good team. They've had some good wins. It was just good to play hard. We played through some adversity, which was good."

On the play of Britton Johnsen against Weber State - "He hit some shots. There's a maturity where you have to understand that even when you're not scoring you have to defend, but he did a better job defensively tonight. He played better tonight."

On getting the first win on the road - "I've never addressed road versus home in my whole career. I never talk about that with the team. As I go back to Alabama, we played very hard for 32 minutes there, and Alabama is damn good. Then at Arizona State we did not play a good game, I don't know that if we would have played them at home we would have done the same bad things. I realize it's something you have to deal with, but I don't approach it any differently."

The Difference Between Winning and Losing

To find reasons why Utah has won or lost games this season, one can point to four things: field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, rebound margin and assists-to-turnover ratio. Listed below are per game averages for those statistics.

WINS            FG% Rebs.   Assists TurnoversUtah            51.1    34.6    19.2    13.2Opponents   42.0    25.0    12.2    14.4
LOSSES          FG% Rebs.   Assists TurnoversUtah            41.7    29.3    11.7    18.3Opponents   54.5    32.7    13.3    16.3

Three Dot Items

In all five of Utah's wins, the opponents have shot less than 50 percent from the field. Conversely, the opposition has shot better than 50 percent in each of Utah's three losses. ... Utah has held three opponents to 40 percent or less from the field (Boise State, Troy State and Weber State). ... The Utes have had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in all five wins and a negative ratio in each of the three losses. In its win over Weber State on Saturday, Utah had a season-low nine turnovers (just one in the second half) and 12 assists. ... Utah has shot at least 40 percent from three-point range in three games this season, all of them wins. ... Utah has eclipsed the 80-point mark twice, winning both times (Pepperdine, 81-74, Troy State, 87-56).

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