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The University of Utah Athletics
Utes Host Troy State
12/6/2001 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2001
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After This
Following a week off for fall semester final exams, Utah plays its third road game of the season next Saturday. The Runnin' Utes take on Weber State at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah, at 7:07 p.m. (MST).
Quickly
The Runnin' Utes are 3-3 entering Saturday's game against Troy State (3-2) at 7:04 p.m. (MST) in the Huntsman Center. Utah lost to Arizona State 71-62 on Tuesday night at America West Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. Last Saturday, the Utes defeated Pepperdine 81-74 in Salt Lake City to snap a two-game losing streak.
Sophomore 6-4 guard Nick Jacobson leads the team in scoring (14.3 ppg), shooting a team-best 52.8 percent (19-of-36) from three-point range. Senior 6-10 center Chris Burgess is second in scoring (13.8 ppg). He is also first in rebounds (6.2 rpg), blocked shots (5) and field goal percentage (61.3). Junior 6-9 forward Britton Johnsen is third in scoring (11.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.2 rpg). Senior 6-1 guard Travis Spivey leads the team in assists (5.3 apg).
Scouting Troy State
The Trojans are 3-2 following a 68-65 loss at home to Samford last Saturday. Troy State won its first home game of the season and its Atlantic Sun Conference opener over Jacksonville State 70-52 on Nov. 29. The Atlantic Sun is the new name this season for the Trans America Athletic Conference. Troy State played its first three games on the road and went 2-1. After losing 64-60 at Kansas State on Nov. 16, TSU won 77-72 at Marshall and 73-71 in overtime at Maine.
Senior 6-8 forward Lamayn Wilson leads TSU in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). Senior 6-1 guard Robert Rushing is second on the team in scoring (18.8 ppg), shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range. Rushing leads TSU in assists (3.8 apg) and steals (2.0 spg). Sophomore 6-2 guard Herbert Evans is third in scoring (7.8 ppg), averaging 23.0 minutes off the bench.
Troy State returns two starters and seven lettermen from last year's team that went 19-12 overall and 12-6 to place second in the league. The Trojans are picked by both the coaches and media to place second behind Georgia State in the Atlantic Sun Conference this season.
Head Coach Don Maestri
Don Maestri is in his 20th season at Troy State, taking over in 1982-83 and guiding the Trojans through the transition from Division II to Division I status in 1993-94. In the last eight seasons, his teams have won two conference titles. Over the past two seasons, the Trojans have won 36 games, appeared in the conference championship game and claimed the regular-season league title in 2000. Maestri is a four-time conference Coach of the Year honoree.
Utah/Troy State Series Notes
* Utah and Troy State meet for the first time on Saturday.
* The Runnin' Utes have never faced an Atlantic Sun Conference school. Rick Majerus has a 2-0 record against A-Sun Conference teams with both of his wins coming against Stetson.
* The last time Troy State faced a Mountain West Conference team, it lost to UNLV 95-58 on Nov. 28, 1998 in Las Vegas.
Player Notes
Jacobson Heating Up
* Guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 198) has broken out of a shooting slump the last two games. Jacobson leads the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) and three-point percentage (52.8).
* 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. However, over the next two games he hit just 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from the field and 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from beyond the arc. Jacobson bounced back by scoring a career-high 22 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 1, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond three-point range. He then had 16 points, converting 4-of-8 three-point attempts against Arizona State on Tuesday. Jacobson also had career highs of six rebounds and four assists against the Sun Devils.
* Last season, Jacobson was named the 2000-01 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. He ranked third in three-point field goal percentage in MWC play at 43.8. Overall, he averaged 7.9 points per game and was 10th in the league with a 37.8 three-point field goal percentage in the regular season. Jacobson was 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 Picking Up Where He Left Off
* Senior center/forward Chris Burgess (6-10, 240) has led the Utes in scoring three times and rebounds three times this season. The Irvine, Calif., native is second on the team in scoring with an average of 13.8 points per game while shooting 61.3 percent from the field. He is also averaging a team-best 6.2 rebounds this season. Against St. Francis (Ill.) in the opener, Burgess scored a career-high 20 points, hitting a personal-best nine field goals from the field in 14 attempts. 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 (110), sixth in three-pointers attempted (294) and 10th in blocked shots (55). He has started 42 games during his Utah career.
* This season, Cullen is averaging 4.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14.0 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. Johnsen is third on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.2 rpg). He had season-bests of 16 points and seven rebounds against Boise State on Nov. 20. He also had seven rebounds against Pepperdine on Dec. 1. Dating back to last season, Johnsen has scored in double figures in 19 of the last 31 contests, including the last five games.
* 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 7.3 points in 22.5 minutes per game and has started the last two games. He scored in double figures for the first time this season with 11 points against Alabama on Nov. 26, then came back with 12 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 1. Jeff also tied a career high with five assists versus Pepperdine. In the last three games, he has shot 10-of-19 from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point range.
* 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 32 assists to 16 turnovers (2:1 ratio) and nine steals this season. Spivey had a career-high 10 assists against Pepperdine on Dec. 1. He is also averaging 7.0 points per game and got a career-high 18 points against Utah State on Nov. 23. Spivey is on track to receive his undergraduate degree in sociology in December.
* 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.
* In Mountain West Conference play, Spivey ranked second in assists per game (4.64). Spivey's steady play at the point provided a calming presence for the team as well. Utah didn't have more than 12 turnovers in seven of its last eight conference games.
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. 27. Allred, a 6-10 sophomore center/forward from Salt Lake City is a perfect 14-for-14 at the 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.
From the Training Room
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. ... 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.
Team Notes
Arizona State Game Rewind
Chris Burgess scored 17 points and Nick Jacobson had 16 for the Utes in a 71-62 loss to Arizona State at America West Arena in Phoenix on Tuesday night. Utah committed 23 turnovers that resulted in 21 Sun Devil points.
Curtis Millage scored 10 of his game-high 18 points over the final four minutes to lead Arizona State. The Sun Devils (4-2) led by as many as 16 points early in the second half but the Utes slowly worked their way back. Millage hit baseline jumpers that gave Arizona State leads of 56-47 and 58-50. He put the game away with six consecutive free throws over the last 45 seconds.
Utah (3-3) twice cut the lead to six late in the game, the last time at 58-52 on Britton Johnsen's seven-footer with 2:22 to play. Johnsen was fouled by Tommy Smith on the play, but missed the free throw. Kyle Dodd made his only field goal in eight attempts on a drive to the basket to boost the lead to 60-52 with 1:49 to go, then made two free throws with 1:25 remaining to make it 62-52.
Arizona State outscored the Utes 6-1 over the last 1:17 of the first half to take a 39-27 lead. Travis Spivey's three-pointer cut the Sun Devils' lead to 33-26 with 3:38 left in the half. But Chad Prewitt scored on a layup, Millage made two free throws and Smith hit a jump shot to put Arizona State up by 12. Arizona State expanded the lead to 45-29 on Smith's inside hook with 17:50 to play.
The Sun Devils outshot the Utes 50.0 to 45.3 percent from the field and stayed even on the boards with both teams hauling in 28 rebounds. It was only Arizona State's second win in the last 11 meetings with the Utes.
Inside the Numbers
* The loss to Utah State on Nov. 23 marked only the 11th time Rick Majerus has lost at home in 161 games during his 13-year career. The loss also snapped a 55-game winning streak for Majerus in the Huntsman Center. His previous home loss was to Wake Forest (70-59) on Dec. 31, 1996.
* The 13-point loss to Utah State was the Runnin' Utes' most decisive defeat at home since losing to Brigham Young by 14 (87-73) on Mar. 7, 1992.
* Before losing back-to-back games to Utah State (Nov. 23) and Alabama (Nov. 27), the Utes had lost consecutive games just twice since the start of the 1994-95 season with Rick Majerus on the bench. Utah's last back-to-back nonconference losses came in the 1994 Maui Classic on Nov. 22 against Maryland (90-78) and Nov. 23 against Michigan (73-69). In 1999-2000, the Utes dropped back-to-back Mountain West Conference games on the road against Colorado State (60-49) on Feb. 26 and against Wyoming (88-61) on Feb. 28. The Runnin' Utes have lost consecutive games only 11 times under Majerus' direction. (Note: Last season in Majerus' absence, Utah lost three consecutive games in both nonconference and conference play.)
Rick's Remarks
On what Utah needs to improve on after the loss to Arizona State - "When you go 8-for-15 from the line that's one of your problems. Then you don't finish inside or don't block out. We've got to hit our free throws and block out. And we've got to be better one-on-one defensively. It's really an adventure when you have two point guards playing for your for the first time. We've got a team that has to get better."
Utes Reach 400 Wins Plateau in the Huntsman Center
* Utah got its 400th win in the history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Nov. 20 against Boise State. Its all-time record in the facility is 401-87. The Utes are 170-16 (.914) in the Huntsman Center during the Majerus era (including the 15 games he did not coach during the 2000-01 season) and have never lost back-to-back home games. With Majerus on the sidelines, the Utes are 150-11 (.932) in the Huntsman Center. The Utes have won 107 of their last 113 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
* Utah has gone unbeaten seven times in the 33-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).
* Utah finished its 2000-01 home schedule with a 13-3 record. The Utes ended the regular season by winning 10 in a row, including all seven Mountain West Conference games.
Utes Tabbed Second in Mountain West Preseason Poll
The Mountain West Conference media selected Wyoming to win the 2002 title, claiming 25 of a possible 29 first-place votes. Utah was picked second, garnering four first-place votes, followed by New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, BYU, Colorado State and Air Force.
Individually, Britton Johnsen was named to the preseason all-MWC team. He was joined by Marcus Bailey (G, Jr.) and Josh Davis (F, Sr.) of Wyoming, Ruben Douglas (G, Jr.) of New Mexico and Randy Holcomb (F, Sr.) from San Diego State. Davis was named the Top Returning Player.
Johnsen was a second team all-MWC selection last year after returning from a two-year LDS Church mission. He scored in double figures 14 times and ranked 13th in the conference in rebounding (5.4 rpg).
Unfamiliar Expectations
With Rick Majerus establishing Utah as a national power during his tenure, the Runnin' Utes have been a regular in the top 25 preseason polls and the perennial favorites to win the conference title in recent years. However, that's not the case in 2001-02.
* The last time Utah wasn't ranked in the preseason or picked to win the league title was in 1994-95. That season, the Utes were coming off a 14-14 campaign and Keith Van Horn, who went on to become a two-time All-American and the No. 2 Pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, was a sophomore. The 1994-95 season began a run of six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances-which ended last year-and Utah's current string of seven straight regular season conference championships. The Runnin' Utes' seven consecutive conference titles ties Cincinnati's mark as the longest active streak in the nation.
* The Runnin' Utes have been ranked in the top 16 in the A.P. poll to start the season on an annual basis since 1995-96. Their yearly rankings were as follows: 10th ('95-96), 6th ('96-97), 16th ('97-98), 10th ('98-99), 15th ('99-00) and 13th ('00-01).
Getting Defensive
One of the trademarks of a Utah team during the Rick Majerus era is a stifling half-court defense. Since 1989-90, Utah has ranked in the top 30 in the nation nine times in scoring defense, nine times in rebound margin, eight times in field goal percentage defense and eight times in scoring margin.
* The Utes haven't allowed a team to score 80 points or better for 42 consecutive games. The last team to score 80 points on the Utes was Wyoming (88-61) on Feb. 28, 2000 in Laramie, Wyo.
* Utah was one of the top defensive teams in the nation once again last season. The Utes ranked 23rd in the NCAA in scoring defense (63.1 ppg), 29th in scoring margin (+8.7 ppg) and 15th in rebound margin (+6.4 ppg). Utah, which held opponents to 40.6 percent shooting from the field, was just two-tenths of a percentage point outside of the NCAA's top 30.
An Olympic Sized Experience
The world is coming to Salt Lake City for the XIX Olympic Winter Games and the welcome mat is out at the University of Utah. The Olympic Games will be held Feb. 8-24, while the Paralympic Winter Games take place March 7-16. A major "player" in hosting the Games, the U. will be site of the Olympic Village and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Heritage Commons, the beautiful new on-campus student housing complex located on the east side at the mouth of Red Butte Canyon, will serve as the Olympic Village for some 3,500 athletes and officials. Rice-Eccles Stadium, the home of the Utah football team, will be temporarily expanded from its current capacity of 45,634 to 56,000 seats for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
The University will be on semester break Feb. 1-26. The Ute basketball team will still play home games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center during the Olympics on Feb. 16 against Air Force and Feb. 18 against New Mexico.
Hoops U.
When it comes to basketball, the University of Utah has established itself among the nation's elite in recent years. Combined, the Ute men's and women's programs went 295-80 the past five seasons for a .787 winning percentage, which ranks fourth-best in the country. Utah ranking only behind Connecticut (357-61, .854), Duke (329-80, .804) and Stanford (299-78, .793).
Players Mentioned
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