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Utah Closes Out Road Trip With San Diego State
2/6/2001 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2001
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Game #23
Utah Utes (13-9, 5-3 MWC) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (11-9, 1-6 MWC)
Feb. 10 * 7:07 p.m. (PST) * Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414) * San Diego, Calif.
After This
The Utes close out the road trip by taking on UNLV on Monday at 9:05 p.m. (PST) in Las Vegas, Nev., as part of ESPN2's "Big Monday." Next weekend, Utah returns home to host Louisville on Saturday (Feb. 17) at 11:06 p.m. (MST) and Colorado State on Monday (Feb. 19) at 10:05 p.m. (MST).
A Quick Look At Utah
The Utes are 13-9 overall and in third place in Mountain West Conference with a 5-3 record. After losing three consecutive league games on the road, Utah won two at home last weekend. Utah got a 63-58 win over Air Force on Saturday night and defeated New Mexico 80-69 on Monday night.
Utah has five players averaging eight points per game or better, with one in double figures. Junior guard Kevin Bradley, coming off the bench the past 10 games, leads the team in scoring (10.8 ppg), shooting 42.4 percent from three-point range. He is also third on the team in assists (2.1 apg). Junior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen, who started against New Mexico on Monday, is tied for second in scoring (9.0 ppg), shooting 37.8 percent from behind the arc and 77.2 percent from the line. Senior center Nate Althoff is tied with Johnsen for second in scoring (9.0 ppg). Junior forward Phil Cullen is also second in scoring (9.0 ppg), shooting 36.7 percent from three-point range, and tied for second in rebounding (4.8 rpg). Sophomore forward Britton Johnsen is the fifth-best scorer on the team (8.4 ppg), shooting a team-best 50.0 percent from three-point range, and is tied for second in rebounding (4.8 rpg). Junior Travis Spivey, who has started the last 10 games at point guard, is averaging a team-best 3.1 assists per game. Junior center/forward Chris Burgess, who returned to action against New Mexico on Monday after fracturing his left ankle against San Diego State on Jan. 15, leads the team in rebounding average (5.5 rpg) and blocked shots (18).
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 12-9, 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 160-70 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).
Utah vs. San Diego State Notes
Scouting the Aztecs
San Diego State is 11-9 overall and tied for seventh place in the Mountain West Conference with a 1-6 record. Last weekend, SDSU lost on the road to Wyoming (101-66) on Saturday and Colorado State (77-56) on Monday. The Aztecs already have more wins than they did last season when they went 5-23 overall and 0-14 in the MWC. Among their wins this season, the Aztecs defeated Arizona State (64-62) at home on Dec. 16 and Oklahoma State (87-66) at home on Dec. 30, helping them post a 10-2 record at Cox Arena.
Three players are averaging double figures in scoring. Junior 6-8 forward Randy Holcomb is third in the conference in scoring (16.2 ppg) and sixth in rebounds (7.1 rpg) to lead the team in both categories. Junior 6-6 forward Myron Epps, one of just four returning letterwinners from last year, is 12th in the MWC in scoring (12.4 ppg) and 15th in rebounds (4.7 rpg). Junior 6-2 guard Al Faux is 19th in the league in scoring (10.6 ppg), shooting 40.8 percent (29-of-71) from three-point range. Sophomore 5-9 guard Deandre Moore, a transfer from Vanderbilt, ranks second in the Mountain West in assists (5.1 apg)
The Aztecs are seventh in the conference in scoring (69.9 ppg), sixth in scoring defense (67.2 ppg) and seventh in rebound margin (-2.2 rpg) with a deficit of 38.2 to 36.0 rebounds per game.
Head Coach Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher is in his second season at San Diego State. In his previous college head coaching job, Fisher led Michigan to a 184-82 record (.691), three NCAA Final Fours and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1989-97. As the interim head coach in 1989, he led the Wolverines to a 6-0 record and the NCAA title.
Fisher faced Utah twice while at Michigan. Utah lost to Michigan, 81-65, on Dec. 1, 1990 in Ann Arbor, Mich., in Rick Majerus' first full season at Utah. Fisher's Wolverines got the best of the Utes again on Nov. 23, 1994 in the Maui Invitational, 73-69.
Series Notes
The Utes and Aztecs meet for the 48th time on Saturday with Utah holding a 39-8 edge in the series. The Utes are also 14-6 in games played in San Diego. The Aztecs' last win over the Utes was 76-73 on Jan. 22, 1994 in San Diego. Since then, the Utes have won their last four road games against SDSU.
Utah won both games over San Diego State last season by an average of 21.5 points in Steve Fisher's first year of directing the team. The Utes defeated the Aztecs 70-55 on Jan. 10 in San Diego and 83-65 on Feb. 10 in Salt Lake City. Utah, which took the first game this season 58-39 on Jan. 15 in Salt Lake City, has won the last 12 games in the series and has taken 26 of the last 28 meetings.
Last Meeting
Nick Jacobson scored 13 points as Utah defeated San Diego State, 58-39, on Jan. 15 in Salt Lake City to win its fourth game in a row. The Utes' 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 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, 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 run.
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. 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 three-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 left until halftime. Utah, which had been averaging 15.9 turnovers a game, committed just one turnover in the first half and outscored the Aztecs 15-0 in points off turnovers in the period. Utah shot 42.9 percent from the floor and had a 39 to 28 advantage on the glass.
Utah-SDSU Ties
Aztec junior guard Al Faux and Ute junior guard Kevin Bradley were teammates at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. Faux transferred to SDSU from Shoreline Junior College.
Two Aztecs played junior college ball in the state of Utah. Senior guard Jim Roban, a native of Las Vegas, played at Dixie Junior College in St. George. Roban has played in only six games this season due to back problems. Senior forward Michael Marion played at the College of Eastern Utah in Price.
Utah vs. UNLV Preview
Scouting the Runnin' Rebels
UNLV is 13-9 overall and tied for fourth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-3 record. The Runnin' Rebels split two games on the road last weekend, losing to Colorado State (80-55) on Saturday and defeating Wyoming (80-78) on Monday. UNLV is 10-1 at home this season, including a 3-0 record in league play. Before meeting Utah on Monday, the Rebels host BYU on Saturday afternoon.
Four players are averaging double figures in scoring. Senior 6-9 forward/center Kaspars Kambala, the preseason MWC Player of the Year, is second in the conference in scoring (16.8 ppg) and second in rebounds (9.4 rpg) to lead the the team in both categories. He is shooting 55.7 percent from the field and has made it to the free throw line 135 times in 21 games, converting 72.6 percent of those attempts. Senior 6-3 guard Trevor Diggs is 10th in the conference in scoring (12.7 ppg), ninth in assists (2.95 apg) and second in steals (1.64 spg). Sophomore 6-9 forward Dalron Johnson is 11th in the MWC in scoring (12.6 ppg) and fifth in rebounds (7.8 rpg). Junior 6-4 guard Jermaine Lewis is 17th in the league in scoring (10.8 ppg), shooting 38.0 percent from three-point range. Senior 6-4 guard Danny Brotherson, who is averaging 4.5 points and 3.0 boards, played at Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah, before going to UNLV.
UNLV is second in the conference in scoring (76.3 ppg), eighth in scoring defense (73.7 ppg) and sixth in rebound margin (-1.3 rpg) with a deficit of 40.2 to 38.9 boards per game. The Rebels also lead the MWC in blocked shots (5.59 bpg) and steals (7.73 spg).
The Utes and Rebels have one common opponent from nonconference play. UNLV got a 69-64 decision over Pepperdine in Las Vegas on Dec. 22. Utah defeated the Waves, 69-56, on Dec. 19 in Malibu, Calif.
Head Coach Max Good
Max Good was promoted to head coach of the UNLV basketball program after the university relieved former head coach Billy Bayno of his duties on Dec. 12 because of NCAA sanctions against the program. Good was in his second year as assistant coach when he was elevated. Prior to joining the Runnin' Rebels staff, Good spent 10 seasons (1989-99) as the head coach at Maine Central Institute, a prep school in Pittsfield, Maine. He was also an assistant coach for five seasons at Eastern Kentucky before being named the head coach in 1981. In eight years at Eastern Kentucky, he went 96-129. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1986-87, leading his team to a 19-11 record.
Series Notes
UNLV is the only Mountain West Conference team Utah has a losing record against as the two teams meet for the 19th time on Monday. Utah is 8-10 against UNLV all-time with a 2-6 record in Las Vegas. Utah won the first game this season 79-70 on Jan. 13 in Salt Lake City.
The Utes and Runnin' Rebels split both games last season, with UNLV winning 72-66 on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas and Utah getting a decisive 96-52 win on Feb. 21 in Salt Lake City. The Utes have dropped two in a row in Las Vegas. In addition to losing last season, the Utes fell to the Rebels in the quarterfinals of the 1998 WAC Tournament (54-51) on March 5. After Utah got back-to-back wins during the 1980-81 season, UNLV has won five of the last nine.
Team Notes
Game #22 Rewind
Kevin Bradley scored 19 points and Jeff Johnsen had 15 as Utah made a late run to defeat New Mexico 80-69 Monday night in the Huntsman Center. The Utes outscored the Lobos 16-6 to end the game and held New Mexico to just one field goal in the last 5:17.
Travis Spivey scored 12 points and Nate Althoff added 11 as the Utes (13-9 overall, 5-3 Mountain West Conference) shot 54 percent, its best mark in conference play, to overcome connecting on just 22-of-36 from the line.
Ruben Douglas had 20 points for the Lobos (13-7, 3-4), who lost for the 12th straight time in Salt Lake City. Wayland White scored 14 and Eric Chatfield had 13. The Lobos shot 1-11 in the last five minutes and have now lost four consecutive road games for the first time since the 1994-95 season. The Utes, bolstered by the early return of Chris Burgess from an ankle injury, outrebounded New Mexico 23-11 in the second half and have now outrebounded opponents in 53 of their last 55 conference games.
Utah used a four-point play to cap a 10-3 run and take a 71-64 lead with 3:55 to play. Althoff scored on a power move and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but Johnsen rebounded and scored in the lane. Johnsen, who started for the first time since Dec. 9, scored the first six points of the second half and Utah moved out to a 49-42 advantage. But the Lobos rallied and tied the game at 54 and again at 61 behind Douglas's shooting. The game was tied 39-39 at halftime as the teams combined for 10 three-pointers. New Mexico shot 60 percent in the period and made 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Burgess Is Back
Junior 6-10 center/forward Chris Burgess, who had been out of action since suffering an avulsion fracture in his right ankle on Jan. 15, returned to the court for the Utes on Monday night against New Mexico. Burgess, who was originally expected to be out six to eight weeks, was cleared to practice for the first time on Monday and participated in the team's shootaround. In a limited role, the Irvine, Calif., native played 16 minutes off the bench against New Mexico getting four points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Burgess leads the team in rebounding average (5.5 rpg) and blocked shots (18). Before the injury, he had started 12 games in a row at center and power forward.
Strength of Schedule
According to the RPI ratings as of Tuesday, Utah's strength of schedule ranks 22nd out of 319 NCAA Division I schools. Utah is the only Mountain West Conference team in the top 50 in strength of schedule. The next three closest are UNLV (66th), New Mexico (72nd) and Brigham Young (92nd). The Mountain West Conference has a 61-38 record in NCAA Division I nonconference games.
Utah's RPI was 62nd. Mountain West Conference schools ranked ahead of Utah are Brigham Young (51st) and Wyoming (58th). Three of Utah's nine losses have come to teams ranked in the top 25 in the RPI ratings through Tuesday. Georgia is 12th with a 13-9 record, followed by No. 20 Southern California (15-5) and No. 23 Texas (16-6).
The Nation's Most Dominant Team in League Play at Home
Following their 80-69 win over New Mexico on Monday, the Utes have won 42 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 51-1 record (.981).
Against the seven other teams that now form the Mountain West Conference, Utah has won 38 in a row at home dating back to a 71-70 loss to Colorado State on Jan. 27, 1994.
Streaky Start To Conference Play
After winning its first three Mountain West Conference games at home, Utah dropped its next three games on the road. The Utes have dropped three consecutive games twice this season. Utah halted the skid with a 63-58 win over Air Force at home last Saturday night and got its second straight win with an 80-69 decision over New Mexico on Monday to improve to 5-3 in league play.
Utah's 3-3 Mountain West record through six games marked its worst conference start since the 1993-94 season when the Utes started 3-3 in the Western Athletic Conference. After its 3-3 start that season, Utah went on to lose its next two to fall to 3-5 before finishing 8-10.
The 1993-94 season is also the last time the Utes dropped three consecutive games in league play, when it happened twice. The Utes fell at Hawaii on Jan. 20 (72-56), at San Diego State on Jan. 22 (76-73) and to Colorado State at home on Jan. 27 (71-70). The second time around, Utah fell at Fresno State on Feb. 17 (95-86), at Air Force on Feb. 19 (91-89 in OT) and at 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.
Conference Road Woes
After winning three games at home to open its Mountain West Conference schedule, Utah dropped three consecutive games on the road. Utah kept its perfect conference home record intact with wins over Air Force and New Mexico last weekend. 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 13-9 mark. Utah's nine losses have came by a combined 48 points for an average of 5.3 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 its nine 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 is 9-4 when it leads at the half and 11-3 when it leads with 5:00 remaining this season.
- 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 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.
Getting to the Point
Junior point guard Travis Spivey, a transfer from Salt Lake Community College, has started the last 10 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 seen significant playing time as of late, averaging 9.7 minutes per game in conference play. The shake up in the line-up has resulted in improved productivity at point guard for the Utes.
- In the last 10 games, Spivey has had 37 assists to 19 turnovers (1.9:1 ratio).
- Highlighting three of his better performances in conference play, Spivey had 12 points, hitting 2-of-4 three-pointers, five rebounds and three steals in 31 minutes against New Mexico on Feb. 5. He had five assists with no turnovers, eight points and three rebounds in 28 minutes against Air Force on Feb. 3. Against UNLV on Jan. 13, Spivey had six assists, three turnovers, 10 points and two steals in 25 minutes.
- Against Wyoming on Jan. 20, Utah's trio of ball-handlers combined for nine assists, three steals and four turnovers, as well as 16 rebounds. Spivey had a season-high seven assists and just two turnovers in 37 minutes.
- 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 on Jan. 15.
- 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 Spivey and Bradley 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.
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 14.2 points per game. Nine players are averaging at least 11 minutes a game, while just one (Kevin Bradley at 22.7) averaging more than 22 minutes per contest this season.
- The Utes have used eight different starting line-ups this season with eight different players starting at least one game. Against New Mexico on Monday, Utah went with the quintet of Jeff Johnsen (SF), Britton Johnsen (PF), Nate Althoff (C), Travis Spivey (PG) and Nick Jacobson (SG) for the first time. Before Spivey took over at the point the last 10 games, Kevin Bradley had started the first 12 games. Althoff has started at center the last five games for Chris Burgess, who just returned to action against New Mexico after missing four games due to injury.
- Eight games into the season, Utah was shooting just 67.2 percent from the free throw line. Since then, the Utes have shot 71.0 percent (147-of-207) from the line. The Utes have helped their cause at the stripe by shooting above 80 percent in five of the last 14 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 70.4 percent from the line on the season.
- With 299 assists and 328 turnovers on the season, Utah has a 0.91 assists-turnover ratio and has averaged 14.91 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).
- The Utes have had success when they take care of the ball, going 9-1 when they commit fewer turnovers then their opponent this season.
- Utah has held eight of its opponents to less than 60 points. American-Puerto Rico (37 points) and San Diego State on Jan. 15 (39 points) 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 40.7 percent this season.
- The Utes have been outrebounded just four times this season: 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 been outrebounded just twice in its last 55 regular-season conference games. Both of which came at the hands of Wyoming this season.
- Utah has shot 50 percent or better in nine games this season, winning six of those contests.
- Utah is 7-0 when it scores 80 points or more.
- On Jan. 20 in an overtime showdown in Laramie, Wyo., 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 committed a school record 38 fouls in the game.
- 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).
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 22.7 minutes per game. He leads the team in scoring (10.8 ppg), shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from three-point range (second-best on the team) and 74.6 percent from the free throw line. Bradley is also averaging 2.1 assists per game (third-best on the team). He has led Utah in scoring eight times and assists seven times.
Against New Mexico on Monday, Bradley scored in double figures for the 12th time in 22 games this season with 19 points, making 4-of-5 three-pointers, and got six rebounds in 30 minutes. On Feb. 3 against Air Force, Bradley got 15 points, making all of his shots from the field (four field goals and two three-pointers) and 5-of-7 free throws in 19 minutes. He had 19 points at Wyoming on Jan. 20, 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. His career-high game was 20 points against Cardinal Stritch on Nov. 28.
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 tied for second on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg), shooting a 37.8 percent from three-point range (third-best on the team) and 77.2 percent from the free throw line (second-best on the team). He is also averaging 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists (second-best on the team), and has led the team in scoring three times and assists nine times. He returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 9 against New Mexico on Monday. Jeff responded with 15 points, making 6-of-8 field goals, to score in double figures for the fourth consecutive game. He also had a season-high nine rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes.
Britton (F, 6-9, 205), a sophomore, is fifth on the team in scoring (8.4 ppg), shooting a team-best 50.0 percent from behind the arc (16-of-32), and is tied for second in rebounds (4.8 rpg). He has also scored in double figures in nine of the last 16 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 62.3 points per game. 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 7.3 rebounds per game advantage over the opposition this season and ranked 12th in the NCAA as of Feb. 5. 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 40.7 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 10.1 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.
Players Mentioned
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