Runnin'Utes Open Mountain West Schedule Saturday Afternoon

Jan. 10, 2002

Game #14

Utah Runnin' Utes (10-3, 0-0 MWC) vs. UNLV Rebels (8-5, 1-1 MWC)

Jan. 12 * 1:05 p.m. (MST) * Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) * Salt Lake City

The Game at a Glance

Utah Head Coach: Rick Majerus            UNLV Head Coach: Charlie SpoonhourAlma Mater: Marquette, 1970         Alma Mater: Univ. of the Ozarks, 1961Record at Utah: 272-76/13th Season  Record at UNLV: 8-5/1st SeasonOverall Record: 371-128/18th Season Overall Record: 327-176/17th Season
Television: ESPN Regional (Shown on KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City). Rich Waltz (play-by-play)and Irv Brown (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: UNLV leads 10-9Utah Home/Away/Neutral: 6-2/3-6/0-2Last Meeting: Utah defeated UNLV 85-77 on Feb. 12, 2001 in Las Vegas
Utah Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics35  F   Jeff Johnsen 6-4 204 Sr. Murray, Utah            8.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg31  F   Britton Johnsen   6-9 213 Jr. Murray, Utah            11.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg41  C   Lance Allred 6-10    239 So. Salt Lake City          3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg32  G   Eric Osmundson 6-3 196 Fr. Carlsbad, Calif.    2.1 ppg, 1.3 apg11  or  Travis Spivey   6-1 212 Sr. Myrtle Beach, S.C.  5.9 ppg, 4.8 apg15  G   Nick Jacobson   6-4 198 So. Fargo, N.D.         14.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Utah Off the BenchNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics3   G   Martin Osimani 6-3 203 Fr. Montevideo, Uruguay 0.9 ppg, 1.1 apg13  C   Cameron Koford 6-11    230 Jr. Plain City, Utah    2.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg21  G/F Trace Caton   6-5 214 Jr. Alamosa, Colo.          4.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg40  F/C Phil Cullen   6-9 221 Sr. Chelan, Wash.           5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
UNLV Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name             Ht.    Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics10  F   Dalron Johnson   6-9    205 Jr. Los Angeles, Calif. 17.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg20  F   Chris Richardson 6-6    185 Sr. Corpus Christi, Texas   8.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg14  C   Omari Pearson    6-8    220 So. Maywood, Ill.           3.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg3   G   Marcus Banks     6-1    195 Jr. Las Vegas, Nev.         16.2 ppg, 2.9 apg24  G   Vince Booker     6-1    175 Sr. Las Vegas, Nev.         5.7 ppg, 2.7 apg

After This

The Runnin' Utes host San Diego State on Monday at 7:07 p.m. (MST). Utah then hits the road next week for games at Air Force on Saturday at 3:07 p.m. (MST) and New Mexico on Monday at 7:07 p.m. (MST).

Quickly On Utah

The Runnin' Utes are 10-3 after winning seven in a row to close out the nonconference portion of their schedule. Utah opens Mountain West Conference action against UNLV on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Utes are 8-1 at home this season where they have won six in a row. Utah closed out its non-league schedule with a 41-35 win against Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif., on Monday. They also defeated Whitworth College 63-57 last Wednesday night.

Sophomore 6-4 guard Nick Jacobson leads the Runnin' Utes in scoring (14.5 ppg), shooting a team-best 48.0 percent (36-of-75) from three-point range. Junior 6-9 forward Britton Johnsen is third in scoring (11.0 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.8 rpg). Senior 6-1 guard Travis Spivey leads the team in assists (4.8 apg). Senior 6-10 center Chris Burgess, who is second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and first in rebounds (7.2 rpg), blocked shots (13) and field goal percentage (66.0), is out until at least early February and possibly the season with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot.

Scouting UNLV

The Runnin' Rebels are 8-5 overall and 1-1 in Mountain West Conference play. UNLV opened league play last weekend by losing to Wyoming 69-59 at home on Saturday and defeating Air Force 66-54 in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Monday night. Junior 6-9 forward Dalron Johnson ranks fourth in the MWC in scoring (17.7 ppg), third in rebounding (8.0 rpg), tied for sixth in free throw shooting (84.2) and second in blocked shots (25). Junior 6-1 guard Marcus Banks, a transfer from Dixie State College, is fifth in the conference in scoring (16.2 ppg) and 11th in assists (2.9 apg). Senior 6-5 guard/forward Lou Kelly is third on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), and ranks 10th in the MWC in three-point field goal percentage (41.5), hitting 22 of 53.

UNLV ranks fourth in the Mountain West in scoring (76.0 ppg), eighth in scoring defense (71.1 ppg) and seventh in rebound margin (-0.1).

Comparing the Stats

            Utah    UNLVScoring         68.1    76.0Scoring Defense 59.7    71.1FG%         .468    .456FG% Defense .431    .4483-Pt. FG%   .397    .3833-Pt. FG% Def.  .297    .345FT%         .711    .670Rebound Margin  +3.2    -0.1Assists         15.9    14.8Turnovers   15.2    15.6Opp. Turnovers  15.8    18.0Steals          7.0 10.2

Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour

Charlie Spoonhour became the 12th head coach in UNLV history this year and has an 8-5 record. His career record is 327-176 in 17 seasons. Spoonhour jumps back into coaching after taking two years off. He most recently spent seven years as the head coach at Saint Louis (1992-99) and went 122-90. Spoonhour retired from Saint Louis on March 5, 1999, after heading into his final season ranked 26th among active NCAA Division I coaches (minimum 10 years) in winning percentage with a .662 mark. Before his stint with the Billikens, Spoonhour was the head coach for nine years at Southwest Missouri State (1983-92). In his career, he has led teams to eight NCAA Tournaments and two NIT appearances.

Utah-UNLV Series Notes

* Utah and UNLV meet for the 20th time on Saturday afternoon. The series dates back to a 107-90 win by the Runnin' Rebels on Dec. 26, 1975.

* The Runnin' Rebels lead the all-time series 10-9. However, the Runnin' Utes have won the last three, including both games last season. UNLV's last win over Utah was 72-66 on Feb. 5, 2000 in Las Vegas.

* In conference play, Utah has a 5-2 advantage.

* In Salt Lake City, the Utes are 6-2 and have won three in a row. Their last loss was 76-67 on Jan. 21, 1982.

* Utah's most decisive win over UNLV under Rick Majerus was 44 points (96-52) on Feb. 21, 2000 in Salt Lake City. It was also the Utes' biggest win over the Runnin' Rebels all-time.

* UNLV's most decisive win over Utah under Rick Majerus was 17 points (83-66) on March 21, 1991 in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in Seattle, Wash.

* Rick Majerus is 3-3 against UNLV all-time with all of those games taking place during his tenure at Utah. He is 2-0 against UNLV in Salt Lake City.

* Charlie Spoonhour has never faced Utah.

Last Meeting

Kevin Bradley scored eight of his 14 points in the final 3:51 as the Utes held on to beat UNLV 85-77 on Feb. 12 last season in Las Vegas. Phil Cullen led the Utes with 19 points, 14 in the first half. Chris Burgess added 15 for Utah. Kaspars Kambala had a game-high 22 points for UNLV. Dalron Johnson and Trevor Diggs each added 12.

The Utes led 64-51 with 11:57 remaining but the Rebels rallied behind Kambala, who had only four points in the first half after sitting out the last 14:38 with foul trouble. Kambala scored 13 of his team's next 21 points as the Rebels cut the lead to 77-71 with 3:45 left. Bradley then hit a free throw and a three-pointer to put the Utes back up by 10.

The game was close in the first half until the Utes scored 12 straight points to take a 40-30 lead with 1:59 remaining. Cullen hit two straight three-pointers in the run. The Rebels scored four points to cut the lead to 40-34, but Britton Johnson converted two free throws with 38 seconds remaining and the Utes went into the intermission with a 42-34 lead.

Utah outshot UNLV 60.0 to 42.6 percent from the field and 73.7 to 65.5 percent at the free throw line. The Utes got 22 assists on 33 baskets and had a 36 to 33 advantage on the boards.

In Conference Openers Under Majerus

Utah is 8-2 in conference season openers overall under head coach Rick Majerus and 4-0 when playing at home. The Runnin' Utes have also won six consecutive league openers under Majerus. In Majerus' previous conference opening game before he took off the majority of last season on a personal leave of absence, Utah won 70-55 at San Diego State on Jan. 10, 2000. The last time the Utes opened the conference season at home under Majerus, they defeated BYU 75-54 on Jan. 9, 1999. Last season under acting head coach Dick Hunsaker, Utah defeated Wyoming 83-71 in Salt Lake City to tip-off the Mountain West Conference season.

Jacobson Prolific From Beyond the Arc

* Sophomore guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 198) leads the Utes in scoring (14.5 ppg) and three-point percentage (48.0). He has scored in double figures in 11 of the 13 games this season, including eight in a row before getting nine points against Saint Mary's on Monday.

* Jacobson had a hot hand in early December. Against Pepperdine, Arizona State and Troy State (Dec. 1-8), Jacobson shot 59.4 percent from the field (19-for-32) and 72.2 percent from three-point range (13-for-18). Against Texas, Jacobson had a game-high 18 points, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range. He used a 7-for-8 night at the free throw line to help him score 19 points against Whitworth.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Jan. 7, Jacobson was 17th in three-point percentage (48.6) tied for 29th in three-pointers made per game (3.0).

* The Fargo, N.D., native got a career-high 22 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 1, shooting 5-of-6 from three-point range. Jacobson had a career-high six rebounds against Arizona State and a career-high five assists versus Troy State.

* 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).

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 (11.0 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.8 rpg). Dating back to last season, Britton has scored in double figures in 24 of the last 38 contests-including 10 games this season.

* Britton had a season-high eight rebounds and a career-high tying three blocked shots against Texas on Dec. 29. He tied a personal best with three steals against Whitworth on Jan. 2.

* Britton missed his career high by two points with a season-best of 21 against Weber State on Dec. 15. Britton hit 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range and 3-of-3 at the line.

* Joining Britton on the Utah roster is his older brother Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 204), a senior guard/forward. Jeff is averaging 8.5 points (fourth-best on the team) and 2.6 assists (second-best on the team), and has started the last nine games. Jeff has scored in double figures in six of the last 10 games, including three in a row.

* Jeff had a season-high 18 points against Whitworth on Jan. 2, missing his career high by two points. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and 2-for-3 from the line that night. Against Texas on Dec. 29, Jeff had season highs of seven rebounds and three steals to go with 11 points. Jeff set a career high with six assists against Idaho State on Dec. 21.

* 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 58 assists to 25 turnovers (2.3:1 ratio) and 10 steals this season. He is also averaging 5.9 points per game and got a career-high 18 points against Utah State on Nov. 23. Spivey has had fewer than two turnovers in four games this season. Spivey had a career-high 10 assists against Pepperdine on Dec. 1. He did not play in the game at Saint Mary's on Monday while serving a suspension for a team conduct related issue. Spivey returned to practice on Wednesday. His status for Saturday's game against UNLV and the rest of the season is still to be determined.

* 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.

Cullen Climbing the Career Charts After A Summer on the Mound

* Senior 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 (119), fifth in three-pointers attempted (313) and tied for ninth in blocked shots (57). He has started 42 games during his Utah career.

* This season, Cullen is averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game off the bench. Getting more playing time (23 minutes) with the injury to Chris Burgess against Texas on Dec. 29, Cullen had a season-high 12 points, hitting 3-of-5 field goals and 2-of-3 three-pointers, to reach double figures for the first time this year.

* 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.

Burgess Out For A Month, Perhaps the Season

* Senior center/forward Chris Burgess (6-10, 240) will be out until at least early February and perhaps the rest of the 2001-02 season with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. Burgess suffered the injury five minutes into the Texas game on Dec. 29.

* Burgess has led the Utes in scoring five times and rebounds eight times this season. He has also had four double-doubles. The Irvine, Calif., native still ranks second on the team in scoring with an average of 13.2 points per game while shooting 66.0 percent from the field, which ranked fourth-best in the nation on Jan. 7. He is also averaging a team-best 7.2 rebounds this season.

* Prior to being injured in the first half against Texas, Burgess had reached double figures in points five times and rebounds four times in the last six games. Over that stretch, he averaged 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor. Burgess had a career-high 22 points versus Troy State on Dec. 8.

* In the two games prior to the Texas contest, he posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his college career. Burgess had 15 points and a Utah career-high 14 rebounds against Southern Utah on Dec. 18. He then came back with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high tying four blocked shots against Idaho State on Dec. 21. Burgess hit a career-best nine free throws (in 10 attempts) against ISU.

Take Note of These Utes

* Freshman guard Martin Osimani (6-3, 203) had a career-best seven points, hitting both of his field goal attempts and 3-of-4 free throws, against Saint Mary's (Calif.) on Monday night. He also had three rebounds, one assist, one steal and no turnovers in 25 minutes.

* Before getting 10 turnovers and just two assists in the last three games, Freshman guard Eric Osmundson (6-1, 196) had put up 13 assists to four turnovers (3.3:1 ratio) during the previous four games. Osmundson was productive in a career-best 23 minutes against Southern Utah on Dec. 18, posting a career-best six assists with just one turnover, two points, three rebounds and a steal. While getting his first significant minutes of the season as the back-up point guard against Troy State on Dec. 8, Osmundson had four assists in 18 minutes. His best scoring output of the season came when he got nine points, making all four shots from the field and his only three-point attempt, in eight minutes against Alabama on Nov. 26. Osmundson had eight points in 15 minutes against Idaho State on Dec. 21.

Saint Mary's Game Rewind

Jeff Johnsen scored 11 points as Utah won its seventh straight game, beating Saint Mary's 41-35 Monday night in Moraga, Calif. Both teams finished their nonconference schedules with an ugly game featuring 40 turnovers and just 29 field goals.

Nick Jacobson scored nine points for Utah, which shot a season-low 37.2 percent (16-of-43) and made 20 turnovers. Britton Johnsen had seven rebounds. The Utes (10-3) never managed to pull away from the Gaels (5-8), who shot 28 percent-2-of-17 on three-pointers-and also made 20 turnovers. Adam Caporn had eight points to lead Saint Mary's.

The Utes put up the lowest point total since the start of Rick Majerus' tenure. Utah's previous low in Majerus' 13 seasons came in a 44-37 win over Colorado State on Jan. 29, 1990, when assistant Joe Cravens was in charge of the team while Majerus recovered from heart surgery. The 35 points scored by the Gaels was the lowest total given up under Majerus, bettering the 36 points surrendered versus Wichita State on Dec. 21, 1991.

Saint Mary's scored one point in the game's first four minutes, but managed a 19-19 tie at halftime thanks to 11 Utah turnovers. Utah led 38-35 when Samuel Saint-Jean missed a wide-open three-pointer for the Gaels with 45 seconds left. Martin Osimani hit a free throw, and after Saint-Jean missed another trey, Osimani hit two more with 13 seconds left.

The Utes had 20 turnovers in the game, which was the second-lowest total this season. Utah was outrebounded 34 to 31.

The Nation's Most Dominant Team in League Play at Home

* Utah enters the 2002 Mountain West Conference season with 44 consecutive league wins 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 53-1 record (.981).

* Against the seven other teams that now form the Mountain West Conference, Utah has won 40 in a row at home dating back to a 71-70 loss to Colorado State on Jan. 27, 1994.

Seven Straight Championships Best in the Nation

The Utes have won seven consecutive regular-season conference titles and nine overall in the Rick Majerus era, dating back to the 1989-90 season. Utah's string of seven straight titles is tied with Cincinnati's as the longest active streak in the nation.

Utah won the WAC regular-season championship outright in 1991 and shared it in 1993 before winning five straight outright titles from 1995-99 (the last three being divisional titles). Utah went 10-4 in conference play in 1999-2000 to share the inaugural Mountain West Conference championship with UNLV. The Utes also went 10-4 in 2000-01 to take the title with Brigham Young and Wyoming.

The Gunnin' Utes

Utah ranks 18th in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 40.3 percent as of Jan. 7. Currently, the Utes are shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. Individually, sophomore guard Nick Jacobson ranks 17th in the NCAA in three-point percentage (48.6) and tied for 29th in threes made per game (3.0). He is currently shooting 48.0 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 2.77 treys per game.

* Utah has shot at least 40 percent from three-point range in six games this season, all of them wins.

* The Utes have made at least five three-pointers in 11 of the 13 games.

* Four Utes are shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range: Nick Jacobson (48.0), Trace Caton (47.8), Phil Cullen (43.8) and Eric Osmundson (40.0).

Inside the Numbers

* In all 10 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 six opponents-including five of the last seven-to 40 percent or less from the field (Boise State, Troy State, Weber State, Southern Utah, Texas and Saint Mary's).

* The Utes have had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in nine of their 10 wins and a negative ratio in each of the three losses. In its win over Weber State on Dec. 15, Utah had a season-low nine turnovers (just one in the second half) and 12 assists.

* In nine of the 10 wins, Utah has held its opponent to 61 points or less. In the three losses, the opponents have all surpassed the 70-point barrier.

* Utah has eclipsed the 80-point mark twice, winning both times (Pepperdine, 81-74, Troy State, 87-56).

* Utah scored a season-high 45 points in the second half against Troy State on Dec. 8. The Utes also connected on a season-high 55.9 percent of their field goals.

* Against Weber State on Dec. 15, Utah won for the only time this season when trailing at halftime. Utah is 1-3 when trailing after 20 minutes this season.

* Utah had a season-high nine blocked shots against Idaho State, missing the school single-game record by one. Chris Burgess and Travis Spivey both had career highs of four blocked shots in that game.

Utes Tough At Home In the Huntsman Center

* Utah all-time record in the Huntsman Center is 406-87. Utah got its 400th win in the history of the facility on Nov. 20 against Boise State.

* The Utes are 175-16 (.916) 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 155-11 (.934) at home. The Utes have won 112 of their last 118 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.

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