Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73
Final Score
Men's Basketball
66
vs No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round)
73
The University of Utah Athletics
Runnin' Utes Open Exhibition Season Friday
10/29/2002 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Oct. 29, 2002
Game Data
Utah opens its exhibition season against the EA Sports Southwest All Stars on Friday at 7:04 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Scouting EA Sports
The EA Sports club teams, comprised of recent former college players, are operated by California-based Double Pump, Inc. EA Sports Southwest opens its 15-game tour against the Utes on Friday. While in the Beehive state, the All Stars will also play Utah State on Saturday, Weber State next Monday (Nov. 4) and Brigham Young next Tuesday (Nov. 5).
The EA Sports Southwest roster includes one ex-Ute and three other former Mountain West Conference players. Tony Harvey, a 6-6 guard/forward who finished his Utah playing career in 1999-2000, is in his second year playing for EA Sports. Al Faux (G, 6-3) of San Diego State, Brett McFall (G, 6-0) of Wyoming and Joe Vogel (C, 6-10) of Colorado State are also making return visits to the Huntsman Center. The roster also includes former Kansas player Nick Bradford (F, 6-7).
After This
Utah plays its final exhibition game against one of the other EA Sports teams on Nov. 13 at 7:04 p.m. (MST). The Runnin' Utes open their regular season against Southern Utah on Nov. 22 at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Huntsman Center.
Who's Back
The Utes return three starters and one other letterman from last season. Utah went 21-9 overall, advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament and placed second in the Mountain West Conference with a 10-4 mark.
Of the four returnees from last season, three are seniors. Trace Caton (G/F, 6-4, 211) played in all 30 games last season, starting four. Caton, a native of Alamosa, Colo., averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He is a well-rounded player who can defend four positions. Britton Johnsen (F, 6-10, 210), named a Wooden Award candidate this season, was the Mountain West Player of the Year and the USBWA District VIII Player of the Year in 2001-02. The Murray, Utah, native was second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and first in rebounding (6.3 rpg). He shot 49.6 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. Cameron Koford (C, 7-0, 227) became the day-to-day starter in the post the second half of the season, getting the nod in 13 of the last 15 games. A native of Plain City, Utah, Koford averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He also had a team-best 18 blocked shots. After starting his college career as a partial qualifier at Weber State, Koford regained his fourth year of eligibility after completing his undergraduate degree in four years.
Junior Nick Jacobson (G/F, 6-4, 200) was named second team NABC all-District 13 and third team all-Mountain West in 2001-02. The Fargo, N.D., native started every game last season after being in the line-up for all but four contests his freshman year. Jacobson led Utah in scoring (13.0 ppg). He also ranked 23rd in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (44.4), averaging 2.37 treys per game.
Two Transfers Ready to Make an Impact
Utah will gain the services of two transfers this season. Junior Tim Frost (C/F, 6-10, 236) sat out last season after transferring to Utah from Portland. Frost was a first team all-West Coast Conference pick in 2000-01, leading the Pilots in scoring (14.9 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg).
Marc Jackson (G, 6-1, 177) rejoins the Utes after a year away. The Salt Lake City native and product of Olympus High School played in 21 games for the U. in 2000-01, getting 25 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists in an average of 6.0 minutes per game. When he returned early from an LDS Church mission and a scholarship was not available at Utah, Jackson joined the program at Utah Valley State College and sat out the 2001-02 season as a redshirt. Jackson has three years of eligibility remaining.
Four Freshmen on Roster
The Utes will have a youthful look this season with four of the 10 scholarship players being freshmen. Chris Jackson (C, 6-11, 242) was on the team last season but sat out as a redshirt. Jackson was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Mexico in 2000-01. He averaged 20.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.9 blocked shots per game as a senior.
A trio of Californians committed to the Utes during the early signing period. Richard Chaney (G/F, 6-4, 186), a product of Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles, was a first team all-CIF and all-conference selection as a junior and senior. Tim Drisdom (G, 6-3, 203), a point guard out of Calvary Chapel High School in Artesia, was named the California Player of the Year in his division twice. He is also a three-time first team all-state selection. Bryant Markson (F, 6-6, 182), who is a graduate of Monrovia High School, was the San Gabriel Player of the Year and a two-time first team all-state selection.
From the Training Room
* Freshman wingman Bryant Markson had his right knee scoped on Oct. 24. He will be out 4-6 weeks.
Majerus Third Among Active Coaches in Winning Percentage
Rick Majerus is 283-82 (.775) in 13 years at Utah and 382-134 (.740) in 18 years as a head coach. He is the third-winningest active coach in NCAA Division I. Only Roy Williams (Kansas) and Bob Huggins (Cincinnati) have better winning percentages. He is also in the top 20 in all-time winning percentage, currently ranked 16th.
Majerus has averaged 22 wins per year at Utah--amazing in that he coached just one game in 2000-01 and six games in his first season before undergoing heart surgery (he was 4-2 in 1989-90). In 11 full seasons at Utah, he has won 20-plus games 10 times, missing out only in 1993-94 (14-14). Minus the two partial seasons he missed, Majerus has averaged 25 wins per season.
During the Majerus era, the Utes have won nine conference championships--including seven straight from 1995-2001. Majerus has taken the Utes to nine NCAA Tournaments-including the last seven years he was on the bench the entire season-and has lost in the first round only once. In that time, he has led Utah to the Sweet 16 four times, the Elite Eight twice and one Final Four. He also took Ball State to the NCAA Tourney back in 1989. Majerus' record in the NCAA Tournament at Utah is 16-9 (.640). His all-time mark in the "Big Dance" is 17-10 (.630).
Night With the Runnin' Utes Recap
The Red Team defeated the White Team, 37-33, during a 30-minute scrimmage at Utah's annual Night With the Runnin' Utes on Oct. 19.
Starting for the Red Team were Tim Drisdom and Nick Jacobson in the backcourt, Trace Caton and Britton Johnsen at the forward positions and Tim Frost at center. Johnsen led the scoring with 10 points, while Jacobson had eight. Marc Jackson also played 10 minutes with the Red Team, getting six points. Cameron Koford logged 20 minutes, getting five rebounds and two blocked shots.
The White Team was led by Chris Jackson, who started at power forward and recorded eight points and five rebounds. Koford, the White's starting center, had seven points and two rebounds in 10 minutes before switching teams. Johnsen played 10 minutes as a reserve for the White, getting eight points and three boards. In 30 total minutes of playing time between the two teams, Johnsen had 18 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point range, five rebounds and three assists.
Utes Picked Third in Mountain West Preseason Poll
Utah placed third in the Mountain West Conference preseason media poll, voted on by the league's media members.
The Utes received 111 points and one first-place vote. Wyoming was picked for the second straight year to win the Mountain West title with 141 points and 12 of the possible 19 first-place votes. UNLV was second in the poll with 126 points and five first-place votes. BYU, coming in behind the Utes in fourth place, received the remaining first-place vote and 99 points. San Diego State (82), which won the 2002 MWC Tournament championship, came in fifth, followed by Colorado State (56), New Mexico (40) and Air Force (29).
Utah senior forward Britton Johnsen was one of five players named preseason all-Mountain West. He was joined by Wyoming senior Marcus Bailey, who was tabbed the top returning player. Also making the team were Ruben Douglas of New Mexico, and UNLV's Marcus Banks and Dalron Johnson. Demetrius Hunter of UNLV was voted the league's top newcomer.
Huntsman Center Improvements
The original floor of the M. Huntsman Center, which opened its doors in November 1969, was replaced during the late summer and early fall. The scoreboard video display system has also been upgraded. Eight high-output dual-stacked Sharp LCD projectors were installed with a brightness two-and-a-half times better than the previous system.
Players Mentioned
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