Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #6 - University of Utah Athletics

Dec. 5, 2002

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Game #6

Utah Runnin' Utes (3-2) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-2)

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

The Game at a Glance

Utah Head Coach: Rick Majerus       Arizona State Head Coach: Rob EvansAlma Mater: Marquette, 1970         Alma Mater: New Mexico State, 1968Record at Utah: 286-84/14th Season  Record at ASU: 64-62/5th SeasonCareer Record: 385-136/19th Season  Career Record: 150-143/11th Season
Television: KJZZ-TV (Channel 14, AT&T Cable 3) in Salt Lake City.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 24-17Utah Record Home/Away/Neutral: 13-5/9-10/2-2Last Meeting: Arizona State defeated Utah 83-79 in overtime in thethird round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 27.

Looking Ahead

Utah takes a week off for semester exams before hosting Northern Iowa on Dec. 14 at 1:07 p.m. (MST) to conclude a three-game homestand. The Utes play at Utah State on Dec. 17 at 7:07 p.m. (MST).

Quickly On Utah

The Utes (3-2) host Arizona State (4-2) on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV and broadcast on KALL-910 AM and the Utah Sports Network. Utah will be playing the Sun Devils for the second time in 11 days. Utah lost to Arizona State 83-79 in overtime in the third round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 27.

Utah returned home after a week in Hawaii to defeat Winthrop 72-42 on Tuesday night. The game opened a three-game homestand and a string of nine of 11 games in the state of Utah for the Utes.

The Utes went 1-2 last week at the EA Sports Maui Invitational, playing three games in less than 39 hours. The Utes opened the tournament with a loss to No. 20 Gonzaga 71-52 on Monday and defeated UMass 69-53 on Tuesday before falling to Arizona State on Wednesday.

Four lettermen return from last year's team that went 21-9 overall, placed second in the Mountain West Conference with a 10-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Utah's roster also includes two transfers and and four freshmen.

Senior forward Britton Johnsen (6-10, 210) paces Utah in scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). Junior center Tim Frost (6-10, 236) is second in scoring (13.8 ppg) and is shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Junior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 200) ranks third in scoring (11.6 ppg), and is shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. Freshman point guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) leads the Utes in assists (3.4 apg).

From the Training Room

Sophomore guard Marc Jackson sprained his right ankle on Nov. 17. Although be played in the Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27), Jackson missed the season opener against Southern Utah on Nov. 22 and the Winthrop game on Tuesday. He is listed as probable for the Arizona State game.

Scouting Arizona State

The Sun Devils (4-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 64-60 loss to Brigham Young on Wednesday night in Tempe, Ariz. After a loss to Kentucky (82-65) in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25, ASU ripped off wins over Chaminade (101-72) and Utah (83-79 in OT) in the final two rounds of the tournament before returning home to defeat Lafayette (85-62) on Nov. 30.

Four Sun Devils are averaging over 10 points a game. Freshman forward/center Ike Diogu (6-8, 250) leads the way (17.7 ppg), shooting 52.2 percent from the field. Diogu is also contributing 6.3 boards per game. Senior guard Curtis Millage (6-2, 185), who has played the last three games after his eligibility issues were resolved, is second in scoring (15.7 ppg). Junior forward Jamal Hill (6-5, 190) is the team's best three-point shooter at 52.9 percent (9-of-17) and averages 11.2 points per game. Senior forward Tommy Smith (6-10, 215) leads the Sun Devils in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and is fourth in scoring (10.7 ppg).

Head Coach Rob Evans

Rob Evans is 64-62 in his fifth season at Arizona State and has a 150-143 mark in 11 years as a head coach. Last season, Evans guided ASU to the NIT and a 14-15 overall record. The Sun Devils placed seventh in the Pac-10 with a 7-11 mark. Before going to ASU, Evans went 86-81 in six seasons at Mississippi. Named the SEC Coach of the Year in 1996-97, he directed Ole Miss to back-to-back SEC West titles, 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1997 and '98.

Utah-Arizona State Series Notes

* Utah and Arizona State meet for the 42nd time on Saturday. The Utes lead the all-time series 24-17.

* The Utes and Sun Devils will play for the second time in 11 days. Arizona State defeated Utah 83-79 in overtime in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 27. Utah and ASU have split four games played on neutral courts.

* Saturday's game will also be the third time the teams have played in a little over a year. The Sun Devils beat the Runnin' Utes 71-62 on Dec. 4, 2001 at America West Arena in Phoenix as part of the Southwest Showdown. Before last December's get-together, Utah and Arizona State hadn't met since Nov. 23, 1998 in the first round of the Maui Invitational. The Utes won 65-48.

* The Utes are 13-5 against the Sun Devils in Salt Lake City. The two teams last met in the Huntsman Center on Dec. 12, 1981 with Utah prevailing 53-49.

* Utah and Arizona State met at least twice yearly when both were members of the Western Athletic Conference from 1963-78. In conference games, the Utes had a 19-13 advantage over the Sun Devils.

* Rick Majerus is 2-2 against Arizona State with all of those games coming during his tenure at Utah.

Last Meeting

Britton Johnsen's 23 points weren't enough as Utah lost to Arizona State in overtime 83-79 in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 27. Curtis Millage scored 26 points in his season debut, and Arizona State overcame poor free throw shooting.

Millage, a senior guard who was Arizona State's leading returning scorer, missed the first three games of the season while questions about his academic eligibility were cleared up. He was given permission to play by the NCAA on Tuesday, and he joined his teammates in Hawaii that night.

The Sun Devils took a 69-62 lead over Utah with 1:18 to play in regulation on a free throw by Jason Braxton. Nick Jacobson then hit three three-pointers in a 33-second span-while Millage missed four free throws-to give the Utes a 71-69 lead with 24 seconds left.

Arizona State tied it on Braxton's rebound basket with 7.5 seconds to play, and Utah missed a chance to win it at the buzzer when Johnsen's spin move was off the mark.

The Sun Devils scored the first eight points of overtime. Freshman Ike Diogu sandwiched four free throws around a three-pointer by Millage, who then added a free throw that made it 79-71 with 1:35 left.

Diogu scored 22 for the Sun Devils, who were 32-for-57 (56 percent) from the free throw line, including 10-for-24 over the final 1:18 of regulation and the overtime. The 57 attempts were a school record, one more than it had against Arizona in 1955.

Game #5 Rewind

Tim Frost had 16 points and Richard Chaney scored 15 while the Utes held Winthrop to 27 percent shooting in a 72-42 win Tuesday night at the Huntsman Center.

Britton Johnsen had eight points and nine rebounds and Tim Drisdom hit three three-pointers for the Utes (3-2), who opened a three-game homestand with the win.

Winthrop (3-3), which had won three straight after opening the season 0-2, had a horrible shooting night. The Eagles were just 15-for-55 from the floor and hit 8-of-18 free throws. The Eagles had not shot worse than 34 percent all season and hit half their shots on Sunday in a 67-64 win at Montana State. Winthrop also had 19 turnovers Tuesday.

Tyrone Walker led the Eagles with 14 points and nine rebounds. He was the only Winthrop player to score in double figures.

After opening the game 3-for-6, Winthrop fell into a 1-for-12 drought and went scoreless for 4:44. Marcus Cooke broke the drought with a three-pointer that got the Eagles within 21-12 with five minutes left in the half, but that was as close as the Utes let them get. Utah had pulled away with an 11-2 run, led by consecutive three-pointers from Nick Jacobson and Drisdom.

Frost hit a jumper in the lane and Trace Caton made a three-pointer as the Utes scored the first nine points of the second half. Utah took a 37-18 lead on another shot by Frost that capped an 11-2 run.

The Eagles got as close as 14 (39-25) six minutes into the second half, but the Utes put together another big run to go ahead 54-28 with 7:35 remaining in the game. Frost started the 14-0 run with another jumper in the lane, Chaney came back with a layup and Bryant Markson hit a pair of free throws as to get the run started.

Notable Numbers From Game #5

* Winthrop shot 27.3 percent (15-for-55) from the field, which was the sixth-worst mark by a Ute opponent all-time. It was the Utes' best defensive effort since Concordia shot 20.3 percent, the lowest mark by a Ute opponent all-time, on Dec. 26, 2000.

* Winthrop's 42 points were the lowest allowed by the Utes in 22 games since Saint Mary's (Calif.) scored 35 points on Jan. 7, 2002.

* Trace Caton tied a career-high with five assists, equalling his mark against Cardinal Stritch on Nov. 28, 2000.

* Richard Chaney reached double-figures in points for the first time in five games as a Ute with 15 points. He also had personal-best marks with five rebounds and two assists.

* Tim Drisdom set career-highs with nine points, hitting all three of this three-point attempts, and six rebounds.

* Chris Jackson set personal-best marks with six points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

From Beyond The Arc

Through five games, Utah is shooting 37.9 percent from three-point range and has hit 50 percent or better from long range in two games already this season. A year ago, the Utes ranked eighth in the nation and first in the Mountain West in three-point percentage (40.5), and shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in four games.

* Utah shot a season-best 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from three-point range against Winthrop. It was the Utes' best effort since hitting 66.7 percent (12-of-18) last season at New Mexico on Jan. 21.

* The Utes hit 5-of-10 three-pointers (50.0 percent) against Massachusetts on Nov. 26. A day later in the third game of the Maui Invitational, Utah made 9-of-22 threes (40.9 percent). Since the Maui Invitational was a certified tournament, the three-point arc was moved nine inches farther back from the center ring of the basket, to 20 feet 6 inches.

Inside the Numbers

* In all three of its wins, Utah's opponents have shot below 40 percent, averaging 33.5, while the Utes have shot an average of 47.7 percent.

* The Utes have kept their opponents off the free throw line their its three wins, allowing just 38 attempts while making 62 trips themselves. In the two losses, the opposition has shot 100 free throws, making 65.

* The Utes have outrebounded their opponents in the three wins by an average of 37.7 to 33.3 and have been on the negative side of that stat in the two losses, 38.5 to 31.5.

* Utah's point guards, freshman Tim Drisdom and sophomore Marc Jackson, have combined for 27 assists and 16 turnovers for a 1.69 assists/turnover ratio.

Great Britton: Senior Forward Up For Wooden Award

Senior forward Britton Johnsen (6-10, 210) has been named to the Wooden Award Preseason All-America Team. Johnsen is one of 50 players in the nation considered early candidates for John R. Wooden Award, presented annually to college basketball's player of the year.

* Johnsen has scored in double figures in four of the five games, leading Utah in scoring three times. Dating back to the 2000-01 season, Johnsen has scored in double figures in 42 of the last 60 contests, including the first four games this season.

* The Murray, Utah, native had a his second double-double of the season with a game-high 10 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes in the win over UMass. He has had seven double-doubles in the last 21 games dating back to last season.

* Johnsen has led Utah in rebounding in every game this season, averaging 8.6 boards per contest. He also led the Utes in rebounding 14 of the final 20 games last season, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game during that stretch.

* Johnsen had his best overall game of the season in the overtime loss to Arizona State. He had a season-high 23 points to lead the Utes, shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line. Johnsen also had a team-best seven rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes. His 23-point effort was his best in 16 games dating back to last season.

* Last season, Johnsen was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and USBWA District 8 Player of the Year, and made the NABC/Pontiac All-District 13 first team. Johnsen was second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and first in rebounding (6.3 rpg), ranking 13th and eighth in the Mountain West Conference in those categories, respectively. He also ranked 12th in field goal percentage (49.6) and 15th in three-point percentage (35.6) in the MWC.

Jacobson Stroking "J"s

Junior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 200) is Utah's third-best scorer this season (11.6 ppg) and paces the team in three-pointers made, making 14-of-35 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc.

* Jacobson, with 21 points against UMass, reached 20 points for the fifth time in his career and the first time this season. He shot 5-of-10 from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range and 8-of-9 at the free throw line in 38 minutes.

* After going just 3-for-10 from beyond the arc in the season opener against Southern Utah, Jacobson has made 11 of his last 25 three-point attempts.

* In the final 2001-02 NCAA statistical rankings, Jacobson was 23rd in three-point percentage (44.4). The Fargo, N.D., native was named third team all-Mountain West and second team NABC/Pontiac All-District 13 in 2001-02. Jacobson led the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and three-point percentage (44.4). He scored in double figures in 21 of the 30 games last season.

* Also last season, Jacobson set the Utah single-season mark with 71 three-pointers made last season, bettering the mark of 68 by Phil Dixon in 1991-92. He also ranked third in three-point attempts (160).

* Jacobson has already climbed into sixth place in career three-pointers made (122) and seventh in three-pointers attempted (292) at Utah. His career three-point percentage of 42.0 entering this season would have ranked fourth all-time at Utah.

Frost Formidable Inside

Junior center Tim Frost (6-10, 236) has established himself as a formidable interior presence during his first five games with the Utes

* Frost is second on the team in scoring (13.8 ppg), reaching in double figures in the last three games, and shooting 52.9 percent from the field. He is also averaging 22.8 minutes and 3.2 rebounds per game and has three blocked shots.

* The Klamath Falls, Ore., native spent the first two seasons of his college career at Portland. He was a first team all-West Coast Conference selection in his final season with the Pilots, averaging 14.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

Rating the Rookies

With only four lettermen returning from last season and 10 scholarship players on the roster, Rick Majerus has played his freshmen extensively early in the season. Here's a breakdown of how the quartet of Richard Chaney (G/F, 6-4, 186), Tim Drisdom (G, 6-3, 203), Chris Jackson (C, 6-11, 242) and Bryant Markson (F, 6-6, 182) have been producing.

* Drisdom, who's started all five games at point guard, leads the Utes in assists (3.4 apg) and three-point percentage (77.8), making 7-of-9.

* Chaney (6.6 ppg), Drisdom (5.2 ppg) and Jackson (4.2 ppg) rank fourth through sixth, respectively, on the team in scoring.

* Drisdom is second in rebounding (3.8 rpg), while Chaney and Jackson (3.4 rpg) are tied for third in that category.

* All four freshmen are shooting above 40 percent from the field, with Jackson at 66.7 percent, Chaney at 52.0 percent, Drisdom at 60.0 percent and Markson at 42.9 percent.

Utes Tough At Home In the Huntsman Center

Utah is 182-17 (.915) in the Huntsman Center during the Majerus era and has never lost back-to-back home games. With Majerus on the bench, taking out the games he missed during the 1989-90 and 2000-01 seasons, the Utes are 163-12 (.931) at home.

* The Utes have won 121 of their last 128 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, including a 14-2 mark last season.

* In conference home games over the past eight years, Utah is 59-2 (.967), which is the best record in the nation over that time span.

* 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).

* The Utes' all-time record in the Huntsman Center is 414-88. Utah got its 400th win in the history of the facility on Nov. 20, 2001 against Boise State.

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Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #6

Game #6

Players Mentioned

Richard Chaney

Tim Drisdom

Chris Jackson

Marc Jackson

Bryant Markson

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Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #6

Game #6

Players Mentioned

Richard Chaney

Tim Drisdom

Chris Jackson

Marc Jackson

Bryant Markson

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