Mountain West Title At Stake For Utah This Weekend

Feb. 26, 2002

Game #26

Utah Runnin' Utes (19-6, 9-3 MWC) vs. Colorado State Rams (11-6, 2-10 MWC)

Feb. 28 * 7:07 p.m. (MST) * Moby Arena (8,745) * Fort Collins, Colo.

The Game at a Glance

Utah Head Coach: Rick Majerus            Colorado State Head Coach: Dale LayerAlma Mater: Marquette, 1970         Alma Mater: Eckerd College, 1980Record at Utah: 280-79/13th Season  Record at CSU: 26-29/2nd SeasonOverall Record: 381-131/18th Season Overall Record: 193-116/12th Season
Television: KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City (Channel 14, AT&T Cable 3).Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Mark Eaton (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 87-38Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 50-14/33-23/4-1Last Meeting: Utah defeated Colorado State 67-62 on Feb. 2, 2002 in Salt Lake City.
Utah Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Statistics35  F   Jeff Johnsen 6-4 204 Sr. 10.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg31  F   Britton Johnsen   6-9 213 Jr. 13.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg13      C   Cameron Koford 6-11    230 Jr. 3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg11  G   Travis Spivey   6-1 212 Sr. 6.8 ppg, 4.6 apg15  G   Nick Jacobson   6-4 198 So. 12.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Utah Off the BenchNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Statistics3   G   Martin Osimani 6-3 203 Fr. 1.0 ppg, 0.8 apg21  G/F Trace Caton   6-5 214 Jr. 4.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg32  G   Eric Osmundson 6-3 196 Fr. 1.9 ppg, 0.8 apg40  F/C Phil Cullen   6-9 221 Sr. 6.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg41  C   Lance Allred 6-10    239 So. 2.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Colorado State Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Statistics33  F   Brian Greene    6-8 225 So. 16.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg42  F   Matt Williams   6-6 210 Fr. 6.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg54  C   Matt Nelson 7-0 220 Fr. 12.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg2   G   Joe Macklin 5-11    175 Jr. 4.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg21  or  Jon Rakiecki    6-3 195 Fr. 5.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg11  G   Andy Birley 6-4 190 Jr. 12.0 ppg, 3.9 apg

After This

The Runnin' Utes close out the regular season Saturday against Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., at 1:07 p.m (MST). The game will be shown regionally on ESPN+Plus as the MWC "Game of the Week."

Quickly On Utah

The Runnin' Utes are 19-6 overall and 9-3 in the Mountain West Conference. Utah is tied with Wyoming for first place in the league standings entering the final week of the regular season. The Utes finish on the road, playing Colorado State on Thursday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in Fort Collins, Colo., and Wyoming on Saturday at 1:07 p.m. (MST) in Laramie, Wyo. The Utes are 5-3 on opponents' home courts this season, including a 3-2 mark in conference games. Since starting out 3-3, the Utes have won 16 of the last 19 contests. Last weekend, the Runnin' Utes lost at Brigham Young, 63-61, on Saturday afternoon.

Junior 6-9 forward Britton Johnsen leads the Runnin' Utes in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). Sophomore 6-4 guard Nick Jacobson is second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), shooting 45.0 percent (59-of-131) from three-point range. He ranked 19th in the nation in three-point percentage as of Tuesday. Senior 6-1 guard Travis Spivey leads the team in assists (4.6 apg). Senior 6-4 guard/forward Jeff Johnsen is third in scoring (10.0 ppg), second in assists (2.9 apg) and first in steals (1.4 spg).

As of Tuesday when the NCAA rankings were released, Utah was 10th in the nation in scoring defense (60.1 ppg) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (41.0) and 28th in field goal percentage (47.5).

Scouting Colorado State

The Rams are 11-16 overall and in eighth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 2-10 record. Colorado State had lost three in a row before getting a 59-51 win at Air Force on Monday night. Last Saturday, the Rams fell at New Mexico, 72-60. Colorado State is 6-6 at home this season, including a 1-4 mark in conference games. Its last win at home was 70-66 in overtime over Michigan on Feb. 11. The Rams have lost two in a row in Moby Arena since then.

Junior 6-8 forward Brian Greene ranks seventh in the MWC in scoring (16.3 ppg) and third in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Junior 6-4 guard Andy Birley ranks 17th in the conference in scoring (12.0 ppg), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (42.4), first in three-pointers made per game (2.67) and third in assists (3.93 apg). Freshman 7-0 center Matt Nelson, who has played in 19 games with 16 starts, is second on the team in both scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.6 rpg) and first in blocked shots (34). He doesn't qualify for the MWC rankings since he missed six games after Dec. 18 due to a dislocated right big toe.

Colorado State ranks sixth in the Mountain West in scoring offense (68.8 ppg), fifth in scoring defense (67.8 ppg) and fourth in rebound margin (+4.5 rpg). As of Tuesday, The Rams ranked 20th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (47.7).

Comparing the Stats


            Utah    Colorado St.Scoring         67.8    68.8Scoring Defense 60.1    67.8FG%         .475    .477FG% Defense .436    .4243-Pt. FG%   .410    .3813-Pt. FG% Def.  .309    .370FT%         .693    .669Rebound Margin  +1.1    +4.5Assists         15.0    15.4Turnovers   13.6    17.7Opp. Turnovers  13.9    14.7Steals          6.3 6.4

Head Coach Dale Layer

Dale Layer has a 26-29 record in his second season at Colorado State and a 193-116 career record in his 12th year as a head coach. He previously served as an assistant coach for two seasons at CSU (1998-2000) and was the head coach for nine seasons at Queens College (1989-98) in Charlotte, N.C. Layer led the Rams to a 15-13 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the MWC to tie for fifth place last season. The Rams' 15 wins in 2000-01 was the fourth-highest win total by a first-year head coach in school history. Layer built the Division II program at Queens from the ground up and went 168-87 (.659), twice earning NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors. Layer took Queens College to the national tournament twice and produced eight consecutive winning seasons.

Utah-Colorado State Series Notes

* Utah and Colorado State meet for the 126th time on Thursday night. The series dates back to a 41-25 win by Utah on Jan. 2, 1937. The two teams have met every year since 1969-70 with the exception of the 1998-99 season.

* The Runnin' Utes lead the all-time series 87-38 and won the first meeting this season, 67-62 on Feb. 2 in Salt Lake City.

* In conference play, Utah has an 80-33 advantage.

* In Fort Collins, Colo., the Utes are 33-23. The Utes had won four in a row over the Rams in Moby Arena before losing the last two years. Utah's last win in Fort Collins was 60-48 on Feb. 14, 1998.

* Utah's most decisive win over Colorado State during the Rick Majerus era was 35 points (92-57) on Feb. 11, 1995 in the Huntsman Center.

* Colorado State's most decisive win against Utah under Rick Majerus was 19 points (67-48) on Jan. 18, 1992.

* Rick Majerus is 14-6 against Colorado State all-time with all of those games taking place during his tenure at Utah. Majerus is 8-2 against CSU in Salt Lake City and 6-3 in Fort Collins.

* Dale Layer is 1-2 against Utah during his tenure at CSU.

The Last Time Around

Britton Johnsen scored a career-high 28 points as Utah defeated Colorado State 67-62 on Feb. 2 in Salt Lake City for the Utes' 13th straight win. Jeff Johnsen added 15 points for the Utes. Brian Greene scored 29 points for CSU (9-11, 1-5).

Britton Johnsen made 9-of-10 shots from the field but converted just 7-of-16 free throws, missing six of his last seven attempts to make things interesting.

Utah never trailed but Greene made three straight field goals to bring the Rams within 45-40 with 13:48 to play. The Utes responded with a 10-0 run, capped by Jeff Johnsen's three-pointer with 10:06 remaining for a 55-40 lead. The Rams couldn't trim the lead under seven points until the final minute of the game. But the Utes shot 5-of-15 from the line in the second half to give the Rams a chance.

Greene made a free throw and a tip-in and then Freddy Robinson made two free throws to get CSU within 66-62 with 17 seconds to play. Britton Johnsen finally made the back end of a two free throw set and Utah held on for the victory. Travis Spivey and Britton Johnsen went 1-of-10 from the line in the final 5:03 of the game.

The Rams, who got 10 points from Andy Birley and Joe Macklin, were just the second team to shoot better than 50 percent and lose to the Utes this season. Utah shot 58.8 percent from the field and attempted 32 free throws while CSU took just 13, making seven.

Utah outshot Colorado State 58.8 to 51.0 percent from the field. The Rams had a 45.5 to 45.0 edge on three-point shooting and a 26 to 23 advantage on the boards.

Last Season In Fort Collins

John Sivesind scored a career-high 27 points and went 5-for-5 on three-pointers as Colorado State used its perimeter game to deal Utah a 73-65 loss in Fort Collins, Colo., on Jan. 22. Sivesind was 8-for-9 on field goals. Ron Grady was 2-for-4 on three-pointers and had 12 points for Colorado State, which finished 9-for-19 on three-pointers.

Britton Johnsen led Utah with 20 points. Nick Jacobson added 13 points for Utah, which shot 54 percent from the field. Utah hit 11-of-22 shots in the first half, but turned the ball over 10 times and trailed 41-27 at halftime.

Colorado State shot 49 percent in the first half with Sivesind scoring 18 points and hitting all four three-point attempts, two of them in the first four minutes to give the Rams an 11-3 start. Utah pulled to 48-38 in the second half on Phil Cullen's uncontested layup and two free throws by Johnsen. Trailing 50-38 after a Grady fadeaway, Utah went on a 9-2 run to close the gap to 52-47. The Utes stayed within striking distance, but Colorado State converted 7-of-10 free throws, four by Sivesind in the last 1:30, to offset three-pointers by Britton Johnsen and Jeff Johnsen.

Utes Runnin' Toward 10th 20-Win Season Under Majerus

With its next win, Utah will reach the 20 wins plateau for the 10th time in 13 years under Rick Majerus. Two of those years he did not coach the entire season. The Utes have won 20 games in each of the last six seasons with Majerus on the bench (he missed all but the first game of last season when Utah finished 19-12). Majerus' 20-win seasons at Utah: 1990-91 (30-4), 1991-92 (24-11), 1992-93 (24-7), 1994-95 (28-6), 1995-96 (27-7), 1996-97 (29-4), 1997-98 (30-4), 1998-99 (28-5), 1999-2000 (23-9).

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.

Tough Trip Ahead

The road swing along the front range of the Rocky Mountains hasn't been any easy one for the Utes in recent years. In fact, Utah hasn't won at both Colorado State and Wyoming since the 1990-91 season. That year, the two games weren't played as one road trip. The Utes won at Wyoming on Jan. 17 (90-83) and won at Colorado State on Feb. 21 (67-56).

The last two seasons, the Utes have been swept on the trip by the Rams and Cowboys. In 1999-2000, Utah fell at Colorado State on Feb. 26 (60-49) and at Wyoming on Feb. 28 (88-61). In 2000-01, the Utes lost to the Cowboys on Jan. 20 (78-77 in OT) and the Rams on Jan. 22 (73-65).

Great Britton: Johnsen Named First Team All-District

Junior forward Britton Johnsen (6-9, 213) was named to the NABC/Pontiac All-District 13 first team on Feb. 12. Britton leads the Utes in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). Dating back to last season, Johnsen has scored in double figures in 35 of the last 50 contests-including 21 of the 25 games this season. He earned second team all-Mountain West Conference honors in 2000-01.

* Johnsen had his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds against Brigham Young on Feb. 23. Johnsen also had a double-double with 23 points-his third highest total this season-and 11 rebounds against New Mexico on Feb. 18. He shot 3-of-5 from three-point range to go with five assists in 31 minutes. Johnsen also made the winning free throw with 7.6 seconds left in the 66-65 win over the Lobos.

* The Murray, Utah, native has led the Utes in rebounding 11 of the 15 games since starting center Chris Burgess was injured against Texas. During that stretch, Johnsen has averaged 7.7 rebounds per game.

* In Mountain West Conference games, Britton is leading the team in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounding (8.0 rpg) and field goal percentage (56.9). Johnsen is also shooting 41.0 percent from beyond the arc.

* Johnsen scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games Jan. 21 through Feb. 2. During that time, he averaged 24.3 points per game while shooting 65.7 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three-point range. After posting 25 points against New Mexico on Jan. 21, Johnsen then came back with his second double-double of the season-and the second in four games-with 20 points and 10 rebounds against BYU on Jan. 28. He converted 10-of-12 free throws against the Cougars to set career highs in both makes and attempts. He got a career-high 28 points, shooting 9-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range, against Colorado State on Feb. 2. For his efforts, Johnsen was named the MWC Player of the Week on Feb. 4.

Jeff: The Older Half of Johnsen & Johnsen

Senior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 204) joins his younger brother Britton in the Utah lineup. Jeff, who has started the last 21 games, is third on the team in scoring (10.0 ppg), second in assists (2.9 apg) and first in steals (1.4 spg). Johnsen has scored in double figures 13 times this season, including 10 of the last 14 games.

* Johnsen tied a career-high with 20 points against San Diego State on Feb. 9. He also tied a career-best with five three-pointers and set a personal best with nine attempts. Johnsen made 7-of-12 field goals overall and had four rebounds in 32 minutes against the Aztecs.

* In Mountain West Conference games, Johnsen is averaging 11.5 points (second-best on the team), 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He has shot 39.5 percent from three-point range (17-of-43). Johnsen had a career-high of seven assists against New Mexico on both Feb. 18 and Jan. 21.

* Jeff and Britton Johnsen combined to score 35 of Utah's 71 points against BYU on Jan. 28, 43 of 67 points against Colorado State on Feb. 2, 33 of 70 points against San Diego State on Feb. 9 and 29 of 59 points against Air Force on Feb. 16.

* 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.

Jacobson Named Second Team All-District

Sophomore guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 198) was named to the NABC/Pontiac All-District 13 second team on Feb. 12. Jacobson is second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg) and leads the way in three-point shooting, hitting 45.0 percent and averaging 2.36 makes per game. He has scored in double figures in 17 of the 25 games this season.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Tuesday, Jacobson was 19th in three-point percentage (45.0).

* In a three-game stretch against UNLV (Jan. 12), San Diego State (Jan. 14) and Air Force (Jan. 19), the Fargo, N.D., native made 16-of-24 (66.7) from beyond the arc. Jacobson put up a career-high 26 points against UNLV. He hit five treys in eight attempts and converted 9-of-15 field goals overall. He had 25 points against San Diego State, tying the school record with seven three-pointers (in 10 attempts) and hitting 9-of-14 from the field. Jacobson's 19 points (4-of-6 on threes) was a game high in the overtime win at Air Force as he played the entire 45 minutes. He was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 21.

* Jacobson has already climbed into the ninth place in career three-pointers made at Utah with 96.

* 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).

Getting to the Point with Spivey

Senior point guard Travis Spivey (6-1, 212) has 110 assists (4.6 per game) to 60 turnovers (1.83:1 ratio) this season. Spivey has had fewer than two turnovers in nine games in 2001-02. He is also averaging 6.8 points per game and is second on the team in defensive rebounds (86).

* Spivey has picked up his scoring during the Mountain West Conference season. He has averaged 7.6 points per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. Spivey had his best scoring game of the conference season with 15 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, against BYU on Jan. 28. He also had three steals in the game. Spivey scored in double figures for the fourth time in the conference season with 12 points, hitting 5-of-9 from the field, against Brigham Young on Feb. 23.

* The Myrtle Beach, S.C., native has had career highs in all three major statistical categories this season. Most recently, Spivey had a career-best 12 rebounds against San Diego State on Feb. 9. He also posted personal bests of 10 assists against Pepperdine on Dec. 1 and 18 points against Utah State on Nov. 23.

* Spivey rounded into form 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 (141), fourth in three-pointers attempted (361) and ninth in blocked shots (63). He has started 42 games during his Utah career.

* This season, Cullen is averaging 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game off the bench. He is shooting 45.0 percent from three-point range.

* Getting more playing time since the injury to Chris Burgess against Texas on Dec. 29, Cullen has increased his productivity. In Mountain West Conference play, Cullen is averaging 7.8 points per game while connecting on 45.8 percent (22-for-48) of his three-point attempts. He had a season-high 18 points, hitting 5-of-6 three-pointers, three rebounds and two blocked shots in 22 minutes against San Diego State on Feb. 9.

* 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.

Take Note of These Utes

* During conference play, junior guard/forward Trace Caton (6-5, 214) has shot 50.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc and 84.6 percent at the line to average 5.3 points per game, which is sixth-best on the team. Despite playing off the bench, he is averaging 22.6 minutes per game in league action, which is fifth-best on the team.

* Junior center Cameron Koford (6-11, 230) has had some impressive performances during the Mountain West Conference season. He has had at least two blocked shots in five league games. In the overtime win at Air Force on Jan. 19. The Plain City, Utah, native had a career-best 15 points, hitting 6-of-8 field goals and 3-of-6 free throws in 32 minutes. Koford had a Utah career-best eight rebounds in his first start as a Ute. Against Wyoming on Feb. 4, Koford also had eight points and two blocked shots to go with six points against Wyoming on Feb. 4. He played 18 minutes as a starter. In the UNLV game on Feb. 11, Koford had 10 points, hitting all four field goal attempts and both free throws. He also tied his Utah career-best with eight rebounds and set an overall personal best with four blocked shots.

* Freshman guard Eric Osmundson (6-3, 196) tied his career-best by playing 23 minutes against UNLV on Feb. 11. He scored seven points against the Runnin' Rebels, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc.

Brigham Young Game Rewind

Four Utes scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Britton Johnsen, but it proved not to be enough as BYU rallied from 21 points down in the second half last Saturday to beat Utah 63-61 at the Marriott Center.

BYU (17-8, 7-5 MWC) trailed the entire game until Eric Nielsen took a pass from Matt Montague at the top of the key and hit a jump shot to put the Cougars ahead 62-61 with 24 seconds left. Utah (19-6, 9-3 MWC) had a chance to retake the lead, but Nick Jacobson's jumper bounced off the rim with 10 seconds left. BYU's Dan Howard, fouled on the rebound, hit one of two free throws. Utah's Travis Spivey drove the length of the court with a chance to tie the game, but his layup attempt hit the bottom of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Travis Hansen scored 17 points to lead BYU. Nielsen added 14 for the Cougars, who have won five of their last seven games. Along with Johnsen's double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, Jacobson and Spivey both added 12 points for Utah. The Utes were outscored 37-18 in the second half and fell to 8-1 this season in games decided by seven points or less.

Utah opened its biggest lead, 47-26, just one minute into the second half. But BYU mounted a furious comeback, scoring 14 straight at one point and 24 of the next 29 points overall to cut the lead to 52-50 with 7:26 to play.

BYU increased the nation's longest home-court winning streak to 35 games and finished the season 15-0 at home for the second consecutive year. Utah outshot BYU 48.9 to 44.9 percent from the field. However, the Cougars made 6-of-14 threes to the Utes' 4-of-13 and had a 32 to 29 advantage on the glass.

The Gunnin' Utes Rank 10th in the Nation in Three-Point Percentage

When the NCAA rankings were released on Tuesday, Utah ranked 10th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (41.3). Individually, sophomore guard Nick Jacobson ranked 19th in the NCAA in three-point percentage (45.0).

* In the Mountain West Conference overall rankings, Utah is first in three-point percentage (41.0) and first in threes made per game (7.6). In conference play, the Utes are shooting 42.4 percent from three-point range and have made an average of 8.1 treys per game to rank first in both categories.

* Utah has shot at least 40 percent from three-point range in 13 games this season, all of them wins. The Utes have made at least five three-pointers in 18 of the 25 games.

* Three Utes are shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range on the season: Trace Caton (48.9), Phil Cullen (45.0) and Nick Jacobson (45.0).

* Utah hit 59.3 percent (48-of-81) from three-point range during its first four Mountain West Conference games this season. Utah shot blistering percentages of 65.4 (UNLV), 53.8 (San Diego State), 45.5 (Air Force) and 66.7 (New Mexico).

Shooting Their Way Into the Record Books

On their way to becoming one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation this season, the Gunnin' Utes have put up some of the best marks in Utah and Mountain West history.

* Against UNLV on Jan. 12, Utah made 17-of-26 three-pointers. The Utes' prolific shooting broke the school single-game record of 14 set four times, most recently against Washington State (14-of-28) on Dec. 11, 1999. The Utes also broke the Mountain West conference games only record for threes in a game, bettering BYU's mark of 13 against San Diego State on Jan. 13, 2001. Utah tied the MWC record for all games, equaling Colorado State's 17 treys against Michigan on Jan. 2, 2000.

* Utah came back with 14 three-pointers in 18 attempts against San Diego State on Jan. 14 to equal the second-best mark in school history.

* The Utes' shot their best percentage of the season from three-point range (.714) against Pepperdine on Dec. 1, which tied the second-best single-game mark in school history.

* Utah shot 66.7 percent against New Mexico on Jan. 21 to equal the third-highest single-game mark.

* Utah's best three-point shooting team under Rick Majerus was the 1992-93 squad that shot 41.0 percent to rank 10th in the NCAA and second in school history. This year's team, currently shooting 41.0 percent, is on pace to tie that mark.

Inside the Numbers

* The Utes have been winning the close ones this season, going 8-1 in games decided by seven points or less. The only loss was 63-61 at Brigham Young on Feb. 23.

* In 15 of Utah's 19 wins, the opponents have shot less than 50 percent from the field. The exceptions were San Diego State on Jan. 14 (51.9 percent), Colorado State on Feb. 2 (51.0), Air Force on Feb. 16 (53.1) and New Mexico on Feb. 18 (50.0). The opposition has shot better than 50 percent in three of Utah's six losses.

* Utah has held eight opponents to 40 percent or less from the field: Boise State, Troy State, Weber State, Southern Utah, Texas, Saint Mary's, New Mexico on Jan. 21 and San Diego State on Feb. 9. Utah held San Diego State to 29.3 percent from the field on Feb. 9, which is the lowest mark by a league opponent this season.

* Utah is 10-1 when outrebounding its opponents this season.

* The Utes have had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 15 of their 19 wins and a negative or even ratio in five of the six losses. Utah had a season-low five turnovers in its win over New Mexico on Feb. 18.

* In 15 of the 19 wins, Utah has held its opponent to 63 points or less. In four of the six losses, the opponents surpassed the 70-point barrier.

* Utah has eclipsed the 80-point mark four times, winning all of those games (Pepperdine, 81-74, Troy State, 87-56, UNLV on Jan. 12, 86-63, New Mexico on Jan. 21, 81-51).

* Utah scored a season-high 47 points in the second half against UNLV on Jan. 12. The Utes also connected on a season-high 61.7 percent of their field goals in that game.

* Utah has won three times when trailing at the half this season, getting wins against Air Force on both Jan. 19 and Feb. 16, and Weber State on Dec. 15. The Utes are 3-3 when behind after 20 minutes this season.

* Air Force shot 50.0 percent (7-of-14) from three-point range on Feb. 16, which is the best mark by a Ute opponent this season.

* Utah's 22 turnovers against UNLV on Feb. 11 was a season high. UNLV's 61 field goal attempts in that game equalled the most by Ute opponent this season.

* The UNLV game on Feb. 11 marked the first time this season the Utes lost a game when they shot over 50 percent from the field and shot a better percentage than the opposition. Utah outshot UNLV 52.8 to 41.0 percent.

* 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.

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