Utah and Wyoming Play For Mountain West Title Saturday

March 1, 2002

Game #27

Utah Runnin' Utes (20-6, 10-3 MWC) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (19-7, 10-3 MWC)

March 2, 2002 * 1:07 p.m. (MST) * Arena-Auditorium (15,028) * Laramie, Wyo.

The Game at a Glance

Utah Head Coach: Rick Majerus            Wyoming Head Coach: Steve McClainAlma Mater: Marquette, 1970         Alma Mater: Chadron State, 1984Record at Utah: 281-79/13th Season  Record at Wyoming: 76-39/4th SeasonOverall Record: 382-131/18th Season Overall Record: 76-39/4th 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: Utah leads 82-68Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 52-22/28-44/2-2Last Meeting: Utah lost to Wyoming 54-46 on Feb. 4, 2002 in Salt Lake City.
Utah Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Statistics35  F   Jeff Johnsen 6-4 204 Sr. 10.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg31  F   Britton Johnsen   6-9 213 Jr. 13.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg13  C   Cameron Koford 6-11    230 Jr. 4.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg11  G   Travis Spivey   6-1 212 Sr. 6.9 ppg, 4.6 apg15  G   Nick Jacobson   6-4 198 So. 12.8 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. 4.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg32  G   Eric Osmundson 6-3 196 Fr. 1.8 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, 1.4 rpg
Wyoming Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name              Ht.   Wt.     Cl.     Statistics22  F   Josh Davis    6-8   235 Sr. 12.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg44  F   Marcus Bailey     6-5   190 Jr. 13.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg5   C   Uche Nsonwu-Amadi 6-10  260 Jr. 10.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg1   G   Donta Richardson  6-2   170 Jr. 13.2 ppg, 2.8 apg3   G   Jason Straight  5-11    165 Fr. 9.3 ppg, 3.5 apg

After This

The Runnin' Utes head to Las Vegas for the EAS Mountain West Conference Tournament, next Thursday-Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The tournament bracket will be released by the Mountain West Conference office at approximately 11:00 p.m. (MST) and posted at www.theMWC.com.

Quickly On Utah

The Runnin' Utes are 20-6 overall and 10-3 in the Mountain West Conference. Utah is tied with Wyoming for first place in the league standings entering their game on Saturday at 1:07 p.m. (MST) in Laramie, Wyo., with the winner claiming the regular season championship outright. The Utes are 6-3 on opponents' courts this season, including a 4-2 mark in conference games. Since starting out 3-3, the Utes have won 17 of the last 20 contests. Utah opened its two-game road trip with a 72-62 win at Colorado State on Thursday night. 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 (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). Sophomore 6-4 guard Nick Jacobson is second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), shooting 44.0 percent (59-of-134) 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 (10.4 ppg), second in assists (3.0 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). Currently, the Utes are allowing 60.2 points per game, and shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc and 47.6 percent from the field.

Scouting Wyoming

The Cowboys are 19-7 overall and 10-3 in Mountain West Conference play, tied with the Runnin' Utes for first place. Wyoming has split its last four games. The Pokes defeated Brigham Young 76-60 on Thursday night in Laramie. They lost to San Diego State 68-64 at home on Feb. 18. Last weekend on the road, they defeated Air Force 51-48 on Saturday and lost to New Mexico 74-65 on Monday.

Junior 6-5 forward Marcus Bailey was named first team all-MWC last season. Bailey ranks 11th in the league in scoring (13.4 ppg), 15th in rebounding (4.2 rpg), tied for 15th in assists (2.46 apg) and tied for 13th in steals (1.31 spg). Junior 6-2 guard Donta Richardson ranks 13th in the MWC in scoring (13.2 ppg) and first in free throw percentage (90.2). Senior 6-8 forward Josh Davis was named the 2000-01 MWC Player of the Year. Davis ranks 16th in the league in scoring (12.0 ppg), fourth in rebounding (7.4 rpg), third in blocked shots (1.31 bpg) and tied for 15th in steals (1.27 spg). Junior 6-10 center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi ranks second in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and third in field goal percentage (55.3). Freshman 5-11 guard Jason Straight is fifth in the MWC in assists (3.46 apg).

In the win over BYU, five Cowboys scored in double figures. Bailey led the way with 18 points, making 7-of-8 free throws. Richardson had 16 points, eight boards and four assists. Davis had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Wyoming doubled up BYU on the boards 48 to 24. The Cowboys also outshot the Cougars 43.3 to 41.2 percent from the field and 36.4 to 25.0 percent from three-point range.

As a team, Wyoming ranks first in the Mountain West in scoring (76.8 ppg), sixth in scoring defense (69.3 ppg), first in rebound margin (+8.8 rpg), first in field goal percentage defense (41.2) and first in blocked shots (4.15 bpg).

Comparing the Stats

            Utah    WyomingScoring         68.0    76.8Scoring Defense 60.2    69.3FG%         .476    .460FG% Defense .439    .4123-Pt. FG%   .408    .2973-Pt. FG% Def.  .311    .362FT%         .687    .697Rebound Margin  +1.4    +8.8Assists         15.0    14.1Turnovers   13.3    15.2Opp. Turnovers  13.7    14.2Steals          6.2 7.0

Head Coach Steve McClain

Steve McClain has a 76-39 career record in his fourth season at Wyoming. Last season, he led the Cowboys to a 20-10 record and their first conference title in 15 seasons. The 20 wins was also the first since 1990-91. At the start of this season, no coach had won more games in his first three years at Wyoming than McClain. He and former UW head coach Jim Brandenburg were tied with 57 wins through their first three seasons.

Prior to going to Wyoming, McClain served as an assistant coach for Billy Tubbs at TCU. During his four seasons at TCU, McClain helped the Horned Frogs to one NIT appearance (1997), one NCAA appearance (1998) and one conference title (1998). In 1994 as the head coach at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, he led his team to the National Junior College Championship while earning NJCAA National Coach of the Year honors.

Utah-Wyoming Series Notes

* Utah and Wyoming meet for the 151st time on Saturday afternoon in a series that dates back to a 41-25 win by Utah on March 11, 1914 in Laramie, Wyo. Before not meeting during the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons, the Runnin' Utes and Cowboys had met every year since 1943-44.

* Utah leads the all-time series 82-68. Wyoming has won two in a row.

* In conference regular season play, Utah has a 70-57 advantage.

* In Laramie, the Cowboys have a 44-28 edge and have win six in a row. Utah's last win in the Arena-Auditorium win was 64-45 on Jan. 28, 1993.

* Utah's most decisive win over Wyoming during Rick Majerus' tenure was 19 points (64-45) on Jan. 28, 1993.

* Wyoming most decisive win over Utah under Rick Majerus was 13 points (70-57) on Feb. 22, 1992.

* Rick Majerus is 11-7 against Wyoming all-time with all of those games taking place during his tenure at Utah. Majerus is 7-2 in Salt Lake City and 4-5 in Laramie, including one win during the 1991 WAC Tournament.

* Steve McClain is 3-2 against Utah during his tenure at Wyoming, including a 2-0 mark in Laramie.

The Last Time Around

Nick Jacobson had 13 points, but just one in the second half, and Travis Spivey scored 11 for the Utes, who had their conference home winning streak snapped at 48 consecutive games with a 54-46 loss to Wyoming on Feb. 4 in the Huntsman Center. The loss also snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Utes, which was the best in the nation.

Josh Davis had 15 points and Uche Nsonwu-Amadi had 14 points and 15 rebounds for Wyoming. Jason Straight added 14 points for the Cowboys, who snapped a seven-game drought in Salt Lake City.

The Cowboys held the Utes to 17 percent (4-of-23) from three-point range. Utah also shot a season-low 26.9 percent from the field and made just 3-of-26 field goal attempts in the second half. Wyoming shot 45.0 percent from the field and had a 37 to 30 advantage on the boards.

Wyoming took a 47-40 lead on a basket by Straight with 4:25 to play. The Utes went the last 14:21 of the game with just one field goal, a tip-in by Britton Johnsen on an alley-oop pass.

Still, Utah managed to pull within 47-45 on Jeff Johnsen's free throws with two minutes to play. But the Cowboys sealed the victory by going 7-for-8 from the line in the final 1:48, including four straight by Straight and 3-for-4 by Nsonswu-Amadi, who had his third double-double in his last four games.

Last Season In Laramie

Marcus Bailey scored a career-high 33 points and Brett McFall sank a three-pointer with 1:47 left in overtime to lift Wyoming over Utah, 78-77, last season on Jan. 20 in Laramie, Wyo. It was the sixth straight time the Cowboys beat the Utes at the Arena-Auditorium.

Kevin Bradley, who had 19 points, put the Utes up for the last time, 77-75 with 1:59 left in overtime on a 20-foot jumper. McFall then answered with his game-deciding trey from the right corner. Utah's Travis Spivey stole the ball from Bailey in the closing seconds but Bradley, pressured by Bailey, was short from 17 feet as the buzzer sounded.

Nate Althoff had 18 points and Britton Johnsen 11 for Utah. McFall finished with 13 points and Uche Nsonwu-Amadi added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Wyoming. Josh Davis was held to seven points but grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds for the Cowboys.

After Bailey sank two free throws to put Wyoming up 69-66 with 21.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Bradley drilled a three-pointer with 10.1 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Wyoming had a chance to win it in regulation but McFall lost the ball in the closing seconds and time expired during a scramble.

The Cowboys rallied from 13 down in the second half to tie it at 56 on a dunk by Bailey with 5:37 remaining. McFall's three-pointer with 4:20 left put Wyoming up 59-58, the Cowboys' first lead since the 1:15 mark of the opening half.

Utah began the second half with a 16-4 run as Wyoming repeatedly missed from in close. Althoff's two free throws with 13:23 left put the Utes up 54-41. The Utes then went cold and the Cowboys, led by Bailey's six points, went on a 15-2 roll to tie it. Utah led 38-37 at the half after leading by as much by seven.

Both teams shot 35.8 percent from the field while the Utes made 7-of-17 threes. The Cowboys outrebounded the Utes 58 to 49.

Utes Clinch 10th 20-Win Season Under Majerus

With its 72-62 win over Colorado State on Thursday, Utah reached the 20 wins plateau for the 10th time in 13 years under Rick Majerus. Two of the years the Utes didn't reach 20 wins he did not coach the entire season. The Utes have won 20 games in each of the last seven 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), 2001-02 (20-6).

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.

Final Leg of Tough Trip Saturday in Laramie

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 (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). Dating back to last season, Johnsen has scored in double figures in 36 of the last 51 contests-including 22 of the 26 games this season. He earned second team all-Mountain West Conference honors in 2000-01.

* Johnsen has had double-doubles in the last three games. Over that stretch, he has shot 53.3 percent from the field and 50.0 from three-point range while averaging 16.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. He recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-best 14 rebounds against Colorado State on Feb. 28. Johnsen shot 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range. Against Brigham Young on Feb. 23, he had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Against New Mexico on Feb. 18, he scored 23 points-his third highest total this season-and brought down 11 rebounds. 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 12 of the 16 games since starting center Chris Burgess was injured against Texas. During that stretch, Johnsen has averaged 8.1 rebounds per game.

* In Mountain West Conference games, Johnsen is leading the team in scoring (15.6 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg) and field goal percentage (56.5). Johnsen is also shooting 41.9 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. 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 22 games, is third on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg), second in assists (3.0 apg) and first in steals (1.4 spg). Johnsen has scored in double figures 14 times this season, including 11 of the last 15 games.

* Johnsen scored a career-high 21 points against Colorado State on Feb. 28. He made 7-of-11 shots from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the line in 37 minutes against the Rams.

* In Mountain West Conference games, Johnsen is averaging 12.2 points (second-best on the team), 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He has shot 40.8 percent from three-point range (20-of-49). Johnsen had a career-high seven assists against New Mexico on both Jan. 21 and Feb. 18.

* Jeff and Britton Johnsen have provided a powerful one-two punch on offense. The duo 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, 29 of 59 points against Air Force on Feb. 16 and 32 of 72 points against Colorado State on Feb. 28.

* 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.

Colorado State Game Rewind

Jeff Johnsen scored 14 of his career-high 21 points in the second half, including a clutch three-pointer late in the game, as Utah defeated Colorado State 72-62 on Thursday night in Fort Collins, Colo. Britton Johnsen added 11 points and 14 rebounds for Utah (20-6, 10-3 MWC).

Matt Nelson had 22 points and six rebounds for Colorado State (11-17, 2-11 MWC). Brian Greene added 11. Greene's baseline jumper in the last five seconds of the first half put Colorado State ahead 30-28. CSU shot 65 percent in the half to Utah's 48. The Rams hit two of their first three shots to start the second half and held a 36-35 lead. But after Nelson's dunk with 17:16 left, Colorado State was 1-for-8 from the field over the next 10 minutes.

Utah took a 55-44 lead as baskets by Jeff Johnsen and Nick Jacobson capped a 20-8 run. Nelson's three-point play with 5:30 left got Colorado State within 57-53, but Utah regained the momentum with Jeff Johnsen's trey with 4:55 left.

The Utes were outshot 51.2 to 50.0 percent from the field, but connected on 8-of-22 three-pointers. Both teams shot 14-of-25 from the free throw line. Utah outrebounded CSU 35 to 26 and committed just seven turnovers.

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). Currently, the Utes are shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range, while Jacobson is connecting at a 44.0 percent clip.

* In the Mountain West Conference overall rankings, Utah is first in three-point percentage (40.8) and first in threes made per game (7.6). In conference play, the Utes are shooting 41.8 percent from three-point range and have made an average of 8.07 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 19 of the 26 games.

* Three Utes are shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range on the season: Trace Caton (47.9), Phil Cullen (45.2) and Nick Jacobson (44.0).

* 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.

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 20 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), New Mexico on Feb. 18 (50.0) and Colorado State on Feb. 28 (51.2). 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 11-1 when outrebounding its opponents this season.

* The Utes have had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 16 of their 20 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 16 of the 20 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 four times when trailing at the half this season, getting wins against Colorado State on Feb. 28, Air Force on both Jan. 19 and Feb. 16, and Weber State on Dec. 15. The Utes are 4-3 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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