Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #23 - University of Utah Athletics

Feb. 13, 2003

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Game #23Utah Runnin' Utes (18-4, 6-1) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (12-8, 3-4)

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

The Game at a Glance

Utah Head Coach: Rick Majerus       San Diego State Head Coach: Steve FisherAlma Mater: Marquette, 1970         Alma Mater: Illinois State, 1967Record at Utah: 301-86/14th Season  Record at San Diego State: 52-57/4th SeasonCareer Record: 400-138/19th Season  Career Record: 236-139/12th Season
Television: KJZZ-TV (Channel 14, AT&T Cable 3) in Salt Lake City.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.Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Series Record: Utah leads 42-9Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 24-1/16-7/2-1Last Meeting: Utah lost to San Diego State 58-56 on Jan. 18, 2003 in San Diego, Calif.

Looking Ahead

Utah continues a three-game homestand against UNLV on Monday, Feb. 17 at 7:07 p.m. (MST). The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV. The Runnin' Utes then host BYU on Monday, Feb. 24 at 10:00 p.m. (MST) on ESPN's "Big Monday."

Quickly On Utah

The Runnin' Utes (18-4, 6-1 MWC) open the second half of their Mountain West Conference schedule against San Diego State (12-8, 3-4 MWC) on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City and broadcast on KALL-910 AM and the Utah Sports Network.

Utah has won 13 of its last 14 and six in a row in Mountain West Conference action. The Utes are tied with BYU for first place in the MWC. Utah swept its two-game swing along the front range of the Rockies last weekend, winning 71-66 at Colorado State on Saturday and 69-56 at Wyoming on Monday. Utah is 11-0 at home this season, 6-2 on the road and 1-2 on neutral courts. The Runnin' Utes ranked fourth in the NCAA in scoring defense as of Feb. 11 and are currently giving up 58.5 points per game.

Three Utes are averaging double figures in scoring. Junior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 200) has the lead in scoring (12.8 ppg) and is shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range (53-for-121). Junior center Tim Frost (6-10, 236) is second in scoring (12.5 ppg) and is second in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Senior forward Britton Johnsen (6-10, 210) is third in scoring (11.9 ppg) and leads the effort in rebounding (7.0 rpg). Freshman point guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) leads the Utes in assists (3.5 apg). Sophomore guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 177) is Utah's top scorer in MWC play (16.4 ppg) and is the team's best free throw shooter at 88.7 percent, ranking 21st in the NCAA as of Feb. 11.

Milestone Coaching Victories For Majerus

Rick Majerus picked up two significant wins in his career during Utah's road trip to Colorado State and Wyoming.

* Majerus registered his 300th career victory at Utah with a 71-66 win over Colorado State on Feb. 8. He joined just two other coaches in Utah basketball history with 300 wins.

* Two nights later, Majerus recorded the 400th victory of his career with a 69-56 win at Wyoming on Feb. 10. He became the 16th-fastest to the 400 career wins mark (538 games) and just the 12th coach to reach 400 wins in 19 seasons or less.

Utah Headlines

* Utah's 6-1 record halfway through the Mountain West Conference equals its best mark in the four years of the league. Utah also went 6-1 in 2000 and 2002. Three other teams have posted 6-1 records at the halfway mark in conference play. BYU has done it this season, while Wyoming got off to 6-1 starts in 2001 and 2002. Utah's best start to conference play all-time was in 1999 when it went 14-0 to go undefeated in its final season in the WAC.

* The Utes' four road victories in conference play already equals its most since being a member of the Mountain West. The Utes also had four road wins in 2002. Wyoming has the conference's best record all-time with five road wins in 2002.

* The Runnin' Utes road record over the last four years in the Mountain West Conference is 14-12, which is the best mark of any league team.

* Utah's six-game winning streak equals the longest in Mountain West Conference history. Utah has done it in each of the last three years. UNLV and Wyoming won six straight conference games in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

* Utah swept the Colorado State/Wyoming road trip last weekend for the first time since the 1975-76 season. Utah won at both Colorado State and Wyoming during the 1990-91 season; however, that year the two games weren't played as one trip.

Climbing In The Polls

The Runnin' Utes are closing in on their first Top 25 ranking since early in the 2000-01 season. In this week's polls, Utah is ranked 28th (33 votes) by ESPN/USA Today and 29th (65 votes) by the Associated Press.

Utah was last ranked the week of Dec. 4, 2000 when it was 22nd in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.

Scouting The Aztecs

San Diego State is 12-8 overall and in a three-way tie for third place in the Mountain West Conference with a 3-4 record. After defeating the Utes (58-56) on Jan. 18 in San Diego to get off to a 2-0 start in conference play, the Aztecs have lost four of their last five. Most recently, SDSU split a pair of home games, defeating Wyoming (80-70) on Feb. 3 and losing to UNLV (79-64) on Feb. 11. The Aztecs are 4-2 on the road this season.

Senior guard Tony Bland (6-5, 201) ranks fifth in the MWC in scoring (16.0 ppg). Senior center Mike Mackell (6-9, 250) is sixth in the conference in scoring (15.8 ppg), shooting 57.2 percent from the field, and is second on the team in rebounding (4.7 rpg). Junior forward Aerick Sanders (6-8, 204) is SDSU's top rebounder (8.8 rpg), ranking third in the conference. Senior guard Deandre Moore (5-10, 191) is the team's assists leader (4.35 apg), ranking second in the MWC, and is shooting 43.1 percent from beyond the arc (18-of-44) to average 7.9 points per game.

The Aztecs rank fifth in the Mountain West in scoring offense (71.7 ppg), fourth in scoring defense (67.9 ppg) and second in rebound margin (+.5.8 rpg).

Head Coach Steve Fisher

Steve Fisher is 52-57 in his fourth season at San Diego State and has a 236-139 career mark in 12 seasons. Last season, Fisher led the Aztecs to the Mountain West Conference Tournament title and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1984-85. With a 21-12 record, SDSU also posted its highest single-season win total since '84-85.

In his previous college head coaching job, Fisher led Michigan to a 184-82 record (.691), three NCAA Final Fours and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1989-97. He was named the 1992 National Coach of the Year by Basketball Times after leading Michigan's "Fab Five" as freshmen to a 25-9 record and the NCAA title game. As the interim head coach in 1989, he led the Wolverines to a 6-0 record and the NCAA title.

Utah-San Diego State Series Notes

* Utah and San Diego State meet for the 52nd time on Saturday night. The series dates back to a 98-89 Utah win on Dec. 13, 1975 in Salt Lake City. That was the only game played between the two teams before they became members of the WAC and later the Mountain West Conference.

* The Utes lead the all-time series 42-9 and have won 23 of the last 25. The Aztecs snapped Utah's 14-game winning streak in the series with a 58-56 win on Jan. 18 at Cox Arena. Before then, the Aztecs' last win over Utah was 76-73 on Jan. 22, 1994 in San Diego.

* In regular-season conference play, the Utes have a 37-8 advantage.

* In Salt Lake City, Utah is 24-1 against SDSU. The Aztecs' only win against the Utes in Salt Lake City was 74-72 on Feb. 25, 1982. Utah has won 19 consecutive home games over San Diego State since then.

* Utah's most decisive win over San Diego State under Rick Majerus was 48 points (86-38) on Feb. 11, 1999 in the Huntsman Center. It was also the Utes' biggest win over the Aztecs all-time.

* San Diego State's most decisive win over Utah during Rick Majerus' tenure was three points (76-73) on Jan. 23, 1994 in San Diego. Its biggest win all-time against Utah was 13 points (75-62) on Jan. 30, 1982 in Salt Lake City.

* Rick Majerus is 20-2 against San Diego State all-time with all of those games taking place during his tenure at Utah. Majerus is 4-3 against Steve Fisher.

* Steve Fisher is 3-6 against Utah, including a 1-6 mark while at SDSU.

Last Meeting

Britton Johnsen had 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds while Tim Frost added 15 points for the Utes, who fell to San Diego State 58-56 on Jan. 18 at Cox Arena in the Mountain West Conference opener.

Mike Mackell and Tony Bland each scored 13 points to lead San Diego State to end a 14-game losing streak to the Utes.

Down 56-54, Utah had a chance to tie the game coming out of a timeout with 19.6 seconds left. But Nick Jacobson missed an open three-pointer from the right side, and the Aztecs' Aerick Sanders was fouled on the rebound with 5.4 seconds left. Sanders made two free throws in the double-bonus situation to seal San Diego State's first victory over the Utes since Jan. 22, 1994, when the Aztecs prevailed 76-73 at home.

The Aztecs capitalized on the poorest shooting game of the season by Utah in ending the Utes' seven-game winning streak. Utah went 35.3 percent from the field (18-of-51).

Jacobson, who entered the game with a team-high average of 12.9 points per game went only 4-of-16 from the field, missing all eight tries from three-point range. He finished with 11 points.

Deandre Moore led the Aztecs with nine rebounds and three assists, while also recording eight points.

After holding a 29-28 halftime lead, the Aztecs fell behind 37-31 in the first 3:55 of the second half. But they used a 9-0 run, including five points by reserve Evan Burns, to move back ahead 44-39 with 9:59 to go. The Utes came back for a 50-50 tie with 3:04 left but could never regain the lead.

Utah was outrebounded 38-30 but had eight steals.

With the loss to San Diego State, Utah fell to 9-2 in conference openers overall under Rick Majerus and 4-3 on the road. Majerus did not coach the Utes in two other conference openers during his 14-year tenure in 1990 and 2001, both won by Utah.

Jacobson Stroking "J"s

Junior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 200) is Utah's top scorer this season (12.8 ppg) and paces the team in three-pointers made, hitting 53-of-121 (43.8 percent) from beyond the arc.

* Jacobson has scored in double-figures in 38 of the last 52 games dating back to last season, including 17 of the 22 games in 2002-03.

* In the last five games, Jacobson has gone for at least 10 points. He has averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from three-point range and 73.7 percent from the free throw line over that stretch. Jacobson also tied a career-high with six rebounds against New Mexico on Feb. 3.

Frost Formidable Inside

Junior center Tim Frost (6-10, 236) has established himself as a strong interior presence in his first season with the Utes. Frost is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg), reaching double figures in 16 games this season and nine of the last 10. He is also second in rebounds per game (4.6 rpg). Frost ranks 14th in the Mountain West in scoring and 16th in rebounds.

* An inside-outside threat, he is shooting 50.5 percent from the field to rank ninth in the MWC and 45.0 percent from outside the arc. He also has 17 blocked shots, getting a season-high of four against Colorado State on Feb. 18.

* He equaled his highest scoring game of the conference season with 16 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 3FG, 5-6 FT) in 24 minutes against Wyoming on Feb. 10. Frost also had 16 points in 26 minutes against Brigham Young on Jan. 25.

Marc Makes His Mark Off The Bench

Sophomore guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 177) has been putting up impressive numbers off the bench, keying Utah's 6-1 start to the Mountain West Conference season.

* Jackson has been Utah's most productive scorer in conference action, scoring in double figures in all seven games. In MWC play, Jackson is averaging 16.4 points, shooting 60.9 percent from the field, 60.0 percent from three-point range (12-of-20) and 88.7 percent from the free throw line in 25.6 minutes per game. He also has 21 assists and seven steals.

* Jackson led the Utes in scoring for the fifth time in the last six games against Wyoming on Feb. 10. He tied his career high with 21 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range and 6-of-6 at the free throw line.

* Jackson ranked 21st in the NCAA in free throw percentage as of Feb. 11 and is currently shooting 88.7 percent from the line.

Game #22 Rewind

Marc Jackson scored 21 points to lead Utah to a 69-56 win over Wyoming on Monday, handing Rick Majerus his 400th coaching victory. Tim Frost added 16 points and Nick Jacobson 15 for the Utes, who picked up their first win in Laramie since Jan. 28, 1993, snapping a seven-game skid at the Arena-Auditorium.

Donta Richardson led Wyoming with 23 points. Uche Nsonwu-Amadi had eight points and 13 rebounds for the Cowboys.

Utah (18-4, 6-1 MWC) won its sixth straight and 13th of its last 14 to stay in a tie for first place. Wyoming (16-6, 4-3 MWC) lost three straight conference games for the first time in six seasons. The Utes shot 46 percent, including 8-of-14 from the arc, while the Cowboys shot 37.5 percent, lowest since a 74-60 win over Detroit on Dec. 28.

Utah held Wyoming to one field goal during an eight-minute stretch of the second half to put the game away. After Jay Straight's three-pointer for Wyoming tied the game at 35 with 16:02 remaining, Utah went on a 13-3 run. Trace Caton had a putback and three-pointer and a layup by Jackson capped the surge, which left the Utes up 48-38 with 8:18 to play.

The lead reached 55-44 on Jacobson's running jumper at the 4:49 mark and then 67-53 on two free throws by Frost with 48 seconds remaining. Over the last nine minutes, Wyoming could draw no closer than seven points. The Cowboys had not lost back-to-back conference home games since 1994-95.

Jackson scored 10 of his points in the first half to stake Utah to a 30-26 lead at intermission. Wyoming took its last lead at 16-14 after a 20-foot jumper by Joe Ries with 7:28 remaining in the first period, but Jackson scored the next eight points on a pair of three-pointers and a layup to put the Utes up 22-16.

Inside the Numbers

* In 10 of the 18 wins, Utah has held its opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field. The Utes have outshot their opponents 47.3 to 39.6 percent in their wins. In their four losses, the Utes have been outshoot 44.5 to 42.9 percent.

* The Utes have had the advantage or been even with their opponents on the boards in 17 of the 18 wins. The exception was a 32-30 deficit in the win over Alabama. In their wins, the Utes have outrebounded the opponents by an average of 35.3 to 29.2. Utah had a season-best +16 advantage in its wins over Pepperdine (48-32) on Dec. 20 and Air Force (36-20) on Feb. 1. In three of the four losses, Utah has been outrebounded. Its average rebound deficit in losses is 35.0 to 30.3.

* Utah has yet to relinquish a lead with 5:00 remaining in the second half, going 17-0 when leading at that stage in the game. The Utes are also 15-0 when leading at halftime, 2-3 when trailing at the half and 3-4 when trailing or tied after 20 minutes. Utah's win over UNLV on Jan. 20 was its first when trailing at the half this season. The U. also came back from a 35-32 halftime deficit at Colorado State. The Utes came back to win their first game when trailing with 5:00 remaining against Air Force on Feb. 1.

Noting The Season

* The Utes had a season-best effort to salt away their win at Wyoming on Feb. 10. Utah shot 91.7 percent at the line, hitting 11-of-12. Ten of those attempts came in the final 2:45.

* Utah had a season-low seven turnovers in its win at Colorado State on Feb. 8. The Utes are 14-1 this season a positive or equal assist/turnover ratio.

Getting Defensive

One of the trademarks of a Utah team during the Rick Majerus era is a stifling half-court defense. Since 1989-90, Utah has ranked in the top 30 in the nation 10 times in scoring defense, nine times in rebound margin, eight times in field goal percentage defense and eight times in scoring margin.

* This season, Utah ranks fourth in the NCAA in scoring defense (58.5 ppg) as of Feb. 11. Since an 83-79 overtime loss to Arizona State on Nov. 27, the highest point total Utah has surrendered over the next 19 games is 75 points in a win at BYU (79-75) on Jan. 25. Every other opponent has scored 68 points or less.

* The Utes have held 15 teams under 60 points this season and four teams under 50 points.

* Ten opponents have shot under 40 percent from the field this season. Colorado State on Feb. 8 is the only team to shoot 50 percent or better from the field on Utah in 2002-03. The Rams hit 24-of-48 shots.

* Utah has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points in 85 consecutive games that have ended in regulation. The last team to score 80 points on the Utes in a 40-minute game was Wyoming (88-61) on Feb. 28, 2000 in Laramie, Wyo.

Utes Tough At Home In the Huntsman Center

Utah is 191-17 (.918) 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 172-12 (.935) at home.

* The Utes have won 130 of their last 137 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, including a 14-2 mark last season and an 11-0 start this season. Utah's current home court winning streak is 13 games.

* In conference home games over the last nine years, Utah is 61-2 (.968), 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 423-88. 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 #23

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Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #23

Game #23Utah Runnin' Utes (18-4, 6-1) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (12-8, 3-4)

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