Utah Men's Baskeball Notes - Game #28 - University of Utah Athletics

March 5, 2003

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Game #28

Utah Runnin' Utes (22-5, 10-2) vs. Colorado State Rams (15-12, 4-8)

March 6 * 7:07 p.m. (MST) * Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) * Salt Lake City

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: 305-87/14th Season  Record at CSU: 42-43/3rd SeasonCareer Record: 404-139/19th Season  Career Record: 209-130/12th Season
Rankings: Utah (AP: RV-No. 27, ESPN/USA Today: No. 23). Colorado State (NR)
Television: None
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 90-38Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 50-14/35-23/5-1Last Meeting: Utah defeated Colorado State 71-66 on Feb. 8, 2003 in Fort Collins, Colo.

Looking Ahead

The Runnin' Utes wrap-up the regular season against Wyoming on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. (MST). Utah's senior class will be honored before the game, which will be televised by ESPN Regional at the Mountain West "Game of the Week."

Quickly On Utah

The Runnin' Utes (22-5, 10-2 MWC) close out the regular season with a pair of home games, beginning with Colorado State (15-12, 4-8 MWC) on Thursday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game will be broadcast on KALL-910 AM and the Utah Sports Network.

Utah, ranked 23rd by ESPN/USA Today and 27th in the A.P. poll, has won 17 of its last 19. After having its nine-game winning streak snapped with a 76-69 loss at New Mexico last Saturday, the Utes bounced back with a 57-52 win at Air Force on Monday night. The Utes remain in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West, leading BYU by one game and Wyoming by two games.

Utah is 14-0 at home this season, 7-3 on the road and 1-2 on neutral courts. The Runnin' Utes were ranked 11th in the NCAA in scoring defense and 27th in three-point percentage as of Tuesday, and are currently giving up 60.0 points per game while hitting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Three Utes are averaging double figures in points. Junior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 200) has the lead in scoring (13.3 ppg) and is shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range (66-for-155) and a team-best 88.3 percent at the free throw line. Junior center Tim Frost (6-10, 236) is second in scoring (13.1 ppg) and is second in rebounding (4.9 rpg). Senior forward Britton Johnsen (6-10, 210) is third in scoring (11.6 ppg) and leads the effort in rebounding (6.8 rpg). Freshman point guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) leads the Utes in assists (3.3 apg). Sophomore guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 177), is fourth in scoring (9.2 ppg), shooting 49.0 percent from three-point range and 87.6 percent from the line.

Utah Ranked In Top 25 For Third Straight Week

The Runnin' Utes are ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation by ESPN/USA Today after appearing in both polls last week. Utah held steady at No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today poll with 89 points. In the Associated Press poll, Utah fell five spots to 27th with 118 points.

This is the third consecutive week Utah has been ranked after cracking the AP Top 25 on Feb. 17. When the Runnin' Utes broke into the AP poll, it was the first time they were ranked in the Top 25 since early in the 2000-01 season. Utah was last ranked the week of Dec. 4, 2000 when it was 22nd in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.

Utes Seeing 20/20 Once Again

Utah has hit the 20-wins mark for the 11th time in 14 years under Rick Majerus' direction. Two of the years the Utes failed to get 20 wins, Majerus did not coach the entire season. In fact, the Utes have won 20 games each of the past eight seasons with Majerus on the bench. He missed all but the first game of the 2000-01 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 (21-9), 2002-03 (22-5).

Chasing Down A Championship

Leading the Mountain West Conference race by one game with two remaining, Utah is vying for its eighth regular-season conference title in nine years. The Utes' run of seven consecutive conference championships, which was tied with Cincinnati's as the longest active streak in the country, came to an end last season with their second-place finish. Wyoming defeated Utah in the last game of the regular season in Laramie, Wyo., on March 2 to edge out the Utes for the title. The U. finished 10-4 in league play.

Utah has captured nine regular-season league titles in the Rick Majerus era, dating back to the 1989-90 season. Utah won the WAC regular-season championship outright in 1991 and shared it in 1993 before winning five consecutive outright WAC 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 split the title with Brigham Young and Wyoming.

Utah Headlines

* Utah has won 16 in a row at home which is tied for the ninth longest streak in the nation. Oklahoma has top mark with 37 straight wins.

* Before the loss at New Mexico on March 1, Utah's nine-game winning streak was the longest in Mountain West Conference history and was the sixth-longest in the nation. Utah had won six league games in a row each of the last three years. UNLV and Wyoming also won six straight conference games in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

* The Utes' five road victories in conference play is its most since being a member of the Mountain West and ties the best mark in league history. The Utes had four road wins in 2002 for its previous best total. Wyoming has the conference's best road record for a season with five wins in 2002. Wyoming has four road wins in conference play this season heading into its trip to BYU and Utah.

* The Runnin' Utes road record over the last four years in the Mountain West Conference is 15-13, which is second-best to Wyoming's mark of 15-11.

MWC Tournament Pairings

Utah will begin play in the Mountain West Conference Tournament on March 13 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. First round pairings and tipoff times will be announced by MWC officials Saturday evening at the conclusion of regular-season games. Game times and television information will be available Sunday on the web at www.theMWC.com and the University of Utah's official website, www.UtahUtes.com

Scouting The Rams

Colorado State is 15-12 overall and in sixth place in the Mountain West standings with a 4-8 record. The Rams split a pair of home games last weekend. Colorado State fell to UNLV 73-63 on Saturday before breaking a seven-game losing streak with a 102-89 win over San Diego State on Monday. Colorado State is 1-8 on the road this season, including a 1-4 record in conference play.

Sophomore center Matt Nelson (7-0, 240), who has played off the bench in all but five of the 12 conference games, ranks sixth in the MWC in scoring (16.4 ppg), ninth in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and 14th in free throw shooting (67.9). He is also shooting 67.4 percent from the field to rank second in the nation and has 36 blocked shots to come in second in the league. Senior forward Brian Greene (6-8, 225) is the conference's 13th-best scorer (13.2 ppg) and eighth-best rebounder (6.1 rpg). Senior guard Andy Birley (6-4, 190) is 19th in the league in scoring (11.5 ppg), shooting 43.7 percent (80-of-183) from long range to rank fourth in the MWC and 17th in the NCAA. Freshman guard Michael Morris (6-3, 185) is third in the MWC in assists (4.0 apg) and first in blocked shots (42).

The Rams rank second in the Mountain West in scoring offense (75.9 ppg), seventh in scoring defense (72.3 ppg), first in rebound margin (+6.2 rpg), first in field goal percentage (51.6), first in blocked shots (4.56 bpg) and first in assists (16.33 apg). Colorado State ranks first in the NCAA in field goal percentage and 19th in rebound margin.

Head Coach Dale Layer

Dale Layer has a 42-43 record in his third season at Colorado State and a 209-130 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.

Last season, Colorado State went 12-18 overall and finished tied for seventh in the MWC with a 3-11 record. Layer led the Rams to a 15-13 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the MWC to tie for fifth place in 2000-01. 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 129th 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 90-38 and have won five in a row over the Rams.

* The U. won the first meeting this season, prevailing 71-66 on Feb. 8 in Fort Collins, Colo.

* Utah took all three meetings last season, winning 67-62 on Feb. 2 in Salt Lake City, 72-62 on Feb. 28 in Fort Collins, Colo., and 69-66 on March 7 in the MWC Tournament quarterfinals.

* In conference play, Utah has an 82-33 advantage.

* In Salt Lake City, the Utes are 50-14 and have won seven in a row. Their last loss to CSU in the Huntsman Center was 71-70 on Jan. 27, 1994.

* 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 17-6 against Colorado State all-time with all of those games taking place during his tenure at Utah.

* Dale Layer is 1-5 against Utah during his tenure at CSU. His only win over the Utes was 73-65 on Jan. 22, 2001 at Moby Arena.

Last Meeting

Britton Johnsen had 10 of his 15 points in the second half, and Nick Jacobson and Marc Jackson added 13 each as Utah defeated Colorado State 71-66 on Feb. 8 at Moby Arena. Johnsen was 5-for-7 while Jackson came off the bench to help Utah win its fifth straight.

The victory gave coach Rick Majerus his 300th win in 14 years at Utah to join Vadal Peterson (385) and Jack Gardner (339) as Utah coaches with 300 wins.

Matt Nelson led Colorado State with 20 points and eight rebounds. Brian Greene added 15 to reach double-figure scoring for a conference-record 31 straight games.

Greene's reverse layup extended CSU's halftime lead to 49-41, but Tim Frost's three-pointer got Utah within 55-53 with 8:31 left. Darien Chavis' short jumper made it 57-53 for CSU, but the Utes went on an 11-0 run to put them ahead 64-57 with 3:15 left.

Nelson ended the drought with a layup with 2:48 remaining. Jacobson countered with two free throws and sealed the win with a jump shot in the last 24 seconds.

Colorado State was ahead 35-32 at the half after Nelson's rebound basket at the buzzer. Nelson finished a 12-0 run with a hook shot and two free throws to give Colorado State its biggest lead, 26-19 with 4:41 left in the first half.

In addition to his 11 points, Frost also had a season-best four blocked shots. Utah had a 35-30 edge on the glass and committed a season-low seven turnovers. The Rams outshot the Utes 50.0 to 43.9 percent to become the first team to shoot at least 50 percent against Utah this season.

Jacobson Stroking "J"s

Junior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 200) is Utah's top scorer this season (13.2 ppg) and paces the team in three-pointers made, hitting 66-of-155 (42.6 percent) from beyond the arc. He ranks 12th in the Mountain West in scoring, first in free throw percentage (88.3), eighth in three-point percentage and fourth in three-pointers made (2.44).

* Jacobson has scored in double-figures in 43 of the last 57 games dating back to last season, including 22 of the 27 games in 2002-03. He has led the Utes in scoring eight times this season.

* With his numbers this season, Jacobson ranks third in three-pointers made (66) and fourth in three-point attempts (155) on the Ute single-season charts. Last season, Jacobson set the Utah single-season mark with 71 three-pointers, bettering the mark of 68 by Phil Dixon in 1991-92. He also ranked third in three-point attempts (160).

* Jacobson has been rock solid at the line in recent weeks, hitting 30 consecutive free throws dating back to Feb. 3. Jacobson hit 10-of-10 against Air Force on March 3, recording one of 13 games in Utah history where a player has had a perfect night at the line with at least 10 attempts. As a result, he moved up to 23rd in the NCAA in free throw percentage (88.3) as of Tuesday.

* In the last 10 games, Jacobson has gone for at least 10 points, averaging 14.5 points per game over that stretch. Jacobson had a season-high 23 points against BYU on Feb. 24, going 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He 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 (13.1 ppg), getting at least 20 points three times and reaching double figures in 20 games this season, including 13 of the last 15. He is also second in rebounds per game (4.9 rpg). Frost ranks 14th in the Mountain West in scoring and 13th in rebounds.

* An inside-outside threat, he is shooting 52.2 percent from the field to rank eighth in the MWC and 44.9 percent from outside the arc. Frost has made 18 consecutive free throws dating back to Feb. 10 and has made 23-of-25 in the last six games. He is shooting 71.7 percent at the line this season. He also has 19 blocked shots, getting a season-high of four against Colorado State on Feb. 8, to rank 11th in the conference.

* Over the last six games, Frost has shot 61.1 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from three-point range (5-of-10) and 92.3 percent from the free throw line while averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Frost equaled his career-high with 22 points against UNLV on Feb. 17. He shot 8-of-13 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line in 35 minutes. Frost came back in the Utes' next game with 21 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes against BYU on Feb. 24. He shot 7-of-10 from the field, 1-of-2 beyond the arc and 6-of-6 at the line. He had seven rebounds against both New Mexico (March 1) and Air Force (March 3).

Game #27 Rewind

Tim Frost and Nick Jacobson scored 16 points each as Utah beat Air Force 57-52 on Monday night in Colorado Springs. It was the Utes' final road game of the regular season.

Utah (22-5, 10-2 MWC) went 17-for-19 at the line and hit 12-of-13 in the final 3:44. Jacobson was 10-for-10 from the line and has made 30 in a row.

Joe Gerlach had 15 for Air Force (11-15, 2-11 MWC). Tim Keller had 11 and A.J. Kuhle added 10. Air Force hung close thanks to its top-ranked scoring defense, but never led. The Falcons tied the game once, 10-10 with 11:36 left in the first half. But Trace Caton's three-pointer made it 13-10 and the Utes took the lead for good.

Utah led 28-24 at the half and made it 36-28 on a jumper by Cameron Koford with 12:36 to play. Two free-throws by Gerlach closed the gap to 48-46 with 2:54 left. Jacobson made four free throws over the final 2:20.

The 6-foot-10 Frost dominated inside, with five of his six baskets coming on layups or from the paint. He led the Utes with seven rebounds, tying the most he's had in a Mountain West game this season.

Both teams shot well, with Utah hitting at 56.3 percent and Air Force at 52.9. However, the Utes put down 4-of-8 three-pointers to Air Force's 2-of-9 and had a 24-11 advantage on the boards.

Inside the Numbers

* In 11 of the 22 wins, Utah has held its opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field. The Utes have outshot their opponents 47.6 to 40.5 percent in their wins. In their five losses, the Utes have been outshoot 43.3 to 41.5 percent.

* The Utes have been even with or had the advantage over their opponents on the boards in 19 of the 22 wins. In their wins, the Utes have outrebounded the opponents by an average of 34.1 to 29.0. 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 five losses, Utah has been outrebounded. Its average rebound deficit in losses is 35.0 to 32.4.

* Utah has yet to relinquish a lead with 5:00 remaining in the second half, going 21-0 when leading at that stage in the game. The Utes are also 19-0 when leading at halftime, 2-4 when trailing at the half and 3-5 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 won their only game when trailing with 5:00 remaining against Air Force on Feb. 1.

* The Utes have had the advantage at the free throw line in their 22 wins, making 439 trips to the line compared to 403 for the opponents and shooting 72.7 to 68.2 percent. In the five losses, the opposite has been the case with the opponents outshooting Utah at the free throw line 194 attempts to 67, and making 133 (68.6 percent) to 41 (61.2 percent). In the Utes' last loss on March 1, New Mexico went 40-of-53 at the free throw line. Utah is 15-0 when it has more or as many free throw attempts than its opponents this season.

Knockin' Them Down From The Line

In its last six games, Utah has shot 89.0 percent from the free throw line, going 97-of-109. As a result, Utah has improved from a rough start at the charity stripe to 71.1 percent on the season and 75.2 percent in Mountain West Conference play.

* The Utes had a season-best effort (in games with over 10 attempts) from the free throw line to salt away their overtime win against UNLV on Feb. 17. Utah shot 92.3 percent, hitting 24-of-26. The Utes hit all 10 free throws in the overtime period and went 10-of-11 in the second half. As a result, Utah scored a season-high 86 points against the Rebels.

* Utah came back in its next game on Feb. 24 to hit 92.0 percent from the line against BYU on Feb. 24. The Utes hit 23-of-25 free throws, including all eight in the last minute.

* After hitting 7-of-7 free throws against New Mexico, the Utes made 17-of-19 free throws at Air Force on March 3. In the final 3:44 versus the Falcons, the U. hit 12-of-13 at the line.

Utes Tough At Home In The Huntsman Center

Utah is 194-17 (.919) 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 176-12 (.936) at home.

* The Utes have won 133 of their last 140 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, including a 14-2 mark last season and a 14-0 record this season with two home games remaining. Utah's current home court winning streak is 16 games, which tied for the eighth-longest in the nation.

* In conference home games over the last nine years, Utah is 64-2 (.970), 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 426-88. Utah got its 425th win in the history of the facility on Feb. 17 with an 86-80 overtime win against UNLV.

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