Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #24 - University of Utah Athletics

Feb. 11, 2004

Game #24

Utah Runnin' Utes (18-5, 6-2) vs. Colorado State Rams (11-10, 3-5)

Feb. 14 * 7:07 p.m. (MST) * Moby Arena (8,745) * Fort Collins, Colo.

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The Game At A Glance

Interim Utah Head Coach: Kerry Rupp   Colorado St. Head Coach: Dale LayerAlma Mater: Southern Utah, 1977         Alma Mater: Eckerd College, 1980Record at Utah: 3-0 (1st Season)    Record at CSU: 57-55 (4th Season)Overall Record: 3-0 (1st Season)    Overall Record: 224-137 (13th Season)
Television: KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City. ESPN Full Court (pay-per-view).Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Mike Lageschulte (analyst).
Radio: Utah Sports Network (KALL-700 AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations).On the Internet at www.UtahUtes.com and www.kall700.com.Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Series Record: Utah leads 91-39Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 51-15/35-23/5-1Last Meeting: Utah won 67-49 on Jan. 19, 2004 in Salt Lake City.

After This

Utah closes out its road trip at Wyoming on Monday at 7:07 p.m. (MST). The Utes return home for a pair of games in the Huntsman Center the following weekend, taking on Air Force on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 1:04 p.m. (MST) and New Mexico on Monday, Feb. 23 at 7:07 p.m. (MST).

Quickly On Utah

Utah (18-5, 6-2 MWC), in second place in the Mountain West Conference standings, plays two games along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains this weekend. The Utes open the trip against Colorado State (11-10, 3-5 MWC) on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in Fort Collins, Colo. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City and broadcast on KALL-700 AM and the Utah Sports Network. The CSU contest opens a stretch of four of six games on the road, where Utah is 4-3 this season.

The Utes won a pair of home games last weekend, defeating San Diego State (65-61) on Saturday afternoon and UNLV (70-56) on Monday night. The Utes have won three in a row and 12 of their last 14 games.

Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) leads the Utes in scoring (15.7 ppg), hitting 45.3 percent of his three-point attempts. Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) is second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), and is first in both rebounding (10.1 rpg) and blocked shots (27). The native of Melbourne, Australia, has 11 double-doubles this season and is shooting 60.4 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Richard Chaney (6-4, 195) is third in scoring (10.9 ppg), shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 46.0 percent from three-point range. Sophomore guard Tim Drisdom (6-2, 212) leads the Utes in assists (3.5 apg).

Scouting Colorado State

The Rams are 11-10 overall and tied for fifth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 3-5 record. Colorado State is 7-2 at home this season.

Colorado State has lost six of its last nine. After a reeling off three straight wins-all of them coming at home in overtime-Colorado State dropped two games on the road last weekend. The Rams lost at New Mexico (63-51) on Saturday afternoon and at Air Force (52-44) on Monday night.

Junior center Matt Nelson (7-0, 255), who has sat out the last three games, is questionable due to a lingering knee injury. Nelson ranks seventh in the Mountain West in scoring (14.8 ppg), 10th in rebounds (5.5 rpg), third in field goal percentage (58.7), seventh in free throw percentage (79.5) and third in blocked shots (28). Sophomore guard Micheal Morris (6-3, 208) ranks fourth in the conference in assists (4.24 apg) and second in blocked shots (29), and is averaging 7.6 points per game. Junior forward Matt Williams (6-6, 212) is 16th in the league in scoring (11.1 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (6.0 rpg). Senior forward Ronnie Clark (6-5, 220) is third on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg) and ninth in the MWC in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Junior guard Jon Rakiecki (6-3, 195) ranks 15th in the MWC in three-point percentage (38.5), hitting 35-of-91.

Colorado State ranks sixth in the MWC in scoring (70.5 ppg), seventh in scoring defense (71.4 ppg), tied for third in rebound margin (+2.2 rpg) and fifth in blocked shots (5.00 bpg).

Comparing the Stats

           Utah    Colorado St.Scoring         64.5    70.5Scoring Defense 55.5    71.4FG%         .481    .464FG% Defense .401    .4193-Pt. FG%   .402    .3553-Pt. FG% Def.  .290    .317FT%         .705    .692Rebound Margin  +8.0    +2.2Assists         13.0    14.1Turnovers   14.5    18.7Opp. Turnovers  11.2    14.0Steals          4.8 6.0Blocked Shots   3.2 5.0

Head Coach Dale Layer

Dale Layer has a 57-55 record in his fourth season at Colorado State and a 224-137 career record in his 13th 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, Layer led CSU to its first NCAA Tournament since 1989-90. Colorado State went 19-14 overall and placed sixth in the MWC with a 5-9 mark. The Rams also captured their first-ever conference tournament championship to receive the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAAs. They fell to Duke (67-57) in the first round in Salt Lake City.

The Rams' 15 wins under Layer 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 vs. Colorado State Series Notes

* Utah and Colorado State meet for the 131st time on Saturday 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 91-39 and had won five in a row over the Rams before Colorado State prevailed in the second meeting last season (66-65) on March 6 in the Huntsman Center.

* Utah took the first match-up with CSU this season 67-49 on Jan. 19 in Salt Lake City.

* In conference play, Utah has an 83-34 advantage.

* Dale Layer is 2-6 against Utah during his tenure at CSU. In addition to beating the Utes last season in Salt Lake City, his other win was 73-65 on Jan. 22, 2001 at Moby Arena.

* In Fort Collins, Colo., the Utes are 35-23. The Utes have followed up two consecutive losses with two straight victories, winning 72-62 on Feb. 28, 2002 and 71-66 on Feb. 8, 2003.

Last Meeting

Nick Jacobson scored 18 and Richard Chaney added 16 points as Utah won its ninth straight, beating Colorado State 67-49 on Jan. 19 in Salt Lake City.

The Utes remained unbeaten at 3-0 in league play with a huge advantage in free throws. Utah went 20-for-28 from the line, while Colorado State was just 8-of-10.

The Rams led 28-27 at halftime after shooting well in the first half but couldn't sustain it in the second half as their shooting cooled off. The Rams were 13-for-23 from the floor in the first 20 minutes and forced the Utes into some bad shooting. Utah attempted seven three-pointers in the half and made just one.

Matt Nelson led Colorado State with 17 points and Ronnie Clark scored 14 for the Rams.

Colorado State fell behind early in the second half, then made a late push when Nelson cut Utah's lead to 53-46 on two free throws with 5:19 remaining, but the Utes scored the next eight points.

Jacobson went 1-for-2 from the line, then Tim Frost pulled down an offensive rebound and the Utes got the ball to Chaney, who made his fourth three-pointer of the night to put Utah up 57-46.

Utah continued the run with a half-court alley-oop pass from Josh Olsen to Andrew Bogut, who was going too fast for a dunk but made a layup, then added two free throws on the next possession to put Utah up 61-46 with 1:40 remaining.

Tough Trip Along the Front Range

Utah swept the Colorado State/Wyoming road trip last season 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.

Last season, the Utes won at Colorado State (71-66) on Feb. 8 and at Wyoming (69-56) on Feb. 10. Before last season, Utah had lost seven in a row in Laramie with its previous win in the Arena-Auditorium coming on Jan. 28, 1992 (64-45).

In 2001-02, Utah split the two-game swing with a 72-62 win at Colorado State on Feb. 28 and a 57-56 loss at Wyoming on March 2 in the game that decided the MWC regular-season championship. The two previous seasons, the Utes were swept on the trip by the Rams and Cowboys. In 2000-01, the Utes lost to the Cowboys on Jan. 20 (78-77 in OT) and the Rams on Jan. 22 (73-65). In 1999-2000, Utah fell at Colorado State on Feb. 26 (60-49) and at Wyoming on Feb. 28 (88-61).

Utes With Best Road Record In MWC Play

Heading into this weekend's games, Utah has the best road record in the five-year history of the Mountain West Conference at 16-15 (.516). Wyoming is in second place at 15-18 (.455) and UNLV is third at 13-20 (.394).

Jacobson Stroking "J"s

Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) has been a third team all-Mountain West selection the last two seasons. This season, he leads the Utes in scoring (15.7 ppg), hitting 45.8 percent (58-of-128) from beyond the arc and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. He has had eight 20-point games this season.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released Feb. 10, Jacobson was 15th in three-point field goal percentage (45.3).

* He has scored in double figures in all eight Mountain West Conference games, averaging 18.1 points per game to rank third in the league. He also ranks first in three-pointers made per game (2.50), ninth in three-point percentage (41.7) and third in free throw percentage (85.4) in MWC games.

* Jacobson has scored at least 20 points in seven of the last 14 games. He has also been in double figures 13 of the last 14 contests, shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 44.9 percent (40-for-89) from three-point range to average 18.6 points per game during that stretch. He had a career-high 28 points against Weber State on Jan. 3, hitting 8-of-12 field goals, 5-of-7 threes and 7-of-7 free throws in 39 minutes.

* Jacobson has already climbed into 17th place in career scoring at Utah with 1,433 points. He is one of just 30 players in the 1,000-point club and currently ranks behind Merv Jackson (1,458 points).

* A prolific shooter from long range, Jacobson ranks first at Utah in both career three-pointers made (246) and attempted (571), passing Keith Van Horn for the top spot in both categories this season. His career three-point percentage of 43.1 ranks second all-time.

Boasting Of Bogut

Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) is second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and is first in both rebounding (10.1 rpg) and blocked shots (27). He is shooting 60.4 percent from the field.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 10, Bogut was 12th in rebounds per game (10.1).

* Bogut is one of five players in the Mountain West Conference averaging a double-double.

* He has 11 double-doubles this season-including four in eight conference games. Bogut has already broken the Mountain West freshman record of eight double-doubles set by Tom Bellairs of Air Force in 1999-2000. His most recent double dip came with 14 points and 13 rebounds against UNLV on Feb. 9. He also had a career-high tying five blocked shots against the Runnin' Rebels.

* Bogut has 15 double-figure scoring games and 13 double-figure rebound games. He has scored in double-figures 11 of the last 16 games.

* Bogut had a career-high 21 points (9-13 FG, 1-2 3-FG, 2-3 FT) and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes against BYU on Jan. 31. He also had two blocked shots.

* Bogut has posted two of the top 16 single-game rebounding marks in school history this season. Most recently, he had 17 rebounds at New Mexico on Jan. 24, tying the 14th-best mark. Bogut also had 18 rebounds against Minnesota on Nov. 19, tying the 12th-best mark.

Drisdom Turning It Up

Sophomore guard Tim Drisdom (6-2, 212) has improved on his season scoring and rebounding numbers since the start of Mountain West Conference play.

* Averaging 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 23 games, Drisdom has put up 8.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.9 minutes in seven league contests. His improved scoring average can be attributed to shooting percentages of 46.2 (6-of-13) from three-point range and 89.3 (25-of-28) from the free throw line.

* Drisdom has been at his best the past three games. After putting up season highs of 14 points and seven rebounds against BYU on Jan. 31, the native of Artesia, Calif., had eight points, seven rebounds, five assists (two turnovers) and two steals against San Diego State on Feb. 7. He matched his season-high of 14 points (4-5 FG, 1-1 3-FG, 5-6 FT) against UNLV on Feb. 9. Drisdom also had five rebounds, four assists (six turnovers) and two steals in 33 minutes against the Runnin' Rebels.

Game #23 Rewind

Nick Jacobson scored 16 points and Andrew Bogut and Tim Drisdom each added 14 as Utah defeated UNLV 70-56 Monday night and remained unbeaten at home this season.

Bogut added 13 rebounds, marking his 11th double-double of the season, to help the Utes (18-5, 6-2 MWC) outrebound the Rebels 46-21 and set a new season-low in points for UNLV, which dropped its fifth road game in the last six.

Odartey Blankson led UNLV (12-8, 3-5 MWC) with 13 points and Romel Beck and J.K. Edwards each chipped in 11, but the Rebels shot just 28 percent in the second half.

The Utes led by as many as 18, but the Rebels cut it to 11 after Beck's free throws with 4:33 to play. UNLV couldn't get any closer as the Rebels converted just one field goal in the last five minutes until James Peters had a layup with eight seconds left.

The Utes made 19-of-21 free throws and scored their last 10 points from the line.

With a 42-35 lead, the Utes turned up the defensive pressure. In the midst of a 8-3 run, the Rebels went scoreless for a stretch of 5:21. Bogut's pair of free throws and driving layup put Utah ahead, 50-36 with 12 minutes remaining.

The Rebels came into the game averaging a conference-best 74.3 points a game, but the Utes extended their streak of not allowing an opponent to score over 80 points in regulation to 118 games.

Reversing a recent pattern of slow starts, the Utes ran at every opportunity to begin the game and jumped to a 17-10 lead on a tip-in by Tim Frost, who had 13 points. Utah never trailed after the game's first 2:30 and led 36-30 at halftime.

Getting Defensive

One of the trademarks of a Utah team during the Rick Majerus era has been a stifling half-court defense. Since 1989-90, Utah has ranked in the top 30 in the nation 11 times in scoring defense, nine times in rebound margin, eight times in field goal percentage defense and eight times in scoring margin.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 10, Utah ranked third in the nation in scoring defense (55.5 ppg), 35th in field goal percentage defense (40.1) and sixth in rebound margin (+8.0 rpg).

* The Utes have outrebounded 21 of 23 opponents this season.

* Utah has held 12 of its 23 opponents to lower than 40 percent shooting from the field and 11 teams to under 30 percent from three-point range. Savannah State shot 18.2 percent against the Utes on Dec. 13, which is the lowest mark for a Utah opponent all-time.

* Only nine teams have reached 60 points and nine opponents have been held to under 50 points this season.

* Only three teams have shot better than 50 percent from the field against the Utes this season: UConn (62.3), New Mexico on Jan. 24 (53.5) and Air Force (55.3) on Jan. 26.

* Utah has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points in 118 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) on Feb. 28, 2000 in Laramie, Wyo.

From Beyond The Arc

Utah has connected on at least 40 percent of its three-point field goals in 14 games this season-including nine of the last 13-winning all of but one of them (Air Force on Jan. 26). Conversely, when the Utes shoot under 40 percent from beyond the arc, they are 5-4. Over the last 13 games, Utah has shot 42.9 percent (91-for-212) from three-point range.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 10, Utah ranked 15th in three-point field goal percentage (40.2).

* The Utes have hit at least half of their three-point tries five times this season: Southern Utah (57.9) with a season-best percentage, UNLV on Jan. 12 (53.8), Pepperdine (51.9) with a season-high 27 attempts, Colorado (50.0) and Stony Brook (50.0).

Ute Items

* Utah ranked 21st in the NCAA in field goal percentage (48.1) as of Feb. 10. Utah has shot 48.8 percent from the field over the last 14 games and 42.9 percent from three-point range over the last 13 games.The Utes broke a string of 12 consecutive games of shooting at least 40 percent from the field against San Diego State last Saturday. It was the first game Utah won this season when being outshot (41.7 to 39.0 percent). The Utes bounced back to shoot 46.0 percent against UNLV on Monday.

* The Utes are 15-0 when scoring at least 60 points this season and 13-0 when holding their opponents to under 60 points.

Strong At The Finish

The Utes have outscored 18 of their 23 opponents in the second half and finished off nine close games in the final eight minutes for wins this season. The Utes are 8-0 in games decided by 10 points or less in 2003-04. In Mountain West Conference play, Utah has outscored seven of its eight opponents in the second half for an average margin of +6.9 points. Here's a look at the Utes' finishes since the start of league play.

* Utah's best second-half effort was against BYU on Jan. 31. The Utes trailed the Cougars by 15 points for its third-largest deficit at the break this season, then outscored their instate rivals 45-22 in the second half. Continuing a trend of strong finishes in the final eight minutes, Utah trailed BYU 46-44 with 8:31 remining then continued its comeback from a 17-point second-half deficit to win 64-56.

* The Utes rallied from a seven-point (42-35) deficit with 15:41 to play against San Diego State on Feb. 7. Utah went on a 21-5 run to take a 56-47 lead with 6:03 left. Utah held off a late Aztec rally to win 65-61.

* Leading Wyoming 47-46 with 4:47 to play on Jan. 17, the Utes finished with a 13-2 run and made all eight free throws.

* Utah was tied with UNLV at 65-65 with 2:12 remaining on Jan. 12. The Utes then made 7-of-8 free throws to finish the game on a 7-2 r

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