Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #26 - University of Utah Athletics

Feb. 19, 2004

Game #26

Utah Runnin' Utes (19-6, 7-3) vs. Air Force Falcons (18-4, 8-1)

Feb. 21 * 1:04 p.m. (MST) * Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) * Salt Lake City

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The Game At A Glance

Utah Interim Head Coach: Kerry Rupp   Air Force Head Coach: Joe ScottAlma Mater: Southern Utah, 1977         Alma Mater: Priceton, 1987Record at Utah: 4-1 (1st Season)    Record at Air Force: 47-60 (4th Season)Overall Record: 4-1 (1st Season)    Overall Record: 47-60 (4th Season)
Television: ESPN Regional (KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City). ESPN Full Court.Rich Waltz (play-by-play) and Irv Brown (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 40-8Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 23-1/15-7/2-0Last Meeting: Air Force won 62-49 on Jan. 26, 2004 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

After This

The Utes play their final home game of the season against New Mexico on Monday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Huntsman Center. Utah seniors Tim Frost and Nick Jacobson will be honored before the game. The Utes then take on BYU in Provo, Utah, on Monday, March 1 at 10:00 p.m. (MST) on ESPN.

Quickly On Utah

Utah (19-6, 7-3 MWC), in second place in the Mountain West Conference standings, plays its final two home games this weekend. The Utes host league-leading Air Force (18-4, 8-1 MWC) on Saturday at 1:04 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game will be televised by ESPN Regional (KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City) as the "Mountain West Conference Game of the Week" and broadcast on KALL-700 AM and the Utah Sports Network. Utah has won 15 in a row at home, which is tied for the eighth-best homecourt winning streak in the nation.

Utah split a two-game road trip last weekend, getting an 80-70 win at Colorado State on Saturday and falling 74-65 at Wyoming on Monday. The loss to Wyoming snapped a four-game winning streak. The Utes have won 13 of their last 16 games.

Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) leads the Utes in scoring (15.6 ppg), hitting 43.5 percent of his three-point attempts. Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) is second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), and is first in both rebounding (10.0 rpg) and blocked shots (34). The native of Melbourne, Australia, has 12 double-doubles this season and is shooting 61.2 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Richard Chaney (6-4, 195) is third in scoring (10.3 ppg), shooting 51.0 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three-point range. Sophomore guard Tim Drisdom (6-2, 212) leads the Utes in assists (3.4 apg).

Utah Closing In On 20-Win Season

With its next win, Utah will hit the 20-wins mark for the 12th time in the last 15 years, spanning the Rick Majerus era. Two of the years the Utes failed to get 20 wins, Majerus did not coach the entire season. The last time Majerus missed games was in 2000-01 when Utah finished 19-12.

Utah's 20-win seasons at Utah since the beginning of the 90s: 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 (25-8).

From The Training Room

* Sophomore center Chris Jackson reaggravated a back injury during the shootaround before the Colorado State game on Feb. 14 and was unable to play in the last two games. He is doubtful for the games this weekend.

Scouting Air Force

The Falcons are 18-4 overall and in first place in the Mountain West with an 8-1 record. Air Force is 6-4 on opponents' homecourts this season.

After reeling off 13 wins in a row, including its first five conference games, the Academy has dropped two of its last five. Air Force defeated New Mexico (51-50) last Saturday at home before losing on the road to Texas Pan-American (37-35) on Monday.

Junior guard Tim Keller (6-3, 185) ranks 15th in the conference in scoring (11.1 ppg), third in free throw percentage (81.9) and fifth three-pointers made per game (1.86). Sophomore guard Antoine Hood (6-5, 187) is 20th in the MWC in scoring (10.0 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage (57.7) and 11th in three-point percentage (39.4). Sophomore center Nick Welch (6-8, 215) ranks 17th in the league in scoring (10.8 ppg), eighth in field goal percentage (55.2), first in three-point percentage (48.0) and third in steals (33). Senior guard/forward A.J. Kuhle (6-5, 189) ranks eighth in the MWC in assists (3.18 apg) and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.33).

The Falcons rank eighth in the Mountain West in scoring (60.5 ppg), first in scoring defense (48.3 ppg), eighth in rebound margin (-5.5), first in field goal percentage (48.5), second in three-point percentage (38.6), second in threes made per game (8.68), first in turnover margin (+6.00) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.30). In the NCAA rankings released on Feb. 17, Air Force ranked first in scoring defense (48.3 ppg), 16th in scoring margin (+12.3 ppg), 14th in field goal percentage (48.5), 12th in three-point field goals per game (8.7) and fourth in turnovers per game (10.8).

Comparing the Stats

           Utah    Air ForceScoring         65.1    60.5Scoring Defense 56.8    48.3FG%         .482    .485FG% Defense .400    .4353-Pt. FG%   .403    .3833-Pt. FG% Def.  .293    .285FT%         .705    .722Rebound Margin  +7.4    -5.5Assists         12.9    14.1Turnovers   14.2    10.8Opp. Turnovers  10.9    16.8Steals          4.6 8.1Blocked Shots   3.4 2.6

Falcon Head Coach Joe Scott

Joe Scott is 47-60 in his fourth season at Air Force. Scott has improved his record with the Falcons all three previous seasons, leading them to an 8-21 record in 2000-01, a 9-19 record in '02-03 and a 12-16 mark last season. His teams went 3-11 in the MWC all three previous years, last season placing eighth.

Scott came to the Academy from Princeton, where he spent eight years as an assistant under Hall-of-Famer Pete Carrill and Bill Carmody. Scott was a four-year lettermen and a three-year starter at point guard for Princeton. Scott helped the Tigers to the 1984 Ivy League championship and a first round NCAA Tournament victory over San Diego.

Utah-Air Force Series Notes

* Utah and Air Force meet for the 49th time on Saturday afternoon. The series dates back to a 108-57 win by the Runnin' Utes on Dec. 23, 1965 in Salt Lake City.

* Air Force took the first meeting this season, 62-49, on Jan. 26 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The win snapped a five-game winning streak in the series by the Utes. Those five games were decided by an average of seven points with one game going to overtime.

* The Runnin' Utes have won 15 of the last 17 games from the Falcons. Utah won all three games last season, winning 45-35 on Feb. 1 in Salt Lake City, 57-52 on March 3 in Colorado Springs, Colo., and 42-38 on March 13 in the MWC Tournament quarterfinals.

* In Salt Lake City, the Utes are 23-1 and have won 12 in a row. Their last loss was 67-57 on Jan. 26, 1989.

* Joe Scott is 2-6 against Utah.

Last Meeting

A.J. Kuhle scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting on Jan. 26 to lead Air Force to a 62-49 home win over Utah, keeping the Falcons atop the Mountain West Conference. It was the final game Rick Majerus coached during his 15-year career at Utah, resigning two days later due to health issues.

Air Force won its 12th consecutive game, while Utah lost its second straight conference contest. The Falcons won the battle between the nation's top two scoring defenses, forcing 20 turnovers while committing only nine. Tim Frost led the Utes with 13 points, hitting 5-of-8 shots from the field and 1-of-2 three-pointers.

After trailing 29-24 at the half, Utah rallied to a 40-38 lead with 10:05 to play on a three-pointer by Richard Chaney. A layup by Tim Keller, who scored 16 points, gave the Falcons the lead back for good with 8:13 left.

Two free throws by Chaney pulled the Utes to within three (49-46) with 4:22 left, but a layup by Joel Gerlach on the following possession put Air Force up 51-46. After going 0-for-3 from the field in the first half, Gerlach responded with six points at critical points in the second half.

The Utes outshot the Falcons 55.3 percent to 51.4 percent, but the Air Force defense prevailed. The Falcons held Utah's Nick Jacobson to 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

Jacobson Stroking "J"s

Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) has been named first team All-District 13 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 2003-04. This season, he leads the Utes in scoring (15.6 ppg), hitting 43.5 percent (64-of-147) from beyond the arc and 83.5 percent from the free throw line. He has had nine 20-point games this season.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released Feb. 17, Jacobson was 19th in three-point field goal percentage (43.5).

* He scored in double figures in the first nine Mountain West Conference games before getting eight points against Wyoming on Monday. In the MWC league games only stats, Jacobson is averaging 17.5 points per game to rank third in the league, first in three-pointers made per game (2.60), 12th in three-point percentage (38.8) and third in free throw percentage (85.4).

* Jacobson has scored at least 20 points in eight of the last 16 games. 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 16th place in career scoring at Utah with 1,463 points. He is one of just 30 players in the 1,000-point club and currently ranks behind Buster Matheney (1,485 points).

* A prolific shooter from long range, Jacobson ranks first at Utah in both career three-pointers made (252) and attempted (590), passing Keith Van Horn for the top spot in both categories this season. His career three-point percentage of 42.7 ranks second all-time.

* On the single season charts, Jacobson's 2003-04 numbers rank fourth in three-pointers made (64) and tied for eighth in three-pointers attempted (147).

Boasting Of Bogut

Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) has been named second team All-District 13 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 2003-04. Bogut is second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and is first in both rebounding (10.0 rpg) and blocked shots (34). He is shooting 61.2 percent from the field.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 17, Bogut was 12th in rebounds per game (10.0) and 10th in field goal percentage (61.2).

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

* He has 12 double-doubles this season-including five in 10 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. Before getting 14 points and seven rebounds against Wyoming, he had doubled-up in the previous two games. Bogut had 16 points and 10 rebounds at Colorado State on Saturday, and 14 points and 13 rebounds against UNLV on Feb. 9. He also had a career-high tying five blocked shots against UNLV.

* Bogut has 17 double-figure scoring games and 14 double-figure rebound games. He has scored in double-figures 13 of the last 18 games.

* On the Ute freshman charts, Bogut ranks fifth in points (306), tied for third in scoring average (12.2 ppg), second in rebounds (250), second in rebounds per game (10.0 rpg), fifth in field goals made (128), first in field goal percentage (61.2) and tied for second in blocked shots (34).

* On the Ute single-season charts, Bogut is tied for ninth in blocked shots (34).

Frost Bouncing Back From Back Injury In Final Season

Senior center Tim Frost (6-9, 244) established himself as a strong interior presence in his first season with the Utes, earning second team all-Mountain West honors in 2002-03. However, Frost has been dealing with a sore back since the start of fall training, missing the first month of practice and the first game of the regular season. He has missed four games in all due to the injury, but has started the last 10 games.

* Currently, Frost is fourth on the team in scoring average (8.4 ppg) and third in rebounding average (4.2 rpg).

* Frost has scored in double figures in eight of the last 16 games he's played. He most recently had a season-high 19 points (7-11 FG, 4-6 3-FG, 1-2 FT), five rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes against Wyoming on Monday.

* In Mountain West Conference games, Frost is averaging 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 27.2 minutes.

Game #25 Rewind

Jay Straight sank four three-pointers and scored 22 points and freshman Mikel Watson scored a career-high 15 points to help Wyoming snap a four-game losing streak with a 74-65 win over Utah on Monday in Laramie, Wyo.

Watson was 6 of 13 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, and Joe Ries had 13 points for Wyoming (10-13, 3-7 MWC).

The loss snapped a four-game victory streak for the Utes (19-6, 7-3 MWC) who were led by Tim Frost's 19 points. Andrew Bogut and Justin Hawkins added 14 each for Utah, with Hawkins setting a career-high.

It was the first defeat for Utah coach Kerry Rupp after going 4-0 following the retirement of Rick Majerus due to health reasons.

Utah's Nick Jacobson was held to 2-of-12 from beyond the arc and 3-of-17 from the floor and finished with eight points, half his average.

Wyoming led 52-40, but Utah closed within 59-57 on a free throw by Hawkins with 4:13 to go. Watson then tipped in a missed layup by Alex Dunn to put the Cowboys up 61-57. Hawkins scored to cut the margin to two again, but Ries' dunk after a feed from Straight put Wyoming up 63-59 with 3:04 left. The Cowboys, the worst foul-shooting team in the conference at 66 percent, sank 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Wyoming took its biggest lead, 52-40, on a three-pointer by Straight with 9:42 left.

The Utes, who trailed 35-30 at halftime, missed four straight shots and turned the ball over three times to start the second half.

Sparked by Watson, Wyoming led by nine points after the first seven minutes before Utah tied it at 30-all.

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. 17, Utah ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense (56.8 ppg), 29th in field goal percentage defense (40.0) and ninth in rebound margin (+7.4 rpg).

* The Utes have outrebounded 22 of 25 opponents this season, including 15 in a row before Wyoming posted a 37-33 advantage on the Utes Monday night.

* Utah has held 14 of its 25 opponents to lower than 40 percent shooting from the field and 12 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 11 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 120 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.

* Last season, Utah ranked 14th in the NCAA in scoring defense, giving up 60.3 points per game. The Utes held 18 teams under 60 points last season and five teams under 50 points. Fourteen opponents shot under 40 percent from the field while only three teams shot 50 percent or better against the Utes.

From Beyond The Arc

Utah has connected on at least 40 percent of its three-point field goals in 15 games this season-including 10 of the last 15-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 5-5. Over the last 15 games, Utah has shot 42.6 percent (107-for-251) from three-point range.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 17, Utah ranked ninth in three-point field goal percentage (40.3).

* The Utes have hit at least half of their three-point tries six times this season: Southern Utah (57.9) with a season-best percentage, Colorado State on Feb. 14 (53.3), 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 19th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (48.2) as of Feb. 17. Utah has shot 48.9 percent from the field over the last 16 games and 42.6 percent from three-point range over the last 15 games.The Utes broke a string of 12 consecutive games of shooting at least 40 percent from the field against San Diego State on Feb. 7. It was the first game Utah won this season when being outshot (41.7 to 39.0 percent). The Utes have bounced back to shoot no worse than 46.0 percent in the last three games, including 50.0 percent against Colorado State on Feb. 14.

* The Utes are 16-1 when scoring at least 60 points this season with their only loss coming to Wyoming (74-65) on Monday. Utah is 13-0 when holding its opponents to under 60 points.

* Utah has made significant progress at the free throw line. After shooting just 26.8 percent (11-of-41) from the stripe against Stony Brook, Texas Tech and UConn (getting losses in the later two games), Utah has shot 75.2 percent (267-of-355) in the last 19 games. The Utes shot a season-best 97.1 percent (11-of-12) in games with over 10 attempts from the line against Whitworth. Utah also shot 90.5 percent (19-of-21) from the line against UNLV on Feb. 9 for its second-best effort in 2003-04. Utah is currently shooting 70.5 percent at the line this season.

Utes Tough At Home In The Huntsman Center

Utah is 209-18 (.921) in the Huntsman Center during the Rick Majerus era and has never lost back-to-back home games.

* Utah has won 15 in a row (including a 14-0 record this season) at home, which is tied for the eighth-longest homecourt winning streak in the nation. The Utes have also captured 31 of the last 32 at home with their only loss coming to Colorado State on March 6, 2003, ended a 16-game home winning streak.

* The Utes have won 147 of their last 155 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, dating back to the 1993-94 season.

* In conference home games over the last 10 years, Utah is 70-3 (.959), which is the best record in the nation over that time span.

* Utah has won 24 consecutive nonconference games in the Huntsman Center, last falling to Utah State (78-65) on Nov. 23, 2001.

* Utah has gone unbeaten seven times in the 34-year history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Six of those undefeated home seasons have come under 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 439-89.

Utah Under Kerry Rupp

Here's a statistical breakdown of what Utah has done in five games (4-1) under interim head coach Kerry Rupp.

           PPG FG% 3FG%    FT% Rebs    AS/TOUtah            68.8    46.5    39.8    77.2    38.2    1.0Opponents   63.4    38.7    31.4    73.9    31.0    1.2

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