Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #27 - University of Utah Athletics

Feb. 22, 2004

Game #27

Utah Runnin' Utes (19-7, 7-4) vs. New Mexico Lobos (13-10, 4-6)

Feb. 23 * 7:07 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   New Mexico Head Coach: Ritchie McKayAlma Mater: Southern Utah, 1977         Alma Mater: Seattle Pacific, 1987Record at Utah: 4-2 (1st Season)    Record at New Mexico: 23-28 (2nd Season)Overall Record: 4-2 (1st Season)    Overall Record: 106-117 (8th Season)
Television: KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City. ESPN Full Court (pay-per-view).Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Mark Eaton (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 72-39Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 47-5/23-33/2-1Last Meeting: New Mexico won 70-54 on Jan. 24, 2004 in Albuquerque, N.M.

After This

The Utes take on BYU in Provo, Utah, on Monday, March 1 at 10:00 p.m. (MST) on ESPN's "Big Monday." Utah then closes out the regular season at San Diego State on Saturday, March 6 at 3:00 p.m. (PST).

Quickly On Utah

Utah (19-7, 7-4 MWC), tied for second place in the Mountain West Conference, plays its final home game of the regular-season against New Mexico (13-10, 4-6 MWC) on Monday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Ute seniors Nick Jacobson and Tim Frost will be honored before the game. 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 Utes had their 15-game homecourt winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon with a 59-57 loss to Air Force. 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.

Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) leads the Utes in scoring (15.8 ppg), hitting 43.6 percent of his three-point attempts. Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) is second on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg), and is first in both rebounding (9.9 rpg) and blocked shots (35). The native of Melbourne, Australia, has 12 double-doubles this season and is shooting 61.5 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Richard Chaney (6-4, 195) is third in scoring (10.0 ppg), shooting 51.3 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 team's shootaround before the Colorado State game on Feb. 14 and has been unable to play in the last three games. He will meet with his doctors again on Tuesday. At this time, he is expected to have surgery on Wednesday and be out for the rest of the season.

Scouting New Mexico

The Lobos are 13-10 overall and tied for fifth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-6 record. New Mexico is 0-7 on the road this season.

New Mexico has lost its last two games, both on the road, falling at Air Force (51-50) on Feb. 14 and at BYU (88-71) on Saturday night. Before the two losses, UNM swept a pair of home games from Colorado State (63-51) on Feb. 7 and Wyoming (87-75) on Feb. 9.

Junior forward Danny Granger (6-8, 225) is averaging 20.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, which pace the team but don't make the MWC rankings since he has only played in 17 games. Sophomore forward/center David Chiotti (6-9, 240) is 10th in the league in scoring (13.0 ppg), third in field goal percentage (58.5) and 10th in rebounding (5.4 rpg). Senior guard Javin Tindall (5-11, 165) ranks 12th in the Mountain West in scoring (12.7 ppg), sixth in assists (3.57 apg), third in free throw percentage (81.0), seventh in three-point percentage (42.1) and first in three-pointers made per game (2.65). Junior forward Alfred Neale (6-5, 200) ranks seventh in the MWC in rebounds (5.8 rpg) and is averaging 9.6 points per game.

New Mexico ranks fourth in the MWC in scoring offense (71.3 ppg), fourth in scoring defense (65.1 ppg), fourth in rebound margin (+2.0 rpg), first in three-point field goals made per game (8.96) and first in assists (14.87 apg). The Lobos were 11th in the NCAA in three-pointers made per game (8.7) and 26th in three-point percentage (38.6) as of Feb. 17.

Comparing the Stats

           Utah    New MexicoScoring         64.8    71.3Scoring Def.    56.9    65.1FG%         .480    .463FG% Defense .404    .4373-Pt. FG%   .402    .3893-Pt. FG% Def.  .302    .355FT%         .710    .726Rebound Margin  +7.7    +2.0Assists         12.8    14.9Turnovers   14.0    13.3Opp. Turnovers  10.8    12.6Steals          4.6 5.7Blocked Shots   3.5 3.3

Lobo Head Coach Ritchie McKay

Ritchie McKay is in his second season at New Mexico and has a 106-117 record in his eighth year as a head coach. In his first year with the Lobos in 2002-03, the team went 10-18 and placed seventh in the MWC with a 4-10 mark.

McKay, who was the head coach at Colorado State for two seasons (1998-2000), returned to the Mountain West Conference following a two-year stint at Oregon State (2000-02) where he went 22-37. At CSU, McKay went 19-11 in 1998-99, taking the Rams to the third round of the NIT. His team went 18-12 in 1999-2000 when he was named Coach of the Year by College Hoops Insider magazine. McKay began his head coaching career at Portland State, going 24-29 in two seasons from 1996-98.

Utah-New Mexico Series Notes

* The Utes and Lobos meet for the 112th time on Monday night. The series dates back to a 59-47 win by Utah on Jan. 3, 1952 in Albuquerque, N.M., in a Skyline Conference match-up.

* Utah leads the all-time series 72-39, winning 10 of the last 14 games.

* New Mexico has taken the last two meetings, both taking place in Albuquerque, N.M. The Lobos won 76-69 on March 1, 2003 to break a three-game Ute winning streak. New Mexico then took the first meeting this season 70-54 on Jan. 24.

* In conference play, the Utes have a 69-36 advantage.

* In Salt Lake City, Utah has a 47-5 advantage and has won 14 in a row. The Utes haven't lost to the Lobos in the Huntsman Center since falling 79-76 on Feb. 16, 1989.

* Ritchie McKay is 3-2 against Utah. He went 1-1 against Utah during his tenure at Colorado State, splitting the season series in 1999-2000. The Utes and Rams did not meet in 1998-99.

Last Meeting

Center Danny Granger scored 28 points on Jan. 24, leading New Mexico to a 70-54 win over Utah at The Pit. Granger hit 10-of-16 shots and added a team-high four assists, as the Lobos snapped Utah's nine-game winning streak.

Nick Jacobson had 20 points while Andrew Bogut posted his ninth double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds to lead Utah.

New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay threw a changeup at the Utes' defense by frequently using Granger at the point to start the Lobos' half-court offense. Granger responded by hitting a pair of 15-foot jumpshots and a three-pointer in the game's first five minutes.

Granger also had six rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in 35 minutes on the court.

The Lobos played a nearly flawless first half. They hit seven threes, shot 54 percent and had just one turnover en route to a 38-18 lead.

Granger sparked a 9-0 run early in the second half with a left-handed bankshot and an off-balance layup that put the Lobos ahead 49-20 with 14:51 left in the game.

Jacobson, who scored 15 of his points in the second half, led the Utes' biggest surge of the game, a 13-2 run that cut the Lobos' lead to 53-41 with 6:31 left. However, a three-pointer by Troy DeVries and three free throws by Granger sandwiched around a trey by Jacobson pushed the lead to 59-45.

New Mexico finished with eight three-pointers against the Utes.

DeVries added 14 points and David Chiotti scored 13 for the Lobos. Bryant Markson missed the game for the Utes while attending the funeral of his uncle in California.

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) this season. He leads the Utes in scoring (15.8 ppg), hitting 43.6 percent (68-of-156) from beyond the arc and 84.3 percent from the free throw line. He has had 10 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 has scored in double figures in 10 of 11 Mountain West Conference games-including nine in a row before getting eight points against Wyoming last Monday. In the MWC league games only stats, Jacobson is averaging 17.9 points per game to rank third in the league, first in three-pointers made per game (2.73), 11th in three-point percentage (39.5) and third in free throw percentage (86.5).

* Jacobson has scored at least 20 points in nine of the last 17 games. His last 20-point game came with 22 (7-16 FG, 4-9 3-FG, 4-4 FT) in 40 minutes against Air Force on Saturday.

* 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 a tie for 15th place in career scoring at Utah with 1,485 points. He is tied with Buster Matheney and ranks behind Hanno M?tt?l? (1,492 points). He is one of just 30 players in the 1,000-point club.

* A prolific shooter from long range, Jacobson ranks first at Utah in both career three-pointers made (256) and attempted (599), 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 tied for third in three-pointers made (68) and fifth in three-pointers attempted (156).

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) this season. Bogut is second on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) and is first in both rebounding (9.9 rpg) and blocked shots (35). He is shooting 61.5 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).

* He has 12 double-doubles this season-including five in 11 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. Most recently, Bogut doubled-up in back-to-back games against UNLV on Feb. 9 and Colorado State on Feb. 14. Bogut had 14 points and 13 rebounds against UNLV, and 16 points and 10 rebounds at Colorado State. He also had a career-high tying five blocked shots against UNLV.

* Bogut has 18 double-figure scoring games and 14 double-figure rebound games. He has scored in double-figures 14 of the last 19 games.

* On the Ute freshman charts, Bogut ranks fifth in points (321), third in scoring average (12.3 ppg), second in rebounds (257), second in rebounding average (9.9 rpg), fifth in field goals made (134), first in field goal percentage (61.5) and second in blocked shots (35).

* On the Ute single-season charts, Bogut is ninth in blocked shots (35).

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 11 games.

* Currently, Frost is fourth on the team in scoring average (8.2 ppg) and third in rebounding average (4.2 rpg).

* Frost has scored in double figures in eight of the last 17 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 Feb. 16.

* In Mountain West Conference games, Frost is averaging 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 27.7 minutes.

Game #26 Rewind

Joel Gerlach made two free throws after being fouled on a layup attempt with 1.4 seconds remaining to lift Air Force to a 59-57 victory over Utah on Saturday, giving the Falcons their first ever season sweep of the Utes.

Air Force rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit and increased its lead in the Mountain West Conference by winning in Salt Lake City for the first time in 15 years. The Falcons (19-4, 9-1 MWC) last won at Utah on Jan. 26 1989, beating the Utes 67-57.

Utah (19-7, 7-4 MWC) led most of the second half, but Air Force battled back and won in the thrilling finish after Utah unsuccessfully went for the final shot.

Nick Jacobson, who led the Utes with 22 points, gave Utah a 54-53 lead with a jumper from the top of the key, but Air Force came right back and regained the lead on a layup by Gerlach.

Utah regained the momentum on the next possession, working the ball around to the right corner where Jacobson hit a three-pointer with about a minute remaining to give Utah a 57-55 lead.

Nick Welch tied it on two free throws with 37.1 seconds left, then Utah stalled and tried the last shot. The strategy failed when Drisdom missed a layup and the rebound kicked out to midcourt, where Gerlach picked up the loose ball and took it in for a layup attempt. He missed, but was fouled by Drisdom with 1.4 seconds left.

The officials took several minutes to decide on the call before Gerlach went to the line, where he was booed loudly but calmly hit both shots. Utah didn't get a shot off after the inbounds pass and the Falcons became the first visitor to win at the Huntsman Center this season.

Gerlach finished with 15 points, Antoine Hood scored 13 and A.J. Kuhle had 12 points for Air Force, which won despite being outrebounded 29-15.

Andrew Bogut had 15 points and seven rebounds, but he and Jacobson were the only Utes to score in double figures.

Utah recovered from a slow start, then took a 32-24 halftime lead after Jacobson scored 12 points to lead the Utes on a 17-4 run. Air Force had gone back up 20-15 after the Utes had tied the game at 15-all when Jacobson started the Utah rally with two free throws and a 3-pointer to tie it at 20.

After a block by Tim Frost, Richard Chaney gave Utah its first lead with a jumper in the lane, then Jacobson added a pair of long jumpers. Frost put Utah ahead 29-24 on a three-point play with 52.8 seconds remaining, then Jacobson hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Ute Items

* The Utes have lost back-to-back games three times this season. Utah has not lost three consecutive games since Jan. 20-29, 2001 when Dick Hunsaker was the acting head coach.

* Against Air Force on Saturday, it was the first time this season Utah lost when leading at the half and with 5:00 remaining.

* Utah ranked 19th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (48.2) as of Feb. 17 and is currently hitting 48.0 percent. Utah has shot 48.6 percent from the field over the last 17 games and 42.4 percent from three-point range over the last 16 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 are 16-1 when scoring at least 60 points this season with their only loss coming to Wyoming (74-65) on Feb. 16. Utah is 13-1 when holding its opponents to under 60 points with its only loss coming to Air Force (59-57) on Feb. 21.

* 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 75.6 percent (282-of-373) in the last 20 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 71.0 percent at the line this season.

Getting Defensive

One of the trademarks of a Utah team during the last 15 years 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). Currently, Ute opponents are averaging 56.9 points per game and shooting 40.4 percent. Utah also has a +7.7 rebound margin.

* The Utes have outrebounded 23 of 26 opponents this season. Utah had outrebounded 15 teams in a row before Wyoming posted a 37-33 advantage on the Utes last Monday night.

* Utah has held 14 of its 26 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 four times has Utah allowed a team to shoot better than 50 percent from the field this season: UConn (62.3), New Mexico on Jan. 24 (53.5), Air Force (55.3) on Jan. 26 and Air Force (54.3) on Feb. 21.

* Utah has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points in 121 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.

Utes Tough At Home In The Huntsman Center

Utah is 209-19 (.917) in the Huntsman Center during the Rick Majerus era and has never lost back-to-back home games.

* Before its 59-57 loss to Air Force on Saturday, Utah had won 15 in a row (including a 14-0 record this season) at home, which was tied for the ninth-longest homecourt winning streak in the nation. The Utes had 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 158 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 70-4 (.946).

* 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 439-90.

Utah Under Kerry Rupp

Here's a statistical breakdown of what Utah has done in six games (4-2) under interim head coach Kerry Rupp.

   PPG FG% 3FG%    FT% Rebs    AS/TOUtah    66.8    46.0    39.4    78.4    36.7    1.0Oppon.  62.7    40.4    34.3    75.7    28.3    1.1

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