Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round) on March 10, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 73
Final Score
Men's Basketball
66
vs No. 9-Seed Cincinnati (1st Round)
73
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Men's Basketball Notes - MWC Tournament
3/8/2004 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2004
Mountain West Conference Tournament
March 11-13, 2004 * Pepsi Center (19,099) * Denver, Colo.
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Just The Facts
Utah (21-8, 9-5 MWC) competes in the 2004 Mountain West Conference Tournament, Thursday through Saturday at the Pepsi Center (19,099) in Denver, Colo.
The Utes finished third in the Mountain West Conference during the regular season and earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Utah opens tournament play against No. 6 San Diego State (14-15, 5-9 MWC) in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. (MST). Should Utah win, it will advance to face the winner of No. 2 Brigham Young (20-7, 10-4 MWC) vs. No. 7 Wyoming (11-16, 4-10 MWC) in the semifinal round on Friday at 7:05 p.m. (MST). The championship game takes place on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. (MST). The Mountain West Conference Tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
On Television
ESPN+Plus will televise Utah's quarterfinal game against San Diego State on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. (MST). All ESPN+Plus games are shown in Salt Lake City on KJZZ-TV 14. Rich Waltz (play-by-play) and Irv Brown (analyst) are the broadcasters.
Should Utah advance, its semifinal game on Friday at 7:05 p.m. (MST) would also be shown by ESPN+Plus. ESPN will televise the championship game on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. (MST) with Bob Carpenter (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) calling the action.
On Radio
All of the Utes' games in the Mountain West Conference Tournament will be broadcast on the Utah Sports Network (KALL-700 AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations). Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Brad Stone (host) call the action.
The entire Mountain West Conference Tournament will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.TheMWC.com.
Utah's Conference Tournament History
The Utes have completed in 20 previous conference tournaments-16 as a member of the Western Athletic Conference and the last four in the Mountain West Conference-posting a 23-17 (.575) record. The Utes won WAC Tournament titles in 1995, '97 and '99. In the Mountain West Tournament, the Utes have lost in the semifinals all four years.
The Utes' .575 combined winning percentage in WAC (1984-99) and MWC (2000-03) tournaments ranks second among the conference teams. UNLV at .750 (12-4) is first, while New Mexico at .571 (24-18) and BYU at .529 (18-16) rank third and fourth, respectively.
2004 Mountain West Conference Tournament
Quarterfinals - Thursday (March 11)Game 1 - No. 3 Utah (21-8, 9-5) vs. No. 6 San Diego St. (14-15, 5-9), 1:05 p.m. (ESPN+Plus)Game 2 - No. 2 BYU (20-7, 10-4) vs. No. 7 Wyoming (11-16, 4-10), 3:35 p.m. (ESPN+Plus)Game 3 - No. 1 Air Force (22-5, 12-2) vs. No. 8 Colorado St. (12-15, 4-10), 7:05 p.m. (ESPN+Plus)Game 4 - No. 4 UNLV (16-11, 7-7) vs. No. 5 New Mexico (14-13, 5-9), 10:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Semifinals - Friday (March 12)Game 5 - inner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7:05 p.m. (ESPN+Plus)Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 10:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Championship (March 13)Game 7 - Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN)
(All Times Mountain Standard Time)
Quickly On Utah
The Runnin' Utes are 21-8 overall and finished third in the Mountain West Conference with a 9-5 record. Utah is 6-3 over its last nine games and closed out the regular season with a 66-53 win at San Diego State last Saturday afternoon.
In the NCAA statistical rankings released on March 2, Utah was sixth in the NCAA in scoring defense (56.9 ppg), fourth in rebound margin (+7.8 rpg), 49th in scoring margin (+8.0 ppg), 35th in field goal percentage defense (40.4 ppg), 23rd in field goal percentage (47.9 ppg) and 19th in three-point percentage (39.1). Currently, the Utes are allowing their opponents to score 56.7 points per game and shoot 40.3 percent from the field. Utah is presently shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from three-point range, outrebounding its opponents by 7.7 boards per game and outscoring its opponents by 8.1 points per game.
Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) leads the Utes in scoring (16.3 ppg), hitting 44.0 percent of his three-point attempts. Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) is second on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg), and is first in both rebounding (9.9 rpg) and blocked shots (42). The native of Melbourne, Australia, has 13 double-doubles this season and is shooting 59.4 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Richard Chaney (6-4, 195) is third in scoring (9.3 ppg), shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from three-point range. Senior forward Tim Frost is fourth in scoring (9.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Sophomore guard Tim Drisdom (6-2, 212) leads the Utes in assists (3.6 apg).
Jacobson and Bogut Make All-Mountain West Team
Ute senior guard Nick Jacobson was named first team all-Mountain West Conference, while forward/center Andrew Bogut was named the league's Freshman of the Year and voted second team all-conference when the 2003-04 men's basketball awards were announced Monday.
Jacobson, a 6-4 guard from Fargo, N.D., is an MWC first-team selection this season after being named to the third team each of the last two seasons. In MWC games only, Jacobson ranked second in scoring (18.4 ppg), second in free throw percentage (.855) and ninth in three-point percentage (.412). He scored in double figures in 13 of 14 Mountain West Conference games, including six 20-point contests.
Bogut, a 6-10 forward/center from Melbourne, Australia, leads all MWC freshman in rebounding (9.9 rpg) and is second in scoring (12.4 ppg). In conference games only, Bogut ranked first in blocked shots (2.07 bpg), second in rebounding (9.7 rpg), sixth in field goal percentage (.547) and 12th in scoring (13.0 ppg). He had six double-doubles in conference games. He is the only player in the MWC to have posted six games with 15 or more rebounds this season.
Senior forward Tim Frost earned all-Mountain West Conference honorable mention. Frost, a native of Klamath Falls, Ore., averaged 10.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 28.6 minutes during the conference season.
Scouting San Diego State
The Aztecs are 14-15 overall and finished tied for fifth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 5-9 record. San Diego State is 1-1 on neutral courts this season.
San Diego State has lost three in a row and nine of its last 12. The Aztecs closed out the regular season with a 66-53 loss to Utah at home last Saturday. The previous weekend, the Aztecs dropped a pair of road games, falling at New Mexico (72-60) on Feb. 28 and at Air Force (61-49) on March 1.
Senior forward/center Aerick Sanders (6-9, 203) ranks fifth in the league in scoring (16.0 ppg), second in rebounds (10.0 rpg), seventh in field goal percentage (55.5) and sixth in blocked shots (1.24 bpg). Freshman guard Brandon Heath (6-4, 172) is ninth in the MWC in scoring (13.8 ppg), sixth in steals (1.38) and eighth in three-pointers made per game (1.59) while shooting 29.5 percent. Junior guard Wesley Stokes (6-0, 168) is 16th in the league in scoring (12.3 ppg), second in assists (5.79 apg) and first in steals (1.69 spg). Freshman forward Marcus Slaughter (6-9, 208) is sixth in the conference in rebounds (6.7 rpg). In the NCAA rankings as of March 2, Sanders was 39th field goal percentage (55.7) and 13th in rebounds per game (9.9), while Stokes was 27th in assists per game (5.8).
San Diego State ranks third in the Mountain West in scoring offense (70.9 ppg), sixth in scoring defense (70.4 ppg), fourth in rebound margin (+1.3 rpg) and first in steals (8.24 spg).
Comparing the Stats
Utah San Diego St.Scoring 64.9 70.9Scoring Defense 56.7 70.4FG% .480 .426FG% Defense .403 .4473-Pt. FG% .390 .3203-Pt. FG% Def. .300 .358FT% .710 .698Rebound Margin +7.7 +1.3Assists 12.7 14.1Turnovers 14.5 13.5Opp. Turnovers 10.9 15.9Steals 4.6 8.2Blocked Shots 3.5 2.8
Aztec Head Coach Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher is 70-78 in his fifth season at San Diego State and has a 254-160 career mark in 13 seasons. Last season the Aztecs went 16-14, placed fifth in the MWC at 6-8 and advanced to the second round of the NIT. In 2001-02, Fisher led SDSU to the Mountain West Conference Tournament title and its 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 55th time on Thursday evening. 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 45-9 and have won 26 of the last 28. Utah has a 3-1 advantage over San Diego State on neutral courts.
* Utah has taken the past three meetings in the series, winning this season 65-61 on Feb. 7 in Salt Lake City and 66-53 on March 6 in San Diego. The Utes also took the final game last season, 76-62, on Feb. 15 in Salt Lake City.
* The Aztecs snapped Utah's 14-game winning streak in the series with a 58-56 win on Jan. 18, 2003 at Cox Arena. Before then, the Aztecs' last win over Utah was 76-73 on Jan. 22, 1994 in San Diego.
* Utah is 4-1 against San Diego State in the postseason, including a 3-1 mark on neutral courts. After losing to the Aztecs (73-71) in the 1986 WAC Tournament, Utah has won four in a row to SDSU in postseason play.
* The Utes last met the Aztecs in the postseason in the 1995 WAC Tournament quarterfinals. Utah won 72-63 on March 9 at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M.
* San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher is 3-9 against Utah, including a 1-9 mark while at SDSU.
* Utah interim head coach Kerry Rupp is 2-0 against San Diego State.
Jacobson Stroking "J"s
Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) has received numerous postseason honors this season. Jacobson has been named USBWA All-District VIII, first team all-Mountain West Conference and first team All-District 13 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He leads the Utes in scoring (16.3 ppg), hitting 44.0 percent (80-of-182) from beyond the arc and 83.9 percent from the free throw line. He has had eleven 20-point games this season.
* In the NCAA statistical rankings released March 2, Jacobson was 20th in three-point field goal percentage (43.5) and 49th in free throw percentage (83.9).
* He scored in double figures in 13 of the 14 Mountain West Conference regular-season games-including the first nine and the last four. In conference games, Jacobson averaged 18.4 points per game to rank second in the league. He also ranked first in three-pointers made per game (3.00), ninth in three-point percentage (41.2) and second in free throw percentage (85.5).
* Jacobson has scored at least 20 points in 10 of the last 20 games. His last 20-point game came with a career-high tying 28 points (11-17 FG, 6-11 3-FG) in 33 minutes against New Mexico on Feb. 23. Jacobson also had 22 points (7-16 FG, 4-9 3-FG, 4-4 FT) in 40 minutes against Air Force on Feb. 21.
* He established his career-high of 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 11th place in career scoring at Utah with 1,545 points, ranking behind Andre Miller (1,618 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 (268) and attempted (625), passing Keith Van Horn for the top spot in both categories this season. His career three-point percentage of 42.9 ranks fourth all-time.
* On the single season charts, Jacobson's 2003-04 numbers rank tied for first in three-pointers made (80) and second in three-pointers attempted (182).
Boasting Of Bogut
Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) has been named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, second team all-MWC, and second team All-District 13 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) this season. Bogut is second on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg), and is first in both rebounding (9.9 rpg) and blocked shots (42). He is shooting 59.4 percent from the field.
* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on March 2, Bogut was 12th in field goal percentage (59.7) and 13th in rebounds per game (9.9).
* In the last seven games, Bogut has averaged 14.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game with 20 blocked shots. He has also shot 55.4 percent from the field and 75.0 percent at the free throw line.
* Bogut has 13 double-doubles this season-including six in 14 conference games. He was tied for 14th in the nation in double-doubles as of March 5. 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 against New Mexico on Feb. 23 with 20 points and 14 rebounds. It was the third 20-point game of his career.
* Bogut has 20 double-figure scoring games and 15 double-figure rebound games.
* On the Ute freshman charts, Bogut ranks second in points (360), third in scoring average (12.4 ppg), second in rebounds (286), second in rebounding average (9.9 rpg), third in field goals made (148), first in field goal percentage (59.4) and first in blocked shots (42).
* On the Ute single-season charts, Bogut is fourth in blocked shots (42).
Frost Bouncing Back From Back Injury In Final Season
Senior center Tim Frost (6-9, 244) has earned all-Mountain West Conference honorable mention this season. Frost 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 14 games.
* Currently, Frost is fourth on the team in scoring average (9.0 ppg) and third in rebounding average (4.6 rpg).
* Frost has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games-including three in a row. He has scored at least 10 points in 11 games. He most recently had a season-high tying 19 points (8-10 FG, 1-1 3-FG, 2-4 FT) and eight rebounds in 31 minutes against San Diego State on March 6.
* In the last seven games, Frost has scored in double figures four times, averaging 12.9 points while shooting 59.3 percent from the field and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from three-point range. He has also averaged 5.7 rebounds per game in 30.7 minutes.
* He had a season-high 19 points (7-11 FG, 4-6 3-FG, 1-2 FT) for the first time in 29 minutes against Wyoming on Feb. 16.
* In Mountain West Conference games, Frost averaged 10.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 28.6 minutes.
Utes Reach 20-Wins Mark Once Again
Utah has hit the 20-wins mark for the 12th time in the last 15 years, spanning the Rick Majerus era. Two of the three 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), 2003-04 (21-8).
Ute Items
* Utah has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 12 games this season, going 11-1. The Utes had their best shooting percentage in Mountain West Conference play against New Mexico on Feb. 23, hitting 52.9 percent. The Utes shot 52.4 percent at San Diego State last Saturday.
* Utah ranked 23rd in the NCAA in field goal percentage (47.9) as of March 2. Currently, the Utes are shooting 48.0 percent from the field. Utah has shot at least 40 percent from the field in 19 of the past 20 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). Since then, Utah hasn't shot under 40 percent in the last seven games.
* The Utes are 18-1 when scoring at least 60 points this season with their only loss coming to Wyoming (74-65) on Feb. 16. Utah is 16-1 when holding its opponents to under 60 points with its only loss coming to Air Force (59-57) on Feb. 21.
* Utah's third-place finish is its lowest in conference play since tying for fifth in 1994. Since then, Utah has won at least a share of eight regular-seasons conference titles and recorded one second place finish (2002).
* 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 Feb. 21, it was the only time this season Utah lost when leading at the half and with 5:00 remaining.
* Utah has been held below 20 points in the first half five times this season: 13 points (UConn on Nov. 28), 18 (New Mexico on Jan. 24), 19 (LSU on Dec. 16, BYU on Jan. 31, BYU on Mar. 1).
* 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 75.0 percent (324-of-432) in the last 24 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 March 2, Utah ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense (56.9 ppg), 35th in field goal percentage defense (40.4) and fourth in rebound margin (+7.8 rpg). Currently, the Utes are allowing their opponents to score 56.7 points per game and shoot 40.3 percent from the field, while Utah is outreboundiung its foes by 7.7 boards per game.
* The Utes have outrebounded 26 of 29 opponents this season and are 21-5 when they have the advantage on the boards. Utah had outrebounded 15 teams in a row before Wyoming posted a 37-33 advantage on the Utes on Feb. 16. The Utes have since outrebounded their last four opponents.
* Utah has held 15 of its 29 opponents to lower than 40 percent shooting from the field and 13 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 12 of 29 teams have reached 60 points against the Utes and 10 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 124 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 15 games this season-including 10 of the last 19-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 7-7.
* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on March 2, Utah ranked 19th in three-point field goal percentage (39.1). Currently, the Utes are shooting 39.0 percent from the field.
* 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).
Players Mentioned
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Former Runnin’ Ute Branden Carlson
Tuesday, May 19
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - College football analyst Yogi Roth
Wednesday, May 06
Utah Basketball Media Availability | 3.2.26
Monday, March 02
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Basketball General Manager Wes Wilcox
Wednesday, February 25