Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #17 - University of Utah Athletics

Jan. 13, 2005

Game #17

Utah Runnin' Utes (13-3, 1-0 MWC) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (8-6, 0-1 MWC)
Jan. 15 ? 4:07 p.m. (MST) ? Arena-Auditorium (15,000) ? Laramie, Wyo.

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The Game At A Glance

Utah Head Coach: Ray Giacoletti      Wyoming Head Coach: Steve McClainAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985        Alma Mater: Chadron State, 1984Record at Utah: 13-3 (1st Season)    Record at Wyoming: 119-75 (7th Season)Overall Record: 130-86 (8th Season)  Overall Record: 119-75 (7th Season)
Television: KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City.Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Mark Eaton (analyst).
Radio: Utah Sports Network(Hot Ticket 700/KALL-AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations).On the Internet at www.UtahUtes.com and www.HotTicket700.com.Matt Thomas (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Bill Riley (host).
Series Record: Utah leads 85-70Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 54-22/29-46/2-2Current Streak: Wyoming has won 1Last Meeting: Wyoming won 74-65 on Feb. 16, 2004 in Laramie, Wyo.

After This
The Runnin' Utes close out their trip along the front range of the Rocky Mountains against Colorado State on Monday, Jan. 17 at 6:00 p.m. (MST) in Fort Collins, Colo. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV. Utah then returns to the Huntsman Center to host New Mexico on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 1:00 p.m. (MST) and Air Force on Monday, Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m. (MST).

Quickly On Utah
The Runnin' Utes (13-3, 1-0 MWC) make their first Mountain West Conference road trip of the season this weekend. Utah faces Wyoming (8-6, 0-1 MWC) on Saturday at 4:07 p.m. (MST) at the Arena-Auditorium (15,000) in Laramie, Wyo. The game will be televised on KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City and broadcast on Hot Ticket 700 (KALL-AM) and the Utah Sports Network. The Utes are 1-2 on opponent's home courts and 3-3 away from home this season.

Utah won its eighth consecutive game and ninth in the last 10 with a 70-52 victory over UNLV on Monday night in Salt Lake City. The contest closed out a five-game home stand for the Utes. The previous week, the Utes got a 69-55 win over LSU on Monday and defeated Whitworth 81-60 on Wednesday.

Sophomore center/forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 240) leads the Utes in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounding (11.8 rpg), blocked shots (27) and field goal percentage (63.3). Bogut has 11 double-doubles this season to lead the nation. Senior guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 175) is second in scoring (12.5 ppg), hitting 56.9 percent of his three-point attempts (37-of-65) and 83.6 percent of his free throws. Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) is fourth in scoring (9.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.1 rpg). Sophomore forward Justin Hawkins (6-5, 220) is fifth in scoring (8.6 ppg) and third in rebounding (3.8 rpg). Junior guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 210) leads the Utes in assists (3.5 apg) and has a 2.33 assists to turnover ratio.

As of Jan. 11, the Utes ranked sixth in the NCAA in field goal percentage (52.1), seventh in rebound margin (+10.8) and 20th in scoring defense (58.8 ppg).

From The Training Room
? Sophomore forward Justin Hawkins has been suffering from a sore back since the Weber State game on Dec. 28. After being limited to just 13 minutes against Colorado on Dec. 30, Hawkins did not play against LSU or Whitworth. He returned to practice last Saturday and played 12 minutes against UNLV on Monday.

? Junior forward/guard Richard Chaney broke two bones in his left hand on Dec. 27 in practice and had surgery two days later. He could be out 4-6 weeks. Chaney has started 10 games and played in 11 this season, averaging 11.5 points per game to rank third on the team. He is also averaging 2.7 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game, and has 17 assists and 10 steals this season.

Andrew Bogut Named Mountain West Player of the Week
Utah center/forward Andrew Bogut, a 7-0 sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Monday. It was his third honor this season and the fourth of his career.

Bogut paced the Utes to a 2-0 record last week with wins over LSU (69-55) and Whitworth (81-60). He scored 24 points and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds in the win over LSU, hitting 10-of-15 field goals. Bogut tallied 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists in only 18 minutes in the win over Whitworth. For the week, Bogut averaged 23.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting over 71 percent from the field (20-of-28).

Scouting The Cowboys
Wyoming is 8-6 overall and 0-1 in Mountain West Conference games. The Cowboys dropped their league opener to New Mexico 89-75 last Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., then defeated IPFW 100-59 at home on Monday night. UW has lost three of its last five games, falling to San Diego at home (95-88) on Dec. 28 and at Southern Illinois (81-69) on Dec. 30 before defeating Denver at home (78-72) on Jan. 4. The Pokes are 6-1 at the Arena-Auditorium this season.

Senior guard Jay Straight (5-11, 178) ranks fourth in the Mountain West in scoring (18.0 ppg), 14th in three-point percentage (36.8), 14th in free throw percentage (73.9), second in assists (5.21 apg) and third in steals (1.64 spg). Senior forward/center Alex Dunn (7-0, 240) ranks 16th in scoring (11.1 ppg), third in rebounds (8.8 rpg), ninth in blocked shots (1.07 bpg). Junior forward/center Justin Williams (6-10, 215) ranks 10th in the league in rebounds (5.4 rpg). Sophomore guard Steven Leven (6-5, 190) and senior guard Dion Sherrell (6-4, 210) are third (11.1 ppg) and fourth (10.8 ppg) on the team in scoring, respectively.

Wyoming ranks fourth in the MWC in scoring (72.4 ppg), seventh in scoring defense (71.6 ppg) and fourth in rebound margin (+4.9 rpg).

Comparing the Stats

            Utah    WyomingScoring         71.4    72.4Scoring Defense 58.8    71.6FG%         .521    .451FG% Defense .424    .4333-Pt. FG%   .403    .3423-Pt. FG% Def.  .352    .371FT%         .724    .660Rebound Margin  +10.8   +4.9Assists         15.4    12.8Turnovers   14.9    17.1Opp. Turnovers  12.8    15.0Steals          6.4 6.2Blocked Shots   2.8 5.6

Head Coach Steve McClain
Steve McClain has a 119-75 career record in his seventh season at Wyoming. McClain's team had posted three consecutive 20-win seasons before going 11-17 last season. The Cowboys went 21-11 overall, tied for third in the MWC and advanced to the second round of the NIT in 2002-03. In 2001-02, McClain led the Cowboys to a 22-9 record and an 11-3 mark in league play to claim UW's second consecutive Mountain West title. Wyoming also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. McClain's team went 20-10 in 2000-02 and finished in a three-way tie with Utah and BYU for the MWC title at 10-4, capturing the Pokes' first conference title in 15 seasons. He has led three Wyoming teams to the NIT and one to the NCAAs.

Prior to going to Wyoming, McClain served as an assistant coach for Billy Tubbs at TCU. During his four seasons at TCU, McClain helped the Horned Frogs to one NIT appearance (1997), one NCAA appearance (1998) and one conference title (1998). In 1994 as the head coach at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, he led his team to the National Junior College Championship while earning NJCAA National Coach of the Year honors.

Utah vs. Wyoming Series Notes
? Utah and Wyoming meet for the 156th time on Saturday afternoon in a series that dates back to a 41-25 win by Utah on March 11, 1914 in Laramie, Wyo. Other than not meeting during the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons, the Runnin' Utes and Cowboys have met every year since 1943-44.

? Utah leads the all-time series 85-70. The Runnin' Utes had won three in a row, sweeping the 2002-03 series and taking the first game last season, before Wyoming won 74-65 on Feb. 16 in Laramie.

? In conference regular-season play, Utah has a 72-60 advantage.

? In Laramie, the Cowboys have a 46-29 edge. Wyoming had won seven in a row in the Arena-Auditorium before Utah won there during the 2003-04 season. It was the U.'s first win since prevailing 64-45 on Jan. 28, 1993. Wyoming protected its home court with a 74-65 win last season on Feb. 16.

? Ray Giacoletti is 0-1 against Wyoming. His Eastern Washington team lost to the Cowboys 78-71 in Laramie, Wyo., in the first round of the NIT on March 20, 2003.

? Steve McClain is 5-5 against Utah during his tenure at Wyoming, including a 4-1 mark in Laramie.

Last Meeting
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 in Laramie, Wyo., last season on Feb. 16.

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

The loss snapped a four-game victory streak for the Utes, who were led by Tim Frost's 19 points. Andrew Bogut and Justin Hawkins added 14 each for Utah.

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.

Tough Trip Along the Front Range
Utah has swept the Colorado State/Wyoming road trip only once since the 1975-76 season. Utah won at both Colorado State and Wyoming during the 1990-91 season; however, that year the two games were played over a month apart.

The Runnin' Utes swept the road trip in 2002-03, winning at Colorado State (71-66) on Feb. 8 and at Wyoming (69-56) on Feb. 10. Before that win against the Cowboys, Utah had lost seven in a row in Laramie with its previous win in the Arena-Auditorium coming on Jan. 28, 1992 (64-45).

Since the berth of the Mountain West Conference, Utah has split the trip twice and been swept twice. In 1999-2000, Utah fell at Colorado State on Feb. 26 (60-49) and at Wyoming on Feb. 28 (88-61). 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 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. Last season, the Utes won 80-70 on Feb. 14 at Colorado State and lost 74-65 on Feb. 16 at Wyoming.

Boasting Of Bogut, Utah's Wooden and Naismith Awards Candidate
Sophomore forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 240) has been named to the 2004 John R. Wooden Preseason All-America Team and is a preseason candidate for the Naismith Award. Last season, Bogut was honored as 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). He also made the CollegeInsider.com all-freshman team.

? Bogut leads the Utes in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounds (11.8 rpg), blocked shots (27), steals (20) and field goal percentage (63.3). He is also third in assists (2.5 apg), and is shooting 72.0 percent from the free throw line. He has led the Utes in scoring 11 times and rebounding 15 times this season.

? Bogut has had double-doubles in 12 of the 16 games this season to rank first in the nation in that category. Bogut had a string of seven double-doubles before getting 23 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes during a blow-out of Whitworth on Jan. 5. The next game, he had 10 points and 15 boards against UNLV on Jan. 10. He has 26 double-doubles in his career.

? Bogut has scored in double figures all 16 games this season, bringing his double-figure scoring streak to 18 consecutive games dating back to last season.

? He has nine 20-point games this season, including eight games in a row before getting 10 points against UNLV on Monday, to bring his career total to 12.

? In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Jan. 11, Bogut was second in rebounds per game (11.8), 10th in field goal percentage (63.3) and 24th in points per game (19.6).

? Bogut has been at his best in the last nine games, leading the Utes to an eight-game winning streak after a narrow 67-62 loss at No. 15 Arizona. During that span, he has averaged 22.1 points and 13.2 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game.

? Bogut had his 12th double-double of the season against UNLV on Monday with 15 rebounds (second-highest total this year) and 10 points (5-8 FG). He also had four assists and a blocked shot in 35 minutes.

Jackson Back In Action
Senior guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 175) has rejoined the team for his senior year after electing to take off the 2003-04 season. He is the Utes' best three-point shooter, hitting 56.9 percent and making 37-of-65 from beyond the arc. Jackson is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and third in free throw percentage (83.6), and is shooting 53.3 percent from the field.

? Jackson had a career-high 23 points against UNLV on Monday night. He tied a personal-best mark with five three-pointers (in eight attempts) and shot 8-for-12 at the free throw line in 23 minutes. Jackson also had four rebounds and three assists.

? Jackson has five 20-point game in his career, including two this season.

? He has scored in double figures in 10 of the 16 games this year, including the last three games. In addition to getting 23 points against UNLV, Jackson had 18 points against Whitworth on Jan. 5 and 15 points against LSU on Jan. 3. He has shot 14-for-18 (77.7 percent) from three-point range the last three games while averaging 18.6 points per game.

Markson Making His Mark
Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) is fourth on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.1 rpg). He has started five games this season and played in all 16, averaging 24.0 minutes per game. Markson has scored in double figures 10 times this season, including the last five games.

? Markson had a career-high 17 points against UNLV on Monday. He made 5-of-9 shots from the field and converted 6-of-7 free throws. Markson also had seven rebounds and two assists.

? The Monrovia, Calif., native has been playing a bigger role the past five games in the absence of Richard Chaney, who is out with a broken left hand. He has started three of the five games, averaging 31.0 minutes per contest. He has averaged 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, ranking second only to Andrew Bogut in those categories. He has also shot 60.0 percent from the field and 75.9 percent from the free throw line.

Utes Own Share Of Nation's Best Conference Championship Run
Utah lays claim to one of the nation's best conference championship runs over the past 14 seasons. The Utes have won 10 regular-season conference titles during that period. Cincinnati (Conference USA) and Kentucky (SEC) won regular-season titles in their respective leagues last season to draw even with Utah for the top mark.

Utah has won a piece of the regular season title three times in the five-year history of the Mountain West Conference, including the first two years, to continue a string of seven straight regular-season league titles. The Utes went 10-4 in conference play in 1999-2000 to share the inaugural Mountain West Conference championship with UNLV. Utah also went 10-4 in 2000-01 to split the title with Brigham Young and Wyoming. Utah went 11-3 to share the Mountain West Conference title with BYU in 2002-03 and posted its best record in five years as a league member. It was also the Utes' best conference record since going 14-0 in its final season in the Western Athletic Conference in 1999. Last season, Utah finished third in the Mountain West with a 9-5 record.

Utah With Best Record In Mountain West Games
The Runnin' Utes have the most wins in league games in the six-year history of the Mountain West Conference. Utah is 51-20 (.718) in MWC games, including 33-3 at home and 18-17 on the road. BYU is second at 45-26 (.633), followed by UNLV and Wyoming at 41-30 (.577).

Getting Defensive
One of the trademarks of Utah basketball in recent years has been a stifling half-court defense. Since the 1989-90 season, Utah has finished in the top 30 in the nation 12 times in scoring defense, 10 times in rebound margin, eight times in field goal percentage defense and eight times in scoring margin.

? In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Jan. 11, Utah ranked seventh in rebound margin (+10.8 rpg) and 20th in scoring defense (58.8 ppg).

? Utah has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points in 144 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.

? The Utes have outrebounded the opposition in 13 of the 16 games this season--including the last eight--and had a push in one other game (vs. Stony Brook in the season opener), going 12-1 in those contests. That continues a trend from last season when the Utes outrebounded 30 of 33 opponents.

? Utah has allowed just three opponents to shoot better than 50 percent from the field this season: Washington (53.4 in a loss), Utah State (65.0 in a loss) and Cal Poly (54.5 in a win).

Streakin' Utes
After starting the season with a 5-3 record, the Runnin' Utes have won eight in a row. Here's a breakdown of how Utah's fared in four key statistical categories in its first eight games compared to its last eight games.

(First 8 Games) PPG FG% 3FG%    RPGUtah        69.1    52.0    37.1    31.3Opponents   63.2    45.3    36.4    24.6
(Last 8 Games)   PPG FG% 3FG%    RPGUtah        73.8    52.1    43.0    38.4Opponents   54.2    39.5    34.2    23.4

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Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #17

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Andrew Bogut

Richard Chaney

Tim Drisdom

Justin Hawkins

Marc Jackson

Bryant Markson

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Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #17

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