Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #20 - University of Utah Athletics

Jan. 23, 2005

Game #20

Utah Runnin' Utes (16-3, 4-0 MWC) vs. Air Force Falcons (12-6, 3-0 MWC)
Jan. 24 ? 7:05 p.m. (MST) ? Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) ? Salt Lake City

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The Game At A Glance

Utah Head Coach: Ray Giacoletti         Air Force Head Coach: Chris MooneyAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985        Alma Mater: Princeton, 1994Record at Utah: 16-3 (1st Season)    Record at Air Force: 12-6 (1st Season)Overall Record: 133-86 (8th Season)  Overall Record: 12-6 (1st Season)
Television: None
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 40-9Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 23-2/15-7/2-0Current Streak: Air Force has won 2Last Meeting: Air Force won 59-57 on Feb. 21, 2004 in Salt Lake City.

After This
The Runnin' Utes have a week off before facing Brigham Young on Monday, Jan. 31 at 10:01 p.m. (MST) in Provo, Utah. The game will be shown as part of ESPN's "Big Monday." Utah then plays a pair of road games at San Diego State on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 7:07 p.m. (PST) and at UNLV on Monday, Feb. 7 at 7:37 p.m. (PST).

Quickly On Utah
The Runnin' Utes (16-3, 4-0 MWC) take on defending Mountain West Conference champion Air Force (12-6, 3-0 MWC) on Monday at 7:05 p.m. (MST) at Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game will be broadcast on Hot Ticket 700 (KALL-AM) and the Utah Sports Network. The Utes are 11-0 at home this season and have a 12-game homecourt winning streak.

Utah has won 11 consecutive games--its longest winning streak in the last three seasons--and 12 of the last 13. During its recent streak, Utah has won by an average of 19.4 points per game. Utah began the weekend with a 69-58 win over New Mexico on Saturday afternoon in the Huntsman Center. Last weekend, the Runnin' Utes swept their road trip along the front range of the Rocky Mountains, defeating Wyoming 74-49 on Saturday and Colorado State 75-52 on Monday night.

Sophomore center/forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 245) leads the Utes in scoring (19.7 ppg), rebounding (12.3 rpg) and blocked shots (32), and is second in field goal percentage (63.3). Bogut has 14 double-doubles this season to lead the nation. Senior guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 175) is second in scoring (11.3 ppg), hitting 53.5 percent of his three-point attempts (38-of-71) and 83.1 percent of his free throws. Jackson is also second in assists (3.3 apg). Junior forward/guard Richard Chaney played for the first time on Saturday after missing seven games with a broken left hand. Chaney is third on the team in scoring average (11.1 ppg). Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) is fourth in scoring (10.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (3.8 rpg). Junior guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) leads the Utes in assists (3.6 apg) and has a 2.59 assists to turnover ratio.

As of Jan. 18, the Utes ranked third in the NCAA in field goal percentage (52.2), third in rebound margin (+11.3), ninth in scoring defense (57.8 ppg) and 10th in three-point percentage (42.2). Andrew Bogut was tied for first in rebounding (11.9 rpg), and ranked 10th in field goal percentage (62.4) and 28th in scoring (19.4 ppg). Marc Jackson came in 17th in free throw percentage (85.1).

Scouting The Falcons
Air Force is 12-6 overall and in second place in the Mountain West Conference with a 3-0 record, one-half game behind Utah. The Falcons are 2-5 on opponents' home courts and 4-6 away from home this season. As of Jan. 18, Air Force led the nation in scoring defense (52.3 ppg).

After opening its conference season with a 58-53 home win over Colorado State on Jan. 8, the Academy dropped a 59-58 battle at Saint Mary's (Calif.) on Jan. 11. Air Force has reb ounded with back-to-back wins in MWC action, defeating New Mexico 64-62 at home on Jan. 15 and BYU 52-49 on Saturday in Provo, Utah.

Junior guard Antoine Hood (6-4, 204) ranks 10th in the Mountain West in scoring (12.8 ppg) and sixth in free throw percentage (81.6). Junior forward Nick Welch (6-8, 210) is 11th in the league in scoring (12.4 ppg), 12th in field goal percentage (50.0), sixth in three-point percentage (46.6, making 27-of-58) and 11th in assists (2.56 apg). Sophomore forward Jacob Burtschi is 16th in the conference in rebounding (4.3 rpg). Senior guard Tim Keller (6-3, 185) is ninth in the MWC in assists (2.78 apg) and 10th in steals (1.33 spg). Sophomore guard Matt McCraw (6-2, 185) is third in the conference in three-point percentage (49.2, making 29-of-59).

Air Force ranks eighth in the MWC in scoring offense (60.8 ppg), first in scoring defense (52.1 ppg), eighth in rebound margin (-4.5 rpg), second in steals (8.44 spg) and first in assists/turnover ratio (1.38).

Comparing the Stats

            Utah    Air ForceScoring         71.6    60.8Scoring Defense 57.8    52.1FG%         .527    .452FG% Defense .421    .4833-Pt. FG%   .412    .3583-Pt. FG% Def.  .349    .344FT%         .725    .714Rebound Margin  +11.4   +7.2Assists 15.7    12.9Turnovers   14.8    9.4Opp. Turnovers  12.8    16.6Steals  6.7 8.4Blocked Shots   2.7 1.3

Head Coach Chris Mooney
Chris Mooney is in his first season as the head coach at Air Force. He had been with the program for four years before taking over, including the last two as associate head coach. Mooney helped the Falcons to their best season in program history last year going 22-7, winning the Mountain West Conference Championship and making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1962.

Mooney came to Air Force prior to the 2000-01 season after a two-year stint as head coach at Beaver College (now Arcadia University), a Division III school in Glenside, Pa. Mooney is a 1994 graduate of Princeton University where he played for Hall-of-Fame coach Pete Carril. The two-year captain started all 107 games in his career and helped the team capture two Ivy League titles and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. He was recognized by the Ivy League all four years at Princeton as he was named runner-up for Rookie of the Year as a freshman, honorable mention all-Ivy his sophomore season, first-team all-Ivy as a junior and second-team all-Ivy his final campaign.

Utah vs. Air Force Series Notes
? Utah and Air Force meet for the 50th time on Monday night. The series dates back to a 108-57 win by the Runnin' Utes on Dec. 23, 1965 in Salt Lake City.

? The Utes lead the all-time series 40-9, but the Falcons possess a two-game winning streak.

? Utah has a 35-9 record against Air Force in conference regular season games. Since the start of the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000, the Utes lead 9-3.

? Air Force took both meetings last season, taking the season series for the first time ever. Air Force won 62-49 on Jan. 26 in Colorado Springs, Colo., then defeated the Utes 59-57 on Feb. 21 in Salt Lake City.

? Before the Falcons took both games last year, the Utes had a five-game winning streak. 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 18 games from the Falcons.

? In Salt Lake City, the Utes are 23-2. Before losing last year's game, Utah had won 12 in a row at home against Air Force with their last loss coming on Jan. 26, 1989 in a 67-57 game.

? Ray Giacoletti has never faced Air Force.

? Chris Mooney has never faced Utah.

Boasting Of Bogut, Utah's Wooden and Naismith Awards Candidate
Sophomore forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 245) has been named to the 2004 John R. Wooden Preseason All-America Team and is a 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 (19.7 ppg), rebounds (12.3 rpg), blocked shots (32) and steals (23). He is also second in field goal percentage (63.3), third in assists (2.3 apg), and is shooting 70.5 percent from the free throw line. He has led the Utes in scoring 13 times and rebounding 18 times this season.

? Bogut has had double-doubles in 14 of the 19 games this season to rank first in the nation in that category. He has 28 double-doubles in his career. Bogut had a string of seven double-doubles from Dec. 11-Jan. 3. He has had three in the five games since then.

? Bogut has scored in double figures in all 19 games this season, bringing his double-figure scoring streak to 21 consecutive games dating back to last season.

? He has eleven 20-point games this season, bringing his career total to 14. He scored 20 points eight games in a row from Dec. 11-Jan. 5 and has hit the mark in the last two games.

? In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Jan. 18, Bogut was tied for first in rebounds per game (11.9), 10th in field goal percentage (62.4) and 28th in points per game (19.4).

? Bogut had one of only four 20-20 games in the nation this season and the fourth in Utah history with 24 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against New Mexico on Saturday. It was one of nine 20-rebound games in Utah history. The last Ute to record a 20-20 game was Tom Chambers on Dec. 19, 1979 versus Utah State. It was also the second 20-20 game in MWC history, joining Louis Amundson's effort of 22 points and 22 rebounds against Auburn on Dec. 12.

? Bogut has been at his best the last 12 games, leading the Utes to an 11-game winning streak after a narrow 67-62 loss at No. 15 Arizona. During that span, he has averaged 21.7 points and 13.8 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game.

Data On Drisdom
Junior Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) has been the Utes' starter at point guard the last three seasons, in the lineup for 83 of 85 games. This season, Drisdom leads the Utes in assists (3.6 apg) and free throw percentage (85.7). He has a 2.59 assists to turnover ratio, which ranks first in the Mountain West.

? Drisdom tied his career high with eight assists (just one turnover) against New Mexico on Saturday. The last seven games, Drisdom has had 26 assists and seven turnovers (3.71 ratio).

? Drisdom has had at least five assists in five games this season and 21 times in his career. Drisdom's previous high mark this season was seven assists against both Washington and Southern Utah. He had a career-high five steals against Cal Poly on Dec. 22.

? Before scoring just two points Saturday against New Mexico, Drisdom had shot 59.4 percent from the field and 12-for-19 (63.2 percent) from three-point range to average 10.2 points over the previous six games.

Take Note Of These Utes
? Junior forward/guard Richard Chaney (6-4, 195) played for the first time against New Mexico on Saturday after missing seven games with two broken bones in his left hand. Playing 17 minutes off the bench, Chaney had seven points (2-4 FG, 3-4 FT). The game prior to his injury, Chaney had a season-high 21 points, four assists and three rebounds at Cal Poly on Dec. 22. Against the Mustangs, Chaney shot 7-for-9 from the field, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the free throw line in 36 minutes. ? After battling a sore back since Dec. 28, sophomore forward Justin Hawkins (6-5, 220) had his first double-figure scoring game since Dec. 22 against New Mexico on Saturday. Hawkins scored 11 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field and 1-for-1 at the free throw line. He also had three assists and two rebounds in 25 minutes.

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. 18, Utah ranked third in rebound margin (+11.3 rpg), ninth in scoring defense (57.8 ppg) and fifth in fewest personal fouls per game (13.8). Utah is currently giving up 57.8 points per game, committing 14.0 fouls per game, and has a +11.4 rebound margin.

? The U. has held each of its last eight opponents to 60 points or less. During the last eight games, teams have averaged 51.8 points per game against the Utes while shooting 38.4 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from three-point range. Utah has also held a 38.0 to 22.0 advantage on the boards.

? The Utes have outrebounded the opposition in 16 of the 19 games this season--including the last 11--and had a push in one other game (vs. Stony Brook in the season opener), going 16-1 in those contests.

? 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).

? Utah has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points in 147 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 221-19 (.920) in the Huntsman Center over the last 16 seasons and has never lost back-to-back home games. The Utes are 11-0 at home this season and are riding a 12-game winning streak.

? The Utes have captured 43 of their last 45 games at home with their only two losses coming to Colorado State on March 6, 2003, ending a 16-game home winning streak, and a 59-57 loss to Air Force on Feb. 21, terminating a string of 15 consecutive home wins.

? Dating back to the 1993-94 season, the Utes have won 159 of their last 170 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

? In conference home games over the last 11 years, Utah is 73-4 (.948). That mark ranks second-best in the nation over that period to Kansas, which is 76-4 (.950).

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