Nov. 16, 2005

Game #1

Utah Runnin' Utes (0-0) vs. Texas State Bobcats (0-0)
Nov. 18 ? 7:05 p.m. (MST)
Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) ? Salt Lake City

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Game Data

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. Get Utah All-Access HereMatt Thomas (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Bill Riley (host).
Utah Head Coach: Ray Giacoletti      Texas St. Head Coach: Dennis NuttAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985        Alma Mater: TCU, 1986Record at Utah: 29-6 (2nd Season)    Record at Texas St.: 69-72 (6th Season)Overall Record: 146-89 (9th Season)  Overall Record: 69-72 (6th Season)
Series Record: First Meeting
Utah Probable StartersNo. Pos. Name                   Ht.     Wt.     Cl.20  F    Bryant Markson         6-7    198 Sr.51  F    Jonas Langvad          6-11    236 Jr.30  C    Chris Jackson          6-11    245 Sr.1   G    Johnnie Bryant         6-0    190 So.11  G    Tim Drisdom            6-3   215 Sr.
Texas State Probable StartersNo. Pos. Name                   Ht.     Wt.     Cl.2   F    JuShay Rockett         6-5 225 Jr.22  F    C.J. Webster           6-8 245 Fr.0   C    Trevor Cook            6-9 210 Fr.1   G    Antwoine Blanchard 6-0 175 Jr.11  G    Lance Burroughs    6-4 200 Sr.

After This
The Runnin' Utes host Rhode Island on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7:05 p.m. (MST) in the Huntsman Center. Utah then plays its first road game of the season, facing Weber State on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 7:05 p.m. (MST) in Ogden, Utah.

Quickly On Utah
The Runnin' Utes (0-0) begin their second season under Ray Giacoletti on Friday night, hosting Texas State (0-0) at 7:05 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah has two starters and four other lettermen returning for the 2005-06 season. Last year, the Runnin' Utes went 29-6 overall, won the Mountain West Conference regular season championship with a 13-1 record, and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Both of the returning starters for the Utes are seniors. Point guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 215) has started 94 of the 100 games he has played in the last three years. In 2004-05, the Artesia, Calif., native averaged 4.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. Bryant Markson (6-7, 198) started 22 games at small forward last season, earning third team all-Mountain West Conference recognition. Markson is Utah's top returning scorer (10.4 ppg) and rebounder (3.9 rpg).

Center Chris Jackson (6-11, 245) returns for his final season with the Utes. The fifth-year senior averaged 2.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game last year, playing in 28 contests. Junior forward Jonas Langvad (6-11, 236) averaged 4.0 points and 1.6 assists last season. The Utes also return senior guard Casey Iverson (6-2, 200) and sophomore guard Chris Grant (6-3, 200): both players lettered last season as walk-ons and earned scholarships for this season.

Utah won both of its exhibition games, defeating Whitman College 77-54 on Nov. 5 and Northwest Nazarene 79-51 on Nov. 14.

For Openers
? Utah is 74-23 (.762) in season openers all-time and 66-10 (.868) in season openers played at home. The Utes have won nine openers in a row, last falling in 1995-96 to Kansas on Nov. 25 in the BCI Classic at Kemper Arena in Kansas City.

? The Utes are 84-13 (.866) all-time in home openers. Utah has won 16 home openers in a row, last losing in 1988-89 to Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 1. ? Ray Giacoletti is 1-0 in season openers at Utah, getting a 72-63 win over Stony Brook last season on Nov. 19 in Salt Lake City.

From The Training Room
Junior forward Misha Radojevic, who joined the Utes this season as a transfer from Polytechnic Academy in Belgrade, Serbia, tore the ACL in his right knee in pre-season workouts and had surgery on Sept. 30. He will redshirt this season.

Scouting The Bobcats
Texas State returns three lettermen from last year's team that went 14-14 overall and tied for sixth place in the Southland Conference with an 8-8 record. In its only exhibition game, Texas State defeated Angleo State 74-71 on Nov. 9 at home.

Among Texas State's departures were three of its top four scorers from a year ago. With a large chunk of both the team's scoring and rebounding gone, the `Cats will turn to a group of upperclassmen led by seniors Lance Burroughs (G, 6-4, 200) and Chris Langhorne (G, 6-4, 190). Junior Antwoine Blanchard (G, 6-0, 175) returns after redshirting last year. Burroughs averaged 4.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game last season, making nine starts. Langhorne averaged 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last season. He also shot 38.8 percent from three-point range (47-of-121). Texas State is without senior forward Markee White (6-7, 205), who is also a receiver on the Bobcat football team. White averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 26 games last season.

In addition to the returners, this year's Texas State squad features nine newcomers--six freshmen and three junior college transfers. Expected to make an immediate impact are transfer guard Jeremy Johnson (6-3, 200, Jr.) as well as transfer forwards Charles Dotson (6-5, 215, Jr.) and JuShay Rockett (6-5, 225, Jr.). Dotson scored a team-high 16 points in the exhibition win over Angelo State.

Head Coach Dennis Nutt
Dennis Nutt is 69-72 entering his sixth season at Texas State. The `Cats have finished at or better than .500 every season in Southland Conference play since Nutt's arrival. The 2002-03 team went 17-12 overall and posted a fourth-place finish in the league race with an 11-9 Southland Conference record.

Nutt was an assistant coach at Arkansas State before becoming the 13th men's hoop coach in Texas State history. Nutt worked for his brother, Dickey, at Arkansas State for five years, helping turn the program around. Nutt had a standout career at TCU, playing for the Horned Frogs from 1981-85. He was selected to the All-Time Southwest Conference Team after being voted first team all-Southwest Conference in 1984 and 1985.

Utah vs. Texas State Series Notes
? The Utes and Bobcats meet for the first time on Friday night.

? Utah is 4-2 all-time against teams from the Southland Conference, playing all of those games at home.

Markson Makes His Mark
Senior forward Bryant Markson (6-7, 198) earned third team all-Mountain West Conference honors in 2004-05. Markson was third on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and third in rebounding average (3.9 rpg). He started 22 games and played in all 35, averaging 28.2 minutes per game.

? The Monrovia, Calif., native scored in double figures 23 times last season, including six of the last seven games.

? Markson was at his best in the postseason. He averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. He also shot 55.6 percent from the field and made 3-of-6 three-pointers. In three Mountain West Conference Tournament games, Markson averaged 12.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game.

? In conference play, Markson ranked 14th in the MWC in scoring (11.4 ppg), 15th in rebounding (3.9 rpg), sixth in field goal percentage (53.9), and fifth in free throw percentage (81.3). He was Utah's second-best scorer in league games behind Andrew Bogut.

? Markson had a career-high 20 points in 30 minutes against Colorado State on Jan. 17, 2005. He made 5-of-7 shots from the field, 1-of-2 three-pointers and and 9-of-10 free throws. He also had three rebounds and two assists.

Data On Drisdom
Senior Tim Drisdom (6-3, 215) has been the Utes' starter at point guard the last three seasons, in the lineup for 94 of the 99 games he has played. Last season, Drisdom was second on the team in assists (3.21 apg), first in steals (1.15 apg), third in free throw percentage (81.5) and sixth in scoring (4.7 ppg).

? Drisdom had a 1.95 assists to turnover ratio last season, leading the Mountain West Conference in that category. Drisdom also ranked sixth in the MWC in assists (3.21 apg).

? He scored in double figures four times in 2004-05. He had a season-high 16 points against Colorado on Dec. 30, shooting 5-for-9 from the field, 4-for-6 from three-point range and 2-for-2 at the line.

? The Artesia, Calif., native has had at least five assists in 21 games in his career, including five times in 2004-05. In addition to tying his career high with eight assists (just one turnover) against New Mexico on Jan. 22, he had seven assists against both Washington and Southern Utah last season.

? Drisdom has averaged 3.3 assists and 5.2 points per game during his career. He has also shot 80.1 percent from the free throw line, 40.4 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three-point range over the last three years.

Exhibition Game #2 Rewind
Bryant Markson scored a game-high 15 points and Luke Nevill added 13 as Utah defeated Northwest Nazarene 79-51 in its final exhibition game on Monday night at the Huntsman Center.

Nevill, a redshirt freshman from Perth, Australia, went 7-for-9 at the free throw line and pulled down five rebounds in 19 minutes. Markson led the Utes with six boards and three steals in 22 minutes. Chris Grant, Johnnie Bryant and Lawrence Borha all accounted for three assists for the U. The Utes finished with 40-25 advantage on the boards and forced 10 steals.

The Crusaders shot just 32 percent (8-for-25) from the floor in the first half and were outshot 53.2 to 40.0 percent for the game. Northwest Nazarene also committed 23 turnovers to Utah's 17. However, the Crusaders shot 40 percent (8-for-20) from three-point range and were particularly good from beyond the arc in the second half, connecting on six of 14 attempts.

The Runnin' Utes outscored the Crusaders 40-18 in the first half and extended their lead to as much as 29 points in the second half. Markson scored all but two of his 15 points in the first 20 minutes and got to the free throw line five times, converting all of his attempts.

Tough At Home In The Huntsman Center
Utah is 226-19 (.922) in the Huntsman Center over the last 16 seasons and has never lost back-to-back home games. The Utes were 16-0 at home in 2004-05 to record one of seven undefeated seasons in the 36-year history of the Huntsman Center.

? The Runnin' Utes ended the 2004-05 season riding a 17-game home winning streak that ranked tied for the fifth-longest in NCAA Division I.

? Utah has captured 48 of its last 50 games at home. Its two losses during that stretch were 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 165 of their last 176 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

? Utah has won 33 consecutive nonconference games in the Huntsman Center, last falling to Utah State (78-65) on Nov. 23, 2001.

? In conference home games over the last 11 years, Utah is 78-4 (.951). That winning percentage ranks first in the nation over that period, just ahead of Kansas which is 81-5 (.941).

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Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #1

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