Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #24 - University of Utah Athletics

Feb. 10, 2005

Game #24

Utah Runnin' Utes (20-3, 8-0 MWC) vs. Colorado State Rams (9-12, 1-7 MWC)
Feb. 12 ? 7:07 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      Colorado St. Head Coach: Dale LayerAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985        Alma Mater: Eckerd College, 1980Record at Utah: 20-3 (1st Season)    Record at CSU: 68-73 (5th Season)Overall Record: 137-86 (8th Season)  Overall Record: 235-160 (14th Season)
Rankings: Utah is No. 15 in the Associated Press polland tied for No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Television: KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City.Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Thurl Bailey (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 93-39Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 51-15/37-23/5-1Current Streak: Utah has won 3 in a rowLast Meeting: Utah won 75-52 on Jan. 17, 2005 in Fort Collins, Colo.

After This
The Runnin' Utes host Wyoming on Monday at 7:05 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah then makes its final road trip of the regular season, taking on Air Force on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 1:04 p.m. (MST) in Colorado Springs, Colo., and New Mexico on Monday, Feb. 21 at 7:07 p.m. (MST).

Quickly On Utah
The Runnin' Utes (20-3, 8-0 MWC) open a two-game home stand against Colorado State (9-12, 1-7 MWC) on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) at the Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000). The game will be shown on KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City and broadcast on Hot Ticket 700 (KALL-AM) and the Utah Sports Network. Utah is 12-0 at home this season and has a 13-game homecourt winning streak that ranks tied for 10th-best in the nation.

Last weekend the Utes swept a pair of road games, winning 61-41 at San Diego State on Saturday night and 54-51 at UNLV on Monday night.

Utah is ranked in the two major Top 25 polls for the third consecutive week, moving up six spots to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and seven spots to No. 15 and ESPN/USA Today poll. Utah has won 15 games in a row, which ranks as the second-best winning streak in the nation. During its recent winning streak, Utah has won by an average of 17.7 points per game.

Sophomore center/forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 245) leads the Utes in scoring (19.5 ppg), rebounding (11.7 rpg) and blocked shots (41), and is shooting 64.9 percent from the field. Bogut has 15 double-doubles this season and is ranked first in the nation in that category as of Monday. Senior guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 175) is second in scoring (10.8 ppg), hitting 52.4 percent of his three-point attempts (43-of-82) and 82.9 percent of his free throws. Jackson is tied for the team lead in assists (3.57 apg). Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) is third on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (3.9 rpg). Junior forward/guard Richard Chaney, who has played in the last five games after missing seven with a broken left hand, is fourth on the team in scoring average (9.8 ppg). Junior guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) is tied for first on the team in assists (3.57 apg) and has a 2.22 assists to turnover ratio.

As of Feb. 8, the Utes ranked second in the NCAA in field goal percentage (53.3), third in rebound margin (+10.7) and sixth in scoring defense (56.6 ppg). Andrew Bogut was ranked second in rebounding (11.7 rpg), third in field goal percentage (64.9) and 28th in scoring (19.5 ppg).

Runnin' Utes Achieve Highest National Ranking Since 2000-01
The Runnin' Utes climbed six spots to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and seven spots to No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today poll in this week's rankings. It is the highest Utah has been ranked since being ranked No. 13 in the AP poll on Nov. 21, 2000. That season, Utah was No. 13 in the preseason poll, climbed to No. 12 on Nov. 14, then fell to No. 13 the following week. The Utes were ranked five consecutive weeks that year, falling out after coming in at No. 22 on Dec. 5.

Before this season, Utah was ranked last in 2002-03. The U. was ranked No. 23 on Feb. 18 and No. 22 on Feb. 25. The Utes were ranked by AP for 12 weeks during the 1999-2000 season, but never got higher than its No. 15 ranking in the preseason poll. During the 1998-99 season, Utah was ranked 11 weeks and peaked at No. 6 on March 9.

Utah Riding Second Best Winning Streak In The Nation
With its win over UNLV on Monday night, Utah extended its winning streak to 15 games, which ranks as the second best current streak in NCAA Division I behind Illinois' run of 24 consecutive wins.

The Utes' 15-game winning streak ranks tied for the fifth-longest in school history, tied with another 15-game run from 1939-40. It is also Utah's longest winning streak since the 1998-99 season when the Utes won a school record 23 consecutive games in a row. With a victory over Colorado State on Saturday, Utah would tie another 16-game streak set in 1913 for the fourth-best in the school annals.

During its recent winning streak, Utah has won by an average of 17.7 points per game. Its closest game was a four-point win (57-53) at UNLV on Monday night. Before then, Utah had won every game by at least 11 points. The Utes have won six times by 20 points or more.

Fourth Straight 20-Win Season Secured On Monday
With its win over UNLV on Monday night, Utah hit the 20-wins mark for the fourth consecutive season and the 13th time in the last 16 years. It was also the fewest games (23) the Utes needed to reach 20 wins since taking just 21 games during the 1997-98 season.

Since 1989-90, Utah has averaged 24 wins per year. A rundown of the Utes' 20-win seasons 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 (24-9), 2004-05 (20-3).

Scouting The Rams
Colorado State is 9-12 overall and in eighth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 1-7 record. The Rams have lost six in a row, staring with a 75-52 loss to Utah on Jan. 17 in Fort Collins, Colo. Last weekend, CSU dropped a pair of home games to New Mexico (55-47) on Saturday and Air Force (59-47) on Monday. The Rams are 0-9 on the road this season.

Senior center Matt Nelson (7-1, 265) ranks seventh in the MWC in scoring (15.5 ppg), eighth in rebounding (5.8 rpg), second in field goal percentage (63.4) and 10th in free throw percentage (76.3). Senior forward Matt Williams (6-6, 215) is questionable for the game due a sprained knee. Williams has missed the last two games, but has returned to practice this week. Williams ranks 14th in the conference in scoring (11.3 ppg), 14th in rebounds (4.3 rpg), sixth in field goal percentage (56.8) and third in free throw percentage (83.6). Freshman forward Jason Smith (7-0, 225) is 19th in the league in scoring (9.9 ppg), 10th rebounding (5.3 rpg), third in field goal percentage (58.7) and sixth in blocked shots (1.35 bpg). Junior guard Micheal Morris (6-3, 210) is the fourth-best scorer on the team (8.0 ppg) and is 12th in the MWC in assists (2.38 apg).

The Rams rank fourth in the Mountain West in scoring offense (70.9 ppg), fourth in scoring defense (68.2 ppg), fourth in rebound margin (+3.0 rpg), third in field goal percentage (47.5) and first in field goal percentage defense (39.5).

Comparing The Stats

            Utah    Colorado St.Scoring         70.2    70.9Scoring Defense 56.6    68.3FG%         .533    .475FG% Defense .421    .3953-Pt. FG%   .394    .3483-Pt. FG% Def.  .351    .300FT%         .726    .704Rebound Margin  +10.7   +3.0Assists         15.5    15.0Turnovers   14.4    16.2Opp. Turnovers  12.3    12.1Steals          6.2 5.4Blocked Shots   2.8 5.0

Rams Head Coach Dale Layer
Dale Layer has a 68-73 record in his fifth season at Colorado State and a 235-160 career record in his 14th year as a head coach. He previously served as an assistant coach for two seasons at CSU (1998-2000) and was the head coach for nine seasons at Queens College (1989-98) in Charlotte, N.C.

In 2002-03, Layer led CSU to its first NCAA Tournament since 1989-90. Colorado State went 19-14 overall and placed sixth in the MWC with a 5-9 mark. The Rams also captured their first-ever conference tournament championship to receive the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAAs. They fell to Duke (67-57) in the first round in Salt Lake City. Last season, CSU went 13-16 overall and tied for seventh in the MWC with a 4-10 record.

The Rams' 15 wins under Layer in 2000-01 was the fourth-highest win total by a first-year head coach in school history. Layer built the Division II program at Queens from the ground up and went 168-87 (.659), twice earning NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors. Layer took Queens College to the national tournament twice and produced eight consecutive winning seasons.

Utah vs. Colorado State Series Notes
? Utah and Colorado State meet for the 133rd time on Saturday night. The series dates back to a 41-25 win by Utah on Jan. 2, 1937. The two teams have met every year since 1969-70 with the exception of the 1998-99 season.

? The Runnin' Utes lead the all-time series 93-39 and have won eight of the last nine, including three in a row over the Rams. Colorado State's last win over Utah was 66-65 on March 6, 2003 in the Huntsman Center.

? Utah took the first meeting this season, winning 75-52 on Jan 17 in Fort Collins, Colo.

? The U. swept the season series in 2003-04, winning 67-49 on Jan. 19 in Salt Lake City and 80-70 on Feb. 14 in Fort Collins.

? In conference play, Utah has an 85-34 advantage. Since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000, Utah leads 9-3.

? Ray Giacoletti is 1-0 against Colorado State.

? Dale Layer is 2-8 against Utah during his tenure at CSU. In addition to beating the Utes in Salt Lake City during the 2002-03 season, his other win was 73-65 on Jan. 22, 2001 at Moby Arena.

? In Salt Lake City, the Utes are 51-15 and had won seven in a row before falling during the 2002-03 season. The Utes won last season in Salt Lake City, 67-49 on Jan. 19.

Last Meeting
Andrew Bogut scored 10 of his 25 points during Utah's 25-3 second-half run and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, helping the Utes beat Colorado State 75-52 on Jan. 17 at Moby Arena.

Utah struggled in a tight first half before pulling away early in the second by dominating at both ends. The Utes hit 10-of-16 shots and held Colorado State without a field goal for nearly eight minutes to turn a six-point deficit into a 55-39 lead with nine minutes left.

Bryant Markson added a career-high 20 points and Tim Drisdom hit some big three-pointers in the second half to finish with 14 points.

Colorado State shot 15-of-22 and gave Utah problems with its big lineup--three 7-footers started--in the first half before falling apart in the second. The Rams made just 6-of-23 shots in the second half and weren't any better defensively.

Colorado State was outrebounded 36-19, including 15-5 on the offensive glass, and allowed Utah to make 14-of-22 shots in the second half to see its 10-game home winning streak come to end. Matt Nelson was the only Colorado State player to finish in double figures, scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

It at least started off well for the Rams. Colorado State frustrated Bogut early on, pushing and shoving him almost every time he crossed the lane. The big Australian shot just 4-of-11 and had three turnovers in the first half, though he still managed to get 11 points and seven rebounds. But the physical play only seemed to make Bogut even more determined. In the second half he used a variety of up-and-unders, hooks and putbacks to help the Utes pull away. Bogut finished 10-of-21 and had eight offensive rebounds.

Boasting Of Bogut, Utah's Wooden and Naismith Awards Candidate
Sophomore forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 245) has been named a candidate for the John R. Wooden and Naismith national player of the year awards. Bogut leads the Utes in scoring (19.5 ppg), rebounds (11.7 rpg) and blocked shots (41). He is also third in assists (2.45 apg) and second in steals (25), and is shooting 64.9 percent from the field and 69.3 percent from the free throw line. He has led the Utes in scoring 16 times and rebounding 21 times this season. In an effort to promote Bogut for All-America and national player of the year honors, the University of Utah has launched an official Andrew Bogut website at www.utahutes.com/andrewbogut.

? In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 8, Bogut was second in rebounds per game (11.7), third in field goal percentage (64.9) and 28th in points per game (19.5).

? Bogut has had double-doubles in 15 of the 23 games this season and ranked tied for first in the nation in that category as of Feb. 7.

? Bogut has scored in double figures in all 23 games this season, bringing his double-figure scoring streak to 25 consecutive games dating back to last season.

? He has thirteen 20-point games this season, bringing his career total to 16. Bogut has scored at least 20 points in 12 of the last 16 games, including four in a row before getting 15 points against San Diego State and 14 against UNLV in the last two games.

? Bogut's last 20-point game was against BYU on Jan. 31 when he had 20 points (7-10 FG, 6-8 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and a career-high tying five blocked shots in 37 minutes.

? In eight Mountain West Conference games, Bogut has averaged 18.1 points (ranking 1st in the MWC) while shooting 68.1 percent from the field (1st), 12.0 rebounds (1st), 2.63 assists (10th) and 1.88 blocked shots (2nd). He is the only player in the league averaging a double-double.

? Before going 6-for-12 from the field against UNLV on Monday night, Bogut had shot 36-for-44 (81.8 percent) in the previous four games.

? Bogut had one of only six 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 Jan. 15. 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, 2004.

Markson Making His Mark
Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) is third on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (3.9 rpg). He has started 12 games this season and played in all 23, averaging 26.3 minutes per game.

? Markson has scored in double figures 16 times this season, including 11 of the last 12 games.

? In his last game, Markson missed his career high by one point, scoring 19 (8-11 FG, 1-3 3FG, 2-3 FT) against UNLV on Monday night. He also had five rebounds in 35 minutes.

? The Monrovia, Calif., native has been playing a bigger role for the Utes the past 12 games, beginning when Richard Chaney was sidelined with a broken hand. He has started 10 of those games and averaged 31.8 minutes per contest. He has averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, ranking second only to Andrew Bogut in those categories. He has also shot 60.9 percent from the field and 78.6 percent from the free throw line.

? In Mountain West Conference play, Markson ranks eighth in the league in scoring (14.4 ppg), second in field goal percentage (60.6) and tied for fourth in free throw percentage (82.4).

? Markson had a career-high 20 points in 30 minutes against Colorado State on Jan. 17. 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.

Take Note Of These Utes
? Junior forward/guard Richard Chaney (6-4, 195) has played in the last five games after missing seven with two broken bones in his left hand. Chaney had his best performance since returning from the injury against San Diego State on Feb. 5. He had 11 points (4-6 FG, 0-1 3FG, 3-3 FT) in 19 minutes for his seventh double-figure scoring game of the season. In 18 minutes against UNLV last Monday night, Chaney didn't attempt a shot, but pulled down six boards and had three assists. Chaney has shot 11-for-17 from the field and 9-for-10 at the free throw line in the last five games.

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.

? Against San Diego State on Feb. 5, sophomore forward Justin Hawkins (6-5, 220) equalled his best rebounding effort of the season and had his highest scoring game since posting a career-high 19 points at Cal Poly on Dec. 22. Hawkins scored a team-high 15 points, making 7-of-13 shots and his only free throw attempt, and posted eight rebounds in 29 minutes against the Aztecs. Against UNLV last Monday night, Hawkins had 12 points (4-9 FG, 4-6 FT), six rebounds and three assists in a career-high 37 minutes.

Notes On Utah's Undefeated Start To MWC Schedule
? Utah is the first team in the six-year history of the Mountain West Conference to go 7-0 through the first half of the league schedule. The previous best record at the half-way mark of MWC play was 6-1, archived seven times. The Utes did it three times (2000, 2002, 2003) and went on to win at least a share of the regular season championship all three years.

? Utah has outscored its eight MWC opponents by an average of 15.9 points per game and outrebounded the opponents by 12.4 boards per contest--which are on pace for league records (no MWC team has ever held a +10 advantage in either category at season's end).

? The Utes are allowing just 51.8 points per game in league games and are on pace to break the league scoring defense mark set last year by Air Force (54.4 ppg allowed).

? Utah's 15-game winning streak is the best in Mountain West Conference history. The previous best streak was 13 games, set by Utah (2001-02) and Air Force (2003-04).

? The Utes have won a league record 12 straight games against MWC opponents, including its win in the final regular-season game and three wins in the MWC Tournament in 2004.

? Utah is the first team in MWC history to win its first four conference road games.

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 Feb. 8, Utah ranked third in rebound margin (+10.7 rpg), sixth in scoring defense (56.6 ppg) and first in fewest personal fouls per game (13.9).

? The U. has held each of its last 12 opponents to 60 points or less. During the last 12 games, teams have averaged 51.4 points per game against the Utes while shooting 39.5 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from three-point range. Utah has also held a 34.9 to 21.7 advantage on the boards.

? The Utes have outrebounded the opposition in 20 of the 23 games this season--including the last 14--and had a push in one other game (vs. Stony Brook in the season opener), going 20-1 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 151 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 222-19 (.921) in the Huntsman Center over the last 16 seasons and has never lost back-to-back home games. The Utes are 12-0 at home this season

? The Runnin' Utes are riding a 13-game home winning streak that ranks tied for the 10th-longest in NCAA Division I.

? Utah has captured 44 of their last 46 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 160 of their last 171 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

? In conference home games over the last 11 years, Utah is 74-4 (.948). That mark ranks second-best in the nation over that period to Kansas, which is 76-4 (.950).

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

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