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 - NCAA First Round
3/15/2005 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 15, 2005
NCAA Tournament First & Second Rounds
March 17 & 19 ? McKale Center (14,545) ? Tucson, Ariz. Complete Release in PDF Format
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Just The Facts
Utah (27-5), the No. 6 seed in the Austin Regional, received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Runnin' Utes open NCAA Tournament play against No. 11 seeded UTEP (27-7) on Thursday at approximately 1:15 p.m. (MST) at the McKale Center (14,545) in Tucson, Ariz. Should Utah win that game, it will face the winner No. 3 Oklahoma (24-6) and No. 14 Niagra (20-9) in the second round on Saturday at either 11:10 a.m. or 1:40 p.m. (MST).
On Television
CBS Sports has exclusive rights to the NCAA Tournament. Announcers for the first and second round games in Milwaukee are Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (analyst). Games not shown on local CBS affiliates can be seen on pay-per-view offered by DIRECTV.
On Radio
All of the Utes' games in the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast on the Utah Sports Network (Hot Ticket 700/KALL-AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations). Matt Thomas (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Bill Riley (host) call the action.
Quickly On Utah
The Runnin' Utes are 27-5 and won the Mountain West Conference regular season title outright with a 13-1 mark. Utah has won 22 of its last 24 games and is 4-2 on neutral courts this season.
Last weekend in the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Denver, Colo., Utah defeated Colorado State (62-49) in the quarterfinals and UNLV (73-67) in the semifinals before falling to New Mexico (60-56) in the championship game on Saturday night. The loss to the Lobos snapped a four-game winning streak for the Utes.
Utah is ranked in the Top 25 for the eighth consecutive week, coming in at No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and No. 17 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Sophomore center/forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 245), a candidate for national player of the year honors, leads the Utes in scoring (20.7 ppg), rebounding (12.3 rpg) and blocked shots (59), and is shooting 62.8 percent from the field. Bogut has 23 double-doubles this season to lead the nation in that category. Senior guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 175) is second in scoring (10.6 ppg), hitting 46.3 percent of his three-point attempts (56-of-121) and 85.5 percent of his free throws. Jackson is first on the team in assists (3.81 apg). Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) is third on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (3.9 rpg). Sophomore forward Justin Hawkins is fourth in the team in scoring average (8.4 ppg) and third in rebounding (3.8 rpg). Junior guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) is second on the team in assists (3.26 apg) and has a 2.15 assists to turnover ratio.
As of March 8, the Utes ranked second in the NCAA in field goal percentage (52.5), third in rebound margin (+10.4), eighth in scoring defense (57.1 ppg), 14th in scoring margin and (+12.2 ppg) and 44th in free throw percentage (73.0). Andrew Bogut was third in rebounding (12.0 rpg), third in field goal percentage (63.7), 15th in scoring (20.6 ppg) and 50th in blocked shots (55). Richard Chaney and Marc Jackson ranked 26th (86.4) and 38th (84.9), respectively, in free throw percentage.
NCAA Tournament First & Second Rounds at Tucson, Ariz.
First Round - Thursday (March 17)Austin RegionGame 1 - No. 3 Oklahoma (24-6) vs. No. 14 Niagra (20-9) 10:45 a.m.Game 2 - No. 6 Utah (27-5) vs. No. 11 UTEP (27-7) 1:15 p.m.
lbuquerque RegionGame 3 - No. 3 Gonzaga (25-4) vs. No. 14 Winthrop (27-5) 5:45 p.m.Game 4 - No. 6 Texas Tech (20-10) vs. No. 11 UCLA (18-10) 8:15 p.m.
Second Round - Saturday (March 19)Game 5 - Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner 11:10 a.m/1:40 p.m.Game 6 - Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner 11:10 a.m/1:40 p.m.
(All Times Mountain Standard Time)
Scouting UTEP
The Miners, seeded 11th in the Austin Region, are 27-7 overall and finished second in the Western Athletic Conference during the regular season with a 14-4 record. UTEP earned the WAC's automatic bid by defeating Boise State 91-78 on Saturday in Reno, Nev. The Miners reached the championship game by beating Hawaii (80-62) on Thursday and Rice (85-77) on Friday. UTEP has won seven in a row.
Seniors Filiberto Rivera (G, 6-2, 175) and Omar Thomas (F, 6-5, 205) were both named first team All-Western Athletic Conference. In addition, junior Miguel Ayala (G, 6-6, 190) was chosen to the WAC All-Newcomer Team, and junior Jason Williams (F, 6-6, 205) to the WAC All-Defensive Team.
Thomas leads UTEP in scoring (20.4 ppg), rebounding (6.8 rpg) and steals (54). He is shooting 51.5 percent from the field, and 84.6 perecent from the free throw line. Rivera is second in scoring (13.6 ppg) while shooting 37.4 percent (49-for-131) from three-point range and is first in assists (7.3 apg). Williams is the third Miner averaging double figures in scoring (11.8 ppg). He is also averaging 5.8 rebounds per game and has 53 steals. Ayala is shooting 38.7 percent (63-for-163) from three-point range while averaging 7.7 points per game.
Comparing The Stats
Utah UTEPScoring 68.8 75.4Scoring Defense 57.2 65.2FG% .518 .462FG% Defense .425 .4343-Pt. FG% .375 .3673-Pt. FG% Def. .356 .333FT% .730 .791Rebound Margin +11.5 +2.0Assists 14.9 16.6Turnovers 14.2 12.2Opp. Turnovers 12.1 15.0Steals 6.2 7.3Blocked Shots 2.8 3.0
Miners Head Coach Doc Sadler
Doc Sadler is 27-7 in his first season at UTEP, winning more than any other first-year UTEP coach. The legendary Don Haskins formerly held the record with 18 victories during his initial season (1961-62). Haskins and Sadler are the only coaches in school history to fashion a winning record in their first season at the helm of the storied program.
Sadler served as an assistant coach for the Miners during the 2003-04 season. He helped UTEP to a 24-8 record, including the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1992. UTEP tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference, the Miners' first league title in 12 years.
Sadler also had a 121-39 record at Arkansas-Fort Smith from 1998-2003. In 12 years as a Division I assistant coach, he was associated with teams that made nine postseason tournament appearances (seven NCAA, two NIT), while coaching 19 future NBA players.
Nation's Top Rookie Coaches Meet
Utah's Ray Giacoletti and UTEP's Doc Sadler are both having successful debuts at their respective institutions in 2004-05. Giacoletti and Sadler are tied for the most wins (27) among new head coaches, while Giacoletti is first in winning percentage (.844) and Sadler is third (.794). They are two of 38 coaches who are new at NCAA Division I-A institutions this season.
Utah vs. UTEP Series Notes
? Utah leads the all-time series with UTEP, its old rival from the Western Athletic Conference, 33-31.
? The Runnin' Utes have won eight in a row over the Miners. The teams last met on Feb. 25, 1999 in Salt Lake City with the Utes prevailing 75-70. UTEP's last win over Utah was 65-61 on Feb. 4, 1995.
? The Utes and Miners met 60 times in regular-season play when both schools were members of the WAC. Utah went 33-27 in those games before leaving the WAC for the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000.
? Utah is 0-2 against UTEP on neutral courts. When UTEP was known as Texas Western it beat the Utes in the NCAA semifinals (85-78) on March 18, 1966 in College Park, Md. Most recently the Miners defeated the Utes in the WAC Tournament semifinals (90-85) on March 12, 1993 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
? Ray Giacoletti has never faced UTEP.
? Utah is 125-47 against the current members of the WAC, including a 5-3 mark on neutral courts.
Utah's NCAA Tournament History
? Utah is making its 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament all-time. The U. is in the NCAAs for the fourth consecutive year, going to the first round in 2002, the second round in 2003, and the first round in 2004. Utah made a school record six consecutive appearances 1995-2000 before not making the field in 2001. The Utes are 33-28 (.541) in NCAA Tournament play with four NCAA Final Four appearances (1944, 1961, 1966, 1998) and one NCAA championship (1944).
? Including this year, Utah is tied for 11th all-time in NCAA appearances (26).
? Entering the tournament, Utah is tied for 10th in NCAA Tournament games played (61). Only 14 teams have more Final Four appearances than Utah.
? Since 1975 when the NCAA Tournament field was expanded to 32 teams, Utah ranks tied for 21st in wins (22), tied for 22nd in games played (39), and tied for 16th in Sweet Sixteen Appearances (8).
? Utah is appearing in its 12th NCAA Tournament since 1990 and its 10th in the last 11 years, missing the tournament only in 2001 during its recent run.
? The Utes are 14-4 in NCAA first round games all-time and have won nine of their last 11 NCAA first round games.
? Ray Giacoletti becomes the seventh coach in school history to lead the Utes to the NCAA Tournament.
? Since the NCAA began seeding teams, Utah has been a No. 2 seed twice (1997, 1999), a No. 3 seed three times (1981, 1986, 1998), a No. 4 seed three times (1991, 1995, 1996), a No. 6 seed once (2005), a No. 8 seed twice (1993, 2000), a No. 9 seed once (2003), a No. 10 once (1983), a No. 11 seed once (2004), and a No. 12 seed once (2002).
Looking Back At The Utes' NCAA Tournament Games In Tucson
Utah is competing in NCAA Tournament action in Tucson, Ariz., for the third time, going 5-0 in its previous games. In a first round game in 1977, the Utes defeated St. John's (72-68). Fourteen year's later in 1991, No. 4-seeded Utah beat No. 13 South Alabama (82-72) and No. 5 Michigan State (85-84 2OT) in first and second round games. In 1997, the second-seeded Utes got past No. 15 Navy (75-61) in the first round and No. 7 UNC Charlotte (77-58) in the second round.
Recapping Utah's Last NCAA Appearance
Utah won the Mountain West Conference Tournament in 2004 to earn the league's automatic NCAA Tournament berth. Seeded No. 11 in the St. Louis Regional, the Utes fell to No. 6 seeded Boston College 58-51 on March 19 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Two Mountain West Conference Teams Make NCAA Field
The Mountain West Conference will send two teams to the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, marking the fourth straight year multiple teams from the MWC were among the NCAA field. In addition to Utah earning an at-large berth, conference tournament winner New Mexico earned the league's automatic bid after winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
New Mexico (26-6, 10-4 MWC), a No. 12 seed in the Syracuse Regional, plays No. 5 seed Villanova (22-7, 11-5 Big East) Friday, March 18 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn., marking the first meeting between the teams in series history. The Lobos are 6-11 all-time in 10 NCAA appearances and have a 4-1 record in their last five NCAA Tournament first-round contests.
Boasting Of Bogut, Utah's Wooden and Naismith Awards Candidate
Sophomore forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 245) has been named a finalist for the John R. Wooden and Naismith national player of the year awards. The University of Utah has launched an official Andrew Bogut website at www.utahutes.com/andrewbogut in an effort to promote him for All-America and postseason honors. Bogut leads the Utes in scoring (20.7 ppg), rebounds (12.3 rpg) and blocked shots (59). He is also third in assists (2.31 apg), and is shooting 62.8 percent from the field and 72.8 percent from the free throw line. He has led the Utes in scoring 25 times, rebounding 30 times and assists seven times this season.
? The postseason honors are already piling up for Bogut. ESPN.com named him their National Player of the Year on March 4. Bogut was joined by Chris Paul (Wake Forest), J.J. Redick (Duke), Wayne Simien (Kansas) and Sean May (North Carolina) on the ESPN.com All-America team. He has been named a first team All-American by the NABC and the USBWA.
? Bogut has also been named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, USBWA District 8 Player of the Year and NABC first team All-District 13 this season.
? In the NCAA statistical rankings released on March 8, Bogut was third in rebounds per game (12.0), third in field goal percentage (63.7), 15th in points per game (20.6) and 50th in blocked (1.90).
? Bogut has had double-doubles in 23 of the 32 games this season and leads the nation in that category as of Monday.
? Bogut has scored in double figures in all 32 games this season, bringing his double-figure scoring streak to 34 consecutive games dating back to last season. He is tied for the seventh-longest streak of double-figure scoring games in the nation.
? He has eighteen 20-point games this season, bringing his career total to 23. Bogut has scored at least 20 points in 19 of the last 23 games.
Markson Making His Mark, Makes All-MWC Team
Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) earned third team all-Mountain West Conference honors this season. Markson is third on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (3.9 rpg). He has started 19 games this season and played in all 32, averaging 27.5 minutes per game.
? The Monrovia, Calif., native has scored in double figures 21 times this season, including the last four games. 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), fifth in free throw percentage (81.3). He was Utah's second-best scorer in league games behind Andrew Bogut.
Utah Putting Together One Of Its Winningest Seasons
The Utes' 27 wins rank tied for the sixth-most in a season (27-7 in 1995-96) in school history.
With its win over San Diego State on March 5, Utah secured the 10th 25-win season in school history. Seven of Utah's 25-win seasons have come since 1990 with the previous one in 2002-03 (25-8).
Utah has also hit the 20-wins mark for the fourth consecutive season and the 13th time in the last 16 years. The 2004-05 Utes took the fewest games needed (23) 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 (27-5).
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 March 8, Utah ranked third in rebound margin (+10.4 rpg), eighth in scoring defense (57.1 ppg) and second in fewest personal fouls per game (14.1).
? The U. has held 19 of its last 21 opponents to 60 points or less. The only three teams to score more than 60 were New Mexico in a 60-56 loss in the MWC Tournament championship game, UNLV in a 73-67 win in the MWC semifinals and New Mexico in a 65-54 loss at The Pit on Feb. 21. During the last 21 games, teams have averaged 54.6 points per game against the Utes while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three-point range. Utah has also held a 34.8 to 22.6 advantage on the boards.
? The Utes have outrebounded the opposition in 29 of the 32 games this season--including the last 23--and had a push in one other game (vs. Stony Brook in the season opener), going 27-3 in those contests.
? Utah has allowed just four opponents to shoot at least 50 percent from the field this season: Washington (53.4 in a loss), Utah State (65.0 in a loss), Cal Poly (54.5 in a win), and BYU on Feb. 26 (50.0 in a win).
? Utah has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points in 160 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.
Getting It Done At The Free Throw Line
The Utes have done an excellent job of getting to the free throw line and converting this season. Through 32 games, Utah is shooting 73.0 percent from the charity stripe, ranking second in the Mountain West Conference in that category.
? Utah ranked 44th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (73.0) as of March 8.
? The Utes have made 506 free throws (15.8 per game) while their opponents have attempted just 383 and made 263 (8.2 per game). Utah is 24-1 when it has more free throw attempts than its opponent this season, and is 1-0 when free throw attempts are equal.
? Six Utes are shooting over 70 percent from the line this season: Richard Chaney (86.4), Marc Jackson (85.5), Tim Drisdom (80.8), Andrew Bogut (72.8), Bryant Markson (71.7) and Chris Grant (71.4).
Inside The Numbers
In Mountain West Conference games, Utah ranked fifth in the league scoring (66.9 ppg), first in field goal percentage (52.6) and third in three-point percentage (35.0). In nonconference regular season play in those categories, Utah averaged 71.5 points per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range. ... Utah is 21-1 when leading at halftime and 27-1 when leading with 5:00 remaining in the second half this season. The U.'s only loss in both of those categories was at Arizona on Dec. 11. ... The Utes have come back to win from a halftime deficit four times (at Colorado State on Jan. 17, trailing 34-30; at BYU on Jan 31, trailing 29-28; at Air Force on Feb. 19, trailing 32-26; and vs. Colorado State on March 10 in the MWC quarterfinals, trailing 29-28) and a tie twice (Furman on Nov. 27, tied 24-24; BYU on Feb. 26, tied 29-29). ... Utah is 26-3 when holding opponents to less than 70 points per game this season with its only losses coming to Arizona (67-62) on Dec. 11, New Mexico (65-54) on Feb. 21 and New Mexico again (60-56) on March 12. Utah is 17-0 when limiting a team to under 60 points. ... The Utes are 14-1 when scoring at least 70 points this season and 5-0 when getting 80 points or more. ... Utah has scored over 90 points twice this year: 98 vs. Montana-Western and 92 vs. Cal Poly.
The Year Of The Utes
It might be March Madness, but the madness began long before the month of March at the University of Utah.
The Ute football team got the year rolling by chalking up a 12-0 mark and its second consecutive Mountain West Conference title. Utah then became the first non-BCS school to bust the system and garnered a bid to the Fiesta Bowl where it beat Pittsburgh, 35-7. The Ute football team finished the season ranked 4th in the AP poll and 5th in the coaches' poll.
The men's basketball team picked up right where football left off, going 27-5 in bringing home another MWC title to Salt Lake City. The two programs turned in the best combined record in school history with a 39-5 (.885) tally.
The success doesn't end there for the Crimson and White. The women's basketball and volleyball teams were MWC regular season co-champs and garnered NCAA Tournament berths. The women's soccer team won the Mountain West Tournament and went the NCAAs, men's and women's skiing finished third at the national championships last weekend, and men's and women's swimming and diving teams both won the MWC regular season championship.
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