Utah Men's Basketball Notes - Game #29 - University of Utah Athletics

March 2, 2005

Game #29

Utah Runnin' Utes (24-4, 12-1 MWC) vs. San Diego State (10-16, 4-8 MWC)
March 5 ? 1:04 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      San Diego St. Head Coach: Steve FisherAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985        Alma Mater: Illinois State, 1967Record at Utah: 24-4 (1st Season)    Record at SDSU: 80-95 (6th Season)Overall Record: 141-87 (8th Season)  Overall Record: 264-177 (14th Season)
Rankings: Utah is No. 16 in the Associated Press polland No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Television: ESPN+Plus (Shown on KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City).Also available on ESPN Full Court (pay-per-view) and ESPN International.Rich Waltz (play-by-play) and Irv Brown (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 47-9Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 26-1/18-7/3-1Current Streak: Utah has won 5 in a row.Last Meeting: Utah won 61-41 on Feb. 5, 2005 in San Diego, Calif.

After This
The Runnin' Utes play in the Mountain West Tournament next Thursday-Saturday (March 10-12) at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. Quickly On Utah

The Runnin' Utes (24-4, 12-1 MWC) close out the regular season against San Diego State (10-16, 4-9 MWC) on Saturday at 1:04 p.m. (MST) at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised by ESPN+Plus (shown on KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City), and also available on ESPN Full Court (pay-per-view) and ESPN International. It will be broadcast on Hot Ticket 700 (KALL-AM) and the Utah Sports Network. Utah is 15-0 at home this season and riding a 16-game homecourt winning streak that ranks as the seventh-longest in the nation.

Utah clinched the Mountain West Conference regular season championship outright by winning at Air Force 65-56 on Feb. 19, then had its 18-game winning streak snapped with a 65-54 loss at New Mexico on Feb. 21. The Utes bounced back with a 69-60 win over BYU last Saturday in Salt Lake City. Utah is ranked in the Top 25 for the sixth consecutive week, coming in at No. 16 in the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

Sophomore center/forward Andrew Bogut (7-0, 245) leads the Utes in scoring (20.6 ppg), rebounding (11.9 rpg) and blocked shots (52), and is shooting 63.8 percent from the field. Bogut has 19 double-doubles this season to lead the nation in that category as of March 2. Senior guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 175) is second in scoring (10.7 ppg), hitting 48.1 percent of his three-point attempts (50-of-104) and 85.6 percent of his free throws. Jackson is first on the team in assists (3.71 apg). Junior forward Bryant Markson (6-6, 190) is third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.0 rpg). Junior forward/guard Richard Chaney is fourth on the team in scoring average (9.3 ppg). Junior guard Tim Drisdom (6-3, 203) is second on the team in assists (3.26 apg) and has a 2.20 assists to turnover ratio.

As of March 1, the Utes ranked second in the NCAA in field goal percentage (52.2), third in rebound margin (+10.0), seventh in scoring defense (57.0 ppg), 16th in scoring margin and (+12.2 ppg) and 41st in free throw percentage (73.2). Andrew Bogut was ranked third in rebounding (11.9 rpg), third in field goal percentage (63.8) and 15th in scoring (20.6 ppg). Richard Chaney and Marc Jackson ranked 21st (86.4) and 35th (85.7), respectively, in free throw percentage.

ESPN International To Show Utah vs. San Diego State Game
Fans in Andrew Bogut's native country of Australia will be able to see the Ute sophomore center in action against San Diego State on Saturday. The game will be televised live on the ESPN International Pacific Rim network in Australia, New Zealand, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. ESPN International also plans to pick up any of Utah's games in the Mountain West Conference Tournament next week.

Runnin' Utes In The Polls
Utah, ranked in the Top 25 for the sixth consecutive week, fell three spots to 16th in the Associated Press poll and three places to 15th in the ESPN/USA Today poll released on Feb. 28. Last week, Utah peaked in the rankings for this season, coming in at No. 12 in ESPN/USA Today and No. 13 in AP. It was the highest Utah had been ranked in the AP poll since the 2000-01 season. That year, Utah was No. 13 in the preseason poll, climbed to 12th on Nov. 14, then fell to 13th the following week. The Utes were ranked five consecutive weeks, 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.

Closing In On 25-Win Season
With its next win, Utah will secure the 10th 25-win season in school history. Seven of Utah's 25-win seasons have come since 1990, most recently in 2002-03 (25-8).

Utah has already 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 (24-4).

From The Training Room
? Junior guard Tim Drisdom has been suffering from a pulled right quadriceps muscle since the Jan. 31 game at BYU. Drisdom returned to practice on Tuesday after he was held out of practice and missed the BYU game last week. He is probable for the San Diego State game on Saturday.

? Junior forward Bryant Markson went out of the New Mexico game on Feb. 21 with a knee sprain. Markson was cleared to practice last Friday and played in the BYU game last Saturday.

Scouting The Aztecs
San Diego State is 10-16 overall and in sixth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-8 record. After beating BYU (66-58) on Feb. 7 in Provo, Utah, the Aztecs have lost five in a row, including overtime losses to UNLV at home on Feb. 12 and at Colorado State on Feb. 19 by a combined seven points. Last weekend, SDSU dropped a pair of home games to New Mexico (78-61) on Saturday and Air Force (77-57) on Monday. The Aztecs are 3-7 on the road this season.

Sophomore guard Brandon Heath (6-3, 183) is fifth in the conference in scoring (17.7 ppg), eighth in free throw percentage (81.5), fifth in assists (3.62 apg) and first in steals (2.12 spg). Sophomore forward Marcus Slaughter (6-8, 223) is sixth in the MWC in scoring (17.3 ppg), second in rebounding (9.0 rpg), ninth in steals (1.28 spg) and eighth in blocked shots (1.12 bpg). Junior center Mohamed Camara (6-10, 265) is 17th in rebounding (4.0 rpg). Junior guard John Sharper (6-0, 195) ranks 11th in the MWC in three-point percentage (36.4, hitting 44-of-121).

The Aztecs rank sixth in the MWC in scoring offense (68.8 ppg), fifth in scoring defense (71.0 ppg), seventh in rebound margin (-2.3 rpg), second in steals (8.19 spg), and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (0.85).

Comparing The Stats

            Utah    SDSUScoring         69.2    68.8Scoring Defense 57.0    71.0FG%         .522    .427FG% Defense .424    .4533-Pt. FG%   .376    .3223-Pt. FG% Def.  .360    .349FT%         .732    .687Rebound Margin  +10.0   -2.3Assists         15.0    12.2Turnovers   14.0    14.3Opp. Turnovers  12.3    15.1Steals          6.3 8.2Blocked Shots   2.9 3.0

Aztec Head Coach Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher is 80-95 in his sixth season at San Diego State and has a 264-177 career mark in 14 seasons. Before posting a losing record last season (14-16), the Aztecs went 16-14 in 2002-03 and advanced to the second round of the NIT. In 2001-02, Fisher led SDSU to the Mountain West Conference Tournament title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1984-85. With a 21-12 record, SDSU also posted its highest single-season wins total since `84-85.

In his previous college head coaching job, Fisher led Michigan to a 184-82 record (.691), three NCAA Final Fours and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1989-97. He was named the 1992 National Coach of the Year by Basketball Times after leading Michigan's "Fab Five" as freshmen to a 25-9 record and the NCAA title game. As the interim head coach in 1989, he led the Wolverines to a 6-0 record and the NCAA title.

Utah vs. San Diego State Series Notes
? Utah and San Diego State meet for the 57th time on Saturday afternoon. The series dates back to a 98-89 Utah win on Dec. 13, 1975 in Salt Lake City. That was the only game played between the two teams before they became members of the WAC and later the Mountain West Conference.

? The Utes lead the all-time series 47-9 and have won 27 of the last 29.

? Utah has taken the past five meetings in the series, dating back to the second time the teams met during the 2002-03 season.

? Utah won the first game this season 61-41 on Feb. 5 in San Diego, Calif.

? Last season, Utah won 65-61 on Feb. 7 in Salt Lake City, 66-53 on March 6 in San Diego, and 75-69 on March 11 in the MWC Tournament.

? The Aztecs snapped Utah's 14-game winning streak in the series with a 58-56 win on Jan. 18, 2003 at Cox Arena. Before then, the Aztecs' last win over Utah was 76-73 on Jan. 22, 1994 in San Diego.

? In regular-season conference play, the Utes have a 41-8 advantage. Since the formation of the MWC in 1999-2000, Utah is 10-1.

? In Salt Lake City, Utah is 26-1 against SDSU. The Aztecs' only win against the Utes in the Huntsman Center was 74-72 on Feb. 25, 1982. Utah has won 21 consecutive home games over San Diego State since then.

? Ray Giacoletti is 2-2 against San Diego State. The first three games took place while he was the head coach at Eastern Washington, all in San Diego. After Giacoletti's Eagles lost the first meeting 86-58 on Dec. 20, 2001, they won 75-70 on Nov. 23, 2002. Eastern then lost in Giacoletti's final season 79-66 on Dec. 20, 2003.

? Steve Fisher is 3-11 against Utah, including a 1-11 mark while at SDSU.

Last Meeting
Andrew Bogut had 15 points and 13 rebounds as No. 21 Utah recorded a 61-41 win over San Diego State on Feb. 5 at Cox Arena.

Justin Hawkins added 15 points for Utah. Richard Chaney scored nine of his 11 points in the second half.

Utah, which became the first Mountain West team to start conference play with seven straight wins, beat San Diego State for the 27th time in 29 games.

Marcus Slaughter led San Diego State with 18 points and eight rebounds. Brandon Heath, the Aztecs' leading scorer with an 18.2 average, was limited to six points on 3-for-8 shooting.

Utah, which led by seven points at halftime, dominated the Aztecs in the second half. The Utes shot 53.8 percent in the second half after making 38.3 percent of their shots in the first 20 minutes.

The Utes missed 19 of their first 24 shots, but rebounded by shooting 5-for-8 in the final seven minutes and closed out the first half on a 15-6 run for a 28-21 lead.

Marc Jackson keyed the run with three-point baskets on consecutive possessions, giving the Utes a 24-15 lead with just over three minutes left.

Utah built its lead to 34-23 four minutes into the second half on Bogut's jump hook, then went up 42-27 on a three-point play by Chaney at the 8:56 mark.

Utah held the Aztecs to 34.1 percent shooting from the field and had a 36-23 rebounding edge. The Utes committed just nine turnovers in the game, which is its fourth-best total this season. It was also the fifth game this year in which the Utes forced more turnovers than they committed.

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. 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 has been named NABC first team All-District 13 this season. Bogut leads the Utes in scoring (20.6 ppg), rebounds (11.9 rpg) and blocked shots (52). He is also third in assists (2.39 apg), and is shooting 63.8 percent from the field and 72.3 percent from the free throw line. He has led the Utes in scoring 21 times, rebounding 26 times and assists six times this season.

? In the NCAA statistical rankings released on March 1, Bogut was third in rebounds per game (11.9), third in field goal percentage (63.8) and 15th in points per game (20.6).

? Bogut has had double-doubles in 19 of the 29 games this season and ranked tied for first in the nation in that category as of March 2.

? Bogut has scored in double figures in all 28 games this season, bringing his double-figure scoring streak to 30 consecutive games dating back to last season.

? He has seventeen 20-point games this season, bringing his career total to 20. Bogut has scored at least 20 points in 16 of the last 21 games.

? Bogut had a career-high 33 points and 16 rebounds against Colorado State on Feb. 12. Bogut also set personal-best marks for free throws made (17) and attempted (19), and tied his career high with five blocked shots. He shot 8-for-14 from the floor, and also contributed three assists and two steals in 39 minutes. Bogut had his second straight 30-point game and the second of his career with 31 points (11-16 FG, 9-11 FT) against Wyoming on Feb. 14.

? Bogut is moving up the single-season and career charts at Utah. His 52 blocked shots rank second to Mitch Smith's 55 in 1988-89. Bogut has already bettered his total of 44 blocked shots last season, which now rank third in a season at the U. With 96 career blocked shots, Bogut ranks fifth at Utah, closing in on Josh Grant's fourth-place mark of 109 set from 1988-93. If Bogut can maintain his 63.8 field goal percentage this season, he would set the school single-season record by breaking the mark of 61.7 posted by Antoine Davison in 1991-92. Bogut's career field goal percentage of 61.0 (394-for-645) would also set the career mark at Utah, surpassing Althoff (60.8 percent). Bogut also ranks sixth in rebounds (333) and 14th in scoring (576) on the Ute single-season charts.

? In 13 Mountain West Conference games, Bogut is the only player averaging a double-double. He ranks first in scoring (21.0 ppg), first in rebounds (12.3 rpg), first in field goal percentage (64.4), second in blocked shots (2.00 bpg) and 13th in assists (2.38 apg).

Jackson Back In Action, Earns All-District Honors
Senior guard Marc Jackson (6-1, 175) has rejoined the team for his final year after electing to take off the 2003-04 season. Jackson has already been named NABC second team All-District 13. He is the Utes' best three-point shooter, hitting 48.1 percent and making 50-of-104 from beyond the arc. Jackson is second on the team in scoring (10.7 ppg), first in assists (3.71 apg) and second in free throw percentage (85.6). He is also shooting 48.1 percent from the field.

? In the NCAA statistical rankings released on March 1, Jackson was 35th in free throw percentage (85.7).

? On the Utah single-season and career charts, Jackson is on pace to set the top marks for three-point percentage. Shooting 48.1 percent this season and 44.9 percent (80-for-178) during his career, Jackson is one pace to break the top single-season mark of 46.0 percent by Alex Jensen (1999-2000) and the top career mark of 43.4 percent by Chris Fulton (1986-88).

? In Mountain West Conference play, Jackson ranks second in assists (4.77 apg) and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.82).

? Jackson has scored in double figures 18 times this season. He scored 12 points three games in a row against Wyoming, Air Force and New Mexico before getting five points against BYU last Saturday.

? Jackson had a career-high with 11 assists against BYU on Feb. 26. He's had at least five assists in 14 games in his career and nine times this season.

Notes On Utah's Mountain West Conference Season
? Utah was 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 in 2000 and 2003.

? The best record in Mountain West Conference play is Air Force's 12-2 mark in 2004, which Utah could surpass with a win over San Diego State on Saturday. Before getting 12 wins this season, Utah's best record in MWC games was 11-3 in 2003.

? Utah has outscored its MWC opponents by an average of 12.1 points per game and outrebounded its opponents by 10.2 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 largest deficit Utah has come back from to win is 11 points against both Air Force on Feb. 19 and BYU on Feb. 26. The Utes trailed the Falcons 19-8 with 8:52 to play in the first half before winning the game 65-56. The Courars led the U. 20-9 with 8:18 remaining in the first half before Utah won 69-60.

? The Utes are allowing just 54.4 points per game in league games, which would tie the league scoring defense mark set last year by Air Force.

? Utah's 18-game winning streak before its loss at New Mexico on Feb. 21 was the best in Mountain West Conference history. The previous best streak was 13 games, set by Utah (2001-02) and Air Force (2003-04).

? Before the loss at New Mexico, the Utes won a league record 15 straight games against MWC opponents, including its win in the final regular-season game and three wins in the MWC Tournament in 2004.

? Utah has established the best road record in MWC history with a 6-1 mark. The previous best road record was 5-2 achieved four times (Wyoming in 2002, Utah and BYU in 2003, and Air Force in 2004). Utah was also the first team in MWC history to win its first four conference road games.

Giacoletti Finalist For National Coach Of The Year Awards
Utah head coach Ray Giacoletti has been named a finalist for two national coach of the year awards. Giacoletti is one of 20 coaches announced as a candidate for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award presented by Coca-Cola and the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The winner will be recognized at the Naismith Awards Banquet on April 8 in Atlanta.

Giacoletti is also one of 10 coaches up for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, named after the former Mount St. Mary's head coach and presented by CollegeInsider.com. The winner will be announced on April 1 at the Final Four in St. Louis, Mo.

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 1, Utah ranked third in rebound margin (+10.0 rpg), seventh in scoring defense (57.0 ppg) and second in fewest personal fouls per game (14.2).

? The U. has held 16 of its last 17 opponents to 60 points or less. The only team to score more than 60 was New Mexico in a 65-54 loss at The Pit on Feb. 21. During the last 17 games, teams have averaged 53.5 points per game against the Utes while shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range. Utah has also held a 34.2 to 22.8 advantage on the boards.

? The Utes have outrebounded the opposition in 25 of the 28 games this season--including the last 19--and had a push in one other game (vs. Stony Brook in the season opener), going 24-2 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 156 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 28 games, Utah is shooting 73.2 percent from the charity stripe, ranking first in the Mountain West Conference in that category.

? Utah ranked 41st in the NCAA in free throw percentage (73.2) as of March 1.

? The Utes have made 448 free throws (16.0 per game) while their opponents have attempted just 335 and made 227 (8.1 per game). Utah is 21-1 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 (85.6), Tim Drisdom (80.4), Andrew Bogut (72.3), Bryant Markson (71.1) and Chris Grant (71.4).

Utes Tough At Home In The Huntsman Center
Utah is 225-19 (.922) in the Huntsman Center over the last 16 seasons and has never lost back-to-back home games. The Utes are 15-0 at home this season.

? The Runnin' Utes are riding a 16-game home winning streak that ranks as the seventh-longest in NCAA Division I as of March 3.

? Utah has captured 47 of their last 49 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 163 of their last 174 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

? In conference home games over the last 11 years, Utah is 77-4 (.951). That mark ranks first in the nation over that period, just ahead of Kansas which is 80-5 (.941).

? 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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