Utah Men's Basketball Preview: at UNLV

Feb. 20, 2006

Game #25

Utah Runnin' Utes (12-12, 5-8) vs. UNLV Runnin' Rebels (14-10, 8-4)
Feb. 22 ? 7:37 p.m. (PST)
Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) ? Las Vegas, Nev.

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Game Data

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.Matt Thomas (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Bill Riley (host).
Utah Head Coach: Ray Giacoletti       UNLV Head Coach: Lon KrugerAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985         Alma Mater: Kansas State, 1975Record at Utah: 41-18 (2nd Season)    Record at UNLV: 31-24 (2nd Season)Overall Record: 158-101 (9th Season)  Overall Record: 349-257 (20th Season)
Series Record: Utah leads 18-14Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 10-3/6-9/2-2Current Streak: UNLV has won 1.Last Meeting: UNLV won 71-59 on Jan. 21, 2006 in Salt Lake City.
Utah Probable StartersNo. Pos. Name              Ht.  Wt.  Cl.  Statistics20  F    Bryant Markson    6-7 198  Sr.  13.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg21  F    Shaun Green       6-8    208  Fr.  6.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg50  C    Luke Nevill       7-1    250  Fr.  11.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg1   G    Johnnie Bryant    6-0 190  So.  12.6 ppg, 2.3 apg3   G    Chris Grant       6-3    200  So.  2.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg
UNLV Probable StartersNo. Pos. Name              Ht.  Wt.  Cl.  Statistics22  F    Louis Amundson    6-9  225  Sr.  14.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg31  F    Curtis Terry      6-5  205  So.  7.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg1   G    Jo'Van Adams      6-0  190  Fr.  11.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg13  G    Jason Petrimoulx  6-4  195  Jr.  10.0 ppg, 4.0 apg5   G    Wendell White     6-6  205  Jr.  6.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg

After This
The Runnin' Utes have a week off before facing TCU on Wednesday, March 1 at 9:05 p.m. (CST) in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will be televised by ESPN2. Utah then closes out the regular season against Wyoming on Saturday, March 4 at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in Salt Lake City.

Quickly On Utah
The Runnin' Utes (12-12, 5-8 MWC) open a two-game road swing against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels (14-10, 8-4 MWC) on Wednesday at 7:37 p.m. (PST) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City and broadcast on Hot Ticket 700 (KALL-AM) and the Utah Sports Network.

Utah, tied for sixth place in the Mountain West Conference, dropped a pair of games at home last week. The Utes pushed Colorado State to overtime before falling 69-61 on Wednesday night, then lost to Air Force 52-51 on Saturday night. Utah is 3-6 on opponents' home courts overall this season and 2-4 in Mountain West Conference play.

Senior forward Bryant Markson (6-7, 198), a preseason all-Mountain West Conference pick, leads the Utes in scoring (13.7 ppg), assists (2.4 apg) and steals (33), and is second in rebounds (5.7 rpg). Markson is shooting 51.7 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from three-point range and 78.3 percent at the free throw line. Sophomore guard Johnnie Bryant (6-0, 190), a junior college transfer in his first season with the Utes, is second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), second in assists (2.3 apg), and is averaging 2.4 rebounds per game. Bryant is also shooting 45.0 percent (54-of-120) from three-point range and 83.3 percent at the free throw line. Freshman center Luke Nevill (7-1, 250) is third on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg), and leads the way in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and blocked shots (22). Nevill is also shooting 54.4 percent from the field.

Take Note
? Over the last seven games, Utah has held its opponents to an average of 59.7 points per game on 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. The Utes have owned a 34.7 to 28.1 edge in rebounds per game, outworking all seven teams on the glass.

? Utah is playing one redshirt freshman and four other newcomers. Through 24 games, 56.9 percent of the Utes' points, 47.2 percent of their rebounds, 51.9 percent of their assists, and 54.1 percent of their minutes played have come from the first-year players.

? Four different players have led the Utes in scoring this season, six in rebounding and nine in assists. Eleven different players have earned at least one start. Utah also has 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.

? The Utes are 12-3 when holding their opponents to 68 points or less this season and 0-9 when allowing 69 points or more.

Scouting The Runnin' Rebels
UNLV is 14-10 overall and tied for third place in the Mountain West Conference with an 8-4 record. The Rebels are 10-4 at home overall this season and 4-2 in conference games.

The Runnin' Rebels ended a two-game losing steak with an 80-72 win at Colorado State last Saturday afternoon. Before then, UNLV lost at BYU (75-72) on Feb. 11 and to San Diego State at home (81-70) on Feb. 16.

Senior forward Louis Amundson (6-9, 225) ranks seventh in the MWC in scoring (14.2 ppg), third in rebounding (9.1 rpg), fifth in field goal percentage (53.1) and fourth in blocked shots (31). Jo'Van Adams ranks 17th in the MWC in scoring (11.3 ppg), 15th in assists (2.50 apg) and third in steals (2.12 spg). Junior guard Jason Petrimoulx (6-4,195) ranks second in assists (4.00 apg) and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.29). Petrimoulx is also averaging 10.8 points per game. Senior forward Dustin Villepigue (6-9, 230) ranks 13th in the MWC in rebounds (5.2 rpg). Junior guard Michael Umeh (6-2, 205) was averaging 11.0 points per game before he had season-ending knee surgery on Feb. 6.

UNLV ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference in scoring offense (72.0 ppg), sixth in scoring defense (68.0 ppg) and fourth in rebound margin (+2.3 rpg).

Comparing The Numbers

                Utah    UNLVRecord          12-12   14-10MWC Record  5-8 8-4Streak          Lost 2  Won 1Scoring         64.8    72.0Scoring Defense 63.8    68.0FG%             .467    .451FG% Defense .436    .4383-Pt. FG%   .376    .3593-Pt. FG% Def.  .358    .332FT%             .676    .663Rebound Margin  +4.7    +2.3Assists         13.5    16.2Turnovers   16.1    15.3Opp. Turnovers  12.9    16.0Steals          5.8 7.5Blocked Shots   2.2 3.2

Head Coach Lon Kruger
A veteran of two decades as a head coach on the collegiate and professional levels, Lon Kruger took over as UNLV's head coach in 2004-05 after a four-year stint in the NBA. Following an 18-year career as a successful college coach, Kruger spent three seasons (2000-03) as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks and then part of the 2003-04 season as an assistant with the New York Knicks.

At the collegiate level, Kruger has compiled a 349-257 overall mark in 20 seasons as a head coach at Pan American (1982-86), Kansas State (1986-90), Florida (1990-96), Illinois (1996-2000) and UNLV. Kruger piloted his teams to the postseason on 12 different occasions, with nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament and three in the NIT. He compiled seven 20-plus victory seasons, was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year (1992 and 1994) and led his 1993-94 Florida squad to the NCAA Final Four.

Utah vs. UNLV Series Notes
? Utah and UNLV meet for the 33rd time on Wednesday night. The Utes lead the series 18-14 and have taken 12 of the last 16 games.

? UNLV has a 9-6 advantage in games played in Las Vegas; however, Utah has won three of the last four games played there.

? The Utes had won six in a row over the Rebels--the longest winning streak by either team in the series--before UNLV defeated Utah in the first meeting this season 71-59 on Jan. 21 in Salt Lake City.

? The Runnin' Utes won all three games last season, prevailing 70-52 on Jan. 10 in Salt Lake City, 57-53 on Feb. 7 in Las Vegas, and 73-67 on March 11 in the MWC Tournament semifinals in Denver.

? In conference regular-season play, Utah has an 13-3 advantage, winning 10 of the last 12. Since both teams became members of the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000, Utah leads 10-3.

? Ray Giacoletti is 3-1 against UNLV with all of those games coming during his tenure at Utah.

? Lon Kruger is 1-4 against Utah. In addition to facing the U. three four times as the head coach at UNLV, his Florida team lost to the Utes 81-78 on April 1, 1992 in the NIT Final Four.

Last Meeting
Jason Petrimoulx had a career-high 21 points and Louis Amundson scored 18 as UNLV beat Utah 71-59 on Jan. 21 in Salt Lake City.

Johnny Bryant and Luke Nevill each scored 12 points for Utah. Nevill also had 10 boards, getting his second career double-double.

Petrimoulx made five three-pointers as the Rebels built an 18-point lead before withstanding a Ute comeback. It was the worst home conference loss for Utah since an 87-73 defeat to Brigham Young in 1992. Utah lost its fifth game in a row for the first time since the 1983-84 season.

The Utes played without senior forward Bryant Markson due to a one-game suspension for disciplinary reasons.

The Rebels built their lead to 58-40 on Jo'Van Adams' driving layup with 7:42 remaining. Over the next six minutes, the Utes went on a 13-2 run, capped by Shaun Green's steal and basket to draw within 60-53.

Ricky Morgan, who had not scored all game, sank eight free throws in the last 1:33 to clinch the game for UNLV.

The Rebels, who outrebounded the Utes 38-29, snapped a seven-game road skid to Utah. It was the Rebels' first road victory over the Utes since 1982.

The Utes started the game sluggish on offense and fell behind 9-2. The Rebels never trailed and led 35-28 at halftime on the strength of Amundson's 14 points in the period.

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Game #25

Players Mentioned

Johnnie Bryant

Chris Grant

Shaun Green

Bryant Markson

Bryant Markson

Luke Nevill

Luke Nevill

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