Utah Men's Basketball Preview - Game 21 - University of Utah Athletics

Jan. 30, 2007

UTAH RUNNIN' UTES VS. BYU COUGARS
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 ? 8:05 p.m. (MST)
Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) ? Salt Lake City

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UTAH (7-13, 2-5)Head Coach: Ray GiacolettiAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985At Utah: 50-34 (3rd Season)Career: 167-117 (10th Season)
BYU (15-6, 5-2)Head Coach: Dave RoseAlma Mater: Houston, 1983At BYU: 35-15 (2nd Season)Career: 35-15 (2nd Season)
MEDIA COVERAGETelevision: The mtn. (Comcast 37)  James Bates (play-by-play), Blaine Fowler (analyst)Radio: Sports Radio 700 The Zone  Bill Riley (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst),  Scott Gerrard (host)Internet Audio/Live Stats: www.UtahUtes.com Get Utah All-Access Here
THE SERIESOverall: Utah leads 124-118Utah Home/Away/Neutral: 72-46/47-66/5-6Current Streak: Utah has won 2Last Meeting: Utah won 74-70 on March 9, 2006  in MWC Quarterfinals in Denver, Colo.

QUICKLY ON UTAH
The Runnin' Utes (7-13, 2-5 MWC) host arch rival BYU (15-6, 5-2 MWC) on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game will be televised by The mtn--MountainWest Sports Network (Comcast 37 in Salt Lake City) and broadcast on Sports Radio 700 The Zone.

Utah had its two-game winning streak snapped with a 63-53 loss at San Diego State last Saturday afternoon. The previous week, the Utes defeated No. 13 Air Force, 85-79, on Jan. 16 and Wyoming, 62-60, on Jan. 20. Utah is 6-4 at home this season, 0-7 on opponents' home courts and 1-9 away from home overall.

Sophomore center Luke Nevill (7-1, 265) is the Utes' leading scorer (16.8 ppg) and rebounder (7.9 rpg). He is shooting 65.6 percent from the field, 77.2 percent from the free throw line, and also has a team-best 19 blocked shots. Junior guard Johnnie Bryant (6-0, 180) is second on the team in scoring (15.8 ppg), and has connected on 43.8 percent (63-for-144) of his 3-point attempts and 78.6 percent of his free throws. Bryant leads the team in assists (2.70 apg). Sophomore forward Shaun Green (6-8, 208) is third on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), and is second in both assists (2.15 apg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). He is shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 56.4 percent (53-for-94) from 3-point range. Green also leads the Utes in steals (28) and is second in blocked shots (9).

In the latest NCAA statistical rankings released on Jan. 29, Utah ranks fifth in 3-point percentage (43.3), 26th in field goal percentage (48.6), 63rd in 3-pointers made per game (7.8), 42nd in free throw percentage (73.2), 84th in turnovers per game (13.9) and 52nd in rebound margin (+4.3 rpg). Green continues to lead the nation in 3-point percentage (56.4) and rank 84th in 3-pointers made per game (2.7). Nevill is fifth in field goal percentage (65.6), 100th in points per game (16.8) and 83rd in rebounds per game (7.9). Bryant ranks 24th in 3-pointers made per game (3.2) and 32nd in 3-point percentage (43.8).

RUNNIN' UTE NOTABLES
? Seven of the 13 Utes who have seen action this season are first-year players. Six of those players are freshmen. The nine freshmen and sophomores who have played have accounted for 69.1 percent of Utah's points, 83.6 percent of its rebounds, 62.7 percent of its assists and 69.1 percent of its minutes.

? Utah has won its last two games decided by six points or less after losing its first nine this season.

? Eight of Utah's 13 losses have come by a combined 19 points. The Utes have lost three games by one point, four by three points and one by four points. Three of Utah's losses have been in overtime.

? Third-year Ute head coach Ray Giacoletti picked up his 50th career win at Utah with the Utes 62-60 win over Wyoming on Jan. 20.

? The Utes have shot at least 50 percent from 3-point range nine times and at least 50 percent from the field eight times in 20 games this season.

? Utah is 0-7 this season when opponents shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 4-11 when they shoot at least 40 percent from 3-point range.

? The Utes are 6-0 when leading at halftime this season.

SCOUTING BYU
The Cougars are 15-6 overall and tied for second place in the Mountain West Conference with a 5-2 mark in league play. BYU and UNLV are a half game behind first-place Air Force. The Cougars are 2-5 on opponents' home courts and 2-6 away from home overall this season.

Senior forward Keena Young (6-6, 215) leads BYU in scoring (16.1 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.5 rpg). He is shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 86.1 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Trent Plaisted (6-11, 245) is second in on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and first in rebounds (6.7 rpg) and blocked shots (31). Sophomore guard Lee Cummard (6-6, 175) is tied for third on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg) while shooting 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (29-for-58). Cummard is also third in rebounds (5.8 rpg) and second in assists (3.0 apg). Senior guard Austin Ainge (6-2, 180) leads BYU in assists (4.0 apg). Ainge is also shooting 49.2 percent (31-for-63) from 3-point range and averaging 6.5 points per game.

BYU ranks first in the Mountain West Conference in scoring offense (76.8 ppg), fourth in scoring defense (67.1 ppg), first in rebound margin (+5.7 rpg), first in field goal percentage defense (42.1), third in 3-point field goal percentage (40.4) and first in assists (16.14 apg).

COUGAR HEAD COACH DAVE ROSE
After serving as the top assistant at BYU for eight seasons from 1997-2005, Dave Rose is in his second season at the Cougars' head coach and has a 35-15 record. Rose directed BYU to a 20-9 overall mark, a tie for second place in the Mountain West Conference with a 12-4 record, and the first round of the NIT last season. During Rose's tenure under Steve Cleveland, BYU qualified for postseason play five of the last six seasons--including three NCAA bids--while claiming two MWC titles.

Prior to coming to BYU, Rose was head coach at Dixie College in St. George, Utah. Rose compiled a 167-57 record in seven seasons as head coach at Dixie. Rose guided six of his seven teams to national top-20 rankings, including a ranking as high as No. 2, while earning three conference titles.

Rose was a two-sport athlete at Dixie College before transferring to Houston, where he was a shooting guard and co-captain of the famous "Phi Slamma Jamma" team that was ranked No. 1 nationally and finished second in the 1983 NCAA Tournament. At Houston, Rose played in 1980-81, redshirted in 1981-82, and played his final year in 1982-83.

COMPARING THE NUMBERS


          Utah   BYUOverall Record  7-13    15-6MWC Record  2-5 5-2Scoring          69.8   76.8Scoring Defense 69.9    67.2FG%          .486   .474FG% Defense .490    .4213-Pt. FG%            .426   .4043-Pt. FG% Defense   .457    .330FT%          .732   .677Rebound Margin  +4.3    +5.7Assists          14.1   16.1Turnovers            13.9   14.2Opp. Turnovers  11.6    15.0Steals           5.1    6.2Blocked Shots   2.1 3.7

UTAH VS. BYU SERIES NOTES
? Utah and BYU meet for the 243rd time on Wednesday night. The Utah vs. BYU series ranks 10th among NCAA Division I rivalries in the number of games played.

? The Cougars are the Utes' oldest rivals in a series that dates back to a 32-9 win by BYU on Jan. 23, 1909 in Provo, Utah.

? The Utes lead the all-time series 124-118, winning 22 of the last 27 meetings, eight of the last 10, and two in a row.

? In Salt Lake City, the Utes have a 72-46 advantage and have won 12 in a row. Their last loss to BYU at home was 64-62 on Jan. 8, 1994.

? Utah took two of its three games with BYU in 2005-06. The Cougars snapped Utah's three-game winning streak in the series with a 72-60 win on Jan. 7 in Provo, Utah. The Utes then defeated BYU 79-60 on Feb. 8 in Salt Lake City. The rivals met for a third time in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Utah won 74-70 on March 9 in Denver, Colo.

? In conference regular season play, Utah has a 119-112 edge. Since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000, Utah leads 10-4.

? Ray Giacoletti is 4-1 against BYU with all of those games coming during his tenure at Utah.

? Dave Rose is 1-2 against Utah with all of those games taking place last season.

AFTER THIS
The Runnin' Utes head to Fort Worth, Texas, to face the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7:05 p.m. (CST). The game will be televised by The mtn--MountainWest Sports Network. Utah then returns home to host the Colorado State Rams on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:05 p.m. (MST).

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