Utah Men's Basketball Preview - Game 16 - University of Utah Athletics

Jan. 8, 2007

UTAH RUNNIN' UTES VS. COLORADO STATE RAMS
Tuesday, January 9, 2007 ? 7:05 p.m. (MST)
Moby Arena (8,745) ? Fort Collins, Colo.

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UTAH (5-10, 0-2)Head Coach: Ray GiacolettiAlma Mater: Minot State, 1985At Utah: 48-31 (3rd Season)Career: 165-114 (10th Season)
COLORADO STATE (11-3, 1-1)Head Coach: Dale LayerAlma Mater: Eckerd College, 1980At CSU: 97-96 (7th Season)Career: 264-183 (16th Season)
MEDIA COVERAGETelevision: The mtn. (Comcast 37)  Tim Neverett, (play-by-play), Dave Bollwinkel (analyst)Radio: Sports Radio 700 The Zone  Bill Riley (play-by-play), Joe Cravens (analyst),  Scott Gerrard (host)Internet Audio/Live Stats: www.UtahUtes.com Get Utah All-Access Here
THE SERIESOverall: Utah leads 95-41Utah Home/Away/Neutral: 52-15/37-25/6-1Current Streak: Colorado State has won 2Last Meeting: CSU won 69-61 in OT on Feb. 15, 2006 in Salt Lake City.

QUICKLY ON UTAH
The Runnin' Utes (5-10, 0-2 MWC) begin a two-game road swing against the Colorado State Rams (11-3, 1-1 MWC) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. (MST) at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. The game will be televised on The mtn. (Comcast 37 in Salt Lake City) and broadcast on Sports Radio 700 The Zone.

Utah has dropped five of its last six games, including four in a row. The Utes opened their Mountain West Conference schedule with a 97-94 loss in double overtime at UNLV last Wednesday night. Utah then lost to TCU, 71-68, last Saturday night in Salt Lake City. The Runnin' Utes are 1-6 away from home and 0-4 on opponents' home courts this season.

Sophomore center Luke Nevill (7-1, 265) is the Utes' leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (8.6 rpg). He is shooting 66.7 percent from the field, 77.8 percent from the free throw line, and also has a team-best 12 blocked shots. Junior guard Johnnie Bryant (6-0, 180) is second on the team in scoring (15.6 ppg) and has connected on 44.1 percent (49-for-111) of his 3-point attempts and 74.4 percent of his free throws. Bryant leads the team lead in assists (2.40 apg). Sophomore forward Shaun Green (6-8, 208) is third on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg), and is second in both assists (2.26 apg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). He is shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 56.5 percent (39-for-69) from 3-point range. Green also leads the Utes in steals (17) and is second in blocked shots (9).

In the latest NCAA statistical rankings released on Jan. 2, Utah ranked fourth in 3-point percentage (43.8), 12th in field goal percentage (50.7), 72nd in 3-pointers made per game (7.6), 37th in free throw percentage (73.2), 46th in turnovers per game (13.5), 66th in rebound margin (+4.6 rpg) and 78th in personal fouls per game (17.5). Green ranked first in the nation in 3-point percentage (61.1). Nevill was second in field goal percentage (70.2), 48th in points per game (18.6) and 62nd in rebounds per game (8.2). Bryant was 25th in 3-pointers made per game (3.2) and 53rd in 3-point percentage (43.2).

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 70.9 percent of Utah's points, 85.3 percent of its rebounds, 63.6 percent of its assists and 69.1 percent of its minutes.

? Seven of Utah's 10 losses (Southern Utah, Colorado, Utah State, Rhode Island, Albany, UNLV and TCU) have come by a combined 15 points. The Utes have lost three games by one point and four by three points.

? The Utes have shot at least 50 percent from 3-point range seven times and at least 50 percent from the field seven times in 14 games this season.

? Utah is 0-5 this season when opponents shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 2-10 when they shoot at least 40 percent from 3-point range.

? The Runnin' Utes have dropped their first two games in conference play for the first time since the 1991-92 season.

TILLIE OUT FOR THE SEASON
? Freshman forward Kim Tillie fractured his left ankle in practice on Jan. 1 and is expected to be out the rest of the season. Tillie, from Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, played in 11 games this season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game.

SCOUTING COLORADO STATE
The Rams are 11-3 overall and 6-1 at home this season. Colorado State split its first two Mountain West Conference games, losing to Air Force at home, 81-75, last Wednesday and defeating New Mexico on the road, 88-79, last Saturday.

Junior forward Jason Smith (7-0, 240) is averaging a double-double, leading CSU in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg). He is shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 74.0 percent from the free throw line. Junior guard Tyler Smith (6-3, 200) and junior center Stuart Creason (7-0, 260) are tied for second in scoring (11.5 ppg). Creason is second in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and leads the Rams with 29 blocked shots. Senior guard Cory Lewis (6-0, 175) is the fourth Ram averaging double-figures in points (10.7 ppg) while shooting 41.3 percent (19-for-46) from 3-point range and 78.7 percent at the free throw line. Lewis also leads CSU in assists (4.2 apg).

COMPARING THE NUMBERS

            Utah   Colo. St.Overall Record  5-10    11-3MWC Record  0-2 1-1Scoring          70.5   75.3Scoring Defense 69.1    70.1FG%          .499   .498FG% Defense .493    .4233-Pt. FG%            .435   .3823-Pt. FG% Defense   .481    .394FT%          .737   .709Rebound Margin  +6.0    +5.2Assists          14.1   14.5Turnovers            13.7   19.0Opp. Turnovers  11.3    18.0Steals           4.7    7.5Blocked Shots   1.9 5.0

HEAD COACH DALE LAYER
Dale Layer has an 97-96 record in his seventh season at Colorado State and a 264-183 career record in his 16th 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.

UTAH VS. COLORADO STATE SERIES NOTES
? Utah and Colorado State meet for the 137th time on Tuesday evening. The series dates back to a 41-25 win by Utah on Jan. 2, 1937. The two teams have met annually since 1969-70 with the exception of the 1998-99 season.

? The Runnin' Utes lead the all-time series 95-41 and have won 10 of the last 13. Utah had won five in a row before the Rams took both meetings last season. Utah fell 84-78 on Jan. 14 in Fort Collins, Colo., and 69-61 in overtime on Feb. 15 in Salt Lake City

? In Fort Collins, Colo., the Utes are 37-25. The Utes had won four in a row before losing there last season.

? In conference regular-season play, Utah has an 86-36 advantage. Since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000, Utah leads 9-5.

? Ray Giacoletti is 3-2 against Colorado State. He won all three games against the Rams in 2004-05 before losing twice last season.

? Dale Layer is 4-10 against Utah during his tenure at CSU. In addition to beating the Utes twice last year, Layer's other wins were on March 6, 2003 (66-65) in Salt Lake City and on Jan. 22, 2001 (73-65) at Moby Arena.

AFTER THIS
The Runnin' Utes wrap-up their two-game road swing against the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. (MST) at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. Utah then opens a two-game homestand against the Air Force Falcons on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 8:05 p.m. (MST) in the Huntsman Center.

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Utah Men's Basketball Preview - Game 16

Players Mentioned

Johnnie Bryant

Shaun Green

Luke Nevill

Kim Tillie

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