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The University of Utah Athletics
Runnin' Utes Play New Year's Eve Contest at Gonzaga
12/29/2007 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2007
Game #12 - Utah (8-3) at Gonzaga (9-4)
5 p.m. PST - Monday, December 31
McCarthey Athletic Center
Spokane, Wash.
Radio: Utah Sports Radio Network
Mike Lageschulte (play-by-play); Joe Cravens (color analyst) TV: Fox Sports Northwest
Internet: www.UtahUtes.com live audio, live stats
Series History: Utah leads 2-1 Last Meeting: Gonzaga 71, Utah 52 (Nov. 25, 2002)
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Utah Plays New Year's Eve Contest at Gonzaga
The University of Utah men's basketball team will close out the 2007 calendar year with a trip to Spokane, Wash. and a matchup with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Utah enters Monday's game with an 8-3 record, coming off a 68-51 win over Idaho State Thursday night at the Huntsman Center. The Runnin' Utes struggled for much of the contest and led by just one point, 38-37, when Johnnie Bryant sparked an 11-0 run with a 3-pointer. That spurt lifted Utah to the 17-point win. Bryant scored 17 off the bench to lead the Utes. Luke Nevill added 14 and Shaun Green tacked on 12.
Gonzaga is currently 9-4, coming off Saturday afternoon's 82-72 loss to No. 11 Tennessee. Gonzaga was nationally-ranked for the entire season, until this week's rankings. The Bulldogs dropped a 72-68 decision to Oklahoma last week. The Zags' other losses were at the hands of Texas Tech and Washington State. Gonzaga is coached by Mark Few. Previous Utah head coach Ray Giacoletti is now an assistant coach with the Bulldogs.
Runnin' Ute Fast Breaks
? Three Utah players are averaging double-digit points per game, while three more average 6.0 or more.
? Utah has now held five different opponents to 54 points or less this season. The Runnin' Utes did not hold a single 2006-07 opponent to less than 55 points.
? Utah is 53-19 all-time versus current members of the West Coast Conference. Utah is 21-1 against Loyola Marymount, in the most played series between the Utes and a WCC squad.
? The Utes currently rank No. 1 in the MWC and No. 4 in the nation (Dec. 16 ranking) in field-goal percentage, converting at a .511 clip.
? Utah ranks 7th in the Mountain West Conference in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot .430. However, the Utes are ranked 164th in the nation in this category after finishing 322nd last year.
? Utah has the best free-throw percentage in the Mountain West Conference. However, the Utes get to the stripe more infrequently than any other team in the league, with 159 attempts.
Utes Can Shoot
Utah is the top shooting team from the field in the Mountain West Conference and one of the best in the nation. The Runnin' Utes have made more than half their field-goal attempts in six of their first 11 games. Utah is converting at a .511 clip, which is tops in the league and No. 4 in the nation (as of Dec. 16).
No other team in the MWC is above 50 percent. The Utes are also the No. 2 3-point shooting team in the MWC. Utah has hit 84-of-203 from behind the arc, for a percentage of .414 (No. 27 in the nation).
Nevill's Numbers
Junior center Luke Nevill currently ranks 6th in the conference in field-goal percentage (.488). Nevill is also 11th in the MWC in scoring (14.0 ppg), 4th in rebounding (7.0) and leads the league in blocked shots, swatting an average of 1.55 opponent shot attempts per game. Nevill is on pace to become the 19th player in the 100-year history of Utah basketball to reach both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound marks. Nevill currently has 978 points in his Utah career. With 22 more points, he would be the 32nd player in Utah history to join the 1,000-Point Club. Nevill's current rebounding total sits at 491, leaving him nine short of the 500 mark. At his current pace, Nevill would reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds on Jan. 5 when the Utes host Air Force.
Bryant's Big Days
Senior guard Johnnie Bryant had scored a total of 13 points in his previous three outings coming into the Dec. 22 game at Califorinia. Bryant broke out of his scoring funk in a big way over the last two contests. He scored a team-high 14 points and hit 4-of-8 from 3-point range at Cal. He then led all scorers with 17 points Thursday night against Idaho State, once again going 4-of-8 from 3-point range. He also added a four-point play against ISU for good measure.
-UU-
Players Mentioned
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