Runnin' Utes Open MWC Tournament With New Mexico

March 11, 2008

University of Utah Runnin' Utes

(16-13, No. 6 Seed)

vs.

New Mexico Lobos

(24-7, No. 3 Seed)

Game No. 30 ? Thursday, March 13 ? 8:30 p.m. PDT
Thomas & Mack Center ? Las Vegas

Game Information
Series: Utah leads, 76-45
Series Streak: New Mexico has won 2
Last Meeting: New Mexico 72, Utah 71 (2/23/2008)
Last Meeting in MWC Tournament: New Mexico 56, Utah 50 (3/12/2005)

Television: The Mtn./CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV)
Radio: Utah Sports Radio Network
Mike Lageschulte (play by play), Jimmy Soto (color analyst)
UtahUtes.com: Audio/live stats

Complete Release in PDF Format

Runnin' Utes Open MWC Tournament Play With New Mexico
The University of Utah men's basketball team will face New Mexico in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament Thursday. The Ute-Lobo contest tips off at 8:30 p.m. PST at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center and will air on The Mtn. and CBS College Sports.

Utah enters Thursday's game with a 16-13 overall record and is the No. 6 seed in the tournament. The Utes dropped a 70-63 decision to UNLV Saturday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah held the lead for much of the second half. But UNLV's Curtis Terry scored 22 points and dished out 10 assists to lead the Rebels to a comeback win. Luke Nevill scored 22 points for Utah in the loss.

New Mexico comes into Thursday's matchup coming off a 71-52 victory at Colorado State. The Lobos are 24-7 overall and are the No. 3 seed in the tournament. New Mexico has won eight of its last nine, with its lone loss in that stretch coming in overtime at BYU. Utah took the Lobos into overtime in Albuquerque, back on Jan. 22. New Mexico edged the Utes by one point on Feb. 23 in Salt Lake City.

Runnin' Ute Fast Breaks
? Two Utah players are averaging double-digit points per game, while three more average 7.4 or more.
? Utah has had the edge in bench points 24 times in 29 games this year. Utah held a 36-9 edge off the bench in Saturday's loss at UNLV.
? Utah has held six 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 holds a 512-330 (.608) record against current members of the Mountain West Conference. The Utes have a .500-or-better record against every other member of the league.
? The Runnin' Utes currently rank No. 1 in the MWC in field-goal percentage. Utah is converting at a .484 clip from the field, which also ranks No. 17 in the nation in the latest NCAA rankings.
? Utah is No. 4 in the MWC in scoring defense, allowing 62.7 points per game. The Runnin' Utes have held all but four of their opponents below their current averages in regulation play this season.

Take Two, They're Free
With an 8-of-10 performance Tuesday vs. Colorado State, Utah is still the top free-throw shooting team (by percentage) in the Mountain West Conference. The Utes are converting at a rate of .751 from the charity stripe. They are ranked No. 1 in the MWC and No. 17 in the nation in the most recent statistical reports. While Utah has shot the ball very well at the line for much of the season, the Utes continue to struggle getting there. Utah ranks last in the MWC in free throws attempted per game (15.3).

Nevill's Notes
Junior center Luke Nevill ranked ninth in the nation in field-goal percentage last season, shooting .637. The 7-1 Aussie hasn't been quite that hot this season. However, he has heated up since coming off the bench in the last three games, going 25-of-43 (.581) and has raised his overall field-goal percentage to .544 (No. 2 in MWC). Nevill has averaged 21 points over the last three contests. Nevill's 1.62 blocked shots per game is No. 1 in the MWC. His 47 rejections this season are the most for a Ute since Andrew Bogut swatted 65 shots in 2004-05.

Johnnie's Jumpers
Senior guard Johnnie Bryant has been the team's No. 1 or No. 2 scorer for much of the season, despite coming off the bench. He is averaging 14.2 points per game and currently ranks 3rd in the MWC and 10th in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage, hitting at a .453 clip. He is the only non-starter in the Mountain West Conference's top 10 scorers. In fact, he ranks No. 1 in the nation in scoring among all players who have not started a game this season. Bryant is No. 2 among players who have started fewer than one-quarter of their team's contests.

-UU-

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