Utah Men's Basketball Hosts Ball State on Wednesday

11/25/2013 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Nov. 25, 2013

GameTracker | Live Radio | Ticket Information | Game Notes

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27

Match-up: Utah Runnin' Utes vs. Ball State Cardinals
Tipoff: 8 p.m.
Location: Salt Lake City
Arena: Jon M. Huntsman Center

TV (For Utah Game)
Pac-12 Network
Play-by-Play: Paul Sunderland
Analyst: Matt Muehlebach

Radio
Utah Sports Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Bill Riley
Analyst: Jimmy Soto

Utah Food Drive
Fans who bring a non-perishable food item to the gates of the Huntsman Center will receive free admission into the upper bowl with the option to upgrade to the lower bowl for $5.

Internet
For up-to-date information including live stats, game notes, media guides, ticketing and more, visit www.UtahUtes.com.

Ticket Information
For information about season tickets, game package options, single game tickets and Section J Bounce Back deals, please visit Utah Tickets

Connect with the Utes

Men's Basketball
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UtahMBasketball
Twitter: @Runnin_Utes

Utah Athletics
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uathletics
Twitter: @utahathletics

News and Notes

• Utah is currently on its first five-game winning streak under head coach Larry Krystkowiak and has won nine of 10 dating back to last season

• Utah has started 5-0 for the first time since 1998 and only third time since 1968.

• The Utes won the only previous matchup with the Cardinals during the 1992 NIT at the Huntsman Center.

• Former Utah head coach Rick Majerus was the head coach for two seasons (1987-89) at Ball State, going 43-17 and leading them to the NCAA Second Round with a 29-3 record his final year in Muncie

• Utah leads the league in scoring at 91.2 points per contest this season. They also sit atop the league defensively, allowing foes to score an average of only 54.4 points per game.

Utah in the National Rankings

The Utes currently lead the nation in two key defensive categories - three-point field goal percentage and fouls per game.

Utah has limited its opponents to 13.8 percent shooting (13-94) from distance after ranking third in the Pac-12 last season at 33.2 percent.

With fouls per game increasing across the nation, Utah has done a fantastic job adjusting to the new rules. It leads the nation by only committing 12.8 fouls per contest.

Utah also ranks among the top-10 nationally in scoring margin (+36.8, 3rd), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.94, 4th), scoring defense (54.4, 5th), field goal percentage (54.5, 6th) and rebound margin (+15.2, 7th).

Last Time Out

Jordan Loveridge scored a career-high 25 points and pulled down nine rebounds to help Utah close out the Global Sports Hoops Showcase with a 71-57 victory over Savannah State on Saturday night.

Princeton Onwas added 14 points off the bench and Delon Wright chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and four steals to lead the Utes (5-0) to their third victory in three days. Utah also used good free-throw shooting to put away the pesky Tigers, connecting on 25-of-27 tries from the stripe.

Utes Make Huntsman History

Utah demolished Evergreen State in their season opener, 128-44 as the team broke the century mark for the first time since last year's opener against Willamette (104-47) and in the process captured their fourth-straight season opener.

Utah set a number of records on the evening including most points ever in the Huntsman Center and largest margin of victory against an opposing college. The 128 points were four shy of the all-time single-game mark of 132 scored against Evansville back in 1960.

Returners

Jordan Loveridge impressed in his first year with the Utes finishing in the top 10 in the league in rebounding and top 25 in scoring. He put the rest of college basketball on notice from the get-go as he grabbed a double-double in his first collegiate game The versatile forward also shot 39 percent from three-point land, good for seventh in the league.

Brandon Taylor took over the point guard spot midway through the season. He burst on the scene with 19 points and a season-high six assists in Utah's first Pac-12 road win in program history at Washington. From there, he started every game and finished second in the Pac-12 in three-point shooting. Dakarai Tucker scored a career-high in his first collegiate outing and earned valuable experience by playing in 25 games as a true freshman. Lenz, the lone senior on this year's outfit, played in all but one game after transferring in from Arizona Western College and started a couple contests at power forward for the Utes.

Olsen and Bachynski each returned from LDS missions and contributed right away for the Utes. Olsen played in 21 of the team's final 22 games last season while Bachynski was a starter during non-conference play, notching a 22-point, 16-rebound performance.

Newcomers

Utah added some talented new players to the roster that should be able to contribute immediately and have a profound impact on the team this season. Delon Wright, was named the his conference's player of the year after leading San Francisco City College to a 26-2 record and the California State Championship as a freshman.

Kenneth Ogbe hails from Germany where he played in one of the country's top leagues. He was a member of the German national squad that participated in the Nike Global Challenge and German High School National Championships.

Ahmad Fields and Parker Van Dyke are also backcourt additions for the Utes Fields averaged 17 points per game at Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia and then suited up for DC Assault, one of the most renowned AAU programs in the country. Van Dyke is a local product and was the 4A Player of the Year according to the Salt Lake Tribune after leading the state in scoring with 24.7 points per game.

In the post, Utah brought in two players, Marko Kovacevic and Princeton Onwas. Onwas earned a reputation as being one of the most explosive wings in the junior college ranks earning All-Region honors at Navarro College. Kovacevic was among the leading rebounders and most efficient shooters in NJCAA Region IX.

The 2013-14 Schedule

The Runnin' Utes will play 11 of their 12 non-conference games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center with the only road trip occurring on Dec. 3 at Boise State. Utah will host an early-season tournament around Thanksgiving for the second-straight year entertaining Division 1 newcomer Grand Canyon, Lamar and Savannah State.

November closes with a home contest against Ball State, where the late Rick Majerus coached from 1987-89. Another key contest for many will be the Deseret First Duel against BYU on Dec. 14.

The Runnin' Utes are scheduled to open league play in 2014 with reigning Pac-12 tournament champion Oregon and Oregon State on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4, respectively. Following their first conference road trip, Utah returns home for showdowns against the So Cal squads, USC and UCLA.

The second half of league play begins when Washington and Washington State visit Salt Lake City the first week of February. The Utes' longest homestand happens at the end of the season when Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado make visits to the Huntsman Center.

The Pac-12 Tournament is set for March 12-15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

2012-13 was a Banner Year in the Classroom

Utah was one of 23 Division 1 schools to earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award and one of only six "power conference" programs to receive the award joining Kentucky, Louisville, Stanford, Texas and Texas Tech. The Utes also had the highest NCAA Graduation Success Rate of any team in the Pac-12.

Four players, David Foster, Renan Lenz, Ryan Osterloh and Xan Ricketts were recognized for their hard work in the classroom and named to the NABC Honors Court. The men's basketball team also had more than 50 percent of its team make the honor roll and posted a team GPA of 3.235.

Huntsman Center Records

The Runnin' Utes are 548-145 (.791) all-time in their current home, the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah's benchmark 500th win in the 42-year old facility came on Dec. 6, 2008, as the Utes posted a 91-61 blowout of eventual Southeastern Conference champion LSU.

Utah finished 11-7 at home last season and has finished with a winning record in 38 of the 29 seasons played at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, the largest arena in the Pac-12.

In conference home games over the last 18 years, Utah is 140-34 (.805). Utah got its first Pac-12 victory in school history at home against Washington State, 62-60, in overtime on Jan. 5, 2012.

Utes to Play 29 Live Televised Regular-Season Games

Utah will play 29 live televised games this year, including every conference contest and each game played in the Pac-12 Tournament.

The Runnin' Utes will appear on the Pac-12 Network 23 times in the regular season. Utah will also play on Fox Sports 1 three times, ESPNU twice and make one appearance on CBS Sports Network.