Utah Men's Basketball Battles Boise State Tomorrow Night

12/2/2013 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Dec. 2, 2013

GameTracker | Live Radio | Game Notes

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3

Match-up: Utah Runnin' Utes vs. Boise State Broncos
Tipoff: 8:05 p.m.
Location: Boise, Idaho
Arena: Taco Bell Arena

TV (For Utah Game)
CBS Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Rich Waltz
Analyst: Alaa Abdelnaby

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

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

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UtahMBasketball
Twitter: @Runnin_Utes

Utah Athletics
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Twitter: @utahathletics

News and Notes

• Utah is currently on its first six-game winning streak under head coach Larry Krystkowiak and has won 10 of 11 dating back to last season

• Utah has started 6-0 for the first time since 1998 and only the fourth time since 1968. This is the first time the Utes have won six in a row by double figures since 2005.

• Utah sits second in the league in scoring at 90.7 points per contest this season (UCLA - 90.9). They also sit atop the league defensively, allowing foes to score an average of only 56.8 points per game.

• This will be the seventh matchup all-time between the Utes and Broncos with Utah holding a 4-2 advantage in the series.

• As of Monday, there were 21 unbeaten teams in Division I. This contest pits two of those programs against one another.

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 18.2 percent shooting (22-121) 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 (3rd), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th), scoring defense (5th), field goal percentage (6th) and rebound margin (7th).

Utah Blows Out Boise State, 76-55

Last season in Salt Lake City, Jarred DuBois scored 18 points and Utah cruised to a 76-55 win over Boise State. Senior Jason Washburn finished in double figures, notching 13 points and grabbing six rebounds.

Jordan Loveridge was in double figures, adding 11 points for the Utes and corralling five rebounds. The two players combined to make 11-of-14 shots.

Glen Dean scored eight points and dished out six assists but was even a larger factor on the defensive end, finishing with a career-high nine boards. The Utes' 68 percent accuracy from the field was the best since a 71 percent mark against Air Force in 2007.

The Utes' offense recorded 20 assists on 27 baskets as they posted their largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent since beating Southern 88-48 in 2009.

Last Time Out

Delon Wright put his stamp on both ends of the court, scoring a career-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, dishing out seven assists and grabbing five steals to lead Utah to an 88-69 victory over Ball State on Wednesday night.

Making his first collegiate start, Princeton Onwas added 13 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in as many games. Brandon Taylor chipped in 17 points and five assists to keep the Utes (6-0) perfect on the season.

Dallin Bachynski had another solid game off the bench scoring a season-high nine points as Utah shot over 50 percent from the field for the fifth time in six outings this year.

The Utes also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Cardinals 44-24. Utah imposed their will in transition, outscoring Ball State 16-2 in fast-break points and scoring 18 points off 15 turnovers.

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.

Utah Adds Three for 2014-15

Utah men's basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak announced the addition of three players, Brekkott Chapman, Kyle Kuzma and Isaiah Wright, for the 2014-15 season.

Kyle Kuzma is originally from Burton, Michigan. Scout.com currently lists Kuzma as the 25th best power forward in the nation for his class and ESPN recently featured him as a four-star commit that could potentially be a centerpiece to a team. The 6-9 wing averaged 22 points and seven rebounds to lead Rise Academy in his first year against national competition. Kuzma selected Utah over UConn, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Tennessee and Seton Hall

Brekkott Chapman is a local product having attended Roy High School in Roy, Utah. The 6-8 forward is ranked No. 12 in the class of 2014 by ESPN and also plays for the Utah Prospects AAU team. Chapman picked Utah over Arizona, ASU, BYU, Colorado, Gonzaga and UCLA after averaging averaged 19 points and 8.6 rebounds last season. He will join another local standout, Jordan Loveridge, who was widely regarded as the state's top prospect for 2012.

Isaiah Wright, a 6-2 point guard, attends Borah High School in Boise, Idaho. The 2013 Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year averaged 16.2 points, 6.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 steals as a junior as he chose the Utes over Boise State and Creighton. Wright's accolades also include being named the 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year and MVP of the 5A Idaho State Tournament while leading his squad to a state title.

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. 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

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.