Utah Men's Basketball Feuds with Fresno State on Saturday

12/5/2013 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Dec. 5, 2013

GameTracker | Live Radio | Ticket Information | Game Notes

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7

Match-up: Utah Runnin' Utes vs. Fresno State Bulldogs
Tipoff: 3 p.m.
Location: Salt Lake City
Arena: Jon M. Huntsman Center

TV
Pac-12 Network
Play-by-Play: Paul Sunderland
Analyst: Matt Muehlebach

Radio
Utah Sports Radio Network
99.1 FM
Play-by-Play: Steve Klauke
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

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Twitter: @Runnin_Utes

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Twitter: @utahathletics

News and Notes

• Utah has its first six-game winning streak under head coach Larry Krystkowiak snapped this week at Boise State. The Utes have won 10 of their last 12 dating back to last season.

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

• Utah sits atop the league defensively, allowing foes to score an average of only 58.6 points per game. A big part of that has been their perimeter defense, alos tops in the Pac-12 at 19.3 percent.

• Fresno State currently ranks 56th in the latest RPI and won consecutive overtime games last week to push its record to 6-3 on the season.

Utah in the National Rankings

The Utes currently lead the nation in field-goal percentage on two-pointers at 62.4 percent. However, the squad ranks 129th in three-point field goal percentage. Utah ranks third in the nation in overall field-goal percentage at 53.1 percent.

Using possession statistics, Utah ranks fourth in the nation in floor percentage, scoring on 48 percent of the time they have the basketball. That is tempered a little by the Utes ranking 227th in tempo, averaging 68.8 possessions per 40 minutes.

Other areas where the Utes are excelling nationally are assists per game (18.6 - 5th), 3-point field goal defense (19.3 - 4th), rebounds per game (41.0 - 10th) and fouls per game (13.3 - 1st).

Wright Having Quite a Debut

The junior transfer has burst on the scene during his first season with the Utes. Delon Wright has scored in double figures during every contest, including a career-high 23 against Ball State. He has also notched two double-doubles and picked up 4+ assists in all but one game.

Wright also ranks third nationally with 3.6 per contest and is fourth in field-goal percentage, converting 74.1 percent of his attempts.

According to KenPom stats, Wright is ranked third nationally in efficiency at 25.6 and tops in assist percentage.

Last Time Out

Jordan Loveridge scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, but Utah lost to Boise State 69-67 on Tuesday night. The Utes and Broncos entered the contest as two of the remaining 20 undefeated teams in the nation.

Delon Wright added 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while Kenneth Ogbe connected on three 3-pointers, giving him nine points in the contest. Utah played a majority of the game without starter Princeton Onwas who was ejected with 3:05 remaining in the first half after being whistled for a Flagrant 2.

The Utes were held to a season-low 67 points while allowing a season-high 69 to the Broncos. Utah also struggled from beyond the arc (7-of-29) and at the charity stripe (8-of-15).

Loveridge hit a 3-pointer with 1:46 left to give Utah a 66-65 lead and Derrick Marks answered with a floater in the lane with 49 seconds left and hit two free throws with 16.7 seconds remaining. Loveridge missed a tying 3-point attempt with seven seconds to go.

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.

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.

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. 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.