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Men's Basketball
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The University of Utah Athletics
Thursday, March 2
Salt Lake City, Utah
9:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
California
Utah Opens Final Home Stand Hosting Cal on Thursday
2/27/2017 4:08 PM | Men's Basketball
Utes coming off road win at Colorado last week
| Â Game 29 | Utah (18-10, 9-7) vs. California (19-9, 10-6) | |
| DATE | Thursday, March 2 | 9 p.m. MST |
| LOCATION | Huntsman Center | Salt Lake City |
| TELEVISION | ESPNU | WatchESPN |
| RADIO | ESPN 700 |
| LIVE STATS | Live Stats |
| SERIES/STREAK | California leads 14-13 | Cal, Won 1 |
| LAST GAME | Utah 75, California 77 (2OT) | Feb. 2, 2017 |
FAST BREAKS
• Utah moved back into sole possession of fifth-place in the Pac-12 standings following its win at Colorado last Thursday. The Utes are one game back of California (10-6) and ahead of USC by one game.
• Junior Kyle Kuzma, who is coming off a 25-point performance at Colorado, continues to average a double-double on the season with team-highs in both points (16.2 ppg) and rebounds (10.0 rpg).
• With Utah's 86-81 win over Colorado this past Thursday, the Utes have now tallied 80 points or more in 16 games overall and in eight Pac-12 Conference games. Utah's 77.9 points-per-game scoring average in conference play in on pace to eclipse the program's highest scoring average since joining the league in 2011-12.
THE GAME
The Utah Runnin' Utes (18-10, 9-7) close out regular-season play this week, taking on both Bay Area squads. The Utes open the week hosting the California Golden Bears (19-9, 10-6) this Thursday, March 2, at the Huntsman Center. Tip-off between the Utes and Bears is set for 9 p.m. MST.
Utah will close out the regular-season hosting the Stanford Cardinal (14-14, 6-10) this Saturday, March 4. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks and is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m. from the Huntsman Center.
COVERING THE RUNNIN' UTES
Thursday's contest will be televised live on ESPNU. Roy Philpott will call the action, while Brad Daugherty provides color commentary for the game.
Fans can also follow the action on-line by logging onto watchespn.com or watching via smart phones and tablets using the ESPN or WatchESPN Apps, which can be downloaded at the Apple Store, Google Play Store or Amazon Apps Store.
Additionally, the game can be found on the Utah Sports Radio Network (ESPN 700). Bill Riley will provide play-by-play, with the assistance of in-game analyst Jimmy Soto.
Live stats will be provided for the game with links to the contest found at www.UtahUtes.com or www.StatBroadcast.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah picked up a key victory in its final road game of the regular season, downing Colorado 86-81 this past Thursday at Coors Events Center.
• Utah converted 78 percent from the free throw line, while knocking down a season-high 25 of its 32 attempts from the charity stripe.
• Utah's 78 percent effort from the free throw line is a season-best in Pac-12-only games, surpassing the 76 percent effort it tallied against USC back on Jan. 12.
• The 25 made free throws are the most made since draining 25 free throws against California in the Pac-12 Tournament last season. It is the most made in a regular season game since pouring in 26 FT's against Temple back on Nov. 22, 2015.
• Both teams combined to make 46 free throws (Colorado, 21) on the night. It is the most combined free throws made in a game since Utah and Stanford combined for 51 FT's made Utah, 32; Stanford 19) back on Jan. 30, 2016.
• The Utes shot 55.3 percent from the field, going 26-for-47 in the game. It was the 11th time this season that Utah has posted a 50 percent effort or better in conference play.
• The Utes shot 47 percent from three-point range (9-of-19), registering 40 percent or better from downtown for the ninth time against Pac-12 opponents and for the 13th time overall.
• Kyle Kuzma totaled 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and a 10-of-12 effort from the charity stripe. The 10 made free throws were a new career-high for the junior.
• David Collette scored 14 points in the game, giving the junior a double-digit scoring effort for the 18th time in as many games played this season.
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
• The Golden Bears remain a game ahead of the Utes and are in sole possession of fourth place in Pac-12 play after going 1-1 this past weekend.
• Cal dropped a last-second contest to Oregon (68-65) this past Wednesday, but rebounded with a 30-point win over Oregon State (76-46) on Friday.
• The win over the Beavers snapped a three-game losing streak. Cal had won five straight prior to the three straight losses.
• Cal ranks 11th in the nation and first in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage-defense (.392).
• The Bears also rank among the nation's top 25 teams in rebounding margin (10th, +7.9), scoring defense (12th, 62.3), defensive rebounds (19th, 28.0) and total rebounds (21st, 39.7).
• Jabari Bird is one of four Cal players averaging in double figures, leading the team with a 14.7 points per game average. Ivan Rabb follows with 14.6 ppg, but leads his squad and ranks first in the league with a 10.7 rebounds per game average.
• Rabb's 10.7 rebounds per game also ranks 10th overall in the nation.
• Rabb is tied with Utah's Kyle Kuzma for most double-doubles on the season (15).
• Kingsley Okoroh ranks third in the Pac-12 and 31st in the nation with 2.2 blocked shots per game. His 62 total blocks ranks third in Pac-12 and 29th in the nation.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BEARS
With its 77-75 double-overtime victory over the Utes earlier in the season, California moved to 14-13 to take a one-game lead in the all-time series. Despite the loss,Utah has still managed to win five the past seven contests dating back to 2013. The Utes are 7-5 all-time when facing the Bears in Salt Lake City, which includes Utah's current two-game winning streak over the Bears inside the Huntsman Center.
The Utes and Bears have played to overtime in two straight games and three of the past seven contests overall. This past Feb. 2, Utah and Cal went to double-overtime in Berkeley. It was the first double-overtime game for the Utes since Feb. 24, 2007 (New Mexico).
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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