Utes Back Home to Host Stanford on Thursday

Thursday, February 8

Salt Lake City, Utah

6:00 PM

University of Utah

Stanford

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2/6/2018 9:39 AM | Men's Basketball

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Thursday's contest marks Utah's #HuntsmanStrong game

GAME 23 | Utah (13-9, 5-6) vs. Stanford (13-11, 7-4)
DATE/TIP-OFF: Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018 | 6 p.m. MT
LOCATION: Salt Lake City, Utah (Huntsman Center)
TELEVISION: FS1
TALENT: Kevin Burkhardt (PxP), Steve Lavin (Color)
RADIO: Utah Radio Sports Network
TALENT: Bill Riley (PxP), Jimmy Soto (Color)
TICKETS: UtahTickets.com

THE GAME
The Utah Runnin' Utes (13-9, 5-6) return home to host the Stanford Cardinal (13-11, 7-4) in Pac-12 Conference action this Thursday, Feb. 8, in Salt Lake City. Tip-off between the Utes and Cardinal is set for 6 p.m. MT at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Utah will close out the week hosting the California Golden Bears (8-16, 2-9) this Saturday, Feb. 10. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. MT.

COVERING THE RUNNIN' UTES
Thursday's contest against the Cardinal will be televised live on FS1. Kevin Burkhardt will call the action and Steve Lavin will be on-hand to offer color commentary for the broadcast.

Fans can also follow the action on-line by logging onto FoxSportsGo.com or watching via smart phones and tablets using the Fox Sports GO Apps, which can be downloaded at the Apple Store, Google Play Store or Amazon Apps Store.

Additionally, the contest can be found on the Utah Sports Radio Network (ESPN 700). Bill Riley will provide play-by-play commentary, with the assistance of in-game analyst Jimmy Soto.

Live stats will be provided for the game with links found at www.UtahUtes.com.

#HUNTSMANSTRONG
Thursday's contest against Stanford is Utah's Cancer Awareness/Huntsman Strong game. There will be a teddy bear toss, which is presented by Utah's Local Ford Stores. During halftime, the Runnin' Utes will engage in their annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Utah Local Ford Stores. All fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to the Huntsman Center to toss on court during a special halftime presentation centered around Cancer Awareness.

Prior to the game on Thursday, the Utah Athletics department will share a video tribute and pause for a moment of silence, honoring Mr. Jon M. Huntsman, who passed away last week.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah snapped a seven-game winning streak against Colorado, falling to the Buffs, 67-55, last Friday evening at Coors Events Center in Boulder. The Utes shot just .351 percent from the field - the team's second-lowest field goal percentage on the season - while scoring the fewest points on the season.

Utah came out and scored six of the game's first eight points, and later led 20-17 following a three-pointer from Gabe Bealer, but CU closed out the first half on a 10-0 run and proceeded to earn the victory after leading by as many as 21 points late in the contest.

David Collette led the Utes with eight points as Utah was held without a single player scoring in double-digits for the first time this season. It marked the first time that Utah did not have a player score in double figures for the first time since Brandon Taylor led the squad with nine points in a loss at San Diego State back on Nov. 18, 2014.

SCOUTING STANFORD
The Cardinal comes into Salt Lake City following a two-game sweep over the Oregon schools this past weekend. Stanford downed Oregon State last Thursday, 80-71, and then closed out the weekend downing Oregon, 96-61, at Maples Pavilion this past Saturday. Prior to the wins, Stanford had lost three straight (Arizona, USC, UCLA). Before its three-game losing skid, the Cardinal had won five straight Pac-12 games, which included home wins over both USC and UCLA, and then No. 16-ranked Arizona State, along with a road win against Washington in Seattle.

Travis Reid leads Stanford with 19.5 points a game and he is tied for the team lead with 7.7 rebounds per contest. He is also first on the team and first in the Pac-12 with 174 free throw attempts. Despite getting to the free throw line more than any player in the conference, Reid is converting just 66.1 percent of his efforts from the charity stripe. Michael Humphrey also pulls down 7.7 boards per game and he has a 10.9 points per game scoring average. Dorian Pickens ranks second on the team with 15.5 points per game. Daejon Davis has tallied 107 assists and ranks sixth in the league with 4.9 assists per game.

Stanford is averaging 76.1 points per game, but is giving up 74.6 points per game to opposing squads, which includes a 73.1 points per game average to opposing teams when on the road. The Cardinal is just 2-3 in true road games this season - 2-7 overall away from Maples Pavilion.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE CARDINAL
Despite Utah leading the all-time series, 19-13, the series is tied 5-5 in the past 10 meetings. The two teams have split the season series the past two seasons, with the home team getting the win both years. The last time a home team in the series suffered a loss, the Utes fell 87-56 to the Cardinal at the Huntsman Center back on Jan. 27, 2013. Minus that loss, Utah is 12-3 all-time when playing Stanford at home.

UP NEXT
Utah hosts the California Golden Bears in the 1998 Final Four Reunion game this Saturday, Feb. 10th at 7:30 p.m. MT. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the 1998 team will be signing autographs in the Huntsman Center concourse, between doors 3 and 4, from 6-7 p.m. At halftime, the Runnin' Utes will implement a special ceremony commemorating the 20-year anniversary of the 1998 team.