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The University of Utah Athletics
Wednesday, March 14
Salt Lake City, Utah
7:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
UC Davis
Utah Set to Host UC Davis in NIT First Round
3/12/2018 3:56 PM | Men's Basketball
Tip-off between Utes and Aggies set for 7 p.m.
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Runnin' Utes (19-11) will head to the postseason for a fifth straight season after earning an at-large bid to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Utes will host UC Davis (22-10) at the Jon M. Huntsman Center this Wednesday, March 14. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT in Salt Lake City.
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COVERING THE RUNNIN' UTES
Wednesday's contest against the Aggies will be televised live on ESPN3/WatchESPN. Steve Quis will call the action and Ben Braun will be on-hand to offer color commentary for the broadcast.
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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.
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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.
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Live stats will be provided for the game with links found at www.UtahUtes.com.
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NIT INFORMATION
Notre Dame, Baylor, USC and St. Mary's earned No. 1 seeds in the 32-team NIT field that was released on Sunday. The field features 22 teams with at least 20 wins, 12 automatic qualifiers and representation from 21 of the 32 Division I conferences.
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First round play is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14, with the second round running March 16-19. Quarterfinals will be held on March 20 and 21 and four teams will advance to New York City for the semifinals on Tuesday, March 27. The NIT will conclude with the Championship game on Thursday, March 29. The semifinal and championship games will be played at New York's historic Madison Square Garden for the 81st year.
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NIT games are being televised by ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. Additional NIT information can be found on www.NCAA.com/NIT.
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UTAH IN THE NIT
This marks the 44th post-season appearance in school history, and the 14th appearance for the Utes in the NIT. Utah will make its second-consecutive NIT appearance after earning an at-large bid into the tournament last season.
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The Utes are 11-12 all-time in the NIT. Utah won the NIT in 1947 as head coach Vadal Peterson's team defeated Kentucky (49-45) behind the play of Vern Gardner, who was named the tournament's MVP. The Utes reached the NIT Championship again in 1974, but fell to Purdue. Despite the loss, Mike Sojourner was named MVP.
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In 1992, Utah lost in the semifinals to Notre Dame but won the third-place game against Florida. The Utes fell to Memphis in the first-round of the 1992 NIT Championship. The last time Utah played in the NIT, the Utes fell to Boise State in the first-round a year ago.
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This marks the fifth time a Utah program has hosted a game in the NIT after hosting Boise State last season. Utah is 2-2 all-time when hosting a game in the NIT.
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SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies went 21-9 overall in the regular-season, while capturing the Big West season title with a mark of 12-4. UC Davis defeated UC Riverside, 70-66, in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Tournament, but the fell, 55-52, to Cal State Fullerton in the semifinals. UC Davis, who earned a No. 7 seed in the NIT, will bring an overall record of 22-10 into the tournament.
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UC Davis' Chima Moneke leads the team with 18.4 points per game, but the senior out of Canberra, Australia, has not played for the Aggies since being suspended indefinitely back on Feb. 3. All-Big West First Team, Player and Newcomer of the Year, TJ Shorts II, has tallied 15.0 points per game, while leading the Big West Conference in and steals (63) and ranking second in the league in assists (141). Siler Schneider, who was an All-Big West Second Team selection, ranks third on the team with a 14.0 points per game average.
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The Aggies rank second in the Big West giving up just 67.9 points to opposing teams, while ranking first in the league in steals (7.1/game) and three-point shooting defense (.327). The Aggies tallied a Big West-high 226 total steals on the season and 15.56 forced turnovers per game.
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HISTORY WITH THE AGGIES
Utah and UC Davis will be meeting for just the third time in a series that dates back to 1990. Utah won the first-ever meeting, 106-72, back on Nov. 24, 1990, in Salt Lake City. The Utes won the previous and only other meeting between the two teams, downing the Aggies 94-60 in Salt Lake City back on Nov. 15, 2013.
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UP NEXT
If Utah wins its first-round match-up against UC Davis, Utah would host the winner of No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Louisiana. The game would take place next Monday, March 19, in Salt Lake City. Tip-off time is still TBA.
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COVERING THE RUNNIN' UTES
Wednesday's contest against the Aggies will be televised live on ESPN3/WatchESPN. Steve Quis will call the action and Ben Braun will be on-hand to offer color commentary for the broadcast.
Â
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.
Â
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.
Â
Live stats will be provided for the game with links found at www.UtahUtes.com.
Â
NIT INFORMATION
Notre Dame, Baylor, USC and St. Mary's earned No. 1 seeds in the 32-team NIT field that was released on Sunday. The field features 22 teams with at least 20 wins, 12 automatic qualifiers and representation from 21 of the 32 Division I conferences.
Â
First round play is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14, with the second round running March 16-19. Quarterfinals will be held on March 20 and 21 and four teams will advance to New York City for the semifinals on Tuesday, March 27. The NIT will conclude with the Championship game on Thursday, March 29. The semifinal and championship games will be played at New York's historic Madison Square Garden for the 81st year.
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NIT games are being televised by ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3. Additional NIT information can be found on www.NCAA.com/NIT.
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UTAH IN THE NIT
This marks the 44th post-season appearance in school history, and the 14th appearance for the Utes in the NIT. Utah will make its second-consecutive NIT appearance after earning an at-large bid into the tournament last season.
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The Utes are 11-12 all-time in the NIT. Utah won the NIT in 1947 as head coach Vadal Peterson's team defeated Kentucky (49-45) behind the play of Vern Gardner, who was named the tournament's MVP. The Utes reached the NIT Championship again in 1974, but fell to Purdue. Despite the loss, Mike Sojourner was named MVP.
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In 1992, Utah lost in the semifinals to Notre Dame but won the third-place game against Florida. The Utes fell to Memphis in the first-round of the 1992 NIT Championship. The last time Utah played in the NIT, the Utes fell to Boise State in the first-round a year ago.
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This marks the fifth time a Utah program has hosted a game in the NIT after hosting Boise State last season. Utah is 2-2 all-time when hosting a game in the NIT.
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SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies went 21-9 overall in the regular-season, while capturing the Big West season title with a mark of 12-4. UC Davis defeated UC Riverside, 70-66, in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Tournament, but the fell, 55-52, to Cal State Fullerton in the semifinals. UC Davis, who earned a No. 7 seed in the NIT, will bring an overall record of 22-10 into the tournament.
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UC Davis' Chima Moneke leads the team with 18.4 points per game, but the senior out of Canberra, Australia, has not played for the Aggies since being suspended indefinitely back on Feb. 3. All-Big West First Team, Player and Newcomer of the Year, TJ Shorts II, has tallied 15.0 points per game, while leading the Big West Conference in and steals (63) and ranking second in the league in assists (141). Siler Schneider, who was an All-Big West Second Team selection, ranks third on the team with a 14.0 points per game average.
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The Aggies rank second in the Big West giving up just 67.9 points to opposing teams, while ranking first in the league in steals (7.1/game) and three-point shooting defense (.327). The Aggies tallied a Big West-high 226 total steals on the season and 15.56 forced turnovers per game.
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HISTORY WITH THE AGGIES
Utah and UC Davis will be meeting for just the third time in a series that dates back to 1990. Utah won the first-ever meeting, 106-72, back on Nov. 24, 1990, in Salt Lake City. The Utes won the previous and only other meeting between the two teams, downing the Aggies 94-60 in Salt Lake City back on Nov. 15, 2013.
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UP NEXT
If Utah wins its first-round match-up against UC Davis, Utah would host the winner of No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Louisiana. The game would take place next Monday, March 19, in Salt Lake City. Tip-off time is still TBA.
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