Jan. 31, 2008

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Runnin' Utes Head to Front Range for Matchup With Rams
The University of Utah men's basketball team will be looking to rebound from a home loss to Wyoming Saturday, when they head to Fort Collins, Colo. this weekend. The Runnin' Utes will face Colorado State at 7 p.m. Saturday at Moby Arena. Saturday's game will be heard on the Utah Sports Radio Network.

Utah enters Saturday's game with an 11-8 overall record and a 2-4 MWC mark. The Utes struggled for much of the night in a 69-64 loss to Wyoming Wednesday. Luke Nevill scored a season-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting for the Utes. However, the rest of Nevill's teammates combined to make just 14 of their 41 field-goal attempts and only one other Ute -- Tyler Kepkay (11) -- reached double digits

Colorado State enters this weekend's action with a 6-14 overall record. The Rams are 0-6 in Mountain West Conference play. However, CSU has been a tough out at home in conference play. Two of the Rams' three home conference losses have been by three points or less. In their most recent loss, an 83-82 setback to San Diego State on Tuesday, the Aztecs needed a late 3-pointer to take the victory.

Runnin' Ute Fast Breaks
• Two Utah players are averaging double-digit points per game, while three more average 7.6 or more.
• Utah trailed at halftime vs. Wyoming Wednesday night. The Utes are now 0-7 when the scoreboard does not read in their favor at the intermission.
• Utah has held five different opponents to 54 points or less this season. The Runnin' Utes did not hold a single 2006-07 opponent to less than 55 points.
• Utah holds a 507-325 (.609) record against current members of the Mountain West Conference. The Utes are .500-or-better against the other eight MWC teams.
• The Utes currently rank No. 1 in the MWC in field-goal percentage. Utah is currently converting at a .490 clip.
• Utah is No. 3 in the MWC in scoring defense, allowing 61.4 points per game. However, the Runnin' Utes are just 7th in the league in scoring offense, averaging 68.3 points per contest.

Match Game
Utah was 11-19 last season and have already matched that win total this year. The Utes are 11-8, picking up their 11 wins in 18 outings. The 11th victory last season didn't come until the 28th game of the season. Utah needs just three more wins to reach the 14 victories that the 2005-06 team put together.

Hot Hand Luke
Junior center Luke Nevill ranked ninth in the nation in field-goal percentage last season, shooting .637. The 7-foot 1-inch Aussie hasn't been quite that hot this season, but he has warmed up a bit as of late and converted at least 50 percent of his shot attempts in all but four games this season. He currently ranks 4th in the conference and 90th in the nation in field-goal percentage. Nevill's current field-goal percentage is .531. He is 18-of-28 (.643) from the field in his last three outings, which has raised his percentage from .512 to .531.

-UU-