Jan. 11, 2001

The Utes are 9-6 on the season after winning five of their last seven games. Utah opened Mountain West Conference play with an 83-71 win over Wyoming on Monday night in Salt Lake City.

Utah has four players averaging eight points per game or better, with two in double figures. Junior guard Kevin Bradley, coming off the bench the past three games, leads the team in scoring (10.5 ppg), shooting 37.9 percent from three-point range, and assists (2.5 apg). Junior forward Phil Cullen is second in scoring (10.4 ppg), shooting 42.0 percent from three-point range, and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg). Senior center Nate Althoff (9.4 ppg) is third in scoring (9.0 ppg). Junior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen is fourth in scoring (8.9 ppg), shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from behind the arc and 82.1 percent from the line. Junior forward/center Chris Burgess leads the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg).

Utah returned just one starter and three other letterwinners from last season, as well as two return missionaries who played on the 1998 Final Four team. Utah went 23-9 overall, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and tied for the inaugural Mountain West Conference championship with a 10-4 record in 1999-2000.

Game #16
Utah Utes (9-6, 1-0 MWC) vs. UNLV Runnin' Rebels (10-5, 1-0 MWC)
Jan. 13 * 1:35 p.m. (MST) * Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) * Salt Lake City

Majerus Takes Medical Leave for Rest of the Season
Rick Majerus announced Tuesday he was leaving the team for the rest of the season to be with his cancer-stricken mother and recover from his own health problems.

Majerus underwent a coronary angiography and stenting of two coronary artery branches on Jan. 2. He had a follow-up procedure performed on Jan. 3. Doctors reported that both procedures went very well. Prior to that, Majerus had been away from the team since late November while undergoing rehabilitation from late-September arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He had anticipated to rejoin the team on Jan. 1 before admiting himself to the hospital with chest pains. Majerus is planning to return to coaching for the 2001-02 season.

Hunsaker Directing the Utes
Dick Hunsaker, in his third year at Utah, is serving as the acting head coach in the absence of Rick Majerus. His record as Utah's acting head coach is 8-6, directing the team since the second game of the season.

Hunsaker was the associate head coach under Majerus at Ball State from 1987-89. Hunsaker followed Majerus as the head coach at Ball State from 1989-93. He compiled a 97-33 record with the Cardinals, giving him the seventh-best four-year coaching record in NCAA history. During his stay in Muncie, Ind., Ball State made two trips to the NIT and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He led the Cardinals to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1990. Hunsaker posted four 20-win seasons at BSU. His teams also captured two Mid-American Conference championships and placed second twice. Hunsaker has a 148-61 (.708) record as a college head coach.

Hunsaker came to Utah from Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., where he had been the head coach since 1995. During his three years at Manchester, he posted a 51-27 record and led the Spartans to three of the 10 winningest seasons in the college's 85-year history. He played college basketball one season for Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins at UTEP (1972-73) and finished his career at Weber State (1974-77).

Close Calls Lead to Slow Start
A few bounces of the ball here or there, and Utah could have had a record far better than its 8-6 mark entering Mountain West Conference play. Utah's six losses during the nonconference season came by a combined 31 points for an average of 5.2 points per game.

Utah suffered a one-point loss (58-57) at Utah State on Dec. 6, a two-point loss at home (79-77) to Weber State on Dec. 9. The Utes had two five-point setbacks to Georgia (Nov. 24) and USC (Dec. 2) by identical 65-60 scores on neutral courts. Utah's worst loss of the season was by an 11-point margin (70-59) at 25th-ranked Texas on Dec. 30.

In four of the six losses, Utah had significant leads in the second half. The Utes led Georgia 55-36 with 12:13 to play, had a 52-48 lead over Utah State with 10:27 to go, a 56-50 cushion over Southern Utah with 10:46 remaining and a 53-50 advantage over Texas with 6:18 left.

Utah's six losses in nonconference play is the most that it has had in the past 12 years. The last time the Utes went into league play with more than five losses was in 1988-89, the last season of Lynn Archibald's tenure, when Utah went 9-6 through its pre-conference schedule. During the Majerus era, Utah has had four losses before the start of conference play just twice, going 7-4 in 1989-90 (Majerus' first season) and 10-4 in 1998-99.

The Utes have rebounded to win their last two games by an average of 12.5 points, defeating Long Beach State (80-67) on Jan. 3 and Wyoming (83-71) on Jan. 8.

Utah vs. UNLV Notes

Scouting the Runnin' Rebels
UNLV is 10-5 overall and 1-0 in Mountain West Conference play. The Runnin' Rebels defeated Air Force at the Thomas & Mack Center on Monday night, 65-54, to open league action and get their seventh consecutive win. UNLV's last loss was to Cincinnati at home, 90-72, on Dec. 16. Included in its recent winning streak is a 69-64 decision over Pepperdine in Las Vegas on Dec. 22. Utah defeated the Waves, 69-56, on Dec. 19 in Malibu, Calif.

Four players are averaging double figures in scoring. Senior 6-9 forward/center Kaspars Kambala, the preseason MWC Player of the Year, is averaging 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is shooting 60.6 percent from the field and has made it to the free throw line 101 times in 14 games, converting 74.3 percent of those attempts. Senior 6-3 guard Trevor Diggs is averaging 13.9 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per game. Sophomore 6-9 forward Dalron Johnson is averaging 12.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. Junior 6-4 guard Jermaine Lewis is averaging 10.9 points and shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range. Senior 6-4 guard Danny Brotherson, who is averaging 5.7 points and 3.4 boards, played at Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah, before going to UNLV.

Head Coach Max Good
Max Good was promoted to head coach of the UNLV basketball program after the university relieved former head coach Billy Bayno of his duties on Dec. 12 because of NCAA sanctions against the program. Good was in his second year as assistant coach when he was elevated. Prior to joining the Runnin' Rebels staff, Good spent 10 seasons (1989-99) as the head coach at Maine Central Institute, a prep school in Pittsfield, Maine. He was also an assistant coach for five seasons at Eastern Kentucky before being named the head coach in 1981. In eight years at Eastern Kentucky, he went 96-129. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1986-87, leading his team to a 19-11 record.

Series Notes
UNLV is the only Mountain West Conference team Utah has a losing record against. The Utes have won seven of the previous 17 meetings with the Runnin' Rebels, taking five of the seven games played in Salt Lake City. After Utah got two wins during the 1980-81 season, UNLV has won five of the last eight.

The Utes and Runnin' Rebels split both games last season, with UNLV winning 72-66 on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas and Utah getting a decisive 96-52 win on Feb. 21 in Salt Lake City.

Last Meeting
Hanno Möttölä, now of the Atlanta Hawks, scored 20 points as Utah beat UNLV, 96-52, on Feb. 21 of last season at the Huntsman Center. Phil Cullen added 19 points for the Utes, making 6-of-7 field goals and all five three-point attempts. Kaspars Kambala, the only UNLV player in double figures, had 10 points.

Utah's defense forced turnovers and shut down the UNLV attack. The Rebels shot 25 percent (8-of-32) in the first half and any hope of a comeback was buried by a 14-0 Utah run early in the second half. Dalron Johnson's basket cut UNLV's deficit to 50-27 with 17:30 to play. But Cullen and Möttölä made back-to-back three-pointers and Tony Harvey had two baskets to stretch the lead to 64-27 with 12:38 remaining. The Utes scorched the nets at 54.1 percent, compared to 30.6 percent for UNLV. Utah also had a 50 to 26 advantage on the boards and caused 21 UNLV turnovers.

Utah vs. San Diego State Preview

Scouting the Aztecs
San Diego State is 10-4 overall and 0-1 in Mountain West Conference play entering Saturday's game at Brigham Young. After winning six in a row, SDSU lost to New Mexico at home, 75-67, to open its league schedule on Monday. The Aztecs already have more wins than they did last season when they went 5-23 overall and 0-14 in the MWC. Among their wins this seson, the Aztecs defeated Arizona State (64-62) at home on Dec. 16 and Oklahoma State (87-66) at home on Dec. 30.

Three players are averaging double figures in scoring. Junior 6-8 forward Randy Holocomb is averaging 17.7 points per game and 6.9 rebounds to lead the team in both categories. Junior 6-6 forward Myron Epps, one of just four returning letterwinners, is averaging 13.9 points and 5.1 boards. Junior 6-2 guard Al Faux is scoring 11.4 points per contest, shooting 44.9 percent from three-point range. Sophomore 5-9 guard Deandre Moore, a transfer from Vanderbilt, leads the team in assists with 5.2 per game.

Head Coach Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher is in his second season at San Diego State. In his previous college head coaching job, Fisher led Michigan to a 184-82 record (.691), three NCAA Final Fours and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1989-97. As the interim head coach in 1989, he led the Wolverines to a 6-0 record and the NCAA title.

Fisher faced Utah twice while at Michigan. Utah lost to Michigan, 81-65, on Dec. 1, 1990 in Ann Arbor, Mich., in Rick Majerus' first full season at Utah. Fisher's Wolverines got the best of the Utes again on Nov. 23, 1994 in the Maui Invitational, 73-69.

Series Notes
Utah won both games over San Diego State last season by an average of 21.5 points in Steve Fisher's first year of directing the team. The Utes defeated the Aztecs 70-55 on Jan. 10 in San Diego and 83-65 on Feb. 10 in Salt Lake City. Utah has won the last 11 games in the series and has taken 25 of the last 27 meetings. The Aztec's last win over the Utes was 76-73 on Jan. 22, 1994 in San Diego.

Last Meeting
Nate Althoff scored a career-high 22 points, pushing Utah past San Diego State 83-65 on Feb. 10 of last season. Althoff topped his previous career-high of 20, which he posted in Utah's 70-55 win at San Diego State on Jan. 10. The 6-foot-11 junior center dominated the paint, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and making 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.

Jeff Johnsen and Phil Cullen each added 11 for Utah, which shot 53.8 percent. The Aztecs did not score their first basket until David Abramowitz made a three-pointer more than five minutes into the game. Utah's pressure defense had already forced five turnovers by that point. Abramowitz made 7-of-9 three-pointers for 21 points while Marcelo Correa had 12 for the Aztecs.

A dunk by Phil Cullen followed by two free throws from Althoff gave Utah a 19-5 lead with 9:14 left in the first half. The Utes pushed their lead to 27-9 when Mike Puzey added a pair of foul shots. Utah led 42-22 at halftime. San Diego State made 8-of-16 threes and shot 47.9 percent from the field. Utah also forced 22 turnovers and had a 30 to 25 advantage on the glass.

Utah-SDSU Ties
Aztec junior guard Al Faux and Ute junior guard Kevin Bradley were teammates at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. Faux transferred to SDSU from Shoreline Junior College.

Two Aztecs played junior college ball in the state of Utah. Senior guard Jim Roban, a native of Las Vegas, played at Dixie Junior College in St. George. Senior forward Michael Marion played at the College of Eastern Utah in Price.

Team Notes

Game #15 Rewind
Phil Cullen scored 17 points and freshman Nick Jacobson had 14 as Utah beat Wyoming 83-71 Monday night in the Mountain West opener for both schools. Chris Burgess added 11 points and Britton Johnsen had 10 as the Utes outlasted the Cowboys in a showdown of teams expected to contend in the Mountain West.

Josh Davis led the Cowboys with 18 points while Marcus Bailey had 11, but Utah held Wyoming's imposing Nigerian frontcourt in check. Uche Nsonwu-Amadi scored eight points and his cousin, Ugo Udezue, went scoreless.

The Utes held a 36-32 lead after an emotional and physical first half but did a better job of setting the tempo in the second half. Utah went ahead 59-49 with 10:40 on the clock after two free throws by Marc Jackson. It was 66-56 after Nick Jacobsen was fouled while attempting a three-pointer and made three free throws with 7:53 to play.

The Cowboys refused to quit, pulling within 74-66 after consecutive baskets by Marcus Bailey, the second with 4:24 to play. But Utah put it away by scoring the next six points.

Cullen scored inside and Burgess brought fans to their feet by slamming home an alley-oop from Travis Spivey. When Burgress scored on a three-foot flip on the next Utah possession, the Utes led 80-66 with 3:05 to play.

Changing of the Guard
Junior Travis Spivey, a transfer from Salt Lake Community College who's career has gotten off to a slow start at Utah, has started the last three games. With fellow junior college transfer Kevin Bradley, the staring point guard for the first 12 games, coming off the bench, Utah's generals had their best floor games of the season against Long Beach State on Jan. 3, combining for seven assists and no turnovers. It was the first time this season both of Utah's top point guards went turnover free.

Spivey had four points and three assists in 27 minutes, while Bradley contributed five points, four assists and one steal in 24 minutes against the 49ers. Their effort helped Utah commit a season-low nine turnovers. Entering the Long Beach State game, Utah was averaging 16.5 turnovers per game. The Utes are 6-1 when they commit fewer turnovers than their opponent this season.

Utah also used Marc Jackson at point guard against Wyoming on Monday, and the freshman from Salt Lake City delivered. Jackson made 7-of-8 free throws with three rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 12 minutes. Spivey, who played 29 minutes as the starter, got four points, three rebounds two assists and two turnovers. In a physical game, the Utes committed 12 turnovers--its third-best total in 15 games--including just two in the second half.

Conference Rebounding Streak Comes to an End
Utah had not been outrebounded for 47 consecutive conference regular-season games until Wyoming posted a 46 to 35 advantage over the Utes on Monday night. The last time the Utes came out on the short end of a rebound battle in league play was 32-27 in a WAC contest at Tulsa on Feb. 22, 1997. Utah led the Mountain West Conference in defensive rebounds (28.9 rpg) and rebound margin (4.8 rpg) in 1999-2000.

The Nation's Most Dominant Team in League Play the Last Six Years
As the Utes get their second season in the Mountain West Conference underway, three impressive records remain intact. Utah's conference record over the past seven years en route to six straight regular-season titles and a 1-0 start to this season is 82-13 (.863), which is the best mark over that period of time in NCAA Division I. Utah is also the nation's most dominant team in conference home games the past seven years with a 47-1 (.979) record.

The Utes have also won 38 consecutive league games at home, which is the nation's longest current streak. This season, the Utes have a chance to tie Kansas' string of 44 consecutive conference home wins, which was snapped by Nebraska on Feb. 10, 1999. Utah's last home conference loss was to Fresno State (65-64) on Jan. 8, 1996.

Home (Not So) Sweet Home
With a best-in the-nation 54-game homecourt winning streak through the first two home games of the season, Utah lost two of its next three in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. After a 79-77 loss to Weber State gave Utah its first home loss in nearly four years on Dec. 9, the Utes bounced back with an impressive 87-63 win over Washington State on Dec. 16. The Utes then dropped their second home game of the season to Southern Utah, 77-70, on Dec. 22. Utah is 6-2 at home this season after wins over Concordia (Calif.) on Dec. 26 Long Beach State on Jan. 3. Before the loss to Weber State, Utah had won 94 of its last 96 games at home.

The last time Utah lost two home games in the same season was in 1993-94, when it went 11-3 and 7-2 in league games in the Huntsman Center. Since then, Utah has posted two one-loss seasons in the JMHC, going 14-1 in 1995-96 and 13-1 in 1996-97, and four undefeated seasons.

The Utes have gone unbeaten seven times in the 32-year history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Six of those undefeated home seasons have come under Rick Majerus: 1990-91 (16-0), 1992-93 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (13-0), 1998-99 (14-0) and 1999-2000 (17-0). The Utes are 151-12 (.926) in the Huntsman Center under Majerus (including the five games he has not coached this season) and have never lost back-to-back home games.

Inside the Numbers

• Eight games into the season, Utah was shooting just 67.2 percent from the free throw line. However, that percentage improved greatly after the Utes have gone 39-for-48 (.813) against Washington State, 21-for-26 (.808) against Pepperdine and a season-best 87.5 percent (14-of-16) against Long Beach State. Figuring in the Utes' 78.4 percent effort (29-of-37) against Wyoming on Jan. 8, Utah is now shooting 71.6 percent from the line. The worst free throw shooting team of the Rick Majerus era was in 1991-92 (.688). Only one other team (1998-99, .699) has been below 70 percent.
• With 206 assists and 235 turnovers on the season, Utah has a 0.88 assists-turnover ratio and has averaged 15.7 turnovers a game. A team from the Rick Majerus era has never finished the season with less than a 1.0 assists-turnover ratio. Since the turnover stat was recorded beginning in 1975-76, the only Utah team to finish with less than a 1.0 assists-turnover ratio was the 1981-82 squad that had 404 assists to 419 turnovers (0.96).
• The Utes have used six different starting line-ups this season with eight different players starting at least one game. The last three games, Utah has gone with the quintet of Britton Johnsen (SF), Phil Cullen (PF), Chris Burgess (C), Travis Spivey (PG) and Nick Jacobson (SG), going 2-1. Before Spivey took over at the point, Kevin Bradley had started the first 12 games of the season. Ten players are averaging at least nine minutes a game, while just one (Kevin Bradley at 24.7) is averaging more than 23 minutes per contest.
• In 15 games, Utah has held six of its opponents to less than 60 points. Only four teams have reached the 70-point barrier: Weber State (79), Southern Utah (77), Texas (70) and Wyoming (71) on Jan. 8.
• Only two teams have shot better than 50 percent from the field against the Utes this season. Southern Utah connected on 53.3 percent of its shots (60.9 percent in the second half) and 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from three-point range. Long Beach State shot 51.9 percent from the field, with two players doing the bulk of the damage. Center Travis Reed and guard Ramel Lloyd combined to go 19-of-30 (.633) while the rest of the 49ers shot 8-of-22 (.364).
• The Utes have been outrebounded just three times: 33-24 to Georgia, 33-27 to Memphis and 46-35 to Wyoming on Jan. 8. The 46 rebounds by the Cowboys is the most by a Ute opponent this season.
• Utah has shot 50 percent or better in seven games this season, winning five of those games.
• With defeats to then-No. 15 Southern California on Dec. 2, Utah State on Dec. 6, and Weber State on Dec. 9, Utah lost three consecutive nonconference games for the first time during the Rick Majerus era. The skid ended with an 87-63 win over Washington State on Dec. 16. Utah's most recent nonconference losing streak of three games or more came in 1988-89, the final season under Lynn Archibald, when Utah dropped four consecutive games to Florida on Nov. 27 (77-68), Cal State-Fullerton on Dec. 1 (59-57), Santa Clara on Dec. 3 (66-60) and Colorado on Dec. 6 (68-65).
• The last time the Utes dropped three consecutive games overall was during the 1993-94 season. During that streak, the Utes fell to Fresno State on Feb. 17 (95-86), Air Force on Feb. 19 (91-89 in OT) and Brigham Young on Feb. 26 (73-70). Utah had a four-game losing streak during the 1989-90 conference season from Jan. 13 through Jan. 25. That losing streak took place during Majerus' first lengthy absence from the Utah bench. Joe Cravens served as the acting head coach for 24 games that year while Majerus recovered from heart surgery.

Utes Dealing with Rare Occurrence of No Returning All-Conference Selections
For just the second time since Rick Majerus took over the Ute basketball program, Utah doesn't feature a single returning all-conference selection on the roster.

Discounting Majerus' first season (1989-90), the only time the Utes haven't returned a first or second team all-conference selection was in 1993-94. That season resulted in the only non-winning season of the Majerus era with Utah going 14-14 overall and 8-10 in the Western Athletic Conference.

In 1991-92, Josh Grant was back for his fourth season with the Utes as the reigning WAC Player of the Year and the only returning all-conference honoree on the roster. However, he took a medical redshirt after helping the Utes win the first three games of the season. Without their leader, Utah finished 24-11 overall and 9-7 in conference play.

Growing Pains
Despite only one starter and three other lettermen returning from last season, prognosticators didn't hesitate to place Utah in their preseason Top 25 polls. However, the Utah coaching staff has cautioned all along that this 2000-01 Utah team has some growing to do before it will be capable of living up to those lofty expectations. Here's proof that Utah is a team that is maturing, but one still very much trying to find its way.

• On opening night with Rick Majerus still on the bench, Utah shot 66 percent in the first half to lead Idaho State 42-20 at intermission. The Utes built the lead to 46-20 with 18:24 to play and still led by 23 points (50-27) with 15:02 left before seeing their cushion dwindle down to just five points (66-61) with 1:02 left. Utah held on for a 71-65 win.
• Against Georgia in the second round of the Puerto Rico Shootout, Utah led 45-36 with 12:13 remaining, but Georgia used a 12-2 run to take a 48-47 lead with 8:43 left and pulled away from there for a 65-60 win. The Utes committed a season-high 22 turnovers.
• Utah had a slow start against Memphis in the third-place game of the Puerto Rico Shootout, trailing 22-10 with 9:04 to play before halftime. But, the Utes righted the ship to close within 32-29 at halftime. After shooting 36.4 percent in the first half, Utah warmed-up to 52.2 and held Memphis to a 31.8 percentage in the second half to outscore the Tigers 32-26 and post a 61-58 win.
• Utah had a commanding 44 to 34 advantage on the boards and shot 44.0 percent from three-point range, however, the Utes also shot 36.7 percent from the field and went just 5-of-10 from the free throw line in a 65-60 loss to then-No. 15 Southern California in the John Wooden Classic on Dec. 2.
• In spite of shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from three-point range in the first half to build a 38-33 lead, Utah shot 20.8 percent in the second half, making just five field goals and getting only five points in the final 10 minutes, in a 58-57 loss at Utah State on Dec. 6.
• For the second consecutive game, Utah was unable to score on the final play in a 79-77 loss to Weber State at home on Dec. 9. The Utes shot 50.0 percent from the field and had a 37 to 31 edge on the boards. However, Utah committed 18 turnovers, which led to 23 Weber State points and shot just 65.8 percent from the free throw line in 38 trips.
• Utah had its second-best field goal percentage (60.6), best three-point percentage going 8-of-12 (66.7) and second-best free throw percentage (81.2) in an 87-63 win over Washington State on Dec. 16. The Utes also held the Cougars to 35.4 percent shooting from the field.
• Facing Pepperdine, a team with a 6-3 record that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago and had won 14 in a row at home, Utah came away with a 69-56 win on Dec. 19. The Utes held their opposition to below 40 percent from the field for the second straight game as the Waves shot 33.9 percent, which is second-lowest mark by an opponent this season. Utah also shot above 80 percent from the free throw line for the second consecutive game (.808).
• After two straight wins, Utah allowed Southern Utah to shoot 60.9 percent in the second half and make 8-of-12 three-pointers in the game in a 77-70 loss at the Huntsman Center on Dec. 22. The Utes' 17 turnovers led to 31 SUU points.
• Utah jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first half and led by three (53-50) with 6:18 remaining before falling on the road to Texas, 70-59. Utah went without a field goal for the final 5:03 and shot a season-low 32.8 percent (19-for-58) for the game.

Cullen Coming On
Junior 6-9 forward Phil Cullen has scored in double figures in seven of the last 10 games, leading the Utes in scoring in five of those contests.

In the six games prior to the Concordia contest (Dec. 2-22), Cullen averaged 13.5 points, shooting 47.1 percent (25-of-53) from the field, 48.5 percent (17-of-35) from three-point range and 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the free throw line. Through 15 games, Cullen is second on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg), shooting 46.4 percent from the field and a team-best (over 20 attempts) 42.0 percent from three-point range. He is also second on the team in rebounding (4.9 rpg).

After playing the previous three games off the bench, Cullen got the start against Washington State on Dec. 16. Cullen responded with a career-high 21 points, making a personal-best five three-pointers in six attempts. He also shot 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line in 24 minutes. Cullen led the Utes with six rebounds in the game.

Highlighting other games, Cullen scored 18 points, making 6-of-10 shots from the field and 4-of-7 three-pointers, in 18 minutes against Southern California on Dec. 2. He had 13 points, a blocked shot and three steals in 26 minutes against Utah State on Dec. 6. Cullen followed that up with 15 points, making all four field goals, both three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws, in 19 minutes against Weber State on Dec. 9. In the league opener against Wyoming, Cullen got 17 points, four rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes.

Bradley Providing Good Production
Junior 6-0 guard Kevin Bradley, a relatively unheralded transfer from Compton Community College, has raised some eyebrows with his solid play. Bradley started the first 12 games of the season and has continued to get significant playing time off the bench since then, averaging a team-best 24.7 minutes per game. He leads the team in scoring (10.5 ppg), shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from three-point range and 78.9 percent from the free throw line. Bradley is also averaging a team-best 2.5 assists per game. He has led Utah in scoring five times and assists seven times.

Bradley had a 3-1 assists to turnover ratio through the first four games of the season. He had his best floor game of the season against Washington State on Dec. 16, getting five assists and one steal to just one turnover. He also had 12 points, making all six free throws and 3-of-7 field goals, in 31 minutes. Against Southern Utah on Dec. 22, Bradley scored in double figures for the seventh time this season with a team-high 18 points.

A native of Los Angeles, Bradley was named the conference player of the year as a senior at Crenshaw High School.

All in the Family
Utah has one of 11 brother combinations in NCAA Division I this season in Jeff and Britton Johnsen. Both of the Johnsens rank among the top six players statistically this season.

Jeff (G/F, 6-4, 200), a junior, is fourth on the team in scoring (8.9 ppg), shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three-point range. He is also averaging 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists, and has led the team in scoring three times and assists seven times.

Britton (F, 6-9, 205), a sophomore, is fifth on the team in scoring (7.6 ppg) and third in rebounds (4.8 rpg). He has also scored in double figures in six of the last nine games. Britton got a career-high 23 points, making 8-of-14 field goals and 4-of-6 three-pointers, with eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 27 minutes against Long Beach State.

Jeff began his career at Utah in 1996-97 before going on a two-year LDS Church mission to Fresno, Calif. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32 games last season with five starts. Britton who resumes his Utah career this season, played for the Utes in 1997-98 before going on his LDS Church mission to Houston, Texas. He averaged 3.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in 21 games as a freshman.

The Johnsens, who hail from Murray, Utah, hadn't played together for four years. The last season the Johnsens played together, they led Murray High School to the Utah 4A state title in 1996.

Rick Majerus has literally made his program a family affair at Utah. The Johnsens are the fifth set of brothers to play for Majerus spanning his 12-year career at the U. However, they are the first to play together.

Burgess Playing Bigger Role
Junior forward/center Chris Burgess has started the last 10 games for the Utes. He is sixth on the team in scoring (7.3 ppg), and first in rebounds (5.6 rpg) and blocked shots (12). Against Concordia on Dec. 26, Burgess flirted with his career high (16 points), getting 13 points and six rebounds in just 16 minutes. He had 11 points against Wyoming on Jan. 8, scoring in double figures for the seventh time this season. He reached double figures in rebounds for the second time as a Ute with 10 against Texas on Dec. 30.

In his first start, Burgess got seven points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes against Southern California in the Wooden Classic on Dec. 2. It was his first college game in his home state. He had a Utah career-high 15 points while making 6-of-8 field goals, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals in 30 minutes against Weber State on Dec. 9.

Burgess was named to the Puerto Rico Shootout all-tournament team. In the three-game tournament, Burgess averaged 11.7 points, shooting 56.5 percent from the field, and 6.0 rebounds while playing 24.0 minutes per game. He also had five steals and four blocked shots. He led Utah with 12 points and eight rebounds against Georgia in the semifinals. The Duke transfer in his first season on the court with the Utes also had 12 points, two boards, three steals and two blocked shots in 22 minutes against Memphis in the third-place game.