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Runnin' Utes Face San Diego Saturday
12/24/2010 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 24, 2010
HONOLULU, Hawaii - The University of Utah men's basketball team (7-5) will face San Diego (2-10) in the seventh-place game at the Diamondhead Classic on Christmas morning. Tip-off from the Stan Sheriff Center is slated for 9 a.m. local in Hawaii, 12 p.m. MT. The game will not be televised.
THE MATCHUP
-San Diego enters the game with a 2-10 record, with their only wins coming against non-Div. I competition. In the Diamondhead Classic, San Diego has fallen to Baylor, 83-50, and Mississippi State, 69-52.
-USD's top scorer is Ken Rancifer at 10.5 points per game, followed closely by Darian Norris' 10.3 points per contest. Their top rebounder is Chris Manresa at 4.9 rebounds per game, while Norris is also second in that category at 4.2.
UTAH-USD STATISTICAL COMPARISON
-The Toreros are shooting 42.1% for the year, compared to the Utes' 43.0%. Utah holds a significant edge in rebounding margin, pulling in 37.8 rebounds per game compared to San Diego's 30.1. Utah is also scoring at a 71.0 point per game clip, while USD is logging 63.1 per game. The Utes are allowing opponents to score 69.0 points per game, while San Diego is giving up 72.7.
SERIES HISTORY
- Utah holds an all-time record of 3-1 against San Diego. Saturday's contest will mark their first meeting on a neutral floor.
-The last time the two teams clashed was on Dec. 2, 2003, in Salt Lake City. Utah won that game by an 82-39 margin.
FOSTER MOVES TO SECOND ON UTAH'S CAREER BLOCKS LIST
- With four blocks against Hawaii, junior center David Foster took over second place all-time at Utah on the career blocks list. Foster surpassed Mitch Smith, who blocked 157 from 1985-89. He now trails only Luke Nevill, who holds the career record with 205 rejections from 2005-09.
-With his seven blocks in the opening game against Butler, Foster set new Hawaiian Airlines Diamondhead Classic records for most blocks in a game and most total blocks in the tournament. With his four rejections against Hawaii, Foster extended his tournament record to 11.
-Foster's 3.7 blocks per game leads the MWC and should list among the top 10 in the NCAA upon release of the updated rankings on Monday, Dec. 27. He is approaching his sophomore-year average of 4.0 per game which ranked No. 4 in the NCAA, and resulted in a single-season school record 115 blocks.
-Foster has now blocked at least one shot in 39 of his last 41 games over the last two years and has blocked multiple shots in 33 of those contests.
-Foster has also set new season-highs for rebounds in both of Utah's games in the Diamondhead Classic. He pulled down nine boards against Hawaii, breaking his previous season-high of seven, set the night before against Butler. His nine rebounds came one short of tying his career high of 10.
JOSH "JIGGY" WATKINS LEADING THE UTES IN HAWAII
-Junior guard Josh Watkins has been Utah's leading scorer in both of its games during the Diamondhead Classic. Against Hawaii, he logged team highs of 16 points and two assists. In the opening-round game against Butler, "Jiggy" registered team bests of 17 points and four assists.
-In the Diamondhead Classic, Watkins is averaging 15.0 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.
-For the year, Watkins is averaging 15.1 points per game, ranking second on the team and seventh in the MWC. He leads the Utes with 3.6 assists per game, which also ranks seventh in the league. He has now led the Utes in scoring three times this season and has been the top assist-man in 11 of 12 contests. Watkins has scored double figures in 10 of Utah's 12 games this season.
CLYBURN REMAINS MWC'S SECOND-LEADING SCORER
-Junior wing Will Clyburn tallied 14 points against Hawaii and added six rebounds. In the opening round game against Butler, he recorded his fourth double-double of the year, finishing with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
-Clyburn has been the Utes' top scorer in eight of 12 games this year. He has also been Utah's leading rebounder eight times. Clyburn has scored double figures in all 12 games.
-Clyburn is now averaging 18.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, ranking No. 2 in the MWC in both categories. He also leads the league in minutes played (36.2 mpg), ranks second in defensive rebounds per game (6.5), fourth in 3-point field goals made per game (2.1), fifth in offensive rebounds per game (2.4) and steals (1.7 spg), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.410) and ninth in field goal percentage (.453).
O'BRIEN RETURNS TO ACTION
-Freshman wing J.J. O'Brien returned to the floor in the DHC opening-game against Butler, then appeared in the starting lineup for the second round against Hawaii. After starting the season-opener, where he scored six points and grabbed eight boards, O'Brien broke his foot in practice and missed nine games.
-Against Butler, O'Brien played 16 minutes, recording two rebounds, two assists and making a steal, before fouling out. In the second round against Hawaii, he scored four points and pulled in one rebound in 13 minutes, before fouling out for the second straight game.
RUNNIN' UTES IN THE ALOHA STATE
-This year's Diamondhead Classic marks Utah's first appearance in Hawaii since the Maui Invitational in 2002. Utah slips to an all-time record of 28-16 in all games played on the Hawaiian Islands, including a 7-9 mark in non-conference tournaments.
HEAD COACH Jim Boylen
- Now in his fourth year at the helm for Utah, head coach Jim Boylen owns a record of 63-47 for a .573 winning percentage.
-The Utes are now 8-5 in neutral-court games under Boylen.
Players Mentioned
Wing
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Wing
/ Men's Basketball
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