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The University of Utah Athletics
Utes and Mastodons Set for Saturday Matinee
12/4/2015 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2015
Live Stats | Live Radio | Twitter | Facebook | Tickets | Game Notes
GAME INFORMATION
Utah (6-1) vs. IPFW (7-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 5
Tip-Off: 12:06 p.m. MST
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Arena: Jon M. Huntsman Center
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: ESPN 700
Live Stats: www.UtahUtes.com
FAST BREAKS
> Utah is coming off back-to-back home wins, following a 102-72 victory against Idaho State last Friday and an 83-75 rivalry win over BYU this past Wednesday.
> IPFW is coming off a 75-73 win at Cal Poly on Thursday.
> The Utes are 1-0 all-time against IPFW, taking the only meeting the two teams have played, 75-59 in Salt Lake City back in 2003.
> Utah is 57-16 all-time against teams from the Summit League.
> Saturday marks just the second contest against a Summit League squad since 2010. Utah defeated South Dakota State, 80-66, last season.
> Utah is 4-0 in home contests this season.
THE GAME
The Utah Runnin' Utes (6-1) wrap up its three-game home stand this Saturday, Dec. 5, hosting the IPFW Mastodons (7-2) in non-conference action. Tip-off is set for 12:06 p.m. inside the Huntsman Center.
COVERING THE UTES
Saturday's contest will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks. Jim Watson will call the action, while Casey Jacobsen provides color commentary for the game.
Fans can also follow the game on-line at www.Pac-12.com/live or via smart phone/tablet by downloading the Pac-12 Now App.
Fans can listen to the broadcast on the Utah Sports Radio Network (ESPN 700). Bill Riley will provide play-by-play, with the assistance of in-game analyst Jimmy Soto.
Live stats will be provided for Saturday's contest, with links to GameTracker found on-line at www.UtahUtes.com.
LAST TIME OUT
The Utes won its third-straight game against ins-state rival BYU, downing the Cougars 83-75 Wednesday evening at the Huntsman Center.
Utah led by as many as 24 points in first half before taking a 51-28 lead into halftime. BYU managed to claw its way back into the contest though, outscoring the Utes 15-2 to open the first 4:13 of the second half. The Cougars would eventually get to within seven points of the Utes at the 10:29 mark, but Utah would later push its lead back up to 19 points with 1:56 left in the game.
BYU outscored the Utes 14-3 down the stretch, but sophomore Jakob Poeltl's 26 points and 13 rebounds were too much for the Cougars and Utah came away with the victory and the Deseret First Duel Trophy for a third straight season.
Four Utah players scored in double figures, as Kenneth Ogbe (13), Jordan Loveridge (12) and Brandon Taylor (11) added to Poeltl's 26-point effort.
ABOUT IPFW
IPFW is coming off a 75-73 road win over Cal Poly on Thursday and will bring in a 7-2 overall record into Saturday's contest. The Mastodons snapped a six-game winning streak last Saturday, falling to Navy (75-53) at the UNC-Greensboro Tournament over the Thanksgiving holiday. IPFW opened the 2015-16 season with a 78-64 loss to Valparaiso back on Nov. 13.
IPFW has three players scoring in double figures and are led by Mo Evans' 14.2 points per game. He is followed by Max Landis (13.6 ppg) and John Konchar (11.0 ppg). Konchar leads the team on boards with 8.0 rebounds per contest and also has a team-high 14 steals on the season.
The Mastodons average 70.7 points per game and are giving up 66.3 points to opposing teams through nine games this season. IPFW is shooting .430 as a team from the field, .362 from the three-point line and .679 from the charity stripe. The Mastodons pull down 35.0 boards per game, but are being out-rebounded by a margin of 11.6 boards per contest.
HISTORY WITH THE MASTODONS
Saturday will mark just the second game between the Utes and Mastodons. Utah won the only meeting between the two teams, downing IPFW 75-59 in Salt Lake City back in 2003.
Nick Jacobson led the Utes with 22 points in the game, going 8-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from the arc. Utah shot .509 percent from the field as a team and limited IPFW to just .378 shooting.
POELTL ADDS TO PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Sophomore Jakob Poeltl was named to both the Naismith and Oscar Robertson Award watch lists this week. The 7-0 forward/center is now on four award watch lists, which also includes the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and John R. Wooden Award watch lists.
HALFWAY HOME WITH 50
The Utes poured in 50-plus points in the first half for a second straight game this past Wednesday, scoring 51 points in the first period against BYU. Utah put up 58 points in the first half against Idaho State last Friday.
TAKING WHAT IS FREE
The Utes are making a habit of getting to the free throw line so far this season, averaging 26.7 free throw attempts per contest through its first seven games. Utah has attempted at least 24 free throws in all but one game this season.
Utah ranks first in the Pac-12 Conference in free throw attempts (187), free throws made (139) and free throw percentage (.743). The Utes rank among the top-50 teams in the nation in all three of those categories, as well.
DOUBLING DOWN ON POELTL
Sophomore Jakob Poeltl heads into Saturday's contest averaging a double-double on the season with a team-high 21.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Poeltl has recorded a double-double in five games so far this season, after registering just three double-doubles last year.
Poeltl has scored at least 15 points in all seven games and had a season/career-high 32 points against Temple back on Nov. 22. He has double-digit rebounding efforts in five contests this season, which included a season/career-high 13 boards this past Wednesday against BYU.
Poeltl, who was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week back on Nov. 23, leads the conference and ranks sixth in the nation with five double-doubles this season.
OGBE GETS THE NOD
Junior Kenneth Ogbe got his first start of the season this past Wednesday against BYU and his first start since Dec. 13, 2014. The third-year player wasted no time getting acclimated to the game, scoring 11 of his season-high 13 points in the first half. He finished the game shooting 4-of-9 from the field and led the squad with three buckets from beyond the arc.
DISHING WITH TAYLOR
Senior guard Brandon Taylor was one of four players scoring in double figures this past Wednesday, scoring 11 points in Utah's win over BYU, The four-year veteran also had a hand in the offense onslaught, dishing out both a season and career-high nine assists in the victory. Taylor surpassed his previous career-high of eight assists, which he last recorded against Stanford back on Feb. 12, 2015.
LOVERIDGE PERFECT FROM CHARITY STRIPE AGAIN
Senior Jordan Loveridge is coming off a 12-point effort against BYU where he managed to shoot 100 percent from the charity stripe for the third time this season. Loveridge knocked down all six of his free throws against the Cougars on Wednesday, while also posting perfect efforts from the free throw line against both Texas Tech (2-of-2) and San Diego State (7-of-7) earlier this season.
STRENGTH IN STAMINA
Utah has three players averaging near or more than 30 minutes per game. Senior Brandon Taylor leads the team, logging in 34.0 minutes per game and Jordan Loveridge follows with 32.7 minutes per night. Jakob Poeltl has logged in 30-plus minutes in four games this season and is averaging 29.7 minutes per contest.
Taylor played a season-high 38 minutes this past Wednesday, while Loveridge logged in a season-high 36 minutes against San Diego State back on Nov. 16. Poeltl registered 36 minutes in Utah's contest against Temple back on Nov. 22.
DOWNTOWN LIVING
Senior Jordan Loveridge leads both the team and the conference with 50 three-point attempts this season. Nearly 72 percent (50-of-70) of his shots come from behind the arc and he is making the most of it, shooting .440 from downtown, which ranks second in the Pac-12 and 74th in the nation.
Loveridge knocks down 3.14 three-pointers per game, which ranks first in the Pac-12 and 38th in the nation. His 22 three-pointers made on the season also ranks first in the Pac-12 and 37th in the nation.
POST PRESENCE ON BOTH ENDS
Sophomore Jakob Poeltl ranks among the top players in both the Pac-12 and the nation in field goals, total rebounds and blocks this season. Poeltl ranks first in the league and 18th in the nation with 53 total field goals made, while also ranking first in the conference and 22nd in the nation with 149 total points.
Defensively, Poeltl ranks second in the league and 15th in the nation with 73 total rebounds, while also ranking second in the Pac-12 and 12th in the nation with 19 total blocks.
EARNING NON-CONFERENCE W'S AT HOME
Utah has won 24 consecutive games against non-conference foes at home. The current streak dates back to the 2012-13 season, with its last home loss coming back on Dec. 21, 2012, against Cal State Northridge (71-76).
The 24-straight non-conference wins at home are the seventh most in school history. A win over IPFW on Saturday would tie the fourth longest streak of 25 straight games, which has been recorded on three separate occasions. The last time a Utah team recorded 25 straight non-conference wins at home was from Nov. 15, 1997 thru Nov. 28, 2000.
Utah's longest home winning streak against non-conference opponents is 37 straight games - a streak that began in 2001 and ran through 2005.
NON-CONFERENCE HOME WINNING STREAKS
1. 37 (12/01/01 - 12/10/05)
2. 29 (01/09/65 - 12/23/67)
29 (01/30/59 - 12/13/62)
4. 25 (11/15/97 - 11/28/00)
25 (12/03/73 - 12/22/75)
25 (12/18/36 - 12/17/42)
7. 24 (12/28/12 - Present)
LEADERS OF THE PAC
Utah's Jordan Loveridge and Jakob Poeltl combine to lead the Pac-12 in seven different statistical categories heading into Saturday's game.
Loveridge leads the conference in three-point attempts (50), three-pointers made/game (3.14) and total three-pointers made (22), while Poeltl leads the league in double-doubles (5), field goal percentage (.671), total field goals made (53) and total points (149).
Overall, Utah players rank among the league's top-three in 18 statistical categories.
THREE UTES NAMES TO AWARD WATCH LISTS
Senior Brandon Taylor was one of 20 players named to the Julius Erving Award watch and senior Jordan Loveridge was one of 20 players named to the Karl Malone Award watch list in an announcement from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, back on Oct. 13.
Sophomore Jakob Poeltl was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list on Oct. 16, while also being named to both the Naismith and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year Award watch lists on Dec. 2.
Poeltl has also been named to the John R. Wooden Award watch list, which was released earlier this season. He is Utah's second player to be named to the Wooden preseason list in as many years, following in the footsteps of Delon Wright, who was a Wooden Award finalist last season.
SENIORS IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Seniors Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge continue to make their way into Utah's record books as the season progresses.
Taylor, who has 974 career points, is just 26 points from becoming the 38th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The Los Angeles native currently ranks No 5 all-time with 189 three-pointers made and is just six steal shy from cracking the top-10.
Loveridge began the season ranked No. 26 all-time in career points, but has now moved up to No. 23 with 1,260 points. He is 20 points shy from taking over the No. 22 spot. Loveridge is also among Utah's best shooters from three-point range and after beginning the season ranked No. 10 all-time in three-pointers made, he has moved his way up to No. 7 with 155 career three-pointers.
UP NEXT
The Utes will hit the road next week for its first true road game of the season, taking on Wichita State in Wichita, Kan., next Saturday, Dec. 12.
Tip-off between the Utes and Shockers is set for 2:30 p.m. CST / 1:30 p.m. MST from Intrust Bank Arena.
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