First Place on Line at Utah Saturday
After playing its final home game of the season, BYU begins the first of three straight road games at rival Utah Saturday to complete its Mountain West Conference season. The Cougars (19-7, 8-3 MWC) enter the 1 p.m. ESPN+Plus contest in a first place tie with the Utes (17-9, 8-3 MWC), who have won six straight since losing to BYU in Provo on Jan. 29. The game will be televised on KJZZ-TV in Utah as part of the ESPN+Plus package. Rich Waltz and Irv Brown will be courtside to call the game. KSL Newsradio 1160's Greg Wrubell is joined by Mark Durrant to describe the action on the Cougar Sports Network.
Up Next
BYU will finish the Mountain West Conference regular season on the road with games at New Mexico Thursday, March 1, and at Air Force Saturday, March 3. Both games will be televised by SportsWest Productions. Saturday's game is a 4 p.m. start.
Game 27 Fast Facts (MWC Game 12)
Teams:
Brigham Young University Cougars (19-7, 8-3 MWC)
University of Utah Utes (17-9, 8-3 MWC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 24, 2001
Site: Salt Lake City, Utah
Arena:Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)
Time: 1 p.m. MST
Series:
BYU leads, 115-114
Last Meeting: BYU defeated Utah 69-61 in Provo (Jan. 29, 2001)
Last Year: Utah won two of three, sweeping the regular season series.
Coaches:
BYU, Steve Cleveland (62-55 in fourth year; same overall)
Utah, Dick Hunsaker (16-9 in first year; 164-70 in eighth year overall)
TV:
ESPN+Plus (KJZZ in Utah)
Play-by-Play - Rich Waltz
Game Analyst - Irv Brown
Radio:
KSL Newsradio 1160 AM (Cougar Sports Network)
Pregame Air Time - 12:30 p.m. MST
Play-by-Play - Greg Wrubell
Game Analyst - Mark Durrant
BYU's Probable Starters:
Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 42 Nathan Cooper 6-6 210 Sr. 4.8 4.0
F 25 Eric Nielsen 6-9 215 Jr. 6.5 4.3
F 15 Mekeli Wesley 6-9 240 Sr. 16.3 5.5
G 24 Terrell Lyday 6-3 195 Sr. 15.7 2.8
G 21 Trent Whiting 6-1 185 Sr. 14.8 2.8
Utah's Probable Starters:
Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 31 Britton Johnsen 6-9 205 So. 8.6 5.2
F 40 Phil Cullen 6-9 215 Jr. 9.6 4.7
C 34 Chris Burgess 6-10 245 Jr. 7.5 5.6
G 11 Travis Spivey 6-1 205 Jr. 5.4 2.8
G 15 Nick Jacobson 6-4 200 Fr. 7.6 1.5
Scouting Utah
Utah (17-9, 8-3) returns four lettermen and one starter from last year's 23-9 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after tying for the Mountain West regular season title with UNLV. The Utes enter Saturday's game with one of the nation's longest current winning streaks, having won six straight games since losing to BYU (69-61) in Provo on Jan. 29. The Utes winning streak is tied for the ninth nationally. Utah has a perfect 6-0 home conference record and is 12-2 overall this year in the Huntsman Center. The two home losses were to instate schools Weber State (79-77) and Southern Utah (77-70) in December. The Utes are 5-7 away from home this year, including a 2-3 conference road record. Utah's conference losses came consecutively at Wyoming (78-77 in OT) and at Colorado State (73-65) followed by the loss in Provo to the Cougars. The Utes and Cougars have played four common non-conference opponents. Both BYU and Utah lost to USC on a neutral court, and the Utes dropped games to instate rival Utah State (58-57 in Logan) along with its two home losses to Weber State and Southern Utah. BYU won its three preseason instate games. The Utes are coached by assistant coach Dick Hunsaker with head coach Rick Majerus missing the season due to his and his mother's health concerns. Junior transfer guard Kevin Bradley averages 11.0 points to lead the Utes. Bradley, who had five points in seven minutes vs. BYU in the first meeting, comes off the bench. Junior forward Phil Cullen adds 9.6 points followed by brothers Jeff (junior forward) and Britton Johnsen (sophomore forward) at 8.7 and 8.6 points, respectively. Senior center Nate Althoff adds 8.4 points but has been coming off the bench recently with the return of junior center Chris Burgess from a fractured ankle injury. Burgess has been playing well since his return and averages 7.5 points and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds per game in 22 contests, including 16 starts. Britton Johnson adds 5.3 rebounds per game while starting guard Nick Jacobson contributes 7.6 points and fellow starter Travis Spivey adds 5.4 points and a team-best 3.5 assists per game. Utah shoots 47.5 percent, including 38.1 percent on treys, while holding opponents to 40.2 percent from the field and 36.3 percent on threes. Utah makes 70.1 percent of its free throw attempts. The Utes out score opponents 73.2-62.4 and win the boards battle by an average of 37.3-30.4.
Series History
This will be the 230th meeting with BYU taking the edge 115-114 after winning the last two meetings. Last year Utah swept the regular season series to take its first lead in the overall series since it began in 1909. BYU won the last meeting 69-61 on Jan. 29 to end a string of five straight Ute wins in Provo. The Cougars defeating Utah in last year's MWC tournament semifinals in Las Vegas. That win ended a string of 12 straight Utah victories, the Utes' longest winning streak in the series. Th Utes have won six consecutive games over the Cougars at home, dating back to BYU's last win in Salt Lake City -- a 64-62 win on Jan. 8, 1994. Utah is the opponent BYU has played the most in its history (229 games) and is the second longest running series dating back to 1909 (Utah State series began in 1905 and includes 217 games). BYU won the inaugural game, 32-9 in Provo, on Jan. 23, 1909, and won again on March 5 of that year, 40-27, in SLC. Steve Cleveland is 2-7 vs. Utah. BYU is 63-44 at home all time vs. Utah, 46-67 in Salt Lake City and 6-3 at a neutral site.
Utah Quick Facts:
General Info
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Founded: 1850
Enrollment: 25,803
Nickname: Utes
Colors: Crimson and White
Home Arena: Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)
Conference: Mountain West
Athletic Director: Dr. Chris Hill
Basketball Info
Head Coach: Dick Hunsaker
Overall Record (Years): 164-70 (8th year)
Record at School (Years): 16-9 (1st year)
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Strohm, Jason Shelton
1999-2000
Overall Record: 23-9
Conf. Record/Finish: 10-4/Tie 1st
Final Ranking/Post Season Finish: T33rd AP, T38th USA Today/ESPN, second round NCAA loss to Michigan State.
2000-2001
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 4/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4
Returning Starters (last year's stats)
Nate Althoff, C, 6-11, 265, Sr. (9.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Media Relations
Basketball Contact: Mike Lageschulte
Office: 801-581-3510
Fax: 801-581-43-58
Email: mlageschulte@huntsman.utah.edu
Website: www.UtahUtes.com
Cougars Defeat Rival Utes on ESPN
PROVO -- In a highly anticipated matchup against his former team, senior guard Trent Whiting scored 21 points to lead BYU to a 69-61 victory over arch rival Utah in front of 19,000 fans and a national television audience. The win, which moved the Cougars back into the lead of the all-time series with the Utes, marked the first Utah defeat at the Marriott Center in six years. BYU now leads the series with Utah 115-114, dating back to 1909. More importantly, however, the Cougars improved their overall record to 14-6 on the season, and their 3-2 conference mark moves them into a tie for second place. The Utes got on the board first, opening the game with a short jumper by Nate Althoff and a three-pointer by Nick Jacobson to take a 5-0 lead. But just over five minutes in, a jumper from Mekeli Wesley gave BYU an 8-7 advantage, and the Cougars would only relinquish the lead once the rest of the game. Two free throws from Mike Puzey near the close of the first half brought Utah to within two at the break. But BYU opened the lead up in the second half with solid defense and sharp shooting from three point range. "The difference in the ball game was the second half," said BYU coach Steve Cleveland. "We played with much more aggression, especially at the defensive end." While the Cougars picked up their defensive intensity and rebounding in the second period, the offense started heating up as well. BYU went on a 9-0 run midway through the half, which included back-to-back three pointers and a 15-foot jumper from Wesley, to extend the lead to 49-34 with 11:20 to play. With a traditional three-point play, Whiting capped off an 8-0 run minutes later to give BYU its largest lead of the game at 60-21. The Utes fought back, pulling to within eight with under a minute to play. But the Cougars sealed the victory at the free throw line, hitting 7-of-8 down the stretch. BYU shot 46 percent from the field and 52 percent from three-point range for the game, including 5-of-8 on threes in the second half. The Cougars held Utah to just 39 percent from the floor, marking the sixth straight game BYU has held an opponent under 40 percent shooting in the Marriott Center. Wesley finished the night with 16 points, including a career-high four three-pointers. Whiting shot 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Terrell Lyday also scored in double figures, finishing with 14 points for the Cougars. Nick Jacobson led the Utes with 11 points, and Jeff Johnson, the only other Ute in double figures, added 10 points.
Notables from the First Meeting
• BYU defeated Utah in consecutive meetings for the first time since the 1993-94 season when the Cougars won four straight, including the first meeting of the 1994-95 season.
• BYU moved to 4-0 for the season versus in-state opponents to claim the Oquirrh Bucket which honors the team with the best record against instate opponents each year. The Cougars have now defeated every team in the state at least once for second consecutive year. BYU ended Utah's string of six straight Oquirrh Bucket triumphs. BYU has won the instate competition eight times since the first Oquirrh Bucket in the 1974-75 season.
• Steve Cleveland is now 10-9 versus in-state opponents, moving above .500 for the first time in his career at BYU. The victory improved his record against Utah to 2-7 - the only team to which Coach Cleveland has an in-state losing record.
• Trent Whiting led the Cougars with 21 on 8-14 shooting from the field and 8-8 from the free throw line while dishing out a career-best 8 assists. Mekeli Wesley added 16 points and Terrell Lyday contributed 14 in the effort. Wesley made a career-high 4 three pointers, going 4-6 from behind the arc.
• Matt Montague went 1-2 from behind the three point line, it was the first time in 14 games that Montague had made a three pointer. Montague went 6-7 on three pointers in the first 5 games and then fell to 0-7 in the next 14 games. He has not attemped a three since the Utah game.
Oquirrh Bucket History
1974-75 Utah State
1975-76 Utah State
1976-77 Weber State
1977-78 Utah
1978-79 BYU
1979-80 BYU
1980-81 Utah
1981-82 BYU
1982-83 Utah State
1983-84 Utah State
1984-85 Utah State
1985-86 Weber State
1986-87 BYU
1987-88 BYU
1988-89 Utah
1989-90 Utah
1990-91 Utah
1991-92 BYU
1992-93 Weber State
1993-94 BYU
1994-95 Utah
1995-96 Utah
1996-97 Utah
1997-98 Utah
1998-99 Utah
1999-00 Utah
2000-01 BYU
BYU NOTES
Wesley Coming Off Solid Week
• Mekeli Wesley led BYU to three wins, including its first conference road victory, averaging a team-high 18.7 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor, 50 percent (5-10) from behind the arc and a nearly perfect 95 percent (19-20) from the line.
• Wesley was 7-11 from the floor, 1-3 on threes and 6-6 on free throws while sharing game-high honors with 21 points at San Diego State Monday. Wesley added six rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block as BYU held off the Aztecs to gain its first MWC road win of the year.
• Wesley scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds to help BYU pull into a three-way first-place tie with a victory over Wyoming. He had 2 assists and hit a three while also going 7-8 from the free throw line in 23 minutes.
• Playing in his final home game as a senior, Wesley scored a game-high 25 points while going 8-12 from the floor, 3-4 on three-pointers and a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line against Colorado State. He added three rebounds while playing 37 minutes against the Rams. He led the Cougars to an early lead with 15 first-half points.
• After making a three-pointer in all three games last week, Wesley has now made a trey in five straight games and seven of the last eight. He has connected from long range in 13 games overall this year while going 24-56 (.429). He has made 10-18 (.556) in the last five games.
Briefly on BYU's Last Week
The Cougars moved into a half-game lead in conference play with three wins last week before Utah pulled even with its win Monday over CSU. BYU shot 45.9 percent from the floor, 38.2 percent on threes and 81.3 percent from the line in the three victories. The Cougars held their opponents to 43.8 percent from the floor, 27.8 percent from behind the arc and an average of 60 points per game. BYU scored 72 points per game.
Solid Defense
The Cougars held high-scoring Wyoming to a season-low 63 points. BYU held Colorado State, the third-best three-point shooting team in the nation (.427), to 1-8 shooting (.125) from behind the arc. The Cougars held the MWC's top scorer, Wyoming's Marcus Bailey, to nine points (came in averaging 17.8 ppg). BYU then stopped Colorado State's top scorer, John Sivesind, keeping the Ram sharpshooter from making a field goal while scoring two points from the line. Sivesind, who entered the game fourth in the nation in three-point shooting (.486), was 0-6 from the floor, including 0-4 on three-point attempts.
BYU Fans Witnessed Strong Senior Farewells
Mekeli Wesley headlined a group of five seniors who played their last regular season game in the Marriott Center Saturday. A four-year starter, Wesley scored a game-high 25 points in his final home appearance. Trent Whiting added 18 points, three assists and three steals; Terrell Lyday had 10 points and a game-high five assists and two steals; Nathan Cooper added a bucket with four rebounds and four assists; while Nate Knight played only two minutes.
Cougars Improving In Conference
With its three wins last week, BYU surpassed the number of conference wins it achieved last season when the Cougars finished sixth at 7-7. This year's squad is currently 8-3 and in a first place tie with Utah. BYU has improved under Steve Cleveland in each of his four seasons. BYU had a 4-10 conference record his first season in 1997-98 and improved to 6-8 and 7-7 the past two seasons. BYU is assured of a winning conference record for the first time since 1995. BYU has not placed better than fifth in the conference standings since taking second (13-5) as a member of the WAC in 1995. The Cougars had not won more than seven conference games since going 9-9 (fifth WAC) in 1996.
Lyday Outburst Kills Rams
Terrell Lyday did not score during the first 30 minutes vs. CSU Saturday, but then reeled off 10 points in 5 minutes to keep a streak of 12 straight games in double digits going. Lyday also led the teams in assists, by handing out a game-high 5 of the team's 17 assists. He ignited a spurt (in 1:17 seconds) that took BYU from a four-point lead to a more comfortable 12-point margin by knocking down a three, making a driving layup on the next possession and then stealing the ball and hitting Wesley for a trey to force a Ram timeout.
Cooper Has Season Highs
Nathan Cooper equaled a season high with four assists Saturday vs. CSU. He scored a season-high 11 points Thursday vs. Wyoming. The double figure output was the fourth for Cooper this season, but the first time he has recorded double digits in 11 games.
Lyday Equals Bests
Terrell Lyday equaled his career high of 5 assists Saturday vs. CSU. He matched a season-high 25 points Thursday against Wyoming. Going 8-18 from the floor, he also set a season-high in field goal attempts, only one off his career-high of 19 attempts vs. Southern Illinois in last year's NIT tournament.
Bobik, Chrisman Set New Marks
Freshman guard Daniel Bobik had a career-high six rebounds Saturday vs. CSU in 20 minutes. Freshman forward Jacob Chrisman added a career-best 3 assists vs. the Rams.
Trey Lyday
Lyday went 16-33 (.485) on treys at home in BYU's seven MWC wins and is 2-11 (.182) in BYU's three MWC road losses. Last week he went 2-5 vs. CSU and 2-6 vs. Wyoming at home and was 1-5 at SDSU. He went 0-5 at CSU in the first meeting this year. Lyday's 0-5 night on threes at CSU was only the second game this year in which he has not made a trey but he didn't make his three at Wyoming until the final buzzer. Overall, he is shooting 37 percent on threes, making a team-leading 47 triples. He has made a trey in 24 of 26 games this season. After making two treys Saturday vs. CSU, he has made multiple threes in 13 games this year, including the last two straight. Last year he made two or more treys in 20 of 33 games.
Record-Setting Charitable Contributions
BYU has excelled at the charity stripe this year, ranked fourth nationally in free throw shooting (.773). BYU set a new school record Monday at SDSU when Mekeli Wesley made the final two free throws of the game, completing a string of 19 consecutive made free throws for BYU. The Cougars finished 19-20 after missing the first attempt of the game. Wesley made BYU's first two free throws vs. Wyoming before a Cougar miss. Going 12-18 in the first half, BYU made 16 consecutive attempts vs. Wyoming Thursday between a Jacob Chrisman miss in the first half and a Mekeli Wesley miss with 3:03 left in the game. BYU made 21-22 free throws in the second half. BYU was only 9-15 from the line against CSU to go 61-75 (.813) for the week.
Home Support Growing
Fan support at home games has improved each year under Steve Cleveland as average attendance has grown from 8,430 in his first year to 9,809 in his second, 10,794 last year and 11,452 this year in 15 home dates. BYU has averaged 15,608 in its seven conference home contests this year, compared to 13,464 last year and 11,562 the previous season. The top crowd of this season was 19,098 in BYU's win over rival Utah on ESPN.
Elite BYU Company
BYU finished the year with a perfect 15-0 home record this year with its two wins this past week. The Steve Cleveland-coached team became the fifth BYU squad to ever complete a perfect home record. The Roger Reid 1989-90 team also went a perfect 15-0 at home. Other unbeaten teams include the Stan Watts coached 1971-72 team (12-0), Frank Arnold's 1978-79 (14-0) and 1980-81 (13-0) teams and Reid's 1994-95 (14-0) squad. With its 15th home win this year, BYU improved over last season 14-2 home record (including two NIT victories) to become only the third Cougar team to win more than 14 home games in a season. In addition to the 15-0 1989-90 team, the 1987-88 Ladell Andersen squad won a BYU record 16 games with two losses in the Marriott Center.
BYU Avenges Last Year's Two Home Losses
BYU ended two home losing streaks with its wins over Utah and New Mexico. Both the Utes and Lobos had five-game winning streaks in Provo dating back to 1995 before falling in the Marriott Center last week. Including last year's MWC Tournament wins, BYU has now defeated Utah in consecutive meetings for the first time since the 1993-94 season and New Mexico twice in a row for the first time since the 1994-95 season.
Cooper Responds to Increased Role
Cooper has played well since getting more playing time since Travis Hansen's foot injury has kept him out of the lineup. Averaging 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds coming into the last Utah game, Cooper has started six of the last seven games while averaging 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He had a season-high 11 points vs. Wyoming and had a game-high and season-best eight rebounds vs. New Mexico after pulling down six boards against both Utah and Air Force. He has played solid defense during the stretch, whether matched up with a taller post player or facing a quicker perimeter opponent.
BYU Ranks Fourth Nationally in Free Throw Shooting
BYU is fourth nationally in free throw percentage in the latest NCAA statistics released Tuesday. The Cougars shoot 77.3 percent. Ten players are shooting 70 percent or better, with four shooting better than 80 percent (Wesley, Lyday, Whiting, Howard). Senior Trent Whiting makes a team-best 82.8 percent (except Dan Howard, 2-2, 1.000). Freshman Jake Chrisman has the team's worst percentage (except Jordan Archibald, 1-2, .500) at 64.7 percent (22-34).
Scoring Points
Nine BYU players have had double figures scoring games this season. The regular starters (Wesley, Lyday, Whiting, Nielsen, Hansen, Cooper) are the only players to reach double figures in conference games. Wesley scored the individual season high thus far with his 29 points at Wyoming. Wesley, Terrell Lyday and Trent Whiting are the only three players to earn team-high game scoring honors this year. Wesley carries more of the scoring load on the road, scoring 19.3 ppg while Lyday adds 14.4 and Whiting 12.9. At home, Lyday scores 16.7, Whiting 162 and Wesley 14.1.
Offense
BYU shoots 45.8 percent, including 36.7 percent on threes, and 77.3 percent from the line while averaging 71.2 points. The Cougars are out scoring their opponents by nearly 10 points (9.7). BYU has topped 50 percent six times this year, all wins, including home conference wins over San Diego State, UNLV and Air Force. Five of the six games over 50 percent were in the Marriott Center. The one road game BYU shot over 50 percent was vs. Boise State (53.3 percent) during the Yahoo! Sports Invitational in Hawaii. BYU shot 49 percent vs. CSU Saturday and went 9-22 on threes. Three players are averaging double figures (Mekeli Wesley, 16.3; Terrell Lyday, 15.7; Trent Whiting, 14.8).
Defense
BYU holds opponents to 61.6 points (15th nationally) and a 40.0 field goal percentage (T-25th nationally), including 29.4 percent on threes. BYU has held nine of its last 10 opponents at home to under 40 percent shooting (Wyoming .423). BYU has held 14 of 26 opponents overall under 40 percent shooting. BYU had not allowed an opponent to shoot 40 percent on threes in 13 straight games until San Diego State shot 45.5 percent. Wyoming shot 23.5 percent Thursday and CSU shot 12.5 percent Saturday. BYU has held opponents under 40 percent on threes in 22 of 26 games overall. BYU held the MWC's top shooting team, CSU, to 37.5 percent Saturday and 41.7 percent in Moby Arena. BYU held high-scoring Wyoming to a season-low 63 points. BYU has also had success shutting down the opponent's top player. The Cougars held the MWC's top scorer, Wyoming's Marcus Bailey, to nine points (came in averaging 17.8 ppg) last week and then stopped Colorado State's top scorer, John Sivesind, keeping the Ram sharpshooter from making a field goal while scoring two points from the line. Sivesind, who entered the game fourth in the nation in three-point shooting (.486), was 0-6 from the floor, including 0-4 on three-point attempts. BYU held New Mexico's Eric Chatfield and Ruben Douglas to nine points apiece and held Bailey to nine points in Laramie. BYU held UNLV center Kaspars Kambala, averaging 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds entering the game, to two points and three rebounds in Provo. Against SDSU, Aztec star forward Randy Holcomb was the only player to reach double figures in Provo, but BYU held the two-time MWC Player of the Week winner to 13 points, almost five points below his team-leading season scoring average.
70-Point Mark
BYU held all three opponents below 70 points last week for an average of 60 points. BYU is 18-2 this year when holding opponents to less than 70 points. BYU is 1-5 when opponents have scored 70 or more points. UNLV (68) joined Colorado State (60) as the only opponents to score less than 70 points and still win. Wyoming scored 85 points against BYU in Laramie, the most points given up by the Cougars this season.
On the Boards
BYU averages 33.3 rebounds while allowing 32.4. BYU was out rebounded by Utah in the first meeting, 42-26. The Utes currently rank 13th in the nation with a 6.9 rebounding margin. BYU out rebounded SDSU 26-21 and was out boarded by UNLV, 39-35 in its last two road games. BYU is 11-0 when out boarding its opponents, 6-6 when being out rebounded, and 2-1 when they are equal on the boards. BYU has totaled 40 or more boards six times this year. Mekeli Wesley pulls down a team-best 5.5 boards per game.
Whiting, Knight Made Strong BYU Debuts
Transfer players Trent Whiting (Utah) and Nate Knight (Kentucky) made their Cougar debuts Dec. 16 vs. Utah State after sitting out the first seven games of the year because of transfer rules. Whiting scored a game-high 22 points on 7-11 shooting, including 4-7 threes, in a team-high 39 minutes in his debut while Knight made a solid contribution with five points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. Neither player had played in a game for more than a year since transferring last fall.
BYU In the polls (Feb. 19)
BYU received 10 votes (35th) in the latest ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll. Wyoming received 3 votes (T-39th). BYU opponent Iowa State (BYU lost 77-71) is ranked 6th. BYU is ranked 41st in the latest AP poll while Utah is rated 44th.
Sagarin ratings (feb. 20)
BYU has the best rating among MWC teams according to the Feb. 20 Sagarin Ratings. The records below reflect Division I games.
Rk Team Rating Record
47 BYU 82.28 19-7
51 Utah 81.98 14-9
60 Wyoming 80.84 16-7
86 New Mexico 78.43 15-8
103 UNLV 76.90 13-11
104 CSU 76.87 11-10
144 SDSU 72.65 11-12
233 Air Force 65.38 7-17
College RPI ratings (Feb. 20)
BYU has the second best RPI rating among MWC teams according to the Feb. 20 CollegeRPI.com ratings computed by Jerry Palm. The Mountain West Conference is rated ninth among the 32 conferences (and five independents) in the country.
Team CollegeRPI.com
Utah 45
BYU 47
New Mexico 53
Wyoming 60
UNLV 92
CSU 117
SDSU 170
Air Force 233
BYU In the National Stats (feb. 20)
4th Free Throw Percentage 77.3
15th Scoring Defense 61.6
T-25th FG % Defense 40.0
1st Single Game FG% (Elon) 70.8
6th Home Winning Streak 20 games
BYU In the conference Stats (feb. 20)
Category All Games Conf. Only
Scoring Offense 4th 4th
Scoring Defense 1st 1st
Scoring Margin 2nd 1st
FT Percentage 1st 1st
FG Percentage 3rd 2nd
FG % Defense T-1st 1st
3-FG Percentage 3rd 1st
3-FG % Defense 1st 1st
Rebound Offense 7th 5th
Rebounding Defense 4th 1st
Rebound Margin 4th 4th
Blocked Shots 4th 4th
Assists 7th 5th
Steals 4th 1st
Turnover Margin 2nd 2nd
Assist/Turnover Ratio 8th 6th
Offensive Rebounds 7th 7th
Defensive Rebounds 7th 4th
3-FG Made 6th 3rd
BYU's record when . . .
BYU leads at half 16-4
Opponent leads at half 3-3
Score tied at half 0-0
BYU leads with 5 minutes left 18-2
Opponent leads with 5 min. left 1-5
BYU leads with 1 minute left 18-0
Opponent leads with 1 min. left 1-7
Score tied with 1 minute left 0-0
Game goes into overtime 0-0
BYU out rebounds opponent 11-0
Opponent out rebounds BYU 6-6
BYU and opponent tie in rebounds 2-1
BYU shoots 50 % or better 6-0
Opponent shoots 50 % or better 1-4
BYU out shoots opponent 17-1
Opponent out shoots BYU 2-6
BYU scores 70 or more 9-3
BYU scores less than 70 10-4
Opponent scores 70 or more 1-5
Opponent scores less than 70 18-2
Trey Barometer
BYU is shooting 41.9 percent (121-289) on threes in its 19 victories this season but is only 22-101 (21.8 percent) from behind the arc in its seven losses. BYU has shot 43.2 percent (54-125) on threes in its seven home MWC wins, 35.3 percent (6-17) in its road win at SDSU and 19.4 percent (7-36) in its three road MWC losses. The following breakdown reflects player three-point field goal percentages during BYU wins and losses:
Player Wins Losses
Terrell Lyday 38-90 (.422) 9-37 (.243)
Trent Whiting* 35-78 (.449) 3-25 (.120)
Mekeli Wesley 20-42 (.476) 4-14 (.286)
Nathan Cooper 9-21 (.429) 1-5 (.200)
Daniel Bobik 10-36 (.278) 1-6 (.167)
Travis Hansen** 3-8 (.375) 2-7 (.286)
Matt Montague 5-11 (.455) 2-5 (.400)
* Includes 14 wins and 5 losses since becoming eligible
** Includes 14 wins and 6 losses only (currently out with broken foot)
Cleveland's Record
Steve Cleveland is now 62-55 overall in his fourth year, having improved the Cougars in each year since taking over a 1-25 program. With BYU's win over Idaho on Jan. 2 Cleveland went above a .500 winning percentage for the first time since going 1-0 with a win in his first game at San Diego State in 1997. He had evened his winning percentage at .500 twice this year. He went to 50-50 with a win over Boise State in Hawaii before the Cougars suffered back-to-back close defeats to ranked teams. Wins at Weber State and vs. South Alabama brought his record to 52-52 , the last time he was at .500.
Wesley Moving Up Career Charts
Wesley is sixth all-time at BYU in free throws made and attempted and is eighth in total points scored. After going 19-20 from the line and scoring 56 points in the last three games, he has 1,595 career points and 458 made free throws. He has 590 career free throw attempts. He needs to make 10 more free throws to move into 5th place past Fred Roberts and is also 13 attempts shy of Roberts. He needs to score 58 points to pass Fred's younger brother Kenneth Roberts into seventh place on the scoring list.Wesley last passed two career milestones in the first half vs. New Mexico (the day after his 22nd birthday). Wesley passed former Cougar and NBA first-round draft choice Michael Smith into sixth place for the number of made free throws by a BYU player and after knocking down his second three-pointer of the half he surpassed BYU Hall of Fame member Kresimir Cosic into eighth place on the all-time BYU scoring list. Wesley finished the night with 21 points while going 7-9 from the line.
Lyday Approaching 1,000th Point
With his 46 points last week (15.3 ppg), Terrell Lyday has scored 974 career points in his two seasons at BYU. He needs 26 more points to become the 33rd BYU player to score 1,000 points in a career but only the fourth junior college transfer to do so and the first transfer in the last 10 years. The other BYU players who scored 1,000 points in only a two-year career were Steve Schreiner (1,128 points from 1989-91), John Fairchild (1,106 points from 1963-65) and Bernie Fryer (1,031 points from 1969-71).
Streaks
BYU has a three-game winning streak and has won six of the last seven. BYU's win at SDSU halted a three-game road losing streak and marked the first time this year BYU has not suffered defeat after losing the previous game. BYU has had three two-game losing streaks this year. The Cougars also had back-to-back losses on three occasions last season. BYU has not lost more than two consecutive games since losing three straight in February of the 1998-99 season. BYU's longest winning streak this year is six games, which was halted during the Cougars last road trip with its loss at CSU. The six-game streak was BYU's longest since a seven-game victory string during the 1994-95 season. BYU has reached five straight wins four times under coach Cleveland. Two times last year and twice this season.
Home Court Streak
The Cougars have a 20-game home winning streak dating back to last year when BYU won its final five contests in the Marriott Center. The home court streak is the 6th longest active home success run in the nation. BYU went 15-0 at home this season. BYU's last home loss was to New Mexico (78-74) on Feb. 17, 2000.
BYU at Home
BYU is 15-0 at home this year after going 14-2 at home last year. BYU avenged both of last year's home losses (Utah and UNM) this year. The Cougars have a 20-game home winning streak. BYU shot 49 percent from the floor and 42.4 percent on threes in the Marriott Center this year. The Cougars out rebounded their opponents at home 34.6-31.3. BYU is scoring 73.9 points at home while giving up 54.9 points. BYU won its 15 home games by an average of 19 points. Over the past two seasons, BYU is 29-2 in the Marriott Center. BYU has a high of 100 points (vs. Elon College) and a low of 58 points (vs. Southern Utah) at home.
BYU on the Road
BYU will finish the conference season with three road games. BYU is 4-7 in away and neutral games this year, including a 2-2 neutral court record and a 2-5 away mark. The Cougars away wins were at SDSU and Weber State. BYU is shooting 41.8 percent from the floor, 27.6 percent on threes and 80.9 percent on free throws away from the Marriott Center. The Cougars are being out rebounded 33.9-31.5. BYU has been out scored on the road, 70.6-67.6. BYU has a high of 84 points (at Weber State) on the road and a low of 52 points (at ASU).
Wesley Earns Second MWC Player of the Week Award
COLORADO SPRINGS -- BYU senior forward Mekeli Wesley was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Jan. 3 after leading the Cougars (10-4) to a 3-2 record over the prior two weeks. This is the second player of the week honor for Wesley this season and third weekly MWC award of his career. Wesley, a Provo, Utah (Provo HS) product, averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, shot 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from the field and 88.6 percent (31-of-35) in five games. He was named to the Yahoo! Sports Invitational All-Tournament team after averaging 21.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 22-of-33 (.667) from the floor and 19-of-23 (.82.6) from the line in three contests. Wesley scored 19 points and had a team-high seven rebounds in 23 minutes in the 83-67 win over Boise State. He tallied 26 points and pulled down four rebounds in the 77-71 loss to Iowa State. In the third place game, a 70-67 loss to then 13th-ranked Southern California, Wesley notched 19 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. In the final two games of the month, Wesley continued to lead the Cougars in scoring with 17 points in each of the victories over Weber State (84-75) and South Alabama (64-42). He was also a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line in the two games.
Wesley Named to All-Tourney Team, Earns MWC Player of the Week Award
BYU senior forward Mekeli Wesley was named to the Yahoo! Sports Invitational All-Tournament Team Dec. 23 while averaging 21.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in three games. He was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Dec. 11 after leading the Cougars to a pair of victories over Rice and Florida International. Wesley, a Provo, Utah (Provo HS) product, averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field in the two games that week. In the 78-50 victory over Florida International, he shot 50 percent (7-for-14) from the field and shared game-high scoring honors with 16 points. Wesley also grabbed four rebounds and had two steals vs. the Golden Panthers. On Saturday, he went 8-for-11 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and led the Cougars with 21 points in the 59-49 win at Rice. Wesley also pulled down four rebounds and had two blocks. This is Wesley's first MWC player of the week honor of this season and the second of his career.
Lyday Named MWC Player of the Week
COLORADO SPRINGS -- BYU senior guard Terrell Lyday was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Jan. 15 after leading the Cougars (12-4) to a 79-59 victory in their conference opener vs. San Diego State. This is the first player of the week honor for Lyday this season and second of his career. Lyday shot 69.2 (9-for-13) percent from the floor and hit 5-of-6 3-pointers (83.3 percent) in just 22 minutes of action for a game-high 24 points. He also dished out two assists, had a career-high two blocked shots and one steal. Lyday has made multiple treys in nine games this season and has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 contests. He also set a new career high with the 69.2 field goal percentage, while the 24 points vs. SDSU was one point shy of his season high of 25 vs. Boise State. Lyday becomes the second Cougar to earn the award this season, joining Mekeli Wesley, who has been recognized twice this year.
Whiting Adds Third Threat to Cougar Attack
In addition to last year's one-two scoring punch of Mekeli Wesley and Terrell Lyday, BYU has another potent scorer in transfer Trent Whiting. Last week he averaged 17.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in three wins. He had 18 points vs. CSU, 14 points vs. Wyoming and 21 at SDSU. He had a game-high 21 vs. his former team Utah in the first meeting. He had a career-high 26 points while going 10-15 from the field and 3-6 on treys in the first meeting with UNLV. He had his string of consecutive double-digit points games stop at 11 when he scored a season-low 7 points at Wyoming. A transfer from Utah, he has reached double figures in 16 of 19 games since becoming eligible to play on Dec. 16 vs. Utah State. He had nine points vs. New Mexico and a season-low four points at UNLV. He is third in scoring at 14.8 ppg.
BYU Owns Nation's Top One-Game Shooting Percentage
BYU's 70.8 percent shooting vs. Elon College is the top single-game shooting percentage in the nation this year. The effort was the best by a BYU team since the 1983 squad set the school record making 73.6 percent vs. St. Mary's.
Training Room News
Hansen Doubtful with Foot Injury
Travis Hansen has missed the last six games with a broken right foot and after playing a limited role against Utah in the first meeting. After played with discomfort and pain at CSU and Wyoming a bone scan revealed a stress fracture. He played with the injury vs. Utah, but broke the bone in his foot during the game. He uses a bone stimulater in hopes to accelerate the healing process. He was cleared for some limited practice Tuesday but his status is still doubtful that he will be able to play Saturday at Utah.
Knight Working Through Back Troubles
Transfer senior forward Nate Knight has been limited in his ability to participate in practices fully because of a lingering back injury. He has played with the condition throughout the season and is not expected to miss any games.
Vranes out for the Year
Two-year starting guard Michael Vranes will miss the entire season after a foot injury required two fall surgeries. Vranes played both the point and wing for the Cougars and was the third leading scorer last season and the team's best defender on the perimeter. In January, Vranes underwent a third surgery in Houston from a specialist, who said Vranes has a possibility for a full recovery. The surgery was determined a success but his status for next year is still uncertain. He has one year of eligibility remaining if he is able to return.
Injuries Played Role in Three Players Decision to Redshirt the 2000-01 Season
BYU Head Basketball Coach Steve Cleveland announced Nov. 17 that three players on this year's team - Garner Meads, Jesse Pinegar and Bart Jepsen - plan to redshirt during the 2000-01 season. Meads and Pinegar are both freshmen members of last year's top-20 recruiting class while Jepsen is a sophomore who returned from an LDS Church mission this summer. All three players have experienced injuries that have factored into the decision to redshirt. Meads, a McDonald's High School All-American forward, has had multiple injuries impede his ability to practice. A knee surgery limited his basketball until late summer and a lung injury sustained in only the team's fifth practice has kept the 6-foot-8 forward from any physical activity for the past month. "After meeting with Garner and his family we have determined it is in his best interest to redshirt this season," Cleveland said. "He has not been able to condition because of his lung injury and has also missed nearly all of our practices. He plans to leave on his mission in February, which means he will not enroll in school for the Winter semester." Pinegar, who was a high school teammate of Meads' at Salt Lake City's Brighton High School, suffered a stress fracture in his left foot last week and has a sesmoid (inflamed bone) problem on his right foot. While he will be able to condition and lift weights, the 6-foot-9 forward will not be able to jump and practice for 4-6 weeks. A 6-foot-9 forward, Jepsen has planned on redshirting this year since returning from his mission this summer. While serving his two-year mission, he sustained a broken leg.
Meads Begins Serving 2-Year Mission
McDonald's High School All-American forward Garner Meads has received his mission call to serve a 2-year LDS Church mission in Edmonton, Alberta. He began serving his mission last week when he entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo. Meads decided to redshirt this season after a lung injury kept him from being able to practice until the season began. He will return to the team in the winter of 2003 to resume the final half of his redshirt year before taking the court for the 2003-04 season.
ESPN AND ESPN+PLUS Broadcasts
ESPN, Inc. and the Mountain West Conference announced a seven-year agreement on Feb. 1, 1999, giving ESPN exclusive national and regional television rights to MWC men's basketball and football games beginning with the 1999-2000 academic year.
Under the agreement, ESPN will distribute all MWC men's basketball games through ESPN, ESPN2, and syndication via ESPN Regional Television/ESPN+Plus (ERT). ESPN's Big Monday basketball lineup also includes MWC games. BYU has played two ESPN Big Monday contests in 2000-01 and will play three ERT games during the regular season.
ESPN has the exclusive rights to distribute any MWC home men's basketball game via subscription or pay-per-view packages (as part of ESPN FULL COURT) outside the local markets of the participating schools.
The following list includes the ESPN+Plus (ERT) Affiliates for the 2000-01 season:
Market Affiliate
Arizona
Phoenix KUSK-TV
Tucson, Ariz. KTTU-TV
Yuma, Ariz. KECY-TV
California
San Diego Channel 4 San Diego
Colorado
Denver KPXC-TV
Colorado Springs, Colo. KXRM-TV
Grand Junction, Colo. KFQX-TV
Georgia
Atlanta Comcast Sports
Idaho
Boise KTRV-TV
Idaho Falls/Pocatello KFXP-TV
Twin Falls KXTF-TV
Iowa
Cedar Rapids KWKB-TV
Kansas
Wichita KWCV-TV
Michigan
Detroit. WADL-TV
Missouri
Kansas City Metro Sports
Nevada
Las Vegas KFBT-TV
Reno KREN-TV
New Mexico
Albuquerque KRQE-TV
Oregon
Portland KOIN-TV
Tennessee
Memphis TV Memphis
Utah
Salt Lake City KJZZ-TV
Washington
Seattle/Tacoma KTWB-TV
Wyoming
Cheyenne KWYF-TV
Casper KLWY-TV
PLAYER BIOS
Mekeli Wesley (16.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg overall -- 16.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Game-high 25 points with 3 rebounds in 37 minutes vs. CSU.
• He leads the team lead in scoring (16.3) and leads the team in rebounding (5.5). Wesley carries more of the scoring load on the road, averaging 19.3 points compared to his 14.1 average at home.
• Overall, Wesley is third in the conference in scoring, 4th in free throw percentage, ninth in blocked shots, 10th in field goal percentage, and 12th in rebounds. In conference games he is tied with Lyday for second in scoring (16.7) and is third in three-point percentage (.457).
• He had 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. Utah in the first meeting this year while making a career-best 4 treys in 6 attempts.
• With his game-high 25 points vs. CSU, Wesley has led (or shared) BYU in scoring 15 times this year. He has 22 double figures scoring games this season. Last year he reached double figures in 30 of 33 games and led the Cougar in scoring in 17 games.
• Wesley has a team-high eight 20-plus point games this year.
• Wesley was a perfect 6-6 from the line vs. CSU. He did not attempt a free throw for only the second game this season against Utah in the first meeting. The other game was at home vs. San Diego State.
• Wesley has 1,595 career points, eighth on the all-time BYU list. He needs to score 58 points to pass Kenneth Roberts into seventh place on the scoring list. Wesley has made 458 free throws, sixth on BYU's career charts. He is also sixth all-time in free throw attempts with 590. He needs to make 10 more free throws to move into 5th place past Fred Roberts and is also 13 attempts shy of Roberts.
• With his bucket at the 12:55 mark in the second half vs. Air Force, Wesley became one of only nine players to surpassed 1,500 points as a Cougar.
• He set a career high by making four three-pointers (4-6) vs. Utah and New Mexico.
• Wesley passed two career milestones in the first half vs. New Mexico. Wesley passed former Cougar and NBA first-round draft choice Michael Smith into sixth place for the number of made free throws by a BYU player and surpassed BYU Hall of Fame member Kresimir Cosic into eighth place on the all-time BYU scoring list.
• He attempted a career-high 21 field goals (29 points) while making a season-high 10 baskets at Wyoming. He also had his second-best rebounding effort this year with 11.
• His double-double at Wyoming was his second this year and the sixth of his career.
• He became the conference's first repeat winner of the MWC Player of the Week Award. He was also named to the Yahoo! Sports Invitational All-Tournament Team Dec. 23 while averaging 21.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in three games.
• After starting the year shooting 34.9 percent in the first four games, he shot 60.8 percent over the next seven games and is now shooting 50 percent for the year.
WESLEY CAPSULE: A preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection, Wesley is the only player on the BYU roster to have played in each of head coach Steve Cleveland's three previous seasons ... a four-year starter, he has developed into one of the top players in the Mountain West Conference with good scoring ability from both the post and the perimeter ... he earned second-team All-MWC honors as a junior and was on the WAC Newcomer Team as a freshman ... he bulked up between his junior and senior seasons and is in the best shape of his career ... he missed part of his sophomore season while attending Salt Lake Community College for a semester and struggled to regain his freshman form ... a team captain, he returned to lead BYU in rebounding and was nine points shy of Lyday in scoring last year.
2000-01 BIO: Wesley had a game-high 25 points with 3 rebounds in 37 minutes vs. CSU ... 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists in 23 minutes vs. Wyoming ... a game-high 21 points with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block in 36 minutes at SDSU ... a team-best 17 points and 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal in 35 minutes at UNLV ... 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block in 38 minutes vs. UNM ... 9 points, game-high 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal in 29 minutes vs. AFA ... 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. Utah while making a career-best 4 treys in 6 attempts ... season-high 29 points, team-high 11 rebounds with 2 assists, 1 block in 36 minutes at Wyoming ... 12 points, shared team-high 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal in 31 minutes at CSU ... 14 points, 4 rebounds in 30 minutes vs. UNLV ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals in 27 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks in 25 minutes vs. Idaho ... team-high 17 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block in 22 minutes vs. USA ... team-high 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 32 minutes vs. Weber State. ... 19 points, team-best 6 rebounds, 2 assists in 25 minutes vs. USC ... season-high 26 points with 4 rebounds in 33 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 19 points, game-high 7 rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Boise State ... came out on fire making 7-8 first half shots, including 2-3 treys, for 16 points in 20 minutes on his way to a game-high 22 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 30 minutes vs. USU ... season-low 5 points, team-best 9 rebounds and two timely blocks in the closing moments in 31 total minutes vs. SUU ... named MWC Player of the Week Dec. 11 ... season-high 21 points with 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 34 minutes vs. Rice ... 16 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 3 assists in 31 minutes vs. FIU ... team-high 11 points, 7 rebounds in 30 minutes at ASU ... a season-high 20 points and 5 rebounds, 2 assists in 32 minutes vs. USF ... recorded career highs of 12 rebounds and five blocks against UCSB while recording his fifth career double double (first of season) with 11 points ... had a team-high 19 points, 3 rebounds in 21 minutes vs. Elon College, making all five of his field goals.
Terrell Lyday (15.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg -- 16.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 10 points, 2 rebounds, tied career-high 5 assists, 2 steals in 27 minutes vs. CSU.
• Lyday second in scoring in overall games and tied with Wesley in conference games. He ranks fifth in the conference overall in scoring and is tied with Wesley for second in conference games.
• Overall, he is also third in the MWC in free throw shooting and sixth in three-pointers made. He is sixth in steals (1.73) in MWC games only.
• Lyday had 14 points, 2 rebounds in 34 minutes vs. Utah in the previous meeting this season.
• With Lyday's 10 points vs. CSU, Lyday has reached double figures in 13 straight games and 23 of 26 overall this year. He has reach double figures in 53 of 59 games in his two years at BYU. He is averaging 16.5 points during his career.
• Lyday averaged 19.6 points per game in BYU's seven conference home wins.
• With his 25 points against Wyoming, Lyday has reached 20 or more points in seven games this year, one behind Wesley's eight. Whiting is the only other Cougar to reach 20 points, having done so four times in 19 games.
• He was named the MWC Player of the Week Jan. 15 after scoring 24 points in 22 minutes vs. SDSU.
• Lyday averages 32.5 minutes on the year, second only to Trent Whiting's 34.1 minutes. • Terrell has made 32-70 (.457) threes in 15 home games but is 6-38 (.158) in true away games. He is 9-23 (.391) in four neutral court contests. Lyday is 16-33 (.485) at home in BYU's seven MWC wins and is 2-11 (.182) in BYU's three MWC road losses. He was 1-5 in BYU's MWC road win at SDSU. Overall, he is shooting 37 percent on threes, making a team-leading 47 triples
• Lyday has made multiple threes in 13 games this year. Last year he made two or more treys in 20 of 33 games.
• He has made a trey in his last eight games and in 24 of 26 games this season. At CSU (0-5) he ended a string of five straight games with a three. At Weber State he ended a string of 15 straight games with a three dating back to last year. The 15-game streak is third on the BYU all-time list. He set the BYU record with a trey in the first 21 games of last year. He made a three in each of BYU's first 11 games this year.
LYDAY CAPSULE: Lyday had a strong first season last year upon transferring from Fresno City College ... a preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection, he is a MWC Player of the Year candidate and considered the top guard in the league by the preseason poll ... he was named MWC Newcomer of the Year last year ... athletic with a smooth jumper, he is a scorer who can finish inside or consistently knock down shots from the outside ... quick with good hands, he is an outstanding defender who led the MWC in steals last year ... he is a go-to player for the Cougars.
2000-01 BIO: Lyday had 10 points, 2 rebounds, tied career-high 5 assists, 2 steals in 27 minutes vs. CSU ... season-high 25 points with 4 rebounds, tied a season-high 4 assists, tied a career-best 2 blocks and had 2 steals in 36 minutes vs. Wyoming ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals in 32 minutes at SDSU ... 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steals in 37 minutes at UNLV ... 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals in 38 minutes vs. New Mexico ... game-high 22 points with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals in 37 minutes vs. AFA ... 14 points, 2 rebounds in 34 minutes vs. Utah ... 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block in 30 minutes at Wyoming ... 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 37 minutes at CSU ... 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in 33 minutes vs. UNLV ... a team-high 24 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, career-best 2 blocks, 1 steal in 22 minutes vs. SDSU, going 5-6 on threes on way to a career-best 69.2 percent (9-13) ... team-high 19 points with 1 rebound, 1 assist in 19 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 26 minutes vs. Idaho ... 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals in team-high 32 minutes vs. USA ... 14 points, season-high 7 rebounds, 1 steal in 40 minutes at Weber State ... 17 points, 2 rebounds, season-high 4 assists in 34 minutes vs. USC ... 18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals in 32 minutes vs. ISU ... season-highs of 25 points and four steals with 4 rebounds, 2 steals in 36 minutes vs. Boise State despite a sore ankle ... had a career-low 5 points, with 2 rebounds, 2 assists in injury -shortened (sprained right ankle) 26 minutes vs. USU ... game-high 24 points, season-high 4 rebounds, career-high 2 blocks in 39 minutes vs. SUU ... 10 points, 3 rebounds in 37 minutes vs. Rice at the Compaq Center ... 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 31 minutes vs. FIU ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 38 minutes at ASU ... 16 points, no rebounds, 1 assist in 39 minutes at USF ... team-high 21 points, no rebounds, 1 assist in 30 minutes vs. UCSB ... 9 points, 3 rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Elon College ... sat out the last exhibition with a muscle strain in his lower leg and played just over half vs. Elon.
Trent Whiting (14.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg -- 14.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg MWC)
Last Game: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals in 38 minutes vs. CSU.
• He is third on the team in scoring at 14.8 ppg. He plays a team-high 34.1 minutes per game. He leads the MWC in steals in conference games with 2.18 thefts per game, rates second in threes per game (2.09) and free throw percentage (.865), is tied for sixth in three-point percentage (.390) and is sixth in scoring (14.6). He hasn't played in enough games to be considered for the overall statistical leaders.
• He had a game-high 21 points with 2 rebounds, 2 steals and career-best 8 assists in 36 minutes vs. Utah in the first meeting this year. Against his former team, Whiting went 8-14 from the field and 8-8 from the free throw line.
• Whiting is averaging 3.6 assists per game in BYU's seven home MWC wins and only 1.0 assists per game in the three MWC road losses. He did not have an assist at SDSU.
• He did not start at Wyoming while blisters on his toe was being attended to but he checked in at the 19:50 mark for Matt Montague, missing only 10 seconds of early action. • He failed to reach double figures for the first time this season at Wyoming, ending a string of 11 straight double-digit games. He also did not reach double figures vs. New Mexico and at UNLV. He has reached double-digits in 16 of 19 games this year.
• He scored a career-high 26 point vs. UNLV earlier this year and had a season-low four points at UNLV in the second game.
• Starting in his BYU debut, Whiting hit his first three shots and made four of five threes to score 14 first half points. He was 7-11 on the night.
WHITING CAPSULE: Whiting is in his first year at BYU after transferring from Utah last year ... he was not eligible to compete until Dec. 16th against Utah State because of transfer rules ... he only played five games at Utah last year because of injury ... a NJCAA All-American at Snow College, he can play either guard position ... he is a gifted outside shooter with excellent range and a conditioned athlete with a strong vertical leap.
2000-01 BIO: Whiting had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals in 38 minutes vs. CSU ... 14 points, 2 assists in 33 minutes vs. Wyoming ... shared game-high honors with 21 points, tied career-bests of 7 rebounds and 2 blocks and had a career-high 4 steals in 34 minutes at SDSU ... had a season-low 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 37 minutes at UNLV ... 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals in 29 minutes vs. UNM ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals in 34 minutes vs. AFA ... game-high 21 points with 2 rebounds, 2 steals and career-best 8 assists in 36 minutes vs. Utah ... season-low 7 points with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and tied career-best of 3 steals in 37 minutes at Wyoming ... team-high 13 points, shared team-best with career-high 7 rebounds, 1 assist while tying a career-high with game-high 3 steals in 39 minutes at CSU ... career-high 26 points with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals in 34 minutes vs. UNLV ... 17 points, 3 rebounds, equaled season-high 4 assists, in 26 minutes vs. SDSU ... 15 points, season-high 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks in 33 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block in 29 minutes vs. Idaho ... 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals in season-low 29 minutes vs. USA ... 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, season-high 4 assists in 33 minutes at Weber State ... 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 34 minutes vs. USC ... 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 38 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 19 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 35 minutes vs. Boise State ... 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in team-high 39 minutes vs. USU in his BYU debut.
Nathan Cooper (4.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg overall -- 4.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 2 points, 4 rebounds, tied season-high 4 assists, 1 steal in 30 minutes vs. CSU.
• He is third on the team in rebounding (4.0) and sixth in scoring (4.8).
• He had 3 points, team-high 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 24 minutes vs. Utah in the last meeting.
• Cooper has been a strong contributor, especially defensively and on the boards, since starting in Travis Hansen's absence. He made a critical steal and resulting layup while scoring a season-high 11 points vs. Wyoming. He had a season-best 8 rebounds vs. UNM.
• After taking only four shots over four games, he is 11-23 in the last six games.
COOPER CAPSULE: Cooper is one of the team captains ... he is a versatile player who has a solid outside shot with a tough, scrappy nature and competitive desire ... he was the team's top free throw shooter last year... he has been a solid contributor in each of his first three seasons, both as a starter and off the bench.
2000-01 BIO: Cooper had 2 points, 4 rebounds, tied season-high 4 assists, 1 steal in 30 minutes vs. CSU ... season-high 11 points with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 27 minutes vs. Wyoming ... 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals in 32 minutes at SDSU ... 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists in 31 minutes at UNLV ... 4 points, season-high 8 rebounds, 2 steals while equaling a season-high 31 minutes vs UNM ... 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 24 minutes vs. AFA ... 3 points, team-high 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 24 minutes vs. Utah ... 4 points, 1 rebound in 9 minutes at Wyoming ... did not score with 1 rebound in 12 minutes at CSU ... 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in a season-low 8 minutes vs. UNLV ... 9 points(2-3 on threes), 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 14 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 21 minutes vs. Idaho ... did not score with 4 rebounds in 16 minutes vs. USA ... had 1 point in 9 minutes after starting at Weber State ... did not score with 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. USC ... did not score, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 19 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 6 points, 5 rebounds in 22 minutes vs. Boise State ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 14 minutes vs. USU ... did not score, taking only one shot, with 1 rebound, 1 steal in 18 minutes vs. SUU ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 4 assists in 29 minutes vs. Rice ... had 7 points, 7 rebounds in 21 minutes vs. FIU ... had 5 points, 5 re bounds in 19 minutes at ASU ... had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 31 minutes at USF ... had 6 points, 6 rebounds vs. UCSB in 28 minutes ... had 10 points, 7 rebounds in 20 minutes vs. Elon College, going 3-3 from the floor, including 1-1 on threes, and 3-4 free throws.
Eric Nielsen (6.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg overall -- 6.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 6 points, shared team-high 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. CSU.
• Nielsen is fourth on the team in scoring (6.5) and second in rebounding (4.3).
• He had 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks in 34 minutes vs. Utah in the first game.
• He had his sixth double-digit scoring game of the year at Wyoming.
• After not scoring for the first time this year vs. Iowa State, he reached double figures in three straight games for the first time in his career. He also did not score vs. AFA.
• Nielsen had his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds vs. South Alabama.
• He went 3-4 vs. CSU Saturday and is 20-31 (.645) from the floor in the last eight games. Nielsen is shooting 59.8 percent from the floor. Last year he had the eighth best season field goal percentage in BYU history with a 57.8 percentage. His current 56.2 career percentage ranks third all-time at BYU among starters having made 219-390 field goals.
NIELSEN CAPSULE: Nielsen came on strong at the end of last season helping BYU advance in the MWC and NIT tournaments ... a three-year starter, he played on the 1-25 1996-97 team and, after returning from an LDS Church mission, on last year's 22-11 NIT quarterfinalist squad prior to this season ... an intelligent player with a good mid-range jumper, he is physically much stronger than last season.
2000-01 BIO: Nielsen had 6 points, shared team-high 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. CSU ... 7 points, game-high 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks in 31 minutes off the bench vs. Wyoming ... 6 points, 3 rebounds in 25 minutes at SDSU ... 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block in 19 minutes at UNLV ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 23 minutes vs. UNM ... no points (0-1 from the floor), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks in 19 minutes vs. AFA ... 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks in 34 minutes vs. Utah ... 12 points (season-high 75 percent FGs, 6-8), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 17 minutes at Wyoming ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block in 28 minutes at CSU ... 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals in 20 minutes vs. UNLV ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 16 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal in 16 minutes vs. Idaho ... first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, along with 2 assists in 27 minutes vs. USA ... 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist in 34 minutes at Weber State ... 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. USC ... no points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 23 minutes vs. ISU ... 2 points, no rebounds, 1 block in 15 minutes vs. BSU ... 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists in 21 minutes vs. USU ... season-high 15 points with 4 rebounds in 35 minutes vs. SUU ... 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 19 minutes vs. Rice ... 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 32 minutes vs. FIU ... 9 points, 9 rebounds in 31 minutes at ASU ... 4 points, 2 rebounds in 8 minutes at USF, fouling out ... 3 points, 2 rebounds in 12 foul-trouble limited minutes vs. UCSB ... 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (matched season high from last year) in 25 minutes vs. Elon College.
Travis Hansen (6.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg overall -- 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Has not played the last six games because of a fractured foot.
• He played sparingly off the bench vs. Utah because of a stress fracture in his right foot.
• He averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds in BYU's two road losses at CSU and Wyoming.
• He had started the last seven games before his injury and has nine total starts. The Cougars are 7-2 (CSU, Wyoming) when Hansen starts and 7-4 in games he came off the bench. He came off the bench in the first seven games of the season.
• Overall, he is fifth on the team in scoring (6.3) and fourth in rebounding (3.2).
• He averaged 8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds during BYU's six-game winning streak.
HANSEN CAPSULE: Hansen is in his first season at BYU ... he enrolled this fall as a transfer from Utah Valley State College after sitting out a redshirt season last year upon returning from his LDS Church mission ... he played at UVSC as a freshman ... he is one of the most athletic players on the team ... he has nice range from outside and can slash to the basket effectively.
2000-01 BIO: Hansen has been out since the Utah game with a fracture in his right foot ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal in 11 minutes vs. Utah, playing sparingly off the bench because of a stress fracture in his right foot ... 8 points, tied career-high 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in season-high 27 minutes at Wyoming ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal in 15 minutes at CSU ... 8 points, 5 rebounds, career-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 24 minutes vs. UNLV ... 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 6 points, career-high 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 18 minutes vs. Idaho ... 5 points, no rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 14 minutes vs. USA ... career highs of 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 21 minutes at Weber State ... 5 points in 16 minutes off the bench vs. USC ... career-high 9 points with 3 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench vs. ISU ... started but did not score with 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 12 minutes vs. BSU ... started for the first time and had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. USU ... had identical 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 22 minutes lines vs. SUU and Rice ... 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 18 minutes vs. FIU ... had 8 points, 2 rebounds in 17 minutes at ASU .... he did not score and had 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 11 minutes at USF ... had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 18 minutes vs. UCSB ... 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists in 11 minutes vs. Elon College playing with a groin injury.
Nate Knight (2.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg overall -- 1.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Played 2 minutes vs. CSU.
• He averages 11.4 minutes as one of the first substitutes off the bench. He has three starts.
• He had 5 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Utah in the previous meeting this year.
• He scored twice on offensive tip-ins at UNLV. In BYU's earlier game vs. UNLV he did not take a shot but played a key role helping guard UNLV center Kaspars Kambala. The UNLV star came in averaging a double-double but was held without a field goal while scoring 2 points and grabbing only 3 rebounds.
KNIGHT CAPSULE: Knight transferred to BYU from Kentucky ... he became eligible to play on Dec. 16 vs. Utah State because of transfer rules ... he previously played at Utah Valley State College and Oregon State ... he is a hard-nosed player who can create problems for opponents with his ability to run the floor ... he is primarily a power forward but could also play at center ... he provides experience and depth to Cougar front line ... his brother Shane played for BYU and brother Travis currently plays in the NBA after a college career at Connecticut.
2000-01 BIO: Knight played 2 minutes vs. CSU ... started with 4 points, 5 rebound, career-best 3 blocks, 1 steal in 12 minutes vs. Wyoming ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1 steal in 11 minutes at SDSU ... 4 points 3 rebound, 1 block, 1 steak in 15 minutes at UNLV ... 2 points 1 rebound, 1 block, season-high 2 steals in 10 minutes vs. UNM ... 1 rebound and 4 fouls in season-low 1 minute vs. AFA ... 5 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Utah ... 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal in 19 minutes at Wyoming ... 2 rebounds, 1 block in 12 minutes at CSU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 13 minutes vs. UNLV ... did not score for the first time and had 2 rebounds in 9 minutes vs. SDSU ... tied a season-high 6 points with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 12 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 8 minutes vs. Idaho ... 3 points, 2 rebound, 1 assist in 10 minutes vs. USA ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 6 minutes at Weber State ... started and had 2 points (2-2 FTs), 2 rebounds in 15 minutes vs. USC ... got first start, equaled season-best 6 points with 5 rebounds, 1 block in 21 minutes ... season-high 6 points with 4 rebounds in 12 minutes vs. BSU ... 5 points, 6 rebounds in 18 minutes vs. USU in his BYU debut.
Matt Montague (2.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.1 apg overall -- 0.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.2 apg MWC)
Last Game: Played only three minutes vs. CSU.
• He had 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 13 minutes vs. Utah in the first meeting.
• He started vs. Air Force along with Whiting and Lyday on the guard line.
• He has not have an assist in the last two game and for the fourth time this year. He had no rebounds or points for the fourth time this year in his 3 minutes vs. CSU. He has not scored in 15 games overall.
• He has a team-best 80 assists. He ranks ninth in the MWC with 3.08 apg.
• He has taken 12 shots in the last 11 games.
• He started the first seven games but has come off the bench (except Wyoming and Air Force) since Trent Whiting made his BYU debut vs. Utah State. He is sixth in minutes played per game at 20.1.
• He started the year making his first eight shots, including 5-5 on threes, but is 3-23 from the floor in the last 19 games. Overall, he is shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from three-point range. He has more than doubled the number of treys (7-16) he made all of last year (3-12).
MONTAGUE CAPSULE: Montague is the top assist maker on the Cougar roster ... he led the team in assists last year while starting 19 of 33 games ... prior to serving his LDS Church mission, he led the 1996-97 Cougars in assists while starting every game ... a hard-nosed competitor, he sees the floor well and is a great transition passer ... he was slowed some by an Achilles injury last year and during preseason conditioning this year but is not being troubled currently by the injury.
2000-01 BIO: Montague played only three minutes vs. CSU ... 2 rebounds in 10 minutes vs. Wyoming ... 2 rebounds in 10 minutes vs. Wyoming ... played 6 minutes with 1 turnover at UNLV ... 2 assists in 9 minutes vs. UNM ... started and had 3 points, 4 assists, 2 steals in 27 minutes vs. AFA ... 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 13 minutes vs. Utah ... 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 11 minutes at Wyoming ... 2 points, 1 rebound in 17 minutes at CSU ... 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 17 minutes vs. UNLV ... 3 assists, 1 steal in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, season-highs of 6 rebounds and 9 assists with 2 steals in 25 minutes vs. TAMCC ... did not score, 1 rebound, game-high 3 assists, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs Idaho ... did not score, 2 rebounds, game-high 7 assists, 2 steals in 30 minutes vs USA ... 7 points, 2 rebounds, game-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 18 minutes at Weber State ... his lone steal vs. WSU was taken from WSU star Jermaine Boyette and set up a Travis Hansen hammer dunk to finally pull BYU even at 46-46. BYU did not trail the rest of the way ... did not score and only took two shots (both threes) in three games at the Yahoo! Sports Invitational ... played 11 minutes with 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal vs. USC, 12 minutes with 2 assists, 2 rebounds vs. ISU, and 30 minutes with 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and his first-ever block vs. BSU ... did not score (0-1) with 1 assist, 1 steal in season-low 10 minutes vs. USU ... was 0-3 from the floor with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, career-high 5 steals in 34 minutes vs. SUU ... shot 0-4 and did not score with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals in 40 minutes vs. Rice ... 8 points, 3 rebounds, season-low 2 assists vs. FIU ... did not score and had 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 28 minutes at ASU ... made his first eight shots of the year over three games, including 5-5 on threes ... had a season-high 12 points with 2 rebounds, 6 assists in 34 minutes at USF ... 9 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists in 33 minutes vs. UCSB ... 6 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists (no turnovers), 3 steals in team-high 30 minutes vs. Elon College, going 2-2 from the floor, both three pointers, marking the first time he has made two treys in a game during his career.
Daniel Bobik (3.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg overall -- 3.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 5 points, career-high 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block in season-best 20 minutes vs. CSU.
• He played one minute vs. Utah in the previous meeting this year.
• He hit a big three-pointer vs. Wyoming to help increase after Wyoming had trimmed a 13-point BYU lead to only three moments before the shot.
• He has played double-digit minutes the last six games with Hansen out with an injury. He has played double-digit minutes in 13 games this year. He has played less than 10 minutes in 10 games. He has not played in three games.
• He was 2-2 from the floor vs. AFA, making his first field goal since scoring 11 points in 12 minutes vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
BOBIK CAPSULE: Bobik has enrolled at BYU for his freshman season after returning from an LDS Church mission to the Dominican Republic ... coming out of high school he was one of the first recruits to sign with BYU under Steve Cleveland ... he is an excellent shooter and good passer with good court awareness.
2000-01 BIO: Bobik had 5 points, career-high 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block in season-best 20 minutes vs. CSU ... 5 points, tied a career-best 3 assists in 13 minutes vs. Wyoming ... 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals in 10 minutes at SDSU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal in 10 minutes at UNLV ... 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. UNM ... 6 points, 3 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. AFA ... played one minute vs. Utah ... 1 assist, 2 steals in 6 minutes at Wyoming ... did not play at CSU ... 1 point, 1 assist in 3 minutes vs. UNLV ... did not score with 4 rebounds, 2 assists in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals in 12 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. Idaho ... 5 points, 1 steal in 7 minutes vs. USA ... did not play vs. Weber State or USC ... played only 1 minute vs. ISU ... 4 points (4-4 FTs), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 8 minutes vs. BSU ... played 3 minutes vs. USU ... was 0-1 (a trey attempt) with 1 rebound, 1 assists, 1 steal in 9 minutes vs. SUU ... 0-1 (trey attempt) with 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal in 5 minutes v. Rice ... 9 points, 3 rebounds, season-high 3 assists in 20 minutes vs. FIU ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 16 minutes at ASU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 12 minutes at USF ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 9 minutes vs. UCSB ... 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assists in 19 minutes in his college debut vs. Elon College and was 5-10 from the floor and 4-4 from the line. He had three more field goal attempts than the next closest Cougar (Terrell Lyday with 7) ... started against EA Sports (Exhibition) in place of injured Terrell Lyday and had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists ... had 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists off the bench vs. Team Reebok.
Jacob Chrisman (3.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg overall -- 1.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 2 points, 3 rebounds, career-best 3 assists in 10 minutes vs. CSU.
• He had 2 points in 6 minutes vs. Utah in the first meeting this year.
• He has not scored in the last two road games. He did not score for the fifth time this year at SDSU and after not scoring at UNLV. He has scored in 20 of the 25 games he has played. He also did not have a rebound at SDSU. He has had a rebound in 20 of 25 games played.
• He had back-to-back career highs of 6 and 8 rebounds vs. TAMCC and SDSU.
• He did not play for the only time this year vs. ISU.
• He is 28-51 (.549) from the field this year.
CHRISMAN CAPSULE: Chrisman is extremely mobile and has the potential to be a strong rebounder ... he is an athletic low-post player who can score in multiple ways ... he has developed a nice perimeter game ... a hard worker, he has a knack for the game and finds a way to make plays both on offense and defense ... a slasher-type player who has a nice shooting touch ... he will play the three and the four.
2000-01 BIO: Chrisman had 2 points, 3 rebounds, career-best 3 assists in 10 minutes vs. CSU ... 3 points, 1 rebound in 2 minutes vs. Wyoming ... 2 assists in 10 minutes at SDSU ...played 5 minutes with 1 turnover at UNLV ... 1 point, 1 rebound in 5 minutes vs. UNM ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 14 minutes vs. AFA ... 2 points in 6 minutes vs. Utah ... 1 rebound, 1 assist in 2 minutes at Wyoming ... 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 9 minutes at CSU ... 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal in 9 minutes vs. UNLV ... 4 points, career-high 8 rebounds with 1 assist, in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 4 points, 6 rebounds with 1 assist, 1 block in 20 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 2 points, 3 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Idaho ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 8 minutes vs. USA ... 4 points, 1 rebound in 7 minutes at Weber State ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 11 minutes vs. USC ... did not play for the first time vs. ISU ... 2 points (2-2 FTs), 2 rebounds in 7 minutes vs. BSU ... 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 10 minutes vs USU ... did not score or grab a rebound in season-low 5 minutes vs. SUU ... had 2 points and no rebounds in 8 minutes vs. Rice ... 7 points, 4 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. FIU ... 5 points, 3 rebounds in 12 minutes at ASU ... 7 points, 4 rebounds in 15 minutes at USF ... 4 points, 1 block, 1 steal in 23 minutes vs. UCSB ... 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist in 20 minutes in his college debut vs. Elon College.
Derek Dawes (1.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg overall -- 0.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Played season-high 13 minutes for the second straight game with 3 offensive boards vs. CSU.
• He has taken 19 shots in the the 19 games in which he has played.
• He averages 2.1 rebounds in 6.1 minutes per game.
DAWES CAPSULE: Dawes enters his first year of college basketball as one of the most sought-after high school centers in the West ... he has played a limited role as a freshman but is an active player who runs the floor well and is a good free throw shooter ... he has outstanding shot blocking ability and timing and good athleticism and size ... he anticipates going on an LDS Church mission after the season.
2000-01 BIO: Dawes played season-high 13 minutes for the second straight game with 3 offensive boards vs. CSU ... played 13 minutes with career-best 2 assists and 1 block vs. Wyoming ... 1 rebound in 5 minutes at UNLV ... 2 rebounds in 1 minute vs. AFA ... 1 rebound in 6 minutes at Wyoming. ... 2 points in 2 minutes vs. UNLV ... 1 rebound, 1 steal in 6 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 3 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 6 minutes vs. Idaho ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 2 minutes vs. USA ... did not play at Weber State ... did not score with 3 rebounds, 1 block in 8 minutes vs. USC ... 2 rebounds in 3 minutes vs. ISU ... did not play vs. BSU ... 1 rebound in 4 minutes vs. USU ... 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 7 minutes vs. SUU ... he gave a nice contribution vs. Rice despite playing only six minutes. After making a block he came down the court and knocked down a long jumper on his only attempt. He also grabbed three boards (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 6 minutes vs. Rice in Houston) ... did not play vs. FIU ... started at ASU and did not score with 2 blocks, 1 rebound in 6 minutes ... 1 point, 1 rebound in 6 minutes at USF ... 3 points, 4 rebounds in 7 minutes vs. UCSB ... 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block in 12 minutes vs. Elon College in his college debut.
Dan Howard (1.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg overall -- 0.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Played one minute vs. CSU.
• He had 1 rebound in 4 minutes vs. Utah in the first meeting.
• He has played in 12 games overall, including 8 of the last 16 games.
• He is 5-8 from both the floor and 2-2 from the line this year. Last year he was 3-3 from the floor before being forced to redshirt with a knee injury.
HOWARD CAPSULE: Howard played four games last year but redshirted after having knee surgery ... he had not had any significant game experience since last playing for his high school team in 1996 ... a hard worker, he has a knack for the ball and play a factor with his size inside.
2000-01 BIO: Howard played one minute vs. AFA ... 1 rebound in 4 minutes vs. Utah ... played three minutes, going 0-1, vs. UNLV ... 2 points, season-high 3 rebounds in 10 minutes vs. SDSU ... did not play vs. TAMCC ... had 2 points, 1 rebound in 2 minutes vs. Idaho ... 1 block in 1 minute vs. USA ... did not play at Weber State ... played only 1 minute vs. USC, committing a foul ... did not play in the previous five games ... sat out Rice game with knee injury ... 2 points in 4 minutes vs. FIU ... had 2 rebounds in 2 minutes at ASU ... fouled out with 4 points, no rebounds, 1 block after playing a season-high 12 minutes at USF with Eric Nielsen in foul trouble and USF putting a 7-footer on the court ... did not play vs. UCSB ... had 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 5 minutes vs. Elon College.
Ty Shippen (0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg overall -- 0.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Played one minute vs. CSU.
• He hit the three vs. SDSU that tied the BYU team record for 13 treys in a game.
• He has played 24 minutes in 10 games. After playing 10 minutes in BYU's first two home wins, he has played 14 total minutes since.
SHIPPEN CAPSULE: Shippen joins the Cougars as a walk-on after transferring from Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho ... he is a gifted shooter and can play either guard position ... he is married to the former Kaly Gillette, who plays on the BYU women's basketball team ... he is the younger brother of BYU women's basketball coach Trent Shippen ... he served an LDS Church mission to North Carolina.
2000-01 BIO: Shippen was 0-1 in 1 minute vs. AFA ... 1 steal in 3 minutes vs. UNLV ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 4 minutes vs. SDSU ... played 1 minute vs. TAMCC and vs. USA .. had 1 assist in 1 minute at ASU ... played only two minutes with one turnover vs. UCSB ... had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 8 minutes vs. Elon College.
Jordan Archibald (0.1 ppg, 0.1 apg overall -- 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Played one minute vs. CSU.
• He has played 15 minutes this year, six in the season opener vs. Elon College.
ARCHIBALD CAPSULE: Archibald redshirted last year and returns for his freshman season ... he has good size and is a good shooter ... he suffered a broken hand during the off-season and his preseason skill development and conditioning opportunities were further limited due to a fall groin pull.
2000-01 BIO: Archibald played 1 minute vs. CSU, AFA, Utah and UNLV, 3 minutes vs. SDSU, 1 minute vs. TAMCC, Idaho and USA ... had 1 point, 1 assist in 6 minutes vs. Elon College.
