Game 23 - Cougars and Utes to Battle in Deseret First Duel

Cougars and Utes to Play in Deseret First Duel

No. 12/10 BYU men’s basketball (20-2, 5-1 MWC) returns to the Marriott Center looking to bounce back from its first loss in MWC play when the Cougars face Utah in the Deseret First Duel on Saturday at 7 p.m. MST. The game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. MST on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Up Next

The Cougars play their second-straight home game when they host TCU on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. MST. Listen to the game live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. MST on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— Jimmer Fredette set BYU single-game records with 49 points and nine threes against Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz., at the McKale Center. BYU handed Arizona its worst loss at the McKale Center, 99-69.

— BYU’s 15-game winning streak, it’s second-longest winning streak in school history ended on Jan. 27 at New Mexico, 76-72.

— Fredette is 24th all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,190 career points. He leads the conference in scoring at 20.5 points per game. He is also 15th at BYU in career assists with 298 and 12th in steals with 107.

— Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to three-straight MWC regular season titles and three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Under Rose, BYU also has five-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight postseason appearances. At 117-36 (.765) overall, he is BYU’s all-time leader in winning percentage.

— Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari became BYU’s all-time leader in three-pointers with two treys vs. San Francisco to give him 214. He is now at 236 after hitting three at New Mexico. He is also climbing the lists for points (T14th with 1,375) and steals (T3rd with 140).

— Tavernari is on pace to become the BYU player with the most wins in a career. Since his freshman campaign, he has been a part of 97 Cougar wins (played in 93), tied with former teammate Lee Cummard (2005-09), who was a part of 97 BYU wins (played in all 97).

BYU Game #23 Fast Facts

No. 12/10 BYU (20-2, 5-1) vs. Utah (10-10, 3-3)

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

7 p.m. MST

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (117-36 in fifth season; same overall)

Utah, Jim Boylen (52-35 in third season; same season overall)

Series

Utah leads 125-123, including a regular season split in 2008-09

TV

Live on The Mtn. (James Bates, play-by-play; Joe Cravens, game analysis)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM and online at KSL.com) and the Cougar Sports Network (6 p.m. MST pregame show — Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web

Live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

BYU vs. Utah Men's Basketball Series

BYU and Utah will meet for the 249th time Saturday and 2010 marks the 101st anniversary of the series. The Cougars 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 on its way to winning the first eight games against the Utes. The series ranks 10th in the NCAA record book in terms of most games in a rivalry and is the 11th longest running rivalry dating back to 1909. Utah is the opponent that BYU has played the most in its history (248 games) and is BYU’s second-longest running series (Utah State series began in 1905 and includes 226 games). In the 101 years of the BYU-Utah series, this season will mark only the ninth year the Cougars have trailed Utah in the overall series after the Utes took their first series lead in 2000. Utah currenty holds a 125-123 series advantage. BYU has a 69-47 record in Provo against the Utes, while Utah holds a 73-48 advantage in Salt Lake City. BYU has a 6-5 edge on neutral floors. The Cougars have won five of six against Utah after a split last season.

The Deseret First Duel Rivalry Series

The 2009-10 season marks the third year of the Deseret First Duel presented by Deseret First Credit Union.

The Deseret First Duel began in September 2007 as a way for BYU, the University of Utah, and Deseret First Credit Union to celebrate this spirited rivalry that dates back to the 1890s. Prior to the duel, there had been no established means to recognize the overall athletic supremacy of the Cougars or the Utes. Now, the university that wins the Deseret First Duel has its name engraved on large granite monuments located at both schools and, most importantly, holds bragging rights for the following year.

Here’s how the Deseret First Duel works: BYU and Utah compete against each other in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, women’s gymnastics, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s swimming. Points are awarded to the school that wins each game, meet, or match. A team trophy will also be presented to the winner in each sport. The university that scores that scores the first 33 of the total of 65 points will claim the Deseret First Duel championship in May 2010. BYU narrowly defeated Utah to win the inaugural Deseret First Duel in 2007-08 while Utah claimed the prize in 2008-09.

The Utah vs. BYU rivalry is one of the oldest and strongest in the country. In November 2005, the Wall Street Journal rated the rivalry the fourth best in college athletics. Thanks to a partnership with Deseret First Credit Union, the rivalry now has an official name and a traveling trophy to signify yearly supremacy. The Deseret First Duel sponsorship between the two universities and Deseret First Credit Union is for five years.

Both universities have a Deseret First Duel web link on their respective athletic websites (byucougars.com and utahutes.com). The website provides scores, point totals, upcoming rivalry games and special online offers, including the ability to enter to win the Ultimate Fan Experience.

Deseret First Credit Union, founded in 1955, operates 11 branches from Logan to St. George, has more than 50,000 members and over $417 million in assets. Deseret First is a full-service credit union offering deposit and loan accounts, insurance, investments, SBA loans and more.

Current Standings

BYU currently leads the series 16-6 with 10 points being decided by the men’s and women’s basketball games on Saturday. BYU women’s soccer opened this season’s Deseret First Duel with a 2-1 win at home to give the Cougars a 6-0 lead. Utah answered by sweeping the volleyball series 3-2 and 3-2 to even the score. BYU football defeated Utah 26-23 in overtime to give the Cougars a 16-6 advantage.

Looking at Utah

Utah is 10-10 overall and 3-3 in the Mountain West Conference. The Utes have lost two of three including a home loss to San Diego State (70-68), a win at Air Force (71-54) and a loss at Wyoming (75-69). Junior Carlon Brown leads Utah in scoring at 13.9 points per game while adding 2.4 assists per game. He posted 31 points at Wyoming. Freshman Marshall Henderson is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg while adding 2.2 rpg. Luka Drca adds 10.6 ppg while leading the team with 3.8 apg. Jay Watkins averages 9.8 points while Kim Tillie posts averages of 8.4 ppg and a team-best 5.8 rpg. David Foster leads the conference with 4.3 blocks per contest and adds 5.7 ppg and 5.2 rpg. As a team Utah shoots .436 from the field, .737 from the free throw line and .319 from three. The Utes average 68.8 points, 12.2 assists and 34.3 rebounds per game. Utah’s opponents shoot .404 from the field, .700 from the free throw line and .294 from three while averaging 66.6 points, 9.7 assists and 36.0 rebounds. Jim Boylen is 52-35 in his third season at Utah.

Utah’s Last Outing — Utah Falls to Wyoming, 75-69

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Desmar Jackson scored 21 points as Wyoming rallied past Utah 75-69 in mountain West Conference play on Wednesday.

The Cowboys (9-11, 2-4) lost a 12-point lead in the second half and trailed by three with three minutes remaining, and went on to outscore Utah 11-2 down the stretch.

Wyoming went into the game as one of the top shooting teams in the nation in free throws made and free throws attempted, but were just 23 of 44 (52.3 percent) from the line in the game. The Cowboys, however, were 7 of 9 in the final 46-seconds to secure the win.

Carlon Brown came off the off the bench with a career-high 31 points for Utah (3-3, 10-10).

Leading 35-32 at halftime, Wyoming built its lead to 46-34 with 14 minutes to play, but Utah used a 9-0 run to get back in the game. Brown was the catalyst of the rally, scoring 22 points in the second half, including 11 of the team’s 14 points in one stretch.

Series Notes

BYU and Utah play for the 249th time on Saturday with Utah leading the overall series 125-123. The Cougars won 63-50 at home and lost 94-88 at Utah in overtime last season. BYU leads 69-47 (22-17 in the Marriott Center) in Provo including the last four meetings in the Marriott Center. The Cougars are 6-3 against Utah under Dave Rose.

Nation’s Best Streaks

BYU’s 15-game winning streak that ended at New Mexico is tied for the third-longest winning streak in the NCAA this season.

Team, Streak

Kentucky, 19

Texas, 17

Northern Iowa, 15

BYU, 15

Winning Streaks

BYU’s 15-game winning streak that ended with a loss at New Mexico is the second longest in Cougar history. See the list below to see where it ranks among the best streaks by a BYU squad.

Year, Streak

1987-88, 17

2009-10, 15

1916-17, 14

Best Start

At 20-2 overall, BYU men’s basketball has tied the 1987-88 team for the best record through 22 games in program history. See below for the other best records through 22 games.

In the Rankings

BYU men’s basketball entered the top-25 rankings for the first time this season on Jan. 4 at No. 25 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cougars are currently ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, their highest rankings in both polls since 1987-88. Rose has led his teams to the rankings in each of the last four seasons to become the first Cougar coach to lead BYU into the rankings in four-straight seasons. The Cougar basketball program has now been ranked in the AP Poll during 18 seasons since its first national ranking in 1950-51.

BYU as a Ranked Team

BYU owns a 143-59 record as a ranked team, including 6-1 this season. The Cougars are 82-12 at home, 39-29 on the road and 22-18 at neutral sites when nationally ranked. BYU is 15-7 as a ranked team under Dave Rose.

1,000-Point Scorers

With 17 points at New Mexico, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,375 career points and is tied for 16th all-time in scoring at BYU. He is 14 points from passing Andy Toolson for 13th all-time.

Jimmer Fredette eclipsed 1,000 career points when he hit a three with 10:04 remaining against Nevada. He reached the milestone in 80 games. After scoring 27 points at New Mexico he has 1,190 career points — 26th all-time. He is four points from passing Randy Reid for 25th all-time.

Downtown Record Watch

Jonathan Tavernari hit two threes vs. San Francisco to become BYU’s all-time leader in career threes, passing Mark Bigelow who had 213 for his career. He is also the leader for career attempts. Tavernari owns the record for threes in a season with 88 in 2007-08. He now has 236 makes and 630 attempts. Jimmer Fredette is sixth with 137 makes and is fifth with 354 attempts.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari had one steal at San Diego State to give him 139 for his career. He is fourth all-time in BYU history and is two from passing Scott Sinek for third all-time. Jackson Emery is 11th with 113 while Jimmer Fredette is 12th with 107.

When Jimmer Scores 20...

Jimmer Fredette had 27 points at New Mexico, his 12th 20-point game this season and 20th of his career. BYU is 17-3 when Fredette scores 20 or more and had won the last 16 games in which he had reached the 20-point mark before the loss at New Mexico.