Runnin' Utes Head to Boulder for Saturday Showdown
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team is off to Boulder, Colo., to take on #RV/RV Colorado this Saturday, Jan. 30, at 12:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.
Drew Goodman will have the call between the Utes and Buffs alongside Sed Bonner as Utah looks to pick up its first win inside the CU Events Center since Feb. 23, 2017.
COACHES VS. CANCER
Both coaching staffs this Saturday will be joining other across the country in this year's Suits and Sneakers week in collaboration with the NABC and American Cancer Society. This fundraiser supports childhood cancer awareness through our Gold Together campaign, which raises funds to support childhood cancer research, services and awareness, and cancer prevention efforts targeting children.
For more information and learn how you can donate, please visit https://suitsandsneakers.org/.
RIGHT ON TIME
Two days after Rylan Jones dished out 10 dimes against Washington State on Thursday, Jan. 21, Timmy Allen joined in on the fun and recorded 10 assists of his own for a new career-high. The Mesa, Ariz., native is just the sixth player this season to record double-digit assists in the Pac-12. Allen finished that game with 15 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists for his first double-double of the season and second Ute to do so in as many games.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Timmy Allen has been big for the Utes this season, leading the team with 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Per sports-reference.com, Allen is one of 14 players through games on Jan. 27 to average 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season. Of the 14, only six players are from a Power 6 conference.
SCOUTING THE BUFFS
Winners of their last two and seven of their last 10, the Buffs enter this weekend's match-up 13-4 overall and 7-3 in conference play while also sporting a perfect 6-0 record at home this season. Nationally, Colorado leads the country in free-throw percentage with a .842 clip while sitting at 19th with 255 made free throws on the season – which is also second-most in the Pac-12 between Arizona (285).
Senior McKinley Wright IV continues to lead the Buffs, averaging 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists with a .508 shooting clip and team-high 16 steals. His 99 assists is sixth most in the country while his 5.8 assists average is 22nd nationally.
Jeriah Horne is second on the team in scoring, posting 11.2 points per game to go with a 5.3 rebounding average and a team-best .439 (29-of-66) shooting clip from long range. Evan Battey is right behind Horne, averaging 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds to go with an effective .496 shooting clip. Eli Parquet has been great defensively for the Buffs, posting 16 blocks with 15 steals to go with his 4.8 points average.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite career games from Branden Carlson and Timmy Allen as well as a season-high in scoring for Riley Battin, the Utes weren't able to hang on to their lead and saw critical turnovers in the waning moments of the game allow Washington to sneak away with 83-79 win against Utah.
Carlson had a career-high 18 points and five rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting while Allen recorded his first double-double of the season thanks to 15 points and a career-high 10 assists to go with seven boards. Meanwhile, Battin had his best game offensively on the year, scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting – three of which came from 3-point range.
UP NEXT
The Utes will return home for a quick homestand as it welcomes in the Arizona schools next week. Arizona will be the first opponent for Utah on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 5 p.m. on FS1 before welcoming in Arizona State on Feb. 7 for a Super Bowl Sunday match-up at Noon on Pac-12 Networks.
LOOKING AHEAD
After its short homestand, the Utes will embark on a four-game road swing that'll first take them to the Bay Area. Utah will first square off against California on Thursday, Feb. 11, before taking on Stanford at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13. Both games are slated to air on Pac-12 Networks.
###