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Runnin' Utes Open Pac-12 Tournament Action with 10th-Seeded Huskies

Mar 8, 2021

Utah Game Notes | Washington Game Notes | Pac-12 Tournament Bracket

LAS VEGAS – The seventh-seeded Utah men's basketball team heads to Sin City for the 2021 Pac-12 Tournament as it battles the 10th-seeded Washington Huskies on Wednesday, March 10, at T-Mobile Arena in the second game of the day at 5 p.m. (MT) / 4 p.m. (PT) local on Pac-12 Networks.
 
Ted Robinson will have the call in just the second meeting between the Utes and Huskies in conference tournament play while Bill Walton serves as the analyst with Matt Muehlebach on the sideline.
 

PAC-12 NOTES
Since joining the Pac-12, here are some numbers surrounding the Utes in the conference tournament…
 

  • Overall record in the Pac-12 Tournament: 6-9
  • Record since Pac-12 Tournament moved to Las Vegas: 6-8
  • Record since Pac-12 Tournament moved to T-Mobile Arena: 0-4
  • Overall record inside T-Mobile Arena: 1-4 (vs. #6/6 Kentucky, 69-66)
  • Record in the Pac-12 Tournament when Utah is the higher seed: 4-3
  • Record in the Pac-12 Tournament when Utah is the lower seed: 2-6

 
UTAH'S RECORD BY SEED (YEARS)
No. 1: N/A
No. 2: 2-1 (2016)
No. 3: 1-3 (2015, 2018, 2019)
No. 4: 0-1 (2017)
No. 5: N/A
No. 6: N/A
No. 7: FIRST TIME (2021)
No. 8: 1-1 (2014)
No. 9: 0-1 (2020)
No. 10: 2-1 (2013)
No. 11: 0-1 (2012)
No. 12: N/A
 
UTAH'S RECORD VS. THE FIELD
ARI: 0-1
ASU: N/A
CAL: 2-1
COL: 0-1
ORE: 0-5
OSU: 0-1
STAN: 1-0
UCLA: N/A
USC: 2-0
UW: 1-0
WSU: N/A
 
TOURNAMENT ROUND APPEARANCES BY YEAR
Round 1: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Round 2: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Semifinals: 2013, 2015, 2016
Championship: 2016
 
KNOCKING 'EM DOWN FROM THE STRIPE
Utah is on pace to have its best year at the free-throw line, heading into the conference tournament with a .792 clip (274-346) from the charity stripe. That percentage is good for second-best in the Pac-12, behind the NCAA leader Colorado (.834), and seventh best in the country. The current all-time free-throw percentage is .791 set by the 1992-93 squad.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Washington enters the Pac-12 Tournament 5-20 overall and 4-16 in Pac-12 play. The Huskies dropped their final three games of the regular-season – two of which came against Arizona State on the road before falling to Arizona on a game-winner 75-74. The Huskies are 2-4 all-time inside T-Mobile Arena for the Pac-12 Tournament with both wins coming in 2019 when it advanced to the championship game against Oregon.
 
Quade Green continues to lead UW in scoring with a 14.8 points average to go with 3.0 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game. Marcus Tsohonis is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points and 2.3 rebounds while Jamal Bay rounds out the trio of double-digit scorers averaging 10.0 points and 3.7 rebounds with a .507 shooting clip from beyond the arc. Transfer Erik Stevenson is just short of making that list, averaging 9.1 points and 3.6 rebounds. Nate Roberts averages just 5.0 points, but leads the team on the glass with 5.7 rebounds per game.
 
In the two meetings between the two programs, each team protected its home floor with Utah winning back in early December, 76-62, while Washington won 83-79 at Alaska Airlines Arena. Bey had a career-high against the Utes the last time the two teams squared off, posting 28 points with five rebounds on 10-of-11 shooting – including four from deep. Green also dropped 20 points that game for the Huskies while Stevenson added 18 points.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Utah was clicking on all cylinders last Saturday in its regular-season finale against Arizona State, strolling past the Sun Devils 98-59 in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.  The 39-point margin of victory was the third-highest in Pac-12 play for Utah. Coincidentally the highest was against ASU, an 83-41 victory back on Feb. 26, 2015.
 
Five different players registered in double-figures while Utah dished out 24 assists on 39 made baskets on its way to a .591 shooting clip for the game. It was also the second time this season where the Utes went perfect from the line (min. 10 FA), knocking down all 12 shots.
 
The 57 second-half points is first time Utah has scored 50 or more in a half since dropping 55 in the first frame against Central Arkansas last year. Timmy Allen was on triple-double watch in the second-half before finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Mikael Jantunen and Alfonso Plummer led the way for Utah scoring 15 points apiece. Jantunen also added seven rebounds to his name on 6-of-8 shooting. Branden Carlson closed out the double-digit scorers for Utah and nearly had a double-double himself, scoring 11 points on eight rebounds and 5-of-9 shooting.
 
UP NEXT
Should the Utes get the dub against Washington on Wednesday, Utah will turn its attention toward the second-seeded USC Trojans. Like UW, the Utes and Trojans both protected their home floors in the regular-season. The second-round game between Utah and USC is set for Thursday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. (MT) / 5:30 p.m. (PT) local on Pac-12 Networks. Ted Robinson will have the call on that game while Bill Walton serves as the analyst.
 
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