MBB Opens Sunshine Slam MTE at Home with Bethune-Cookman Monday Night

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team has a quick turnaround after routing Sacramento State Saturday night as it readies to host Bethune-Cookman in the Jon M. Huntsman Center for an 8 p.m. (MT) tip-off on Monday, Nov. 15, as part of its opener in the Sunshine Slam MTE.
 
Jacob Tobey will have the call in the first-ever meeting between the Runnin' Utes and Wildcats while former Saint Mary's, Oregon and Washington State head coach Ernie Kent serves as the analyst on the Pac-12 Mountain broadcast.
 
SUNSHINE SLAM BEGINS
Monday's game against Bethune-Cookman will serve as the opening game of the Sunshine Slam for Utah before heading to Daytona Beach, Fla., for a battle against Boston College and/or Rhode Island/Tulsa next weekend inside the Ocean Center.
 
All games for the Sunshine Slam (Nov. 20-21) are streamed on FloHoops with Spence Siegel on the call alongside Ben Stout.
 
STAT ADJUSTMENTS
After going back through the tape, there were two adjustments made in the second half for Utah against Sacramento State. Riley Battin was awarded the assist to Branden Carlson on the transition 3-pointer to start the second frame. In addition, Marco Anthony was awarded a rebound (OREB) at the 17:59 mark instead of David Jenkins Jr. to bring his total to 17 on the night.
 
CAREER NIGHTS
Junior Branden Carlson and senior Marco Anthony had career-high nights in Utah's blowout against Sacramento State this past Saturday. Carlson recorded a new high in points with 21 on 8-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-2 from deep, while 15 of his 21 points coming in the first half alone.
 
Anthony recorded a pair of career-highs, pulling down 17 rebounds while dishing out six assists. According to Basketball-Reference, there have only been four other instances where a Ute has recorded 17-plus rebounds in a game since the 2010-11 season.
 

 
IN THE RANKINGS
Through games on Nov. 13, here's how the Runnin' Utes and players rank nationally…
 

 
SCHEDULE NOTES
According to NCAA Statistics "toughest schedule" report, Utah's future opponents are currently 39-13 (.750) through games on Nov. 13 – which is tied for the 47th with Texas A&M. Meanwhile, the 40-14 (.741) cumulative record of past and future opponents for Utah is tied for 45th with UCONN and LMU.
 
POUNDING THE GLASS
Through two games, the Utes have averaged 56.5 rebounds per game after posting 55 boards in their season-opener followed by 58 against Sacramento State. The last time Utah had 50-plus rebounds in back-to-back games occurred in the first two games of the 2019-20 season when it had 52 rebounds at Nevada and then 68 against Mississippi Valley State at home.
 
According to STATS LLC., this is the first time in program history the Utes have recorded 55-plus rebounds in back-to-back games dating back to the 1996-97 season. The closest Utah has gotten to consecutive games with 55 or more rebounds game during the 2013-14 season when Utah had 55 against Evergreen State (Nov. 8, 2013) before hauling in 71 boards against St. Katherine (Dec. 28, 2013).
 
Since the 1996-97 season, there have only been three other Pac-12 players listed at 6-5 or below to grab 17 rebounds in a single-game.
 

 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Bethune-Cookman took the floor for the first time in over 600 days after opting out of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 on opening night of the 2021-22 season. The Wildcats are also under the direction of first-year head coach Reggie Theus, who also serves as the Director of Athletics at BCU.
 
The Wildcats are 0-2 heading into Monday's match-up after following to USF (75-54) and MTSU (71-51) on the road. Joe French paces the team, averaging 16 points and 2.5 rebounds while Damani McEntire is averaging 10.0 points and 4.0 boards after making his season-debut against MTSU. Kevin Davis, who had 5 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opener missed the game against the Blue Raiders. Meanwhile, Dylan Robertson is second on the glass for BCU averaging 8 points and 10 rebounds with a pair of starts.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Utah saw some career numbers put up in its victory against Sacramento State while 12-of-13 Runnin' Utes that saw time on the court recorded points. Branden Carlson scored 15 of his career-high 21 points in the first half on 8-10 shooting while Marco Anthony pulled down career-highs in rebounds (17) and assists (6) as Utah pummeled the Hornets 89-56.
 
Freshman Lazar Stefanovic scored his first-career basket at the 12:14 mark in the first-half when fellow countryman Dusan Mahorcic found the 6-7 guard cutting down the baseline for the bucket. JUCO transfer Bostyn Holt also picked up his first bucket at the DI level when he climbed the ladder to grab an offensive board and finish it with a kiss off the glass.
 
The Utes took advantage of its presence in the paint, outscoring the Hornets 40-28 while converting 19 offensive boards into a 21-8 edge in second-chance points. As promised the Runnin' Utes scored 19 fast-break points while the Utah bench outscored Sacramento State 40-23.

Utes continue to gain momentum. ??@UtahMBB defeats Sacramento State 89-56 to notch their second win of the season.#GoUtes | #Pac12MBB pic.twitter.com/G42pP1wbLA

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 14, 2021

 
UP NEXT
After playing the Wildcats, the Utes will get a couple days to prepare for their opening game in Daytona Beach against Boston College this Saturday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. (MT). The Utes will then play either Rhode Island or Tulsa depending on Saturday's outcome on Sunday, Nov. 21.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After returning from the Sunshine Slam, the Utes returns home for a busy weekend on The Hill for Utah Athletics and wraps up Saturday night on Nov. 27 when the Runnin' Utes battles in-state rival BYU at 7:30 p.m. (MT). Roxy Bernstein and UCLA All-American Don MacLean have the call in the 262nd showdown between the Utes and Cougars on Pac-12 Networks.
 
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
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