Men's Basketball Set for Sunday Matinee Match-Up at Washington State

SALT LAKE CITY – Fresh off its victory over #4/4 Arizona, the Utah men's basketball team now turns its attention to Washington State. The Runnin' Utes and Cougars are set to duke it out on the Palouse this Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. (MT) on ESPNU.
 
Eric Rothman will have the call as Utah looks to give Craig Smith his first victory against the Cougs while Dan Dickau serves as the analyst in the 34th meeting all-time between the two programs.
 
UPSET NUGGETS
Some tidbits from Thursday's upset win over #4/4 Arizona …
• 1st win over an AP Top-5 Arizona team in the Pac-12 era – previously 0-5
• Snapped 7 game losing streak vs. AP Top-25 teams
• Largest margin of victory (15) over ranked opponent since defeating #25 USC 86-64 on Feb. 27, 2021
• Largest margin of victory over an AP Top-5 team since defeating #4 Arizona 76-51 on March 31, 1998 [Elite 8]
• Largest lead (42-25) at halftime against an AP Top-5 team on record dating back to 1996-97
 
ROLLIN' WITH ROLLIE
Utah floor general Rollie Worster is having a solid junior season, averaging 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists to go with a .483 shooting clip. The Helena, Mont., native has led the Utes in rebounding twice so far through eight games and has pulled down the second-most rebounds (46) on the team – trailing just Branden Carlson (59).
 
Against the #4/4 team in the country, Worster was nails for Utah and nearly had a triple-double. However, the 6-4 guard did record his first-career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with his nine rebounds against the fourth-ranked Wildcats.
 
EYING THE COUGS
Despite its 3-3 overall record and 0-1 mark in Pac-12 play, Washington State enters the contest with four different players averaging in double figures and seventh in the country in 3-point field-goal percentage (.421). Jabe Mullins, who is the second-leading scorer on the team (14.2ppg) is fourth in the country from beyond the arc, hitting 56.7-percent of his shots from downtown.
 
TJ Bamba leads all WSU scorers averaging 15.7 points and 4.2 rebounds with a .500 shooting clip – including a .542 clip from 3-point land. Preseason All-Pac-12 forward Mouhamed Gueye leads the team on the glass averaging 6.7 boards to go with his 13.3 points average and a team-high .525 shooting clip. Justin Powell has dished out a team-best 31 assists through six games to account for 42.5-percent of the team's assists while averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The fourth-ranked Arizona Wildcats became the fifth top-4 AP ranked team to lose so far this season after falling to the Runnin' Utes 81-66 inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah led wire-to-wire (39:07) and was led by big man Branden Carlson – who started the game with a block and followed up with a 3-pointer on the first offensive possession for the Utes. Carlson wound up with a game-high 22 points on five boards with two blocks while knocking down a career-high five 3-pointers.
 
Thursday's stats were pretty similar for both teams across the board, but it was the 3-point shooting and stingy defense that gave Utah the upset victory. Rollie Worster led the three other Utes in double-figures with 12 points and 11 boards to go with nine assists for his first-career double-double. Ben Carlson and Gabe Madsen each chipped in with 11 points apiece while Keba Keita came off the bench to add seven points on 11 boards. Utah's victory came on the 10-year anniversary of the passing of legendary head coach Rick Majerus inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
 
UP NEXT
Utah returns home and continues non-conference action next week with Jacksonville State up first on Thursday, Dec. 8, followed by UTSA on Tuesday, Dec. 13. The Utes and Gamecocks will square off at 8 p.m. (MT) on Pac-12 Networks with Drew Goodman and Casey Jacobsen on the call in the first meeting ever between the two programs.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Utes then wrap up non-con play with its first true road game of the year as it travels down I-15 to take on the Cougars of BYU (Dec. 17) in the Marriott Center followed by a neutral site match-up against the Horned Frogs of TCU (Dec. 21) at Vivint Arena for the Runnin' Utes Holiday Classic.
 
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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