The Utah men’s basketball team entered the month of February with a 12-game winning streak to its credit?the nation’s longest?and as owners of an undefeated conference record and with a six-year, 48-game home conference win streak under its belt.
Call it Olympic headaches, unrelated in-game mental lapses or just playing in a tough conference?whatever it was, Utah comes back to school winners of four of seven February games and a game out of first place in the Mountain West Conference. In addition, conference leader Wyoming willed a 54-46 victory over the Utes in the Huntsman Center to erase the streak.
Now Utah (19-6, 9-3 MWC) has two away games remaining on the regular season slate before going to the MWC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., March 7 through 9. But first, Utah must take care of business at last-place Colorado State on Feb. 28 before challenging Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., for the conference title.
During the Olympics, the Utes stayed away from the Olympic host city whenever plausible, but opened the break with a pair of games in the JMHC.
First, Utah relied on 28 points from Britton Johnsen to down Colorado State 67-62. Although Utah held a 15-point lead with 6:51 to go, the lead was cut to four before the Utes came out on top. CSU’s Brian Greene ate up the U for 29 points.
Next up was the monster showdown versus Wyoming on ESPN’s ‘Big Monday’ for the MWC lead. The Utes had trouble keeping up with the brute strength of 6-foot-10, 260-pound Uche Nsonwu Amadi, who tallied 14 points and 15 boards.
Oh yeah, and Utah’s 3-for-26 shooting (11.5 percent) from the field in the second half didn’t help. Despite holding the 30-29 halftime lead, Utah’s six-year-old home conference streak was terminated with a 54-46 Cowboy victory.
Johnsen had a chance to tie the game on a 3-pointer with 1:29 left, but his shot attempt hit the back iron. Britton and brother Jeff shot a combined 1-of-16 in the game.
Following the loss, the Utes hit the road. In the days leading up to the Utes’ game at San Diego State Feb. 9, coach Rick Majerus praised the Aztecs for leaving the lights on at Cox Arena so the Utes could get in some practice time.
The Aztecs were gracious hosts during the game as well. Phil Cullen and Jeff Johnsen each hit five treys, and Utah took a commanding 42-23 halftime lead en route to a 70 53 win.
In its next game with UNLV, Utah similarly controlled the first half. Building leads as big as 12 points, Utah’s advantage was 37-29 at half.
Utah’s was up 11 with 14:22 left in the game, but the Rebels went on a 19-2 run over the next seven-and-a-half minutes. Utah would pull to within three with 1:58 to go, but the Rebs’ up-tempo style put the Utes away, 72-64. Brit Johnsen scored 16 points, and center Cameron Koford added 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Utah returned home for a pair of home games during the Olympics, and escaped the distractions to record wins over Air Force and New Mexico.
Against AFA, the Utes were without sideline orchestrator Majerus who did not attend the game because of a bronchial infection. But, as assistant coach Dick Hunsaker did 19 times last season, Utah won without its head coach.
Utah trailed 18-5 with 11 and-a-half minutes to go in the first half, but a 19-5 run in the last seven minutes gave Utah its first lead of the game with 4:38 left, and eventually the 59-51 win.
Brit led all Utes with 17, Jeff had 12, and Travis Spivey scored 10 points and handed out 6 assists.
Utah got its coach back versus New Mexico, but the first half developed the same. The crimson and white found itself down 25-14 with six minutes remaining in the first half.
The U controlled much of the second half, and led by 11 with 3:30 remaining. However, 11 straight Lobo points tied the game at 65-65. Brit Johnsen grabbed a Nick Jacobson misfire and Johnsen was fouled with 7.6 seconds left and the game hanging in the balance.
He made one of two, and a last shot attempt by UNM’s Eric Chatfield missed, and Utah won 66-65.
Johnsen led the U with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
In its last game of the Olympic break, Utah traveled to Provo with hopes of stopping BYU’s 35-game home winning streak, the nation’s longest.
It looked like the Utes would succeed in the first half. The U held double-digit leads throughout the half, and the lead peaked at 47-26 with 18:54 in the second half.
The Cougs clawed back, though, as Utah got tentative on offense, and the Y fed off a raucous crowd on its way to a 24-5 run.
BYU’s Eric Nielson hit the go ahead shot with 24 seconds left. Jacobson had a clean look from the left baseline, but it hit iron and BYU won 63-61.
Brit Johnsen had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Utah, and Spivey and Jacobson each added 12 points.
In summary, Utah had trouble keeping leads, Majerus remained unhappy with the team’s free throw shooting, and a pair of upcoming road games may decide whether the U gets an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament if it should bomb out in the conference tourney.