On the heels of a heart wrenching 57-56 loss to Wyoming for the conference championship, the Utah men’s basketball team has some semblance of drive heading into the Mountain West Conference Tournament March 7 in Las Vegas.
Four Utes received postseason honors, spearheaded by forward/center Britton Johnsen being named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year.
“I’m not trying to be humble, but I don’t think I really deserved it,” said Johnsen, who was a Second Teamer last year and was voted to the preseason All-Conference team. “But if other coaches feel that way, great.”
“I’ve always believed the league champ should have the MVP, because someone on the team enabled [the team] to do that,” coach Rick Majerus said.
Still, Johnsen has been instrumental for the Utes in the low block since 6-foot-10 center Chris Burgess went down with a torn ligament Dec. 29.
Johnsen, a 6-foot-9 junior from Murray, Utah, has led the U in rebounding in 12 of 17 games since the injury.
Over that span, Johnsen recorded five double-doubles, earning double digits in points and rebounds each time.
In league games, Johnsen’s 15.3 points and 8.1 rebounds ranked a respective seventh and third in the conference. Also in MWC games, Johnsen shot 55.7 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3 point land.
In 27 starts this year, Johnsen averaged 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per.
During the season, Johnsen has set new career-highs in points (28 against Colorado State on Feb. 2) and rebounds (14 against Colorado State on Feb. 28).
Three other Utes joined Johnsen in earning postseason honors, as voted by MWC coaches.
Sophomore shooting guard Nick Jacobson and senior guard/forward Jeff Johnsen were both named to the MWC’s Third Team, and senior point guard Travis Spivey rounded out the accolades with an Honorable Mention.
Jacobson averaged 13.2 points per game this season, shooting 45.2 percent from beyond the arc. Jeff Johnsen led the team in steals (36) and was second in assists (2.89 apg). In MWC games, Johnsen was 15th in the league in scoring (12.1 ppg) and 10th in 3-point shooting (40.1 percent).
In 14 MWC contests, Spivey averaged 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.43 assists a game. Spivey was second in the league in assists per game, and posted a career-high 10 assists in a win over Pepperdine.
All four Utes helped the U to a 20-7 overall record, including a 10-4 mark in MWC play. Utah carries the No. 2 seed into the MWC tournament, and plays Colorado State March 7 at 7 p.m.