Game 2 - BYU Plays at Cal Wednesday
PROVO, Utah -- After a season-opening 88-58 home win over Southern Utah Friday, BYU (1-0) takes its first road trip of the year to face the California Bears (0-1) of the Pac-10 Conference at 7 p.m. PST (8 p.m. MST) in Berkeley, Calif. The game will be televised by SportsWest Productions (KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City) with Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler providing the call. The radio broadcast can be heard on KSL Newsradio 1160 and the Cougar Sports Network, beginning with a one-hour pregame show. KSL's Greg Wrubell will call the play-by-play action with Mark Durrant providing analysis. Live audio and stats links are available on the basketball page of the official BYU athletics website, byucougars.com. Live audio is also available on BYU Radio on the Dish Network and at byuradio.org.
COUGAR CAPSULE
The Cougars are the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West Conference this year, returning four starters from last year's 23-9 co-championship team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Four-year starter Mark Bigelow and fellow senior Rafael Araujo were both named to the Preseason All-MWC Team and are MWC Player of the Year candidates. Bigelow is the team's top returning scorer at 13.9 ppg while Araujo pulled down a team-best 8.9 rebounds last year. Senior guard Kevin Woodberry and junior forward Jared Jensen also return as starters for BYU coach Steve Cleveland. Key newcomers include junior transfer Mike Hall and freshmen Mike Rose and Garner Meads.
UP NEXT
BYU returns home to host Utah Valley State College Saturday at 7 p.m. (no television broadcast).
GAME #2 FAST FACTS
BYU COUGARS (1-0, 0-0 MWC) at CALIFORNIA BEARS (0-1, 0-0 Pac-10)
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 2003
HAAS PAVILION (11,877)
BERKELEY, CALIF.
7 p.m. PST (8 p.m. MST)
Coaches:
BYU, Steve Cleveland (109-78 in seventh year; same overall)
CAL, Ben Braun (140-80 in eighth year; 473-315 in 27th year overall)
Series: California leads, 5-4 Last: California won 71-70 in Provo on Dec. 19, 1998
TV:
SportsWest Productions (KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City)
Air Time: 7 p.m. PST (8 p.m. MST)
Play-by-Play: Dave McCann
Game Analyst: Blaine Fowler
Radio:
KSL Newsradio 1160 AM (Cougar Sports Network)
Pregame Air Times: 6 p.m. PST (7 p.m. MST)
Play-by-Play: Greg Wrubell
Game Analyst: Mark Durrant
Web:
Live audio link available at byucougars.com/basketball_m/ (select 2002-03 schedule) and via BYU Radio on Dish Network and byuradio.org.
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
California (0-1) was upset on a late bucket by Cal Poly in its season opener Friday. The Bears returns 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's squad that finished 22-9 overall, placed third in the Pac-10 and reached the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. The current Bears were ranked by both Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook (25th) and The Sporting News (24th), and were just out of first Associated Press poll, standing in the 28th position. The 2003-04 squad features All-Pac-10 senior F/C Amit Tamir, who averaged 14.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.0 apg in 2003, and sophomore G Richard Midgley, a member of the Pac-10 All-Freshman unit last year who averaged 9.2 ppg and ranked second in the Pac-10 in three-point accuracy at 44.9 percent. Both players are on Lindy's magazine's preseason All-Pac-10 team, with Tamir on the first unit and Midgley on the third team. The third returning starter is senior C Gabriel Hughes, who led the Bears in blocks last season (32) and had the best game of his career in Cal's first-round NCAA Tournament win over North Carolina State (14 points, 9 rebounds). Cal has advanced to postseason play for five consecutive years - two NIT, three NCAA - the longest streak in school history. The previous best run came from 1957-60 when Pete Newell's teams reached the NCAA Tournament four straight seasons. If the Bears can reach the NCAA again this March, they would match Newell's squads for the Cal NCAA record. In addition, the Bears have won at least 20 games each of the past three seasons - a feat accomplished only one other time, when Nibs Price guided Cal to records of 30-6 in 1946, 20-11 in '47 and 25-9 in '48. Current coach Ben Braun is 140-80 in his eighth season at Cal and 473-315 in his 27th year overall.
CAL UPSET IN BY CAL POLY IN OPENER
BERKELEY - Nick Enzweiller tipped in a missed shot with 4.8 seconds left to lift Cal Poly to a 63-62 upset over California in both teams' season-opener Friday night at Haas Pavilion. The loss broke Cal's 25-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents and was just the Bears' second home loss ever to a team outside the Pac-10 in Haas. Cal lost to Penn, 74-71, in the 1999 Golden Bear Classic final - the first year the facility opened. For much of the game, it appeared the Bears would win their sixth-straight season opener. After trailing early in the contest, Cal used a 13-0 run to grab a 27-18 advantage with 3:45 left in the first half. Freshman wing Marquise Kately had eight points during the spurt. In the second half, the Bears raised their lead to as many as 14 points at 48-34. But Cal Poly chopped its deficit to less than 10 on an Enzweiller three-pointer with 9:55 to go, making the score, 52-45. Cal still led by eight points at 60-52 with 2:58 remaining after an Amit Tamir tip in. However, the Mustangs scored seven consecutive points, capped by a three-pointer by Kameron Gray to narrow the score to 60-59 with 35 seconds left. Richard Midgley sank two foul shots to push the lead back to three, but Gray responded with another basket with 14 seconds left. With Cal still ahead, 62-61, A.J. Diggs overthrew Marquise Kately on the in-bounds pass, setting up Cal Poly's winning bucket. The Bears were unable to get a shot off before the final buzzer. Tamir paced the Bears with 13 points, while freshman Leon Powe had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Midgley finished with 11 points. The Bears, though, shot just 40.6 percent from the field after halftime and allowed the Mustangs to shoot 53.8 percent over the final 20 minutes.
EXHIBITION RECAP
In the Bears' two exhibition games, Cal claimed a pair of victories, defeating Athletes in Action, 83-75, and EA Sports, 86-49. Freshman F Leon Powe, a McDonald's All-American at Oakland Tech HS and the preseason Pac-10 Freshman of the Year as selected by ESPN.com and The Sporting News, was impressive in both wins. He scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the AIA contest, then added 16 points and eight boards in 19 minutes vs. EA, shooting a combined 16-for-27 from the floor (70.4%).
CALIFORNIA'S PROBABLE STARTERS
POS. # NAME HT. WT. YR. PPG RPG
F 30 Erik Bond 6-7 205 So. 2.0 0.0
F 44 Leon Powe 6-8 245 Fr. 12.0 10.0
C 24 Amit Tamir 6-10 260 Sr. 13.0 6.0
G 2 A.J. Diggs 5-10 175 Sr. 7.0 2.0
G 15 Richard Midgley 6-2 200 So 11.0 1.0
NONCONFERENCE STREAKS
With its win over Southern Utah Friday, BYU extended its home nonconference winning streak to 35 games. The last non-league team to defeat BYU in Provo was Cal when the Bears edged the Cougars 71-70 in Dec. 19, 1998. Cal also entered the season with a lengthy nonconference home victory streak, having won its last 25 games against non-Pac-10 competition. The Bears' streak came to an end, however, as the Bears were upset on a late bucket by Cal Poly Friday in the season opener in Berkeley.
WINS TOUGH TO COME BY AT HAAS PAVILION FOR VISITING TEAMS
Cal owns a 30-2 record in Haas Pavilion against nonconference opponents since the 1999-2000 season - the first year the renovated facility opened. Other than Cal Poly's win Friday, Penn has been the only other non-league team to defeat the Bears at Haas. After Penn's 74-71 victory on Dec. 29, 1999, the Bears started their streak of 25 straight home wins.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
Overall Series Record: California leads 5-4
BYU Record in Provo: 2-2
BYU Record at California: 0-2
BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 2-1
BYU Record under Steve Cleveland: 0-2
BYU Record in Overtime Games: N/A
Longest BYU Win Streak: 2 (1968-69; 1976-89)
Longest California Win Streak: 3 (1989-present)
Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 19, 98-79 in 1969
Largest California Margin of Victory: 27, 86-59 in 1957
Most Points Scored by BYU: 98 in 1969
Most Points Scored by California: 86 in 1957
Date Opponent Score W/L
03-15-57 vs. California# 59-86 L
12-26-68 vs. California' 82-74 W
12-05-69 California 98-79 W
12-06-69 California 75-77 L
12-30-76 vs. California* 75-70 W
02-14-89 California 87-74 W
12-23-89 at California 63-85 L
12-22-97 at California 64-68 L
12-19-98 California 70-71 L
#NCAA (Corvallis)
'Far West Classic
*All College Tournament
CALIFORNIA QUICK FACTS
General Info
Location: Berkeley, CA
Founded: 1868
Enrollment: 33,145
Nickname: Golden Bears
Colors: Blue & Gold
Home Arena: Haas Pavilion (11,877)
Conference: PAC-10
Athletic Director: Steve Gladstone
Basketball Info
Head Coach: Ben Braun
Alma Mater: Wisconsin '75
Best Time to Call: Contact SID
Office Phone:(510) 642-0361
Overall Record (Years): 473-315 (27th Years)
Record at School (Years): 140-80 (8th Years)
Assistant Coaches: Lorenzo Neely, Joe Pasternack, Louis Reynaud
2002-2003
Overall Record: 22-9
Conference Record/Finish: 13-5/3rd
Final Ranking/Post Season Finish: NCAA 2nd Round
2003-2004
Letterman Returning/Lost: 11/4
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Leading Scorer Returning
Amit Tamir (C, 6-10, 260, Sr.) 14.9 ppg
Leading REBOUNDER Returning
Amit Tamir (C, 6-10, 260, Sr.) 6.5 rpg
Media Relations
Basketball Contact: Herb Benenson
Office: (510) 642-0515
Home: (510) 482-6475
E-mail: benenson@uclink.berkeley.edu
Fax: (510) 643-7778
Press Row: (510) 642-3098
Web Site: www.CalBears.com
BYU NOTES
LAST OUTING -- ROSE SETS 3-POINT RECORD IN BYU WIN OVER SOUTHERN UTAH
PROVO -- Making his collegiate debut, freshman Mike Rose blossomed by setting a new school single-game record with eight 3-pointers to lead BYU to an 88-54 win over Southern Utah Friday at the Marriott Center. The freshman guard out of Houston led all scorers with 26 points -- the most points by a BYU freshman since Mark Bigelow totaled 33 in 1998. His eight 3-pointers broke the BYU record of seven threes in a game, previously set by Nick Sanderson (1992) and Danny Bower (1998). Rose's performance behind the arc was just shy of tying the Marriott Center's record of nine 3-pointers in a game set by Utah State's Jay Goodman (1990). Rose was 9-of-16 from the floor with 13 of his attempts coming from behind the arc. He dished out six assists with only one turnover and added two rebounds and one steal in his 22 minutes off the bench.With the win, the Cougars are now 7-0 against the Thunderbirds. Nine of 10 Cougars scored, and four totaled double-digits. Junior Dixie State transfer Mike Hall added 16 points and six rebounds in his Division I debut on 7-of-8 shooting while senior Rafael Araujo went 5-for-8 from the floor, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Kevin Woodberry contributed 14 points and a career-best 7 assists, one of which set up Rose for his record-breaking trey with 7:01 left in the game. Senior Luiz Lemes added a personal-best five assists and five points on 2-of-3 shooting. Southern Utah came out with its normal 2-3 zone, but never led the game after the tip-off. BYU controlled the first half to take a 46-22 advantage.The 13,786 fans were brought to their feet with 12 minutes to go in the game on back-to-back dunks, an alley-oop from Woodberry to Hall, followed by a slam by Araujo to give BYU a 32- point lead. BYU out shot Southern Utah in all categories, shooting 32-of-55 (57 percent) from the floor, 12-of-26 (50 percent) from three-point range and 12-of-13 (87.5 percent) from the free-throw line. The Cougar defense forced the Thunderbirds to 24 turnovers. Southern Utah's David Palmer led the Thunderbirds with 18 points, including a 5-for-8 performance from the 3-point line. Junior College All-American transfer DeAngelo Newsom added 14 points and six rebounds."Our zone execution was solid," Cleveland said. "We worked on it most of the week, and we'll see a lot of it this season." "I thought we matched the physical play early, but they manhandled us," Southern Utah head coach Bill Evans said. "They're well-coached and a big, physical team. I thought Araujo, Rose, Lemes and Jensen played better than our guys tonight."
OPENING THE SEASON
BYU is a perfect 7-0 in season openers under Steve Cleveland, including a 4-0 record in the Marriott Center, a 2-0 record on the road and 1-0 mark on a neutral floor after last season's win at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Cleveland is 6-1 in the team's home-opening game with the lone loss coming in his first season in 1997-98. The Cougars opened that year with a win at San Diego State before returning home for a sound defeat (78-49) by Washington State. BYU opened this year against Southern Utah to begin its 102nd season in 2003-04. With the win, BYU has won 73 times to open the season, winning its first game 71.3 percent of the time. In the Cougars' first home game of the season (not necessarily the season opener) they have won 79 times, for a .775 winning percentage. This year was the 19th time since the Marriott Center opened for the 1971-72 season that the Cougars have opened the year at home. BYU is 14-5 in season-opening games at the Marriott Center.
BYU Record in Season Openers: 73-29 (.716)
BYU Record in Home Openers: 79-23 (.775)
Cleveland in Season Openers: 7-0 (1.000)
Cleveland in Home Openers: 6-1 (.833)
NONCONFERENCE VICTORY STREAK IN THE MARRIOTT CENTER
The Cougars have defeated 35 straight non-conference opponents in the Marriott Center since starting the streak with a 61-59 win over Utah State on Jan. 2, 1999. The last non-league foe to win in Provo was the California Bears, who edged BYU 71-70 on Dec. 19, 1998.
BYU Schedule includes ACC, Big 12, Pac-10 opponents
Potential matchups with six nonconference opponents that made the 2003 NCAA Tournament, including teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference and Pac-10 Conference, and 15 overall contests against teams that qualified for postseason play last year highlight the 2003-04 BYU men's basketball schedule. "We look forward to what should be a very challenging schedule with more than half our games being against teams that qualified for postseason last year," BYU coach Steve Cleveland said. "We face some very talented teams during nonconference and every game is a battle during the Mountain West season."
BYU finished exhibition play with 2-0 record
BYU came out strong and never trailed in a huge 104-58 exhibition victory against Northwest Sports in Provo on Nov. 11. BYU took the opening tip-off and never looked back, leading 43-24 at the half and shooting 56.3 percent from the field overall. The Cougars spread the ball around well, with five players scoring in double figures, led by freshman Mike Rose with 17 points on the strength of five treys. Rafael Araujo added 14, Mark Bigelow 12, Jared Jensen 12, and Mike Hall 11. In the first exhibition on Nov. 6, Luiz Lemes hit a jump shot with 17 seconds left in the game to put the Cougars up, 73-72, and Mark Bigelow hit two free throws to ice the game as the Cougars defeated EA Sports, 75-72, at the Marriott Center. The Cougars got off to a slow start, falling behind by five points early at 18-13, but fought back to tie the game at 32 at halftime. The game went back and forth all night with neither team leading by more than seven points. BYU started to pull away from EA Sports with just under four minutes to play, building a seven-point lead at 68-61, but EA Sports fought back to take the lead at 72-71, before Lemes hit the game-winner. Rafael Araujo led four Cougars in double figures, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Senior Mark Bigelow still added 14 points. "I was most pleased with the way Rafael and Luiz played," Cleveland said. "They are really consistent. That is how they have been practicing. We need to get everybody to play at that level." Lemes (10 points) also scoring in double figures for BYU along with Mike Hall (12 points).
BYU lands top-20 recruiting class
Four highly regarded high school recruits signed a letter-of-intent to play basketball at BYU during the November signing period. Rated one of the top-20 recruiting classes nationally and the third-best class in the West, BYU received official commitments from top prospects David Burgess (Irvine, Calif.), Lee Cummard (Mesa, Ariz.), Chris Miles (Provo, Utah) and Trent Plaisted (San Antonio, Texas).
DAVID BURGESS
Burgess is a 6-foot-10, 260-pound center considered one of the best big men in the country. He was the only high school player to compete on the USA Basketball World Championships Team that finished 7-1, losing only to eventual champion Australia, and went 5-0 to win the 2003 Global Games in Dallas. Burgess averaged 16.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks last year as a junior at Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Calif., leading the team to a 21-6 record. During the season, he recorded game highs of 31 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and nine blocks. A Street & Smith All-America High Honorable Mention pick, Burgess was a 2003 All-CIF First Team selection and garnered 2003 league MVP and all-county honors. He was all-league and All-CIF as a sophomore while averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Entering his senior season, he already has helped Woodbridge claim two CIF championships and one state crown. He played for the Southern California All-Stars during the summer and was an all-star and the leading rebounder at the adidas ABCD Camp. Among the many schools that recruited Burgess were Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida, UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, Washington State and Utah.
LEE CUMMARD
Cummard is considered one of the top shooting guards in the West and has been rated the No. 1 prospect by some recruiting experts. The 6-foot-6, 175-pound wing player averaged 17 points and six rebounds as a junior last year at Mesa (Ariz.) High School while leading the Jackrabbits to the state tournament quarterfinals before a double-overtime loss. A good athlete with a natural feel for the game, he has all-around abilities and good leadership qualities. SI/CNN calls the versatile Cummard the fifth-best small forward in the West. Known as a fierce competitor, Cummard has good ball-handling skills, excellent shooting range and the toughness to rebound and finish in traffic. A Street & Smith All-America Honorable Mention, he was a member of the East Valley All-Region First Team as a junior after earning second-team honors as a sophomore. He was recruited by Arizona State, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Iowa State, Utah State, Utah, New Mexico, Miami, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, San Diego State and Texas Tech.
CHRIS MILES
Miles is Utah's reigning 4A State MVP and 4A State Tournament MVP out of Timpview High School in Provo. The local standout averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and five blocks for a balanced Thunderbird team that won the state title in 2003 and is ranked No. 25 in the nation entering this season. He was invited to the NBA Players Camp during the summer, where he was rated No. 47 among the nation's top high school players. He has been ranked as high as the No. 2 post player in the West. A Street & Smith All-America High Honorable Mention selection, the 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward is a quick and versatile player, tough defender and outstanding shot-blocker. He is on track to become the No. 2 all-time shot-blocker in Utah high school history during his senior season behind former BYU and current NBA center Shawn Bradley. Gonzaga, Utah State, Utah, Kansas, Oregon State, Connecticut, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Wyoming and Texas Tech also recruited Miles.
TRENT PLAISTED
Plaisted is a 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward who led Clark High School in San Antonio to the 2003 District 28-5A title and regional quarterfinals in Texas' largest classification. The only junior named to the All-District 28 First Team, Plaisted averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as a junior while helping his team (which is preseason No. 2 in Texas this season) achieve a 31-7 record. A left-handed shooter and young player who just turned 17 in October, he has earned MVP honors at numerous tournaments and has been nominated for McDonald's All-America recognition. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds this summer on his AAU team, the San Antonio Bulls, where he was given the opportunity to play more on the perimeter. Rated the No. 10 player in Texas, Plaisted impressed at the Texas Elite Camp and made a national name for himself at the 2003 Kingwood Classic in Houston. Long and athletic, Plaisted runs the floor well and has a soft shooting touch to 18 feet. He is a good shot-blocker and solid rebounder. Among schools recruiting Plaisted were Florida State, Stanford, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Washington State, Texas A&M, Utah, Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas Tech, and Vanderbilt.
BYU PICKED AS FAVORITE TO CLAIM 2004 MWC CROWN
Bigelow, Araujo selected to preseason All-MWC team
The Mountain West Conference released its men's basketball preseason media poll and all-conference team today at the league's media day being held at the Denver Marriott Tech Center. The league media selected BYU to claim the Mountain West Conference men's basketball title with 144 total points and 13 of the possible 19 first-place votes. Utah was picked second with 138 points and was the only other team to garner first place votes with six. Defending MWC Tournament Champion Colorado State came in third with 107 points, followed by UNLV fourth with 97. Wyoming placed fifth with 73 points, followed by San Diego State (55), New Mexico (36), and Air Force (35). BYU has earned a share of the conference titles in 2001 and 2003, but this is the first time in more than 10 years the Cougars have been the preseason MWC favorites. The Cougars and Utes shared the conference's regular season crown last season with 11-3 records. BYU went 23-9 overall and fell to Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Utah finished the 2002-03 season 25-8, defeating Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Kentucky in the second round. The Mountain West Conference has sent six of its eight teams to the postseason each of the past two seasons and is the only league in the country to have sent 75 percent of its members to the postseason two straight years. BYU seniors Mark Bigelow and Rafael Araujo were selected to the preseason first-team All-MWC team. Other athletes picked were Utahs Tim Frost and Nick Jacobson, Air Force's Tim Keller and the top MWC returnee Matt Nelson from CSU.
BYU IN THE POLLS
BYU is listed as 30th in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and 32nd in the preseason Associated Press Poll. Cal is listed 28th by AP and just after BYU in the coaches poll at 33rd. The first week polls are due out Monday.
BIGELOW MOVING UP SCORING CHART
Despite a quiet night from BYU's team leader in the season opener, senior Mark Bigelow's five points in 17 minutes against Southern Utah moved him into a tie with Joe Nelson (1947-50) with 1,317 career points, 14th among BYU's all-time scoring leaders. Bigelow needs 20 points to equal the 1,337 points scored by Marty Haws (1987-90). Bigelow should steadily climb the list in his final season with the chance to finish his career among the top four scorers in Cougar hoops history.
COUGARS COMING OFF SUCCESSFUL SUMMER TOUR TO AUSTRALIA
Getting an early jump on the upcoming season, BYU participated in a six-game tour of Australia against professional teams in Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns. "Four years ago when we went to Europe it helped us get a head start on the season," BYU Coach Steve Cleveland said. "This was a nice opportunity to implement our system and give the players some good experience. Everyone got a chance to play significant minutes." BYU earned the first of four consecutive postseason tournament berths under Cleveland in 2000 after its summer 1999 trip to England, Croatia and Italy. The NCAA allows a foreign tour once every four years. The team was also allowed 10 additional practice days to prepare for the trip. All of last year's returning players were allowed to make the trip, including redshirt freshmen Austin Ainge and Garner Meads. Newcomers Mike Hall and Michael Rose, along with returning missionary Derek Dawes, were not eligible for the trip. The Cougars played six games in seven nights, posting a 4-2 record. Senior Mark Bigelow led the team, scoring 21.6 points in 27 minutes per game. Senior center Rafael Araujo added 14.0 ppg and a team-high 7.7 rpg in 20 minutes of action. Redshirt freshman Garner Meads scored 9.3 ppg and pulled down 6.0 rpg. The tour also includes visits to the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Manly Beach and the Great Barrier Reef.
ROSE BLOOMS IN COLLEGE DEBUT
It didn't take long for freshman Mike Rose to put his name in the BYU record book. In his college debut, the true freshman guard out of Houston set a new BYU single-game record with eight 3-pointers while scoring a game-high 26 points to lead the Cougars to an 88-54 win over Southern Utah University. His 26 points is the most scored by a BYU freshman since Mark Bigelow totaled 33 points at Washington State in 1998. Rose's eight 3-pointers broke the BYU record of seven threes in a game, previously set by Nick Sanderson (1992) and Danny Bower (1998). Rose's performance behind the arc was just shy of tying the Marriott Center's record of nine 3-pointers in a game held by Utah State's Jay Goodman (1990). Rose also dished out six assists with only one turnover and added two rebounds and one steal in his 22 minutes off the bench. He made 61.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, going 8-of-13 from behind the arc, and finished 9-for-16 (.563) overall from the floor against Southern Utah's match-up zone. He scored 17 points in 11 first-half minutes on 6-of-8 shooting, including 5-of-7 on threes. He broke the school record with 7:01 left in the second half on a three taken several feet behind the arc.
WORTHY OF NOTE
ý BYU shot well in its season-opening win over Southern Utah. The Cougars shot 58.2 percent from the floor, including 46.2 percent on threes, and 92.3 percent from the line. The Cougars connected on 12 treys, just two shy of the school record of 14 set last year against Southern Utah.
ý The 34-point win over Southern Utah is the largest BYU margin of victory since the Cougars defeated Air Force by 32 (65-33) last season on Feb. 3 in the Marriott Center. BYU had two 30-plus point wins last season.
ý Nine of 10 Cougars scored, and four totaled double-digits (Rose, 26, Hall, 16; Woodberry, 14, Araujo, 12) against Southern Utah.
ý Dixie State transfer Mike Hall contributed 16 points and six rebounds in his Division I debut on 7-of-8 shooting. Two of his buckets were crowd-pleasing dunks, one of an ally-oop from Kevin Woodberry.
ý Senior guard Kevin Woodberry had 14 points and a career-best 7 assists, one of which set up Rose for his record-breaking trey with 7:01 left in the game. Coach Cleveland called it Woodberry's best outing as a Cougar.
ý After having the nation's No. 1 increase in average attendance last year, BYU drew a good crowd of 13,786 in its season opener.
Cleveland getting it done (honored as 2003 MWC Coach of the year)
BYU coach Steve Cleveland was named MWC Coach of the Year in 2003. At 23-9 last year, BYU achieved its fourth straight postseason tournament invitation and third 20-win season in the last four years. Only eight BYU teams have ever achieved more victories in a season than last year's team. The BYU record for wins is 28 (9 losses) in 1951 when the Cougars won the national title as NIT champs. The 2002-03 season was Cleveland's third 20-win season in the last four years, including a 24-9 record in 2001. The only BYU coaches to have more 20-win seasons are Stan Watts (7) and Roger Reid (6). Cleveland joins Frank Arnold and Ladell Andersen with three 20-win seasons.
in the marriott center
BYU is 1-0 at home this year. BYU finished last season 13-1 at home in 2002-03. Lone senior Travis Hansen concluded his three seasons as a Cougar having lost only once at home. BYU earned a 44-1 record in Hansen's three years at BYU -- the best three-year home record in school history. The second-best home record over three years was a 39-2 mark from 1979-81 in Danny Ainge's final three seasons. BYU has won 49 of its last 50 games at home and is 44-1 over the last three seasons. The 44-1 record is the school's best-ever three-year home record. BYU won a school-record 44 straight home games in the Marriott Center before losing to Utah, 79-75, on Jan. 25. The streak was the longest active streak in the country over part of last season and this season. BYU continues its string of nonconference home wins. The Cougars have defeated 35 straight non-conference opponents in the Marriott Center since starting the streak with a 61-59 win over Utah State on Jan. 2, 1999. The last non-league foe to win in Provo was the California Bears, who edged BYU 71-70 on Dec. 19, 1998.
winning BASKETBALL tradition
With its all-time record of 1451-931 (.609), BYU is the ranked 40th all-time in winning percentage among all Division I basketball programs. In terms of total wins, BYU is in the top 25. The Cougars have had 81 winning seasons in their 101 years of basketball and have made 29 postseason appearances, including 20 NCAA bids, and won 26 conference championships.
record against top teams
BYU finished last season with a 7-2 record against teams that were conference champions in 2002. BYU went 12-6 against teams that qualified for postseason play in 2002. BYU played 12 games last year against eight teams that earned an invitation to the 2003 NCAA Tournament. BYU had a 5-7 record in those games (UConn 0-1, Arizona State 1-0, San Diego 1-0, Utah State 1-0, Colorado State 2-1, Weber State 0-1, Creighton 0-1, Oklahoma State 0-1, Utah 0-2). Seven of BYU's nine losses in 2002-03 came against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. UNLV and San Francisco were the two teams to beat BYU that didn't advance to the NCAA tournament.
quick 2002-03 recap
In 2002-03, BYU earned its fourth straight postseason berth and second NCAA bid in the last three years while claiming a share of the Mountain West Conference regular season title for the second time in the last three years. Playing among the nation's toughest schedules, including 11 different conferences on its non-league slate, the Cougars finished the year with a 23-9 overall record, going 11-4 through the pre-conference schedule before earning a share of the MWC regular season title with Utah at 11-3. The Cougars went 1-1 at the MWC Tournament before losing to No. 5-seed Connecticut at the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Wash. BYU went 13-1 at home and 10-8 away, including a 4-3 neutral record and 6-5 road mark. The Cougars had the MWC's top defense and also won the preseason Paradise Jam title in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. BYU was led by senior guard Travis Hansen, junior swingman Mark Bigelow and junior center Rafael Araujo. Hansen, one of two first-team All-MWC consensus players, led the team in scoring (16.8) and blocks (20) and was second in assists (2.4) and rebounds (4.8). Bigelow, a third-team All-MWC selection, was second in scoring (13.9), third in rebounding (3.7) and the team's top three-point shooter (63). Araujo, a third-team All-MWC pick, was the third-leading scorer (12.0) and top rebounder (8.9). Sophomore forward Jared Jensen, who received All-MWC honorable mention, added 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds while JC transfer Kevin Woodberry averaged 6.3 points and 2.5 assists at the point.
NBA DRAFT
BYU's lone departing senior in 2003, guard Travis Hansen, was selected 37th overall in 2003 NBA Draft and has signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks. BYU rates second among Mountain West Conference teams with 42 NBA Draft selections after UNLV's 49.
STATISTICS SHOWED STRENGTH
BYU's strong play and conference championship last season was reflected in the MWC statistics. BYU finished the regular season in the top three in 17 of 19 statistical categories in league play. BYU led in five statistical categories, was the second-rated team in six and finished third in six more. The lone two categories BYU was not in the top three were FG percentage (5th) and blocks (7th).
nation's Largest increase in attendance
In 2002-2003, BYU averaged the 17th largest crowd in the nation at 14,468. The NCAA announced that BYU achieved the nation's largest average increase over the prior season (an average increase of 5,838 per game more than the 8,630 that attended games in 2001-2002 during the middle of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. BYU's 22,702 attendance vs. CSU in its last home game was the largest crowd since 1992 and the 21st largest crowd in school history.
NCAA TOURNAMENT TRADITION
BYU appeared in its 20th NCAA Tournament with its at-large invite in 2003. BYU coach Steve Cleveland has guided the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament twice (in the last three years) in his six years at the helm since taking over a program that was 1-25 the season before his arrival. He has led BYU to postseason play in each of the last four years.
