| GAME #9 | UTAH (6-2) vs. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (2-9) | |
| DATE/TIME | Saturday, Dec. 17 | 4 p.m. MST |
| LOCATION | Huntsman Center | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| TELEVISION | Pac-12 Network |
| TV TALENT | Jim Watson (PxP) | Drew Shiller (Color) |
| RADIO | ESPN 700 |
| RADIO TALENT | Bill Riley (PxP | Jimmy Soto (Color) |
| LIVE STATS | UtahUtes.com |
| SERIES/STREAK | First Meeting | N/A |
| LAST GAME | N/A |
FAST BREAKS> Utah (6-2) will close out its non-conference home schedule this weekend, hosting the Prairie View A&M Panthers (2-9) this Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Huntsman Center
> Saturday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between the Utes and the Panthers.
> Utah will play a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) member for just the third time in school history when facing the Panthers on Saturday. The Utes, who are 2-0 all-time against SWAC teams, defeated Southern back in 2009 and picked up a win over Alabama State in 2014.
> The Utes are coming off a 77-69 road loss to Xavier this past Saturday in Cincinnati, while PVAMU dropped a midweek road contest to Louisiana Tech, 65-52.
> The Utes head into the week ranked first in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage-defense (.369), total rebounds (45.2) and rebounding margin (+12.4). Utah ranks among the top-15 teams in the nation in all three categories, as well.
> Junior Kyle Kuzma continues to average a double-double on the season with 15.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. He leads the team in both categories.
THE GAME
The Utah Runnin' Utes (6-2) return to the Huntsman Center for its final non-conference home contest of the season, hosting the Prairie View A&M Panthers this Saturday, Dec. 17. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Salt Lake City.
COVERING THE RUNNIN' UTES
Saturday's contest will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network. Jim Watson will call the action, while Drew Shiller provides color commentary for the game.
Fans can also follow the action on-line by logging onto Pac-12.com/live or watching via smart phones and tablets using the Pac-12 Now App, which can be downloaded at the Apple Store, Google Play Store or Amazon Apps Store.
Additionally, the game can be found on the Utah Sports Radio Network (ESPN 700). Bill Riley will provide play-by-play, with the assistance of in-game analyst Jimmy Soto.
Live stats will be provided with links to the contest found at www.UtahUtes.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah dropped a 77-69 road contest to then No. 13/14-ranked Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio, this past Saturday.
- GAME NOTES:
• Freshman Devon Daniels led Utah with 19 points in the game, on 8-of-11 shooting effort, which included hitting a three-pointer and going 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
• Junior Kyle Kuzma registered his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Xavier tallied just five more rebounds than the Utes (33-28), marking the first game this season that Utah has been out-rebounded by an opponent.
• Utah shot better than 50 percent from the field (28-of-54, .519) for the second time this season.
•Utah outscored the Musketeers 44 to 36 in the paint, but Xavier managed to score 19 points off turnovers to Utah's eight points.
ABOUT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
• The Panthers are coming off a 65-52 road loss to Louisiana Tech this past Tuesday and have dropped six straight dating back to Nov. 25.
• PVAMU's last win was an 84-69 home victory over Jarvis Christian.
• The Panthers are 1-8 on the road this season, with its only win coming back on Nov. 14, against Fresno State (84-78).
• PVAMU is just 13-52 in road games played over the past four seasons.
• The Panthers are 0-5 against Pac-12 teams dating back to the 2011-12 season, which includes a 78-58 road loss to Oregon State earlier this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's contest between Utah and Prairie View A&M marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams. It will be just the third different opponent from the Southwestern Athletic Conference that the Utes have faced all-time. Utah is 2-0 against SWAC teams, which included a win over Alabama State back in 2014-15. The Utes defeated Southern back in 2009-10.
ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR KUZMA
Junior Kyle Kuzma registered his fourth straight and fifth double-double overall on the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Xavier on Saturday.
Kuzma heads into this weekend averaging a double-double on the year with 15.8 points and 10.9 rebounds. He leads the team in both categories. Kuzma and Washington State's Josh Hawkinson are the only players in the league averaging a double-double on the season.
DANIELS SETS NEW CAREER-HIGHS
Freshman Devon Daniels led the Utes with a career-high 19 points at Xavier on Saturday. The first-year player also registered career-highs in field goals made (8) and field goal attempts (11).
CLEANING THE GLASS
The Utes continue to lead the Pac-12 in rebounds, pulling down 45.2 boards per game as a team. Utah is ranked fourth in the nation in the category, just a little over a rebound shy of nation-leading 46.5 rebounds.
Junior Kyle Kuzma ranks second in Pac-12 and 17th in the nation with his 10.9 boards per game. Freshman Jayce Johnson ranks 17th in the Pac-12 with 6.5 boards per game.
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
In addition to his shooting efforts (.483 FG percentage), Tyler Rawson leads the team with nine blocked shots on the year. He tallied a pair of blocks in Utah's win over UVU last week and has posted two blocks in four of Utah's eight games this season.
ZAMORA COMING UP BIG OFF THE BENCH
Junior transfer JoJo Zamora scored a team-high 17 points in the Utes' win over Utah Valley last week, with all 17 points coming off the bench. He registered 13 of his 17 points in the second half, which included eight points over the last seven minutes.
Zamora, who has posted double-digit scoring efforts in five of Utah's eight games, scored a season-high 22 points off the bench against Coppin State (11/18). He heads into the week ranked third on the team with an 11.5 points per game average.
TAKING WHAT IS FREE
Utah has tallied a 70 percent or better free throw percentage in five of eight games so far this season. The Utes registered a 75 percent effort at the charity stripe in a win over Utah Valley last week, which included junior JoJo Zamora's perfect 8-of-8 venture on the evening.
Zamora was the first Utah player to register a perfect shooting effort (of at least eight attempts) since former Ute, Jordan Loveridge, knocked down 9-of-9 free throws against Wichita State back on Dec. 12, 2015.
POINTS ALL AROUND
The Utes have had three different players score 10 points or more in all but one of its eight games this season. Utah had six players score double-figures in two games, five players in one game, four players in two games and three players in the other two contests.
The Utes are 6-1 when at least three players post double-digit scoring efforts.
SEEING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Utah has had three different players post double-doubles on the season, led by junior Kyle Kuzma's five double-doubles and a double-double from senior Lorenzo Bonam and freshman Devon Daniels.
Kuzma, who currently averages a double-double on the season with 15.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, ranks second in the Pac-12 and 16th in the nation with his five double-doubles on the season.
CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENSE
Utah heads into the weekend ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 14 in the nation, giving up just a .369 percent shooting effort to opposing teams on the year. UCF leads the nation giving up just .311 percent shooting to opposing squads.
UP NEXT
Utah will close out non-conference play next week in Honolulu, Hawaii, participating in the Diamond Head Classic. The Utes open the tournament against San Francisco on Thursday, Dec. 22.
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
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