CEDAR CITY, Utah. The Southern Utah men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the America First Event Center to close out its inaugural Western Athletic Conference regular season.
First, the T-Birds face Grand Canyon on Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. MT before celebrating Senior Day against California Baptist on Friday, March 3 at 7 p.m. MT.
GAME INFO
Southern Utah vs. Grand Canyon
Date: Wednesday, March 1
Tipoff: 7 p.m. MT
Southern Utah vs. California Baptist
Date: Friday, March 3
Tipoff: 7 p.m. MT
WAC Standings
The Western Athletic Conference looks at overall standings a bit differently than other conferences as non-conference strength of schedule is factored into where the league will seed its teams heading into the conference championship after this week.
The Thunderbirds are currently seeded third heading into Las Vegas.
This week, SUU faces sixth-seeded Grand Canyon and eighth-seeded California Baptist.
2022-23 WAC MBB Resume Seeding System (as of Feb. 19)
Rank Team W L CW CL WACPts
1. Utah Valley 22 7 13 3 6.29
2. Sam Houston 22 6 12 4 6.12
3. Southern Utah 19 10 11 5 3.30
4. Seattle U 19 10 10 6 3.25
5. Stephen F. Austin 19 10 11 5 1.74
6. Grand Canyon 18 11 9 7 1.51
7. Tarleton 15 15 9 9 -0.08
8. California Baptist 15 14 7 9 -1.85
9. Abilene Christian 13 15 7 10 -2.35
10. UTRGV 15 15 6 11 -2.68
11. Utah Tech 12 17 4 11 -3.37
12. UT Arlington 11 18 6 10 -4.49
13. NM State DQ
PREVIEW
SOUTHERN UTAH (19-10, 11-5 WAC)
20-Win Seasons
Southern Utah head coach Todd Simon boasts a pair of 20-win seasons at the helm of the Thunderbirds. SUU went 20-4 in 2020-21 and 23-12 a year ago. Simon stands second behind Stan Jack for the most 20-win seasons (3) as head coach at Southern Utah.
SUU 20-Win Seasons
Year, Coach, Record
1976-77, Stan Jack, 21-7
1977-78, Stan Jack, 20-8
1978-79, Stan Jack, 20-6
1986-87, Bob Schermerhorn, 21-6
1991-92, Neil Roberts/Bill Evans, 20-8
2000-01, Bill Evans, 25-6
2020-21, Todd Simon, 20-4
2021-22, Todd Simon, 23-12
Conference Success
With an 11-5 record in the Western Athletic Conference this year, Southern Utah has now put together three consecutive 10+ win conference seasons under head coach Todd Simon.
Bill Evans is the only previous head coach to accomplish double-digit conference success with back-to-back 10+ win seasons while playing as part of the Mid-Continent Conference in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
10+ Win Conference Seasons Under Todd Simon
11-5, 2022-23 (Western Athletic Conference)
14-6, 2021-22 (Big Sky)
12-2, 2020-21 (Big Sky)
Previous 10+ Win Conference Seasons
13-3, 2000-01 (Mid-Continent, NCAA Tournament Appearance)
10-6, 1999-00 (Mid-Continent)
The Simon Touch
The Midas Touch is defined as someone who turns everything they touch into gold. The Simon Touch is defined as someone who turns programs into sustained winners. Todd Simon is closing in on a 45-year-old Southern Utah Coaching record. The most wins through the first seven seasons at the helm.
Stan Jack, who compiled a 145-90 record during the course of nine seasons for the Thunderbirds from 1971-1980, won 120 games during his first seven campaigns at the helm of Southern Utah.
Simon stands just five wins behind tying that effort. The Thunderbirds have two more opportunities the rest of the season to tack onto Simon's total before moving on to the postseason.
In fact, Simon's success is even more remarkable when compared to the journey of other coaches that have been with the program.
After starting with the least wins by a new coach at SUU as part of a full program rebuild, Simon has progressively moved up the charts into being one of the most successful ever to don the title of head coach for the Southern Utah men's basketball team (the most successful if you only consider the NCAA Division I era!).
Wins In First Season
Neil Roberts, 16 wins, 1987-88
Bill Evans, 14 wins, 1992-93
Tom McCracken, 14 wins, 1980-81
Bob Schermerhorn, 13 wins, 1983-84
Stan Jack, 11 wins, 1971-72
Roger Reed, 11 wins, 2007-08
Nick Robinson, 11 wins, 2012-13
Boyd Adams, 8 wins, 1963-64
Todd Simon, 6 wins, 2016-17
Wins Through First 2 Seasons
Tom McCracken, 32 wins, 1980-82
Bill Evans, 30 wins, 1992-94
Bob Schermerhorn, 30 wins, 1983-85
Stan Jack, 27 wins, 1971-73
Neil Roberts, 26 wins, 1987-89
Roger Reed, 22 wins, 2007-09
Boyd Adams, 20 wins, 1963-65
Todd Simon, 19 wins, 2017-18
Nick Robinson, 13 wins, 2012-14
Wins Through First 3 Seasons
Tom McCracken, 51 wins, 1980-83
Bill Evans, 47 wins, 1992-95
Bob Schermerhorn, 46 wins, 1983-86
Stan Jack, 45 wins, 1971-74
Neil Roberts, 40 wins, 1987-90
Todd Simon, 36 wins, 2016-19
Boyd Adams, 30 wins, 1963-66
Roger Reed, 29 wins, 2007-10
Nick Robinson, 23 wins, 2012-15
Wins Through First 4 Seasons
Bob Schermerhorn, 67 wins, 1983-87
Bill Evans, 62 wins, 1992-96
Stan Jack, 60 wins, 1971-75
Neil Roberts, 56 wins, 1987-91
Todd Simon, 53 wins, 2016-20
Roger Reed, 40 wins, 2007-11
Boyd Adams, 39 wins, 1963-67
Nick Robinson, 29 wins, 2012-16
Wins Through First 5 Seasons
Stan Jack, 79 wins, 1971-76
Todd Simon, 73 wins, 2016-21
Bill Evans, 71 wins, 1992-97
Neil Roberts, 70 wins, 1987-92
Roger Reed, 54 wins, 2007-12
Boyd Adams, 49 wins, 1963-68
Wins Through First 6 Seasons
Stan Jack, 100 wins, 1971-77
Todd Simon, 96 wins, 2016-22
Bill Evans, 78 wins, 1992-98
Boyd Adams, 65 wins, 1963-69
Wins Through First 7 Seasons
Stan Jack, 120 wins, 1971-78
Todd Simon, 115 wins, 2016-Present
Bill Evans, 91 wins, 1992-99
Boyd Adams, 76 wins, 1963-70
National Rankings!
Southern Utah ranks amongst the elite in the country in several statistical categories.
Points Per Game - Team
1, Gonzaga, 87.4
2, Toledo, 85.2
3, Oral Roberts, 841.
4, Youngstown State, 83.5
T5, Southern Utah, 83.3
Rebounds Per Game - Team
1, Alabama, 44.52
21, Southern Utah, 38.90
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - Team
1, Alabama, 32.03
13, Southern Utah, 28.03
Fast Break Points - Team
1, TCU, 19.38
T22, Southern Utah, 13.62
Scoring Margin - Team
1, Houston, 20
29, Southern Utah, 9
NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings
The NET Rankings include more components than just winning percentage. They take into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive, and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.
WAC NET Rankings
Current, Team, Previous, SUU Win/Loss
60, Sam Houston, 60, WL
81, Utah Valley, 81, WL
103, Southern Utah, 102
131, Stephen F. Austin, 130, W
133, Grand Canyon, 133
134, Seattle, 134, L
161, Tarleton State, 160, LW
164, California Baptist, 165, W
180, Utah Tech, 177, LW
183, New Mexico State, 185, WW
202, Abilene Christian, 199
247, UT Arlington, 250, W
257, UTRGV, 261, W
T-Bird Tidbits
Southern Utah boasts a margin of victory of 10.0 points per game. Overall, SUU scores 83.3 points per contest, while opponents score just 73.3 points per event.
The T-Birds shoot 46.9 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from three-point range, and 73.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Additionally, Southern Utah averages 38.9 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 7.9 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game.
Individual Leaders
Four Thunderbirds average double-figure scoring with senior Tevian Jones on top with 18.3 points a contest.
Senior forward Maizen Fausett (11.8), sophomore guard Drake Allen (11.04) and senior guard Harrison Butler (11.0) also score in double digits. Sophomore center Jason Spurgin stands just outside double figures with 9.4 points per game.
Butler (6.8) and Fausett (6.7) lead the way in rebounds with Spurgin a close third with 5.4 boards a game.
Allen paces the team with 3.4 assists a game, while Spurgin averages 1.6 blocks a contest.
Career-Scoring Charts
Senior guard Tevian Jones added to his sixth-ranked career scoring tally with 15 points against Sam Houston. He has now scored 1,324 points in a Thunderbird uniform and 1,422 in his time as a collegiate player.
Senior guard Harrison Butler scored 10 points to push his fifth-ranked tally to 1,379, while senior forward Maizen Fausett's three points inched his third-ranked total to 1,462.
Points
1,710; Davor Marcelic (1989-1992)
1,568; Jeff Monaco (1997-2001)
1,462; Maizen Fausett (ACTIVE)
1,434; Dre Marin (2017-2022)
1,379; Harrison Butler (ACTIVE)
1,324; Tevian Jones (ACTIVE) (1,422 overall)
1,300; James McGee (2014-2018)
1,297; Richard Barton (1989-1993)
1,273; Jackson Stevenett (2010-2013)
1,223; John Knight III (2019-2022)
1,205; Davis Baker (2007-2010)
Spurgin Single-Season Stats Tracker
Sophomore center Jason Spurgin has just the sixth 40-plus block season in Thunderbird history as he currently has 46 to his credit. He also currently stands fourth in SUU's single-season field goal percentage charts with a 59.2-percent clip from the field thanks to a 106-179 effort thus far.
Blocks
64 Matt Hodgson (2009-2010)
60 Jayson Cheesman (2012-2013)
60 Sean Allen (1994-1995)
53 Sean Allen (1993-1994)
48 Kenyatta Clyde (1998-1999)
46 Jason Spurgin (2022-2023)
39 Kenyatta Clyde (1997-1998)
FG % 150 Attempts min.
0.624 John Clifford (2008-2009)
0.613 Casey Oliverson (2014-2015)
0.603 Scott Brown (1978-1979)
0.592 Jason Spurgin (2022-2023)
0.584 Butch Douglas (1978-1979)
0.579 March Wilson (1978-1979)
0.577 Scott Brown (1977-1978)
0.575 Andre Adams (2018-19)
0.575 Dana Achtzehn (1991-1992)
0.574 Dean O'Driscoll (1980-1981)
0.573 Monte Middison (1977-1978)
0.571 Drian Devincenzi (1982-1983)
0.570 John Knight III (2020-2021)
Non-Conference Success!
Southern Utah had an amazing non-conference slate, ranking in the top 10 in the nation in multiple categories as well as posting a school-record sixth-straight winning non-conference schedule.
For more on that, let's hear from head coach Todd Simon!
LAST TIME OUT
HUNTSVILLE, Texas. The Southern Utah men's basketball team fell against Sam Houston in a defensive slugfest, 64-57, on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Southern Utah's record moved to 19-10 and 11-5 in the Western Athletic Conference. Sam Houston, meanwhile, improved to 22-6 and 12-4 in WAC play with the win.
T-Bird Tidbits
- Sophomore guard Drake Allen scored 14 points as the third double-digit scorer for the T-Birds
- Sophomore center Jason Spurgin recorded three blocks, pushing his single-season tally to 46. He stands just two blocks behind Kenyatta Clyde's fifth-ranked 48 swats from 1998-99. Matt Hodgson owns the school standard with 64 blocks in 2009-10.
- Fausett collected 10 rebounds to push his school-record career total to 910. He's the first Thunderbird ever to eclipse the 900 mark.
- Butler stands second to Fausett in rebounds with 846 caroms collected.
First Half
After both squads opened with cold shooting before Sam Houston had a tip back at 17:42, Tevian Jones uncorked a triple to put SUU up, 3-2, at the 17:28 mark. Maizen Fausett stretched the lead to 5-2 with a layup at 16:07 to go.
The Bearkats split a pair of free throws coming out of the media timeout before Harrison Butler spun his way to a layup to snatch a 7-3 advantage with 14:54 to play. After a short scoreless stint, Sam Houston drained a three-pointer before Butler answered with a three-pointer of his own to put the 'Birds up, 10-6, with 11:58 to go heading into a media timeout.
The Bearkats answered with a 4-0 run to tie the contest at 10-10 before Dee Barnes sank a sweet jumper with 10:30 to snare a 12-10 lead. Sam Houston then went on a 5-0 spurt to take a 15-12 lead before Jones canned a pair of free throws with 8:11 on the clock to cut the deficit to 15-14. The Bearkats responded with a jumper to take a 17-14 lead with 7:42 on the clock heading into a media timeout.
Sam Houston went on another 6-0 run to grab a 21-14 lead with 4:17 to go before Jones returned to the line to score a pair to pull SUU back to within 21-16 with 4:01 on the clock. Sam Houston responded out of the media timeout with a pair of free throws before Barnes connected from deep to shave the deficit down to 23-19 with 3:32 on the clock. Drake Allen followed with a three-pointer of his own to close to within 23-22 with 2:26 to go.
The Bearkats countered with a jumper before Cameron Healy joined the three-point party with a corner trifecta of his own to tie the contest at 25-25 with 1:46 on the clock. Sam Houston split a pair at the line again before Barnes converted for an old-fashioned three-point play to take a 28-26 advantage with 56 seconds to go. The Bearkats knotted the contest up at 28-28 with a pair from the charity stripe before the clock ran out on the half.
Second Half
Southern Utah started the second stanza fast with a Drake Allen dunk to put SUU up, 30-28, with 19:00 on the clock. Following a Sam Houston trey, Tevian Jones drained a three-pointer of his own to take a 33-31 advantage for SUU with 17:23 to go. Allen then split a pair at the charity stripe to stretch the lead to 34-31 at the 16:32 mark. Sam Houston connected on a jumper to shave the deficit to 34-33 at 16:09 before Sam Houston called a timeout. The Bearkats banked in a jumper to take a 35-34 lead heading into a media timeout with 14:41 on the clock.
Maizen Fausett sank a free throw after a Sam Houston jumper to cut SUU's deficit to 37-35 with 13:10 to go. The Bearkats stretched their lead to 40-35 with an old-fashioned three-pointer with 12:07 on the clock.
After Sam Houston pushed the lead to 43-35, Jones flushed another three-pointer to close SUU within 43-38 at the 10:36 mark. The Bearkats responded with a triple of their own for a 46-38 advantage with 9:43 on the clock. Harrison Butler converted a nifty layup to cut the lead to 46-40 with 8:53 to go. Sam Houston had the counter with a jumper to stretch the advantage to 48-40 with 8:24 on the clock.
After another media timeout. Sam Houston pushed its advantage up to 50-40 before Butler sank a layup to move SUU to within 50-42 with 6:10 on the clock. Sam Houston connected for two at the line to push the lead back up to 52-42 with 5:04 to go. The Bearkats then stretched it to 54-42 before Allen canned a trifecta to pull the 'Birds to 54-45 with 3:53 to go. Sam Houston converted a layup for a 56-45 with 3:29 to play heading into the final media timeout.
Allen responded with a 3-for-3 effort at the charity stripe to close within 56-48 with 3:17 on the clock. Cameron Healy split two at the line as the 'Birds drew to within 56-49 with 2:20 left. Sam Houston turned in a pair at the line before Healy converted an old-fashioned three-point play to move to within 58-52 with 1:13 to play.
Sam Houston closed out the defensive slugfest down the stretch at the line, winning the game by a score of 64-57.
OPPONENTS
GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (18-11, 9-7 WAC)
Grand Canyon boasts an 18-11 record with a 9-7 effort in the WAC. The Antelopes have won three of their past four contests.
GCU scores 74.3 points a game while holding opponents to just 65.6 points per contest. That's good for an 8.7 average margin of victory.
Four Antelopes score in double digits with Ray Harrison leading the way with 16.8 points per game. Gabe McGlothan (11.7), Jovan Blacksher Jr. (10.7) and Chance McMillian (10.5) also clear 10 points a game.
McGlothan averages nearly a double-double with 8.1 rebounds per game, while Harrison accounts for a team-high 3.2 assists a contest.
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST LANCERS (15-13, 7-8 WAC)
California Baptist owns a 15-13 overall record with a 7-8 mark in conference play. The Lancers have won three of their last four contests.
The Lancers score 69.8 points a game while opponents score just 64.3 points a contact. That's good for a 5.5 average margin of victory.
Taran Armstrong is the only player averaging more than 10 points with 11.4 points a game, while Riley Battin (9.6) and Hunter Goodrick (9.2) are close.
Goodrick (6.8) and Tim Ighoefe (6.2) lead the way on the boards, while Armstrong paces the Lancers with 4.9 assists per game.
HISTORY
Southern Utah is 0-1 against Grand Canyon with the only contest occurring in Cedar City with a 76-74 loss on Dec. 8, 1992. SUU is 2-1 against Cal Baptist after escaping with a 72-71 triumph to start the month on Feb. 1 in Riverside, Calif. Southern Utah is 1-1 against the Lancers in Cedar City.
FOLLOW US
Stay up to date during the 2022-23 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
TICKETS
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