OPENING TIP: Dixie State (5-5/2-2 PacWest) heads back out on the road this weekend as the Storm travels to SoCal for a pair of crucial PacWest Conference games. The Storm will open the trip Thursday night with a return game at Azusa Pacific (9-3/3-1 PacWest) at 7:30 p.m., at the Felix Events Center in Azusa. DSU will then take on PacWest newcomer #20 Concordia on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., inside the CU Arena in Irvine.

DIXIE STATE ON THE AIR: All Dixie State home and away games will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 97.7 FM, with DSU Assistant Media Relations Coordinator Keric Seegmiller calling the play-by-play action, along with Devin Dixon providing color analysis for all home games. All DSU home games are also televised live on KCEC-TV (TDS Cable Channel 22) with a simulcast feed from ESPN Radio, and tape-delay rebroadcasts throughout the following week. In addition, live-streaming audio and video (home games only) are available on the internet at www.southernutahlive.com.

THE SERIES: Dixie State owns a 5-2 overall series edge against Azusa Pacific, having won the first five meetings vs. the Cougars, but APU had claimed the past two games in the series, including a 72-65 triumph in St. George this past Dec. 19. APU also won the last meeting between the two teams in Azusa last season, 72-69, back on Jan. 24, 2015. Saturday's game at Concordia will be the first-ever meeting between the Storm and Eagles on the basketball court.

COACHING STAFF: Five-time PacWest Conference Coach of the Year Jon Judkins (Utah State, 1988; 473-224 career record) is his 11th season on the Dixie State bench, where he has compiled a 189-96 overall record, including a 168-85 mark during DSU's NCAA Division II era, and a 109-33 record in PacWest play. Last season Judkins led the Storm to a 20-8 record and the program's fifth Pacific West title in six years with a 17-3 league mark. In addition, he guided DSU to its sixth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to his arrival at Dixie State, Judkins served as head coach at Snow College for 12 season and posted a 284-128 overall record. He led the Badgers to a pair of Scenic West Athletic Conference titles in 1999 and 2000, which earned him SWAC Coach of the Year honors. Judkins played for one season at Dixie State before transferring to Utah State, where he became the first (and only) Aggie to post a triple-double. During the 1987-88 season, he helped lead the Aggies to the PCAA title and an NCAA Tournament bid.

Judkins is joined on the DSU bench by Kasey Winters (Dixie State, 2008), who is in his third season as assistant coach, and Kevin Williamson (University of Great Falls, 2007) who is in his first season on the Storm sideline.

JUDKINS INCHES CLOSER TO CAREER MILESTONES: Judkins is inching closer to three career coaching milestones as the Storm enters play this week. Judkins begins the week 11 wins shy of 200 career victories at Dixie State and is 15 games away from reaching 300 career games on the DSU bench. In addition, he will coach in his 698th-career game when the Storm takes the court at APU Thursday night, and game #699 will come on Saturday at Concordia. Judkins' 700th-career game will follow next Thursday night at home vs. Notre Dame de Namur.

STORM PICKED THIRD IN THE PACWEST: Dixie State was picked to finish third in the 2015-16 Pacific West Conference preseason coaches' poll. California Baptist received 13 first place votes and 195 total points in being tabbed as the PacWest preseason favorite. BYU-Hawai'i picked up one first place vote to narrowly edge Dixie State for second, 169-166, followed by Azusa Pacific (146) in fourth, Chaminade (130) in fifth, Hawai'i Pacific in sixth (123) and Point Loma (120) in seventh to round out the top-half of the poll.

Dixie State senior point guard Mason Sawyer (West Jordan, Utah/West Jordan HS) was named to the PacWest Preseason all-Conference team, while CBU senior guard Gelaun Wheelwright was named the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year.

IT'S NOT HOW YOU START: Dixie State dropped just its second PacWest home opener in nine years when the Storm lost to Azusa Pacific (72-65) back on Dec. 19. DSU had won three-straight home league openers in the Burns Arena heading into the APU context and is now 7-2 overall. Prior to the APU loss, the last time the Storm dropped a conference home opener was during the 2010-11 season, when former PacWest member Grand Canyon handed DSU a 71-68 loss (1/8/11).

Dixie State started PacWest play on the road for the third-straight season when the Storm took to the court at CBU Dec. 3. Despite the loss, Dixie State is 6-3 all-time in PacWest openers and has won six of its last eight overall. Prior to the CBU setback, the last time Dixie State lost a conference road opener was at Fresno Pacific, 82-80, during the 2012-13 season.

HOME SWEET HOME: Since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 2006-07, Dixie State has played to an 84-20 (.807) record inside the Burns Arena under Head Coach Jon Judkins. The Storm has posted six 10-plus win seasons over that span, including a perfect 12-0 record in 2009-10, and an 11-1 mark last season.

HOME SWEET HOME, PART 2: For the fifth-straight year, Dixie State finished a season ranked in the top-five nationally in home attendance. In 2014-15, DSU recorded the fifth-highest home attendance average in Division II at 2,607 fans per game for 12 home dates last season. In all, a total of 31,286 fans attended a DSU game in the Burns Arena.

Since the 2008-09 season, Dixie State has been ranked in the top-15 in Division II in attendance, including being ranked #2-overall in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and #3 in the country after the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns. DSU was also ranked ninth in 2009-10, and 14th in 2008-09.

Dixie State also finished fifth among Utah's other NCAA (Division I) members in attendance in 2014-15, ranking only behind Brigham Young (16,125), Utah (12,101), Utah State (9,158) and Weber State (6,829) in average attendance.

HOW ABOUT WHEN THE BAGS ARE PACKED?: Dixie State is 85-66 away from home in its Division II era under Head Coach Jon Judkins, including a 3-3 mark this season. Overall, the Storm has played to a 65-51 record in true road games, and a 20-15 mark in neutral site games over Judkins' tenure.

DSU has won eight or more games away from home in six-straight seasons, and in seven of its nine previous campaigns overall, including a program-best 15-5 record (10-2 in road contests) in 2010-11.

After splitting its first two PacWest road games of the season last month at California Baptist (L) and Point Loma (W), Dixie State owns a 47-24 (.662) road record in its eight-plus seasons of league membership. The Storm has posted a winning conference road mark in six-straight seasons and has reached the seven-win plateau in four of their last five campaigns overall.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE x 4: Dixie State has had four players score in double figures in seven of its first 10 games to open the season, including last Tuesday's win vs. Chaminade, and in five of the club's last seven outings overall. However the Storm has only played to a 4-3 record when four or more players score at least 10 points in a game.  

ROLLING DOUBLES: Senior forward Mark Ogden Jr. (Spring Valley, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) recorded his team-leading fourth double-double of the year in the win over Chaminade last Tuesday. Ogden Jr. tied a career-high with 22 points to go with 16 rebounds, which was one board off his career-best of 17 he grabbed in the win at Point Loma (12/5). In fact, Ogden Jr.'s 22-point outing vs. the Silverswords came almost a year-to-the-day when he first poured in 22 points in a game, which came at Chaminade on Jan. 6, 2015.

In all three Storm players have posted double-doubles, with junior forward Josh Fuller (Rexburg, Idaho/Madison HS) recording the feat with a 14-point, 12-rebound effort at Point Loma, and senior PG Mason Sawyer (West Jordan, Utah/West Jordan HS) tallied 10 points and a career-high tying 10 assists vs. APU (12/19).

SIMPLY SIMISTER: After missing DSU's last two games (at PLNU/vs. APU) due to injury, sophomore guard Brandon Simister (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) returned to action vs. Chaminade and responded with 16 points, including 12 in the second half, in the Storm's win. Simister played 17 minutes and went 3-for-5 with a pair of 3-pointers and was 8-of-9 from the line.  

FROM WAY DOWN TOWN....BANG!: Dixie State has hit at least one 3-pointer in 36-straight games, including all 10 games this season, and in 159 of its last 160 games overall. In fact in DSU's Division II era, the Storm has recorded at least one 3-pointer in 253 of the program's 256 games since the beginning of the 2006-07 season.

Last season the Storm saw its program-best 127-game streak halted at home vs. Western Oregon (11/25/14) in the second game of the year. That streak encompassed four full seasons and the final 13 games of the 2009-10 campaign. The other two times DSU failed to connect from the perimeter happened on the road at Academy of Art (1/16/10) and at Notre Dame de Namur (2/2/08) during the program's first year of PacWest play.

Dixie State has also reached double-figures in made 3-pointers 11 times, including a school-record 13 treys at Carroll College on Nov. 11, 2008. The last time hit for 10 or more 3-pointers was at home vs. BYU-Hawai'i on Feb. 11, 2014.

FOR STARTERS: Senior forward Mark Ogden Jr. (Spring Valley, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) has scored in double figures in seven of 10 games this season and has led the team in rebounding in six of 10 outings ... scored a then-season-high 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting with 11 boards and two assists at CBU ... recorded his third double-double in four games with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds to go with three blocks in the win at Point Loma ... his 17 rebounds tied for the third-best single-game total in school history (17, Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) vs. Academy of Art 2/27/10) ... played a season-low 21 minutes vs. APU and finished with six points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals ... tied a career-high with 22 points and pulled down 16 rebounds vs. Chaminade.

Junior forward Josh Fuller (Rexburg, Idaho/Madison HS) has scored in double figures in five of 10 games and has had 10-plus rebounds in three games ... tallied 11 points with seven rebounds and four assists at CBU ... recorded his first double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 boards at Point Loma ... poured in a career-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting with six rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes vs. APU ... went 4-of-6 from the floor for eight points with three boards and two assists vs. Chaminade.

Sophomore guard Trevor Hill (Sandy, Utah/Alta HS) has scored in double figures in nine of 10 games this season and has led team in scoring four times and assists six times ... poured in 19 points, including 9-of-12 at the line, to go with five rebounds at CBU ... led four DSU players in double figures with 16 points in the win at Point Loma ... was held to just six points and two assists vs. APU ... scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half and hit consecutive 3-pointers in a key stretch to help ensure DSU's win vs. Chaminade ... also had six boards, four assists and a career-high three blocks vs. the Silverswords.

Senior point guard Mason Sawyer (West Jordan, Utah/West Jordan HS) has scored in double figures in seven of DSU's 10 games this season ... hit for 10 points and two dimes in 31 minutes at CBU ... played a season-high 37 minutes and wound up with 12 points, four boards and four assists at Point Loma ... posted his first double-double of the year with 10 points and a career-high tying 10 assists vs. APU ... tallied nine points, three rebounds and four assists vs. Chaminade.

OFF THE BENCH: Senior forward Robbie Nielson (Gresham, Ore./Barlow HS) has led or co-led the team in steals in eight of 10 games this year ... returned to the starting line-up at California Baptist and responded with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting in 23 minutes ... tallied four points with a rebound, one steal and one block in the win at Point Loma ... finished with four points, five boards and two steals vs. APU ... drew three Chaminade offensive charge calls to go with 11 points, seven boards and three steals off the bench vs. Chamindade ... sophomore guard Brandon Simister (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) has scored in double-figures in points four times this season ... tallied seven points on a trey and 4-of-4 from the line with two assists at CBU ... DNP at Point Loma (injury) ... DNP vs. APU (injury) ... returned to the floor vs. Chaminade and responded with 16 points - 12 in the second half - with two dimes in 17 minutes ... sophomore forward Zac Hunter (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) had two points, one rebound and an assist in 16 minutes at CBU ... pulled down eight boards with two points and a steal at Point Loma ... tallied five points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes vs. APU ... pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds to go with four points and three assists vs. Chaminade ... freshman Quincy Mathews (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) hit for four points and three rebounds in a career-high 22 minutes at Point Loma ... made his first collegiate start vs. APU and responded with a career-high seven points in 16 minutes ... started vs. Chaminade and had four points and two rebounds ... sophomore Daylor Youngblood (South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS) scored his first two points in a Storm uniform on a 12-foot leaner in the first half vs. Chaminade.

UP NEXT: Dixie State returns home to host PacWest foe Notre Dame de Namur in the Burns Arena on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.m.