UTAH TECH VS. CSUN: Saturday night's game vs. CSUN will be the second meeting between the Trailblazers and Matadors on the basketball court. 
            Last season in Northridge, Calif., four Trailblazers scored in double figures, but it was not enough as the UT dropped a 79-73 decision to the Matadors in the consolation game of the 2021 CSUN Good Sam Empire Classic.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech opened the 2022-23 campaign on the wrong end of an 84-71 decision at Nevada this past Monday night in Reno. 
            UT led for most of the first half, only to see the Wolf Pack use a late 17-5 run en route to a 44-39 halftime advantage. 
            Nevada then used a pair of big scoring spurts in the second to open up a 20-point lead before settling for the 13-point home win.
 
HI MY NAME IS...: The Trailblazers will begin the 2022-23 season with a new institutional name - Utah Tech University. 
            This past July 1, the university re-branded to the new moniker, replacing "Dixie State University," while the "Trailblazers" nickname remained in place. 
 
NEW RADIO HOME OF UT ATHLETICS: 
            Along with the new name, Utah Tech University Athletics announced in July a new five-year multimedia agreement with Canyon Media Corporation. 
            Beginning this fall through the 2026-27 season, all Trailblazer football and men's basketball games, including comprehensive pregame and post game coverage, will be broadcast live on The Fan Sports Network (99.5/95.3 FM in St. George; 93.1 FM/1400 AM in Cedar City).
            The agreement will also feature select coverage of several other Trailblazer Athletic events throughout the year.
 
AND A NEW VOICE: In conjunction of the new radio home announcement, longtime Utah sportscaster Rod Zundel was introduced as director of broadcasting and multimedia content for Trailblazer Athletics, and will serve as the new radio voice for football and men's basketball.
            Along with complete radio coverage, Zundel will host "The Jon Judkins Coaches Show" every Tuesday night (starting on Nov. 22) on The Fan Sports Network at 6 p.m. He will also oversee the production of several weekly Trailblazer student-athlete, coach and team online video feature stories, along with other digital content throughout the year. 
            Joining Zundel court side at home and selected road games this season will be former UT assistant coach and current athletic administrator Mike Olson. 
 
TRAILBLAZERS PICKED 12TH THE WAC: Utah Tech was voted to finish 12th by both the coaches and the media as the WAC announced its 2022-23 conference men's basketball preseason polls back on Oct. 17. 
            Grand Canyon swept the top spot in both polls, collecting eight first place votes and 135 points in the coaches' poll. Meanwhile, defending WAC tournament champion New Mexico State garnered three first place nods and 127 points to place second in the coaches' poll, and was the second choice among the media.
            In fact, the top-five spots in both polls were identical as Stephen F. Austin (Coaches' – 111 pts) placed third, while Abilene Christian (Coaches' – 101 pts) and California Baptist (Coaches' – 96 pts) each received one first-place vote to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. 
            The rest of the coaches' poll listed Seattle U (91 pts) in sixth, Utah Valley (85 pts) in seventh, Sam Houston (79 pts) in eighth, WAC newcomer Southern Utah (66 pts) in ninth, Tarleton State (47 pts) in 10th, WAC rookie UT-Arlington (31 pts) in 11th, Utah Tech (29), and UTRGV (16 pts) rounded out the poll in 13th. 
            Sam Houston and Seattle U tied for sixth in the media poll, followed by UVU, SUU, UTA, Tarleton, Utah Tech and UTRGV. 
            No Trailblazer player was voted to either the coaches or media preseason teams. GCU junior guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. was tabbed as the preseason Player of the Year in both polls. 
  
JUDKINS NOW NO. 1 IN UTAH: Head Coach Jon Judkins became the all-time winningest head coach in Utah collegiate basketball history last December with career victory No. 583 in UT's 114-49 home rout of SAGU-AIC (12/15/21).
            Judkins moved past legendary Utah head women's basketball coach Elaine Elliott (582-324) atop the state's all-time coaching victories list (men's and women's). That list also includes a pair of former Utah Tech (then Dixie State) coaches in Dave Rose (1990-97 before moving on to BYU) and Stan Watts (1941-45 before moving on to Utah), along with such names at Stew Morrill (Utah State) and Rick Majerus (Utah). 
            Judkins currently owns a 590-293 (.668) overall record during his time at both Utah Tech and Snow (UT) College (1992-2005; 284-128).
            Coach Judkins became the first men's coach in Utah collegiate basketball history to reach the 500-win plateau when UT defeated Hawai'i Hilo (81-72) back on January 28, 2017.
 
CHALK UP ANOTHER MILESTONE WIN FOR COACH...: Coach Judkins also reached his second career milestone one game later when he won his 300th game as Utah Tech head coach in Blazers' 78-69 victory at North Dakota (12/18). 
            Coach Judkins is currently 306-165 (.649) in 17-plus years at Utah Tech, including a 286-153 (.651) mark in the program's NCAA era.
 
...AND A NEW CONTRACT EXTENSION: Utah Tech and Coach Judkins agreed to a five-year contract extension in September that will keep the longtime Trailblazer mentor on the Burns Arena sidelines through the 2026-27 season. 
            Along with all the victories, conference championships and NCAA D-II Tournament appearances, Judkins has coached 44 all-conference selections, including 19 first team honorees, and two conference players of the year (Trevor Hill – PacWest 2017-18, Jack Pagenkopf – RMAC, 2019-20). In addition, he has had seven players collect all-region recognition, and two players – Zach Robbins (2014-15 D-II Bulletin Honorable Mention) and Hill (2017-18 NABC First Team) go on to earn All-America honors.  
            Meanwhile in the classroom, Judkins has had a combined 120 student-athletes earn academic all-conference recognition since 2009-10, with three of those student-athletes – Josh Fuller (2016-17 second team), Brandon Simister (2017-18 second team) and Hunter Schofield (2020-21 second team/2021-22 first team) garner CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. 
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE 2022-23 SCHEDULE: Including last Monday's season debut at Nevada, the Trailblazers will be road warriors during the first month of the 2022-23 season, which will see UT play eight of its first nine games away from home.
            Following Saturday night's home game vs. CSUN, Utah Tech will head to Seattle two nights later for a date at PAC-12 member Washington (11/14). That trip to UW will start a seven-game road swing that will include games at PAC-12 power and 2022 NCAA tourney team No. 13/17 Arizona (11/17) and at Big Sky member Idaho (11/19). 
            Utah Tech will then spend Thanksgiving Weekend in North Dakota for an in-season tournament at UND, beginning with a match-up against the host Fighting Hawks (11/25), before taking on 2022 NCAA tourney team Cal State Fullerton (11/26). 
            The Blazers will wrap up their road odyssey with a two-game trip to northern Utah for their first-ever games at Utah State (12/1) in Logan, and at Weber State (12/3) in Ogden.
            Utah Tech will return home for four-straight games prior to the Christmas holiday break, starting with a match-up vs. Chapman University on Friday, Dec. 9. UT will also play host to The Master's (CA) University (12/17), Westmont College (12/19), and first-year NCAA Division-I transition school Lindenwood University (12/22).
            The Trailblazers will kick off its third season of WAC play at home vs. UTRGV (12/29) before heading up Interstate 15 to Orem for a New Year's Eve match-up at conference and in-state rival Utah Valley.
            
MEET THE 2022-23 TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns four starters and eight letter winners from last year's squad that posted a 13-18 overall record (6-12 WAC - 12th) in the program's second NCAA Division I season. The 13 wins last season were five more than the program's win total from its D-I debut season in 2020-21. 
            UT has 17 players on its 2022-23 roster, headlined by senior point guard Cameron Gooden, who is the team's top returning scorer (11.5 ppg) and assists leader (3.6 apg) from a year ago.
            Gooden started in all 31 games last season and scored in double figures in his 15 of his first 18 starts with three 20-plus point outings, highlighted by a career-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting at California Baptist (1/12).
            Senior forward Dancell Leter is UT's top returning rebounder and second leading scorer. He too started in all 31 games and averaged 10.3 points (11.4 in WAC play) on 45.7 percent shooting and 5.2 rebounds a game. Leter scored in double figures in nine of his final 12 starts, including back-to-back 15-point outings at home vs. New Mexico State (2/10) and Grand Canyon (2/12)
            Junior forward Frank Staine is back for his fourth season after he played in all 31 games last year and was in the starting line-up in the final 28 overall, and averaged 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 41.7 percent (.328 3FG) from the floor. Staine, who is ranked sixth in career 3FGM (103) and ninth in career steals (80), scored in double figures in 15 games, highlighted by a season-high 17 points at USC (11/22), and at home vs. New Mexico State (2/10).
            Fellow junior Isaiah Pope also returns after he started in 15 of 30 games played and averaged 5.6 points on 36.7 percent shooting and 2.8 rebounds in 2021-22. He poured in a season-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting with three 3-pointers vs. UTRGV (1/22).
            The Blazers also return forwards Jacob Nicolds (6-5, Sr.; 4.4 ppg/3.5 rpg), Trevon Allfrey (6-8, R-So.; 4.2 ppg/2.3 rpg) and Trey Edmonds (6-10, So.; 1.8 ppg/2.4 rpg), along with sophomore guard Noa Gonsalves (6-1; 3.8 ppg/2.3 rpg), and redshirt freshman Isaac Finlinson (6-6; St. George, Utah/Dixie HS).
            Utah Tech welcomes seven newcomers this year, highlighted by sophomore Idaho transfer Tanner Christensen (6-10), who averaged a solid 8.5 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Vandals last season.
            Sophomore sharp-shooting guard Hagen Wright (6-5; Payson, Utah), who led the Scenic West Athletic Conference in 3-point percentage (.446) and was the league's third-leading scorer (15.5 ppg) as a freshman at Snow (UT) College, joins the Blazer program, as does sophomore transfer Caleb Stearman (6-7; Las Vegas, Nev.) from Benedictine (AZ) University.
            In addition, five freshmen will also vie for playing time, including guards Asjon Anderson (6-2; Tacoma, Wash./Mount Tahoma HS), Stone Hutchings (6-5; West Jordan, Utah/Copper Hills HS), Kade Madsen (6-2; Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde HS), and Trevon Snoddy (6-5; Lehi, Utah/Skyridge HS), and forward Chol Deng (6-6; Sydney Australia/Fairmont Prep). 
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Despite losing three of its final five home games, Utah Tech finished with a 10-6 record inside the Burns Arena  during the 2021-22 campaign. 
            UT's last home win in that stretch was an 80-75 overtime thriller vs. in-state rival Utah Valley (2/19), which clinched the Trailblazers' ninth 10-plus win home season in its NCAA era, and the first as a newly-minted D-I program.                
            In addition, the UVU win was also the 150th NCAA home win (150-42; .781) in the Jon Judkins era.  
            In the Blazers' Division-I debut season in 2020-21 went 5-7 at home, this after UT posted a 12-2 record in its final D-II year in 2019-20. That 2020-21 record snapped a 13-year streak that saw the Blazers finish above .500 at home. The last time the program did not finish with a home winning record was UT's first NCAA season in 2006-07, when the it finished with a 2-5 home mark.  
            Utah Tech posted a perfect 12-0 record at home in 2009-10, and 11-1 records in consecutive seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17. 
 
HOW ABOUT WHEN THE BAGS ARE PACKED?: Utah Tech fell to 137-112 (.550) in 249 games away from home in its NCAA era under Coach Judkins after last Monday's loss at Nevada. That mark includes a 109-90 record (.547) in true road games, and a 28-22 mark (.560) in neutral site games during Judkins' tenure. 
            Utah Tech played to a 3-12 (3-11 in true road games) record away from home last season, which included a five-game skid to close out the year. 
            UT finished the 2020-21 campaign with a 3-6 overall road mark, which snapped an 11-year run that saw the program post a winning road record. The last time Utah Tech did not come away with a winning road record was all the way back in the 2007-08 season, when it went 4-11 away from home in the program's second year of Division-II competition. 
            UT has won eight or more games away from home in 11 of its previous 16 NCAA campaigns overall, including a program best 15-5 record (10-2 in road contests) in 2010-11. 
 
AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS: Utah Tech is 88-78 (.530) all-time against non-conference opponents in 16-plus seasons of NCAA competition, highlighted by a program-best nine wins in 2010-11 (9-4), eight wins in 2008-09 (8-7), and seven victories in 2012-13 (7-4).
            Utah Tech won six of its last seven non-conference games last season to finish the year with a 7-6 mark against non-WAC opponents. That late Blazer kick helped clinched their ninth winning non-conference season overall during its four-year era, which also includes a 4-3 record in their D-I debut in 2020-21. 
 
IT'S NOT HOW YOU START....: UT dropped to 8-9 all-time in season-opening games during the program's NCAA era following last Monday's loss at Nevada. 
            That said, Utah Tech heads into Saturday's tilt vs. CSUN with a 12-4 all-time record in 16 Burns Arena debuts as a four-year program and has won nine of its last 10 home openers overall.  
 
WORKING OVERTIME: Utah Tech is 21-13 (.617) all-time in overtime games in its NCAA era, which includes a win in its lone OT affair last season, a thrilling 80-75 WAC victory over Utah Valley (2/19/22). That overtime win came nearly two years to the day of the Trailblazers' last OT game, which did not end as well as UT dropped a 105-97 decision at Colorado Christian (2/22/20) during its final D-II season. 
            Four of those 34 games have gone to double-overtime (2-2), the last was a 79-75 loss at Cal Poly Pomona (11/10/17) in the 2017-18 season opener. 
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 142-straight games, which includes an 8-of-22 (.364) effort last Monday night at Nevada. 
            Last season, the Trailblazers nailed a school-record 21 treys in its 114-49 blowout win over SAGU-American Indian College (12/15/21).
            That record was one of five 3FG school records to fall that night as the Blazers also broke records for first half 3FGM (10), second half 3FGM (11), and for 3FG attempted (37). In addition, 11 different Trailblazers hit at least one 3-pointer, which was another school record.
            UT reached double figures in made 3-pointers four times last season, including a three-game stretch in December that culminated with its school record night. UT also made a WAC season-high 12 treys in the home OT win vs. UVU (2/19/22). 
            In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one three pointer in 343 of its last 345 games overall, and in 437 of the program's 441 NCAA-era games, which began in the 2006-07 season, with 25 total games of at least 10 3FGM.
            
RELEASE...ROTATION...SPLASH: Utah Tech attempted 20 or more 3-pointers 23 times last season, including a WAC season-high 31 3FGA (12-of-31; .387) vs. Utah Valley (2/19). In fact, UT broke the school record for attempted 3-pointers with 698 in 31 total games last season, which bested the previous record of 565 set in 30 games during the 2019-20 season. 
            Meanwhile, UT also broke its single season 3FG made record last year with 219 makes (219-of-565; .387), eclipsing the previous record of 205 also set in the 2019-20 campaign. 
 
BLAZING TRAILS:
* - Senior guard Cameron Gooden picked up right where he left off from last season as went for a team-high 16 points in 31 minutes at Nevada last Monday night ... though he only hit on 5-of-15 from the field, Gooden went 5-of-6 at the line with one rebound, one assist and two steals. 
* - Gooden has now scored in double figures in 34 of his 53 career games (all starts) with seven 20-plus point outings, and has led the team in scoring 29 times overall ... Gooden also moved into eighth place on UT's career scoring list (12.2 ppg).  
* - Sophomore guard Noa Gonsalves posted career highs of 13 points and eight rebounds in his third career start at Nevada on Monday night ... the sophomore hit 5-of-7 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and dished out three assists in a team-high 32 minutes of action. 
* - Junior guard Isaiah Pope chipped in 10 points off the bench with four rebounds and an assist. 
* - Sophomore F/C Tanner Christensen battled foul trouble throughout his Trailblazer debut at Nevada, though he did manage to pull down a game-high 11 boards to go with seven points in 21-plus minutes. 
* - Junior forward Frank Staine poured in nine points and hit a pair of 3-pointers, which moved him to within four treys of vaulting into fifth place on UT's career 3FGM list (6th - 108) ... Staine is currently fourth in career 3FGA (296) and ninth in 3FG% (.365).
* - Staine also picked off two steals at Nevada, which moved him into eighth on UT's career steals list (83). 
* - Utah Tech's bench was outscored by the Nevada reserves by a 34-23 count on Monday night.
* - Last season, UT's bench outscored its opponent reserves by a 699-652 margin (22.5 ppg-21.10 ppg), and in 15 of 31 games (with two ties) overall last season.
* - Since the 2016-17 season, Utah Tech has shot 50 percent or better in just 49 of its last 163 games overall, and the Blazers have shot better than 50 percent only four times in 31 games last season ... UT shot a season-high 57.6 percent (34-of-59) vs. Saint Katherine (12/4/21), and 51.9 percent vs. SAGU-AIC (12/15/21).
* - Also dating back to the 2016-17 season, Utah Tech has had 76 of its last 166 games decided by nine points or less, including 18 of 53 games to this point of the program's Division I transition, with nine of those occasions coming last season (5-4 overall). 
* - Utah Tech was outrebounded by a slim 36-34 margin at Nevada last Monday ... last season the Trailblazers won the "Battle of the Boards" in 15 of 31 games (10-5), this after they were outrebounded 12 times in 21 games in their D-1 debut in 2020-21 ... overall, Utah Tech has outrebounded an opponent in 90 of its last 139 games going back to the 2017-18 campaign. 
 
ABOUT THE CSUN "MATADORS": CSUN opened its 2022-23 campaign with a decisive 90-55 home win over La Sierra last Monday night in Northridge. Five Matadors scored in double figures as CSUN led wire-to-wire in that victory. 
            Junior forward Adam Afifi (6-9) led the way with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while sophomore guard Atin Wright (6-1), who earned 2021-22 all-Big West honors last year, tallied 14 points and three assists. 
            Trent Johnson (Boise State, 1978) is in his second season as Matador head coach (8-23 overall). Johnson previously served as head coach at Nevada, Stanford, LSU and TCU, while he was an assistant coach at Utah from 1986-89.  
 
UP NEXT: Utah Tech embarks on a seven-game road swing, which begins in Seattle with a Monday night date at PAC-12 member Washington. Tip-off inside the Alaska Airlines Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. (PT).