From Deseret News archives:
UTEP's Rivera slowed by Ute defense
Before the game, the Utes talked a lot about Rivera and how slowing the point guard down would be vital.
Jackson got the defensive assignment on Rivera, and though he didn't shut him out like he did Arizona's Salim Stoudamire on the same court three months earlier, he did hold him below his season averages in every department.
Rivera scored 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting, well below the 32 he poured in against Boise State in last weekend's WAC finals. But the key stats were assists and turnovers.
For the first time all season and only the third time in his career, Rivera had more turnovers (four) than assists (three) in a game
Coming into the game, Rivera was ranked No. 5 in the country in assists with 7.3 per game and had turned the ball over an average of twice a game. His assist-to-turnover ratio is one of the best in the country. But he only managed three assists and had four turnovers, including two key ones in the final three minutes.
"Marc is a guy who really steps up to the challenge," said Utah coach Ray Giacoletti. "Marc did a great job on Rivera, and our (forwards and center) did a great job of shadowing him."
TAKING A TURN: Bryant Markson, who is known as one of Utah's top defenders, took a few turns guarding Rivera on Thursday. He was a bit surprised to get the assignment but took it in stride.
"That wasn't part of MY plan," he said. "I never knew I was going to have him today. They just said, 'Bryant, you've got Rivera,' and I was like, 'OK.' I just went out there and did the best job I could do. He didn't score on me, so I guess I did a pretty good job."
Giacoletti chuckled later when told what Markson said.
"He takes great pride in his defense, so there wasn't any worry about that," he said. "To ask somebody to play (Rivera) for 40 minutes was asking a lot, so we just tried to give Marc a little bit of a break."
ROAD GAME: It almost seemed like a road game for Utah.
The crowd at the McKale Center was decidedly pro-UTEP. Somehow, the fans from El Paso, four hours away on I-10 to the east, were able to snap up a lot of tickets for the first session Thursday.
When the Utes entered the arena before the game, they were greeted with boos, and then loud cheers erupted when the Miners took the court a minute later. When the Ute section started a "U-tah" chant, it was quickly drowned out by the Miner faithful, who chanted "U-TEP."
Giacoletti said he was "shocked how orange it was" when his team took the floor.
