Long Beach Nearly Pulls Rank on Utah

No, Rick Majerus was not carried into the Pyramid on an Egyptian litter Saturday night.

But certainly everyone was fully cognizant that the larger-than-life coach of Utah was bringing his larger-than-life team to Long Beach for a memorable occasion, as the No. 21 Utes were the highest-ranked team to play a game at the Pyramid.

Fame and acclaim can cut both ways. While this may not be the Utah of past seasons, the glittering reputation is intact.

The 49ers (3-4) nearly pulled off what would have been one of the bigger upsets this season, making last year’s NCAA runner-up sweat and squirm. Utah spun out of the danger zone, defeating Long Beach State, 61-54, before a crowd of 3,535.

“What our young players are not accustomed to is that they [Long Beach] are not playing [this] Utah team,” Majerus said. “They’re playing the Utah team of the decade. They’re playing the seventh- or sixth-winningest program in America through the decade. If they had won tonight, they would have stormed the floor, cut down the nets.

“We reached that status almost in the West of a Duke or Carolina. And I’ll tell you, it’s a heavy mantle for these kids to carry. The media expectation is based on the decade, not on this season.”

Standout guard Andre Miller stepped up to shoulder the load, finishing with a career-high 29 points after scoring only five in the first half. Utah (4-3) had only one other player in double figures, as forward Alex Jensen had 15 points. Guard Ramel “Rock” Lloyd led the 49ers with 15 points and forward Richie Smalls added 11.

“[Miller] is going through a thing where he’s got to look to score,” Majerus said. “He’s throwing the ball into Nate [Althoff]. He’s not throwing it into [Michael] Doleac. What would be [John] Stockton absent [Karl] Malone? Nate is a redshirt sophomore who has a bit of a spastic quality to him, who is getting better every game.”

Said Long Beach Coach Wayne Morgan: “When you’re a great player like that, you can impose your will on the game. In the second half, [Miller] basically took over and imposed his will. You see great players do that all the time. In the college game today, he’s first-team All-American. He’s supposed to be the best point guard in America. In the second half, he showed why he’s there.”

Considering his team struggled greatly in a hard-fought victory against Cal State Dominguez Hills earlier this week, Morgan had to be pleased with the level of intensity and improvement against the Utes. As late as 19 seconds remaining, the 49ers trailed by only three points before Miller made four free throws in that span. And the 49ers lost center Mate Milisa because of an injured left ankle early in the second half.

Morgan refused to utter the usual cliche: moral victory. “I’m not the media, you guys make that stuff up,” he said.