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Show ^ ^ ™ DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE SPORTS www.dailyutahchroniclc.com W e d n e s d a y , F e b r u a r y 1, 2006 Basketball heads to Wyoming z: I Favre shbuld return next season Joe Beatty Chronicle Sports Editor One streak down... The Runnin' Utes got over the hump on Saturday, knocking offTCU 80-45 to break a fivegame losing streak. The win over the Horned Frogs kept the Utes (9-9,2-5 MWC) out of the Mountain West Conference basement and created a bit of confidence going into a string of games where they will play three of four on the road. That's where the next streak comes into play. Utah has lost six road games in a row since winning its road opener at Weber State in November. The Utes will get the chance to put an end to the futility tonight when they visit Wyoming (11-9, 4-3 MWC) at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised live on KJZZ-14. The Cowboys pose a unique challenge for the Utes in that Wyoming revolves their efforts around two post players down low. The duo of Justin Williams and Derek Wabbington—both seniors—has presented problems for opposing teams, an issue that the Utes are paying plenty of attention to. "They put those two bigs down in the block," Ute head coach Ray Giacoletti said. "They don't move a whole lot, so you think it would be a little easier to defend. But they get touches and find ways to score or go to the free throw line." Williams and Wabbington combine for 17.6 points per game with 15.3 rebounds. Williams in particular is an issue on defense, as he ranks second in the NCAA with 5.6 blocks per game. Giacoletti has game-planned to try to disrupt the senior's rhythm so the Utes can play their inside-outside game without worrying too much that every shot could end up swatted back in their faces. "Shot faking is what we'll try to do," Giacoletti said. "Shot fake, and he'll jump every time. We'll try to create some contact and get See U T E S Page 10 m The Sooners quieted doubters— including me—when they beat Texas soundly last Saturday. Taj Gray and Terrell Everett combined for 47 points while shooting 19-27 (70 percent) from the field. If those guys play like that every game, Oklahoma is a top-five team. The Jayhawks have now won 11 of 13 games since starting the season 3-4 and have been winning big re- If lie had to make a damn decision today,: he'd be gone. So just what, exactly, is Brett Favre waiting for? Something we media types have a tendency to overlook: a little perspective. In reality, with the fifth pick in the upcoming draft, multiple starters returning from injuries, a new coach andean ever-exuberant fan base, the Packers have nowhere to go but up. Sure, the Pack's 4-12 campaign in 2065 was the first losing season in Brett Favre's 14 years as a starter, but that wasn't entirely his fault. Personally, I don't think much separated the Packers and the breakout Chicago Bears except bad fortune arid a shaken confidence. ^Without their top two offensive threats in Ahman Green and Javon Walker, Favre took to the air more than ever this year in a desperate effort to move the ball downfield. Favre threw the ball a ridiculous 607 times, and his resulting 29 interceptions called his infamous playmaking ability into question for the first J fime. Many even began to wonder if Havre's 403 career sacks were beginning to catch up to the once cagey field general. He had to force things, though, Favre actually tossed 14 touchdowns to just eight picks through the Packers' first six games. Their record at the time? A lackluster 1-5. It's only natural that in trying to do more for his flailing team, Favre fi•' nally surpassed his limits. So right now—at the tail end of the Pack's dismal year—is not the time to ask Favre's opinion on retirement. Hell, he wanted to retire after last season, too. As the season approaches and the positives steadily become clearer, Favre's disposition should brighten little by little each day. But we can't wait that long, apparently. Dwelling on the negatives of his worst professional season while scouts dub Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler the "next Brett Favre" and writers call for the Pack's "future" in the form of Aaron Rodgers, Favre understandably has a few doubts about his abilities at the moment. Still, his window probably hasn't completely closed yet. In the year before last season, Fayre threw for 207 more yards (4088 yards) on 67 less attempts, throwing 30 touchdown passes and only 17 interceptions. .'Maybe he hit his wall more sud- See P A T T O N Page 8 See PIPER PageS Ute big men Luke Nevill and Jonas Langvad both go up for a blocked shot against TCU on Saturday. GAMES TO WATCH Rivalry pressure Plenty of upsets have already happened this season, and with some rivalry match-ups approaching, don't be surprised to see more of the top teams fall under pressure from the road crowds. No. 1 Connecticut at No. 21 Indiana, Saturday, lla.m.MST,CBS Indiana's Marco Killingsworth has been in a bit of a slump recently, and it has affected the Hoosiers. The senior forward averages 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, making him one of the most valuable players in college basketball. If Killingsworth can put up big numbers, he should give the Hoosiers a chance to upset the top Matthew Piper and an occasional Patrick Sparks emergence, the Wildcats have had . some impressive outings. But they've also had embarrassing moments. They lost • three in a row to Kansas, Vanderbilt and Alabama back in early Matt Patton January, and their recent stretch of victories has been Kentucky at No. 7 Florida, Saturday, 7 p.m. MST> ESPN2 less than stellar. Kentucky is going thru ,\ gh the Florida is undefeated at home, and type of inconsistency that can be ex- it looks like it's regrouped after bepected of a young squad, but that's ing upset by Tennessee and South exactly what makes them a danger- Carolina. ous opponent. If the Gators want to maintain the Led primarily by four sophomores opportunity of earning a No. 1 seed ranked Huskies. UConn has been impressive, however, and really hasn't allowed any teams to get too close since its loss to Marquette and escape at LSU. Patton's prediction: Huskies y$, Hoosiers 60 in the tournament, they've got to win this game. Patton's prediction: Gators 80, Wildcats 74 No. 18 Oklahoma at Kansas, Sunday, 11a.m. MST, CBS Fresh faces abound for Utah baseball • Jf! BASEBALL NEWCOMERS 14 newcomers figure to spice up Swingin' Utes Chris Bellamy Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor By head coach Bill Kinneberg's own admission, the pitching staff was the U baseball team's Achilles' heel last season and the primary reason behind the Utes' fifth-place finish in the Mountain West Conference. So it came as no surprise that pitching was Kinneberg's primary concern this offseason as he overhauled his roster, putting emphasis on adding depth to his rotation. Utah's 2006 group features no less than 14 players who were not on last year's active roster. The new class mainly includes new recruits brought in from both the high school and junior college ranks but also features a few players who redshirted in 2005. About half of those newcomers are pitchers, many of whom are expected to come in and contribute right away. "The biggest weakness was our pitching staff last year. Now we feel, going into this season, that it really could be one of our bright spots," Kinneberg said. "Six or seven guys have come in and really.done a nice job, and we believe (they) are going MEN'S HOOPS UTAH AT WYOMING (9-9) (11-9) FEB. 1,2006 7 p.m. @ LARAMIE, WYO. to be pretty good for us." Kinneberg has gotten a look at his new players over the past few weeks, in addition to the fall practices the team conducted. Two of the Utes' prize recruits are juniors Lucas Trinnaman and Eric King, both of whom went on LDS missions and played last season at Salt Lake Community College before transferring to the U. Trinnaman and King are slated to start the team's first two games of the season this Friday and Saturday when the team travels south to take on New Mexico State in a threegame set. While Josh Cooper and Jason Price are expected to be the Friday and Saturday night starters for the team this season, Kinneberg said he wanted to get his new pitchers some playing time right away. "You hope the J.C. guys make the assimilation (to Division-I) really quick," Kinneberg said. "Naturally, you're counting on them to do that. They should be able to do that. There's not a whole lot of difference." King was 5-1 for SLCC last season with a 2.33 ERA, 47 strikeouts and just WOMEN'S HOOPS WYOMING AT UTAH (14-4) (13-5) FEB. 2, 2006 7 p.m. @ HUNTSMAN CENTER Corey Shlmada, OF Fr.5T,164lbs Murray, Utah (Murray HS) Lucas Trinnaman, P Jr.6'0",174lbs Alpine, Utah (SLCC) Josh Bell, C Fr.6'(T,191lbs Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll HSj MikeMathews,P Soph. 6 T , 181 lbs Taylorsville.Uttri . (U of the Pacific} Brandon Ast,P Jr. 6 T , 205 lbs Denver, Colo. (Wichita State) Greg Krause, P Fr. 67* 240 lbs Henderson, Nev. (Green Valley HS) Erich Kemp, IF Jr. 6'0", 204 lbs Hemet, Calif. (PalomarJQ NicNakagama, C Soph. 5'9", 203 lbs Murray, Utah (SLCC) Jason Williams, P Jr. 6 T , 215 lbs Cave Creek, Ariz. (Yavapal College) Rory James, P Soph. 6*10", 228 lbs Oshkwh.Wis. (PascoHcmandoCQ Brad DeVore, P Fr. 67', 205 lbs Scottsdale, Ariz. (Horizon HS) Eric King, P Jr. 6 T , 200 lbs Orem, Utah (SLCC) Scott Malone, OF Jr. 6 T , 243 lbs Paradise, Calif. (Santa Barbara City College) BrwxeStringham,IF Jr.6'2--234lbs Provo, Ulah (DeAnza College) VALERIE JAR/Thc Daily Ulah Chronicle 12 walks, while Trinnaman saw action both in the starting rotation and the bullpen, compiling a 3-3 mark with 44 Ks. With that season under their belts, both are excited to get their Division-I careers under way. "It's not like I'm nervous. I'm excited, I've done it my whole life," Trinnaman said. "I'm sure there's a difference (between JUCO and D-I), but it's the same game. Pitchers need to hit their spots and throw good SWIMMING GYMNASTICS UTAH AT BYU UTAH AT ARIZONA STATE FEB. 2, 2006 6 p.m. @ PROVO, UTAH FEB. 3, 2006 7:30 p.m. @T£MPE,ARIZ. pitches, arid they'll be successful." Both players should figure prominently into^ his staff this season, but Kinneberg.^ays that the biggest difSee JrS£.SEBALL Page 8 MEN'STENNIS UTAH AT DENVER FEB. 3, 2006 7 p.m. £ DENVER, COLO. |
