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Show 6 Tuesday, March 25,2008 SPORTS www.dailyutahchronicle.com Frida Wednesda Men's Hoops Baseball Men's Tennis Softball Women's Tennis Gymnastics Boise State (14-10) @ Utah (6-5) Utah (7-12) UVSC (4-16-1) UC Irvine (7-8) § Utah (6-5) Utah (16-15) @ Utah State (3-17) BVO (6-9-1) vs. Utah(H-i) 5p.m., Bales Tennis Center 7 p.m., Provo 5 p.m., Ecdes Tennis Center 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Logan SDSU (6-7) vs. Utah (9-5) TBD, Provo Men's Tennis TBD, Provo Utes not runnin' anymore in BRIEF Boylen 's first season as head coach ends against Tulsa from falling into a 35-20 hole at halftime. In the 2006-2007 season, a similar SPORTS EDITOR start would have certainly resulted in a The Runnin1 Utes might not have ac- 20-point blowout. But like so many times complished all that they had hoped in the this season, Utah stayed aggressive and inaugural College Basketball Invitational, never stopped competing, "We were very calm at halftime," Boylen but the game stood as a positive microsaid. "We knew they cosm of sorts to Utah's had made ij-oi-iy free entire season. — _ . throws. We knew we had In the end, the Tblsa in foul trouble. We Golden Hurricanes oustwanted this year guys said we wanted to make ed the Utes from the tournament by a final score to be great," Boylen said. a run and we did." After Tulsa extended of 69-60, but the Utes their lead to 17 on its took small victories from "We wanted to win a first possession of the 2007-2008 body of work that came to an end last few more games, but we second half, Utah went on a 9-2 run in less than night. two minutes to cut Tul"I wanted this year to wanted to also change sa's lead to 10. The Utes be a great year," Utah the culture. We did also held T\ilsa without head coach Jim Boylen a field goal for 4:48 and said, "we wanted to win change the culture." capitalized on that dea few more games, but we i fense effort on a Luke wanted to also change the with 14:11 remaining to Nevill jumper culture. We did change the culture." One of the metamorphoses Boylen cut the home team's lead to seven. From brought to Utah was exemplified in the then on it was a battle that Utah fought with a grittiness that wasn't present when second half of Monday night's loss. From Shaun Green's two fouls in the Boylen joined the team a year ago. "I thought we ran the ball better and first six minutes to Tulsa's I7~for-i7 effort from the free-throw line in the opening we got stops (in the second half)," Boylen frame, almost everything that could go said. The Utes trimmed Tulsa's lead to wrong for Utah in the first half, did. Not five, three times, but would get no closer. even a 4-for-6 effort from the 3-point line by Johnnie Bryant could prevent Utah See UTES Page 8 Tony Pizza LENNIE MAHLER/The Defy Utah Qirontdt PHOTO COURTESY ASSOCIATED PRESS Tulsa's Jerome Jordan puts up a shot between Kim Tille and Shaun Green during the Utes second round game in the College Basketball invitational. Utah lost the game 69-60 ending their season. Utah wide receiver Marquis Wilson has been suspended from team activities. See BRIEFS Page 8 Who will wear the glass slipper the longest? Nova will last the longest in the Big Dance periencing the joy Sio.ooo can bring a man are gone, it's time to root for the nobodies. Kind of. Of the remaining Cinderella stories, Villanova's will last the longest. The JON Wildcats aren't exactly new to the tournaGILBERT ment, so it is difficult to call them a Cinderella. They won the 1985 national championship and were a No. 1 seed two years ago. However, this season brought struggles Before the NCAA men's basketball tour- for a team with high expectations. nament started, I planned how I was going Coming off a win at Syracuse, N.Y., on Jan. to spend the $10,000 grand prize that ESPN. 19, Villanova was packing a 13-3 record and com was going to pay me for my winning a Top-25 ranking. They bracket. Less than a week later, I'm back to looked like a solid bet budgeting paycheck to paycheck for a high seed in the tourney. A 11 But then, of my DANCE CARD inexplicabrackbly, Nova ets have Name: lost five b e e n straight and busted, if Expires: TBD six of seven. not totalMEMBER ATTRIBUTES ly anniIn fact, the hilated. Wildcats' razorA m o n g •No. 12 seed in Midwest Region thin berth came theteams •Barely made it into' the Big Dance as over several other helping a bubble team after losing,5-of-7. teams with reputable tournament to de- •upset No. 5 Clemson 75-69 irt Rd. 1 resumes. Ohio State and Virginia stroy my Tech were left out and settled for c h a n c - •Beat No. 13 Sienna 84-72 in Rd..2 the National Invitation Tournament. es of a CARD TERMS Jim Boeheim expressed his discontropical beat No. 1 seed Kansas in the tent that his Syracuse Orange were vacation Must left out of the Big Dance for what he and no Sweet 16 to keep season alive. felt were lesser teams. student Nova was one team that made debt are Siena, Davidson and Western Ken- the field of 65 by surprise. The Wildcats tucky. San Diego eliminated my surprise Fi- haven't taken it for granted so far, and they nal Four team when it ousted Connecticut. So, now that all of my lavish plans for ex- See GILBERT Page 7 Davidson will be the most successful Cinderella team tremely talented backcourt of Jessie Sapp and Jonathan Wallace seemed poised to make a run into the Final Four. They must not have foreseen the skeletal CHRISTOPHER two-guard continuously lighting them upitrdii'*****1-1 KAMRANI all over the court. Curry went off for 25 points?—ill ond half, that is. Down n at the half, Davidson responded and outscored the Hoyas 47-32 Lo and behold, the chosen one emerged this on their way to their Cinderella-type victory, past weekend. No, this is no allusion to deity 74-70. or a fantasy-filled, action-packed martial arts Although Curry, son of former NBA sharpmotion picture. The chosen one stands at a re- shooter Dell Curry, certified himself as the spectable 6-foot-3 and is listed at 185 lbs. (not a poster boy of this tournament, this Davidson chance in hell). The kid who has been named team is not solely paced by its star guard. Dick Vitale's tournament MVP so Curry's far is none other than Stephen backcourt DANCE CARD Curry. running mate, seCurry has lead the No. Name: nior point10-seeded Davidson man Jason Wildcats into the Expires: TBD Richards, Sweet 16 in averages 12 -t . the MidMEMBER ATTRIBUTES points per west regame and gion. Af- No. 10 seed in Midwest Region an imprester tossing Guard Stephen Curry is averaging sive eight out perennial 35 ppg in the NCAA. Tournament. assists. He March force Gonzaga, Curry and his Upset No. 7 Gonzaga 82-76 in Rd- 1 also chipped fellow Cats fried the largest fish of Upset No. 2 Georgetown 74-70 in Rd. in 20 against the tournament so far. GeorgeCARD TERMS Davidson faced off against No. town. 2-seeded Georgetown, a team many Must beat No. 3 seed Wisconsin in experts (including me) picked to The pothe Sweet 16 to keep season alive. go deep into the tournament. The t entia 1 Hoyas play in arguably the stronAchilles' gest conference in all of college basketball. heel for Davidson is its'distinct height disadThey were (keep in mind, were) one of the vantage. The Wildcats rely on their three-for- Davidson deepest teams in the tournament. Center^ Roy Hibbert, forward Patrick Ewing Jr. and the ex- See KAMRANI Page 7 SWEET 16 BRACKET CHALLENGE Elite 8 (2 pts.) #1 North Carolina Final Four (4 pts.) Championship Game (8 pts.) Final Four (4 pts.) INSTRUCTIONS: Pickthe team you think will win all the way to the National Champion. Each coned pick will result in the points specified for each round. Brackets are due to Union Room #236 by Thursday, March 27 at 5 p.m. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 8 and will receive a prize from The Pie. #4 Washington St. Elite 8 (2 pts.) #1 Memphis #5 Michigan St. #3 Louisville #3 Stanford #2Tennessee c #1 Kansas #2 Texas J #1 UCLA National Champion (16 pts.) #12 Villanova #12 W.Kentucky $v Tie Breaker Combined Final Score #3 Wisconsin #10 Davidson #3 Xavier #7 West Virginia NAME: # |