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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.cor SPORTS ► Friday Wednesday, February 17, 2010 Saturday Softball California vs. Utah 11:15 a.m. PT Las Vegas Sunday Utah @ UC Davis Men's Tennis Weber State @ Utah Men's Basketball Softball 2 p.m. PT Davis, Calif 5 p.m. Eccles Tennis Center 6 p.m. PT San Diego 3:45 p.m. PT Las Vegas Baseball TODAY'S SKI REPORT 18° /9 a.m. 26° / 3 p.m. Alta 7 Utah @ San Diego State Track & Field Utah vs. Indiana Wildcat Tune-Up All Day Ogden 18° / 9 a.m. 26° / 3 p.m. Canyons 23° / 9 a.m. 32° / 3 p.m. 23° / 9 a.m. Deer Valley 320 / 3 p.m. San Diego State @ Utah 2 p.m. Huntsman Center conditions & weather from Packed powder on trail, tracked powder and bumps off trail Brighton Women's Basketball Snowbird 18° / 9 a.m. 26° / 3 p.m. utahskiweather.com 19° 1 9 a.m. 27° / 3 p.m. Solitude MEN'S BASKETBALL UNLV's shooting percentage to challenge Utes Joseph Simmons STAFF WRITER TYLER COBB/The Daily Utah Chronicle Despite the fact that the Utes beat UNLV, 73-69, in Las Vegas, head coach Jim Boylen said the Rebels have a lot of things that make them dangerous. The Utes take on UNLV tonight in the Huntsman Center. The Utes proved that they have what it takes to beat this year's UNLV team when they took them down 73-69 in Las Vegas on Jan. 16, but that doesn't mean they're taking the Rebels lightly tonight in the Huntsman Center. Utah head coach Jim Boylen said despite the team's win in Las Vegas, there is plenty about the Rebels to cause concern. "I'm always concerned about their shooting—their ability to make 3-point shots, their ability to stretch you out," Boylen said. "What they did against us was they rebounded the ball well last time we played them." The Rebels were one of the hottest teams in the conference for a brief moment, even climbing into the Top-25 polls. The Rebels, New Mexico Lobos and BYU Cougars were all the in the poll at the same time, marking the first time in Mountain West Conference history that three teams were nationally ranked in the same poll. However, UNLV is on a two-game losing skid, having lost the past two games by a 10-point margin, falling at home to New Mexico, 76-66, and dropping a road game at San Diego State, See MEN Page 8 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RUGBY U hopes for revenge against Rebels Rugby's winning streak snapped Corbin Godfrey STAFF WRITER Kelsey Price STAFF WRITER Last weekend, all hopes of an undefeated season went down the drain at the Las Vegas Rugby Invitational, and the Scrummin' Utes will never be the same again. No. 3 Utah went I-1 at the Invitational, destroying the iogame winning streak the Utes were riding on. However, the Scrummin' Utes—now II-I—are confident a loss will teach them an invaluable lesson in the long term. "Losing one match is better than losing two," said head coach Blake Burdette. "This weekend taught us a lot about ourselves as a team." Utah faced two tough games this weekend—international team University of Victoria on Friday and No. 20 Texas A&M the next day. University of Victoria dominated Utah, winning 38-22. The Vikes served a rude awakening to the Utes, who— until Friday—had a margin of victory over its opponents this season of an average of 34.5 points. Victoria has not lost to a university-level team since 2007. "In the long run, it was a good game for us," Burdette said. "It was the hardest opponent we will face all season. We're only going to be facing pressure like that when we See 68-58. Nevertheless, the Rebels are still receiving votes to be in both Top-25 polls. The Utes will be trying to bounce back from a heartbreaking overtime loss to New Mexico, which is now ranked No. 12 and No. 15 in the Associated Press and Coaches polls, respectively. Although the Utes lost the game, Boylen said he was happy with the progress his team showed in the loss and was proud of its effort. "I'm very proud of my team and the way they battled against New Mexico," Boylen said. "I think that offensively we've improved—but it has to get better—but defensively we've been solid as a rock." The Rebels are led by Tre'Von Willis, who is averaging a respectable 17.7 points per game, which ranks No. 2 in the MWC. However, Willis gets little help from the rest of his squad and is the only Rebel averaging double digits. Rebel big man Chase Stanback is the top rebounder at 5.6 boards per contest, and Oscar Bellfield tops the squad with 4.5 assists per outing. Utah junior Carlon Brown has faced the Rebels plenty of times in his career at Utah and knows that it is a battle every time they play RUGBY Page 10 RICHARD PAYSON/The Daily Utah Chronicle Kalee Whipple had 23 points the last time UNLV played Utah. The Utes will look for a road win over UNLV after the Rebels ended Utah's 19-game home winning streak earlier this year. The Utah women's basketball team will travel to Las Vegas tonight at 7 p.m. to face UNLV. The last time these two teams met, UNLV spoiled Utah's 19-game home winning streak in a last-second thriller. It was a back-and-forth game with a combined 14 ties and lead changes on Jan. 24. A lastsecond 3-point shot from Kalee Whipple rimmed in and out, giving UNLV the win. Whipple finished the game with 23 points, and UNLV was led by Erica Helms with 19. Back then, the Utes were struggling to score points. They were in the middle of a rut where they had scored fewer than 5o points in four consecutive games, something with which head coach Elaine Elliott expressed frustration. "We have to get out of the 4os, and we were pretty anemic offensively," Elliott said. "UNLV made some really nice plays to get the win. We have done some things well enough to get the wins we've had but it is pretty hard to win a game when you can't get out of the 4os in Division-I basketball. We had the lead and the momentum and once again we just really stalled out offensively." Although scoring points is not the main concern now—the Utes have averaged 67 points during the past four games— turnovers continue to plague them. Utah has turned the ball over 8o times in the past four games. Although 32 of those came in the four-overtime loss to TCU last Wednesday, taking care of the ball will be the Utes' No. i priority. "The more we turn the ball over, the less shots we are able See WOMEN Page 8 1— THE GREAT DEBATE —1 Which event will be bigger in 2010? Olympics hold broader appeal in U.S. World Cup unites countries, fans I t's been five days since the Olympic torch was lit in Vancouver, Canada, signaling the start of the 21st Winter Olympic games, and my TV has been tuned in almost the entire time. I doubt I am alone in my enthusiasm for the Olympics. After all, regular TV programming, with the exception of the news, has been all but stopped on NBC as it broadcasts everything from curling to cross-country skiing to figure skating almost around the clock. Where else can you see 82 countries and more than 2,600 athletes compete for the respect and honor of their nations? Where else do you get sporting moments so great that they stick out in the minds of viewers for decades to come? I still remember when Kerri Strug stuck her vault landing and broke her ankle in the 1996 Summer Games, and I was only 8 at the time. I have heard athlete after athlete say that competing in the Olympics is unlike anything else they have ever experienced. Athletes come out of retirement and sacrifice family time, money and sometimes their health to compete one more time in the Olympics. It is a big deal, which is why in 2010 the Winter Olympics will be the sporting event of the year. I recently witnessed one of the best Super Bowls I've ever seen and watched some of the E PAIGE FIELDSTEDA Senior, Mass Communication and Psychology greatest athletes in America on display at the NBA All-Star game. Yes, it is the year for the FIFA World Cup—which also happens only once every four years—but none of that will surpass the grandeur and excitement brought by the Olympics. Someone said to me the other day, "It's snow, how exciting can it be? Let me know when it's the Summer Games." Hello, people! We live in Utah, home to greatest snow on earth. Snow is the reason why people know that Utah exists. Besides, how much more exciting does it get than sliding down an ice hill at 95 miles per hour on a sled or winning the downhill by hundredths of a second? The Daily Utah Chronicle's assistant sports VS See FIELDSTED Page 10 very four years, the world is lucky enough to be treated to a year in sports that cannot be matched—and 2010 is one of those years. Not only does the year kick off with the Winter Olympics in February, but come June, the biggest sporting event in the world gets under way—the World Cup. In athletics, one of the biggest honors athletes can earn is to represent their country on a world stage. It's one thing to win a league title of any kind—it's completely another to win gold while wearing your country's colors across your chest. There is no bigger fan of the Olympics than me. It's only once every four years I can watch sports like curling, ski jumping and the luge—and enjoy it—and I owe that completely to the Winter Olympics. • The World Cup, on the other hand, is on a different level altogether. The World Cup is the ultimate equal opportunity world sporting event, and it truly unites the globe. In the World Cup, every country—no matter the size, population or geographical location—has the same chance to qualify. This year in Vancouver, the United States sent 216 participants and Canada sent 192, compared to countries such as Peru—which sent one athlete—and Cyprus, which sent none. Even with every country having an Last week, Bubba Brown won the Great Debate, 2-1. Vote on who won this week BRYAN CHOUINARD Junior, Parks, Recreation and Tourism equal opportunity to qualify for the World Cup, only seven countries—Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay, France and England—have ever won the cup in its history. Although thousands have won Olympic gold, only a handful can say they have ever hoisted the World Cup. This year alone, 86 gold medals will be handed out in Vancouver, but only one team will lift the cup in South Africa this summer. Not only is the World Cup more prestigious and exclusive for the athletes, but it is also better for the fans. In the Olympics, besides the opening and closing ceremonies, the "team" will not likely be in a single place for the rest of the 17-day competition. This divides not only the team, but also the fans—hockey fans are off to the hockey rink See CHOUINARD Page 10 www.dailyutahchronicle.com |
