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Show 6 SPORTS Wednesday, March 3, 2010 22° / 9 a.m. 25° / 3 p.m. conditions & weather from utahskiweather.com Hardpack and moguls TODAY'S SKI REPORT Alta www.dailyutahchronicle.corn Brighton UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS TODAY: Men's Tennis 22° / 9 a.m. 35° / 3 p.m. Canyons 27° / 9 a.m. 41° / 3 P.m. 27 ° / 9 a.m. Deer Valley 41 0 I 3 p.m. Snowbird 22° / 9 a.m. 35° / 3 p.m. Solitude 23" a.m. 36° / 3 p.m. MEN'S BASKETBALL Plenty of fuel for the rivalry fire Utah @ Stanford 1:30 p.m. PT Palo Alto, Calif Utes' matchup with BYU to bring out energy, excitement Men's Basketball Bubba Brown BYU @ Utah 7 p.m. Huntsman Center TV: CBS C Women's Basketball Utah @ BYU 7 p.m. Provo TV: BYU-TV FRIDAY: Baseball Utah @ Washington State 1 p.m. Pullman, Wash. Women's Tennis Fresno State @ Utah 2:30 p.m. Eccles Tennis Center Women's Gymnastics Nebraska @ Utah 7 p.m. Huntsman Center TV: ABC 4 NCAA Last Chance Qualifier All Day TBA Baseball Utah @ Washington State 7 p.m. Pullman, Wash. UTES IN BRIEF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Provo to put women's win streak to the test Corbin Godfrey STAFF WRITER The Utah women's basketball team will take its five-game winning streak down to Provo tonight, where it will take on rival BYU. With two games left in the regular season and the Utes and Cougars tied for second in the Mountain West Conference, this game has more at stake than just bragging rights. "We just need to keep playing with a lot of energy," said freshman Taryn Wicijowski. "We need to keep going with our momentum that we have right now, and I think we will end up doing great stuff if we keep it up." FULL STORY ONLINE www.dailyutahchrontcle.corn STAFF WRITER After an exciting and eventful matchup last month that saw BYU clip the Runnin' Utes, round two in the yearly grudge match is packed with story lines. Chief among them, perhaps, is the fallout from the now infamous incident that occurred near the end of the last matchup, which involved Utah guard Marshall Henderson's altercation with BYU guard Jackson Emery. "I don't think anything that goes on between these two programs is said and done," said Utah guard Carlon Brown. "People still remember the Max Hall incident. People are always going to remember that. It's going to be the same thing with Marshall. Their fans haven't forgot, our fans haven't forgot. I'm sure there will be signs and things said on TV, things said in the media. I think it's just going to add more fuel to the fire." Head coach Jim Boylen said he believes that the incident with Henderson only serves to further motivate his team. "We'll be ready to play," Boylen said. "I know (Henderson will) be ready to play. Our guys were jacked up today and excited. It's a rivalry game. It's our last home game. It's the last (home) game for my two seniors. It's a big day." Utah will have to contain BYU's offense—which put up 82 points on the Utah defense in the first matchup—to have a chance to win. "They are a very good running team, a very good shooting team," Boylen said. "They are a high-powered offensive team, (averaging) 8o points a game in the league. They are very difficult to guard. Our defense has been very good. We have to defend the 3, and we have to get back in transition defense. If you give BYU layups and open 3s, you're going to struggle, and we have to try to not do that." One of the keys to stopping BYU's high-powered attack is hindering the performance of Cougar guard Jimmer Fredette. The junior averages 21.1 points per game and torched the Utes with 36 points in MIKE MANGUM/The Daily Utah Chronicle Jonathan Tavernari yells at Utah's Marshal Henderson after he hit Jackson Emery during the teams'first meeting this year. Provo last month. However, the Utes might not have to face Fredette, as his status for the game is unknown after he missed the second half of BYU's game Saturday against New Mexico with a stomach illness. The Utes believe they are a bit more prepared to face the nationally ranked Cougars this time around. Their young players have become more experienced, and the veterans are stepping into their roles. "We're a little more confident," Boylen said. "We're healthy. That helps. And we're more experienced. We've grown a lot since that last game. We've learned a lot since that last game. (Luka) Drca and Brown are playing at the level that they need to play at. Then everyone else falls in line. They have to play well for us to win. They're both playing good winning basketball." Heading into tonight's con- test, the Utes are playing perhaps some of their best basketball of the season. Last week, the team recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since conference play began. "Last week was a good week for our group offensively," Boylen said. "We had better guard, better decision-making, especially in the second half of both games that led to the win." The Cougars, on the other hand, are coming in after suffering one of their toughest losses of the season. They fell at home to New Mexico 83-81, in a game that likely ended BYU's march for a fourth consecutive regularseason conference crown. All things considered, when the tip-off goes up in the air, expect these two teams to put on an entertaining show. "I'm just looking for a lot of energy and a lot of emotion," Brown said. "I'm looking for them to be coming out giving everything they've got, wanting to spoil senior night. It should be a fun game, especially how they lost last game and lost the conference championship." b.brown@chronicle.utah.edu MEN'S BASKETBAL Utah 67.1 Game Stats BYU Points/ game 80.1 .437 Fieldgoal % .451 .327 3-point fieldgoal % . 401 .745 Freethrow% .765 34.3 Rebounds /game 38.4 12.0 Assists / game 14.9 13.5 Turnovers / game 9 .9 5.4 Steals/ game 7 .9 6.2 Blocks/ same 3.9 1— THE GREAT DEBATE —I Was it a good idea for Asiata to come back? Return prevents others from getting experience I n September, when Matt Asiata went down with a torn ACL, I was praying that he would get another chance to continue his football career. After all, the guy broke his leg in the opening game in 2007 and only played in four games before injuring his knee in 2009. It just didn't seem fair to me, but as the football season wore on and Eddie Wide emerged as the Utes' go-to running back, my perspective started to change. When it was announced last week that Asiata was granted medical hardship by the NCAA and would be returning for his sixth season in a Utah uniform, I was almost disappointed. Let me say that I was a huge Asiata fan. He's a great athlete and great football player, but there comes a time in everyone's career when it's time to throw in the towel. I think it's time for Asiata to call it quits and let the likes of Wide, Shaky Smithson and Sausan Shakerin prove what they are made of. After Asiata got injured last season, Wide stepped up and had a breakout season, rushing for more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns, and that was just the beginning. I think we'll see even more production and big runs from Wide this year. Granted, Asiata and Wide are different styles of running backs. Wide is more of the "break out and run for 3o yards" type of running back who only carries the ball 15 to 20 times a game. Asiata is more of the "pound it up the middle through the tackles" type of running back, and before he got injured, he was averaging close to 3o carries per game. The two styles don't complement each other—it's either one or the other. After the season Wide had last year, I think it would be a shame to see him benched or even get fewer touches because Asiata de- PAIGE FIELDSTE Senior, Mass Communication and Psychology cided to return for one more shot. I'm more concerned with Asiata's ability to stay healthy than anything else. Asiata returns, so the Utah coaching staff spends less time developing other running backs—such as Shakerin or Smithson—and then if Asiata gets injured, again, we are left in the same situation we were in last season—with one, maybe two running backs who can really run the ball and a lack of depth at one of the most important positions in the game. I don't know Asiata's personal reasons for returning for one more year—maybe he's hoping to have his best season on record and get drafted into the NFL or maybe he just loves the Utes so much he couldn't bear to leave just yet. Maybe he will have an awesome season and head into the NFL for a storied career, in which case I will eat my words. But it's more likely NFL recruiters will share my concerns about staying healthy and he'll go late sixth or seventh round at best or not get drafted at all. Either way, I'm not sure returning was the right decision for the team. The Utes made it successfully through last season without Running back has too much skill to ignore B y choosing to return for a sixth season, Matt Asiata undoubtedly made the right decision both for himself and for the Utah football team. The senior running back provides two elements that are common ingredients for football success: a leadership presence and diversity in the backfield. Although Asiata has great talent, he is most often credited for his non-statistical effect on the team. He possesses experience that few players can boast, and spending five years with a team creates harmony. With his sixth year looming, Asiata has been exposed to just about everything the sport can throw at him. He has dealt with injuries, shared time in the backfield and played in monumental games. With all this under his belt, the sixth-year senior can function as a mentor to incoming freshmen. One must not forget what he brings to the table once he steps on the turf. He averaged 101.3 yards per game before getting injured last season, which was better than all Mountain West Conference running backs. Unless his knee injury seriously inhibits his running, he will be an asset for the Utes. Although he has shown he can produce, it will be Asiata's running style that will be the greatest benefit for the Utes. At 230 pounds, he is a powerhouse runner. He has the ability to go through defenders and has never lost a fumble. When teamed with Eddie Wide's speed-oriented running, the two could be a formidable duo. Few can forget the way LenDale White and Reggie Bush ran all over the Pac-io in 2004 and 2005. White's hard-nosed style coupled with Bush's athleticism kept opposing defenses on their toes. Asiata and Wide could V S. See FIELDSTED Page 8 Last week, Joseph Simmons won the Great Debate, 3-2. Vote on who won this week JAKE BULLINGER Freshman, Mass Communication create a similar "thunder and lightning" effect on the offense. The two will force defenses to constantly adjust to the different running styles. With Wide in, defenses will focus on containing his speed. When Asiata trots onto the field, defenses will have to switch packages and personnel to accommodate his between-thetackles power running. The constant defensive shuffling will make Utah's lethal running attack even better, but it will also help sophomore Jordan Wynn continue to develop. Opposing defenses will have to respect the running game, so Wynn will see fewer pass-oriented defenses and have a more effective play-action at his disposal. Along with benefitting the Utes, Asiata will receive personal gain from his decision to return. As talented as he is, Asiata will never be a feature running back in the NFL. If he is fortunate enough to play professional football, he will undoubtedly have a supporting role. But here in Salt Lake City, the West Valley native is a star. Although his numbers have not been staggering, they have been consistently productive. In his only full season (2008), he rushed for 707 yards, averaging See BULLINGER Page 8 www.dailyutahchronicle.com |