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Show Statesman Sports Page 8 Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 Section F A different point of view R evenge might never feel more fun than this week in Aggie basketball. Last season there were five teams that managed victories against Utah State, and this week the Aggies get a shot at revenge against two of those teams in the Spectrum. BYU squeaked out a win against USU last year in the EnergySolutions Arena following the Cougars refusal to play in Logan during the 2007-2008 season, and Saint Mary's outplayed the Aggies to a final of 75-64 in their building during last year's ESPN Bracketbuster weekend. This year everything is different. This year's games are in the Spectrum. The same Spectrum that has seen too many epic games to count, including a near upset of arguably the most talented college basketball team to ever play nearly two decades ago, to the more recent upset of a No. 9 ranked Nevada Wolfpack team. Currently, the Aggies possess the secondlongest home winning streak in the nation behind Kansas with 36 games and at no point during that streak will it be tested like it will be this week. The most important thing here, though, is that BYU, for the first time since Dec. 22, 2005, will be playing a game in the Spectrum. Its school, its coach and its fans will argue it forever, but it is solid fact that BYU refused to play in Logan because it cannot handle the idea of constantly losing to a team who they view themselves as superior to. BYU's head coach Dave Rose tried to sugar-coat his master plan of avoiding Logan with the neutral-court game in Salt Lake City, but his real intentions were obvious. The worst part is that thus far, his plan has essentially worked. Tonight should be the night everything changes though. I could rehash the story about how the entire refusal went down, but the details are mostly irrelevant by now. What really matters is that Dave Rose and his BYU team essentially proclaimed them- selves, their win-loss record, their team and their university as one far too superior to USU to need to come to play in the Spectrum every other year. If you're reading this article anywhere but at the Spectrum waiting in line already, chances are you're not as bothered by Dave Rose disrespecting the very school you attend. The same school that still holds a 4-2 record in the last six games against BYU, despite dropping the last two played in Provo and Salt Lake City. You'd do well to just continue reading on your way to the stadium. Throw on some blue too. There's a reason this was written from a laptop computer outside the Spectrum on the night before the game. That's how big of a deal this is, and that's the price to pay for my front row seat this game. Savor it too, because there might never be another game that will carry this hype in your college years than this one. Bring the pain Utah State student body. Bring it harder and stronger than it has ever been brought before. As soon as we're finished doing what we do to scare BYU away all over again, rest up and get ready to be back at the Spectrum Saturday night for another one of the biggest home games we've had in years. Saint Mary's will be in the Spectrum, you should too. Matt Sonnenberg is a junior majoring in print journalism. Matt is an avid fan of Aggie athletics and can be found on the front row of every home football and basketball game. He can also be reached at matt.sonn@ aggiemail. usu. Bowden: Calling it quits after 44 years continuedfrom page 7 then somebody says, any great game? Well, they're all great. Well there were some pretty dadgum big ones. We won our share, we didn't win them all, but we did win our share." Bowden's national titles came in '93 with Ward guiding the Seminoles to a 12-1 record and a title- clinching win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The next national crown came six years later, with Weinke and All-American Warrick leading the Noles to a perfect 12-0 record capped by a win over Michael Vick and Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. AFTER NEARLY FOLLOWING HIS BROTHER, Mekeli, to BYU, junior Tai Wesley has made a name for himself at USU as a three-year starter. TYLER LARSON photo Wesley: Junior ready for Cougars continuedfrom page 6 out in front of the Spectrum doors more than 30 hours before Wednesday night's game, though, it is a claim that could very well be accurate. The Aggies hold a 93 percent winning percentage in the Spectrum during the past decade and currently hold the nation's second longest home winning streak at 36 games. USU has won 49 of its last 50 home games overall, and has not lost at home since the final game of the 2006-07 season. With so much on the line, Wesley's excited to show the Cougars exactly what they missed out on. "This game is definitely a little personal for me in those respects — that they passed up on Buybac S ELL HOME • ••• •• • II • • ••• me," he said. "I'd be lying if I said nothing was there, because I do feel some bitterness toward them. But then I look at it and I realize that because of them I'm here, and it's perfect." Perfect is exactly what Wesley has been at the Spectrum, as the junior has never lost a game on his home court. It's a trend he's planning on continuing this week. "I get goosebumps. It's exciting. It's a dream," Wesley said. "We want to just jump on them and win. We want to win, and that's what we're going to do. I've been looking forward to this game for a long time, to have them up here in the Spectrum. That's what college basketball instate rivalry's are all about." — t.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu BOOK --ALM UtahState SisCRE University • s • • Bookstore Stadium Old Main Library Dec. 3-4, 7-11 8:30 - 4:30 Dec. 5 11:00 - 3:00 Dec. 3-4, 7-11 8:30 - 4:30 Dec. 7-10 9:00 - 3:30 Dec. 7-10 9:00 - 3:30 |