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Show StatesmanSports Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 Jazz: Defense stifles Dallas continued from page 8 only allowed the Mays to attempt 14 shots in the final period. "That's what happens - you get a steal, you get a blocked shot, and it picks everyone up," head coach Jerry Sloan said. "That's kind of fun to watch guys compete, to want to win." Many Jazz players echoed Sloan's thoughts, noting the importance of active team defense. Guard C. J. Miles, often criticized by fans and media alike for being a shooter and nothing else, complimented his 17 points with five rebounds and a steal in the pivotal in the fourth quarter. "We know when we do that we're able to get up and down the floor, and it's fun playing that way. We know we're hard to beat when we do that," Miles said. "We got up and got after them. I thought we did that in the second quarter, it dropped off a little bit in the third, and then (we) got it back in the fourth," All-star guard Deron Williams said. "We came out in that fourth quarter like we wanted to win the game, and knew we had to get stops." This recent hot streak, while stimulating attendance, has also produced an of intrigu- ing question. The Jazz will most likely be financially unable to maintain its current roster past the end of this season, and many fans have long subscribed to the notion that Carlos Boozer has no intention of remaining with the team past this season, anyway. When the team was struggling it was easy to suggest that the Jazz move Boozer as soon as humanly possible, hopefully getting someone decent in return, and making way for Paul Millsap to assume the starting power forward role. If any one other than Williams could be bought for the right price, that seemed logical, as well. With the team now postioning itself for a run at a least a couple playoff round's worth of homecourt advantage, would it better to keep this group together for one last playoff run? They've come up short a number of times on the big-stage already, but this is a young team with a new-found commitment to defense, and maybe this is the year they breakthrough. Is it worth another shot? We'll find out Feb. 18. - dan.fawson@aggiemaiLusu.edu Men's b-ball hosts familiar foe By TYLER HUSKINSON staff writer The Utah State Aggies host an all too familiar opponent Wednesday, Feb. 3, when University of Idaho Vandals visits the Spectrum. The Aggies (16-6, 6-2) faced the Vandals (10-10, 2-6) and former Aggie assistant head coach Don Verlin on January 23 in Moscow, Idaho. The Aggies came up with an important road victory against Idaho, defeating the Vandals, 60-48. Senior guard Jared Quayle had 16 points to lead the Ags. Idaho senior guard Kashif Watson matched Quayle with 16 points of his own, but was the lone Vandal to hit doubledigits. After losing to Utah State, the Vandals lost again, a heartbreaker to cellar-dweller Boise State, before picking up two victories. The Vandals beat Fresno State at home and Seattle University on the road. The Vandals have some momentum coming into Wednesday's game, and Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said the Ags must not overlook the Vandals. Morrill said the danger in college basketball is assuming a home game will be an automatic win. "It doesn't work that way," he said. "My main concern is that we practice well and real- ize that nothing is automatic. Being at home doesn't mean you automatically win." Utah State has played incredible basketball over its six-game winning streak. The Aggies are averaging 77.3 points per game, shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 50.5 percent from 3-point range. The Aggies have been equally dominating on the defensive end over the six-game stretch. USU is allowing 55.7 points per game. Its opponents are shooting 35.8 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from 3point range. Tip-off against the Vandals is slated for 9 p.m. at the Spectrum and the game will be televised on ESPN2. Page 9 Section F I A different point of view can only hope and pray that last Saturday's crowd at the Spectrum against San Jose State was nothing but a fluke. In a game where Stew Morrill himself called upon the students to bring out the best they can against a conference opponent who had just knocked off the WAC's top-two teams, the USU student section brought out an effort that would have been a poor showing for the most irrelevant game of the year - let alone a big game. I'm hoping we can all just put that game behind us and get back to what the USU crowd does best, only it's time we do it even better. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that tonight's game against Idaho will feature the Utah State Aggies, the Aggie student section and the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum unleashed to the world on ESPN2 for the first time since 2006. Whether the Idaho team coming in, then a Nevada team who will be hungry for revenge after getting beat by the Aggies the past two times in its own building dating back to last season, a Louisiana Tech team that currently stands between USU and a third-straight WAC world is ready remains to be seen. To top things off, three of the next four USU home games will be on ESPN2, while the odd game out of those four will be on ESPNU and still available to a national audience. While being on ESPNU might seem like a drag, that game is against Nevada, which is typically the loudest and most rowdy conference game of the year, so the 4.6 points per game. In nearly every crucial offensive and defensive statistical category in WAC play, Utah State stands atop those charts. Now it is just a matter of continuing that production against the other conference powers at home. I don't doubt that the Spectrum would have been back to its A-game even without the aid of the ESPN cameras, but considering the impact of the four home games this month, they're definitely going to be a welcomed addition to what has already been a pretty stellar season for USU basketball crowds. noise levels will probably be just as loud, if not louder than each of the ESPN2 games. Outside of the San Jose State game, this season has probably been the loudest and most rowdy I've seen the Spectrum in any season of Aggie basketball. And from the limited experience I have of ESPN games in the Spectrum, things are about to get a lot more noisy in Logan. The TV cameras tend to bring out the best in the crowd, whether it be in overall enthusiasm, how early people show up or the quality of signs people bring to the games. It's like the Spectrum on steroids, and the last crowd that needs any kind of performance enhancement is the one at the Spectrum. And what perfect timing with a tough regular season championship and a solid Wichita State squad who'd bolster USU's nonconference résumé, should a miracle happen and they squeak back into at-large consideration for the NCAA tournament in March. The competition will be tough, but considering that even despite the horrible twogame stretch to open the conference season, the Aggies currently allows more than 10 points fewer per game than the secondbest defensive team in the WAC. Their scoring margin over teams in conference play has been 13.1 points per game in favor of the Aggies, while the next best is a margin of 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.edu. USU's BracketBuster home game set By TYLER HUSKINSON staff writer ESPN announced on Monday that Utah State (16-6, 6-2) will host the Wichita State Shockers from the Missouri Valley Conference for the eighth annual ESPNU BracketBuster. The Shockers (19-4, 8-3) are in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference, behind No. 22 Northern Iowa. The Aggies are 3-1 in BracketBuster games. Since the 2005-'06 season, the Aggies have defeated Northwestern State, Oral Roberts and UC Santa Barbara. St. Mary's dealt the Aggies their first and only BracketBuster loss, defeating the Aggies 75-64 in Maraga, Calif., during the 2008-'09 season. Aggie head coach Morrill is pleased with the matchup, but he hasn't always been a fan of BracketBuster games. "Back in the old days when we were in the Big West, I wasn't a big fan of BracketBuster because we didn't have the whole conference participating in it greatly. It was kind of jammed in the middle of the conference schedule for those who played it," Morrill said. All nine of the Western Athletic Conference teams are involved in BracketBuster games and Morrill changed his perspective about the games. "Now we take a break from conference play," Morrill said. "It's been good in terms of home and away games that we've got. My feeling on BracketBusters has greatly changed but it's a different situation." Morrill and the Aggies have five conference games to worry about before facing Wichita State. Morrill acknowledges, however, that the Missouri Valley Conference is a reputable basketball conference. "Right now we are worrying about league play, but when the time comes we will definitely be excited," Morrill said. "It is a high-caliber team from a high-caliber conference. The Missouri Valley is a known as a really good basketball league and Wichita State has long had great tradition." This will be the second time that WSU has traveled to Logan, as USU defeated Wichita State, 102-83, Dec. 16, 1967, at the old Nelson Fieldhouse. Tip-off against Wichita State is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, at 10 p.m. in the Spectrum. -ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu 35 % OFF 47126 930 North North Main Street (435) 753-9755 UNTIL V LENTINE Fr . 1J THE DIAMOND GALLERY 45 NORTH MAIN, LOGAN 753-4870 Why Waste Time? Get The Ring She Will Cherish, And The Best Price First! Exclusively at erricc;1 |