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Show StatesmanSports Page 8 Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 MEN'S BASKETBALL Aggies get rematch with Gaels Aggie Schedules BY MARK HOPKINS SATURDAY, staff writer And now for the big show. After a season-opening victory Saturday against Idaho State, the Utah State men's basketball team is ready to go against the highly rated Saint Mary's Gaels on Thursday. "It's been on my mind for awhile, ever since I saw this game," said junior center Jarred Shaw. "No disrespect to the other teams we're playing, but it kind of caught my eye. They're normally a Top-25 team, and we've got them coming in the Spectrum." Due to past history between the two teams and the Gaels receiving votes in Top-25 polls, Thursday's game has received national attention. Assistant coach Chris Jones said the Aggies prepared the same for this game as they would for any other. "We all know it's a big game, a great opponent," Jones said. "We don't treat it any differently than any other game." Senior guard Preston Medlin redshirted during Utah State's last matchup against the Gaels but suited up for the game during his freshman season in 2009. "It was a tough loss when when played here against them," Medlin AGGIE CENTER JARRED SHAW pulls up for a jumper in Utah State's ugly win over Idaho State on Saturday. DELAYNE LOCKE photo said. "They were a good team just like they are now. Same coach, wellcoached team, very physical." The Gaels are led by senior point guard and four-year starter Matthew Dellavedova. Dellavedova has received national acclaim and started for the Australian Olympic team in London. "He's phenomenal," Jones said. "He's basically a Steve Nash of college basketball. The ball's in his hands 90 percent of the game. He makes plays for himself, for others. He's a nightmare to deal with." Medlin faced off against Dellavedova when both were freshman and said the Australian only continues to improve. "He's a player that makes their team run," he said. "We're trying to keep the ball out of his hands. He's a great playmaker and makes everyone on the court better." Shaw said the coaches have prepared the Aggies well and they like their plans. "We're doing some things to kind of mess with the point guard," Shaw said. "They've got a really good point guard. We've got a good game plan to try and confuse him a little bit." Jones singled out junior guard Stephen Holt as another shotmaker the Aggies need to be aware of and said the rest of the Gaels are tough too. "They're very experienced, very tested," Jones said. "They basically six of their top-seven guys back." Shaw said the Gaels are also talented and big in the post. "They've got a lot of guys," he said. "It's going to be a pretty physical game." Medlin said the Aggies are trying to focus on their offensive preparation and view it as an advantage. "We've just got to come out and play our game and run our sets really well," he said. "We've got to cut hard and screen well and we'll have a pretty good chance." History shows two evenly matched teams. The Gaels won a Bracket Buster matchup on their home floor in 2008 and snapped the Aggies' 37-home game winning streak in the Spectrum the next year. The Aggies won 75-65 at Saint Mary's in 2010. "That was a great, great memory," Jones said of the 2010 win. But we're glad we're playing them here." The Aggies are very excited for the matchup. "This is a big game for us and a very good team that is coming in and trying to beat us," Medlin said. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Spectrum and Shaw said the team needs the fans as loud as possible. "Everybody be pumped up, we will be pumped up and we're going to do our job," he said. - m.hop@aggiemaitusu. edu Twitter: @legendarymhops FOOTBALL: Tough test in Ruston, La., awaits Utah State *From page 7 faced. "They have really been dominant," he said in a press conference Monday. "You just look at them and they are never out of play. Guys are in sync and they just know how to play good defensive football." Utah State's defense is led in part by senior safety Will Davis, who has one interception in each of the past three games. Against Texas State, Davis picked off a pass in the end zone to prevent what could have been the first Bobcat touchdown against the Aggies. "They are really playing lights out defensively," Dykes said. Get Back to Square One. Your Best Choice for Wedding Invitations paper goods ir r Or Am■ SQL.151-2 P r i /7 T one" n 5 630 West 200 North 753-8875 USU is tied for ninth in the nation in red-zone defense, holding teams to 10 touchdowns and nine field goals in 29 appearances, an average of about 10 red-zone points per game. As frightening as the Aggie "D" may be, La. Tech sophomore safety Mike Schrang is more concerned with stopping USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton. "They have good players," Schrang said. "Keeton is a very good quarterback. He makes plays on his feet and though the air. They have a good offensive line. They have playmakers on that side of the ball that we are going to have to stop." Keeton leads the Aggies offense well, facilitating 23 touchdowns through the air. He has the ability to extend broken plays with his scrambling ability out of the pocket. Keeton has a variety of weapons to use including senior receiver Matt LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR BUFFET 2 GREAT TIMES. ONE LOW PRICE. Late Night: 8-10pm Weekdays 9-11 pm Weekends Happy Hour: 2-4pm Weekdays 25 E 1400 N Logan (435) 753.5590 Next to Harbor Freight * PizzaPieCafe real american pizza Football Nov. 17 USU at Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m. Voile ball Nov. 19-21 WAC Tournament, San Antonio, Texas Men's Basketball Nov. 15 USU vs. Saint Mary's, 7 p.m., in THURSDAY, Spectrum SATURDAY, Nov. 17 USU vs. Texas A&M CC, 7 p.m., in Spectrum Women's Basketball THURSDAY, Nov. 15 USU at UC Riverside 5 p.m. SATURDAY, Nov. 17 USU at Loyola Marymount 3 p.m. l-locke THURSDAY, Nov. 15 USU vs. Boise State, 7 p.m., Eccles Ice Center Nov. 16 USU vs. UNLV, 7 p.m., Eccles Ice FRIDAY, Center Nov. 17 USU vs. San Jose State, 7 p.m., SATURDAY, Eccles Ice Center NCAA Schedules Football SATURDAY, Nov. 17 Texas State at Navy, 1:30 p.m. Utah State at No. 19 Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m. UTSA at Idaho, 3 p.m. Brigham Young University at San Jose State, 8:30 p.m. Arizona at Utah, 8 p.m. No. 18 USC at No. 17 UCLA, 1 p.m. No. 23 Texas Tech at No. 24 Okla. State, 1:30 p.m. No. 13 Stanford at No. 2 Oregon, 6 p.m. No. 1 Kansas State at Baylor, 6 p.m. AP Top 25 Football RECORD PTS PVS 10-0 1485 2 1 Oregon 2 Kans. State 10-0 1451 3 4 3 Notre Dame 10-0 1382 4 Alabama 9-1 1259 1 5 5 Georgia 9-1 1223 5 6 Ohio State 10-0 1212 7 Florida 7 9-1 1089 8-2 1046 8 LSU 9 9 Texas A&M 8-2 1031 15 10 Fla. State 9-1 1024 8 11 Clemson 9-1 907 10 8-2 848 12 12 S. Carolina 7-2 798 14 13 Oklahoma 14 Stanford 8-2 766 16 15 Ore. State 7-2 556 13 16 Nebraska 8-2 549 18 17 UCLA 8-2 541 17 18 Texas 8-2 496 19 9-1 374 19 19 La. Tech 9-1 322 11 20 Louisville 21 USC 7-3 297 21 22 Rutgers 8-1 179 24 23 Michigan 7-3 135 NR 23 Texas Tech 7-3 135 25 25 Kent State 9-1 93 NR AGGIE WIDE RECEIVER MATT AUSTIN brings in a pass over a Texas State defender in a game this season. CURTIS RIPPLINGER photo Austin, who leads the Aggies in receptions, yards and touchdown catches. "We're definitely a dynamic team this year," Keeton said. "But we have to just take whatever the defense is giving us and as long as we don't make any mental errors, play smart with the football and try not to turn it over, that's definitely going to help us out." The Aggies also rely heavily on senior running back Kerwynn Williams, who has 12 total touchdowns. The Las Vegas native surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the season and 2,000 in his career in the win over Texas State but adds a larger dynamic in his knack for finding his way into the passing game. Williams is tied with Austin for the most catches on the team and has 499 receiving yards — many of which have come by way of well- executed screen passes that go for big chunks of yards. Williams said he has a little more personal motivation for Saturday's game because of the conference championship implications. "This is my last chance to get one, so it's a big game for me personally," Williams said. "Louisiana Tech was the team that knocked us out of contention last year, so to be able to face them this year for the WAC championship is big." Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Joe Ailllet Stadium in Ruston, La. "We are going to need to play well," Dykes said. "We are going to need to play better than we have been. It is going to need to be one of our best efforts this year to have a chance to win." - tavin.stucki@aggiemail. usu.edu Twitter: @StuckiAggies Dropped from rankings: Mississippi State 22, Toledo 23 Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 79, Northern Illinois 77, Mississippi State 48, Wisconsin 26, UCF 16, Boise State 14, Cincinnati 6, Fresno State 6, Arizona 6, TCU 5, San Jose State 4, Tulsa 4, Utah State 4, San Diego State 3, Northwestern 2, Washington 1, Toledo 1 BCS o 2 Football 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Kansas State Oregon Notre Dame Alabama Georgia Florida LSU Texas A&M South Carolina Florida State Clemson Oklahoma Stanford Nebraska Texas Oregon State UCLA USC Louisville Louisiana Tech Michigan Rutgers Texas Tech Oklahoma State Washington RECORD 10-0 10-0 10-0 9-1 9-1 9-1 8-2 8-2 8-2 9-1 9-1 7-2 8-2 8-2 8-2 7-2 8-2 7-3 9-1 9-1 7-3 8-1 7-3 6-3 6-4 |