Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Jazz use 13-0 run to beat out the Celtics in Salt Lake

The more I watch the Jazz, the more I am convince that if they could ever get the home court advantage in the playoffs, they would win a title. They are deadly at home.

Nice win, Jazz.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

USU got trounced

Well, as you know... USU got trounced in Friday's game. I was unable to be present at that game, but I located this article on KSL.com.

Thanks very much for another championship season, USU! You'll be better prepared to handle the tournament next year, and we look forward to watching you play in the Spectrum come this November. Work hard in the offseason! We believe you can make it past round one next year.

Go Aggies!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Aggies to Face A&M in First Round in Spokane


Utah State Will Play Texas A&M Friday Afternoon at 2 p.m.

LOGAN, Utah Utah State's men's basketball team (27-7) is the 12th-seed in the South Region and will face fifth-seeded Texas A&M (23-9) on Friday, Mar. 19 at approximately 2 p.m. (PT) in Spokane, Wash., at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

The winner of that game will face either fourth-seeded Purdue or 13th-seeded Siena on Sunday, Mar. 21.

NCAA First Round Schedule
Spokane, Wash. Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
(All Times PDT)

Friday, March 19
11:30 a.m. - No. 4 Purdue (27-5) vs. No. 13 Siena (27-6)
2:00 p.m. - (approximate) - No. 5 Texas A&M (23-9) vs. No. 12 Utah State
(27-7)
4:20 p.m. - No. 5 Michigan State (24-8) vs. No. 12 New Mexico State (22-11)
6:50 p.m. - (approximate) - No. 4 Maryland (23-8) vs. No. 13 Houston (19-15)

Things are looking like the game in Spokane will be a road game for the Maroon Aggies - got this today down the pipeline from the USU ticket office


After selling out of its original amount, Utah State’s athletic ticket office has secured additional NCAA Tournament tickets, and are on sale Tuesday, March 16 from Noon - 3 p.m. for Big Blue Scholarship Fund members who have not ordered any tickets yet. Any 2010 USU basketball season ticket holders can purchase tickets Tuesday from 3 - 5 p.m. while general public and Big Blue Scholarship Fund members wanting additional tickets can purchase Wednesday, March 17 at 10 a.m. There are a limited amount of tickets available.

Fans can only purchase tickets in their exclusive ordering period and all tickets are subject to availability. Touchdown and Platinum members can purchase up to four tickets, while Diamond, Gold, Silver, Blue, season ticket holders and general public can purchase up to two tickets.

Tickets will only be available in person at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305. Tickets will not be available through the web site.

Tickets are good for two games, which is one session, and are $65 each. There is a one time $5 order charge applied to each order as well.

Utah State will be making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 11 years, as 12th-seeded USU will take on fifth-seeded Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA South Regional on Friday, March 19 at approximately 3 p.m. (MT) at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash.

The winner of the Utah State-Texas A&M game will play the winner of fourth-seeded Purdue and 13th-seeded Siena on Sunday, March 21.

NetScouts names Jared Quayle WAC MVP

Courtesy: NetScouts
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jared Quayle, 6′1 180 Sr. PG, Utah State - Quayle (Perry, Utah) has led the Aggies to a 24-6 record, 13-2 in the WAC including 13 straight after beating Fresno State Monday night. They can do no worse than share the WAC crown heading into the tournament in Reno. Quayle is a do it all Point Guard who averages 11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.2 apg. He is fourth in the league in FT% (.885), leads the WAC in Assist/Turnover Ratio, and is the BEST rebounding guard in the conference. In fact, despite being only 6′1 and defending the opponents PG, he ranks 6th in the WAC in Defensive Rebounds with more than 5.2 defensive boards per game.


1st TEAM:

1. Luke Babbit, 6′8 225 So. PF/SF, Nevada: Second in WAC scoring, #1 in rebounding. Hard to guard lefty is putting up big numbers, 21.6 ppg and 9.5 rpg and also leads league in FT% (.901).

2. Adrian Oliver, 6′4 205 Jr. SG, San Jose State: 4th in NATION in scoring and leads WAC as well as Western Region with 22.9 ppg, has 8 games over 30 this year alone (high game of 39 vs. La Tech). Last weeks game versus Seattle U. & 6′10 forward Charles Garcia brought over 25 NBA scouts into the Events Center to see the game, Oliver dropped in 35 then did it again the next time out versus Nevada.

3. Jahmar Young, 6′5 180 Jr. SG, New Mexico State: Lanky-thin combo guard can stroke it or beat you with quicks. He is averaging 21.0 ppg and has helped NMSU to a good season approaching 20 wins and runner-up in the WAC.

4. Magnum Rolle, 6′10 225 Sr. PF, Louisiana Tech: Long & athletic big man with versatility. He has led Bulldogs to 21-7 record at this point and sure bet for post-season. 14.5 points & 8.5 boards but also leads league in blocks at 2.21 per outing.

5. Tai Wesley, 6′8 240 Jr. PF, Utah State: Sets the tone for Aggies who attack inside-out shooting 58% from floor. Scores 13.1 on balanced squad and grabs 6.4 boards. Ability to pass out of double team helps him average 3.1 assists for nation’s leading 3pt shooting team.

Courtesy: NetScouts
We recently named Utah State University point guard Jared Quayle as our NetScouts Basketball WAC Player of the Year. Quayle has the Aggies on a 14 game winning streak and hope to continue that run heading into the WAC tourney in Reno.

As little kids we all dream of playing college or professional basketball and although I’m not sure he’ll play in the NBA, Quayle will play internationally. Right now though, he’s living the dream.

Logan, Utah - It happens in every driveway, on every block, in every neighborhood, within every city across the country. Young boys and girls play their favorite sports for countless hours, improving their technique in hopes of one day fulfilling that life-long dream of playing for their favorite team.

Growing up in the shadows of Utah State University, Jared Quayle too spent many hours playing the sport he loved and dreaming what it would be like to one day be part of the greatest thing he had ever witnessed, playing
basketball for the Aggies in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

As a prep standout at nearby Box Elder High School in Brigham City, Quayle was excelling in the sport he grew up loving and earned first-team all-state honors his senior season as he led the Bees to the championship game of the 4A state tournament.

Despite all the success he experienced in high school, Quayle’s dream of playing college basketball for Utah State seemed to be fading away into the night as the Aggies had no interest in the slender shooting guard. After a mormon mission he enrolled at Western Wyoming where his game blossomed. He averaged 24.4 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 steals that season to earn second team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American honors.

During his sophomore season in Rock Springs, Wyo., Quayle scored 20-plus points 19 times, 30-plus points six times, and 40-plus points three times including a 44 point outburst during the end of the season. And that offensive explosion couldn’t have happened at a better time for both Quayle and Utah State, as USU assistant coach Tim Duryea made his first trip of the season to Wyoming to see Quayle play that February night.

“The night we were scheduled to see Jared play he sprained his ankle, so I went back the next night and he has his ankle taped, he is limping around in warm-ups and had a ho-hum first half,” Duryea recalled. ”He then came out in the second half and went crazy and finished the game with 44 points, nine rebounds, five assists and no turnovers, and I will never forget looking at his stat line.”

Needless to say, the Aggies offered him a scholarship and he accepted. Things have gone well for Quayle and Utah State during the last two years as the shooting guard turned point guard earned second team all-WAC honors as a junior and helped lead the Aggies to a school-record 30 wins as they won their first-ever outright regular season WAC Championship, their first-ever WAC Tournament Championship, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time under head coach Stew Morrill.

Quayle, who plays his last home game Saturday and his last collegiate game in a post-season tournament in the very near future hopes that game is far enough down the road for him to truly enjoy what was a life-long dream and has become one of the most remarkable two-year stints in his life and in Aggie Basketball History.

Aggie Bull Horn #123 - Sounds of the WAC Title Game

Here are the highlights from Saturday's WAC title game. As you all surely know by now, USU lost the game, but we're going dancing this weekend in Spokane! Don't miss it! I won't for sure!

Landon

Saturday, March 13, 2010

WAC tiitle game, 2nd half

Miss the action? Relive it here. Although, if you're an USU Aggie fan, I wouldn't listen. USU lost this game. 17 game streak snapped at the worst possible time.

WAC title game, 1st half

Miss the first half? Relive it here.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Aggie Bull Horn #120 - Sounds of the Game - LATech-USU - March 12, 2010

And for those who don't have the time to listen to the entire play-by-play, here's the condensed version.

This should also be playing on Fusion HD3. Make sure you check in with us not this friday, but next Friday to relive the action of this year's WAC tournament. It's going to be awesome.

This should also play shortly on Fusion HD3

Have Fun and Go Aggies!
Landon

Aggie Bull Horn #118 - LATech-USU tournament play, 2nd half

USU won this game by a LOT. Tech's Magnum Rolle went out in the first half and didn't return. Awfully reminiscent of the Fresno-USU game when USU was on the road back in January.

With this win, we've clinched a berth to the big dance. What more must USU do? Seventeen in a row, and a berth to the title game of the WAC tournament, with both tournament victories by more than 24 points. This team deserves to dance.

LAtech-USU play-by-play, 1st half


Miss the first half? Relive the action!

Kane is not so Able

Kane Wilson Leaving Utah State Football Program
Quarterback Redshirted Last Season

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State football head coach Gary Andersen announced Friday that redshirt-freshman quarterback Kane Wilson has left the program.

Wilson, a native of Yorba Linda, Calif. (El Dorado HS), is a 6’4”, 215-pound quarterback who redshirted the 2009 season. Last month, Wilson was suspended for a violation of team rules.

-USU-

The Horn's take -

USU is not without its options for this year's football season. Diondre Borel is still the starter. Beyond Borel, Jordan High School Quarterback Alex Hart and St. Louis High of Hawaii QB Jeremy Higgins committed to USU this season. Higgins is the younger brother of the all-star Cameron Higgins of Weber State University. Beyond the new recruits, a former Snow College QB is attempting to walk on to the program.

I'm not too concerned. Borel is a terrific QB and has proven very resilient. I would expect the Aggies to be fine as long as Borel isn't hurt within the first six weeks of the season. Before that, beware. Inexperience can bite you, especially if Turbin is still out with his ACL injury.

As far as Kane goes, The horn has lost a lot of respect for him. If he can't handle Andersen's rules, then he doesn't belong in the program.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Jazz Crush Bulls

Wow - We were all really off predicting this game.

Keep it going Jazz. You've got 3 more.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

USU kills NMSU in the Spectrum - Sounds of the Game

I really don't have much to say beside what is in this Sounds of the Game, but KSL did. Check out this story on the Aggies win at KSL.com.

Mad props to the Aggie Ball club. They've done incredible things up here, and none of these players are likely to be drafted in the NBA. I wholeheartedly agree with Coach Morrill. These boys deserve to go to the NCAA tournament.

Let the party commence. The nets have been cut down, the court has been rushed, and the trophy has been held aloft. Stew's Sanctuary is still Safe and Sound. Word to ma homies on the team. Nicely done.


Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Jazz roll all over Clippers. Memo dunks the light out



DUDE - Check Memo's 3-pt miss, offensive rebound, and the hammer dunk. That... now THAT is awesome!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Thoughts on a few subjects

1. NCAA bubblewatch

The first thing about bracketology that everyone needs to understand is that the big national media knows very little about the western leagues. Ninety percent of the news media that follows the bubblewatch pays very little attention to the WAC, Horizon League, Conference-USA, Missouri Valley Conferences and the other mid-major conferences, unless the teams from those conferences do something extraordinary, just as the Aggies have been doing for the last few years. What has been most surprising to me in the bubblewatch this year is the disappearance of the Pac-10 from College Basketball relevance. When the regular season conference champion, Cal, has no wins against top-50 RPI opponents in four tries and has accumulated nine losses, well, that's how it goes. No one is lending respect to the Pac-10, and given the arrogance of "The Conference of Champions," I'm more than happy to see them humbled. In a final note, if USU wins every game to the WAC conference tournament championship, loses and still doesn't get in the NCAA tournament, I will be astounded. The selection committee loves late-season winning streaks, and that's exactly what the Aggies have built.

2. The Utah Jazz

The Jazz are back to their schizophrenic ways. In the last week, Utah has lost to the Kings and Clippers – both on the road. Yet, when the Jazz play a quality Phoenix Suns club that's only a game and a half behind them, they get the comeback win. I really am leery about committing 100 percent behind the Jazz this year because they continue to have the same problems. They win against quality clubs and lose against crap teams on the road. Now, I like it when they win against quality clubs, and they should. The Jazz should never, ever lose to the Clippers or the Kings, even if Tyreke Evans is having a Rookie-of-the-Year season. Who knows? Maybe last night's victory against the Suns is the start of another seven-game road winning streak. Maybe if Deron Williams shaves his beard and starts anew, the magic will be renewed, and the Jazz will be able to make up the two games they need to overtake Denver and Dallas. The Jazz have such potential and watching them trip at the finish line again this year will suck, so they had better not.

3. Utah State and their back-to-back outright titles

Words cannot describe the value of the Aggie student section in the Spectrum. I truly believe that teams come to Logan expecting to lose. A source close to the Fresno team told me earlier this week that the team had given up in the shoot-around before the game even started. Who can blame these teams, though? Utah State has only lost 13 times in the last 12 years in this building, and each year the quality of the student section gets better and better. Now that we're all aware of how awesome Aggie students are, make sure you get to the arena quick this weekend. Now, because NMSU lost last night to Nevada in Reno, we've got the regular season championship in the books. Still, a reliable source has told me that Aggie fans will be camping out Friday in anticipation of Saturday's cutting of the nets. This game will certainly be epic. If this game will be your first experience at a USU basketball game, get there early and be ready to rush the court after NMSU bites the dust. We're cutting down the nets this weekend, baby. Aggies on top once again! Man, I love being an Aggie.

4. MLB Baseball - Who to watch for

I was very pleased at the onset of this year's spring training season to see Johnny Damon out of one of those awful, awful Yankee uniforms. I really like his addition to the Tigers. His joining the Tigers gives Detroit a great bat in their lineup to complement Ordonez. I would keep an eye out for that team moving through free agency and into opening day. Of course, the Yankees are as dangerous as ever, but I think the real team to look out for in this season will be the Twins. Joe Mauer, the face of the franchise and AL MVP, is coming off a terrific season, and I really think that his efforts, leadership and teamwork will take the team far this year, but only if the Twins resign him. If not, then I would of course keep an eye out for all the teams from the AL East, the Tigers, the Angels and the Cubs. As far as who I would like to see do well this year, I would really love to see the Orioles, Cubs and my Red Sox do well. I'm dying for the Cubs to win the World Series just so their century-long drought will end, and I will always stand by my Sox. Why the Orioles? My parents' neighbor is Jeremy Guthrie, the starting pitcher for the Orioles. He's such a cool guy, and I want his club to do well.

5. Play of the Week

With just under 10 seconds to go on Thursday, the Heat were up two against the Los Angeles Lakers. We all remember what happened the last time Miami had a two-point lead against the Lakers – Kobe banked in the contested 3-pointer and got LA the home win. So, what happened last night? Similar story, different ending. "The Black Mamba," as he has come to be known around the media, drove and floated the tying bucket and sent the game into overtime, but Miami was resilient at home to pull it out in OT. This week's play of the game was Dwyane Wade's defensive play that got Kobe Bryant a charging foul in the final minute of overtime with the Heat trailing by two. That foul basically sealed a win and sweet revenge for a struggling Miami club. It was awesome to see the Lakers bite it in South Beach. Word to the Heat!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Aggie Bull Horn #115 - The Aggie Bull Horn Weekly podcast - Mar 5, 2010



Here are our picks for the next week. Hold our feet to the fire next week - >

USU v NMSU - Landon (+10), Jared (+12), Tyler (+8)
USU v BSU (WAC Tourney) - Landon (+9), Jared (+8), Tyler (+20)

Jazz v Clippers - Landon (+7), Jared (+15), Tyler (+12)
Jazz @ Bulls - Landon (+2), Jared(+5), Tyler (+3)
Jazz @ Pistons - Landon (+11), Jared (+9), Tyler (+10)

USU Women v Hawaii - Landon (+3), Jared (+4), Tyler (+8)

Bill's Costume -
Landon: A cop, to reference the NMSU players' legal issues
Jared: Jasmine, from Disney's Aladdin
Tyler: Pistol Pete, the Mascot for the NMSU Aggies

Girls Gone Wild.... Well, Violent at Least





This video, when positioned side-by-side against the BYU-NM soccer debacle, brings to light a frightening trend in women's sports - girls are mean!

Enjoy

Boylen Blows up at Monson

Before reading on, Check This.

If nothing else, Jim Boylen's comments to Deseret News writer and 1280 the Zone sports radio talk show host Gordon Monson were certainly earned by Monson. The questions Monson asked were absolutely stupid, and obviously Boylen was not going to be very pleased after getting destroyed in the Huntsman Center against BYU.

However, Boylen's comments only provide evidence for the fact that he is a world-class idiot at the helm of a state university basketball program. Someone of Boylen's stature in the community and track record should be able to reign in his emotions and his words regardless of the outcome of any game, no matter who he plays. We at the Aggie Bull Horn hold no love for Boylen and anticipate with eagerness the carnage that the Utes will undergo when they visit Logan this fall.

The Jazz lose to the Clippers... then beat the Suns

The Jazz won in Phoenix last night capping off the comeback win with a Mehmet Okur 3. If Memo can get his game back together from deep, the Jazz could be pretty dangerous. But dang, this Jazz team makes me angry. They're so unpredictable, and it drives me crazy watching them stink for 3.5 quarters only to have them come back and win when I turn off the TV. It pisses me off.

On the positive, the Jazz are still in good playoff position, but like always, the Western Conference seeding will come down to the final two months. Utah needs to win the crap games by a lot and compete against the quality teams. Watch out for this week's trap games at Detroit and against the Clippers at home.

Make me a believer, Jazz!

Monday, March 1, 2010

USU Hockey bites it in the first round

(Editor's Note: All of the quotes in this article can be taken from the interview posted. The interview is about 10 minutes long, but if you care about USU hockey, it's well worth the listen.)

Utah State suffered an 8-4 loss to San Diego State University in the first round of the ACHA western regional tournament Friday afternoon.

This loss constitutes the second time in two years that USU has been favored headed into the first round of regionals and has come up short. Last year the Aggies fell on home ice to the Denver Pioneers, 5-4. The difference between this year and last year is found in the team's overall record (27-6), the fact that USU was undefeated at home, regardless of the opponent, and the seeding that USU earned heading into the tournament in Greeley, Colo.

USU was seeded second and was facing an Aztec team with a much less remarkable record (17-14), but that had also been riding a recent wave of momentum. SDSU had won six of its previous eight. Its only losses came to San Jose State and to the Aztec Alumni team. SDSU was able to use its recent momentum to push itself just out of reach.

USU got off to a good start in this game. By the end of the first period, the Ags were up 2-1. Simple shortcomings hurt the Aggies, however. In a text message sent by the team, head coach Jon Eccles said David Wyman missed a penalty shot and dangerous scorers Brendan MacDonald and Tyler Mistelbacher missed on some great chances. Eccles said the team successfully maintained a positive attitude moving through the second into the third, but nothing seemed to be working for USU. SDSU scored five in the second to USU's two, and the Aztecs were able to capitalize twice more in the third. With that, the margin was spread to four goals, and USU fell too far behind to recover.

"I don't know if we didn't prepare," Eccles said, "or I don't know if we as a team overlooked them expecting to walk through them. You're bound to have a player have an off game but not every part of the team. How many times have you seen Brendan MacDonald and Mistelbacher come down on a two-on-none and not score? We only had one power-play goal on five chances. They were the underdogs. They had nothing to lose. They just let it all hang out, and we couldn't respond."

As far as gauging the success of this year's Aggie hockey season, Eccles said the team is obviously disappointed, but next year will be that much better.

"Yeah, it would have been nicer to have gone on to nationals," he said, "but the boys, I think, worked hard. We fought through up and down situations, came back and still finished strong. One game doesn't define your season."

Eccles said he is grateful to the fans for the support the community has offered.

"This is one of the greatest fan bases and arenas to play in," he said. "Everyone talks about coming to play in Logan because they love the fans. The support is just awesome. We're averaging between 1,200 to 1,500 fans a game. To be the third highest attended sport on campus when these guys are not on scholarship is a testament to their desire to play."

Eccles also said the team can substantially improve in some areas.

"On the flip side, there still has to be a level of discipline," he said, "and we will be better next year. In order to be a caliber tournament team, you have to be that disciplined. That's something we've kind of lacked. We have to play as if we are a varsity sport, and we have to treat the players that way. If they're not going to do the things we're asking, then sorry. We'll get players that want to."

USU's final home game and senior night of the season will be Friday, March 5, when the University of Utah Skatin' Utes come to play on Aggie ice. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.