Fridays With Chuck

Ags stand atop the WAC

After beating Idaho for the 11th straight time last night the Aggies took sole possession of the top spot in the Western Athletic Conference standings.  The Aggies 80-62 victory was fueled by reserve guard Brian Green, who at one point scored 10 consecutive Utah State points.  Green finished the night with 16 points hitting four three-pointers and four other Aggies were also in double figures.

The Aggies jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back in this game.  The game was tied twice at 2-2 and 4-4, but shortly after that the Aggies went up 24-11 after Green’s personal 10 point run, where he hit two three-pointers, a couple of free throws, and a 15 foot footer.  All in all it was just a dominating performance for the Aggies who have now won seven in a row.

The Aggies have another big one on the horizon this Saturday as Nevada rolls into town.  Let’s hope the Aggies can keep the current win streak alive and beat the Wolfpack for the second time this season.  In their last meeting the Aggies pulled out a huge win coming from behind late and finally picking up the win in overtime.  I’m sure we’ll see the Spectrum packed Saturday night and as loud as ever for this one.

Written by: Jesse Kunz

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Jazz Cruise to 7th Straight

Just when we thought Utah Jazz basketball was already at it’s best, we get fooled.  Last night’s 118-105 victory over the Portland Trailblazers was a thing of pure ecstasy and beauty. The Jazz had six players score double digit points, shot just under 63% from the field, and assisted on 32 of 42 field goals.  Unselfish, Jazz basketball at it’s best gave them their seventh straight.

The Jazz were lead by Mehmet Okur, finally, who had a season high 28 points to go along with eight rebounds.  Andrei Kirilenko continued his hot streak while starting by putting in 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two blocked shots.  Deron Williams didn’t need to have a big night, but still put in 13 points and assists.  Wesley Matthews shot 6-6 from the field and scored 16 points.

Williams was right when he called last night an “easy night”.  There wasn’t too much stress of last night’s game.  In the fourth quarter, the Blazers managed to cut the lead to seven, but the Jazz went on a 8-1 run to clinch the game.  Deron Williams leads the charge for the Jazz who are leading the league in assists per game (26.1) and field goal percentage (.492).  With a combination of tough defense, and an extremely unselfish team, the Jazz are poised to make a run at a higher seed and winning in the playoffs.

Next up for the Jazz is a big division matchup against the division rival Denver Nuggets.  The Nuggets were the last team to beat the Jazz before this winning streak.  The Jazz lost that game 119-112 clear back on January 16th in Denver.  The Jazz will host the Nuggets on Saturday, and should have leading scorer Carlos Boozer back in the lineup after missing a few games with a calf strain.  With a Jazz win, they would move within a game and a half of the Northwest Division lead.  Saturday’s game could set the tone for the rest of the Jazz season.

Written by: Matthew Flygare

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Youtube Video of the Day

Today’s halfman – Kobe Bryant

Last night, while playing the Memphis Grizzlies, Kobe Bryant passed Laker great Jerry West as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers.   Bryant who now has scored a career 25,208 points, posted 44 last night in the Lakers loss to the Grizzlies.  When asked about his new record, Bryant said “It’s a great honor to say the least [because] of the great players that have played here and the tradition we have”.  Even though the Lakers lost, Bryant set a pretty good record last night, and earns himself the halfman of the day.

If you have someone you would like to nominate for our daily awards, email us at suggestions@hmhdsports.com.  Please send us your halfman and halfdog nominations.

Today’s halfdog – Rey Maualuga

Rey Maualuga of the Cincinnati Bengals pleaded guilty to drunken driving Tuesday and received a suspended sentence.  Maualuga was a second round pick out of USC and had a good rookie season finishing fourth on the team in tackles.  However, when you drive drunk and crash into two parked cars and a parking meter you are going to be a halfdog nominee.

If you have someone you would like to nominate for our daily awards, email us at suggestions@hmhdsports.com.  Please send us your halfman and halfdog nominations.

Youtube Video of the Day

Jazz Pull Away Late for 6th Straight

The Utah Jazz continued their winning ways last night beating the Dallas Mavericks 104-92.  The win was the sixth straight for the Jazz who moved within a half game of the Mavericks for the third spot in the west.  The Jazz have won 10 of out their last 11 games, and seven straight at home. For game highlights, click here.

For most of last night’s game, the Jazz and Mavs went back and forth including ten lead changes and eight ties in the first half alone.  The Jazz held a 53-46 lead at half, but could only manage to take a 77-76 lead into the fourth quarter.  The Jazz pulled down seven offensive rebounds in the fourth to match the Mavericks total fourth quarter rebounds, and slowly crept away for the 12 point victory.

Paul Millsap lead the Jazz with 25 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks, while filling in for Boozer for the second straight game.  Deron Williams added 18 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds.  Player off the bench last night was C.J. Miles who scored 17.  Andrei Kirilenko, who has come up huge since taking back the starting power forward spot, had another great all-around game scoring 13 points to go along with eight rebounds and four steals.  Kirilenko’s defense in the fourth quarter was huge, getting two big steals down the stretch and holding all-star Dirk Nowitzki to no field goal attempts, and only two of his 28 points.

The Jazz were tough on defense yet again, flying after loose balls and actively going after rebounds especially in the fourth.  When asked about their defense, Nowitzki said “They just stepped up their pressure in the fourth. I couldn’t get any looks, I barely had the ball in my hands.”  Great defense is the key to Jazz victories, and over the past 11 games, it has been tough.

Carlos Boozer, who is recovering from a calf strain, says he hopes to be back on Saturday when the Jazz play host to the Denver Nuggets.  If that is the case, the Jazz will only miss him for one more game, Wednesday night against the Portland Trailblazers.  Both opponents are in the Northwest Division, and the game on Saturday could potentially, with a win, bring the Jazz within two and a half games of the division lead.

Written by: Matthew Flygare

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Today’s halfman – Shaun White

Today’s halfman award nominee is Shaun White.  White won his third consecutive Winter X Games SuperPipe Gold.  The fact that “The Flying Tomato” won didn’t surprise anyone, but the way he won was awesome.  White slammed his face on a practice run got up and won the event doing a 1260 Double McTwist.  Being fearless makes you halfman worthy, now let’s hope he can do more of the same in Vancouver for the Olympics.

If you have someone you would like to nominate for our daily awards, email us at suggestions@hmhdsports.com.  Please send us your halfman and halfdog nominations.

Today’s halfdog – Rex Ryan

Rex Ryan is a perfect candidate for today’s halfdog award.  Ryan, who never shys away from offcolor topics, flipped off a bunch of fans at an MMA fight in Miami.  Ryan, who apologized yesterday, originally was booed when he was shown on the big screen, which lead to the middle finger gesture.  To make it even better, Ryan said with a grin, “I’d like to thank everybody here in Miami. I know they love me, I want to just tell everybody in Miami, hey, we’re coming to beat you twice next year.”  Any form of this behavior from a NFL head coach is clearly worthy of today’s halfdog award.

If you have someone you would like to nominate for our daily awards, email us at suggestions@hmhdsports.com.  Please send us your halfman and halfdog nominations.