Nevada takes its 3-0 record to Kansas this Thursday for a game that will be shown on ESPN2 at 8:00 p.m. (CT). It?™s the second straight season that the Wolf Pack will play in Lawrence. Last year, the second-ranked Jayhawks won 85-52 to avenge Nevada?™s win the previous season in Reno, 75-61. Last week, the Wolf Pack won road games at Vermont and UNLV to go to 3-0 for the first time since a 4-0 start in 2000-01. Kansas is 2-2 this season after a 1-2 showing in the Maui Invitational last week.
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XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ Nevada guard Marcelus Kemp, a sophomore from Seattle, Wash. (Garfield HS), averaged 24.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in Nevada?™s two wins on the road at Vermont and UNLV. Kemp, who missed all of last year due to a torn ACL, came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points in both games. Against UNLV, he scored 20 points in the second half. For the week, he had three assists and was 17-of-26 (.654) from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range, and 11-of-12 (.917) from the free throw line.
Others nominated:
Ja?™Vance Coleman, Jr., G/F, Fresno State - averaged 25.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in a pair of wins for the Bulldogs. He matched his career-high with 27 points at Cal Poly and scored a game-high 24 points in the victory over Oregon State.
Ahmet Gueye, Jr., F, Hawai'i - scored a career-high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting in the game at UNLV and had 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in the win over Saint Louis.
Corey Dean, Sr., G, Louisiana Tech - scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the win against New Orleans. He also had two rebounds, a block and an assist in the game.
Tyrone Nelson, So., F, New Mexico State - had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Western New Mexico. He added 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals against Sam Houston State. For the week, he was 11-of-22 from the field and 11-of-15 from the free throw line.
Demetrius Brown, Sr., F, San Jose State - scored a career-high 26 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a blocked shot in the win over San Diego.
Cass Matheus, Sr., C, Utah State - scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds at Middle Tennessee and then had a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds in the win over Lewis & Clark College on Saturday.
SPARTANS WITH BACK-TO-BACK GAMES ?“ San Jose State is 3-1 on the season and plays back-to-back games this week beginning with the Spartans hosting Santa Clara tonight. San Jose State will then travel north to play at California on Wednesday night. The Spartans are 3-1 for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
WAC WINS 9 OF LAST 11 ?“ Since last Wednesday night, WAC teams are 9-2. Nevada, San Jose State and Fresno State all picked up victories on Nov. 23 over Vermont, San Diego and Cal Poly, respectively. This past weekend, six of the eight teams in action posted wins.
NATIONAL RANKINGS ?“ Nevada is up two spots to 20th in the AP poll and is receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Hawai'i is also receiving votes in both polls.
1,000-POINT SCORERS ?“ The WAC has two players that have scored more than 1,000 points in their collegiate careers and both are juniors. Those two players with points and all-time school ranking: Nevada forward Nick Fazekas (1,145-12th); and Louisiana Tech forward Paul Millsap (1,126-27th). Utah State senior Nate Harris is next on the list with 970 points.
UTAH STATE/NEVADA TOP TEAMS OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ?“ Over the last four seasons, Utah State is 75-22 (.773), the best record of any WAC team during that time. In conference games, Nevada has won 40 games, the most in that same time period. The top three teams in wins (both overall and WAC) over the last four seasons:
UTAH STATE OWNS LONGEST HOME STREAK ?“ Utah State owns the WAC?™s longest home winning streak at four in a row.
HOME SWEET HOME ?“ The WAC?™s nine teams are a combined 9-2 (.818) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 8-9 (.471).
NON-CONFERENCE MARK ?“ The WAC is 17-11 (.607) in non-conference games, including a 14-11 (.560) mark against Division I teams. In 2004-05, WAC teams were 63-45 (.583) in non-conference games with a 55-45 (.550) mark against Division I teams. The WAC?™s best record ever against non-conference opponents came during the 1974-75 season when it was 73-22 (.768).
WAC ON ESPN/SPORTSWEST ?“ The WAC has a multi-year contract with both ESPN and SportsWest for coverage of WAC football and basketball. Currently, 22 basketball games between the two networks are scheduled this season.
BRACKET BUSTER SATURDAY ?“ For the fourth year in a row, the WAC has partnered with ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences for Bracket Buster Saturday, a one-day men?™s basketball event matching potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. All nine WAC teams will be involved in this year?™s event to be held on Feb. 18, 2006. ESPN and ESPN2 will present six games while five more games will be produced and distributed in the markets of the competing teams. The match-ups for Bracket Buster Saturday will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences on Monday, Jan. 30, 2006.
NEVADA TO HOST 2006 TOURNAMENT ?“ For the second consecutive year, Nevada?™s Lawlor Events Center (11,200) will host the WAC Basketball Tournament. The dates for this season?™s tournament are March 9-11. Due to self-imposed penalties, Fresno State will not compete in the 2006 tournament. Therefore, with an eight-team field, there will be no first round games as in years past. The quarterfinals will begin on Thursday, March 9. As announced on Nov. 11, New Mexico State will be the host for the 2007 and 2008 tournaments.
TWO WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO WATCH LISTS ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap and Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas have been named as two of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2005-06 Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.
TOP PLAYERS RETURNING ?“ Just two players are back this season from both the 2004-05 all-WAC first and second-teams: junior forwards Nick Fazekas (Nevada) and Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech). Both were first-team selections while Fazekas was also the WAC?™s Player of the Year. Millsap led the nation in rebounding in each of his first two seasons. Four of the five all-newcomer team honorees also returned from last year: Ja?™Vance Coleman, Jr., G, Fresno State; Matt Gibson, Jr., G, Hawai'i; Mo Charlo, Sr., G, Nevada; and Ramon Sessions, So., G, Nevada. Sessions was last year?™s WAC Freshman of the Year.
STAT LEADERS BACK ?“ Statistically, three of the top 10 scorers returned for the 2005-06 season. Nevada?™s Nick Fazekas was first in the WAC in scoring last year with a 20.7 point per game average. Others in the top 10 that returned are Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech (20.4) and Ja?™Vance Coleman, Fresno State (16.9). Millsap was the leading returning rebounder with a 12.4 rpg average last season (first in the nation) and Louisiana Tech?™s Daevon Haskins returned after ranking second in the WAC in assists with 5.8 per game.
FAZEKAS NAMED PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR ?“ In a vote by the WAC?™s head coaches and media, Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas was picked as the league?™s preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Fazekas led the WAC in scoring with 20.7 points per game and also pulled down 9.4 rebounds per contest. He helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 25-7 record and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
MILLSAP LEADS NATION IN REBOUNDING FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR ?“ Last year, Louisiana Tech sophomore Paul Millsap led the nation in rebounding with 12.4 per game. In 2003-04, Millsap became the first WAC player to finish the season as the nation?™s leading rebounder with 12.5 boards per game. He is the first player to lead the country in rebounding in back-to-back seasons since American?™s Kermit Washington did it in 1971-72 and 1972-73. Millsap is also the first ever to take consecutive rebounding titles as a freshman and sophomore.