Both Hawai'i and Louisiana Tech have started the season with 2-0 marks and the two teams meet in Ruston, La., this Thursday night. The Rainbow Warriors opened WAC play in mid-December with a win over Utah State and then beat Nevada at home last week. The Bulldogs won both of its games on the road last week at Boise State and Idaho. Hawai'i is looking to go 3-0 for the first time since winning is first six WAC games of the 2001-02 season while Louisiana Tech has never been 3-0 in the WAC.
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XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ Louisiana Tech forward Paul Millsap, a junior from Grambling, La. (Grambling HS), averaged 19.5 points, 15.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots in a pair of road victories last week. On Thursday, he scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds at Boise State. In the final seconds of the game, Millsap chased down a long offensive rebound and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 75-72 win. He followed that up with 21 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in a 66-61 win at Idaho on Saturday. For the week, Millsap shot 68.0 percent from the field (17-of-25). It is Millsap?™s fifth career WAC Player of the Week award and second this season.
Others nominated:
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State - averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in a split of two games last week. In the win over New Mexico State, Karl scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He had a stretch in the second half where he scored 12 consecutive points for the Broncos.
Quinton Hosley, Jr., F, Fresno State - posted two double-doubles in games against Iona and Utah State. Opened the week with 16 points and 13 rebounds versus Iona and then followed that up with 25 points and 17 rebounds in the double overtime win over Utah State.
Julian Sensley, Jr., F, Hawai'i - scored a team-high 19 points in the overtime win against Nevada. Also had seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Nick Fazekas, Jr., F, Nevada - averaged 31.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in a split of two road games. On Thursday, he scored a career-high 37 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in the overtime loss versus Hawai'i. He then had 25 points and nine rebounds at San Jose State. Fazekas was 21-of-23 from the free throw line during the two games.
Tyrone Nelson, So., F, New Mexico State - averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in a split of two road games. On Saturday against Boise State, he posted his fifth double-double of the year with 19 points and 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes. For the week, Nelson was 14-of-19 (.737) from the field.
Nate Harris, Sr., F, Utah State - averaged 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a split of two road games. He had 24 points in the win over San Jose State and then added a career-high 33 points to go along with 12 rebounds and five assists in the double overtime loss at Fresno State.
FRESNO STATE OPENS WAC PLAY WITH DOUBLE OVERTIME THRILLER ?“ Fresno State played its first WAC game of the year on Saturday night and hosted Utah State. The Bulldogs won, 99-96, in double overtime. The teams were tied at 69 following regulation and 79 after the first overtime before combining for 37 points in the second overtime. Fresno State led by 10 with two minutes to go before the Aggies went on a 15-5 run capped off by a Nate Harris three-pointer with 13.8 seconds left to tie the game at 96. Fresno State?™s Ja?™Vance Coleman then knocked in the game-winning trey with 2.6 seconds on the clock.
WAC SCHOOLS STREAM VIDEO OF HOME GAMES ?“ All nine schools are scheduled to have hardware installed this week to enable live video and audio streaming of its home games via the WAC?™s website at www.wacsports.com.
This week?™s schedule:
January 12 (Thursday)
Hawai'i at Louisiana Tech, 7:00 p.m. CT
Fresno State at New Mexico State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Boise State at Utah State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Idaho at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
January 14 (Saturday)
Fresno State at Louisiana Tech, 7:00 p.m. CT
Hawai'i at New Mexico State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Idaho at Utah State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Boise State at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
NATIONAL RANKINGS ?“ No teams from the WAC are in the top 25 but Nevada is receiving votes in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls. In the CollegeRPI.com ratings, WAC teams ranked in the top 100 are: Nevada-27th; Utah State-64th; Fresno State-80th; and Hawai'i-86th.
1,000-POINT SCORERS ?“ The WAC has three players that have scored more than 1,000 points in their collegiate careers. Those players with points and all-time school ranking: Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas (1,395-8th), Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap (1,371-20th); and Utah State senior forward Nate Harris (1,157-23rd). Three other players are getting close: Boise State?™s Coby Karl (940); Hawai'i?™s Julian Sensley (928); and Louisiana Tech?™s Corey Dean (898).
KARL LEADS TEAM ?“ Boise State?™s Coby Karl is the only player in the WAC to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists. The WAC has seven other players that lead their teams in two of those three statistical categories
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State (15.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.3 apg)
Quinton Hosley, Jr., G/F, Fresno State (19.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg)
Julian Sensley, Sr., F, Hawai'i (15.7 ppg, 3.4 apg)
Tanoris Shepard, Sr., G, Idaho (14.5 ppg, 3.8 apg)
Paul Millsap, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech (20.7 ppg, 11.9 rpg)
Nick Fazekas, Jr., F, Nevada (21.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg)
Tyrone Nelson, So., F, New Mexico State (16.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg)
Nate Harris, Sr., F, Utah State (18.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
UTAH STATE/NEVADA TOP TEAMS OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ?“ Over the last four seasons, Utah State is 81-24 (.771), 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.
MILLSAP SECOND IN NATION IN REBOUNDING ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap moved up to second nationally in this week?™s rebounding statistics with 11.9 per game. Arkansas-Little Rock?™s Rashad Jones-Jennings is first with 12.1 per contest. Millsap was the nation?™s leading rebounder in each of the past two seasons. As a freshman, he became the first WAC player to lead the nation in rebounding with 12.5 boards per game. Last year, he became 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 was also the first ever to take consecutive rebounding titles as a freshman and sophomore. No player has ever won three NCAA rebounding titles.
UTAH STATE OWNS LONGEST HOME STREAK ?“ With its two wins at the end of December in the Gossner Foods Classic, Utah State has now won nine games in a row at home, the longest active streak in the WAC. The Aggies return home this week with games against Boise State and Idaho.
HOME SWEET HOME ?“ The WAC?™s nine teams are a combined 42-18 (.700) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 22-36 (.379). Last week, WAC teams were 5-3 on the road.
NON-CONFERENCE MARK ?“ The WAC is 56-45 (.554) in non-conference games, including a 50-45 (.526) 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 ebay 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 shown on ESPNU 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.
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.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (8-5, 1-1 WAC)
Has won three of its last four games ... Coby Karl?™s 22 points versus New Mexico State tied his own mark set in the first game of the season for the most points by a Bronco player in a game this season ... sophomore Tyler Tiedeman scored a career-high 13 points in the win over New Mexico State ... Boise State is the only team in the WAC to have scored more than 70 points in its last three games ... junior guard Coby Karl has started 52 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... he is the only player in the WAC to lead his team in scoring (15.3), rebounds (5.3) and assists (4.3) ... the Broncos lead the WAC in free throw percentage (.717) and field goal percentage defense (.401).
Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4, 1-0 WAC)
Finished its five-game homestand with a 4-1 record ... leads the WAC in scoring with 76.5 points per game ... Hector Hernandez scored a career-high 18 points against Utah State ... sophomore Kevin Bell is fifth in the nation in assists with 6.7 per game ... both Quinton Hosley and Ja?™Vance Coleman have scored 20 or more points in the same game six times this season including four of the last six contests ... Hosley?™s 17 rebounds against Utah State set a new Save Mart Center record ... Coleman leads the WAC in three-point field goals made per game (3.1) ... Hosley has scored at least 20 points in seven games this season ... he leads the WAC in steals with 2.58 per game ... the Bulldogs have recorded 10 or more steals in seven games.
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (8-4, 2-0 WAC)
Finished its WAC-longest seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record ... has won three of its last four games ... set a new school record with 13 blocks against Nevada breaking the old record of 11 set in 1979 ... has won seven straight overtime games ... junior Ahmet Gueye leads the WAC in blocked shots (2.75) ... senior forward Julian Sensley needs one rebound to become the 10th Rainbow Warrior to reach 500 in his career ... guards Bobby Nash and Matt Gibson are out for the remainder of the season due to injuries ... is 8-0 this season when scoring more than 61 points ... is 40-1 when scoring 80 or more points since 2000 ... has lost 16 of its last 18 road games ... has nearly three times as many blocks (73-27) than its opponents.
Idaho Vandals (3-9, 0-2 WAC)
Has a three-game losing streak ... Tanoris Shepard scored 25 points in the loss last week against New Mexico State, the most by a Vandal in a game this year ... Shepard has led the Vandals in scoring in eight of the 12 games this year ... Keoni Watson posted his first career double-double against Louisiana Tech with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds ... plays at Nevada on Thursday in the first meeting between the two teams since the 1999-00 season ... has won just four road games since the 2003-04 season ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 414 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (9-6, 2-0 WAC)
Has won three of its last four games ... is 5-0 in WAC openers after beating Boise State last week ... is 2-0 in the WAC for the first time in three years ... of Paul Millsap?™s 30 rebounds last week, 20 came on the offensive end ... Marcus Elliott scored a season-high 16 points in the win at Idaho ... junior forward Paul Millsap leads the WAC in rebounding (11.9) and is second in scoring (20.7 ppg) ... no WAC player has finished the season leading the conference in both of those categories since Utah?™s Josh Grant in 1992-93 ... Millsap has scored 20 or more points in 33 contests during his career ... Millsap is the WAC?™s active leader in double-doubles with 54 ... he has started 52 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC.
Nevada Wolf Pack (11-3, 1-1 WAC)
Has won five of its last seven games ... had its 10-game WAC road winning streak snapped in the overtime loss at Hawai'i ... the loss was also the first for the Pack when leading at halftime this year (9-1) ... Nick Fazekas scored 37 points in the loss, the most by a WAC player this season ... is 16-4 on the road the past two seasons ... is 6-0 at home this year ... Nick Fazekas leads the WAC in scoring (21.7 ppg) ... Fazekas has scored 20 or more points in 34 contests in his career ... he has started 52 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... Marcelus Kemp leads the WAC in free throw percentage (.872) ... has won its last 33 games when holding an opponent to under 60 points ... leads the WAC in scoring defense (64.0 ppg).
New Mexico State Aggies (5-8, 1-1 WAC)
Picked up its first road win of the year by beating Idaho last week ... has won two of its last four games ... senior Mike Mitchell scored a career-high 26 points in the loss at Boise State on Saturday ... Tyrone Nelson was 8-of-10 from the field in the win at Idaho last week ... Nelson is averaging 22.3 points per game in his last four contests ... faces Fresno State on Thursday for the 25th time but first since the 1990-91 season ... has had three or more players score in double figures in 10 of its 13 games, including the last eight ... Reggie Theus, in his first year as a head coach, was an assistant at Louisville when the Cardinals advanced to last year?™s Final Four ... Theus played 13 years in the NBA and was a two-time All-Star.
San Jose State Spartans (4-11, 0-2 WAC)
Menelik Barbary blocked six shots in the game against Utah State last week, tying a school record and the most by a WAC player this season ... leading scorer Demetrius Brown missed his fifth game against Nevada after sustaining an injury versus Utah State ... has lost 10 of its last 11 games (including six in a row) after winning three of its first four ... is the only team in the WAC to win more games away from home (3-2 road, 1 neutral) than at home (1) ... has won two road games for the first time since the 2002-03 season ... has not won three road games since going 5-9 away from home in 2000-01 ... its four wins have all come by double digits ... has not scored 100 points in a game since beating Utah State, 101-85, on Jan. 25, 1979 (759 games).
Utah State Aggies (9-4, 1-2 WAC)
Had its five-game winning streak snapped in the double overtime loss at Fresno State ... David Pak had seven three-pointers and 12 assists in the game, both stats the most by a WAC player this season ... Nate Harris leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.625) ... the Aggies lead the WAC and are fourth in the nation in FG percentage (.519) ... USU leads the WAC in three-point FG percentage (.402) ... Jaycee Carroll has scored in double figures in 16 straight games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... Carroll leads the WAC in three-point FG percentage (.487) ... has a home record of 398-102 (.796) at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, the best winning percentage of any WAC team at its current arena.