Louisiana Tech improved to 7-1 in the WAC last week and remains a game ahead of Utah State for first place in the league standings. The Bulldogs won two road games (San Jose State and Fresno State) and is now 4-1 on the road in conference games. Louisiana Tech returns home this week and will host the two teams directly behind it in the WAC standings with Nevada coming to Ruston on Thursday and Utah State in town on Saturday.
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XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ New Mexico State forward Tyrone Nelson, a sophomore from Hampstead, Texas (Prairie View A&M), averaged 27.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in a split of two road games last week. On Thursday, he scored 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in a three-point loss at Fresno State. In the 81-75 overtime win at San Jose State, he scored 28 points and grabbed 11 boards to record his ninth double-double of the year. For the week, Nelson was 20-of-30 (.667) from the field and 15-of-20 (.750) from the free throw line. It is Nelson?™s second WAC Player of the Week award this season.
Others nominated:
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State - averaged 23.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in three games last week. He scored a career-high 32 points in the game against Nevada and added 25 points at Idaho. His previous career-best was 24 points.
Ja?™Vance Coleman, Jr., F/G, Fresno State - averaged 19.0 points in a split of two games. He had nine points against New Mexico State and then added a career-high 29 points versus Louisiana Tech. He was 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the game against Tech.
Paul Millsap, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech - averaged 19.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in a pair of road victories last week. In the overtime win at Fresno State, he scored 29 points and pulled down 18 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season.
Nick Fazekas, Jr., F, Nevada - averaged 20.0 points and 12.3 rebounds in three games last week. He had two double-doubles with 25 points and 11 rebounds at Boise State and 19 points with 17 boards against Hawai'i.
Nate Harris, Sr., F, Utah State - averaged 18.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in a pair of wins. He scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with four assists and three blocks in a win at Nevada. For the week, he shot 63.6 percent from the field (14-of-22).
BRACKETBUSTERS ?“ The WAC will have four teams competing in BracketBusters presented by eBay, Feb. 17-18. Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada and Utah State are part of the 26-team field that will play 13 games over the two days. The exact dates, times and networks will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Each of the 13 total games will be on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN360.
Fresno State at Creighton (14-5)
Louisiana Tech at Southern Illinois (16-5)
Akron (15-4) at Nevada
Northwestern State (13-6) at Utah State
BracketBusters was created in 2003 in conjunction with the WAC, ESPN and several top college basketball conferences to match potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other.
NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS ?“ Five teams from the WAC were not selected for the BracketBusters event but will be playing non-conference opponents on Feb. 18. Those matchups are:
Cal State Northridge (8-9) at Boise State
UC Santa Barbara (7-11) at San Jose State
Santa Clara (8-11) at Hawai'i
Idaho at Montana State (12-9)
New Mexico State at Pacific (14-6)
The host team in all nine games will return a game with their opponent near the beginning of the 2006-07 season.
UTAH STATE WINS SECOND STRAIGHT BIG MONDAY CONTEST ?“ Utah State beat Hawai'i, 63-52, last night in an ESPN Big Monday game. It was the second consecutive Big Monday victory for the Aggies who last week won at Nevada, 59-53. Nate Harris recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Rainbow Warriors who remain winless on the road this season (0-6). For Utah State, it was its 14th consecutive home win and sixth straight overall. The WAC has two more scheduled Big Monday games this season:
Feb. 13, Louisiana Tech at Nevada, 9:00 p.m. (PT)-ESPN2
Feb. 27, Boise State at Fresno State, 9:00 p.m. (PT)-ESPN2
TWO WAC PLAYERS NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap and Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas have been named to the Wooden Award Midseason All-America Team. The team includes the top 30 players in the nation who are expected to compete for the National Player of the Year award.
MILLSAP WITH 1,000 REBOUNDS ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap pulled down his 1,000th rebound in the Fresno State game last Saturday and now has 1,001 in his career. Along with his 1,494 career points, he became the 10th player in WAC history to have 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
MILLSAP FIRST IN NATION IN REBOUNDING ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap remained first nationally in this week?™s rebounding statistics with 12.7 per game. Hartford?™s Kenny Adeleke is second with 12.3 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.
WAC SCHOOLS STREAM VIDEO OF HOME GAMES ?“ The WAC is streaming live video and audio of its schools?™ home games via the WAC?™s web site at www.wacsports.com (Windows Media Player is required).
This week?™s schedule:
February 1 (Wednesday)
Boise State at San Jose State, 7:00 p.m. PT
February 2 (Thursday)
Nevada at Louisiana Tech, 7:00 p.m. CT
Utah State at New Mexico State, 7:00 p.m. MT
February 4 (Saturday)
Fresno State at Boise State, 2:00 p.m. MT
Utah State at Louisiana Tech, 3:00 p.m. CT
Nevada at New Mexico State, 7:00 p.m. MT
February 6 (Monday)
Fresno State at Idaho, 7:00 p.m. CT
NATIONAL RANKINGS ?“ No teams from the WAC are in the top 25 but Utah State is receiving votes in the AP poll while Nevada earned consideration in the USA Today coaches?™ poll. In the CollegeRPI.com ratings, WAC teams ranked in the top 100 are: Utah State-45th, Nevada-53rd, Louisiana Tech-68th, and Hawai'i-80th.
1,000-POINT SCORERS ?“ The WAC has five 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 (1,507-6th), Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap (1,494-13th); Utah State senior forward Nate Harris (1,258-18th); Boise State junior guard Coby Karl (1,062-14th); and Hawai'i senior forward Julian Sensley (1,034-11th). One other player is getting close: Louisiana Tech?™s Corey Dean (939).
TEAM LEADERS ?“ The WAC has seven players that lead their teams in two of three statistical categories (points-rebounds-assists):
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State (16.9 ppg, 4.0 apg)
Quinton Hosley, Jr., G/F, Fresno State (18.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg)
Tanoris Shepard, Sr., G, Idaho (15.2 ppg, 3.5 apg)
Paul Millsap, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech (20.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg)
Nick Fazekas, Jr., F, Nevada (20.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg)
Tyrone Nelson, So., F, New Mexico State (18.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg)
Nate Harris, Sr., F, Utah State (17.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
UTAH STATE OWNS LONGEST HOME STREAK ?“ With its win over Hawai'i on Monday night, Utah State has now won 14 games in a row at home, the longest active streak in the WAC and the 12th longest in the nation. The Aggies next home game is Feb. 11 when they hosts New Mexico State.
HOME SWEET HOME ?“ The WAC?™s nine teams are a combined 62-25 (.713) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 29-55 (.345). Last week, WAC teams were 5-5 on the road.
UTAH STATE/NEVADA TOP TEAMS OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ?“ Over the last four seasons, Utah State is 88-25 (.779), the best record of any WAC team during that time. In conference games, Nevada has won 45 games, the most in that same time period.
NON-CONFERENCE MARK ?“ The WAC is 57-46 (.553) in non-conference games, including a 51-46 (.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.
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.
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 (10-9, 3-5 WAC)
Plays at San Jose State on Wednesday ... the Broncos are 7-0 versus the Spartans under head coach Greg Graham after beating SJSU on Jan. 19, 68-65 ... BSU has lost four of its last six games ... Coby Karl has started 58 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... he has scored at least 20 points in eight games this season ... Karl?™s 32 points against Nevada last week were the most by a Boise State player since C.J. Williams had 32 against Idaho State on Nov. 26, 2002 ... Tez Banks took over the rebounding lead from Karl with 4.9 rpg ... Tyler Tiedeman dished out a career-high eight assists in the loss to Nevada, tying for the most by a Bronco player this season ... the Broncos lead the WAC in free throw percentage (.716).
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-8, 4-4 WAC)
Completed its three-game homestand with a 2-1 mark with the loss coming by two points in overtime ... set a Save Mart Center record with 14 three-point field goals in the win over New Mexico State ... both Quinton Hosley and Ja?™Vance Coleman have scored 20 or more points in the same game six times this season ... Coleman has scored at least 20 points in 10 games while Hosley has reached that mark nine times ... Coleman leads the WAC in three-point field goals made per game (3.16) ... Hosley leads the WAC in steals with 2.47 per game ... Kevin Bell is 13th in the nation in assists with 6.2 per game ... the Bulldogs lead the WAC in scoring (74.9 ppg), steals (9.21) and three-point field goals made per game (9.21).
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (10-8, 4-4 WAC)
Has lost four of its last six games ... was held to just 52 points on Monday against Utah State, its lowest output of the season ... UH had just 19 points in the first half ... Julian Sensley scored a team-high 14 points with 12 coming after halftime ... the game was Riley Wallace?™s 600th as a head coach ... has lost seven straight WAC road games ... leads the WAC with five victories when trailing at halftime ... has won seven straight overtime games dating back to the 2002-03 season ... leads he WAC in blocked shots with 5.67 per game ... junior Ahmet Gueye leads the WAC in blocked shots (2.33) ... Matt Lojeski leads the WAC in FT% (.852) ... UH has lost 20 of its last 22 road games.
Idaho Vandals (3-15, 0-7 WAC)
Has a nine-game losing streak ... lost by 35 points on Monday against Fresno State, its worse loss since an 80-41 defeat against Saint Louis on Dec. 2, 2000 ... its 0-7 conference start is its worst in school history ... Idaho has never gone winless in conference play ... plays at Hawai'i on Thursday and is 6-0 all-time versus the Rainbow Warriors ... the teams have not met since 1987 ... senior Tanoris Shepard has led the Vandals in scoring in 12 games this year and has reached double figures in scoring in 19 straight games ... has lost 11 straight road games ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 420 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (14-7, 7-1 WAC)
Has won seven of its last eight games ... its 14-7 start is its best since going 15-7 during the 2001-02 season ... is one of two schools in the WAC with an unblemished home record (7-0) ... junior forward Paul Millsap leads the nation in rebounding (12.7) and is second in the WAC 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 38 contests during his career ... he has scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least 14 rebounds in six of the last seven games ... Millsap is the WAC?™s active leader in double-doubles with 59 ... he has started 58 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC.
Nevada Wolf Pack (15-5, 5-3 WAC)
Has won five of its last seven games ... has used five different starting lineups in its last six games ... is on the road for its next two games and is the only team in the WAC with a winning road record this year (6-3) ... faces Louisiana Tech on Thursday and has beaten the Bulldogs five straight times ... junior Kyle Shiloh has made 20 of his last 32 three-point field goal attempts (.625) ... Nick Fazekas has scored 20 or more points 36 times in his career ... Fazekas leads the WAC in scoring with 20.8 points per game ... he has started 58 straight games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... Fazekas has had 32 double-doubles in his career ... he needs five more points to move into Nevada?™s career top-five scoring list.
New Mexico State Aggies (8-10, 4-3 WAC)
Trailed by 13 in the second half before beating San Jose State last week, 81-75, in overtime ... its last five games have been decided by six points or less (3-2) ... has two more wins than all of last season (6-24) ... Tyrone Nelson is averaging 22.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game over his last nine contests ... Nelson scored just three points in the first half against San Jose State and then added 25 after the intermission ... Mike Mitchell had a career-high six steals in the win over the Spartans ... has had three or more players score in double figures in 15 games, including the last 13 ... junior forward David Fisher has been cleared to play the rest of the season ... he missed just one game (Louisiana Tech-1/21).
San Jose State Spartans (5-14, 1-5 WAC)
Has lost nine of its last 10 games ... Alex Elam scored a career-high 27 points in the game against New Mexico State ... with its 10 blocks over the last two games, the Spartans have blocked 57 shots this year, 13 more than all of last season ... was 0-for-9 from three-point range last week against Louisiana Tech, the first time in 84 games that San Jose State did not make a three-pointer ... is one win shy of tying its season total in each of the past two years ... is the only team in the WAC to win more games away from home (4: 3 road, 1 neutral) than at home (1) ... has won three road games for the first time since going 5-9 away from home in 2000-01 ... has not scored 100 points in a game since beating Utah State, 101-85, on Jan. 25, 1979 (763 games).
Utah State Aggies (15-4, 6-2 WAC)
Has won 11 of its last 12 games ... has a six-game winning streak, tied for the 10th longest in the nation ... Nate Harris leads the WAC and is 10th in the nation in field goal percentage (.620) ... the Aggies lead the WAC and are seventh in the nation in FG percentage (.501) ... also leads the WAC in scoring defense (61.9), field goal percentage defense (.399), scoring margin (+11.6) and three-point FG percentage (.407) ... Nate Harris has scored in double figures in 20 straight games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... Jaycee Carroll has made a three-point field goal in 22 straight games ... Carroll leads the WAC in three-point FG percentage (.462) ... is 109-9 at home under head coach Stew Morrill.