PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Nevada forward Nick Fazekas, a senior from Arvada, Colo. (Ralston Valley HS), averaged 28.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in a pair of wins last week. He scored 29 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked two shots in a win over UC-Irvine last Wednesday. On Saturday night, he added 28 points and 15 rebounds in a road game at Santa Clara. For the week, he was 20-of-33 (.606) from the field, 5-of-7 (.714) from three-point range and 12-of-15 (.800) from the free throw line. Fazekas leads the nation in rebounding with 14.8 boards per game and is seventh in scoring with 25.0 points per contest. It is Fazekas’ ninth career WAC Player of the Week award.
Others nominated:
Matt Lojeski, Sr., G, Hawai?i - was named to the Great Alaska Shootout all-tournament team after averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three contests last week. He had 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and a career-best five steals in the third place game against Pacific. In the semifinal game versus California, he dished out a career-high 10 assists.
Jaycee Carroll, Jr., G, Utah State - scored a game-high 26 points in a 77-68 win against Weber State on Saturday. Carroll was 8-of-12 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He also had three rebounds and two steals in the game.
HAWAI?I THIRD IN ALASKA ? Hawai?i traveled to Anchorage, Alaska last week for the Great Alaska Shootout and placed third in the eight-team event. The Warriors opened with a one-point win, 80-79, over Hofstra, before losing to California, 72-56, in the semifinals. In the third place game, Hawai?i defeated Pacific, 71-60.
WARRIORS ARE THIRD WAC OPPONENT FOR SANTA CLARA ? Hawai?i concludes its 11-day road trip tonight when it takes on Santa Clara. The Warriors are the third straight WAC opponent for Santa Clara which lost to Nevada on Saturday but beat San Jose State on Monday. Utah State will be the fourth WAC team that plays at Santa Clara when it takes on the Broncos on Dec. 23.
NEW MEXICO STATE HOSTS LOU HENSON CLASSIC ? Tournament action continues this week in the WAC as New Mexico State hosts the Lou Henson Classic, Dec. 2-3. The Aggies take on Chicago State on Friday night and then San Francisco on Saturday. Henson is the Aggies’ all-time winningest coach with a record of 285-140. He coached from 1966-75 and then again from 1997-2005. When he retired, Henson was the sixth winningest coach in NCAA history with 779 wins. In 1970, he led the Aggies to the Final Four.
NEVADA FACES CALIFORNIA IN PETE NEWELL CHALLENGE ? After playing at Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday, Nevada heads to San Jose for the 10th annual Pete Newell Challenge. The Wolf Pack will face California in the second game of the doubleheader at approximately 6:00 p.m. (PT). In the first game, Texas Tech plays Stanford. Both games will be shown on CSTV. The event will be held for the first time at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, site of the 2007 NCAA West Regional, after nine years in Oakland.
NATIONAL RANKINGS ? Nevada dropped three spots to 24th in the AP poll and remained 20th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. No other WAC teams received votes.
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 senior forward Nick Fazekas (1,937-1st); Boise State senior guard Coby Karl (1,290-6th); Utah State junior guard Jaycee Carroll (1,108-26th); Fresno State senior guard Ja’Vance Coleman (1,070-22nd); and New Mexico State senior guard Elijah Ingram (1,030-scored 607 points at St. John’s). New Mexico State’s Tyrone Nelson is next on the list with 913 points.
NEVADA OWNS WAC’S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK ? Nevada extended its home winning streak to 12 in a row after beating UC Irvine last week. Fresno State has the WAC’s second longest streak at eight in a row. The Wolf Pack also have the longest home winning streak in WAC games only at five straight.
UTAH STATE, NEVADA TOP TEAMS OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Over the last four seasons, Utah State is 77-22 (.778), the best record of any WAC team during that time. In conference games, Nevada has won 53 games, the most in that same time period.
WAC.TV ? The Western Athletic Conference officially launched WAC.tv prior to the 2006-07 season. Seven games will be available this week. WAC.tv, the Internet based media platform of the Western Athletic Conference, will offer nearly all of the conferences home games this season, many of them on an exclusive basis.
FAZEKAS NAMED TO WATCH LISTS ? For the second straight year, Nevada forward Nick Fazekas has been named a candidate for both the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy. Both awards listed 50 players on their early season watch lists.
FAZEKAS NAMED PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR ? In a vote by the WAC’s head coaches and media, Nevada senior forward Nick Fazekas was picked as the league’s preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Fazekas led the WAC in scoring with 21.8 points per game and also pulled down 10.4 rebounds per contest. He helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 27-6 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
HOME SWEET HOME ? The WAC’s nine teams are a combined 12-2 (.857) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 10-19 (.345).
NON-CONFERENCE MARK ? The WAC is 22-21 (.512) in non-conference games, including a 21-21 (.500) mark against Division I team. Last year, the WAC was 63-52 (.548) in non-conference games (57-52 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).
NEW MEXICO STATE TO HOST 2007 AND 2008 WAC TOURNAMENTS ? Las Cruces and New Mexico State University will be the host for both the 2007 and 2008 WAC Tournaments. The 2007 tournament will be held March 6-10 and will feature all nine men’s and women’s teams.
WAC ON ESPN ? The WAC has a multi-year contract with ESPN for coverage of WAC football and basketball. Four games have been scheduled so far while others could be added during the season.
BRACKETBUSTERS ? For the fifth year in a row, the WAC has partnered with ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences for BracketBusters, a weekend men’s basketball event matching potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. All nine WAC teams will be involved in this year’s pool of teams. The event will be held February 16-17, and ESPN2 and ESPNU will present 11 games. The match-ups for BracketBusters will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences about three weeks before the event.
TOP PLAYERS RETURNING ? The WAC returns seven of the 10 players that were named to last year’s all-WAC first and second-teams. Senior forward Nick Fazekas (Nevada) and junior forward Tyrone Nelson (New Mexico State) were both first-team selections. All five second-teamers return: Coby Karl, Sr., G, Boise State; Ja’Vance Coleman, Sr., G, Fresno State; Quinton Hosley, Sr., F, Fresno State; Elijah Ingram, Sr., G, New Mexico State; and Jaycee Carroll, Jr., G, Utah State. All five members of the all-newcomer team also return from last year: Hosley; Ingram; Nelson; Ahmet Gueye, Sr., F, Hawai?i; and Matt Lojeski, Sr., G, Hawai?i. Gueye is the only returning member from last year’s all-defensive team. Hawai?i’s Dominic Waters was last year’s WAC Freshman of the Year.
STAT LEADERS BACK ? Statistically, six of the top 10 scorers return for the 2006-07 season. Nevada’s Nick Fazekas was first in the WAC in scoring last year (for the second straight season) with a 21.8 point per game average. Others in the top 10 coming back are Quinton Hosley, Fresno State (18.6-3rd); Tyrone Nelson, New Mexico State (17.8-4th); Ja’Vance Coleman, Fresno State (17.5-6th); Coby Karl, Boise State (17.2-8th); and Jaycee Carroll, Utah State (16.3-9th). Fazekas is the leading returning rebounder with a 10.4 rpg average last season (2nd in the WAC) and Fresno State’s Kevin Bell returns after leading the WAC in assists with 5.9 per game.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (1-3, 0-0 WAC)
Faces Brigham Young on Wednesday night, the Broncos’ third Mountain West Conference opponent of the season (Wyoming, Colorado State) ... Boise State led most of the way before losing to Washington State last week, 65-63 ... it outrebounded the Cougars 40-27, but had 10 more turnovers (21-11) ... senior G Kenny Wilson has made his last 15 free throw attempts ... senior G Coby Karl is averaging 12.5 points per game and has committed six turnovers in three of the four games this year ... Karl has started 72 consecutive games, the second longest current streak in the WAC ... is the only team in the WAC that returns all five starters from last season ... is 21-1 when scoring 80 or more points under head coach Greg Graham.
Fresno State Bulldogs (5-0, 0-0 WAC)
Is 5-0 for the second time in three years ... began the 2004-05 season 6-0 ... takes on Oregon State on Saturday, the third WAC team to face the Beavers (Nevada, Hawai?i) ... junior F Dominic McGuire posted a double-double against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 12 points and 13 rebounds ... junior G Kevin Bell leads the WAC in assists with 6.2 per game ... McGuire leads the WAC in blocks with 3.0 per contest ... junior guard Dwight O’Neil, who started 20 games last season and averaged 10.8 points per game, will redshirt this season ... senior G/F Quinton Hosley and senior G Ja’Vance Coleman scored 20 or more points in the same game seven times last season, but has not accomplished that feat this year.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (4-2, 0-0 WAC)
Takes on Santa Clara tonight and has won the last four meetings between the schools, including last season’s 67-57 win in Honolulu ... is 0-5 at Santa Clara ... UH has lost 22 of its last 27 road games (at opponent’s home site) dating back to the 2003-04 season ... is playing its fifth game away from home in six contests ... UH is 4-0 when Lojeski scores in double figures and 0-2 when he doesn’t ... it has also led at the half in each of its four wins and has trailed at the half in its two losses ... has had big runs to start games this season with two 15-2 runs (Coppin State and Pacific) and a 25-0 run against Oregon State ... UH has posted seven consecutive winning seasons ... has won seven straight OT games dating back to the 2002-03 season.
Idaho Vandals (1-4, 0-0 WAC)
In the Gonzaga game, Keoni Watson and Mario Mackey each finished with 11 points ... David Jackson pulled down nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end ... Idaho has made at least seven 3-pointers in four of its five games this season ... junior Sebastien Taulbee and Mike Kale have knee injuries and their return is unknown ... junior F Darin Nagle and senior F Thomas Preston will be eligible to join the team in mid-December ... sophomore G Aaron Smith will redshirt this season ... the Vandals have 11 newcomers on its team this season ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 436 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC ... has made a three-point field goal in 258 consecutive games (since Feb. 27, 1997).
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (1-3, 0-0 WAC)
Is playing its first home game of the season tonight when it hosts Southern Illinois ... Tech defeated the Salukis on the road in last year’s BracketBusters ... the Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season last Wednesday in Lake Charles against McNeese State, 59-50 ... senior Harry Disy tied his career-high in rebounds with 15 ... Chad McKenzie and Marcus Elliot each scored a team-high 13 points ... senior Terry Parker leads the WAC in free throw percentage (.933).
Nevada Wolf Pack (5-0, 0-0 WAC)
Is 5-0 for the second straight year and can match last year’s start with a win tonight at Louisiana-Lafayette ... has won seven straight regular season road games ... was 10-3 on the road last year ... has won 12 straight home games ... senior F Nick Fazekas leads the WAC in scoring (25.0 ppg), rebounding (14.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (.649) ... he has posted a double-double in each game this season and has 46 in his career ... Fazekas has scored 20 or more points 51 times in his career and has scored in double figures in 35 straight games ... he has started 76 straight games, the longest such current streak in the WAC ... Kyle Shiloh leads the WAC in steals (2.2 spg) ... Nevada has won at least 25 games in each of the past three seasons.
New Mexico State Aggies (1-3, 0-0 WAC)
Has lost three straight after a season-opening win ... trailed 44-31 at New Mexico on Tuesday but closed to within three before losing 79-76 ... Justin Hawkins scored a career-high 23 points while Fred Peete dished out nine assists ... Ted Knauber tied his career-high with 15 points ... Knauber leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.591) and three-point field goals made per game (3.25) ... NMSU leads the WAC in steals with 7.75 per game ... junior Tyrone Nelson, a first-team all-WAC selection last year, has not played this season ... the Aggies had 10 more wins in 2005-06 than all of the previous season (6-24), tied for the fifth biggest improvement by any team in the nation.
San Jose State Spartans (0-5, 0-0 WAC)
Plays at St. Mary’s tonight and leads the all-time series 37-36 ... it is their sixth road game of the year ... will become the last team in the WAC to play a home game when it hosts Cal Poly on Sunday ... against Arizona State, Harry Brown posted his first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds ... Tim Pierce scored a career-high 23 points in the loss against Santa Clara ... leads the WAC in offensive rebounds per game with 14.0 ... has 10 newcomers on its roster this season ... lost 18 of its last 19 games, including 14 in a row ... has posted six victories in each of the past three seasons ... has not scored 100 points in a game since beating Utah State, 101-85, on Jan. 25, 1979 (780 games).
Utah State Aggies (4-1, 0-0 WAC)
Has a four-game winning streak after its season-opening loss at Northwestern State ... for the seventh time in the last nine years, Utah State has started the season with either a 4-1 or 5-0 record ... junior F Stephen DuCharme was 2-of-3 from the field against Weber State after making his previous 17 attempts over two games ... Jaycee Carroll has now scored at least 20 points in each of his last four games, the longest streak by a Utah State player since 1997-98 ... the Aggies have participated in the postseason in each of the past seven years (5 NCAAs, 2 NITs) ... is one of five teams across the country to win at least 23 games in each of the last seven years joining Duke, Gonzaga, Illinois and Kansas ... is 113-11 at home under Stew Morrill.