This week's action begins Wednesday night with Louisiana Tech hosting Boise State. The Bulldogs are currently in a three-way tie for first place while the Broncos have put together a three-game winning streak.
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XBOX LIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK ?“ Nevada forward Nick Fazekas, a junior from Arvada, Colo. (Ralston Valley HS), averaged 29.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in winning two road games last week. On Thursday, he had a double-double at Louisiana Tech with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He then followed that up with 36 points in the win over New Mexico State on Saturday night. For the week, he was 20-of-33 from the field (.606) and 3-of-6 from three-point range. He also had four steals and three assists. The victories moved Nevada into a three-way tie for first place in the WAC standings. It is Fazekas?™ fifth career WAC Player of the Week award and third for a Wolf Pack player this year.
Others nominated:
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State - averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in wins over San Jose State and Fresno State. He had 16 points at San Jose State and then recorded his second career double-double with 19 points and a career-high 14 rebounds versus the Bulldogs.
Quinton Hosley, Jr., F, Fresno State - averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in a split of two games. He had 14 points and eight rebounds against Idaho before recording his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 assists at Boise State.
Julian Sensley, Sr., F, Hawai'i - averaged 20.3 points in three games as Hawai'i went 2-1 in those contests. He had 22 points in a win over Idaho and then added 25 points, including a career-high five three-pointers, in the win against San Jose State.
Paul Millsap, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech - recorded two double-doubles last week with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Nevada and 25 points and 12 rebounds versus Utah State.
Elijah Ingram, Jr., G, New Mexico State - averaged 27.0 points in two games last week. He had a career-high 28 points in a win over Utah State and then added 26 points versus Nevada. For the week, he was 21-of-22 from the free throw line.
Jaycee Carroll, So., G, Utah State - averaged 21.3 points in three games (2-1). Against New Mexico State, he scored a career-high 32 points and set a new school and WAC record with 10 three-point field goals. For the week, he was 18-of-28 (.643) from three-point range.
THREE TEAMS IN FIRST PLACE TIE ?“ Last week, Nevada won both of its road games, Utah State split its road games and Louisiana Tech lost both home games creating a three-way tie between the teams for first place in the WAC standings. The three teams are 7-3 while three other teams are within two games in the loss column. The top three teams have a couple of games left against each other as Nevada hosts Louisiana Tech on Feb. 13 and Utah State hosts Nevada on Feb. 25.
UTAH STATE HITS 20 TREYS ?“ Despite Utah State losing at New Mexico State, 93-86, the Aggies hit 20-of-34 three-point field goals. The 20 made treys set a new WAC record breaking the old mark of 18 reached twice by New Mexico. It also broke Utah State?™s school record of 13 set in 1990 and tied earlier this year. Sophomore Jaycee Carroll made 10-of-16 three-point field goals, setting a new school record for most made treys and tying the WAC mark set be Hawai'i?™s Trevor Ruffin against Louisville during the 1993-94 season. His 10 made three-point field goals are the second most by any playing in the nation this season.
BIG MONDAY ?“ The WAC returned to ESPN?™s Big Monday lineup this season and has played two games so far this year. The WAC has two more scheduled Big Monday games this season:
Jan. 23, Utah State 59, at Nevada 53 (ESPN)
Jan. 30, at Utah State 63, Hawai'i 52 (ESPN2)
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
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.
Friday, Feb. 17
ESPNU-Akron (16-5) at Nevada, 6:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, Feb. 18
ESPN2-Louisiana Tech at Southern Illinois (16-7), 5:00 p.m. CT
ESPNU-Northwestern State (15-6) at Utah State, 8:00 p.m. MT
ESPN-Fresno State at Creighton (16-5), 11:00 p.m. CT
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 (8-11) at Boise State
UC Santa Barbara (8-11) at San Jose State
Santa Clara (9-12) at Hawai'i
Idaho at Montana State (13-10)
New Mexico State at Pacific (16-6)
The host team in all nine of the above games will return a game with their opponent sometime during the beginning of the 2006-07 season.
MILLSAP FIRST IN NATION IN REBOUNDING ?“ Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap remained first nationally in this week?™s rebounding statistics with 12.6 per game. Hartford?™s Kenny Adeleke is second with 12.4 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 8 (Wednesday)
Boise State at Louisiana Tech, 7:00 p.m. CT
February 9 (Thursday)
New Mexico State at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
Idaho at San Jose State, 7:00 p.m. PT
February 11 (Saturday)
New Mexico State at Utah State, 7:00 p.m. MT
San Jose State at Fresno State, 7:00 p.m. PT
February 13 (Monday)
Hawai'i at Fresno State, 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 USA Today coaches?™ polls which Utah State earned consideration in the AP poll. In the CollegeRPI.com ratings, WAC teams ranked in the top 100 are: Nevada-37th, Utah State-41st, Louisiana Tech-85th, and Hawai'i-88th.
1,000-POINT SCORERS ?“ The WAC has six 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 (1,566-5th), Louisiana Tech junior forward Paul Millsap (1,535-12th); Utah State senior forward Nate Harris (1,284-16th); Boise State junior guard Coby Karl (1,097-11th); Hawai'i senior forward Julian Sensley (1,081-10th); and Idaho senior guard Tanoris Shepard (1,010-11th). One other player is getting close: Louisiana Tech?™s Corey Dean (948).
TEAM LEADERS ?“ The WAC has six players that lead their teams in two of three statistical categories (points-rebounds-assists):
Coby Karl, Jr., G, Boise State (17.0 ppg, 4.1 apg)
Quinton Hosley, Jr., G/F, Fresno State (18.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg)
Tanoris Shepard, Sr., G, Idaho (16.0 ppg, 3.5 apg)
Paul Millsap, Jr., F, Louisiana Tech (20.7 ppg, 12.6 rpg)
Nick Fazekas, Jr., F, Nevada (21.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg)
Tyrone Nelson, So., F, New Mexico State (17.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg)
UTAH STATE OWNS LONGEST HOME STREAK ?“ With its win over Hawai'i on Jan. 30, Utah State has won 14 games in a row at home, the longest active streak in the WAC and the eighth longest in the nation. The Aggies next home game is this Saturday when they host New Mexico State.
HOME SWEET HOME ?“ The WAC?™s nine teams are a combined 67-29 (.698) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 33-60 (.355). Last week, WAC teams were 4-5 on the road.
UTAH STATE/NEVADA TOP TEAMS OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ?“ Over the last four seasons, Utah State is 89-26 (.774), the best record of any WAC team during that time. In conference games, Nevada has won 47 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 (12-9, 5-5 WAC)
Has a three-game winning streak, its longest of the season ... won both games last week after trailing at the half ... Boise State trailed by 11 against Fresno State before going on a 14-1 run in the middle of the second half ... Tez Banks recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds versus Fresno State ... Coby Karl added 19 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in that game ... it was the first time that two Broncos had double-doubles in the same game since March 20, 2004 ... Boise State outrebounded Fresno State by a season-high 17 boards ... Karl has started 60 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... the Broncos lead the WAC in free throw percentage (.721).
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-10, 4-6 WAC)
Has lost three of its last four games ... 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 11 games while Hosley has reached that mark 10 times ... Coleman scored a team-high 23 points on Monday night against Idaho after getting just three points in the game at Boise State on Saturday ... Hosley leads the WAC in steals with 2.29 per game ... Kevin Bell leads the WAC in assists with 6.0 per game ... the Bulldogs lead the WAC in scoring (73.7 ppg), steals (8.86) and three-point field goals made per game (9.29).
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (12-8, 6-4 WAC)
Has won four of its last six games ... is one of two teams in the WAC to not lose a conference home game this season (6-0) ... has lost seven straight WAC road games and 10 straight road games overall ... plays at Boise State on Saturday and arrives in Boise on Wednesday before the Broncos return from its game at Louisiana Tech that night ... is 3-0 when tied at the half ... leads the WAC with five victories when trailing at halftime ... has won seven straight OT games dating back to the 2002-03 season ... leads the WAC in FG percentage defense (.406) and blocked shots with 5.95 per game ... is 10 blocks shy of breaking the single-season school record of 128 set during the 1993-94 season ... junior Ahmet Gueye leads the WAC in blocked shots (2.35).
Idaho Vandals (4-16, 1-8 WAC)
Beat Fresno State on Monday night, 72-61, to snap its 10-game losing streak and to win its first ever WAC game ... lost the previous week to Fresno State by 35 points ... senior Tanoris Shepard scored a career-high 29 points (6-of-8 from three-point range) in the game and became the 12th Vandal to reach 1,000 points in his career (1,010) ... Shepard has reached double figures in scoring in 21 straight games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... Mike Kale scored a career-high 13 points in the win over Fresno State ... outrebounded the Bulldogs by 11, the second most in a game for the Vandals this year ... has lost 11 straight road games ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 422 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (14-9, 7-3 WAC)
Lost two straight home games last week after opening the season with a 7-0 record ... junior forward Paul Millsap leads the nation in rebounding (12.6) and is second in the WAC in scoring (20.7 ppg) ... he is averaging 14.1 rebounds per game in conference-only contests ... 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 39 contests during his career ... Millsap is the WAC?™s active leader in double-doubles with 61 ... he has started 60 consecutive games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... Millsap was named an SI.com midseason third-team All-American last week.
Nevada Wolf Pack (17-5, 7-3 WAC)
Has won seven of its last nine games ... is 17-5 for the second year in a row ... won two road games last week to improve its record to 8-3 on the road, the only team in the WAC with a winning record ... beat New Mexico State last week to snap a nine-game losing streak in Las Cruces ... scored a season-high 90 points in that game ... plays four of its last six WAC games at home ... Nick Fazekas has scored 20 or more points 38 times in his career ... Fazekas leads the WAC in scoring with 21.6 points per game ... he has started 60 straight games, tied for the longest current streak in the WAC ... Fazekas has had 33 double-doubles in his career ... Marcelus Kemp leads the WAC in FT% (.887).
New Mexico State Aggies (9-11, 5-4 WAC)
Scored 93 points in a win over Utah State, the most points for the Aggies since the 1999-00 season ... has three more wins than all of last season (6-24) ... Tyrone Nelson is averaging 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game over his last 11 contests ... has had three or more players score in double figures in 16 games, but had its consecutive streak of 14 in a row snapped against Nevada last Saturday when only two players reached double figures (Elijah Ingram-26, Tyrone Nelson-22) ... against Utah State, three players scored 20 or more points for the first time in a game since the 1998-99 season ... in conference play only, Ingram leads the WAC in free throw percentage (.918: 45-of-49).
San Jose State Spartans (5-16, 1-7 WAC)
Has lost 11 of its last 12 games ... a win over Idaho on Thursday would give the Spartans its first sweep of WAC opponent in three years ... plays at Fresno State on Saturday and has lost 13 straight games against the Bulldogs and 10 straight in Fresno ... the Spartans have blocked 59 shots this year, 15 more than all of last season ... 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 (765 games).
Utah State Aggies (16-5, 7-3 WAC)
Has won seven of its last eight games ... Nate Harris leads the WAC and is seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (.622) ... the Aggies lead the WAC and are second in the nation in FG percentage (.508) ... also leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.4), scoring margin (+10.2) and three-point FG percentage (.429) ... Nate Harris had his streak of scoring in double figures snapped at 21 games after recording eight against Louisiana Tech on Saturday ... Jaycee Carroll has made a three-point field goal in 24 straight games ... Carroll leads the WAC and is third in the nation in three-point FG percentage (.493) ... he also leads the WAC in three-point field goals made per game (3.29) ... is 109-9 at home under head coach Stew Morrill.