PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Nevada guard Marcelus Kemp, a junior from Seattle, Wash. (Garfield HS), was instrumental in extending Nevada’s winning streak to nine games as he averaged 23.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in three wins for the Wolf Pack. Last Monday night, Kemp scored 27 points, dished out five assists and grabbed six rebounds in a 90-86 win over Boise State. On Thursday, he scored 33 points and pulled down eight boards in a 72-63 win at San Jose State. He followed that up with 11 points in an overtime win at Hawai?i. Kemp was able to take over much of the scoring lost when the Wolf Pack’s All-American forward Nick Fazekas was injured in the first half of the Boise State game. Fazekas also missed the San Jose State and Hawai?i games. It is Kemp’s second career WAC Player of the Week award and second for a Wolf Pack player this year.
Others nominated:
Elijah Ingram, Sr., G, New Mexico State - averaged 15.0 points and 3.5 assists in a pair of road wins last week. Against Idaho, he scored 15 points and dished out five assists. At Boise State, he scored another 15 points and made 7-of-8 free throw attempts. For the week he was 7-of-17 from three-point range.
Carlton Spencer, Sr., G, San Jose State - averaged 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in a split of two games. He had 16 points against Nevada and then scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half of the win over Fresno State. He also had a team-high eight rebounds against the Bulldogs.
Jaycee Carroll, Jr., G, Utah State - averaged 24.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in a pair of home wins. Against Utah Valley State, he scored 21 points and was 7-of-9 from three-point range. He then had a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists against Louisiana Tech. Carroll was 9-of-15 from three-point range for the week and made all seven of his free throw attempts.
WAC.TV ? The Western Athletic Conference officially launched WAC.tv prior to the 2006-07 season. 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. All conference games will be available this week. Go to www.wac.tv to sign up or login.
NEVADA, NEW MEXICO STATE WIN ROAD GAMES ? Nevada and New Mexico State became the first teams to win road games in WAC play last week as the Wolf Pack won at San Jose State and Hawai?i while the Aggies swept Idaho and Boise State.
FIVE TEAMS WITH AT LEAST 10 WINS ? The WAC has five teams with at least 10 victories with Nevada leading the way with 16. New Mexico State State has won 14 games while Fresno State and Utah State have 13 apiece. Hawai?i got its 10th win with a victory over Fresno State last week. Boise State is two shy of the mark, winning eight of its first 15 games.
NEW MEXICO STATE WITH 13-GAME WINNING STREAK ? New Mexico State has the WAC’s longest active winning streak at 13 games in a row. The Aggies won their first game of the season and then lost three straight before putting together their current streak. The streak is tied with Air Force and Wisconsin for the longest in the nation. Nevada has won nine in a row, the second longest streak in the WAC and tied for the seventh longest in the nation.
NEW MEXICO STATE OWNS WAC’S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAKS ? New Mexico State has won 14 home games in a row, the longest active winning streak in the WAC and tied for the 18th longest in the nation. Utah State has the second longest streak at 10 straight. In conference play only, Nevada has the longest home winning streak with seven in a row.
PACK WINS 14TH STRAIGHT WAC GAME ? Nevada has the WAC’s longest current winning streak in conference games only at 14 straight after beating Hawai?i in overtime on Saturday night, 68-66. The Wolf Pack won their last 10 WAC games in 2006 after losing to Utah State on January 23.
FAZEKAS SECOND IN NATION IN REBOUNDING ? Nevada senior forward Nick Fazekas remains second in the nation in rebounding with 12.1 boards per contest. Arkansas-Little Rock’s Rashad Jones-Jennings is first with 12.2 per game. The WAC has boasted the nation’s top rebounder the past three seasons as Louisiana Tech’s Paul Millsap won the title each year. Prior to Millsap, no WAC player had ever won the rebounding title.
NATIONAL RANKINGS ? Nevada moved up four spots to 15th in the AP poll and two spots to 13th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. The ranking of 13th is the highest for a WAC team since Tulsa was 12th on February 22, 2000. New Mexico State is also receiving votes in both polls.
NEVADA TOP TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Since the start of the 2003-04 season, Nevada is 93-23 (.802), the best record of any WAC team during that time. In conference games, Nevada has won 46 games, the most in that same time period.
TEAM LEADERS ? The WAC has seven players that lead their team in two of three statistical categories (points-rebounds-assists).
Coby Karl, Sr., G, Boise State (16.1 ppg, 4.1 apg)
Matt Lojeski, Sr., G, Hawai?i (17.6 ppg, 4.8 apg)
Chad McKenzie, Sr., F, La. Tech (13.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
Nick Fazekas, Sr., F, Nevada (20.3 ppg, 12.1 rpg)
Justin Hawkins, Jr., G/F, New Mexico State (15.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Carlton Spencer, Sr., G, San Jose State (16.5 ppg, 3.8 apg)
Jaycee Carroll, Jr., G, Utah State (21.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
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 (2,117-1st); Boise State senior guard Coby Karl (1,481-6th); Utah State junior guard Jaycee Carroll (1,372-15th); Fresno State senior guard Ja’Vance Coleman (1,182-19th); and New Mexico State senior guard Elijah Ingram (1,165-scored 607 points at St. John’s). New Mexico State’s Tyrone Nelson is next on the list with 992 points followed by Nevada’s Marcelus Kemp with 977 points.
HOME SWEET HOME ? The WAC’s nine teams are a combined 57-15 (.792) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 25-52 (.325). In conference games only, home teams are 14-4 (.778) while road teams are 4-14 (.222)
NON-CONFERENCE MARK ? The WAC is 64-49 (.566) in non-conference games, including a 61-49 (.555) 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).
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.
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.
ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS ? For the fifth year in a row, the WAC has partnered with ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences for ESPNU 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.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (8-7, 2-2 WAC)
Trailed by 15 twice against New Mexico State and rallied to within one at 68-67 with 25 seconds left but fell short, 73-69 ... Reggie Larry scored a game-high 19 points and had eight rebounds ... the loss snapped the Broncos’ eight-game home winning streak ... earlier last week, Larry had a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds against Louisiana Tech ... Coby Karl has started 83 consecutive games, the longest current streak in the WAC ... he leads the WAC in three-point field goals made per game (3.07) ... junior Matt Nelson leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.598) ... is 1-5 in games decided by five points or less ... is the only team in the WAC that returned all five starters from last season.
Fresno State Bulldogs (13-4, 2-2 WAC)
Is 0-2 in its current three-game road trip ... is now 13-1 when having four players score in double figures as the Bulldogs lost at San Jose State on Saturday ... the loss was the first in 16 games against the Spartans ... has lost nine of its last 10 WAC road games ... has two of the top four rebounders in the WAC in Dominic McGuire (9.2 rpg-2nd) and Quinton Hosley (8.7 rpg-4th) ... leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.3 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.371), blocked shots (6.94 bpg) and three-point field goals made per game (9.76) ... junior G Kevin Bell leads the WAC in assists with 5.41 per game ... McGuire leads the WAC in blocks with 3.71 per contest ... Hector Hernandez leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.530).
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (10-7, 1-3 WAC)
Is 1-3 in WAC play for the first time since 2001 when it finished 8-8 ... has not started 1-4 since the 1998-99 season ... the Nevada loss was its first in eight overtime games ... is averaging 17.6 turnovers per game, currently the fourth highest in a single season in school history ... has outrebounded its opponents in 15 of 17 games including 10 straight ... Matt Lojeski is shooting .560 from the field, the best percentage by a guard in the WAC ... has lost 25 of its last 30 road games dating back to the 2003-04 season ... UH has posted seven consecutive winning seasons ... head coach Riley Wallace will resign following the conclusion of the season ... he needs eight more wins to tie former women’s coach Vince Goo’s school record of 334 victories.
Idaho Vandals (2-14, 0-4 WAC)
Opened the WAC season against the top four teams in the league ... Idaho was the last WAC team to have a player get a double-double when Darin Nagle recorded one against NMSU last week with 13 points and 10 rebounds ... had its first halftime lead in a game this year when it led NMSU 31-27 at the half ... led by as many as 13 in the second half of that game before losing, 61-56 ... Keoni Watson scored a game-high 26 points in the loss at Utah State on Monday ... Idaho is last in the WAC in scoring with 58.9 points per game ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 447 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC ... has made a three-point field goal in 269 consecutive games (since Feb. 27, 1997).
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-12, 2-2 WAC)
Has lost six of its last eight games ... is one of three teams in the WAC that is currently 2-0 at home and 0-2 on the road in conference play ... Chad McKenzie had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at Boise State ... Trey McDowell scored a team-high 15 points ... in a 69-49 loss at Utah State, McKenzie scored a team-high 13 points while Trey McDowell finished with 11 ... Harry Disy finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards ... is off to its worst start since going 2-25 during the 1993-94 season ... is 19-4 in non-conference home games since joining the WAC before the 2001-02 season.
Nevada Wolf Pack (16-1, 4-0 WAC)
Is off to its best start in school history ... Nick Fazekas missed the last two games with an ankle injury ... his streak of consecutive starts ended at 86 ... Marcelus Kemp had 33 points versus San Jose State, but just 11 at Hawai?i, snapping his streak of consecutive games with at least 20 points at five in a row ... Nevada has won 13 straight regular season games away from home ... has won 17 of its last 18 home games ... has won 30 of its last 32 games ... leads the WAC in scoring margin (+11.9), rebounding margin (+7.3) and three-point field goal percentage (.420) ... Fazekas has posted a double-double in 11 games this season and 52 in his career ... he has scored 20 or more points 54 times and has scored in double figures in 45 straight games played.
New Mexico State Aggies (14-3, 4-0 WAC)
Has won a nation-long 13 straight games ... it is its first 13-game winning streak since winning 13 straight in 1993-94 ... the 14-3 start is its best since beginning the 1994-95 season, 16-3 ... at one point, trailed by 13 at Idaho in the second half but was able to put a 12-0 run together to help get the win ... won at Boise State by making 7-of-8 free throws in the final 33 seconds to win, 73-69 ... Hatila Passos had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds ... NMSU leads the WAC in scoring with 81.9 points per game ... has reached 100 points in three games this season ... leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.501), steals (7.53) and turnover margin (+2.12) ... junior G Fred Peete leads the WAC in steals (1.82 spg).
San Jose State Spartans (2-14, 1-3 WAC)
Ended an eight-game losing streak by beating Fresno State on Saturday, 64-61 ... it was their first win over the Bulldogs since Jan. 7, 1999 (15 consecutive losses) ... the Spartans committed just six turnovers, tied for the fewest in a game by any WAC team this season ... is 1-3 in WAC play for the third season in a row ... Carlton Spencer is averaging 16.5 ppg in his six games since returning to the Spartans this season ... he scored a game-high 20 points in the win over Fresno State ... Menelik Barbary added 18 points ... has 10 newcomers on its roster this season ... 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 (791 games).
Utah State Aggies (13-5, 2-2 WAC)
Jaycee Carroll scored a team-high 25 points in Monday’s win over Idaho ... USU leads the WAC in free throw percentage (.777) ... Carroll leads the WAC in scoring (21.2 ppg) and FT% (.929) ... he has scored in double figures in 19 straight games, the second longest active streak in the WAC ... Carroll has scored at least 21 points in three straight games ... USU is 10-0 when Carroll scores at least 20 points ... the Aggies have participated in the postseason in each of the past seven years (5 NCAAs, 2 NITs) ... is one of five teams to win at least 23 games in each of the last seven years (Duke, Gonzaga, Illinois and Kansas) ... is 119-11 at home under Stew Morrill ... has won 43 straight non-conference regular season home games, second only to Duke (51).