PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Louisiana Tech guard Trey McDowell, a senior from Beaumont, Texas (San Jacinto JC), averaged 29.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in a pair of victories last week. On Wednesday, McDowell scored 33 points in a 73-71 overtime win that snapped New Mexico State’s nation-long 13-game winning streak. The Bulldogs trailed by six in regulation until McDowell hit two three-pointers in the final 20 seconds to force the extra session. He also had six rebounds and six steals in the contest. On Saturday, McDowell again led all scorers with 25 points in a 73-72 road win at Idaho. For the week, he shot 25-of-46 (.543) from the field and 6-of-15 (.400) from three-point range. Coming into the week, McDowell had been averaging 10.5 points per game. It is McDowell’s second career WAC Player of the Week award and second for a Bulldog player this year.
Others nominated:
Matt Nelson, Jr., F, Boise State - averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in a split of two games last week. Against Hawai?i, he had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. For the week, he was 15-of-21 (.714) from the field.
Nick Fazekas, Sr., F, Nevada - averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in a split of two games. He was 16-of-25 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Fazekas scored 20 points and pulled down 10 boards against Fresno State and added 21 points at New Mexico State.
Justin Hawkins, Jr., F, New Mexico State - averaged 21.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in a split of two games. Against Nevada, he scored a career-high 29 points and added 11 rebounds. He was also a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line during the week.
Jaycee Carroll, Jr., G, Utah State - averaged 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in three victories for the Aggies. Against Idaho, he scored 25 points, shooting 10-of-13 from the field. For the week, he was 26-of-42 (.619) from the field, 7-of-15 (.467) from three-point range and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.
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. Every game except for Hawai?i’s home game will be available this week. Go to www.wac.tv to sign up or login.
NEW MEXICO STATE, NEVADA STREAKS SNAPPED ? Both New Mexico State and Nevada had long winning streaks snapped last week. The Aggies went into Louisiana Tech on Wednesday and lost to the Bulldogs, 73-71, in overtime. The loss broke a 13-game winning streak for New Mexico State which had been tied for the longest in the nation. That gave Nevada the longest winning streak for a WAC team at 10 straight (tied for the fourth longest in the nation at the time) after the Pack beat Fresno State on Thursday. Nevada then went to New Mexico State on Saturday where the Aggies won, 80-73. The loss also snapped Nevada’s WAC-best 15-game winning streak in conference games.
FIVE TEAMS WITH AT LEAST 10 WINS ? The WAC has five teams with at least 10 victories with Nevada leading the way with 17. New Mexico State and Utah State have won 15 games apiece while Fresno State has 14 and Hawai?i has 10. Boise State is one shy of the mark.
UTAH STATE WITH 5-GAME WINNING STREAK ? With New Mexico State and Nevada having their winning streaks ended last week, Utah State now has the longest winning streak in the WAC at five in a row. The streak is tied for the 14th longest in the nation. No other team has won more than two in a row. In WAC games only, Utah State again has the longest current winning streak at four in a row.
NEW MEXICO STATE OWNS WAC’S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAKS ? New Mexico State has won 15 home games in a row, the longest active winning streak in the WAC and tied for the 14th longest in the nation. Utah State has the second longest streak at 11 straight. In conference play only, Nevada has the longest home winning streak with eight in a row.
FAZEKAS SECOND IN NATION IN REBOUNDING ? Nevada senior forward Nick Fazekas remains second in the nation in rebounding with 11.6 boards per contest. Arkansas-Little Rock’s Rashad Jones-Jennings is first with 12.1 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 dropped three spots to 18th in the AP poll and two spots to 15th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. Prior to the loss at New Mexico State, Nevada had a ranking of 13th, the highest for a WAC team since Tulsa was 12th on February 22, 2000. New Mexico State is also currently receiving votes in both polls.
NEVADA TOP TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Since the start of the 2003-04 season, Nevada is 94-24 (.797), 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.
TEAM LEADERS ? The WAC has six players that lead their team in two of three statistical categories (points-rebounds-assists).
Coby Karl, Sr., G, Boise State (15.4 ppg, 4.1 apg)
Matt Lojeski, Sr., G, Hawai?i (17.4 ppg, 4.7 apg)
Nick Fazekas, Sr., F, Nevada (20.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg)
Justin Hawkins, Jr., G/F, New Mexico State (16.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Carlton Spencer, Sr., G, San Jose State (16.5 ppg, 3.8 apg)
Jaycee Carroll, Jr., G, Utah State (21.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
1,000-POINT SCORERS ? The WAC has seven 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 (2,158-1st); Boise State senior guard Coby Karl (1,502-5th); Utah State junior guard Jaycee Carroll (1,413-13th); Fresno State senior guard Ja’Vance Coleman (1,194-18th); New Mexico State senior guard Elijah Ingram (1,179-scored 607 points at St. John’s); New Mexico State junior forward Tyrone Nelson (1,022-scored 378 points at Prairie View A&M); and Nevada junior guard Marcelus Kemp (1,013-18th). Boise State’s Eric Lane is next on the list with 925 points.
HOME SWEET HOME ? The WAC’s nine teams are a combined 64-17 (.790) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 27-59 (.314). In conference games only, home teams are 21-6 (.778) while road teams are 6-21 (.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 (9-8, 3-3 WAC)
Led by as many as 13 late in the second half against Utah State but lost, 80-79 ... in a 73-62 win over Hawai?i, Matt Nelson scored 25 points (one shy of his career-high set while playing at Eastern Washington) and freshman Anthony Thomas had a career-high 21 points ... Thomas was 11-of-11 from the free throw line ... hosts Fresno State on Thursday before embarking on a three-game road trip ... senior G Coby Karl has started 85 consecutive games, the longest current streak in the WAC ... he leads the WAC in three-point field goals made per game (2.88) ... junior Matt Nelson leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.614) ... is 1-6 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 (14-5, 3-3 WAC)
Dominic McGuire posted his eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds in Monday’s win over San Jose State ... is 14-2 when at least four players score in double figures ... has lost nine of its last 10 WAC road games ... has two of the top four rebounders in the WAC in McGuire (9.2 rpg-2nd) and Quinton Hosley (8.6 rpg-4th) ... leads the WAC in scoring defense (64.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.380), blocked shots (7.00 bpg) and three-point field goals made per game (9.74) ... junior G Kevin Bell leads the WAC in assists with 5.47 per game ... McGuire leads the WAC in blocks with 3.68 per contest ... Hector Hernandez leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.516).
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (10-9, 1-5 WAC)
Ahmet Gueye had 15 points and 14 rebounds in the loss at Idaho last Thursday ... is 1-5 in WAC play for the first time since going 1-7 to start the 1998-99 season ... is 0-5 when trailing at the half, the only team in the WAC to not win a game in this situation ... is averaging 17.3 turnovers per game, currently the fourth most in a single season in school history ... has outrebounded its opponents in 11 of the last 12 games but is 6-6 in those games ... has lost 27 of its last 32 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 (3-15, 1-5 WAC)
Competed in two one-point games last week beating Hawai?i, 76-75, and losing to Louisiana Tech, 73-72 ... had four dunks against Tech to raise its season total to nine ... for the first time this year, the Vandals had two players score 20 or more points in a game as Keoni Watson (21) and Darin Nagle (20) did it against Louisiana Tech on Saturday ... Idaho is last in the WAC in scoring with 60.6 points per game ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 449 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC ... has made a three-point field goal in 271 consecutive games (since Feb. 27, 1997) ... is on pace (132) to break the school’s single-season record of three-point field goals made at 190 set in 1998-99.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (6-12, 4-2 WAC)
Has won four of its last six games after beginning the season with a 2-10 record ... faces Nevada in its next game and has lost nine in a row against the Pack ... led just once in the Bulldogs’ 73-71 overtime win against New Mexico State ... Trey McDowell’s 33 points against the Aggies ties two others (Hawai?i’s Matt Lojeski and Nevada’s Marcelus Kemp) for the most scored by a WAC player this year ... Harry Disy just missed a double-double against Idaho with 11 rebounds and nine points ... the Bulldogs are tied for third in the WAC, but have the league’s third worst overall record ... is 19-4 in non-conference home games since joining the WAC before the 2001-02 season.
Nevada Wolf Pack (17-2, 5-1 WAC)
The loss at New Mexico State snapped Nevada’s 13-game winning streak in contests away from home ... Ramon Sessions tied his career-high with 23 points in the loss ... its 5-1 WAC start matches its best ever ... has beaten its next opponent (Louisiana Tech) nine straight times ... has won 18 of its last 19 home games ... has won 31 of its last 34 games ... leads the WAC in scoring margin (+10.8), rebounding margin (+6.4) and three-point field goal percentage (.419) ... Fazekas has posted a double-double in 12 games this season and 53 in his career ... he has scored 20 or more points 56 times and has scored in double figures in 47 straight games played ... senior G Kyle Shiloh is tied for the WAC lead in steals (1.74 spg).
New Mexico State Aggies (15-4, 5-1 WAC)
Has won 14 of its last 15 games ... the win over No. 13 Nevada was its first over a ranked team since beating No. 12 New Mexico on Jan. 19, 1999 ... the loss to Louisiana Tech snapped its 13-game winning streak, tied for the third longest in school history ... Hatila Passos had 14 points and 10 rebounds in that game against Tech ... is 4-3 in games decided by five points or less ... is 21-4 at home under head coach Reggie Theus ... is 6-2 when trailing at the half this season ... NMSU leads the WAC in scoring with 81.2 points per game ... has reached 100 points in three games this season ... leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.490), steals (7.58) and turnover margin (+1.74) ... junior G Fred Peete is tied for the WAC lead in steals (1.74 spg).
San Jose State Spartans (2-16, 1-5 WAC)
Played Fresno State for the second time in three games and again scored 64 points in a three-point contest but lost on Monday, 67-64 ... has lost 16 of its last 17 games against the Bulldogs ... Menelik Barbary had 16 points and 12 rebounds against Fresno State after scoring 16 points and grabbing just two boards in his last game against Utah State ... Carlton Spencer is averaging 15.6 ppg in his eight games since returning to the Spartans this season ... its schedule is ranked the third toughest in the nation according to Sagarin ... 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 (793 games).
Utah State Aggies (15-5, 4-2 WAC)
Trailed by 13 late in the second half against Boise State but came back, and on a Chaz Spicer three-point play with seven seconds left, won 80-79 ... won its second straight one-point game at SJSU on Saturday, 57-56 ... leads the WAC in FT% (.772) ... junior G Jaycee Carroll leads the WAC in scoring (21.1 ppg) and FT% (.933) ... he has scored in double figures in 21 straight games, the second longest active streak in the WAC ... USU is 11-0 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 120-11 at home under Stew Morrill.