PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Fresno State forward Dominic McGuire, a junior from San Diego, Calif. (California), recorded a triple-double in Fresno State’s 68-65 win over San Diego on Saturday. He had 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in 37 minutes. McGuire was 4-of-6 from the field and added four assists and a steal. It was the first triple-double for a Fresno State player since 1994 and the first ever points, rebounds, blocked shots triple-double in school history. It was also the first for a WAC player since Rice’s Jason McKrieth accomplished it in 2004. It was the first triple-double involving blocks since Wyoming’s Theo Ratliff had one in 1995. McGuire helped the Bulldogs finish non-conference play 11-2 and snapped San Diego’s seven-game winning streak. It is McGuire’s second career WAC Player of the Week award and third for a Bulldog player this year.
Others nominated:
Riley Luettgerodt, Jr., G/F, Hawai?i - posted career-highs in both points (17) and rebounds (13) in a 66-53 victory over Tennessee-Martin. It was his first career double-double. He was 7-of-11 from the field and also had one block and one assist.
Chad McKenzie, Sr., F, Louisiana Tech - scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in a loss at Arkansas.
Ramon Sessions, Jr., G, Nevada - averaged 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in a pair of wins over Maine and Gonzaga last week. He was 9-of-14 from the field and made all eight of his free throw attempts. Against Gonzaga, he scored all 20 of his points in the second half and added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Stephen DuCharme, Jr., F, Utah State - scored a game-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and added three rebounds, one block and one assists in a win over Cal State Bakersfield.
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 eight conference games will be available this week. Go to www.wac.tv to sign up or login.
CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS ? WAC action begins this week with four games on both Thursday and Saturday nights. Three-time defending regular-season champion Nevada opens its defense of its title when it hosts Idaho on Saturday night. The Wolf Pack had the WAC’s best non-conference record in November and December (12-1) and are ranked 15th in the coaches’ poll. Nevada was picked to win the WAC in the preseason while New Mexico State was voted second. The Aggies have a nine-game winning streak and host another hot team, Hawai?i, on Thursday night. The Rainbow Warriros have won five in a row.
FOUR TEAMS WITH AT LEAST 10 WINS ? Going into WAC play, the WAC already has four teams with at least 10 victories. Nevada leads the WAC with 12 while Fresno State has 11. Both New Mexico State and Utah State have 10 each. Hawai?i fell just short of that mark in non-conference play, winning nine of its first 13 games. Only seven other conferences in the nation have more teams with double-figure wins.
WALLACE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT ? Hawai?i’s Riley Wallace announced last week that he will step down as head coach following the conclusion of this season. Wallace, 65, is in his 20th season with the Rainbow Warriors and is 325-256 (.559).
NEW MEXICO STATE WITH 9-GAME WINNING STREAK ? New Mexico State has the WAC’s longest active winning streak at nine 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 for the seventh longest in the nation. Both Hawai?i and Nevada have won five in row, tied for the second longest in the WAC.
FAZEKAS SECOND IN NATION IN REBOUNDING ? Nevada senior forward Nick Fazekas dropped to second in the nation in rebounding with 12.4 boards per contest. Arkansas-Little Rock’s Rashad Jones-Jennings is first with 12.7 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 is 21st in the AP poll and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. The ranking of 15th is the highest for a WAC team since Tulsa was 14th on March 7, 2000. No other teams received votes in either poll.
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 (2,084-1st); Boise State senior guard Coby Karl (1,404-6th); Utah State junior guard Jaycee Carroll (1,265-19th); Fresno State senior guard Ja’Vance Coleman (1,138-21st); and New Mexico State senior guard Elijah Ingram (1,118-scored 607 points at St. John’s). New Mexico State’s Tyrone Nelson is next on the list with 968 points.
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 (14.9 ppg, 4.2 apg)
Matt Lojeski, Sr., G, Hawai?i (17.8 ppg, 5.1 apg)
Chad McKenzie, Sr., F, La. Tech (12.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
Nick Fazekas, Sr., F, Nevada (20.9 ppg, 12.4 rpg)
Justin Hawkins, Jr., G/F, New Mexico State (17.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
Menelik Barbary, Sr., C, San Jose State (11.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
NEVADA TOP TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Since the start of the 2003-04 season, Nevada is 89-23 (.795), the best record of any WAC team during that time. In conference games, Nevada has won 42 games, the most in that same time period.
NEW MEXICO STATE OWNS WAC’S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAKS ? New Mexico State has won 12 home games in row, tied for the longest active winning streak in the WAC and tied for the 18th longest in the nation. Nevada begins conference play this week with the longest home winning streak in WAC games only at five straight.
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 42-11 (.792) at home this season. On the road and in neutral site games, the WAC is 21-38 (.356).
NON-CONFERENCE MARK ? The WAC is 63-49 (.563) in non-conference games, including a 60-49 (.550) 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.
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 (6-5, 0-0 WAC)
Reggie Larry scored six points in the last game against Idaho State, snapping his streak of scoring in double figures at nine games ... Coby Karl had a game-high 14 points in that contest and was 4-of-13 from the field, all of the shots coming from behind the three-point line ... the Broncos had its streak of scoring at least 80 points in a game snapped at four in a row in a 54-45 win over Idaho State last week ... senior G Coby Karl has started 79 consecutive games, the second longest current streak in the WAC ... junior Matt Nelson leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.626) ... is the only team in the WAC that returns all five starters from last season ... is 24-2 when scoring 80 or more points under head coach Greg Graham.
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-2, 0-0 WAC)
Dominic McGuire’s 10 blocks against San Diego were the most for a WAC player since Fresno State’s Mustafa Al-Sayyad had a school-record 11 on Feb. 19, 2005 ... the Bulldogs set a school record with 15 blocks against San Diego, breaking the record of 14 set against San Diego State in 1997 ... is 11-0 when four players score in double figures ... leads the WAC in scoring margin (+12.8), scoring defense (62.9 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.364), blocked shots (6.77 bpg) and three-point field goals made per game (9.77) ... junior G Kevin Bell leads the WAC in assists with 5.7 per game ... Dominic McGuire leads the WAC in blocks with 3.4 per contest ... Hector Hernandez leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.544).
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (9-4, 0-0 WAC)
Has won five games in a row ... included in the streak is a title in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic (its 11th in 43 tournaments) ... senior Matt Lojeski was named the tournament’s MVP while Ahmet Gueye was voted to the all-tournament team ... is 10-9 in WAC openers under head coach Riley Wallace ... has lost 23 of its last 28 road games dating back to the 2003-04 season ... Hawai?i is 10-1 when Lojeski has scored 20 or more points in his career ... UH is 9-0 when leading at the half and 0-4 when trailing ... the Rainbow Warriors are also 9-0 when scoring 60 or more points and 0-4 when held below that mark ... UH has posted seven consecutive winning seasons ... has won seven straight OT games dating back to the 2002-03 season.
Idaho Vandals (2-10, 0-0 WAC)
Snapped a nine-game losing streak with its 72-67 win over South Dakota State ... five players scored in double figures for the Vandals led by Trevor Morris who scored 16 off the bench ... after starting the season with the same starting lineup through seven games, Idaho has used different starting lineups in each of its last five contests ... Keoni Watson has scored in double figures in all but two games this season ... Darin Nagle is averaging 14.3 points per contest since becoming eligible three games ago ... has not allowed its opponents to score 100 points in a game for 443 contests, the longest such streak in the WAC ... has made a three-point field goal in 265 consecutive games (since Feb. 27, 1997).
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-10, 0-0 WAC)
The 2-10 start is the worst for Louisiana Tech since going 1-14 to start the 1993-94 season ... the Bulldogs are the only team in the WAC with just one player averaging in double figures (Chad McKenzie-12.3 ppg) ... McKenzie was the only Bulldog to score in double figures (16 points) in the 80-50 loss against Arkansas, but nine other players did get on the board ... Harry Disy had three points to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds ... Tech is last in the WAC in scoring with 58.5 points per game ... is 19-4 in non-conference home games since joining the WAC before the 2001-02 season.
Nevada Wolf Pack (12-1, 0-0 WAC)
Is off to its best start in 55 years (14-0 in 1951-52) ... has won 11 straight regular season games away from home ... has won 15 of its last 16 home games ... has won 26 of its last 28 games dating back to last season ... Nick Fazekas has posted a double-double in 10 games this season and has 51 in his career ... Fazekas has scored 20 or more points 54 times in his career and has scored in double figures in 43 straight games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... he has started 84 straight games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... junior Marcelus Kemp leads the WAC in three-point field goals made per game (2.7) ... Nevada has won at least 25 games in each of the past three seasons.
New Mexico State Aggies (10-3, 0-0 WAC)
Has won nine straight after losing three in a row ... it is its first nine-game winning streak since winning 13 straight in 1993-94 ... its 10-3 start is its best since going 11-3 to start the 1999-00 season ... is the only team in the WAC with five players averaging double figures in scoring ... leads the WAC in scoring and is fourth nationally with 84.0 points per game ... has reached 100 points in three games this season ... leads the WAC in field goal percentage (.520), steals (7.54) and turnover margin (+1.46) ... junior G Fred Peete leads the WAC in steals (1.9 spg) ... 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 (1-11, 0-0 WAC)
In its 77-104 loss against Cal State Fullerton, the Spartans allowed 100 points for the first time in 192 games ... trailed 36-33 early in the second half at Duke before losing 70-51 ... is 1-11 for the first time since going 1-20 to start the 1994-95 season ... has lost 20 of its last 21 games ... its 11 opponents (played Long Beach State twice) are a combined 99-49 ... has never won a WAC opener in 10 previous tries ... is in the midst of an eight-night road trip, the third longest in school history, and will travel 6,460 miles, the most of any road trip ... 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 (787 games).
Utah State Aggies (10-3, 0-0 WAC)
Head coach Stew Morrill picked up his 200th win at Utah State following the Aggies’ 65-49 victory over Cal State Bakersfield ... has won 43 straight non-conference regular season home games, second only to Duke (51) ... leads the WAC in free throw percentage (.765) ... junior G Jaycee Carroll leads the WAC in scoring (21.1 ppg) and free throw percentage (.905) ... he has scored in double figures in 14 straight games, the second longest active streak in the WAC ... 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 115-11 at home under Stew Morrill.