PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Utah State senior guard Jaycee Carroll has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for Jan. 14-20. This is the fourth career WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior and his second this season.
Carroll, a senior from Evanston, Wyo. (Evanston HS), led Utah State to a pair of home wins against Boise State (82-78) and Idaho (79-64) last weekend. Against the Broncos, Carroll scored a game-high 29 points, going 9-of-14 from the field, 5-of-9 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Carroll, who scored 19 of his points in the second-half, also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the game.
Against Idaho, Carroll became Utah State’s all-time leading scorer as he had 21 points in the contest on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the foul line. He also added six rebounds and three assists against the Vandals. For the week, Carroll averaged 25.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 60.7 percent from the field (17-28), 61.5 percent from three-point range (8-13) and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
The other nominations were senior forward Tyler Tiedeman, Boise State; senior guard Matt Gibson, Hawai?i; sophomore guard Kyle Gibson, Louisiana Tech and junior guard DaShawn Wright, San Jose State.
WEEK FOUR OF WAC PLAY ? The WAC has one remaining undefeated team in conference play, Utah State. This week, the Aggies will take on the Aggies of New Mexico State. The game will be featured on ESPN2 on Jan. 26. Utah State will also take on Louisiana Tech on the road, while New Mexico State will also face Nevada. Boise State will face red-hot Hawai?i in its only game of the week. Idaho looks to break a three-game losing streak, hosting San Jose State and Hawai?i.
COACH MORRILL BREAKS RECORD ? Last week was without a doubt one of the most historic weeks in Aggie Basketball history as Stew Morrill became the school’s all-time winningest coach on Thursday and senior guard Jaycee Carroll became the school’s all-time scoring leader on Saturday. Morrill passed E. Lowell Romney’s (1920-41) 225 career wins, while Carroll passed Greg Grant’s (1983-86) 2,127 career points.
BRONCOS OFF TO BEST START SINCE ?98-’99 SEASON ? Boise State’s 13-5 start is one of the eight best starts to a season in school history and the best by a Bronco team since the Broncos started 13-5 during the 1998-99 season. Boise State’s best start came during the 1987-88 season when the team won 16 of its first 18 games. Through the first 18 games, only the ?87-’88 team, the ?88-’89 team (15-3) the 69-70 team (14-4) and the ?94-’95 team (14-4) have put together a better start. In addition to the ?98-’99 team, the 92-93 team and the 86-87 team matched this year’s 13-5 start. Of those seven other Boise State teams, two qualified for the NCAA Tournament (?87-’88 and ?92-’93), two were selected to play in the NIT (?88-’89 and ?86-’87) and one played in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (?69-’70). The ?98-’99 team did not play in the postseason despite winning the Big West East Division Championship and advancing to the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament.
CARROLL BECOMES USU’S ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER ? Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll became Utah State’s all-time leading scorer on Jan. 19, 2007 at home against Idaho as he made a three-pointer from the left wing with 13:35 to play in the first-half to eclipse Greg Grant’s (1983-86) record of 2,127 points. Carroll now has 2,147 career points and is one of just three players in school history to score 2,000 points along with Grant and Wayne Estes (1963-65) who scored 2,001 career points.
NEVADA-UTAH STATE RESCHEDULE GAME ? The postponed men’s basketball game between Nevada and Utah State has been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 11.
The game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 5, was postponed due to high winds and snowfall in the Reno area over the weekend. The Utah State men’s basketball team was unable to travel to Reno the day prior to the game due to the weather conditions. Tip-off for the Feb. 11 game is set for 7:05 p.m. at Lawlor Events Center in Reno.
The Wolf Pack will play three games that week, taking on the Aggies on Monday evening and traveling to Boise State on Thursday, Feb. 14 and to Idaho on Saturday, Feb. 16. Utah State also will take on Hawai?i in Honolulu on Feb. 16. Fans who already purchased tickets for the Utah State game should use their existing tickets for the rescheduled game. Fans with questions should call or visit the Wolf Pack Ticket Office at Legacy Hall at 775-348-PACK (7225).
WAC STRIKES A DEAL WITH GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT ? Athletic director Dr. Steve Cobb announced that the University of Alaska Anchorage Athletic Department has signed a scheduling agreement with the Western Athletic Conference for the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.
Under the 5-year deal, the WAC will send one men’s team per year to the prestigious college basketball tournament, starting with the 31st annual Shootout in 2008.
"This is a great opportunity for the WAC and its basketball programs,” said WAC commissioner Karl Benson. “This tournament has a national tradition that attracts top-caliber teams that we are excited to be a part of. We also appreciate the national attention that is delivered by the exposure from ESPN.”
The 2008 Shootout will be played Nov. 26-29 at Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena.
WAC ON ESPN ? The WAC has a multi-year contract with ESPN for coverage of WAC football and basketball. Utah State will play at New Mexico State on ESPN2 on Jan. 26.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING ? Utah State has won nine-straight games, which is tied with Wisconsin for the seventh-longest active winning streak in the nation. Kansas has the longest winning streak at 18 games, followed by Memphis (17), Drake (15), Indiana (12), South Alabama (11) and Tennessee (11). Utah State’s nine-game winning streak is its longest since the 2003-04 team won 17-straight games. It is also the third-longest winning streak under head coach Stew Morrill behind the 1999-2000 team that won 19 straight games and the 2003-04 team that won 17 straight. Overall, it is tied for the 10th-longest winning streak in school history.
O’REILLY ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS ? For the sixth year in a row, the WAC has partnered with ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences for the O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters, a weekend men’s basketball event matching potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. All nine WAC teams will be a part of this year’s pool of teams. The event will be held February 22-24, and ESPN2 and ESPNU will present 11 games. The match-ups for Bracket Buster Saturday will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences about three weeks before the event.
FRESNO STATE PACKING THE STANDS ? Fresno State is leading the WAC in home attendance, nearly 2,000 more fans per more game than the No. 2 program in the league, Utah State. The Save Mart Center has seen an average of 10,465 fans per game through seven games. The Aggies average 8,592 per contest. Last season, the Dogs ranked No. 33 in the NCAA in attendance average at more than 11,000 fans per game.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION ? Boise State is still first in the nation in field-goal percentage (.522). Utah State is fourth in the nation in free throw percentage (.786) behind IUPUI which is first (.794). Individually, Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll is now third in the nation in free throw percentage (.936) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.517). Boise State’s Tyler Tiedeman is sixth in three point field goal percentage (.506). Nevada’s JaVale McGee is ninth in the country in blocked shots (3.1 bpg). Boise State’s Matt Nelson is fifth in field goal percentage (.657), while teammate Reggie Larry is 25th (.584).
DOUBLE TROUBLE ? Nevada has seen three different players turn in its six double-doubles this season, led by sophomore JaVale McGee who has four. Most recently, McGee turned in 10 points and 12 rebounds Jan. 12 at Hawai’i. He had 18 points and 11 rebounds Dec. 31 against Cal State Stanislaus, turned in 15 points and a career-best 18 rebounds Dec. 16 vs. UCF and nabbed his first career double-double Nov. 24 at UNLV, matching his career best with 20 points and pulling down a then career-high 13 rebounds. McGee has just missed two other double-doubles with 19 points and nine rebounds Nov. 28 vs. Cal and 11 points and nine rebounds Dec. 19 vs. Colorado State. Senior Marcelus Kemp tallied his second career double-double with 20 points and a career-high tying 12 rebounds Dec. 1 at Pacific, while senior Demarshay Johnson turned in his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 boards Nov. 13 at UC Irvine.
WAC TOURNAMENT TO RETURN TO RENO IN 2009 ? Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson announced that the WAC Board of Directors awarded the 2009 and 2010 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments to the University of Nevada and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority. The tournaments will be held in the 11,485-seat Lawlor Events Center, located on the campus of the University of Nevada. The WAC tournaments were last held in Reno in 2006. The 2007 tournaments were held in Las Cruces, New Mexico at New Mexico State University, as will the 2008 tournaments before returning to Reno in 2009.
ROAD WARRIORS ? One of the top road teams in the WAC this season to date, San Jose State seeks its fifth road win in 2007-08. The Spartans (4-4) and Boise State (7-2) are the only WAC teams with a .500 or better road mark this season. The last time a Spartan team won five road games in a season was in 2000-01.
NEW MEXICO STATE TO HOST 2008 WAC TOURNAMENT ? Las Cruces and New Mexico State University will host the 2008 WAC Tournament, March 11-15. It will be the second year in a row that the event will be held at the Pan American Center. The tournament features all nine men’s and women’s teams.
SUPER SENIORS ? The WAC seniors are leading the way offensivley this season. Eight of the top 10 leading scorers in the league are seniors. Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll leads the way, averaging 21.6 ppg. The guard is the only player in the WAC averaging over 20 ppg. Boise State’s senior duo of Reggie Larry (19.0 ppg) and Matt Nelson (15.8 ppg) are third and tied for seventh, respectively in the league in scoring. There is just one underclassman in the top 10 in scoring, Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson (15.3) which is good enough for ninth in the WAC. New Mexico State’s Justin Hawkins is the only junior in the top 10. He is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.6 ppg.
TEAM LEADERS ? The WAC has seven schools with players who lead their team in two of three statistical categories (points-rebounds-assists). Idaho’s Jordan Brooks is the only player to lead in all three categories.
Reggie Larry, Sr., F, Boise State (19.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg)
Kevin Bell, Sr., G, Fresno State (17.4 ppg, 5.8 apg)
Bobby Nash, Sr., G/F, Hawai?i (15.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
Jordan Brooks, Jr., F, Idaho (12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.0 apg)
Kyle Gibson, So., G, Louisiana Tech (15.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
Justin Graham, Fr., G, San Jose State (12.2 ppg, 3.1 apg)
NEVADA TOP TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Over the last four-seasons dating back to 2004-05, Nevada has turned in a 91-25 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.784 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 45 games, the most in that same time period. The top three teams in wins (both overall and WAC) over the last four seasons:
Overall Record (Pct.) WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 91-25 (.784) 1. Nevada 45-9 (.833)
2. Utah State 84-34 (.712) 2. New Mexico St. 25-12 (.676)
3. Hawai?i 58-47 (.552) 3. Utah State 24-12 (.667)
UTAH STATE’S CARROLL RE-WRITING RECORD BOOKS ? Senior guard Jaycee Carroll continues to put his name at the top of Utah State’s records book as he is now the school’s all-time leader in points scored (2,147), three-pointers made (316), three-point percentage (.463), 10-point games (105), games started (116), and total minutes played (3,977). Overall, Carroll currently holds six school records, which is tied with Marvin Roberts (1969-71) for the most in school history. With 13 regular season games still to play for Carroll, he will likely break the school’s all-time record for field goals made and attempted, three-pointers attempted and total games played, which would give him 10 school records.
Boise State Broncos (13-5, 4-2 WAC)
Boise State is averaging a WAC-best 82.3 points through its first 18 games ... the Broncos are 7.1 points ahead of New Mexico State in scoring ... the Broncos also lead the WAC in scoring margin (+8.7), field goal percentage (52.2 percent), three-point field goal percentage (39.0 percent), steals (7.56/game) and assists (18.33/game) ... Boise State continues to rank among the nation’s best in field goal percentage, scoring, three-point field goal percentage, assists and assist-to-turnover ratio ... the Broncos lead the nation in field goal percentage heading into Thursday’s home game against Hawai?i.
Fresno State Bulldogs (9-10, 2-3 WAC)
After playing four of their first five WAC games on the road, the Fresno State Bulldogs begin a home stand this week that sees them hosting four of the next five games at the Save Mart Center ... Fresno State’s lone game this week is against arch-rival San Jose State on Saturday ... senior Kevin Bell is second in the WAC in assists, averaging 5.84 apg ... Bell has a total of 111 assists this season ... Bell is also fifth in scoring, averaging 17.5 ppg ... senior guard Eddie Miller continues to lead the Western Athletic Conference in three point goals made per game (3.21) ... Miller has 61 treys this season and ranks ninth in the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.404).
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (7-10, 3-2 WAC)
Hawai?i heads to Idaho for a pair of road games, beginning with a meeting versus Boise State on Thursday Jan. 24 ... UH stands in fourth place in the WAC record with a 3-2 record ... the Rainbow Warriors are coming off a three-game home stand, winning its last two versus San Jose State and Fresno State ... it marked the first time this year that UH has won back-to-back games ... UH now takes on a high-octane Boise State squad that averages a league-high 82.3 points per game ... senior Bobby Nash is fourth in the nation in assist turnover ratio (3.44) ... Nash is one of six WAC athletes to rank in the top 10 in the nation in an individual category.
Idaho Vandals (4-13, 1-5 WAC)
Idaho looks to get back on track after losing three-straight games ... Jordan Brooks is one of seven players in Division I who lead their team in scoring, rebounds and assists ... Brooks is first in the WAC in steals, averaging 2.24 spg ... the junior is also fifth in assists (4.00 apg) ... the Vandals are scoring 76.5 points per game at home this season and limiting opponents to just 69.6 points ... Jordan Brooks, Michael Crowell, Trevor Morris and Mike Hall all average double-digits for scoring in eight home games ... Jordan Brooks currently is ranked No. 31 in the nation for steals per game (2.2 spg).
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-13, 0-4 WAC)
Louisiana Tech is looking to break its four-game losing streak this week ... last week, the Bulldogs fell to New Mexico State in its only game ... this week, Louisiana Tech will host Utah State and Nevada ... the Bulldogs will look to hand the Aggies their first WAC loss of the season ... first-year head coach Kerry Rupp is in search of his first WAC win ... Kyle Gibson is having a stellar sophomore campaign ... Gibson is the only underclassmen in the WAC to be in the top 10 in scoring (15.3.) and is eighth in the league in rebounding (6.1 rpg).
Nevada Wolf Pack (10-7, 2-2 WAC)
True freshman Armon Johnson matched his career best with 23 points Jan. 17 vs. Idaho, marking the third time in five games that he led the team in scoring, and added his third 20-point game with 20 points Saturday vs. Boise State ... Johnson has turned in 16.8 points per game over the last six contests (101 points) ... as a team, Nevada made a season-best nine three-pointers Saturday but allowed Boise State to knock down 13, a season high for a Wolf Pack opponent ... the team also allowed the Broncos to shoot 54.4 percent from the field, also a season best for a Nevada foe ... the Wolf Pack has gotten just two points from its bench in the last two games.
New Mexico State Aggies (10-10, 4-1 WAC)
Freshman forward Herb Pope had nine rebounds in his long-awaited college debut and sparked a first-half rally that helped New Mexico State beat Louisiana Tech ... Pope, a prep All-American last year, missed the Aggies’ first 19 games after being ruled academically ineligible due to an alternative education program he took in high school ... he challenged the ruling in court, a state district judge last month ordered an end to the ban and he was recently cleared to play by the NCAA ... the Aggies are 17th in the nation in rebound margin (7.3) ... Justin Hawkins is fourth in the WAC in scoring (17.6 ppg) and third in the WAC in rebounding (7.8).
San Jose State Spartans (9-8, 2-3 WAC)
For the first time since the 1990 and 1991 seasons, San Jose State recorded successive homecourt victories over Fresno State ... the Spartans edged the Bulldogs, 64-61 in 2007 and 69-65 on January 17, 2008 ... for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, San Jose State is above .500 after 17 games ... the 2000 Spartans were 10-7 ... since then, only the 2001 San Jose State team, 8-9 after 17 games, had more than five victories after 17 games ... three of the top five steal leaders in the WAC are from San Jose State ... freshman Justin Graham is fourth, averaging 1.75 spg and junior DaShawn Wright is fifth, averaging 1.71 spg.
Utah State Aggies (14-5, 4-0 WAC)
With its 4-0 WAC record, Utah State is off to its best conference start since the 2003-04 season when that team won its first 12 Big West Conference games ... under head coach Stew Morrill, Utah State is 61-54 (.530) on the road, which includes a 44-32 (.579) road record in conference games ... USU is also 116-40 (.744) in conference play under Morrill, which includes a 24-12 (.667) WAC record ... Utah State is fourth in the nation in free throw percentage (.786) ... Utah State all-time leading scorer, Jaycee Carroll is third in the WAC in free throw percentage (.936) and fourth in three point field goal percentage (.517).