PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Idaho junior guard Mike Hall has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for Jan. 21-27. This is the first career WAC Player of the Week honor for the junior and the first ever for the Vandals since joining the conference.
Hall, a junior from Troy, Ohio (Lon Morris College), hit a school-record nine three-pointers against San Jose State, shooting 9-of-10 from beyond the arc vs. the Spartans to rank second all-time at Idaho for single-game three-point field goal percentage. He hit 10-of-11 shots against San Jose State to tie for third all-time at Idaho for single-game field goal percentage. Hall was one shy of tying Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll’s WAC record of three-pointers set last season. He led the Vandals with 20.5 points per game. The Vandals now have more WAC wins than in the past two years combined.
The other nominations were senior guard Matt Bauscher, Boise State; senior guard Eddie Miller, Fresno State; senior guard Matt Gibson, Hawai?i; sophomore guard Kyle Gibson, Louisiana Tech; freshman guard Armon Johnson, Nevada; senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins, New Mexico State and freshman guard Tyler Newbold, Utah State.
WEEK FIVE OF WAC PLAY ? Utah State looks to get back on track this week after suffering its first conference loss last week against New Mexico State. The Aggies have the tough task of taking on Nevada in Logan on Feb. 2. The Wolf Pack will also take on Fresno State on Jan. 31. Boise State already defeated Fresno State earlier this week and will also face Idaho at home on Saturday night.
O’REILLY’S BRACKETBUSTERS MATCHUPS ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK ? 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 BracketBuster Saturday will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences about three weeks before the event. The matchups will be announced on Feb. 4.
WAC Home Teams WAC Road Teams
Boise State Hawai?i
Fresno State Idaho
Louisiana Tech Nevada
New Mexico State San Jose State
Utah State
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION ? Boise State has shown massive fire power the last three games, scoring at least 90 points in its last three wins. On Monday, the Broncos defeated Fresno State 90-89 in overtime. In its two previous games Boise State won by 95-80 scores. After the Fresno State game on Monday, Boise State is now shooting .519 from the field and .401 from three-point territory.
COACH MORRILL BREAKS RECORD ? Two week ago 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 15-5 start is one of the seven best starts to a season in school history and the best by a Bronco team since the Broncos started 14-5 during the 1998-99 season. Boise State’s best starts came during the 1987-88 and the 1988-89 seasons when the team won 16 of its first 19 games. Through the first 19 games, only the 87-88 team, the 88-89 team, the 69-70 team (15-4) and the 94-95 team (15-4) 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 14-5 start.
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 2,180 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. On Jan. 26, New Mexico State defeated Utah State on ESPN2.
HAWAI?I’S GIBSON AND NASH NEARING MILESTONES ? Two Rainbow Warriors are looking to join elite company. Senior point guard Matt Gibson has 950 points and needs just 50 points to reach the 1000-point barrier. With 897 career points, fellow senior Bobby Nash is also on pace to reach 1000 career points by year’s end. Only 12 players in program history have scored 1000 career points. The last player to surpass the milestone was Julian Sensley during the 2005-06 season.
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 10,473 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 (.520). Utah State is third in the nation in free throw percentage (.783) behind Florida State which is first (.791). Individually, Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll is now second in the nation in free throw percentage (.929) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.512). Boise State’s Tyler Tiedeman is third in three point field goal percentage (.516). Nevada’s JaVale McGee is 10thin the country in blocked shots (3.1 bpg). Boise State’s Matt Nelson is third in field goal percentage (.667), while teammate Reggie Larry is 34th (.566).
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 doubledouble 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.
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. Nine of the top 10 leading scorers in the league are seniors. Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll leads the way, averaging 21.1 ppg. The guard is the only player in the WAC averaging over 20 ppg. Boise State’s senior duo of Reggie Larry (18.8 ppg) and Matt Nelson (15.9 ppg) are third and seventh, respectively in the league in scoring. There is just one underclassman in the top 10 in scoring, Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson (15.5) which is good enough for eighth 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 17.9 ppg.
TEAM LEADERS ? The WAC has six 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 (18.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg)
Kevin Bell, Sr., G, Fresno State (17.7 ppg, 6.0 apg)
Jordan Brooks, Jr., F, Idaho (13.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.2 apg)
Kyle Gibson, So., G, Louisiana Tech (15.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Justin Hawkins, Sr., G/F, New Mexico State (17.9 ppg, 7.8 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 93-25 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.788 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 47 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 93-25 (.788) 1. Nevada 47-9 (.839)
2. Utah State 85-35 (.708) 2. New Mexico St. 26-13 (.667)
3. Hawai?i 59-48 (.551) 3. Utah State 25-13 (.658)
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 (2,180), three-pointers made (321), 10-point games (107) and games started (118). Overall, Carroll currently holds six school records, which is tied with Marvin Roberts (1969-71) for the most in school history. With 11 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.
SPREADING THE WEALTH ? Four members of the Wolf Pack are averaging in doubles figures for scoring this year, led by senior guard Marcelus Kemp who ranks second in the WAC and 52nd in the nation at 18.9 points per game. Kemp has led the team in scoring in 11 of 19 games this year, including nine of the last 15. Freshman Armon Johnson and sophomore JaVale McGee are tied for second on the team and 13th in the WAC with 12.6 points per game, while sophomore Brandon Fields is turning in 12.2 points per contest. McGee scored a career-high 20 Nov. 19 at UC Irvine, while Fields turned in a career-best 22 Dec. 16 vs. UCF. Johnson has matched his career high with 23 points twice (Dec. 27 at then top-ranked North Carolina and Jan. 17 vs. Idaho). Nevada saw all five of its starters score in double figures for the first time this year on Dec. 12 vs. the Toreros, while it had five players in double figures again Dec. 31 vs. Cal State Stanislaus. The team has seen at least four players in double figures in a total of nine games this year (UC Irvine, Montana State, UCF, Hawai’i, Idaho, Boise State, NMSU and La Tech).
Boise State Broncos (15-5, 6-2 WAC)
Senior Reggie Larry scored a career-high 27 points, including the winning layup with 6.1 seconds left in overtime, and Boise State rallied to defeat Fresno State 90-89 on Monday night ... Tyler Tiedeman added 23 points for the Broncos ... in the Jan. 27 NCAA statistics, the Broncos are still first in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting .520 ... the hot-shooting Broncos are led by senior Matt Nelson who is third in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting .667 ... fellow senior Reggie Larry is 34th (.566) ... the Broncos also have a hot shooter from behind the arc ... Tyley Tiedeman is third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.516).
Fresno State Bulldogs (10-11, 3-4 WAC)
Despite the efforts of Bulldog seniors Eddie Miller and Kevin Bell, Fresno State could not hold off Boise State on Monday ... Eddie Miller scored a career-high 30 points and Kevin Bell added 26 and eight assists for the Bulldogs, who overcame a double-digit deficit late in the game to force overtime ... the Bulldogs will next take on Nevada at Reno ... last week, Miller scored 27 points in a win against San Jose State ... the Bulldogs are 10th in the nation in turnover per game, averaging only 11.7 a game ... Bell is first on the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 17.7 ppg.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (8-11, 4-3 WAC)
This week, the Warriors will take on New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech at home ... this will be the eighth all-time meeting between the teams with New Mexico State winning six of the seven previous meetings ... Hawai?i’s lone win against the Aggies came at home, 61-56, in 2006 ... New Mexico State has won the last three meetings between the teams ... Hawai?i continues to hang tough in the WAC race with a road split last weekend at Boise State and Idaho ... the Rainbow Warriors are currently in fifth place in the WAC, but just 1.5 games out of first place ... senior Bobby Nash is seventh in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.17).
Idaho Vandals (5-14, 2-6 WAC)
Mike Hall used a prolific shooting performance vs. San Jose State to earn his way onto three Idaho school records lists ... he set the single-game school record with nine three-pointers and currently ranks second all-time for three-point field goal percentage at .900 (9-of-10) ... he also hit 10-of-11 (.909) field goals to tie for third all-time at Idaho and fell just one 3-pointer shy of tying the WAC record ... with two wins, Idaho has surpassed its WAC win total from each of the past two seasons ... the team has also eclipsed four wins for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-15, 0-6 WAC)
Louisiana Tech is looking to break its six-game losing streak this week ... last week, the Bulldogs fell to Utah State and Nevada ... this week, Louisiana Tech will travel to Honolulu to take on Hawai?i ... in conference only statistics, sophomore Kyle Gibson is second in scoring, averaging 19.2 ppg ... Gibson is also seventh in free throw percentage (.816) ... Gibson has also added two double-doubles this season.
Nevada Wolf Pack (12-7, 4-2 WAC)
The Wolf Pack shot 58.7 percent from the field in last week’s wins at New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech (61-104), including a season-high 61.2 percent from the field against the Bulldogs ... the team has also topped the 80-point mark in each of its last three games and is 5-1 this year when scoring 80 or more points ... Armon Johnson has scored at least 20 points in three of the last four games and has turned in four 20-point contests this season ... he matched his career best with 23 points Jan. 17 vs. Idaho and turned in 20 points Jan. 19 vs. Boise State and Jan. 24 at New Mexico State ... Johnson has averaged 16.6 points per game over the last eight contests (133 points).
New Mexico State Aggies (11-11, 5-2 WAC)
The Aggies travel to Hawai’i to meet the Rainbow Warriors, Thursday, Jan. 31, after defeating Utah State, 100-70, Jan. 26 in Las Cruces ... senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins had a game-high 23 points while sophomore guard Jonathan Gibson tied his career high with 22 ... NMSU snapped Utah State’s 10-game winning streak ... freshman guard Jahmar Young had 19 points and Hawkins scored 18 as the Aggies fell to Nevada, 87-78, Jan. 24 in Las Cruces ... it was NMSU’s first conference home loss of the season ... Hawkins is fourth in the WAC in scoring, averaging, 17.9 ppg ... Hawkins is also third in the conference in rebounding, averaging 7.8 rpg.
San Jose State Spartans (9-10, 2-5 WAC)
San Jose State can end January at the .500 plateau or higher for the first time since the 1999-2000 season with a win over Cal State Bakersfield ... in 1999-2000, the Spartans ended January 2000 with an 11-9 win-loss
record ... with its next victory, San Jose State can record its first 10-win season since 2001-02 when the Spartans were 10-22 ... the Spartans are still without starter Justin Graham who will not return to action until mid-February due to an elbow injury in the first half of the Hawai?i game ... Graham was among the WAC leaders in free throw percentage (6th, .802) and assists (9th, 3.13) and steals (4th, 1.75 spg).
Utah State Aggies (15-6, 5-1 WAC)
Utah State had its season-high 10-game winnning streak snapped on the road at New Mexico State ... Utah State will play just one game this week as it hosts Nevada on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum ... Utah State is 25-10 all-time against the Wolf Pack, which includes an 11-1 record at home ... last week, Utah State split a pair of road games as it defeated Louisiana Tech, 71-61, and lost at New Mexico State, 100-70 ... senior guard Jaycee Carroll is up to second in the nation in free throw percentage (.929) ... Carroll is also fourth in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.512) ... Kris Clark is 13th in the nation in assists per game (6.4).