PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Boise State senior forward Matt Nelson has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for Dec. 31-Jan. 6. This is the second career WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior.
Nelson, a senior from Issaquah, Wash. (Eastern Washington University), led the Broncos to a 2-0 start in WAC play with wins over San Jose State and a road win against Idaho. Nelson averaged 23.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg last week. He made 19-of-23 shots (82.6 percent) in the two wins. Nelson’s .833 shooting percentage against Idaho was the highest in a conference game this season. His 25 points at Idaho were a Boise State career high (he did have 26 in a game while playing at Eastern Washington). In the win against San Jose State, Nelson had his WAC-leading seventh double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Against Idaho, he had 25 points along with seven rebounds and three assists.
Over the last three games, Nelson has only missed four shots going 26-of-30 from the field. With the wins, the Broncos move to 11-3 this season.
The other nominations were freshman forward Ned Golubovic, Fresno State; senior guard Matt Gibson, Hawai?i; senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins, New Mexico State; freshman guard Justin Graham, San Jose State and freshman forward Tai Wesley, Utah State.
WEEK TWO OF WAC PLAY ? The WAC’s two 2-0 teams, New Mexico State and Boise State, will face off this week in Boise on Jan. 10. The WAC’s other undefeated team, Utah State, will also host New Mexico State this week on Jan. 12. Nevada will open conference play this week at San Jose State and at Hawai?i after having its original opener postponed due to weather. San Jose State, Idaho and Louisiana Tech are all in search of their first conference wins this week. The Bulldogs and the Vandals will face off in Moscow on Jan. 10.
BRONCOS OFF TO BEST START SINCE ?98-’99 SEASON ? Boise State’s 11-3 start is one of the six best starts to a season in school history and the best by a Bronco team since the Broncos started 11-3 during the 1998-99 season. Boise State’s best start came during the 1987-88 season when the team won 16 of its first 17 games. Through the first 14 games, only the ?87-’88 team and the 86-87 team (12-2) have put together a better start. In addition to the 98-99 team, the 69-70 team and the 94-95 team matched this years’ 11-3 start.
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 take on Hawai?i in Honolulu on Feb. 16.
Nevada will now open Western Athletic Conference play on the road this week, traveling to San Jose, Calif., to take on the San Jose State Spartans on Thursday, Jan. 10. This week, Utah State will face New Mexico State on Jan. 12.
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 Tuesday 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. The complete television schedule will be available at a later date.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING ? Several WAC teams are in the midst of substanial winning streaks. Utah State has won six-straight games, which is a season-high and the most by an Aggie team since the 2006-07 team won eight-straight games in November and December. Overall, Utah State has won eight of its last nine games after starting the year with a 3-4 record. The Aggies’ winning streak is tied for 21st in the nation this season.
Boise State has won five-straight games, including its first two WAC games of the season. This is the second five-game winning streak of the season for the Broncos which are 11-3 this season. The Broncos and the Aggies are the only two double-digit win teams in the WAC.
New Mexico State has won three-straight wins after a slow start to the season. The Aggies started conference play 2-0 with wins over Idaho and Fresno State.
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.
BULLDOGS PACKING THE STANDS ? Fresno State is leading the WAC in home attendance, nearly 2,000 fans per more more than the No. 2 program in the league, Utah State. The Save Mart Center has seen an average of 9,893 fans per game through seven games. The Aggies average 8,066 per contest. The two opponents this week, Louisiana
Tech (1,452) and New Mexico State (4,221), are in the middle of the WAC pack in attendance.
KEEPING TRACK OF COACH MORRILL ? Stew Morrill is 224-80 (.737) in his 10th year as the head coach at Utah State and is just one win shy of tying legendary coach E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) for the most wins in school history with 225. Coach Morrill is also second all-time in school history in games coached with 304.
SOLID SPARTANS ? San Jose State passed last week’s win total of six with the win against Santa Clara. This is the first time under head coach George Nessman that the Spartans have topped seven wins. The Spartans also have four non-conference road wins. The four non-conference road wins are the most for the Spartans since the 1975-76 season.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION ? Boise State is first in the nation in field-goal percentage (.526) Jan. 7. Utah State is still third in the nation in free throw percentage (.791) behind Florida State which is first (.800). Individually, Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll is fourth in the nation in free throw percentage (.924) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.525). Nevada’s JaVale McGee is 10th in the country in blocked shots (3.5 bpg), while Kenny George of UNC Ashville is first averaging 5.4 bpg. Boise State’s Matt Nelson is eighth in field goal percentage (.667), while teammate Reggie Larry is 25th (.607)
DOUBLE TROUBLE ? Nevada has seen three different players turn in its five double-doubles this season, led by sophomore JaVale McGee who has three. Most recently, McGee turned in 18 points and 11 rebounds Dec. 31 against Cal State Stanislaus. He had 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 doubledouble 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.
CARROLL FIFTH IN NCAA IN THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE ? Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has a career shooting percentage of 46.3 percent from three-point range, which ranks fifth all-time in the history of the NCAA at the Division I level. Tony Bennett of Green Bay holds the NCAA record for three-point shooting at 49.7 percent (290-584), followed by Stephen Sir of Northern Arizona who shot 46.9 percent (323-689), David Olson of Eastern Illinois who shot 46.6 percent (262-562), and Ross Land of Northern Arizona who shot 46.4 percent (308-664). Carroll is also 38 made three-pointers shy of ranking 25th all-time in NCAA history in that category.
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. Seven of the top 10 leading scorers in the league are seniors, while eight of the top 10 are upperclassmen. 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 (19.1 ppg) and Matt Nelson (16.2 ppg) are third and tied for sixth, respectively in the league in scoring. There are just two underclassman in the top 10 in scoring, Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson (13.8) and Nevada’s JaVale McGee (13.4 ppg). New Mexico State’s Justin Hawkins is the only junior in the top 10. He is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 19.0 ppg.
TEAM LEADERS ? The WAC has seven schools with players who lead their team in two of three statistical categories (points-rebounds-assists). Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll is the only player in the WAC to average over 20.0 ppg, averaging 21.6 ppg.
Reggie Larry, Sr., F, Boise State (19.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
Kevin Bell, Sr., G, Fresno State (17.3 ppg, 5.8 apg)
Bobby Nash, Sr., G/F, Hawai?i (16.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
Jordan Brooks, Jr., F, Idaho (11.2 ppg, 3.8 apg)
Kyle Gibson, So., G, Louisiana Tech (13.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
Justin Graham, Fr., G, San Jose State (13.0 ppg, 3.2 apg)
Jaycee Carroll, Sr., G, Utah State (21.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
NEVADA TOP TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Over the last four-seasons dating back to 2004-05, Nevada has turned in a 89-23 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.759 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 42 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 89-23 (.795) 1. Nevada 43-7 (.860)
2. Utah State 81-34 (.704) 2. New Mexico St. 23-11 (.676)
3. Hawai?i 56-46 (.549) 3. Utah State 21-12 (.636)
UTAH STATE’S CARROLL NEAR RECORDS ? Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is closing in on several Utah State career records, as he ranks second all-time in both three-pointers attempted (663) and 10-point games (102). He is also second in games started (113), second in total minutes played (3,859), fourth in field goals made (729), fifth in free throw percentage (.850), fifth in minutes per game (33.6) and fifth in field goals attempted (1,427). Carroll also ranks eighth all-time in steals (107), is ninth in points per game (18.1), ninth in games played (115), 18th in rebounding (567) and 20th all-time in assists (231).
CARROLL AND KEMP NAMED TO NAISMITH AND WOODEN WATCH LISTS ? Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll and Nevada’s Marcelus Kemp continue to receive national attention this fall and were recently named to the preseason watch list for the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced. Last week, both were named one of 50 preseason candidates for the 2007-08 John R. Wooden Award.
The Naismith Trophy watch list, which consists of 50 players, was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2007-08 season. There were 17 seniors and 17 juniors on the preseason list, along with 16 sophomores. The list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in January, 2008. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s player of the year.
Boise State Broncos (11-3, 2-0 WAC)
Boise State is averaging a WAC-best 82.5 points through its fi rst 14 games ... the Broncos are 5.9 points ahead of New Mexico State in scoring ... the Broncos also lead the WAC in scoring margin (+9.6), field goal percentage (52.6 percent), steals (8.21/game) and turnover margin (+2.00) ... the Broncos are also first in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 52.6 ... Boise State’s 2-0 start in WAC play marks just the second time the Broncos have won their first two league games since joining the league before the 2001-02 season ... Boise State opened that season with a pair of home wins over San Jose State and Hawai?i.
Fresno State Bulldogs (8-7, 1-1 WAC)
The Bulldogs opened WAC play with a split, defeating Louisiana Tech at home and losing to New Mexico State on the road ... Fresno State senior point guard Kevin Bell is working his way up the record books this season in his final year in a Bulldog uniform ... Bell moved into second place in Fresno State history for assists ... through 92 games he is 102 assists away from passing Dominick Young for the all-time record ... Bell is second in the WC in assists per game (5.80 apg) ... Bell is also currently fifth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 19.0 ppg ... teammate Eddie Miller is firsti n the WACin three-point field goals made, averaging 3.47 made per game.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (5-9, 1-1 WAC)
Hawai?i handed first-year head coach Bob Nash his first WAC victory and picked up its first road win of the year by holding off San Jose State, 85-79, Saturday night ... Hawai?i led by double-digits for much of the game and held off a late Spartan rally to improve to 5-9 overall ... the Warriors continued it dominance over San Jose State with its 10th-straight win over the Spartans and fifth straight in San Jose ... Hawai?i has not lost to the Spartans since 2003 ... this week, the Warriors will have their conference home opener against Nevada ... this will be the Wolf Pack’s first conference game of the season.
Idaho Vandals (3-10, 0-2 WAC)
Mike Hall has 17 three-pointers in the past four games, which is the most by any player in the WAC during that span ... he leads the team during those four games at 16.5 points per game and has hit his last 11 free throws ... he also has five assists to just one turnover and has totaled four steals ... the Vandals have hit 41 three-pointers in the past four games and are shooting 44-percent from beyond the arc during that span ... the Vandals have hit 11 or more three-pointers in four games this season and are averaging 7.1 made three-pointers per game ... they also are averaging 19.5 attempts per game.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-10, 0-1 WAC)
Louisiana Tech shot only 26.3 percent from the floor and went more than 12 minutes without a field goal at the end of the first half and beginning of the second in a 61-44 loss to Fresno State in the WAC opener for both teams Thursday night at the Thomas Assembly Center ... sophomore Kyle Gibson led Tech in both scoring and rebounds with 16 and eight, respectively ... Louisiana Tech looks for its first WAC win of the season this week with games at Idaho and Boise State ... the Vandals are also winless in WAC play, while the Broncos are undefeated.
Nevada Wolf Pack (8-5, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada holds a 4-3 record in WAC openers since joining the league in 2000-01 ... the Wolf Pack has won four of its last five WAC openers, including an 81-55 victory over Idaho last year on Jan. 6, 2007 in Reno ... although the team was originally set to open WAC play at home on Jan. 5 vs. Utah State, that game was postponed due to inclement weather in Reno, and now the Wolf Pack will open conference play on the road for the sixth time in eight years as a member of the WAC ... Marcelus Kemp is now second in the WAC in scoring, averaging 19.1 ppg ...after a slow start, the Wolf Pack have won six of their last seven games with the only loss coming against No. 1 North Carolina.
New Mexico State Aggies (8-9, 2-0 WAC)
The New Mexico State men’s basketball team began WAC play with a pair of victories at Idaho, Jan. 2, and against Fresno State, Jan. 5 ... the Aggies won their WAC opener for the third consecutive season with a 78-68 victory over the Vandals ... senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, both of which were game highs ... sophomore guard Jonathan Gibson added 16 points while freshman guard Jahmar Young, senior guard Fred Peete and senior center Martin Iti scored 12 points each.
San Jose State Spartans (7-7, 0-2 WAC)
San Jose State held Santa Clara to 40 percent shooting from the field, the low for a Spartan opponent this season ... the triumph snaps a run of five straight losses for San Jose State against Santa Clara, dating back to a 71-69 decision on November 30, 2002, at Toso Pavilion ... the win also marked San Jose State’s first over Santa Clara under third-year head coach George Nessman, and its first inside the Leavey Center ... this is the first time that San Jose State has reached the seven-win mark under George Nessman, and the first time the Spartans
have reached that total since the 2002-03 campaign.
Utah State Aggies (11-5, 1-0 WAC)
Due to its postponed game at Nevada, Utah State will extend its season-long five-game homestand to eight games as it will play its next three contests in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum ... dating back to the 1957-58 season, Utah State has never played more than seven-straight games at home, which was done by four different teams in the 1960s ... Utah State is third in the nation in free-throw percentage (79.1) ... the Aggies are also 18th in the nation in assists per game (18.1 apg) ... senior Jaycee Carroll is fourth in the country in free throw percentage (92.4) and 16th in points per game (21.6 ppg), while Kris Clark is 17th in assist turnover ratio (2.82).