TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
Overtime appears to be no problem for the Broncos as they have posted a record of 10-2 under Greg Graham in overtime games ... Boise State recorded its 10th overtime victory, Sat., Nov. 22, against Idaho State as the Broncos beat the Bengals 92-84 ... the last time the Broncos lost in overtime was Dec. 19, 2006, when Boise State fell to Loyola Marymount, 84-82, in double-overtime ... with the Broncos 92-84 double-overtime win over in-state rival Idaho State, Greg Graham recorded his 110th victory at Boise State, passing Rod Jensen for the coach with the second most wins of all-time at Boise State ... Bobby Dye is the school’s all-time leader with 213 victories ... perhaps the Broncos most noticeable improvement during the off season is at the free throw line ... Boise State is currently leading the WAC in free throw percentage as the Broncos have made 60-of-78 at the line to shoot an impressive .769.
Fresno State Bulldogs (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
In his first collegiate road contest, true freshman guard Paul George recorded a double-double at Saint Mary’s with career-highs in points (25), rebounds (10), minutes (37), field goals (9), field goal attempts (16), three-pointers (2), three-point attempts (5), free throws (5) and free throw attempts (7) as well as tying career-highs in blocks (2) and assists (1) ... George highlighted the game with a memorable dunk that landed as the No. 1 play on Sportscenter’s Top 10 “Plays of the Day” and opened the preview highlights for the broadcast ... in front of a sellout crowd on national television, Fresno State battled throughout the late night madness to a 99-85 defeat at Saint Mary’s ... four Bulldogs reached double figures in Fresno State’s road opener ... Fresno State then trekked down south for a physical battle with longtime rival San Diego State on Nov. 22, where Fresno State fell 80-56 to the Aztecs.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
Playing before a national television audience, Hawai?i picked up its first win of the season with a hard-fought 67-64 overtime decision over Idaho State Monday night at the Stan Sheriff Center ... for the third straight game the Rainbow Warriors (1-2) found themselves in a see-saw affair, but this time were able to come out on the winning end ... UH trailed by as many as seven points in the second half, rallied back, and eventually wore down the Bengals (0-2) in the overtime period with some clutch free throw shooting ... it wasn’t pretty however as the third game in ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, the contest started at 11:05 p.m. and ended with the final buzzer at 1:30 a.m ... UH would out-last Idaho State, draining 7-of-8 free throws in the final 23 seconds to seal the win ... Roderick Flemings scored a team-high 17 points, including five crucial points in overtime, to lead the ’Bows.
Idaho Vandals (1-2, 0-0 WAC)
Three Vandals averaged double figures last week as Idaho went 1-1 ... Idaho dropped an 80-46 decision at No. 9 Gonzaga before defeating North Dakota State 78-69 at home ... Kashif Watson led the Vandals on the week, averaging 15.5 points over the two games ... Mac Hopson was also impressive, averaging 15.0 points per game during the two-game span ... Luciano de Souza was the other Vandal to average double digits at 12.0 points per game ... The Vandals shot 42.5 percent on the week ... The team knocked in 11 threes over the two games ... Next up for Idaho will be a matchup with Eastern Washington on the road, followed by a home contest against UC Irvine on Friday evening.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
Junior Kyle Gibson led the Bulldogs to a 1-1 record this past week after averaging 21.5 points through two games ... last week against Grambling State, Gibson’s 22 points helped pull the Bulldogs through in overtime, while his 21 points led all scorers in a loss to UALR ... Kenneth Cooper helped with 36 points over the two games, an average of 18.0 points per game ... Jamel Guyton and Magnum Rolle also averaged double digits over the two games ... Louisiana Tech hit 43.2 percent of its shots over the two games while limiting opponents to a 39.8 average ... the Bulldogs return to action for the 2008 Great Alaska Shootout Thursday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. against Seattle in the first round.
Nevada Wolf Pack (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada went 1-1 last week, dropping a 65-51 road decision at San Diego before downing Pac-10 foe Oregon State 79-71 at home ... against San Diego, Joey Shaw led the Pack with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting ... Malik Cooke and Armon Johnson each tallied double figures in the game with 13 and 10 points, respectively ... freshman Luke Babbitt led the Wolf Pack to the win over Oregon State, scoring a game-high 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting ... Babbitt also pulled down seven rebounds and picked up three steals in the victory ... Shaw helped with 15 points, while Cooke added 14 ... Johnson led the team with 11 assists, to go along with his 11 points ... Nevada will host Pacific on Wednesday before traveling to play Portland on Saturday.
New Mexico State Aggies (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State takes an eight-day Thanksgiving break after starting the season 2-1 ... the Aggies return to the court at Long Beach State, Nov. 30, which begins a three-game road trip ... NMSU defeated Pepperdine, 90-66, Nov. 21, in Las Cruces, N.M., with sophomore guard Jahmar Young leading the way with a game-high 21 points ... the Aggies beat the Waves with season-high performances from junior guard Jonathan Gibson (20 points) and sophomore forward Wendell McKines (18 points) along with a career-high showing from freshman forward Troy Gillenwater (19 points) ... NMSU rebounded against Pepperdine after falling at No. 20 Southern California, 73-60, Nov. 18 ... Young had a team-high 16 points against the Trojans while Gillenwater supplied 15 points and Gibson added 11 points.
San Jose Spartans (2-1, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State played just one game last week, defeating California Maritime 79-37 in the team’s home debut ... Robert Owens led the Spartans with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting ... Owens drained five shots from beyond the arc, dished out four assists and tallied a pair of steals ... Tim Pierce also reached double digits with 14 points, while Chris Oakes and DaShawn Wright scored 11 and 10 points, respectively ... As a team, San Jose State knocked down nine three-point field goals in the game ... the team out-rebounded California Maritime 43-25 ... DeVonte Thomas led the team on the boards with eight rebounds ... San Jose State will travel to play Presbyterian on Monday evening this week.
Utah State Aggies (2-0, 0-0 WAC)
Sophomore forward Tai Wesley scored 12 points and added eight rebounds in Utah State’s 61-59 road win at UC Santa Barbara last week ... Wesley was 6-of-6 from the field in the game and added one assist and one steal in 24 minutes ... Gary Wilkinson and Jaxon Myaer each had 11 points in the win ... The Aggies shot 47.9 percent from the field in the win while limiting UC Santa Barbara to a 44.6 percent clip ... USU knocked down six threes in the game and out-rebounded UCSB 36-25 ... Utah State hosts a pair of games this week ... the team will host in-state foe Weber State on Tuesday before welcoming Cal Poly on Saturday.
WAC NOTES
BOISE STATE’S SANCHEZ NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Boise State’s Mark Sanchez has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 17-23. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Sanchez.
Sanchez, a senior from Tucson, Ariz. (Pima CC), led the Broncos in scoring last week, posting 14 points at Siena and 25 more against Idaho State. Sanchez recorded his first career double-double in a double overtime win against Idaho State, registering a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with his 25 points. He also dished out a career-high five assists against the Bengals. Sanchez connected on 4-of-6 shots against Siena and hit 6-of-13 against Idaho State for a two-game 52.6 percent average from the field.
On the week, Sanchez averaged 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Sanchez currently leads the WAC in scoring, averaging 20 points per game.
Other nominees included: Fresno State freshman Paul George recorded a double-double against Saint Mary’s with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds ... Hawai?i junior Roderick Flemings helped UH to its first win of the season with a 17-point, 8-rebound performance against Idaho State ... Idaho junior Mac Hopson scored 19 points at No. 9 Gonzaga and 11 points in a win over North Dakota State ... Louisiana Tech junior Kyle Gibson averaged 21.5 points over two games against Grambling State and UALR ... Nevada sophomore Malik Cooke averaged 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in games against San Diego and Oregon State ... New Mexico State sophomore Jahmar Young posted a game-high 21 points in a win over Pepperdine, and had a team-high 16 against No. 20 USC ... San Jose State junior Robert Owens led the Spartans with 19 points in a win over California Maritime ... Utah State sophomore Tai Wesley scored 12 points and added eight rebounds in USU’s win at UC Santa Barbara.
NEVADA TOP WAC TEAM OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
Over the last five seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 128-40 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.762 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 68 games, the most in that same time period. The top three teams in wins (both overall and WAC) over the last five seasons:
Overall Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 128-40 (.762)
2. Utah State 120-42 (.741)
3. Hawai?i 84-68 (.553)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 68-16 (.810)
2. Hawai?i 43-40 (.518)
3. Fresno State 41-41 (.500)
UTAH STATE’S HOME WIN STREAK CONTINUES
Utah State has won 54 straight regular season non-conference home games, which is the second-longest streak in the nation behind Duke who has won 58 straight. When including postseason play, USU has won 30 straight home games against non-conference opponents and 54 of its last 56 overall. The last time Utah State lost a non-conference home game during the regular season was on Jan. 8, 2000 against BYU, 82-73. The team has also won 18 straight games inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, which is the eighth-longest active winning streak in the country. BYU has won 51 straight home games, which is the longest streak in the nation.
FRESNO STATE’S GEORGE PUTS DOWN DUNK THAT LANDS NO. 1 ON SPORTCENTER’S TOP PLAYS
Paul George highlighted Fresno State’s game at Saint Mary’s (11/17) with a memorable dunk that landed as the No. 1 play on Sportscenter’s Top 10 “Plays of the Day” for Nov. 18, 2008 and opened the preview highlights for the broadcast. The dunk, where the freshman slashed straight to the basket and delivered an emphatic one-handed slam on two Gael defenders, beat a pair of Lebron James’ and other professional highlights for the top spot.
WAC TEAMS GO PERFECT IN EXHIBITION PLAY
WAC teams went a perfect 14-0 in exhibition play this season. Boise State, Fresno State, Hawai?i, New Mexico State, and Utah State each went 2-0, while Idaho, San Jose State, Nevada, and Louisiana Tech each went 1-0.
WAC TOURNAMENT TO RETURN TO RENO IN 2009
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 tournament features all nine men’s and women’s teams. The WAC tournaments were last held in Reno in 2006. The 2007 and 2008 tournaments were held in Las Cruces, New Mexico at New Mexico State University.
ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS
For the seventh 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 a part of this year’s pool of teams. The event will be held February 20-21. The match-ups for Bracket Buster Saturday will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences about three weeks before the event.
TOP PLAYERS RETURNING
The WAC returns one player from last year’s all-WAC second team, Utah State forward Gary Wilkinson. No players return from the first team. Three of the five named to the all-newcomer team return: Armon Johnson (G, Nevada), C.J. Webster (C, San Jose State), and Wilkinson. Nevada guard Lyndale Burleson is the lone returner from last season’s all-defensive team. Nevada’s Johnson was the 2007-08 WAC Freshman of the Year.
TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS
WAC teams could face at least 16 non-conference opponents that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, including three teams in last years’ Final Four (Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA). Idaho and Nevada lead the conference with three games scheduled apiece.
2007-08 NATIONAL POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT TEAMS ON WAC SCHEDULE
Idaho at Michigan State, Nov. 16
Cal State Fullerton at Hawai’i, Nov. 16
Boise State at Siena, Nov. 17
Nevada at San Diego, Nov. 18
Idaho at Gonzaga, Nov. 18
New Mexico State at USC, Nov. 18
Fresno State at St. Mary’s, Nov. 19
UNLV at Fresno State, Dec. 3
New Mexico State at Kansas, Dec. 3
UNLV at Nevada, Dec. 6
Utah State vs. BYU, Dec. 6 (SLC, UT)
San Jose State at San Diego, Dec. 8
Washington State at Idaho, Dec. 21
Boise State at San Diego, Dec. 22
Louisiana Tech at UCLA, Dec. 28
North Carolina at Nevada, Dec. 31
LETTERWINNER/STARTER CAPSULE
This season, three of the nine WAC teams return at least three starters: Louisiana Tech, San Jose State and Utah State. San Jose State leads the conference as they return all five of their starters from last season. Nevada returns two starters from the 2007-08 season, and Boise State, Fresno State, Hawai’i, Idaho, and New Mexico State all return one from the previous season. Boise State has the most number of returning letterwinners with nine.
STAT LEADERS BACK
Statistically, only two of the top 15 scorers return for the 2008-09 season. Louisiana Tech junior, Kyle Gibson, was ranked seventh in the WAC in scoring last season averaging 16.5 points per game. Utah State’s Gary Wilkinson averaged 13.3 points per game to rank 13th. Wilkinson is also the second-best rebounder returning in the conference with a 7.0 rpg average. San Jose State’s Chris Oakes averaged the most rebounds last season of returning players, by grabbing 7.2 boards a game (6th in the WAC). Boise State guard, Anthony Thomas, enters the 2008-09 season with a 4.15 assist per game average (5th in the WAC) from last year, the most among returning players. Hawai?i junior Bill Amis leads returners with 1.33 blocked shots per game, good for third in the conference.