TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (4-1, 0-0 WAC)
The Broncos are off to their best start in four seasons as Boise State boasts a record of 3-1 ... the last time Boise State began a season 4-1 was during the 2003-04 campaign, when the Broncos finished the year 23-10 overall, 12-6 in conference play ... during coach Graham’s first two seasons at Boise State, the Broncos started the year with a 4-1 record ... during the 2008-09 season, the Broncos are undefeated when playing at home ... the last time the Broncos opened with a perfect record in Taco Bell Arena was in 2006-07, when Boise State lost just one game on its home court (lost 95-81 to Nevada, Feb. 24, 2007) ... this past week, BSU went a perfect 2-0 at home with victories over Montana State (74-61) and Southern Utah (62-59) ... this week, Boise State hosts Wyoming on Dec. 3, and Colorado State on Dec. 6.
Fresno State Bulldogs (2-3, 0-0 WAC)
Senior point guard Dwight O’Neil led the Bulldogs to a 1-1 record last week ... in the Bulldogs 79-58 win over Seattle, O’Neil nearly recorded a triple-double as he netted 12 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds ... O’Neil helped guide a near comeback over Oregon State with a season-high 14 points and three 3-pointers ... the Bulldogs bounced back from a rough road trip the week before for a significant victory at home over Seattle University to move back to .500 ... the Bulldogs were slowed by the pace of the Princeton-style offense of Oregon State but regrouped to come within a few shots beating the Beavers at home after falling behind by nine ... Fresno State shot over 82 percent from the free throw line, a season-best ... this week, Fresno State hosts UNLV on Wednesday before traveling to play Pacific on Saturday.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
In a roller coaster of a game, Hawai?i pulled off a 60-59 win over Iowa State Nov. 24 in the team’s lone game of the week ... Bill Amis drained a pair of free throws with 2.4 seconds left to lift the Rainbow Warriors (2-2) to their second straight home win ... UH rallied from a 13-point hole with 10 minutes remaining and a seven-point deficit with just over two minutes left. The UH comeback was completed when Amis was fouled just past midcourt by Craig Brackins on a long UH inbounds pass from Adhar Mayen and hit the ensuing free throw ... Brackins had made one of two free throws, just moments earlier, to give Iowa State a 59-58 lead with 2.6 seconds to play ... Amis finished with a team-high 17 points for the ’Bows ... three other Rainbow Warriors finished in double-digits ... Hawai?i is back in action next on Dec. 1, when it hosts Prairie View A&M. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Idaho Vandals (3-3, 0-0 WAC)
Junior Mac Hopson led Idaho with 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game last week to help the Vandals to a 1-1 record ... Hopson led all scorers with 25 points at Eastern Washington and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in just 25 minutes vs. UC Irvine ... Hopson shot 6-of-7 from the floor vs. UC Irvine, helping Idaho to a 101-47 victory over UC Irvine, its largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent in school history ... this week, Idaho travels to play Sacramento State on Dec. 1 before heading to Portland for a matchup with the Pilots on Dec. 6.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-4, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech (2-4) dropped its fourth straight game Nov. 29 in the 7th and 8th place game against Alaska-Anchorage (1-5) by a final score of 62-57 on the last day of the 2008 Great Alaska Shootout ... the Bulldogs went 0-3 at the Great Alaska Shootout, falling to Seattle University (61-46), Western Carolina (76-62) and Alaska-Anchorage ... after opening the season with a perfect 2-0 mark, Louisiana Tech has now dropped four in a row ... the Bulldogs now look to get back on track on Dec. 6 when the team returns home to host Grambling.
Nevada Wolf Pack (2-3, 0-0 WAC)
The Wolf Pack went 0-2 last week, dropping a 67-59 decision to Pacific at home before taking a 63-61 loss at Portland ... freshman Luke Babbitt led the Pack in both games, scoring a team-high 19 points against Pacific and 17 more in the loss to Portland ... Babbitt averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over the two contests ... Malik Cooke also averaged double digit scoring on the week at 12.0 points per game ... this week, Nevada travels to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State on Dec. 2 ... the team will also host UNLV on Dec. 6.
New Mexico State Aggies (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
New Mexico State continues a three-game road span at No. 23 Kansas, Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 6:00 p.m., in Lawrence, Kan ... this is the second contest of the week after NMSU fell at Long Beach State, 82-77, Sunday, Nov. 30, at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif ... the Aggies had four players in double-figures and sophomore forward Wendell McKines posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds ... sophomore guard Jahmar Young led the Aggies in scoring with 17 points and 13 coming in the second half ... freshman forward Troy Gillenwater and sophomore forward Robert Lumpkins both had 11 points ... Lumpkins recorded a career-high performance along with freshman guard Hernst Laroche, who had eight points on a 2-for-2 performance from the 3-point line.
San Jose Spartans (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State went 0-1 last week ... the team dropped a 47-46 decision to Presbyterian in South Carolina ... San Jose State plays its second home game of the season when the Spartans host Santa Clara ... the Spartans won their home opener over California Maritime on Nov. 19 ... the last time a San Jose State team won its first two home games in a season was in 2002-03 when the Spartans topped Menlo College and Cal State Monterey Bay ... after four games, San Jose State tops the WAC in scoring defense allowing 52.2 points a game ... last season after four games, the Spartans yielded 70.2 points a game and had a 3-1 win-loss record ... the last time a San Jose State team gave up fewer than 200 points in its first four games was in the 1999-2000 season when Spartan opponents averaged 42.5 points a game.
Utah State Aggies (4-0, 0-0 WAC)
Senior Gary Wilkinson earned WAC Player of the Week honors after leading the Aggies to a pair of wins over Weber State and Cal Poly ... Utah State¹s men¹s basketball team accomplished a rare feat Tuesday night in its 75-49 home win against Weber State as it held the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 16:20 of the game, which according to the NCAA is the second-longest field goal drought in NCAA history ... the longest stretch in NCAA history one team has held another without a field goal was on Feb. 25, 1979 when Duke held North Carolina scoreless for 20:48 ... for the week, Wilkinson averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 75.0 percent from the field and 88.2 percent from the free throw line ... this week, Utah State will host UC Irvine on Tuesday before traveling to play BYU on a neutral floor in Salt Lake on Saturday.
WAC NOTES
UTAH STATE’S WILKINSON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah State’s Gary Wilkinson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 24-30. The honor marks the second WAC Player of the Week award of the season for Wilkinson.
Wilkinson, a senior from South Jordan, Utah (Salt Lake CC), led Utah State to a 2-0 record last week with a 75-49 win against Weber State and a 97-57 victory against Cal Poly. Wilkinson scored a game-high 18 points and added six rebounds against Weber State. He connected on 6-of-8 shots from the field and was 6-of-7 from the free throw line against the Wildcats. Against Cal Poly, Wilkinson had game-highs with 21 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. He went 6-of-8 from the field and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He also had career-highs with four assists and two steals against the Mustangs.
On the week, Wilkinson averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, while shooting 75.0 (12-of-16) percent from the field and 88.2 (15-of-17) percent from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Boise State junior Paul Noonan posted a career-high 25 points with four three-point field goals in a win over Montana State ... Fresno State senior Dwight O’Neil nearly recorded a triple-double with 12 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in a win over Seattle ... Idaho junior Mac Hopson averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists against Eastern Washington and UC Irvine last week.
USU POSTS SECOND-BEST DEFENSIVE EFFORT IN NCAA HISTORY
Utah State accomplished a rare feat Nov. 25 in its 75-49 home win against Weber State as it held the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 16:20 of the game, which according to the NCAA is the second-longest field goal drought in NCAA history. The longest stretch in NCAA history one team has held another without a field goal was on Feb. 25, 1979 when Duke held North Carolina scoreless for 20:48. For Utah State, its defensive effort against Weber State is the best since Feb. 15, 2006, when it held Idaho scoreless for 13:53, which was the third-longest scoring drought in NCAA history. USU also had a 37-0 run against the Vandals, which is a NCAA record, and it held Idaho without a field goal for 16:01 during that game, which was the second-longest streak in NCAA history before Tuesday night.
IDAHO SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY
Idaho’s 54-point victory over UC Irvine on Nov. 28 was its largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent in school history. The previous record was a 53-point margin against Pacific in 1983. It ranked as the second largest margin ever at Idaho behind a 111-34 win over Northwest College in 1987.
NEVADA TOP WAC TEAM OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
Over the last five seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 129-42 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.754 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 129-42 (.759)
2. Utah State 123-44 (.737)
3. Hawai?i 85-68 (.555)
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 56 straight regular season non-conference home games, which is the second-longest streak in the nation behind Duke who has won 59 straight. When including postseason play, USU has won 32 straight home games against non-conference opponents and 56 of its last 58 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 20 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