WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (7-3, 0-0 WAC)
Junior guard Anthony Thomas carved his way into the Boise State record books as he dished out seven assists against CSUB, taking his season total to 55 and his career total to 246, which ranks 10th in the Bronco record book in career assist total (246) ... the Broncos improved their record to 7-3 for the third time in the last 11 seasons ... the two other times in which Boise State has started with such a record, the Broncos have gone on to post 20+ wins and were conference champions (1999 and 2008) ... the second half continues to be the Broncos strong suit as they shot their second best shooting percentage of the season, hitting 60.0 percent of their shots from the floor (15-of-25) against Cal State Bakersfield ... The only game in which Boise State had done better was during the second half against Montana State when the Broncos made 16-of-22 to fire 72.7 percent.
Fresno State Bulldogs (6-5, 0-0 WAC)
In round one of the Las Vegas Classic, Fresno State opened with a 70-65 victory over the Northern Colorado Bears ... senior guard Dwight O’Neal recorded a game-high 18 points along with six rebounds and five assists ... freshman guard Paul George fell just short of a double-double by scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds, while adding a game-high 3 steals ... sophomore guard Myles Green netted a career-high eight points with a pair of 3-pointers ... Fresno out-rebounded the Bears 37-35 in the win ... the Bulldogs completed the sweep of Round 1 and 2 action by downing USC Upstate as a second-half surge allowed Fresno State to pull away to a 25-point victory ... George recorded his third career double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds) as junior forward Brian Seals pulled down a career and game-high 12 rebounds while adding seven points.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (5-3, 0-0 WAC)
Petras Balocka tied his career high’s with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead UH to a 85-75 win over Chicago State in the team’s lone game of the week ...it was the second career double-double for the junior college transfer ... UH had a season high 23 assists, with Balocka recording a career-best six assist ... Balocka also added a block and steal vs. the Cougars as UH won its fifth straight home game ... Balocka shot 8-of-17 from the field, 1-2 from 3-point land, and 4-of-7 from the free throw line ... this week, Hawai?i hosts UC Riverside on Dec. 23 before starting play in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic against Colorado State on Dec. 27 ... junior Roderick Flemings continues to lead the Rainbow Warriors in scoring (19.5 ppg.) and field goal percentage (.534) ... Bill Amis fronts the team in rebounding at 8.0 boards a contest.
Idaho Vandals (6-6, 0-0 WAC)
Idaho went 2-1 last week ... the team defeated South Carolina State 81-68 on Dec. 17 ... the Vandals then downed Texas Southern 67-46 on Dec. 20 before dropping a 55-41 decision the very next day (Dec. 21) to Washington State ... Kashif Watson led the team over the three games, averaging 14.0 points per game ... Mac Hopson led the Vandals in the win over South Carolina State with 18 points ... Watson had 18 points in the victory against Texas Southern ... Hopson also had a team-high 10 points in the loss to Washington State ... the Vandals already have six wins this season, nearly matching the eight-win game total from all of last season ... Hopson continues to lead the Vandals in scoring this season at 16.3 points per game ... Idaho has a short break before traveling to play in-state rival Idaho State on Dec. 29 in Pocatello, Idaho.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-6, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 0-2 last week in a pair of road contests last week ... the Bulldogs dropped a 61-44 decision at NcNeese State before falling 71-58 at Samford ... Jamel Guyton led the team in scoring over the two games, averaging 16.0 points a game ... Kyle Gibson also averaged double figure scoring at 15.5 points a contest ... the team shot 41 threes over the two games, connecting on eight ... Overall this season, Gibson continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring (15.9 ppg.) and assists (32) ... this week, Louisiana Tech hosts TCU on Dec. 22 before traveling to play 10th-ranked UCLA on Dec. 28 ... the Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 at home this season ... the team holds a 2-4 mark on the road.
Nevada Wolf Pack (6-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Wolf Pack went 1-1 last week, defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 87-58 before dropping a close 75-66 decision at California ... against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Brandon Fields led the team with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Armon Johnson added 17 points and seven assists ... Luke Babbitt and Malik Cooke also reached double digit scoring against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 11 and 10 points, respectively ... in the game at Cal, Johnson had a career-high 33 points, 27 of which came in the second half ... Babbitt was also in double figures against Cal with 14 points ... Johnson led the Pack over the two games, averaging 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game ... he was named WAC Player of the Week for his efforts ... Johnson also leads Nevada overall this season in scoring at 15.8 points per game ... this week, Nevada hosts Idaho State on Dec. 27.
New Mexico State Aggies (5-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies went 1-1 last week, defeating Prairie View A&M 88-74 before dropping an 84-69 decision at UTEP ... in the win against Prairie View A&M, Wendell McKines fronted the team with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double performance ... Jonathan Gibson helped with 16 points, Jahmar Young had 13, and Troy Gillenwater added 12 ... Hamidu Rahman scored a team-high 19 points in the loss at UTEP ... Young scored 18, while Gillenwater helped with 14 at UTEP ... Young led the team over the two games last week, averaging 15.5 points per game ... he also fronts the team in scoring overall this season at 16.9 points per contest ... McKines leads the team overall in rebounding, pulling down 8.9 boards a game ... this week, New Mexico State travels to play in-state rival New Mexico on Dec. 23 before hosting Loyola Marymount on Dec. 28.
San Jose State Spartans (4-3, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State’s 89-78 win over Northern Colorado last week, arguably, was the best offensive effort by a Western Athletic Conference team this season ... the Spartans shot 66.7 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from three-point range - both conference bests this season ... also, San Jose State converted 92.3 percent of its free throw tries ... for the game, San Jose State made 71.8 percent of its total shot attempts (34-of-51 field goals, 12-of-13 free throws) ... San Jose State’s 66.7 percent field goal shooting in the Northern Colorado win marked the first time since a January 30, 1999 victory over San Diego State that the Spartans shot at least 60 percent from the field in a game (62.3 percent) and was the best by the team since a November 26, 1993 triumph over Gonzaga (65.4 percent) in the Stanford Invitational.
Utah State Aggies (8-1, 0-0 WAC)
Junior guard Jared Quayle (Perry, Utah) helped Utah State to a 2-0 road record last week with wins at Southern Utah (72-65) and Idaho State (67-57) ... against the Thunderbirds, Quayle scored a season-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds, as he was 8-of-9 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and 6-of-8 from the free throw line ... against the Bengals, he scored 11 points, tied his season-high with seven rebounds, and added a season-best four assists. For the week, Quayle averaged 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, and shot 60.0 percent from the field (12-20), 25.0 percent from three-point range (2-8), and 61.5 percent from the free throw line (8-13) ... overall this season, Gary Wilkinson fronts the team in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and rebounding (8.2 rpg.) ... this week, USU hosts Utah on Dec. 22 ... the team will then host the Duel in the Desert Dec. 29-31.
WAC NOTES
NEVADA’S JOHNSON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
University of Nevada guard Armon Johnson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 15-21. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Johnson.
Johnson, a sophomore from Reno, Nevada (Hug HS), helped Nevada to a 1-1 record last week. Johnson led the Wolf Pack to an 87-58 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 17 points and seven assists without a turnover. He followed up that performance with a career-high 33-point, five-rebound effort on the road against California. Johnson scored 27 of his 33 points in the second half, including 13 in the final 2:26 to keep the game close down the stretch.
On the week, Johnson averaged 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
Other nominees included: Boise State sophomore Paul Noonan scored 19 points with five threes in a win against Cal State Bakersfield ... Fresno State freshman Paul George averaged 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in a pair of wins over Northern Colorado and South Carolina Upstate ... Hawai?i junior Petras Balocka tied a career high with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Chicago State ... San Jose State senior Tim Pierce scored a career-high 26 points with six threes in a win over Northern Colorado ... Utah State junior Jared Quayle averaged 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in two road wins against Southern Utah and Idaho State.
UTAH STATE’S WILKINSON EARNS SPOT ON NATIONAL WATCH LISTS
Utah State’s Gary Wilkinson has been named one of 50 players to headline the Naismith Trophy watch list. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Detroit, Mich. He was also named one of 30 candidates for the 2008-09 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year. Wilkinson, a 6-9 senior forward from South Jordan, Utah is the only player from the Western Athletic Conference to be selected for both the Naismith and Lowe’s CLASS award. Entering the 2008-09 season, Wilkinson was voted as the WAC’s preseason Player of the Year by the media after earning second-team all-WAC honors as a junior. As a senior, Wilkinson is averaging 17.7 points and 8.2 rebounds, and is shooting 69.5 percent from the field and 80.4 percent from the free throw line. He currently ranks third in the WAC in scoring, field goal shooting, free throw shooting and rebounding.
SAN JOSE STATE’S PIERCE SETS SCHOOL THREE-POINT MARKS
Forward Tim Pierce became the new San Jose State career record holder for 3-points baskets made. He broke the old record of 123 set by Michael Quinney. Pierce’s next 3-point field goal attempt will vault him into first on the Spartans’ career list for 3-point field goals attempted with 375. He is currently tied with Tito Addison, current Gavilan College men’s basketball head coach, who took his 3-point tries during the 1995 through 1997 seasons.
WAC TEAMS RANK TOP-10 NATIONALLY IN TWO TEAM STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
Teams from the WAC rank top-10 or better in two team statistical categories. Utah State currently leads the nation in field goal percentage at 52.9 percent. The Aggies also rank eighth in the country in rebound margin (10.1). Individually, Utah State’s Gary Wilkinson ranks second nationally in field goal percentage with a 69.5 percent clip.
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.
TOP WAC TEAMS OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
Over the last five seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 133-44 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.751 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 133-44 (.751)
2. Utah State 124-43 (.743)
3. Hawai?i 87-70 (.554)
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 57 straight regular season non-conference home games, which is the second-longest streak in the nation behind Duke who has won 63 straight. When including postseason play, USU has won 33 straight home games against non-conference opponents and 57 of its last 59 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 21 straight games inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, which is the seventh-longest active winning streak in the country. BYU has won 53 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.