O’REILLY’S BRACKETBUSTERS MATCH UPS THIS WEEK ? There are only two conference match ups this week with San Jose State already defeating Utah State on Monday and Hawai?i traveling to Fresno State on Feb. 20. Much of the week will be dedicated to the sixth annual O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters. Six of the nine WAC pairings will match up WAC teams with the Big West. Utah State will start the BracketBusters on Friday, Feb. 22 taking on former Big West foe UC Santa Barbara on ESPNU. On Saturday, Feb. 23, Nevada will travel to Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley Conference on ESPNU, while Boise State will host Siena on ESPN360.com.
ESPNU BracketBusters Web Site
ESPN2 will televise six ESPNU BracketBusters contests, ESPNU will televise five, ESPN360.com, ESPN’s customized broadband service, will offer coverage of two and for the first time, ESPN Classic will televise one. The 28 ESPNU BracketBusters teams were selected from a pool of 100 schools.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Nevada senior guard Marcelus Kemp has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for Feb. 11-17. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior this season.
Kemp, a senior from Seattle, Wash. (Garfield HS), averaged 29.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in Nevada’s games against Utah State, Boise State and Idaho last week. He had just two turnovers all week. The senior shot 49.0 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from three-point range and 91.4 percent from the free throw line last week. Kemp scored a career-high 35 points on 9-of-17 shooting (4-of-8 from three-point land) in Nevada’s win over Utah State. The 35 points was the most scored in a single game this season. He also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out a season-high six assists with no turnovers against Utah State.
He turned in 22 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss at Boise State, adding his second 30-point effort of the season in Saturday’s win at Idaho, scoring 32 points on 8-of-14 shooting (.571 percent). The guard made 15-of-16 free throw attempts in the victory over the Vandals.
The other nominations were senior forward Reggie Larry, Boise State; senior guard Riley Luettgerodt, Hawai?i and senior center Hatila Passos, New Mexico State.
GRAHAM BECOMES JUST THIRD BRONCO COACH TO WIN 100 GAMES AT BOISE STATE ? Boise State’s 19 wins this season have given Greg Graham 102 for his career, the third most of any head coach in Boise State history. Bobby Dye (1983-95) is the school’s all-time leader with 213 wins, while Rod Jensen (1995-2002) is second with 109 wins. His career record of 102-79 gives him a career winning percentage of .563, which is also the third best of any coach in school history behind Dye’s .616 winning percentage and Murray Satterfield’s (1968-73) .567 winning percentage.
COACH MORRILL BREAKS RECORD ? Jan. 17 and Jan. 19 were without a doubt two of the most historic days in Aggie Basketball history as Stew Morrill became the school’s all-time winningest coach on Jan. 17 and senior guard Jaycee Carroll became the school’s all-time scoring leader on Jan. 19. Morrill passed E. Lowell Romney’s (1920-41) 225 career wins, while Carroll passed Greg Grant’s (1983-86) 2,127 career points.
BIG IMPROVEMENT ? The 2007-08 San Jose State team has its first 10-win season since 2001-02 when the Spartans were 10-22. The last time the Spartans won more than 10 games in a season was 2000-01 when the team posted a 14-14 win-loss record.
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 2,339 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.
SCORING MACHINE ? A preseason candidate for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy, Nevada senior guard Marcelus Kemp is leading the team and ranked second in the WAC in scoring at 20.4 points per game (T30th in the NCAA). He has turned in at least 20 points in 12 of the last 22 games, including a career-best 35 Feb. 11 vs. Utah State and 32 Feb. 16 at Idaho. He also had 19 points in two other games in that stretch. After leading the team in scoring in 17 games last season, including five of the final six, the sixth-year senior has paced the Wolf Pack in scoring in 17 of 26 games this season, including 15 of the last 22. He turned in a team-high 26 points with four three-pointers Nov. 28 vs. California and notched his second career double-double with a game-best 20 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds Dec. 1 at Pacific. He also turned in 28 points in a Dec. 19 win over Colorado State (22 in the second half).
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. On Feb. 9, Nevada defeated Hawai?i 88-68 on ESPN2.
FRESNO STATE PACKING THE STANDS ? After a season-high 11,030 fans against Utah State, Fresno State continues to lead the WAC in home attendance, nearly 1,600 more fans per game than the No. 2 program in the league, Utah State. The Save Mart Center has seen an average of 10,486 fans per game through nine games. The Aggies average 8,832 per contest. Nevada ranks third in the WAC at 7,473 fans per game. 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 (.516), while Utah State is third in field goal percentage (.507). The Aggies are also third in the nation in free throw percentage (.782) behind Florida State which is first (.785). Individually, Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll is third in the nation in free throw percentage (.918) and up to second in three-point field goal percentage (.518). Boise State’s Tyler Tiedeman is third in three point field goal percentage (.504). Nevada’s JaVale McGee is 17th in the country in blocked shots (2.8 bpg). Boise State’s Matt Nelson is fourth in field goal percentage (.657).
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 offensively this season. Eight of the top 10 leading scorers in the league are seniors. Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll leads the way, averaging 22.3 ppg. The guard is one of only two players in the WAC averaging over 20 ppg along with Nevada’s Marcelus Kemp. Boise State’s senior duo of Reggie Larry (19.2 ppg) and Matt Nelson (16.9 ppg) are third and eighth, respectively in the league in scoring. There is just one underclassman in the top 10 in scoring, Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson (16.0), which is good enough for seventh in the WAC. New Mexico State’s Justin Hawkins is the only junior in the top 10. He is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.2 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 (19.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg)
Kevin Bell, Sr., G, Fresno State (17.7 ppg, 5.7 apg)
Jordan Brooks, Jr., F, Idaho (12.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.2 apg)
Kyle Gibson, So., G, Louisiana Tech (16.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Justin Hawkins, Sr., G/F, New Mexico State (17.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
C.J. Webster, So., C, San Jose State (11.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
NEVADA TOP TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Over the last four seasons dating back to 2004-05, Nevada has turned in a 97-26 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.789 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 51 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 98-27 (.784) 1. Nevada 52-11 (.825)
2. Utah State 88-38 (.698) 2. New Mexico St. 30-14 (.682)
3. Hawai?i 62-49 (.559) 3. Utah State 28-16 (.636)
BRONCOS LEAD WAC WITH 15 INDIVIDUAL 20-POINT GAMES IN WAC GAMES; TIED WITH UTAH STATE WITH 27 FOR SEASON ? Boise State players have combined for 27 individual 20-point games this season and are tied with Utah State for the most in the WAC. Reggie Larry leads the Broncos with 12 individual 20-point games, the third most in the conference to date (Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll leads with 17, while Nevada’s Marcelus Kemp has 13). Matt Nelson and Tyler Tiedeman each have six 20-point games, while Matt Bauscher has three. In league games, the Broncos have a WAC-best 17 individual 20-point games. Nevada has the second most with 14.
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 (2,339), three-pointers made (345), three-pointers attempted (738), three-point percentage (.467), 10-point games (113), games started (124), and total minutes played (4,285).
Boise State Broncos (19-6, 10-3 WAC)
Boise State moves into first place in the WAC with wins last week against Nevada and Fresno State ... Tyler Tiedeman leads four Boise State seniors who are ranked among the national leaders in at least one statistical category ... Tiedeman is third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage, making 51.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc ... K.J. Matsui of Columbia is the leader making 53.7 percent ... Matt Nelson is seventh in the country in field goal percentage ... The senior has made 147-of-226 field goal attempts, which is 65.0 percent of his shots ... Matt Bauscher continues to rank among the nation’s best in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-15, 4-8 WAC)
This season’s bracketbuster match up has Cal Poly coming to the Save Mart Center on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m ... the Bulldogs and Mustangs will renew an age-old series ... because of this match up, Fresno State will play a game at Cal Poly in the 2008-09 season ... Fresno State ranks second in the WAC in defense, holding opponents to just 69.0 points per game this season ... the Bulldogs are third in the WAC in field goal percentage defense (.434) and three point field goal percentage defense (.351) ... Fresno State is also the WAC’s top unit in taking care of the ball, with a +2.12 turnover margin.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (11-12, 7-4 WAC)
UH is coming off a 71-66 come-from-behind home win over Utah State .. that win kept UH in the mix of contenders for the conference title with five teams within two games of the lead ... With no other league game scheduled this weekend due to the BracketBusters event, the Rainbow Warriors can creep forward while the rest of the WAC remains idle ... they must do so at a location they have historically struggled ... UH has won just three times in 16 all-time trips to Fresno ... UH, however, was victorious in last year’s contest at the Save Mart Center, 54-42, and has won three straight overall versus the Bulldogs dating back to last year.
Idaho Vandals (6-18, 3-10 WAC)
Jordan Brooks currently is ranked second in the WAC in steals per game (1.83 spg) ... According to a list compiled by Robert Hester of the Horizon League, Jordan Brooks is one of only 10 players in the NCAA leading their team in points, rebounds, and assists. ... Trevor Morris returned to action last week after missing the previous 10 games with a foot injury ... Idaho will step out of conference this week to face UC Irvine of the Big West in the ESPNU BracketBusters ... the Vandals and the Anteaters are one of six WAC vs. Big West matchups in this year’s BracketBusters.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-20, 1-11 WAC)
After trailing by three at halftime, Louisiana Tech could not keep up with the San Jose State Spartans in the second half and lost 71-61 in the Events Center Saturday ... the Bulldogs step away from conference action this week to take on Samford of the Ohio Valley Conference ... it is Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs in this BracketBusters matchup ... super sophomore Kyle Gibson is seventh in the WAC in scoring, averaging 16.0 ppg ... he is one of three unrelated Gibsons in the top 15 in scoring along with Hawai?i senior Matt Gibson and New Mexico State freshman Jonathan Gibson.
Nevada Wolf Pack (17-9, 9-4 WAC)
Southern Illinois holds a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series with Nevada, while this year marks the first meeting between the two schools since the 1965-66 season ... the Salukis turned in a 66-58 victory over Nevada in 1945-46 and followed that up with a 99-45 win on Dec. 17, 1965 in Carbondale, Ill. ... the Wolf Pack holds a 7-12 all-time record against teams from the MVC and has won its last four meetings with teams from that league ... most recently, Nevada turned in a 77-71 overtime win over Creighton on March 16, 2007 in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament and notched a 55-52 victory at Northern Iowa on Dec. 22, 2007 in a rematch of last year’s BracketBusters contest.
New Mexico State Aggies (15-12, 9-3 WAC)
The Aggie basketball team completed the season sweep of Louisiana Tech with an 85-63 victory Feb. 14, in Ruston, La. ... senior center Hatila Passos led the squad with 20 points and seven rebounds. NMSU had three other players in double-figures ... senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins contributed 11 points while both sophomore guard Jonathan Gibson and freshman forward Herb Pope added 10 ... the Aggies host Long Beach State, Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. inside the Pan American Center in the O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBuster.
San Jose State Spartans (12-13, 4-8 WAC)
On Monday, San Jose State knocked off visiting Utah State, 70-67, at The Event Center ... the Spartans improve to 12-13 overall and 4-8 in the WAC ... Utah State falls to 18-9 overall and 8-4 in WAC play ... the 12 wins is the most since the 2000-01 season for San Jose State and betters the win total of the previous two years combined ... the Spartans also guarantee a winning home record for the year by improving to 7-3 on campus ... San Jose State has now beaten Utah State, Nevada, Louisiana Tech and Fresno State in conference play this season ... junior DaShawn Wright is fifth in the WAC in steals per game, averaging 1.56 spg.
Utah State Aggies (18-9, 8-4 WAC)
Despite a game-high 31 points from Jaycee Carroll, including 18 in the second-half, Utah State lost its third-straight game falling to San Jose State, 70-67 on Monday ... it is the first time since the end of the 1998-99 season that a Utah State team has lost three straight, a span of 287 games ... Utah State will return to action on Friday, Feb. 22 when it hosts former Big West Conference rival UC Santa Barbara on ESPNU ... Jaycee Carroll is currently leading the WAC with 23.6 ppg ... he also ranks first in the WAC in free throw shooting (90.7) and is eighth in overall shooting (52.5) and seventh in rebounding (6.5).