PLAYER OF THE WEEK ? Boise State senior forward Reggie Larry has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for Jan. 28-Feb. 3. This is the third WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior this season.
Larry, a senior from Newark, N.J. (College of Southern Idaho), had a career-high 27 points in an overtime road win against Fresno State last week. In the 90-89 win against the Bulldogs, he had 27 points along with 16 rebounds and three steals to lead the Broncos. Against instate rival Idaho, Larry had a career-high five assists and added 21 points and nine assists. For the week, he averaged 24.0 points and 12.5 rebounds to lead the Broncos to a 2-0 record.
The other nominations were senior guard Kevin Bell, Fresno State; senior guard Matt Gibson, Hawai?i; senior center Hatila Passos, New Mexico State and junior forward Gary Wilkinson, Utah State.
WEEK SIX OF WAC PLAY ? On Saturday Feb. 9, ESPN2 will feature a key WAC matchup when Hawai?i travels to Nevada. UH is currently tied for third place in the WAC standings and is just one game out of first place in what’s shaped out to be a tight league race. With a road win at Idaho and a pair of convincing home wins over New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech, UH is riding a season-long three-game win streak and have chalked up wins in five of its last six games. Nevada, meanwhile, is just a half game behind UH in the WAC standings.
In the other WAC games, first-place Utah State will travel to Fresno State before hosting San Jose State on Saturday. Second-place Boise State will travel to both Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State.
O’REILLY’S BRACKETBUSTERS MATCHUPS ANNOUNCED ? Pairings for the sixth annual O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters ? a multi-day men’s basketball event matching NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on Friday, Feb. 22, Saturday, Feb. 23 and a special telecast on Sunday, Feb. 24. There are three WAC teams that will have televised games, including Utah State hosting UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Feb. 22. On Saturday, Feb. 24, Nevada will travel to Southern Illinois, while Boise State will host Siena.
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. Game times and network assignments for the 14 matchups will be announced Monday, Feb. 11. The 28 ESPNU BracketBusters teams were selected from a pool of 100 schools.
BRONCOS’ LARRY NEARS MILESTONE ? The 1,000 point club at Boise State is selective. The group of Broncos who have scored 400 points in more than one season at Boise State is even more selective. Reggie Larry needs just four points on Thursday at Louisiana Tech to become just the 12th player in school history to score 400 points in two seasons. When he reaches the milestone, he will join Steve Connor (four times), Tanoka Beard (three times), Chris Childs (three times), Coby Karl (three times), Abe Jackson (three times), Roberto Bergersen, Ron Austin, Pat Hoke, Arnell Jones, Aaron Haynes and Vince Hinchen as multiple 400-point season scorers.
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.
BUCKING BRONCOS ? Boise State players have combined for 23 individual 20-point games this season, two more than any other team in the WAC. Reggie Larry leads the Broncos with nine 20-point games, the second most in the conference to date (Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll leads with 13). Matt Nelson has six 20-point games, while Tyler Tiedeman has five and Matt Bauscher has three. In league games, the Broncos also have a WAC-best 12 individual 20-point games. Utah State has the second most in both categories with 21 total individual 20-point games and nine in WAC games.
ROAD WARRIORS ? While San Jose State has the third most wins of the nine WAC teams with four, the Spartans are seeking their first conference road triumph of the season in their games at Nevada and Utah State. Boise State with eight and Nevada, five, are the two WAC teams with more road victories than San Jose State.
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 2,180 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.
DOMINATING THE BOARDS ? The Aggies are dominating teams on the boards this season and out-rebounding their opponents by a 7.2 margin. NMSU has grabbed 345 offensive rebounds this year, which is an average of 14.4 per contest. Senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins and freshman forward Wendell McKines both have over 145 rebounds this year. McKines leads the squad with 71 offensive boards. Senior center Hatila Passos leads the WAC in that category with 3.28 offensive rebounds per game and McKines ranks second with 2.96 offensive boards per contest as of Feb. 5.
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. This week, Nevada will host Hawai?i onFeb. 9 at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
FRESNO STATE PACKING THE STANDS ? After a season-high 10,610 fans against San Jose State, Fresno State continues to lead the WAC in home attendance, nearly 1,800 more fans per more game than the No. 2 program in the league, Utah State. The Save Mart Center has seen an average of 10,441 fans per game through seven games. The Aggies average 8,721 per contest. Nevada ranks third in the WAC a 7,353 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 fifth in field goal percentage (.505). The Aggies are also second in the nation in free throw percentage (.786) behind Florida State which is first (.789). Individually, Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll is fifth in the nation in free throw percentage (.923) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.504). Boise State’s Tyler Tiedeman is fifth in three point field goal percentage (.495). Nevada’s JaVale McGee is 11th in the country in blocked shots (2.9 bpg). Boise State’s Matt Nelson is fourth in field goal percentage (.660).
DOUBLE TROUBLE ? Nevada has seen three different players turn in its seven double-doubles this season, led by sophomore JaVale McGee who has five. Most recently, McGee turned in 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds Feb. 2 at Utah State. He also had 10 points and 12 rebounds Jan. 12 at Hawai’i., 18 points and 11 rebounds Dec. 31 against Cal State Stanislaus and 15 points and a career-best 18 rebounds Dec. 16 vs. UCF. He 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 double-double 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.
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 21.2 ppg. The guard is the only player in the WAC averaging over 20 ppg. Boise State’s senior duo of Reggie Larry (18.9 ppg) and Matt Nelson (16.0 ppg) are third and seventh, respectively in the league in scoring. There is just one underclassman in the top 10 in scoring, Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson (15.9) which is good enough for eighth 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 (18.9 ppg, 9.4 rpg)
Kevin Bell, Sr., G, Fresno State (17.9 ppg, 5.8 apg)
Jordan Brooks, Jr., F, Idaho (12.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.3 apg)
Kyle Gibson, So., G, Louisiana Tech (15.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Justin Hawkins, Sr., G/F, New Mexico State (17.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
Justin Graham, Fr., G, San Jose State (12.2 ppg, 3.1 apg)
NEVADA TOP TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS ? Over the last four-seasons dating back to 2004-05, Nevada has turned in a 94-26 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.783 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 48 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 94-26 (.783) 1. Nevada 48-10 (.828)
2. Utah State 86-35 (.711) 2. New Mexico St. 27-14 (.659)
3. Hawai?i 61-48 (.560) 3. Utah State 26-13 (.667)
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 (2,204), three-pointers made (324), three-pointers attempted (701), three-point percentage (.462), 10-point games (108), games started (119), and total minutes played (4,086). Overall, Carroll currently holds seven school records, which is the most in school history. With 10 regular season games still to play for Carroll, he will likely break the school’s all-time record for field goals made and attempted, and total games played, which would give him 10 school records.
SPREADING THE WEALTH ? Four members of the Wolf Pack are averaging in doubles figures for scoring this year, led by senior guard Marcelus Kemp who ranks second in the WAC and 52nd in the nation at 18.9 points per game. Kemp has led the team in scoring in 11 of 19 games this year, including nine of the last 15. Freshman Armon Johnson and sophomore JaVale McGee are tied for second on the team and 13th in the WAC with 12.6 points per game, while sophomore Brandon Fields is turning in 12.2 points per contest. McGee scored a career-high 20 Nov. 19 at UC Irvine, while Fields turned in a career-best 22 Dec. 16 vs. UCF. Johnson has matched his career high with 23 points twice (Dec. 27 at then top-ranked North Carolina and Jan. 17 vs. Idaho). Nevada saw all five of its starters score in double figures for the first time this year on Dec. 12 vs. the Toreros, while it had five players in double figures again Dec. 31 vs. Cal State Stanislaus. The team has seen at least four players in double figures in a total of nine games this year (UC Irvine, Montana State, UCF, Hawai’i, Idaho, Boise State, NMSU and La Tech).
Boise State Broncos (16-5, 7-2 WAC)
Reggie Larry needs just four points at Louisiana Tech to become just the 12th player in school history to score 400 points in two seasons ... in the NCAA statistics, the Broncos continue to lead the nation in field goal percentage (.516), and are ninth in the country in both scoring offense (83.1 ppg) and assists (18.3 apg) ... senior Matt Nelson is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (.660 )... senior Tyler Tiedeman is fifth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.495) ... besides leading the WAC in field goal percentage, scoring and assists, the Broncos are also atop the conference in scoring margin (+8.9), steals (7.38/game) and three-point field goals made (8.43).
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-12, 4-5 WAC)
Fresno State never relinquished its lead in Monday’s 70-58 victory over Louisiana Tech ... senior Kevin Bell scored 18 points and Eddie Miller added 17, including five three-pointers ... One of the biggest highlights to come from the Nevada game was the emergence of freshman Brandon Webster, who set career-highs with 11 points and 10 rebounds, recording his first career double-double. Webster accomplished that in 19 minutes of action. He made four of his six field goal attempts.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (10-11, 6-3 WAC)
Hawai`i puts its three-game win streak on the line when it faces Nevada in a nationally televised road game on Saturday, Feb. 9 ... with a road win at Idaho (58-53) and a pair of convincing home wins over New Mexico State (94-71) and Louisiana Tech (71-57), UH is riding a season-long three-game win streak and has chalked up wins in five of its last six games ... Matt Gibson leads the team in and is sixth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 16.6 ppg ... Gibson is third in the WAC in assists (5.12 apg) and steals (1.88 spg) ... Bobby Nash is fifth in the WAC in three-point field goals made, averaging 2.24 per game.
Idaho Vandals (5-15, 2-7 WAC)
Idaho hits the road for against NMSU and Louisiana Tech ... the Vandals lead the WAC in three-point field goal percentage defense (.332), are second in steals (6.90 spg) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.368) and three-point field goals made (7.15) ... Jordan Brooks is first in the WAC in steals (2.10 spg), and fourth in assists (4.25 apg) ... Michael Crowell is fourth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.465) and ninth in three-point field goals made (2.00) ... Mike Hall is sixth in both three-point field goal percentage and (.441) and three-point field goals made (.2.16). Darin Nagle is third in the WAC in blocked shots, averaging 1.39 per game.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-17, 0-8 WAC)
After falling behind by as many is 27 points in the second half, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs fought back from the deficit but, unfortunately, could not capitalize and lost to the Fresno State Bulldogs on Monday night by a final score of 70-58 ... sophmore Kyle Gibson is the only underclassmen in the top 10 in scoring in the WAC ... Gibson is averaging 15.9 ppg ... the sophomore is also fourth in the conference in three-point field goals made, averaging 2.25 ... this week, the Bulldogs look for their first conference win of the season at home against Boise State and Idaho.
Nevada Wolf Pack (13-8, 5-3 WAC)
The Wolf Pack shot just 39.0 percent from the field (23-59) in the loss at Utah State after making 55.9 percent of its attempts in the previous three games (all three wins) ... the team ranks fourth in the WAC in field goal percentage, shooting 47.2 percent ... the league leader in field goal percentage defense at 42.6 percent, Nevada allowed Utah State to shoot 54.0 percent from the field (66.7 percent in the first half ) ... the WAC leader in blocked shots, Nevada matched its season low with just two blocks in the Utah State game (both by Demarshay Johnson), while JaVale McGee, also the league individual leader, was not credited with a block for just the second time this season.
New Mexico State Aggies (11-11, 5-2 WAC)
The Aggies rank first in rebounding offense (39.5), rebounding margin (+7.2) and offensive rebounds (14.38). Senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins is fifth in scoring (17.2) and fourth in rebounding (7.5) ... senior center Hatila Passos also leads the WAC in field goal percentage (70.0). From the 3-point line sophomore guard Jonathan Gibson is fourth in shots made per game (2.25) ... sophomore guard Chris Cole ranks third in assist to turnover ratio (1.94) as of Feb. 5 ... this season, the Aggies are averaging 3.0 blocks per game with senior center Martin Iti leading the way with 34 ... he ranks second in the WAC with 1.42 per game as of Feb. 4.
San Jose State Spartans (10-11, 2-6 WAC)
San Jose State ended January at the .500 plateau or higher for the first time since the 1999-2000 season with its win over Cal State Bakersfield ... in 1999-2000, the Spartans ended January 2000 with an 11-9 win-loss record ... 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 ... heading into the Nevada game, Justin Graham (12.2 ppg.), DaShawn Wright (10.8 ppg.), Tim Pierce (10.8 ppg.), C.J.Webster (10.4 ppg.) and Chris Oakes (10.4 ppg.) have a double-figure scoring average.
Utah State Aggies (16-6, 6-1 WAC)
Utah State is leading the WAC in free throw shooting (.786) and three-point shooting (.399), and is second in the conference in overall shooting (.505), scoring defense (67.7) and assists (18.18) ... nationally, USU ranks second in free throw shooting, fifth in overall shooting and 10th
in assists per game ... Utah State is 14-0 on the season when allowing fewer than 70 points, but 2-6 when its opponent scores 70 or more points in a game ... senior guard Kris Clark ranks first in the WAC and 12th in the nation with 6.32 assists per game ... Clark also ranks second in the conference and 24th in the nation with an assist-toturnover ratio of 2.57.