WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (12-3, 3-0 WAC)
The Broncos are currently on a six-game winning streak, with their last loss coming Dec. 13 against San Francisco when Boise State fell to the Dons by three points in the final seconds ... it marks the longest winning streak the Broncos have posted since the 2003-04 season when Boise State went on a seven game winning streak during the second half of conference play ... for the first time since joining the WAC, Boise State has started conference play with a perfect 3-0 record ... the last time the Broncos started conference play at 3-0 was during the 1998-99 season when Boise State posted a record of 21-8, 12-4 in the Big Sky under coach Rod Jensen, earning Big West Conference East Division Champions ... the win over UH pushed the Broncos overall record to 12-3, marking their best start since the 1994-95 season when Boise State finished the year 17-10 overall, 7-7 in Big Sky.
Fresno State Bulldogs (7-9, 0-2 WAC)
Senior swing guard Dwight O’Neil netted a career-high 22 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists as Fresno State dropped an overtime contest to San Jose State (71-68) ... the Bulldogs built a nine-point halftime lead (44-35) as O’Neil drained 15 of his 22 points during the first session while making six of his seven shots from the field to lead the team, who shot a blistering 64.3 percent as a team during the first-half and 49.1 percent for the game. Freshman guard Paul George recorded 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and forced a team-high three steals ... junior forward Sylvester Seay added nine points and six boards while freshman guard Mychal Ladd earned his eight start and responded with seven points ... this week, Fresno State heads out on the road for games at Utah State (Thursday, Jan. 15) and Nevada (Saturday, Jan. 17).
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (9-7, 1-3 WAC)
Hawai?i went 1-2 last week, defeating Louisiana Tech 65-54 at home before dropping road games at Idaho (67-47) and Boise State (54-48) ... in the win over Louisiana Tech, Bill Amis led the Rainbow Warriors with a 17-point performance ... three others (Roderick Flemings, Paul Campbell, and Adhar Mayen) each added 13 points in the victory ... Flemings led Hawai?i with 16 points in the loss to Idaho, and added 17 more in the loss at Boise State ... Flemings led the Rainbow Warriors in scoring through the three games, averaging 15.3 per contest ... Lasha Parghalava averaged 8.5 points, while Amis helped with 8.3 over the three games ... Campbell led the team in rebounding last week, averaging 6.3 per game ... this week, the Rainbow Warriors will play just one game as they return to the island to host San Jose State on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Idaho Vandals (8-8, 2-1 WAC)
Idaho is off to its best start since the 1998-1999 team started the season 9-7 ... with eight wins, Idaho has tied for the most wins in a season since the 2003-04 team finished 14-16 overall ... UI has six wins at home for the first time since the 2004-05 season ... Idaho’s 67-47 victory over Hawai`i was its largest WAC victory since joining the conference in 2005 ... Idaho’s 78-73 win at Nevada was just its third WAC road win since joining the conference in 2005 ... the victory broke a string of seven-consecutive losses to the Wolf Pack and gave Idaho a 1-0 conference start for the first time since defeating Utah State to open the 2004-05 season in the Big West ... Idaho is averaging 79.4 points per game with four players in double figures in eight wins and just 56.5 points per game in eight losses ... Idaho has five losses by 10 or less points ... UI travels to play New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech this week.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (7-10, 1-3 WAC)
The Bulldogs went 0-3 last week, dropping games to Hawai?i, Utah State, and Nevada ... Louisiana Tech lost two of its games (Hawai?i and Nevada) by a combined four points ... Kenneth Cooper led the Bulldog effort against Hawai?i, scoring a team-high 14 points with seven rebounds ... David Jackson was also in double figures against the Rainbow Warriors with 11 points ... Kyle Gibson was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds against Utah State ... in the buzzer-beating loss to Nevada, Gibson led the team with 18 points ... Cooper had 12 points against the Wolf Pack ... overall on the week, Gibson averaged 12.0 points per game, while Magnum Rolle averaged 10.0 over the three games ... this week, Louisiana Tech hosts Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Nevada Wolf Pack (9-7, 2-1 WAC)
Nevada picked up a pair of WAC road victories with its come-from-behind victories at New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech last week ... since the start of the 2004-05 season, Nevada has turned in a 28-8 record in WAC road games (.778) ... the Wolf Pack rallied from second-half deficits in each of its road wins last weekend and is now 3-5 on the year when trailing at the half ... Nevada trailed 40-31 at NMSU and at Louisiana Tech, trailed 35-24 at the half and was down by 45-30 with 16:36 to play in the game before rallying for the victory ... Nevada has outrebounded each of its last five opponents and holds a 6-3 record when outrebounding its opponents this season ... freshman Luke Babbitt was named the WAC’s player of the week after he tied his career highs with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the win at NMSU ... he also made the game-winning three-pointer as time expired at Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
New Mexico State Aggies (8-9, 2-2 WAC)
New Mexico State concludes a three-game WAC home stand when the Aggies host Idaho, Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. ... the Aggies had a tough week with a pair of losses to Nevada, 79-71, in overtime, Jan. 8, and Utah State, 77-67, Jan. 10 ... freshman forward Troy Gillenwater led the Aggies against the Wolf Pack with a career-high 22 points off the bench while junior guard Jonathan Gibson added 18 ... sophomore forward Wendell McKines had his ninth double-double of the year with 10 points and 15 rebounds, which tied his career-high mark ... versus Utah State, sophomore guard Jahmar Young had a team-high 18 points while McKines and Gillenwater added 11 points each ... over last week’s three games, Young led the way by averaging 14.3 points per game ... McKines averaged 14.0 points per contest while pulling down 10.7 boards per game.
San Jose State Spartans (7-8, 1-3 WAC)
San Jose State went 1-2 last week, dropping games to New Mexico State (73-75) and Boise State (64-84) before defeating Fresno State 71-68 in overtime ... the Spartans also dropped a 61-55 decision on Monday night at Cal State Bakersfield ... guard Justin Graham already has more assists in 2008-09 (81) than he did as a freshman last season (76) ... the Spartans won at Fresno State without forward Tim Pierce and guard Adrian Oliver, the top SJSU scorers this season ... San Jose State has outrebounded each of its last eight opponents ... over its three games last week, C.J. Webster led the team in scoring at 17.7 points per game ... two others, Justin Graham (11.7 ppg.) and Tim Pierce (10.5 ppg.) averaged double digit scoring ... this week, San Jose State will travel to Oahu to face Hawai?i on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Utah State Aggies (15-1, 3-0 WAC)
Senior forward Gary Wilkinson (South Jordan, Utah) led Utah State to three straight Western Athletic Conference wins this past week as USU defeated Idaho (70-61) at home, followed by a pair of road wins at Louisiana Tech (50-37) and New Mexico State (77-67) ... against the Vandals, Wilkinson recorded his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds ... against the Bulldogs, he had a game-high 17 points to go along with five boards ... and against NMSU, he notched his fourth double-double of the year with 24 points and a career-high 14 rebounds ... the Aggies have now won 10 straight games dating back to a loss against BYU over a month ago ... the team leads the nation with a perfect 6-0 record on the road ... the team also holds on of the top home win streaks in the nation ... this week, USU hosts Fresno State on Thursday, Jan. 15 and Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 17.
WAC NOTES
NEVADA’S BABBITT NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nevada’s Luke Babbitt has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 5-11. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Babbitt.
Babbitt, a freshman from Reno, Nevada (Galena HS), led the Wolf Pack to a pair of come-from-behind road wins against New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. Babbitt tied career highs with 22 points and 12 rebounds in an overtime win at New Mexico State for his second double-double of the year. He scored four points and pulled down three rebounds in the overtime period to help secure the victory. Against NMSU, Babbitt matched his career bests with three assists and three steals. Babbitt made the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to lead Nevada to its win at Louisiana Tech. He scored 15 points and led the team with nine rebounds against the Bulldogs, connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the field, including a career-best 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
On the week, Babbitt averaged 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 43.3 percent from the field (13-of-30), 57.1 percent from three-point range (4-of-7), and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe (7-of-8).
Other nominees: Boise State junior guard Anthony Thomas; Fresno State senior guard Dwight O’Neil; Idaho junior guard Kashif Watson; San Jose State junior forward C.J. Webster; and Utah State senior forward Gary Wilkinson.
UTAH STATE’S OWNS NATIONS FOURTH-LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK
Utah State has won 26 straight games inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, which is tied with Michigan State for the third-longest active home winning streak in the country. Notre Dame has the longest active home winning streak in the nation at 44 games, followed by Kansas (32), Utah State (26) and Michigan State (26). Utah State also owns the nation’s fifth-longest overall win streak in the country at 10 games.
ON THE ROAD, NO PROBLEM
WAC teams hold a combined 11-5 road record in conference play this season, while compiling only a 5-10 mark at home. Utah State, Nevada, and New Mexico State are each 2-0 away from home, while Boise State is 1-0. Utah State holds a 6-0 overall record on the road this season, the top road mark in the country this season.
YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Of the 124 players on rosters in the WAC, 75 (60.5 percent) are made up of juniors and sophomores. There are currently just 20 seniors in the league, eight of which are current starters. There are nearly just as many freshman starters (6) in the league as there are senior starters (8). Juniors and sophomores make up 60.5 percent of the starting lineups on the WAC.
TURNING IT AROUND
After winning eight games last season, Idaho has already matched its win total from last season through just 16 games already this year. The Vandals went 8-21 last season and already hold an 8-8 (.500) mark this year. Louisiana Tech, which went 6-24 last season, already has surpassed its win total from last year as the team currently holds a 7-10 mark.
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 also holds the SJSU all-time record for 3-point field goal attempted at 394. Pierce also set the SJSU record for most consecutive three-point baskets made as he connected on nine in a row (5-for-5 in second half at San Diego and 4-for-4 to open the game against Northern Colorado).
WAC TEAMS RANK TOP-10 NATIONALLY IN TWO TEAM STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
As of Jan. 12, teams from the WAC rank top-11 or better in four team statistical categories. Utah State currently leads the nation in field goal percentage at 52.0 percent. The Aggies also rank fifth in the country in rebound margin (9.6) and 11th in assist-turnover ratio (1.4). New Mexico State ranks ninth in three-point field goal percentage at 40.3 percent. Individually, Utah State’s Gary Wilkinson ranks ninth in field goal percentage at 64.6 percent.
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 an 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 the WSU game.
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 136-46 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.747 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 70 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 136-46 (.747)
2. Utah State 133-43 (.756)
3. Hawai?i 92-74 (.554)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 70-17 (.805)
2. Hawai?i 44-43 (.506)
3. Fresno State 41-43 (.488)
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.
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 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, and is shooting 64.8 percent from the field and 82.0 percent from the free throw line. He currently ranks second in the WAC in scoring, third in field goal shooting, third in free throw shooting and second in rebounding.
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