THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
December 15 (Tuesday)
Murray State at Louisiana Tech, 7:00 p.m. CT
New Mexico State at UCLA, 7:30 p.m. PT
December 16 (Wednesday)
Utah State at Cal State Bakersfield, 7:00 p.m. PT
December 17 (Thursday)
Eastern Washington at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
UC Davis at Fresno State, 7:00 p.m. PT
December 18 (Friday)
Utah State at Long Beach State, 7:00 p.m. PT
San Jose State at UC Irvine, 7:00 p.m. PT
New Mexico State at Pepperdine, 7:30 p.m. PT
December 19 (Saturday)
Houston Baptist at Boise State, 3:15 p.m. MT
McNeese State at Louisiana Tech, 7:00 p.m. CT
Wagner at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
North Dakota State at Fresno State, 7:00 p.m. PT
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (5-4, 0-0 WAC)
It was a week of career highs for Boise State as several Broncos recorded their best games during their collegiate careers: Junior La’Shard Anderson tied his career-high seven assists and four steals at Idaho State, while senior Ike Okoye recorded a career-high 23 points, sinking 10 shots against the Bengals ... Junior Daequon Montreal had a career week as he not only recorded a career-best three blocks at ISU, but tallied a career-high 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench against San Diego ... he Broncos 59-56 loss to San Diego not only marked their first loss at home this season, but is just the fourth time Boise State has fallen on its home court in the last two seasons as it lost just three game at Taco Bell Arena last season.
Fresno State Bulldogs (4-5, 0-0 WAC)
Fresno State picked up an 80-72 win at Pepperdine and concluded the week at home against BYU that ended in a 72-67 defeat … in the first game of the week, Paul George produced his second 29-point performance of his career, with the other coming last season at home against Boise State … in the week’s second contest, the Bulldogs owned the low post as Smith showcased his assertive play and physical presence before the visiting Cougars held off a Bulldog comeback bid … Smith scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds … Smith headlined the Bulldog frontline that recorded a 38-22 edge over BYU in the paint and combined for 51 points between Smith, Seay (16) and George (14).
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (5-4, 0-0 WAC)
Roderick Flemings averaged 18.0 ppg and 8.0 rebounds per game in wins over Chaminade and Chicago State last week ... the Rainbow Warriors defeated Chaminade 70-61 before routing Chicago State 83-58 ... Flemings scored all 18 of his points in the second half to help UH overcome a 13-point halftime deficit to help spur a 21-4 game-ending run to turn an eight-point deficit to an nine-point win ... Flemings also scored 18 points and had six rebounds in an 83-58 rout of Chicago State ... Hawai‘i has won a season high three straight games ... the 25-point win over Chicago State was its largest margin of victory this year ... UH will have 10 days off before hosting the inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
Idaho Vandals (6-3, 0-0 WAC)
Idaho went 1-1 last week, dropping a 76-64 decision at Washington State before returning home to defeat Eastern Oregon, 82-77 ... against WSU, Kashif Watson was the only Vandal with a good shooting night, as he hit six of his 11 attempts and led Idaho with 16 points ... Idaho’s two leading scorers, Steffan Johnson and Mac Hopson, finished the game shooting just 5-of-17 from the floor for a combined 15 points ... in Idaho’s win over Eastern Oregon, Mac Hopson scored 16 points to lead four Vandals in double figures, as Marvin Jefferson (14), Kashif Watson (11), and Kyle Barone (10) also hit double digits. Jefferson also led the team with 11 rebounds to give him the team’s first double-double of the season.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-2, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech was 1-1 this week after a loss at Arizona and a win at Centenary in double overtime … Kyle Gibson continues a torrid scoring pace as he has at least 25 points in his last four games … his 22.1 points per game average ranks 12th in the NCAA … Gibson’s 90.4 percent from the free throw line ranks 5th in the NCAA … Tech’s 102 points scored was the first time the 100 point mark was reached since 1998 … the Gents hit 20 three-pointers, one off the most ever given up by the Bulldogs … head Coach Kerry Rupp is 11-3 all-time versus teams from Louisiana … LA Tech hosts three-consecutive games starting with Murray State on Tuesday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (4-4, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada opens play in the HOOPTV Las Vegas Classic with a pair of home games this week, taking on Eastern Washington (Dec. 17) and Wagner (Dec. 19) ... the team will then head to Las Vegas for the final rounds, taking on BYU (Dec. 22) and either Nebraska or Tulsa (Dec. 23) ... sophomore Luke Babbitt has turned in a double-double in each of the last seven games, including 16 points and 10 rebounds in both wins last week ... Nevada’s 92 points in Saturday’s win over South Dakota State were the second-most for the team this season. The WAC scoring leader at 81.2 points per game, the Wolf Pack is averaging 90.5 ppg in the last two contests ... the Wolf Pack has shot 54.0 percent from the field in its last two games (67-124).
New Mexico State Aggies (3-5, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies defeated UTEP 87-80 at the Don Haskins Center ... junior guard Jahmar Young scored a team-high 24 points including 20 in the second half ... this was the Aggies’ first win in El Paso, Texas, since Dec. 16, 2006 ... Gordo Castillo tied his season-high mark with 17 points in his first start of the season ... Jonathan Gibson added 14 points with four steals and seven assists, which ties his career-high mark, while Hamidu Rahman had the only double-double of the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds ... the win at UTEP marks the first non-conference road victory in three seasons ... NM State went 17-for-17 at the free-throw line in the second half and 85.7 percent for the game and committed a season-low 12 turnovers.
San Jose Spartans (4-4, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State went 1-1 last week with a 76-71 loss at San Francisco before an 84-80 overtime victory at home against Cal State Bakersfield ... Adrian Oliver led the Spartans over the two games, averaging 23.5 points per game on 16-of-40 shooting ... Oliver also tallied seven assists, 14 rebounds and a pair of blocks ... Chris Oaks averaged a double-double wwith 12.0 points and 13.5 rebounds per game ... Justin Graham and Mac Peterson also averaged double digit points at 11.5 points each ... Robert Owens tallied five threes over the two games ... this week, San Jose State travels to play UC Irvine on Friday.
Utah State Aggies (5-3, 0-0 WAC)
Utah State defeated Utah Valley, 87-56, at home in the team’s lone contest of the week ... Pooh Williams led the Aggie effort with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a 3-of-4 clip from beyond the arc ... Williams also had three assists and a steal in the victory ... Brian Green and Jared Quayle each had 13 points, while Nate Bendall had 12 and Tyler Newbold 11 ... Utah State connected on 13-of-21 threes in the game and hit 12-of-14 free throws ... Utah State out-rebounded Utah Valley 31-19 and forced the Wolverines into 16 turnovers ... this week, Utah State travels to play Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday before playing at Long Beach State on Friday.
WAC NOTES
NEW MEXICO STATE’S YOUNG NAMED VERIZON WIRELESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 7-13. The honor marks the second career WAC Player of the Week award for Young.
Young, a junior guard from Baltimore, Md. (W.E.B Dubois HS), helped the Aggies to their first non-conference road win in three years with an 87-80 victory at UTEP. Young posted a team-high 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Young scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half to help NM State to its first win in El Paso since 2006. Young also knocked down a pair of three-point field goals and hit a perfect 6-of-6 shots from the charity stripe. He also dished out three assists.
Other nominees included: Boise State senior forward Ike Okoye … Fresno State sophomore guard/forward Paul George … Hawai‘i senior forward Roderick Flemings … Idaho senior guard Kashif Watson ... Louisiana Tech senior guard Kyle Gibson … Nevada junior guard Armon Johnson … Utah State guard/forward Pooh Williams.
WAC TEAMS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
Teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in four team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in six individual categories. Utah State holds the highest team mark, ranking second nationally in free throw percentage at 81.1. Individually, Nevada’s Luke Babbitt holds the highest individual ranking as he ranks third nationally with seven double-doubles. San Jose State’s Chris Oakes ranks 11th in rebounding at 11.4 boards per game.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FREEBIES
Eight players in the WAC rank in the top-50 nationally in free throw percentage. Four of those players hold free throw percentages in the 90s. Hawai‘i’s Dwain Williams holds the top free throw mark in the league at 92.3 percent, ranking him 17th nationally. As a team, Utah State holds the nations’s second-best free throw team ranking at 81.1 percent. There have been four players in the WAC that have had perfect games at the line with 10 or more attemps. Idaho’s Kashif Watson has the second-best single-game performance in the nation as he went a perfect 15-for-15 at the line on Dec. 3 against Cal State Northridge.
IDAHO AND UTAH STATE PICK UP WINS AGAINST TEAMS FROM LAST YEAR’S NCAA TOURNAMENT
WAC teams will play at least 15 non-conference games against opponents that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, including last year’s national champion (North Carolina). Idaho opened its season with two of its first three games against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams. Idaho beat both Utah and North Dakota State on their home floors and started the season 2-1. The WAC is currently 2-3 against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams, with both wins coming from Idaho.
Idaho def. Utah, 94-87 (Nov. 13)
Utah def. Utah State, 68-67 (Nov. 18)
Washington def. San Jose State, 80-70 (Nov. 20)
BYU def. Hawai‘i, 83-65 (Nov. 20)
Idaho def. North Dakota State, 81-69 (Nov. 21)
VCU def. Nevada, 85-76 (Nov. 27)
North Carolina def. Nevada, 80-73 (Nov. 29)
Utah State def. Brigham Young, 71-61 (Dec. 2)
Cal State Northridge def. Idaho, 95-93 (Dec. 3)
Illinois def. Boise State, 84-77 (Dec. 5)
Arizona def. Louisiana Tech, 83-67 (Dec. 9)
BYU def. Fresno State, 72-67 (Dec. 12)
New Mexico State at UCLA, Dec. 15
Morehead State at Utah State, Dec. 22
Portland State at Boise State, Dec. 21
Nevada vs. Brigham Young, Dec. 22
NEW MEXICO STATE’S GIBSON AND NEVADA’S JOHNSON BECOME MEMBERS OF 1,000 POINT CLUB
Jonathan Gibson scored a career-high 30 points against Oklahoma Panhandle State (11/21) to become the 25th player in NM State history to top the 1,000-points mark for his career. With a jumper with 12:30 to go in the second half, Nevada junior guard Armon Johnson scored his 1,000th career point, become the 19th player in Nevada school history to reach that milestone. Gibson and Johnson, along with Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson (1,327) are the only current WAC players with 1,000 or more career points.
UTAH STATE’S HOME WIN STREAK ENDS
For the first time since March 3, 2007, Utah State dropped a game at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies had won 37 straight home games before its loss to Saint Mary’s on Dec. 5. The loss also halted Utah State’s 65-game regular season non-conference home winning streak, as well as its 41-straight home non-conference victory streak.
NEVADA PUTS UP A LEAGUE-HIGH 112 POINTS IN WIN OVER HOUSTON
Nevada’s 112 points in its Nov. 21 win over Houston marked the most for the Wolf Pack since the team turned in a 117-88 win over Northwestern State on Dec. 19, 1991. The team’s 61 points in the first half also mark the most points in a half since Nevada scored what is believed to be a school-record 71 points in the second half of a 117-88 win over Northwestern State on Dec. 19, 1991.
WAC AND THE RPI
The WAC’s RPI continues to rise as it currently sits at 12, according to both CollegeRPI.com and RealTimeRPI.com. Nevada holds the top RPI in the conference at 80, followed by New Mexico State at 86.
LOUISIANA TECH AND IDAHO OFF TO RECORD STARTS
With a 7-1 record to start the season, Louisiana Tech got off to its best start since starting 8-1 in the 1990-91 season in which the Bulldogs finished 20-10 and won the America South Conference Tournament. At 5-2, Idaho was off to its best start since 1989-90, when the Vandals also started 5-2. That Idaho team went on to finish 25-6, win the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles and face Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
UTAH STATE’S JARED QUAYLE CANDIDATE FOR LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Utah State’s Jared Quayle has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2009-10 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year. It is the third year in a row that a Utah State player has been named one of 30 national candidates for this award as Jaycee Carroll was selected as one of 10 finalists in 2008 and Gary Wilkinson was one of 30 candidates in 2009. Quayle, a 6-1 senior guard from Perry, Utah is the only player from the state of Utah and the only player from the Western Athletic Conference to be selected for this award.
ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS
For the eighth 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 Feb. 20. The match-ups for Bracket Buster Saturday will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences about three weeks before the event.
WAC TOURNAMENT TO RETURN TO RENO IN 2010
The Western Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments return to the University of Nevada and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority in 2010. The tournaments will be held in the 11,485-seat Lawlor Events Center, located on the campus of the University of Nevada. This year’s tournament will feature eight men’s and eight women’s teams.
TOP WAC TEAMS OVER LAST SIX YEARS
Over the last six seasons dating back to 2003-04, Utah State leads current WAC teams with an overall record of 154-52. In conference games, Nevada has won 79 games, the most in that same time period.
The top three teams in wins (both overall and WAC) over the last six seasons:
Overall Record (Pct.)
1. Utah State 154-52 (.747)
2. Nevada 153-55 (.736)
3. Boise State 119-83 (.589)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 79-21 (.790)
2. Utah State 46-18 (.719)
3. Boise State 60-58 (.508)