THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE/RESULTS
December 28 (Monday)
New Mexico State def. Prairie View A&M, 95-76
San Jose State def. UC Irvine, 78-68
Nevada def. Portland, 78-69
Fresno State def. Colorado State, 73-50
Hawai‘i def. Northwestern State, 81-62
Television: KFVE
December 29 (Tuesday)
Louisiana Tech def. Houston, 99-94
^Idaho def. Lewis-Clark State, 71-52
Utah State def. Western Oregon, 78-42
Boise State def. Northwest Nazarene, 76-58
January 2 (Saturday)
*Nevada at Louisiana Tech, 7:00 p.m. CT
Television: KAME-TV 21, Comcast SportsNet, ESPN Full Court
*Boise State at Fresno State, 7:00 p.m. PT
*Utah State at New Mexico State, 9:00 p.m. MT
Television: ESPNU
*Idaho at Hawai‘i, 7:00 p.m. HT
Television: KFVE
^ denotes game being played at the Qwest Arena (Boise, Idaho)
* denotes WAC game
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (9-4, 0-0 WAC)
Boise State has gone 3-0 over the past week, defeating Portland State, Montana State and Northwest Nazarene ... BSU recorded a season-low 22 points during the first half of play against Portland State … it was the lowest point total between two schools this season as the two combined for just 40 total points … Ike Okoye registered 10 rebounds and eight points during the first half of play … he finished the night with 11 boards and 20 points, marking the second double-double of the season and third of his career and the fourth time this season in which he’s finished with 20 or more points ... BSU has faced five opponents from the Big Sky this season and own a record of 4-1 against the conference this season.
Fresno State Bulldogs (7-7, 0-0 WAC)
The Bulldogs have gone 1-2 in thier last three games ... the team dropped contests at Montana (59-56) and at Oregon State (73-65) ... Fresno State did pick up a win over former WAC-foe Colorado State, 73-50 at home ... Paul George has led the Bulldogs over the last three games, averaging 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field, including a 42.1 percent clip from beyond the arc ... Paul also tallied 10 assists and seven steals over his last three games ... Sylvester Seay and Greg Smith also averaged double figures over the past three games at 13.7 and 11.7 points per game, respectively ... Fresno State opens WAC play on Saturday at home against Boise State.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (7-6, 0-0 WAC)
Hawai‘i went 2-2 last week with wins over Charleston (84-71) and Northwestern State (81-62) ... the team also took losses to UNLV (77-53) and Saint Mary’s (84-75) ...
Dwain Williams led the team, averaging 23.8 points per game over the four contests ... he connected on 23-of-48 shots from the field, including 14-of-28 shots from long range ... Hiram Thompson also averaged double figures at 11.0 points per game, while Petras Balocka scored 10.5 points a contest ... this week, Hawai‘i opens conference play at home against Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 2 ...
Idaho Vandals (7-4, 0-0 WAC)
Idaho went 1-1 in just over a week to wrap up non-conference play ... the Vandals dropped an 82-52 decision at Portland before defeating Lewis-Clark State, 71-52, on a neutral floor in Boise ... Mac Hopson led the Vandals over the past two contests, averaging 15.0 points per game on 9-of-19 shooting ... the senior guard also tallied 14 rebounds over the two games ... Marvin Jefferson was the second leading scorer, averaging 8.0 points ... Jefferson led the Vandals on the boards with 16 over the two contests ... Idaho will now open conference play at Hawai‘i on Saturday.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (12-2, 0-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech was 1-0 this week after a win over Texas-Pan American for the second time this season … longtime Louisiana Tech radio broadcaster, Dave Nitz, did his 2,000th Bulldog broadcast on Tuesday … the Bulldogs’ 12 wins are the most NCAA Division I non-conference wins for the program since 1990 … Kyle Gibson ranks 16th in the NCAA in points per game with 21.1 … he ranked second in the NCAA in free throws made with 95 and 10th in percentage at 88.8 … Magnum Rolle ranks 21st in the nation in blocks per game with 2.8 … Tech ended non-conference action on Tuesday with a 99-94 win at Houston ... the Bulldogs now open conference play at home against Nevada on Saturday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (8-5, 0-0 WAC)
Nevada wrapped up its preseason non-conference schedule with a 78-69 victory over Portland on Monday night ... the Wolf Pack got its first win away from home with its 99-68 victory over Tulsa in the HOOPTV Las Vegas Classic ... Nevada has won six of its last seven games and improved its home record to a perfect 7-0 record at Lawlor Events Center ... Nevada has turned in two of its top three scoring efforts of the season in its last two games, including 104 points vs. BYU and 99 vs. Tulsa ... the team has averaged 101.5 points per game in its last two games and 88.5 ppg in its last six contests (531). This season marks the first time since 1997-98 that the team has topped the century mark twice in the same year.
New Mexico State Aggies (7-6, 0-0 WAC)
The Aggies returned to the Pan American Center for a five-game home stand and opened with a 97-72 victory over Alcorn State, Dec. 21 ... Jonathan Gibson posted a team-high 23 points while Jahmar Young scored 22 points ... with the performance, Young became the 26th player in school history to score 1,000 points ... Wendell McKines contributed eight points, eight rebounds and six assists in his return after missing the fall semester ... NM State also survived Texas Southern, 79-75, Dec. 23, behind 26 points Young ... Gibson scored 24 points and McKines had his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds ... the team also defeated Prairie View A&M on Monday night, 95-76, with a 22 point effort from both Gibson and McKines.
San Jose Spartans (7-5, 0-0 WAC)
San Jose State has gone 2-1 in its final three non-conference games before opening WAC play ... the team dropped a 93-69 decision at Northern Colorado before defeating both Santa Clara (74-68) and UC Irvine (78-68) ... Adrian Oliver led the team averaging 26.0 points per game over the three contests ... Oliver connected on 23-of-49 shots from the field, including a 6-of-9 clip from long range ... three other Spartans averaged double figure scoring over the three games, including Mac Peterson (12.0), C.J. Webster (10.3) and Justin Graham (10.0) ... Graham led the team with 12 assists, while Oliver led the team with 23 boards (7.7) over the three contests.
Utah State Aggies (10-4, 0-0 WAC)
Utah State went 3-0 at the Basketball Travelers Invitational in Logan last week, defeating Morehead State (79-72), Cal State Fullerton (83-60) and Weber State (85-73) ... the Aggies also defeated Western Oregon 78-42 in the team’s final non-conference game on Tuesday night ... Tai Wesley was named the WAC’s player of the week after three impressive performances at the Invitational, where he was named the MVP ... Wesley has led USU over the past four games, averaging 16.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game ... he has also tallied 14 assists, nine blocks and one steal over the four contests ... Utah State opens WAC play at New Mexico State on Saturday in a game that will be broadcast on ESPNU.
WAC NOTES
UTAH STATE’S WESLEY NAMED VERIZON WIRELESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah State’s Tai Wesley has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 21-27. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Wesley.
Wesley, a junior forward from Provo, Utah (Provo HS), helped the Aggies to three wins at the Basketball Travelers Invitational in Logan last week. Wesley was named the Most Valuable Player of the Invitational, leading Utah State to wins over Morehead State (79-72), Cal State Fullerton (83-60) and Weber State (85-73).
Against Morehead State, Wesley had 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals, as he was 6-of-8 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. In the win over Cal State Fullerton, Wesley scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and a season-high three blocks. Against Weber State, Wesley tallied 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 shooting at the free throw line, to go along with eight rebounds and a season-high six assists.
Over his three games last week, Wesley averaged 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the field and 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Boise State senior forward Ike Okoye … Fresno State sophomore guard/forward Paul George … Hawai‘i junior guard Dwain Williams … Idaho senior guard Mac Hopson … Nevada sophomore forward Luke Babbitt … New Mexico State junior guard Jahmar Young.
TEAMS HEAD INTO WAC PLAY WITH ABOVE .500 NON-CONFERENCE RECORDS
Each team in the Western Athletic Conference will head into Saturday’s conference openers with above .500 non-conference records. Each team also heads into conference play with at least a one-game win streak or better. Louisiana Tech holds the top win-loss mark at 12-2 (.857)
NEVADA’S JOHNSON AND IDAHO’S HOPSON CANDIDATES FOR COUSY AWARD
Idaho senior guard Mac Hopson and Nevada junior guard Armon Johnson ire among the candidates for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford Financial Services, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts announced. The annual award, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes college basketball’s top point guard. 73 candidates have been nominated for the 2010 award. Nominations were solicited from all Division I, II and III schools across the country. A 2009 first-team All-WAC selection, Johnson is averaging 15.8 points and 5.3 assists per game this season. Hopson, also a first team all-WAC selection in 2009, is averaging 12.8 points and 4.7 assists per game this year. Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award have included: Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), Acie Law (Texas A & M), DJ Augustin (Texas) and Ty Lawson (North Carolina). For more information on the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford, log onto www.cousyaward.com.
WAC TEAMS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Dec. 20, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in three team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in six individual categories. Utah State holds the highest team mark as it leads the nation in free throw percentage at 79.5 percent. Individually, Nevada’s Luke Babbitt holds the highest individual ranking as he ranks fifth nationally with seven double-doubles. San Jose State’s Chris Oakes ranks eighth in rebounding at 11.4 boards per game, while Fresno State’s Paul George ranks eighth in steals per game at 2.9.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FREEBIES
As of Dec. 20, seven players in the WAC rank in the top-50 nationally in free throw percentage. Three 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 19th nationally. As a team, Utah State holds nations’s best free throw team ranking at 79.5 percent. There have been four players in the WAC that have had perfect games at the line with 10 or more attempts. 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, UTAH STATE AND FRESNO STATE PICK UP WINS AGAINST TEAMS FROM LAST YEAR’S NCAA TOURNAMENT
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. Utah State downed Brigham Young 71-61 on Dec. 2, while Fresno State defeated North Dakota State 68-54 on Dec. 19.
NEW MEXICO STATE’S GIBSON AND YOUNG, ALONG WITH 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. Jahmar Young scored 22 points to become the 26th player in NM State school history to reach 1,000 points in a 97-72 victory over Alcorn State on Dec. 21. Gibson, Johnson and Young, along with Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson 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. Idaho now holds the WAC’s longest home win streak at nine games.
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 registers in at 13 this week, according to both CollegeRPI.com. Nevada holds the top RPI in the conference at 64, followed by Louisiana Tech at 82.
LOUISIANA TECH AND IDAHO REGISTER RECORD STARTS
With a 12-2 record to start the season, the Bulldogs’ 12 wins are the most NCAA Division I non-conference wins for the program since 1990. In the 1990-91 season in which the Bulldogs finished 20-10 and won the America South Conference Tournament. Idaho was off to its best start since 1989-90 with a 5-2 mark to open the season. The 89-90 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 155-53. 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 159-53 (.750)
2. Nevada 157-55 (.741)
3. Boise State 123-83 (.598)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 79-21 (.790)
2. Utah State 46-18 (.719)
3. Boise State 60-58 (.508)