WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (16-7, 6-4 WAC)
Junior Ike Okoye scored a career-high 22 points as Boise State held on to beat San Jose State 89-83 on Saturday night ... Okoye, who went into the game averaging just 8.7 points this season, went 8-of-12 from the floor and was 6-for-10 from the line ... Okoye also recorded six rebounds and blocked four huge shots ... Boise State also improved to 19-1 all-time against the Spartans and have won 14 straight in the series ... Boise State also traveled to Fresno State on Monday night where it took an 88-82 loss to the Bulldogs ... Kurt Cunningham scored 20 points for Boise State against Fresno State, equaling a career high ... Paul Noonan added 17 points for the Broncos, and La’Shard Anderson had 15 ... Boise State trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half before rallying to within 84-80 on Anderson’s long jumper with 31 seconds remaining ... BSU hosts Utah State on Saturday at Taco Bell Arena.
Fresno State Bulldogs (10-14, 2-7 WAC)
Freshman guard Paul George paced the Bulldogs with 13 points and five rebounds as the ?Dogs started the second-half with a 15-10 run before falling 69-43 at Hawai’i at the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday night ... freshman guard Mychal Ladd finished with 11 points while junior forward Sylvester Seay added 10 ... George broke out for a career-high 29 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double as Fresno State beat the second-place Boise State Broncos, 88-82, Monday night ... George shot 9-of-11 from the field while hitting three 3-pointers and draining all eight free throw attempts ... Seay added 23 points as four Bulldogs reached double figures ... Ladd and Bryce Cartwright each netted 14 points in Fresno State’s second WAC victory of the season ... this week, Fresno State will continue play at Louisiana Tech on Thursday and at New Mexico State on Saturday.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (12-11, 4-7 WAC)
Roderick Flemings averaged 15.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.5 bpg and 1.5 spg in a pair of home wins over Fresno State and Idaho last week ... Flemings led UH to two of its most convincing wins of the year and recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 14 points, and 13 rebounds in a 69-43 win over Fresno State ... he also added four assists and a career high three blocks versus the Bulldogs ... Flemings had 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 71-49 win over Idaho ... Flemings has scored in double-digits in 22 of 23 games this year, including all 11 WAC games ... Kareem Nitoto scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while adding six rebounds in the win against Idaho ... more importantly, Nitoto spearheaded a defense that shut down Idaho’s leading scorer, who finished with five points, nearly 12 points below his average, and just three assists.
Idaho Vandals (10-12, 4-5 WAC)
Idaho went 0-1 last week, dropping a 71-49 decision at Hawai?i ... Idaho missed nine free throws, hit a season-low one 3-pointer, and was outrebounded 33-18 in its worst loss of the season to a non-ranked opponent ... Marvin Jefferson led the Vandals with 11 points and Kashif Watson finished with 10 points with 6-of-7 free throws ... no other player scored more than six points and no starter played more than 32 minutes ... Idaho committed 17 turnovers with Hawai`i grabbing only six steals ... Idaho trailed by 11 with 15:58 remaining in the second half before Hawai`i used a 7-0 run to pull ahead 40-22 ... Idaho broke the run with a basket, but the Rainbow Wahine again scored seven unanswered points to push the margin over 20 ... Idaho returns home for two games next week as hosts to Utah State Thursday (Feb. 12) and San Jose State Saturday (Feb. 14).
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (9-15, 3-8 WAC)
Louisiana Tech junior Kyle Gibson averaged 15.0 points while shooting 52 percent from the field last weekend in the Bulldogs’ toughest road conference series this year last week ... his 16-point performance propelled the Bulldogs to a 78-75 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack Thursday; it was the first win for the Bulldogs over Nevada since the 2002-03 season and snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Pack ... Gibson also finished with a team-high 14 points in a close loss to nationally-ranked Utah State in Logan, Utah, Saturday ... the Bulldogs’ rebounding efforts are being noticed, as well, as they are ranked third in the WAC, holding opponents to 32.2 rebounds per game, while grabbing 11.83 offensive rebounds per game which is good for fourth ... this week, Louisiana Tech hosts Fresno State on Thursday.
Nevada Wolf Pack (13-10, 6-4 WAC)
Nevada went 0-2 last week at home, dropping a 78-75 decision to Louisiana Tech before falling 62-60 against New Mexico State ... Nevada returns to the road this week, traveling to San Jose, Calif., to take on San Jose State on Thursday, Feb. 12 ... after dropping three of its last four games, Nevada is now tied for second in the WAC standings with a 6-4 record, while San Jose State is sixth at 4-6 ... the team heads out on the road this week looking to snap a two-game losing streak and capture its 12th win in the last 13 meetings with San Jose State ... following Thursday’s game with the Spartans, Nevada continues its road trip, traveling to Hawai’i on Saturday, Feb. 14 ... Luke Babbitt continues to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding this season ... the McDonald’s High School All-American is averaging 16.5 points per game and ranks fourth in the WAC as well as fifth among the nation’s freshmen in scoring.
New Mexico State Aggies (12-12, 6-5 WAC)
After winning at Nevada for the first time since joining the WAC, 62-60, Feb. 7, New Mexico State returns home to host Fresno State, Saturday, Feb. 14, and Louisiana Tech, Monday, Feb. 16 ... the Aggies are looking for their second sweep of the season against Fresno State after New Mexico State defeated the Bulldogs, 79-66, in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 3. Monday’s contest is the first of the year with Louisiana Tech ... in its win at Nevada last week, sophomore forward Wendell McKines hit a 3-pointer with :59 seconds left in the game to give the Aggies a 62-60 lead, in a contest that was shown on ESPN2 ... he recorded his 11th double-double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds ... sophomore guard Jahmar Young led the team with 17 points and freshman center Hamidu Rahman supplied 11 points ... the win marked the first Aggie win in Reno since Feb. 3, 2000.
San Jose State Spartans (10-11, 4-6 WAC)
San Jose State went 0-1 last week, dropping an 89-83 decision at home to Boise State ... guard Adrian Oliver matched the second-highest single-game point total by a San Jose State player with 37 points in the Spartans’ 89-83 loss to Boise State ... the 6-foot-4 sophomore guard poured in 23 points by halftime and a three-point basket that gave the Spartans their last lead of the game at 55-53 before suffering a right ankle injury on a drive to the basket with 15:10 remaining ... after a media timeout, Oliver made the second of two free throws and remained in the game the rest of the way adding 10 more points to his total ... he was 13-of-23 from the field including 10-of-14 before the ankle injury ... this week, San Jose State hosts Nevada on Thursday before traveling to take on Idaho on Saturday.
Utah State Aggies (23-1, 11-0 WAC)
Utah State continues to roll after winning a pair of games at home last week against New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech ... Utah State is now ranked 17th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll with 258 votes and 21st in the latest Associated Press poll with 317 votes ... it is the first time USU has been ranked since the 2003-04 season when the Aggies spent six straight weeks in the top 25 ... Utah State’s 23-1 start to the 2008-09 season is the best start to a year in school history ... USU is also tied with Oklahoma (23-1) for the most wins and best record in the nation ... Utah State is the only team in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last 10 years ... Gonzaga and Kansas entered this year with nine straight 23-win seasons ... USU travels to play Idaho and Boise State this week ... with a win at Idaho Thursday night, Utah State will claim a share of its second-straight WAC regular season championship.
WAC NOTES
UTAH STATE’S WILKINSON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah State’s Gary Wilkinson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 2-8. The honor marks the third WAC Player of the Week award this season for Wilkinson.
Wilkinson, a senior from South Jordan, Utah (Salt Lake CC), led the Aggies to a pair of home wins over New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. Against NMSU, Wilkinson recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds as he was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. He then scored 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including an 8-of-9 effort at the free throw line against Louisiana Tech.
On the week, Wilkinson averaged 17.0 points per game and shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field. He was 94.1 percent (16-of-17) from the free throw line and averaged 8.0 rebounds per game.
Other nominees: Boise State junior Ike Okoye; Fresno State sophomore Nedeljko Golubovic; Hawai?i junior Roderick Flemings; Louisiana Tech junior Kyle Gibson; and New Mexico State sophomore Wendell McKines.
ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS MATCHUPS ANNOUNCED
Pairings for the seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters ? a multi-day men’s basketball event matching NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21 -- were announced today. There are three WAC teams that will have televised games, including Nevada hosting Virginia Commonwealth on Friday, Feb. 20. On Saturday, Feb. 21, No. 22 Utah State will travel to Saint Mary’s, while Boise State will travel to Portland State.
Friday, Feb. 20
Virginia Commonwealth at Nevada, 6 p.m. PT (ESPNU)
Saturday, Feb. 21
#17 Utah State at Saint Mary’s, 2:00 p.m. PT (ESPN2)
Boise State at Portland State, 4:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
The other six teams of the WAC that were not selected to compete in a BracketBusters television game will play non-conference opponents on Saturday, Feb. 21. Those matchups are as follows:
UC Irvine at Hawai?i, 7:00 p.m. HT
Cal State Northridge at Idaho, 7:00 p.m. PT
UC Riverside at San Jose State, 7:00 p.m. PT
Cal State Fullerton at New Mexico State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Fresno State at UC Davis, 7:00 p.m. PT
Louisiana Tech at Murray State, 2:00 p.m. CT
GAINING MOMENTUM IN TOP-25 AND RPI RANKINGS
As a conference, the WAC continues to climb the RPI rankings, coming in at 12 according to both CollegeRPI.com and RealTimeRPI.com. The WAC ranks just ahead of the Metro Atlantic, Colonial, and West Coast Conferences. Utah State’s men’s basketball team continued its climb up the national polls this week and is now ranked 17th in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll released Monday. USU is also ranked 21st in the latest Associated Press poll. The No. 17 national ranking for Utah State is its highest-ever in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, which began ranking college basketball teams in 1993. The only other time USU has been in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll was during the 2003-04 season when it climbed as high as 21st in the nation in consecutive weeks in early March. The No. 21 ranking in the AP poll is the highest for a Utah State team since Feb. 9, 2004 when that Aggie team was ranked 19th in the nation. Utah State is ranked in the top 25 for just the second time in the last 31 years as the last time a USU team was ranked was during the 2003-04 season when it was ranked for six straight weeks. Prior to that, USU’s last national ranking was during the 1977-78 season when it finished the year ranked 17th in the United Press International poll.
UTAH STATE HOLDS LONGEST WIN STREAK IN THE NATION
Utah State’s 18-game winning streak is the longest in the nation this year and the second-longest in school history behind the 1999-2000 team that won19 straight games. Utah State has won 15 straight WAC games dating back to the 2007-08 season including seven straight on the road. USU’s 15 straight WAC victories is the longest winning streak since Nevada won 15 straight WAC games from the 2005-06 to the 2006-07 seasons.
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 surpassed its win total from last season through 22 games already this year. The Vandals went 8-21 last season and already hold an 10-12 (.454) mark this year. Louisiana Tech, which went 6-24 last season, has also surpassed its win total from last year as the team currently holds an 9-15 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. 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 RANKS TOP-10 NATIONALLY IN FOUR TEAM STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
As of Feb. 10, the WAC ranks in the top-10 in four team categories. Utah State leads the nation in win-loss percentage (95.8) and field goal shooting at 50.7 percent. Utah State also ranks sixth in assist-to-turnover ration (1.45). New Mexico State ranks sixth nationally in three-point field goal percentage with a team mark of 40.3. NMSU’s Hernst Laroch ranks ninth individually in assist-to-turnover ration at 2.91.
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.
NEVADA’S BABBITT AMONG TOP FRESHMEN IN NATION
The only freshman in WAC history to earn back-to-back WAC Player of the Week honors, Luke Babbitt has opened his first season with Nevada in strong fashion, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding. Babbitt has a chance to become the first Nevada freshman to lead the team in scoring since Terrance Green in 1999-00. He could also become the first freshman to pace the Pack in rebounding since Nick Fazekas averaged 7.6 rebounds per game in 2003-04. He currently ranks fifth among the nation’s freshmen in scoring.
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.
TOP WAC TEAMS OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
Over the last five seasons dating back to 2003-04, Utah State has turned in a 142-45 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.759 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 74 games, the most in that same time period. The top three teams in winning percentage (both overall and WAC) over the last five seasons:
Overall Record (Pct.)
1. Utah State 142-45 (.759)
2. Nevada 140-49 (.741)
3. Boise State 111-73 (.603)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 74-20 (.787)
2. Utah State 43-16 (.729)
3. Boise State 57-55 (.501)
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 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds, and is shooting 60.8 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the free throw line.
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. The tournament will be presented by Verizon Wireless.
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.