TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (17-7, 7-4 WAC)
Boise State’s win over No. 21 Utah State marked the first win over a ranked opponent since last season when the Broncos posted a 73-70 point win over No. 20 BYU, Dec. 29, 2007 ... ironically, the only other loss Utah State has recorded this season was to BYU ... the Broncos now own an overall record of 4-4 over ranked opponents when played on Boise State’s home floor, with each of the four wins being over teams ranked in the 20’s ... overall, the Broncos own a record of 5-18 against ranked opponents ... of those five wins, three of them came under head coach Greg Graham, including last week’s win over No. 21 Utah State, last season’s win over No. 20 BYU and a win over No. 24 Nevada in 2005 ... this week, BSU looks to use its momentum from last week when it hosts in-state rival Idaho on Wednesday ... the Broncos also play their BracketBuster game on ESPNU at Portland State Saturday.
Fresno State Bulldogs (10-16, 2-9 WAC)
Freshman guard Paul George broke out for a career-high 29 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double as Fresno State beat second-place Boise State, 88-82 last week ... George shot 9-of-11 from the field while hitting three 3-pointers to climb into the spot as the sixth highest scoring freshman in the country ... junior forward Sylvester Seay netted 23 points as four Bulldogs reached double figures ... freshman guards Mychal Ladd and Bryce Cartwright each added 14 points in the big home win ... on Thursday night, Seay scored 11 points to lead Fresno State, who made a late 11-2 run before falling on the road to Louisiana Tech ... in the ?Dogs third game in six days, Ladd earned his second career double-double with 22 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in an overtime loss to New Mexico State ... Seay recorded a game-high 25 points in the game.
Hawai?i Rainbow Warriors (12-12, 4-8 WAC)
Hawai?i suffered its most wrenching loss of the season, falling to Nevada, 47-46, Saturday night ... Nevada hit a short jumper in the lane with seven seconds as the Wolf Pack erased a late seven point deficit and stunned the Stan Sheriff Center crowd ... UH lost despite another outstanding defensive effort ... UH held its third straight opponent under 50 points, while the Wolf Pack shot just 36 percent from the floor ... the ’Bows also recorded 10 steals and forced 18 Nevada turnovers ... the ’Bows, however, were hindered by poor free throw shooting, hitting just 14-of-24 ... Roderick Flemings finished with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals ... Bill Amis returned from a one-game absence to chip in 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench ... Hawai`i next plays a nationally televised game at Fresno State on Thursday, Feb. 19. Tip-off is 8:00 p.m. PT (6:00 p.m. HT) and will air ESPN2.
Idaho Vandals (11-13, 5-6 WAC)
Junior guard Mac Hopson averaged a team-best 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in two games last week ... Hopson had just four turnovers while averaging 35.0 minutes ... he scored a game-high 20 points (17 in the second half) and added five rebounds, four assists, two steals in a win over San Jose State ... scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds vs. #17 Utah State ... the Vandals dropped a 62-53 decision to Utah State before taking a 74-66 victory over San Jose State last week ... Luciano de Souza helped over the two games, averaging 13.0 points on 8-of-16 shooting (50 percent) ... this week, Idaho travels to play in-state rival Boise State on Wednesday before hosting Cal State Northridge on Saturday ... the Vandals currently sit in fifth place in the WAC standings with a 5-6 record ... the team’s 11 wins this season surpasses its eight total wins last year.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (10-16, 4-9 WAC)
Louisiana Tech junior Kyle Gibson scored a season-high 26 points after shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 6-of-6 from behind the three-point line to lead the Bulldogs to a home win over Fresno State 55-42 ... he was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe ... Gibson lacks only 63 points to join Louisiana Tech’s prestigious career 1,000 point club ... Gibson’s 26 points were a game high for all players, while Sylvester Seay led Fresno State with 11 points ... when Gibson fired his 25-foot shot with time expiring Monday night, over 6,000 people in the Pan American Center stood breathless and watched ... with 0.0 on the clock, the basketball rattled around the rim and, unfortunately, bounced back out giving the New Mexico State Aggies a 65-63 win after an incredible late second half comeback by the Bulldogs.
Nevada Wolf Pack (15-10, 8-4 WAC)
Sophomore guard Armon Johnson averaged 19.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in Nevada’s wins at San Jose State and Hawai’i last week ... Johnson scored 25 of Nevada’s 47 points in Saturday’s win over the Rainbow Warriors, hitting the game-winning shot with 7.6 seconds left ... Nevada takes on Virginia Commonwealth in the ESPNU BracketBusters on Friday, Feb. 20 at home ... the Wolf Pack is 4-1 all time in the BracketBusters event and is a perfect 4-0 in BracketBuster home games ... freshman Luke Babbitt has moved into third on Nevada’s list of its top freshmen scorers with 405 points and needs just 52 more points to tie Edgar Jones for first on that list (457 points in 1975-76) ... the Wolf Pack and head coach Mark Fox have turned in a combined 42-13 record over the final two months of the season (February and March) in the last five year.
Nevada Wolf Pack (15-10, 8-4 WAC)
Sophomore guard Armon Johnson averaged 19.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in Nevada’s wins at San Jose State and Hawai’i last week ... Johnson scored 25 of Nevada’s 47 points in Saturday’s win over the Rainbow Warriors, hitting the game-winning shot with 7.6 seconds left ... Nevada takes on Virginia Commonwealth in the ESPNU BracketBusters on Friday, Feb. 20 at home ... the Wolf Pack is 4-1 all time in the BracketBusters event and is a perfect 4-0 in BracketBuster home games ... freshman Luke Babbitt has moved into third on Nevada’s list of its top freshmen scorers with 405 points and needs just 52 more points to tie Edgar Jones for first on that list (457 points in 1975-76) ... the Wolf Pack and head coach Mark Fox have turned in a combined 42-13 record over the final two months of the season (February and March) in the last five year.
New Mexico State Aggies (14-12, 8-5 WAC)
Sophomore guard Jahmar Young led the Aggies to a 79-71 overtime win over Fresno State, Feb. 14, with a team-high 23 points and a career-high nine rebounds ... Young was 8-of-16 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line ... he also had three assists and two steals in the season sweep of the Bulldogs ... Young scored 10 of the Aggie 13 points in overtime ... NMSU recorded its second season sweep of the year with a 79-71 overtime win over Fresno State, Feb. 14, in Las Cruces ... sophomore Wendell McKines scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season ... McKines hit two free throws with 23 seconds left in regulation to force overtime ... New Mexico State also defeated Louisiana Tech 65-63 on Monday night ... the Aggies host Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night.
San Jose State Spartans (10-13, 4-8 WAC)
San Jose State went 0-2 last week, dropping an 80-68 decision at home to Nevada before taking a 74-66 loss on the road at Idaho ... Robert Owens led the Spartans with 17 points against Nevada ... Tim Pierce fronted the team on the boards with six against the Wolf Pack ... in the loss at Idaho, Pierce led the team with a 14-point performance, while C.J. Webster led the team with nine rebounds ... Owens led the team over the two games, averaging 15.0 points per game ... he connected on 10-of-20 shots from the field ... Webster also had a good week, averaging 14.0 points over the two games ... Pierce and Chris Oakes each averaged 10 points on the week ... this week, San Jose State steps out of conference play to host Utah Valley on Tuesday night before welcoming UC Riverside on Saturday evening ... both games are set for 7 p.m.
Utah State Aggies (24-2, 12-1 WAC)
Senior forward Gary Wilkinson helped Utah State split a pair of road games last week with a 62-53 win at Idaho and a 66-56 loss at Boise State ... against the Vandals, he recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Against the Broncos he finished with 12 points and six rebounds ... for the week, Wilkinson averaged 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field (9-18), 50.0 percent from three-point range (2-4), and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (10-12) ... the loss at Boise State stalled Utah State’s win streak at 19 games, which ranks as the most consecutive wins this season in the nation ... Utah State did not drop out of the national rankings with the loss as the Aggies are currently No. 23 in the latest USA Today/Coaches Poll ... this week, USU hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday before traveling to Saint Mary’s on Saturday.
WAC NOTES
LOUISIANA TECH’S GIBSON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 9-15. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Gibson.
Gibson, a junior from Los Angeles, Calif. (Dorsey HS), led the Bulldogs to a 55-42 win against Fresno State last week. Gibson scored a season-high 26 points after shooting 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) from the field and 6-of-6 from beyond the arc. Gibson was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He tallied five steals and four rebounds in the game.
Gibson’s 6-of-6 effort from beyond the arc is the top single-game three-point performance in the WAC this season.
Other nominees: Boise State senior Mark Sanchez; Fresno State freshman Paul George; Idaho junior Mac Hopson; Nevada sophomore Armon Johnson; New Mexico State sophomore Jahmar Young; and Utah State senior Gary Wilkinson.
ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS THIS WEEK
Games for the seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters ? a multi-day men’s basketball event matching NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other will take place this week on Friday and Saturday. 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
WAC AMONG ELITE COMPANY AS EACH LEAGUE MEMBER BOASTS 10 OR MORE WINS
The WAC is one of only two conferences in the nation to boast 10-plus wins for each of its member schools. Each member of the WAC has double digit wins this season. The SEC is the only other conference in the country that has achieved the same mark. It also denotes the first time that each of the WAC’s member institutions have had 10 or more wins since the 2001-02 season.
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 continues its presence in the national polls this week. The Aggies are ranked 23rd in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll released Monday. USU comes in at No. 27 in the latest Associated Press poll with 72 votes. The No. 17 national ranking that Utah State received in the Feb. 9 poll 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. USU’s No. 21 ranking in the Feb. 9 AP poll marks 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’S OVERALL WIN STREAK COMES TO AN END, HOME STREAK STILL ALIVE
Utah State’s win streak ended at 19 games with a loss to Boise State on Feb. 19. The streak is the longest in the nation this year and is tied for the longest in school history with the 1999-2000 team that also won 19 straight games. Before its loss to Boise State, Utah State had also won 16 straight WAC games dating back to the 2007-08 season including eight straight on the road. USU’s 16 straight WAC victories ranks second all-time in the conference. Utah holds the record for most consecutive WAC wins at 19, set from the 1997-98 to 1998-99 seasons. The Aggies currently hold the nation’s second-best home win streak in the country at 31 games. Kansas holds the top home win streak at 37 games.
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 WAC ROAD SUCCESS
This year’s San Jose State team is the first in school history to win three conference road games in a season since joining the WAC in 1996. The Spartans picked up wins at Fresno State, Hawai?i and Louisiana Tech. The 1994 Spartans are the last SJSU team to win at least four conference road games, posting a 6-3 win-loss record en route to an overall 15-12 mark.
WAC RANKS TOP-15 NATIONALLY IN FIVE TEAM STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
As of Feb. 15, the WAC ranks in the top-10 in five team categories. Utah State ranks third the nation in win-loss percentage (92.3) and field goal shooting at 49.7 percent. Utah State also ranks 11th in assist-to-turnover ration (1.36) and 11th in rebound margin (7.2). New Mexico State ranks 12th nationally in three-point field goal percentage with a team mark of 39.8.
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 AND FRESNO STATE’S GEORGE 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. Fresno State freshman Paul George is also among the nation’s elite freshman. George currently ranks sixth among the nation’s freshman in scoring at 15.4 points per game.
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 143-46 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.757 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 76 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 143-46 (.757)
2. Nevada 142-49 (.743)
3. Boise State 112-73 (.605)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 76-20 (.792)
2. Utah State 44-17 (.721)
3. Boise State 58-55 (.513)
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 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, and is shooting 60.1 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the free throw line.
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 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 RETURNS TO RENO
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.