THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE/RESULTS
January 11 (Monday)
*Louisiana Tech def. Boise State, 79-64
*Utah State def. Hawai‘i, 98-54
*Fresno State def. San Jose State, 80-70
*New Mexico State def. Idaho, 75-72
January 13 (Wednesday)
*Utah State at Nevada, 8:00 p.m. PT
Television: ESPN2
January 14 (Thursday)
*Fresno State at Louisiana Tech, 8:00 p.m. CT
Television: ESPN Regional, ESPN Full Court, ESPN360
*Boise State at San Jose State, 7:00 p.m. PT
January 16 (Saturday)
*Boise State at Utah State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Television: CW30-Utah
*Fresno State at New Mexico State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Television: AggieVision, Bulldog Sports Network, ESPN Full Court
*Idaho at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
January 17 (Sunday)
*San Jose State at Hawai‘i, 7:00 p.m. HT
* denotes WAC game
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (9-8, 0-4 WAC)
Boise State’s last two games included a pair of home losses ... the Broncos dropped an 88-85 decision to New Mexico State on Saturday before falling 79-64 to league leader Louisiana Tech ... Boise State had a chance to force overtime but missed three 3-point shots in the final 17 seconds against New Mexico State .... Anthony Thomas’ last-second attempt with two New Mexico State defenders draped on him didn’t draw rim ... Robert Arnold scored 26 points to lead Boise State ... for the second consecutive game Robert Arnold led the Broncos in scoring with 18 points in the loss to LA Tech ... leading the way on defense for the Broncos was Ike Okoye as he grabbed 14 rebounds and registered 3 blocks.
Fresno State Bulldogs (10-7, 3-0 WAC)
Fresno State improved its WAC record to a perfect 3-0 with wins over both Hawai‘i and San Jose State on Saturday and Monday night, respectively ... Paul George led Fresno State with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds in Fresno State’s 78-64 wire-to-wire victory over Hawai‘i ... four Bulldogs reached double figures for the sixth time this season against the Rainbow Warriors ... George tied a career-high with his third 29-point performance of his career to power Fresno State past San Jose State, 80-70 ... the win over SJSU improved the Bulldogs’ record to 3-0 in WAC play for Fresno State’s best start in league play in the Cleveland Era and marked their sixth consecutive home victory.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (8-9, 1-3 WAC)
Hawai‘i dropped its past two WAC games on the road, falling to both Fresno State and Utah State ... UH suffered a six-minute scoring drought in the first half which propelled Fresno State to a 78-64 ... UH, which had won two of the last three games in Fresno, fell behind by 18 at the half and could not get closer than the final margin in the second half ... Jeremy Lay came off the bench and led UH with 14 points ... UH ran into a hot-shooting Utah State Aggies team and fell 98-54 Monday night ... for the ’Bows, who played without leading rebounder Petras Balocka, guard Dwain Williams scored a team-high 12 points, all on 3-pointers ... forward Brandon Adams added 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Idaho Vandals (8-7, 1-3 WAC)
Idaho dropped a pair of home games in its past two WAC contests, falling to Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State ... Idaho held an eight-point lead with 11 minutes to go against LA Tech, but the Bulldogs made the plays late and ran out of Moscow with a 77-71 win ... senior guard Mac Hopson came up one short of a career high with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, along with eight rebounds and four assists, but only one other Vandal, Steffan Johnson, found double digits ... it was the same story for the third game in a row for the Idaho men’s basketball team on Monday with a loss to New Mexico State by a 75-72 score ... Hopson led Idaho in scoring for the seventh-straight game with 17 points, 10 of which came in the second half.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (16-2, 4-0 WAC)
Louisiana Tech has improved to a perfect 4-0 in WAC play after a pair of road wins at Idaho and Boise State on Saturday and Monday night ... senior Kyle Gibson scored 28 points, 19 in the second half, to lead Louisiana Tech to a 77-71 win at Idaho ... for the ninth-straight time, Louisiana Tech came away with a win as they defeated Boise State 79-64 on Monday at Taco Bell Arena ... LA Tech surpassed last season’s win total as they improved to 16-2 overall ... the team improves to 4-0 in the WAC for the first time in four years ... Gibson had just one field goal and four points at the half before scoring 13 in the second half to finish with 17 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field and 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Nevada Wolf Pack (10-6, 2-1 WAC)
Junior Armon Johnson had 23 points and sophomore Luke Babbitt 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead Nevada over San Jose State 96-67 on Saturday night ... seniors Brandon Fields added 19 points and Joey Shaw 11 for the Wolf Pack (10-6, 2-1 Western Athletic Conference) ... Nevada led by double digits for the entire second half. San Jose State was able to cut the lead to 10 points at 60-50 with 14:45 left in the game, but the Wolf Pack answered with a 15-6 run over the next six minutes to put the game away ... ... Luke Babbitt was named WAC player of the Week after recording a pair of double-doubles over his past two games ... Nevada hosts Utah State Wednesday night in a game that will be broadcast by ESPN2.
New Mexico State Aggies (10-7, 3-1 WAC)
New Mexico State picked up a pair of road wins on its state of Idaho road trip ... NM State won its WAC road opener, at Boise State, 88-85, on Saturday at Taco Bell Arena ... senior guard Jonathan Gibson scored a team-high 26 points and junior guard Jahmar Young added 19 for the Aggies ... sophomore guard Hernst Laroche contributed 14 points with 10 tallied in the second half while sophomore center Hamidu Rahman also scored in double-figures with 11 points ... Young scored a season-high 32 points to lead New Mexico State to a 75-72 win at Idaho ... senior guard Jonathan Gibson added 18 points for the Aggies that swept the first WAC road trip of the season with the victory ... NM State will host Fresno State on Saturday.
San Jose Spartans (8-7, 1-2 WAC)
Adrian Oliver led San Jose State in scoring with 20 points as the Spartans dropped a 96-67 decision at Nevada ... it was Oliver’s seventh straight game with 20 or more, but it took an explosive first five minutes of the second half after Nevada had a 19-point halftime lead to get there ... Mac Peterson tied a San Jose State single-game record with seven 3-point baskets and Chris Oakes notched his fifth double-double of the season, but Fresno State still topped the Spartans, 80-70 ... Peterson’s status was in doubt during the day due to stomach problems, but the 6-foot-3 senior started the game and finished with a career high 21 points on 7-of-12 from 3-point range to match the seven 3-pointers by former Spartan Terrance Richmond in a 1998.
Utah State Aggies (11-6, 1-2 WAC)
Torching the nets to the tune of 73.1 percent in the first half led to a season-high 54 points at halftime and Utah State tallied a season-high scoring output with a 98-54 rout of Hawai’i in USU’s home WAC opener at home ... USU’s 98 points was the most since 102 on Nov. 26, 2005 in a 102-65 win over Lewis & Clark College ... it was the Aggies’ most points ever scored in a WAC game and the most in the conference contest since a 102-76 Big West win over North Texas on Feb. 28, 1997 ... the Aggies snapped a two-game losing skid ... the 44-point winning margin is the largest in the series by either team ... USU’s 44-point winning margin was its largest win since an 87-42 triumph over Loyala Marymount on Dec. 30, 2004.
WAC NOTES
NEVADA’S BABBITT NAMED VERIZON WIRELESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nevada’s Luke Babbitt has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 4-10. The honor marks the third career WAC Player of the Week award for Babbitt.
Babbitt, a sophomore forward from Reno, Nevada (Galena HS), helped the Wolf Pack to a 2-0 record last week with wins over New Mexico State and San Jose State. Babbitt turned in 26 points with 11 rebounds in Monday’s 77-67 victory at New Mexico State. He made 10-of-14 shots from the field, including all three of his three-point attempts. Babbitt tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 96-67 win against San Jose State for his league-leading 11th double-double of the season. He also matched his career high with four assists and added a pair of steals. Babbitt connected on a perfect 11-of-11 shots at the free throw line against the Spartans.
On the week, Babbitt averaged 23.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the field and hit 87.5 percent (14-of-16) of his free throws.
Other nominees included: Fresno State sophomore guard/forward Paul George … Idaho senior guard Mac Hopson … Louisiana Tech senior guard Kyle Gibson … New Mexico State senior guard Jonathan Gibson.
WAC WEDNESDAYS ON ESPN2
Wednesday night’s matchup between Utah State and Nevada in Reno marks the start of five Wednesday night ESPN2 games for the WAC. Following the Jan. 13 game on ESPN2, a WAC game will be featured each Wednesday night in February on the ESPN2 network.
WAC TEAMS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Jan. 11, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in six team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in eight individual categories. Utah State holds the highest team mark as it ranks third the nation in free throw percentage at 77.9 percent. Individually, Nevada’s Luke Babbitt holds the highest individual ranking as he ranks second nationally with 11 double-doubles. Utah State’s Jared Quayle ranks ninth nationally in free throw shooting with a 91.8 percent clip.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FREEBIES
As of Jan. 11, six 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. Utah State’s Jared Quayle holds the top free throw mark in the league at 91.8 percent, ranking him ninth nationally. As a team, Utah State holds nations’s third-best free throw team ranking at 77.9 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.
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 AND THE RPI
The WAC’s RPI sits a 12 this week as a conference. The WAC has three teams in the top-100, including Nevada (43), Louisiana Tech (64) and Utah State (95).
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.
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.
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.
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 159-55. In conference games, Nevada has won 80 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 160-55 (.744)
2. Nevada 159-56 (.739)
3. Boise State 123-87 (.586)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 81-22 (.786)
2. Utah State 47-20 (.701)
3. Boise State 60-62 (.492)