THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
January 25 (Monday)
*Boise State def. Idaho, 77-67 (OT)
Television: ESPNU
January 28 (Thursday)
*Hawai‘i at San Jose State, 7:00 p.m. PT
*Fresno State at Idaho, 7:00 p.m. PT
Television: Bulldog Sports Network
January 30 (Saturday)
*San Jose State at Utah State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Television: CW30-Utah, ESPN360.com
*New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech, 8:00 p.m. CT
*Hawai‘i at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
Television: ESPNU
Idaho at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. PT
*Fresno State at Boise State, 8:15 p.m. MT
Television: Bulldog Sports Network, ESPN Full Court
* denotes WAC game
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (10-11, 1-7 WAC)
Boise State has split its past two games, taking an 88-82 loss at home before defeating Idaho in overtime, 77-67, on the road ... the loss to Nevada marked BSU’s seventh straight setback ... Robert Arnold led Boise State with 21 points against the Wolf Pack, while Anthony Thomas added 19 and Ike Okoye had 16 and 13 rebounds ... Thomas scored 17 points in the win at Idaho, including a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation as Boise State rallied past Idaho for a 77-67 overtime victory Monday night ... Okoye added 16 points and Daequon Montreal had 15 for Boise State at Idaho ... Boise State continues play on Saturday at home against Fresno State.
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-10, 4-3 WAC)
Fresno State picked up an 87-77 victory over Nevada at home last week ... Freshman Greg Smith notched his fourth career double-double with game-highs in points (25) and rebounds (11), and added five assists (all career-highs) in the victory ... Mike Ladd netted 14 points, and Brandon Sperling had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Bulldogs for Fresno State’s seventh home victory in eight games ... the Bulldogs played without leading scorer Paul George, who sprained his right ankle in Thursday’s loss against Utah State ... Fresno State shot 59.3 percent from the field (32-54), for the best shooting contest since a 78-61 victory at Boise State in 2004 when the Bulldogs converted 61.2 percent of their field goal attempts.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (9-11, 2-5 WAC)
Hawai‘i dropped a pair of home games last week to league-leaders Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State ... against NM State, Roderick Flemings led UH with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season ... Brandon Adams added 14 points and nine rebounds ... Adams led UH with a career-high 20 points against LA Tech, his fourth straight game in double digits ... the senior also added a team-high nine rebounds. Roderick Flemings chipped in 17 points and six rebounds ... UH committed a season-low five turnovers but shot just 37 percent for the game, including a season-worst 1-of-13 from 3-point land ...UH now heads to the road for a pair of games, starting with a meeting against San Jose State on Thursday.
Idaho Vandals (8-10, 1-6 WAC)
Idaho dropped a pair of home games in its past two contests ... the Vandals dropped a 60-48 decision to Utah State before falling 77-67 in overtime to Boise State ... senior guard Kashif Watson led the team with 16 points on five-of-12 shooting, while hitting all six of his free throw attempts against Utah State ... Watson led the team in scoring for the second game in a row against Boise State, as he dropped in 17 points on 5-14 shooting, along with season highs in assists (6) and rebounds (8) ... Hopson earned his second career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds ... Marvin Jefferson blocked a career-high six shots and dished a career-high three assists to go along with eight points and five rebounds.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (18-3, 6-1 WAC)
LA Tech went 1-1 this past week with an 87-76 setback at San Jose State and a 65-60 win at Hawai’i … the Bulldog’s loss broke a 10-game win streak … Tech’s 18 wins are its most through 20 games since 1984-85 … it also marks the best start in school history since that same time … LA Tech received votes in the AP Top 25 poll for the second consecutive week … the team also received votes in the coaches poll for the first time this season ... Louisiana Tech is 23-6 in their last 29 games and have won its last 12 games at home … Kyle Gibson ranks among the NCAA leaders in points per game with 21.6, free-throw percentage with 87.7 and free throws made with 150 … Magnum Rolle had 17 rebounds and 23 points at UH.
Nevada Wolf Pack (12-8, 4-3 WAC)
The Wolf Pack plays its only home game in a stretch of four of five away from home, hosting Hawai’i on ESPNU on Saturday night ... Nevada is 9-1 at home this year and has won 28 of its last 34 WAC regular-season WAC home games ... with a free throw late in the second half Saturday at Fresno State, sophomore Luke Babbitt became the 21st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points ... he joins Armon Johnson and Brandon Fields in that elite club, marking the first time in school history that Nevada has members of the 1,000-point club on its roster in the same season ... Nevada has shot just 63.4 percent from the free throw line in the last three games (64-101), including a season-low 50.0 percent (9-18) in its overtime loss to Utah State.
New Mexico State Aggies (12-8, 5-2 WAC)
Junior guard Jahmar Young hit a running jumper with 0.9 seconds to lift the Aggies to a 71-69 win at Hawai’i ... Young scored a game-high 26 points ... senior guard Jonathan Gibson added 19 points and junior forward Wendell McKines had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds ... NM State then suffered a 93-84 loss at San Jose State, Jan. 23 ... in the Aggies’ first WAC road loss of the year, junior guard Jahmar Young scored a career-high 34 points and senior guard Jonathan Gibson added 19 ... the Aggies also made a season-high 14 3-pointers on a season-high 38 attempts ... New Mexico State has the week off before playing at Louisiana Tech on Jan. 30.
San Jose Spartans (11-8, 4-3 WAC)
San Jose State won a pair of home games over Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State last week ... Adrian Oliver scored a career-high 39 points leading San Jose State to an 87-76 win over Louisiana Tech ... Oliver appeared unstoppable making 12-of-19 from the field including 3-of-5 from three-point range and all 12 of his free throws to surpass his previous career high of 37 last year against Boise State ... Mac Peterson scored a career-high 25 points and San Jose State overcame an 18-point first-half deficit in a 93-84 win over New Mexico State ... SJSU’s win was its first over New Mexico State since the 1996 season ... SJSU also reached the 11-win mark in January for the first time since the 2000 season when the team finished 15-15.
Utah State Aggies (15-6, 5-2 WAC)
Utah State’s Stew Morrill achieved a coaching milestone here Saturday night as the Aggies defeated Idaho 60-48 to give Morrill his 500th career victory and become one of just 19 active coaches and just the 73rd coach in Division I history to record 500 career wins ... among those 500 wins, Morrill has posted a 282-97 mark in 12 seasons at Utah State as he is the school’s all-time winningest coach ... senior guard Jared Quayle led Utah State with 16 points and seven rebounds in the game, to go along with two assists and two steals ... junior forward Tai Wesley added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, while sophomore forward Brady Jardine had 10 points and six boards in the win at Idaho.
WAC NOTES
SAN JOSE STATE’S OLIVER NAMED VERIZON WIRELESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
San Jose State’s Adrian Oliver has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 18-24. The honor marks the second career WAC Player of the Week award for Oliver.
Oliver, a junior guard from Modesto, Calif. (Washington), led San Jose State to a 2-0 record last week with home wins over Louisiana Tech (87-76) and New Mexico State (93-84). With the two wins, SJSU improves to 4-3 in WAC play for the first time since 1999.
Against Louisiana Tech, Oliver scored a career-high 39 points with five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Oliver connected on 12-of-19 shots from the field against the Bulldogs, including a 3-of-5 clip from long range and a 12-of-12 mark from the free throw line. Oliver then tallied 22 points with five assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals in the victory over NM State. The performance marked his fourth-straight 20-plus point game as San Jose State registered its highest point total against a Division I opponent since 1996.
On the week, Oliver averaged 30.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 54.3 percent (19-of-35) from the field, 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from three-point range and was 19-of-20 from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Fresno State freshman center Greg Smith … Idaho senior guard Kashif Watson … Louisiana Tech senior forward Magnum Rolle … Nevada sophomore forward Luke Babbitt … New Mexico State junior guard Jahmar Young … Utah State senior guard Jared Quayle.
WAC WEDNESDAYS ON ESPN2
The Wednesday, Jan. 13 overtime matchup between Utah State and Nevada in Reno marked 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. The WAC is also a fixture on ESPNU as six games will be broadcast this season on the network.
UTAH STATE’S STEW MORRILL REACHES 500 WINS
Utah State’s Stew Morrill achieved a coaching milestone on Saturday night as the Aggies defeated Idaho 60-48 to give Morrill his 500th career victory and become one of just 19 active coaches and just the 73rd coach in Division I history to record 500 career wins. Among those 500 wins, Morrill has posted a 282-97 mark in 12 seasons at Utah State as he is the school’s all-time winningest coach.
SJSU’S OLIVER NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected San Jose State guard Adrian Oliver as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Jan. 24. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed out each Tuesday through Feb. 23 this season.
As the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week, Oliver was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week.
Oliver, a 6-4 junior from Modesto, Calif., had a career-high 39 points in an 87-76 win over Louisiana Tech last Thursday that ended the Bulldogs’ 10-game winning streak. He followed that up with 22 points in a 93-84 win against New Mexico State on Saturday. In both games, he played 38 minutes and had five assists.
For the week, Oliver shot 54.3 percent from the field (19-for-35) and was 19-for-20 from the free-throw line. He also averaged three rebounds and two steals in the two San Jose State wins. Oliver now has four straight 20-plus point efforts and the Spartans boast their best conference record (4-3) since 1999.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA. The winner of the 2010 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced and presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the USBWA’s annual awards breakfast on Fri., April 5 in Indianapolis, site of the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
WAC BOASTS FIVE OF THE TOP SCORERS IN THE NATION
As of Jan. 24, five players in the WAC rank in the top-35 nationally in scoring. four of those players hold scoring averages of 21.0 or better. San Jose State’s Adrian Oliver holds the top scoring mark in the league at 21.9 points per game, ranking him 10th nationally. Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson averages 21.6 points per contest and ranks 13th nationally while Nevada’s Luke Babbitt ranks 14th with a 21.5 per game average.
WAC TEAMS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Jan. 24, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in eight team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in nine individual categories. Utah State holds the highest team mark as it ranks sixth the nation in free throw percentage at 76.5 percent. Individually, Nevada’s Luke Babbitt holds the highest individual ranking as he ranks third nationally with 14 double-doubles. New Mexico State’s Jonathan Gibson ranks sixth nationally in three-point field goals per game at 3.4.
WAC AND THE RPI
The WAC’s RPI climbs to 10 this week as a conference. The WAC has three teams in the top-100, including Louisiana Tech (57), Utah State (61) and Nevada (71) according to the NCAA.
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.
LOUISIANA TECH STREAKIN’
With an 18-3 record, the Bulldogs hold their best record since the 1984-85 season. It marks the best start in school history since that time for the Bulldgos. The team had won 10-straight games before a Jan. 21 loss at San Jose State, which also the most since 1984-85 campaign. Louisiana Tech started league play with a perfect 5-0 record for the first time in its history.
FIVE WAC PLAYERS BECOME MEMBERS OF 1,000 POINT CLUB THIS SEASON
Below is a list of current career scoring leaders in the WAC.
Player
Kyle Gibson, Sr, Louisiana Tech 1,559
*Jonathan Gibson, Sr., NM State 1,332
*Armon Johnson, Jr., Nevada 1,228
*Jahmar Young, Jr., NM State 1,216
*Brandon Fields, Sr., Nevada 1,078
*Tai Wesley, Jr., Utah State 1,048
*Luke Babbitt, So., Nevada 1,003
*denotes that player reached 1,000 points during the 2009-10 season.
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.
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 will be announced live on ESPNU on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET
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 162-55. In conference games, Nevada has won 82 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 164-55 (.749)
2. Nevada 161-58 (.735)
3. Boise State 124-90 (.579)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 83-24 (.776)
2. Utah State 51-20 (.718)
3. Boise State 61-65 (.484)