THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
February 15 (Monday)
*New Mexico State def. Hawai‘i, 88-64
Television: AggieVision, ESPN Full Court, ESPN 360.com
February 17 (Wednesday)
*Fresno State at Nevada, 7:00 p.m. PT
Television: Bulldogs Sports Network, ESPN Full Court, ESPN360.com
Cal State Bakersfield at Boise State, 8:15 p.m. MT
*Louisiana Tech at Utah State, 9:00 p.m. MT
Television: ESPN2, ESPN360.com
February 18 (Thursday)
Seattle at Idaho, 7:00 p.m. PT
February 20 (Saturday)
^Louisiana Tech at Northeastern, 1:00 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN2
^Nevada at Missouri State, 2:00 p.m. CT
Television: ESPN2
^Long Beach State at Idaho, 5:30 p.m. PT
^San Jose State at Montana State, 7:00 p.m. MT
^UC Davis at Boise State, 7:00 p.m. MT
^New Mexico State at Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PT
Television: ESPNU
^UC Santa Barbara at Fresno State, 7:30 p.m. PT
^Wichita State at Utah State, 10:00 p.m. MT
Television: ESPN2
^Cal Poly at Hawai‘i, 8:30 p.m. HT
* denotes WAC game
^ denotes BracketBusters Game
Underline denotes home team
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (11-14, 2-10 WAC)
Boise State dropped a pair of games last week, falling 72-67 at home to Utah State before taking an 88-80 setback to Nevada in overtime in Reno ... Boise State used an 18-6 run to pull within 63-59 of USU with 2:09 remaining on Anthony Thomas’ layup ... the Broncos got within two points twice in the final 20 seconds but couldn’t tie or take the lead ... Thomas scored 15 points to lead Boise State against the Aggies ... against Nevada, Ike Okoye led BSU with 32 points ... Daequon Montreal added 18, including a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in regulation that sent the game into overtime tied at 73 ... this week, Boise State steps out of conference to host CSU Bakersfield and UC Davis.
Fresno State Bulldogs (13-13, 6-6 WAC)
On the week, Fresno State went 1-1 with an 83-64 victory over New Mexico State before dropping a 68-59 battle with Idaho … in Fresno for first time in nearly three weeks, Paul George netted a career-high 30 points, Sylvester Seay passed the 900-point milestone as a Bulldog and point guard Steven Shepp dished out nine assists, forced three steals and yielded zero turnovers in the win over NM State … against Idaho, Seay’s fifth career double-double highlighted a physical meeting while Mike Ladd added 13 points, Greg Smith had a career-best three steals and Paul George contributed a pair of blocks … this week, Fresno State heads to Nevada and returns home for a non-conference game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (9-16, 2-10 WAC)
Hawai‘i dropped a pair of road games last week, falling 66-60 at Louisiana Tech before taking an 88-64 setback to New Mexico State ... at LA Tech, Hiram Thompson scored all of his team-high 14 points in the second half to help UH nearly erase a double-digit deficit ... Roderick Flemings tallied 13 points and nine rebounds, while Brandon Adams added 12 points and six rebounds ... at NM State, Flemings led UH with 25 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and 10th of his career ... the 25 points tied a season-high ... Adhar Mayen finished with 11 points, while Brandon Adams added 10 ... this week, UH hosts Cal Poly on Saturday night.
Idaho Vandals (12-12, 4-8 WAC)
After yet another close loss in the closing seconds of a conference home game, Idaho bounced back with a big win over Fresno State, handing the Bulldogs just their fourth home loss of the year … Idaho’s bench outscored Nevada’s and Fresno State’s benches by a 53-11 margin during the week ... the Vandal reserves have scored more than 20 points in four straight games … Idaho has beaten Fresno State five straight times and swept the Bulldogs for the second season in a row ... the Bulldogs had won seven of the previous eight meetings ... Idaho hosts Long Beach State on Saturday night.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (20-5, 8-3 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 1-1 this past week with a loss at New Mexico State and a win over Hawai’i … Tech’s 20 wins are its most through 25 games since 1984-85 … the record marks the best start in school history since that time … Louisiana Tech is 25-8 in its last 33 games … free throw shooting that has been so successful throughout the season, has become a recent problem as Tech is 20-for-42 over the past two games … Kyle Gibson ranks among the NCAA leaders in points per game at 21.0, free-throw percentage at 89.1 and free throws made with 173.
Nevada Wolf Pack (15-9, 7-4 WAC)
Nevada went 2-0 last week with a 67-66 last-second win over Idaho in Moscow and an 88-80 overtime decision against Boise State ... Armon Johnson hit a layup and a free throw with 2.9 seconds left to lift Nevada past Idaho ... Johnson led the Wolf Pack with 23 points, while Luke Babbitt added 21 ... Babbitt scored 27 points in the overtime win at BSU, and junior Armon Johnson added 24 ... senior Joey Shaw added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolf Pack ... Nevada wraps up a two-game homestand vs. FS and will then head out on the road for its next three ... Nevada is in the middle of a stretch of five of seven and seven of 10 games on the road ... Nevada is 11-1 at home this year and has won 30 of its last 36 WAC regular-season WAC home games.
New Mexico State Aggies (16-9, 9-3 WAC)
New Mexico State split a pair of games this past week, dropping an 83-64 decision at Fresno State before downing Hawai‘i 88-64 in Las Cruces ... at Fresno State, junior guard Jahmar Young and senior guard Jonathan Gibson both scored 14 points for the Aggies ... junior forward Wendell McKines added 13 points while junior guard Gordo Castillo contributed 10 points off the bench ... against UH, Young and Gibson and forward Troy Gillenwater each scored 18 points in the victory ... NM State shot 11 of 27 (40.7 percent) from 3-point range, leading by as many as 29 with 9:08 left to play ... the Aggies scored 28 points off 18 Hawaii turnovers ... this week, New Mexico State will travel to play Pacific on Saturday in a BracketBusters contest on ESPNU.
San Jose Spartans (12-12, 5-7 WAC)
San Jose State dropped its only game of the week, falling 81-65 at home to league-leader Utah State ... junior guard Adrian Oliver scored a game-high 28 points in the loss ... San Jose State, which lost for just the second time in The Event Center this season, was unable to keep up with Utah State’s hot shooting throughout the evening and never led after the first five minutes of the game ... the Spartans converted just 42.6 percent of their field goal attempts, the first time in four home games they did not make at least 50 percent of their tries ... besides Oliver, forward C.J. Webster who came off the bench with 12 points ... this week, SJSU travels to play Montana State on Saturday.
Utah State Aggies (20-6, 10-2 WAC)
Utah State went 2-0 this past week with wins over Boise State (72-67) and San Jose State (81-65) ... Jared Quayle led a quartet of double-figure scorers for Utah State with 14 points as the Aggies held off Boise State for the victory ... Quayle added a game-high nine rebounds for USU to go along with a season-high tying three steals, while Tai Wesley had 13 points ... Tyler Newbold scored 11 points, while Pooh Williams had 10 points and four assists ... against SJSU, Utah State’s starting five all scored in double-figures, including 18 points from junior forward Nate Bendall as the Aggies rolled to the win ... USU has now won 10 straight games and 14 of its last 16 overall ... it is the 11th straight year that USU has won at least 20 games.
WAC NOTES
NEVADA’S JOHNSON NAMED VERIZON WIRELESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nevada’s Armon Johnson has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 8-14. The honor marks the second career WAC Player of the Week award for Johnson.
Johnson, a junior guard from Reno, Nevada (Hug HS), led Nevada to a pair of wins over Idaho and Boise State last week. At Idaho, Johnson scored a game-high 23 points, including Nevada’s last six points with a game-tying three-pointer and game-winning layup and free throw with 2.9 seconds remaining. Johnson also tied a career high with two blocks against the Vandals, along with four assists and one steal. Johnson recorded 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the win over Boise State. He also dished out seven assists and collected a steal in the home victory.
On the week, Johnson averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game. He also shot 50 percent from the field on 16-of-32 shooting.
Other nominees included: Boise State senior forward Ike Okoye … Fresno State sophomore guard/forward Paul George … Idaho senior guard Mac Hopson … Louisiana Tech senior forward Magnum Rolle … Utah State senior guard Jared Quayle.
WAC SELECTED FOR FOUR BRACKETBUSTERS TELEVISION MATCHUPS THIS SATURDAY
For an eighth-straight year, the WAC is participating in BracketBusters -- a two-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Tournament hopefuls. WAC teams have secured four of the 11 televised games, including Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State and Utah State.
WAC Televised BracketBusters Games
Sat., 2/20, Louisiana Tech at Northeastern, 1 p.m. (ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com)
Sat., 2/20, Nevada at Missouri State, 3 p.m. (ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com)
Sat., 2/20, New Mexico State at Pacific, 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
Sat., 2/20, Wichita State at Utah State, 11:59 p.m. (ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com)
WAC Non-Televised BracketBusters Games
UC Santa Barbara at Fresno State, 7:30 p.m. PT
San Jose State at Montana State, 7 p.m. MT
Long Beach State at Idaho, 5:30 p.m. PT
UC Davis at Boise State, 7:00 p.m. MT
Cal Poly at Hawai‘i, 8 p.m. HT
LOUISIANA TECH AND UTAH STATE HIT 20-WIN MARK
Louisiana Tech now holds a 20-5 record after defeating Hawai‘i 66-60 at home last week. LA Tech’s 20 wins mark the most victories through 25 games since the 1984-85 season. With its 81-65 win over San Jose State on Saturday, Utah State also hit the 20-win mark. USU has now won 20 or more games in each of the last 11 seasons to extend its current school record.
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 and ESPN Regional Television as 11 games will be broadcast this season on those networks.
WAC TEAMS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Feb. 14, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in 11 team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in eight individual categories. Utah State holds the highest team mark as it leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 42.6 percent. The Aggies also rank second nationally in free throw percentage (77.4 percent). Individually, San Jose State’s Adrian Oliver holds the highest national mark, ranking sixth in scoring at 22.5 points per game.
WAC AND THE RPI
The WAC’s RPI stays steady at 10 this week as a conference. The WAC has four teams in the top-100, including Utah State (43), Nevada (67), Louisiana Tech (76) and New Mexico State (77) according to the CollegeRPI.com.
WAC BOASTS FOUR OF THE TOP SCORERS IN THE NATION
As of Feb. 14, four players in the WAC rank in the top-20 nationally in scoring. All four players hold scoring averages of 21.0 or better. San Jose State’s Adrian Oliver holds the top scoring mark in the league at 22.5 points per game, ranking him sixth nationally. Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson averages 21.6 points per contest and ranks 12th nationally while Nevada’s Luke Babbitt and NM State’s Jahmar Young each rank 20th with a 21.0 per game average.
UTAH STATE’S STEW MORRILL REACHES 500 WINS
Utah State’s Stew Morrill achieved a coaching milestone on Jan. 23 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 his now 505 wins, Morrill has posted a 287-97 mark in 12 seasons at Utah State as he is the school’s all-time winningest coach. He recently tied E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) for the most games coached in school history tonight at 384.
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, Points
Kyle Gibson, Sr, Louisiana Tech, 1,631
*Jonathan Gibson, Sr., NM State, 1,398
*Jahmar Young, Jr., NM State, 1,312
*Armon Johnson, Jr., Nevada, 1,303
*Brandon Fields, Sr., Nevada, 1,115
*Tai Wesley, Jr., Utah State, 1,111
*Luke Babbitt, So., Nevada, 1,091
*denotes that player reached 1,000 points during the 2009-10 season.
SJSU’S OLIVER NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR JAN. 18-24
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 WAC 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 had a career-high 39 points in an 87-76 win over Louisiana Tech that ended the Bulldogs’ 10-game winning streak. He followed that up with 22 points in a 93-84 win against New Mexico State. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 169-55. In conference games, Nevada has won 86 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 169-55 (.754)
2. Nevada 164-59 (.735)
3. Boise State 125-93 (.573)
WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Nevada 86-25 (.775)
2. Utah State 56-20 (.737)
3. Boise State 62-68 (.477)