WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos (20-12, 10-6 WAC)
Boise State went 1-1 last week at the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas ... the Broncos defeated New Mexico State 81-63 in the semifinals before falling to Utah State 77-69 in the title game ... versus NM State, the Broncos had six different players score in double figures, led by senior La’Shard Anderson and freshman Ryan Watkins, who tied for the game high with 16 ... against Utah State, Anderson led the Broncos with 18 points ... Daequon Montreal and Jeff Elorriaga each added 10 ... Anderson was named to the five-member WAC All-Tournament Team, the first Bronco to earn the honor since 2008 when Reggie Larry (MVP), Matt Nelson and Matt Bauscher were named to the squad ... BSU hosts Austin Peay in a CBI Tournament game on Tuesday.
Fresno State Bulldogs (14-17, 6-10 WAC)
Fresno State went 0-1 at the WAC Tournament, dropping its first round game to Nevada, 90-80 ... Tim Steed led the Bulldogs with 20 points, while Greg Smith had 14 points and a career-high 20 rebounds ... Smith has had 36 rebounds in his last two games combined ... his 20 rebounds were on shy of the WAC tournament single game record, set by Jason Ellis of Boise State in a 2005 game against Tulsa ... freshman Kevin Olekaibe scored 14 points in his hometown, making three three-point field goals. Jonathan Wills had 12 points and Steven Shepp scored nine, all on three-point buckets ... Fresno State ends its season with a 14-17 overall record.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (18-12, 8-8 WAC)
Hawai‘i fell on the short end of a furious finish with a 75-74 loss to San Jose State in the opening round of the WAC Tournament ... Adrian Oliver hit the go-ahead bucket with five seconds remaining, while Bill Amis’ ensuing tip-in at the buzzer was waved off ... Amis led UH with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while also adding six rebounds and three blocks. Joston Thomas scored 16 points off the bench, Zane Johnson added 14 points ... despite the loss, UH’s turnaround season is not over ... the team has accepted a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament and will host Portland in an opening round game in Honolulu on Tuesday, March 15 ... it marks UH’s first postseason berth in seven years.
Idaho Vandals (18-13, 9-7 WAC)
Idaho shot 45.5 percent from the field, but the Vandals couldn’t contain the outside attack from San Jose State and fell to the Spartans in the quarterfinal round of the WAC Tournament, 74-68 ... Idaho got 21 points from senior Jeff Ledbetter, but made key mistakes down the stretch ... the game featured 12 lead changes and three ties, and was close from the very beginning ... Idaho eliminated a nine-point deficit, 61-52 at 9:26, and drew within a tie at 68-68 with 3:01 remaining, but the Vandals couldn’t close out the final minutes ... Idaho has accepted an invitation to play in the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament ... the Vandals will travel to play San Francisco in the first round on Wednesday.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (12-20, 2-14 WAC)
Louisiana Tech wrapped up the season with a pair of losses to finish the season ... the Bulldogs lost 73-70 to Nevada before falling 72-30 to No. 21 Utah State to end regular season play ... after barely playing all season, junior guard CJ Scott started and scored in double-figures in Tech’s last three games ... Tech finished the season with 4.6 percent of its points scored from newcomers and 31.6 percent of its points from true freshmen ... freshman guard Lonnie Smith broke the school record for best three-point percentage by a freshman with 39.8 percent ... junior forward Olu Ashaolu averaged 9.4 rebounds this season, the most at Tech since Paul Millsap finished the 2005-06 season with 13.3 boards per game.
Nevada Wolf Pack (13-19, 8-8 WAC)
Nevada went 1-1 at last week’s WAC Tournament ... the Wolf Pack defeated Fresno State 90-80 in the first round before falling 66-60 to New Mexico State in the quarterfinals ... against Fresno State, Malik Story had a career-high 34 points and hit all six of his 3-point attempts ... Deonte Burton added 20 points and Dario Hunt 12 for Nevada, which hit 12 3-pointers ... versus New Mexico State, Nevada’s Malik Story had 22 points and hit a turnaround 3-pointer with about 20 seconds left to pull the Wolf Pack within two, but he had a key turnover and missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds ... the Wolf Pack end the season with a 13-19 overall record ... the team placed tied for fifth in the WAC standings this season.
New Mexico State Aggies (15-16, 9-7 WAC)
New Mexico State went 1-1 at the WAC Tournament ... the Aggies defeated Nevada 66-60 in the quarterfinals before falling 81-63 to Boise State in the semifinals ... in the win over Nevada, junior forward Troy Gillenwater scored a game-high 18 points along with a season-high four blocked shots ... senior guard Gordo Castillo added 14 points, which included a 10-of-10 performance at the free-throw line ... junior guard Hernst Laroche was also in double-digits with 11 ... against Boise State, Gillenwater and Laroche added 12 points each ... freshman guard Christian Kabongo had 11 points and a career-high eight assists ... the Aggies end their season with a 16-17 overall record ... the team finished its WAC season tied for third.
San Jose Spartans (17-15, 5-11 WAC)
The Spartans went 2-1 at the WAC Tournament, defeating Hawai‘i (75-74) and Idaho (74-68) before falling to Utah State (58-54) ... against UH, Adrian Oliver nailed a top-of-the-key jumper with 5.0 seconds remaining to give SJSU its win in the first round ... Oliver finished as the game’s high scorer with 29 points ... in the win over Idaho, Oliver and Keith Shamburger each scored 28 points ... against USU and with SJSU trailing 56-54 on its final possession, Oliver elevated for a 27-foot three-point shot with five seconds to go that dipped in and out of the cylinder in a shot that would have given SJSU a one-point lead ... SJSU has been invited to play in the CBI and will travel to play Creighton on Tuesday.
Utah State Aggies (30-3, 15-1 WAC)
Utah State went a perfect 2-0 at the WAC Tournament to claim the title ... the Aggies defeated San Jose State 58-54 and Boise State 77-69 to claim the championship ... in the win over SJSU, Tai Wesley had 14 points and 12 rebounds ... Wesley posted his seventh double-double this season and the 16th of his career for Utah State ... against Boise State, Utah State won its eighth-straight game in improving to 30-3 overall, tying a school record for most wins, matching the 2008-09 squad (30-5) ... Brockeith Pane was named the Tournament MVP after a 19-point, four-assist effort in the championship game. Pane was joined on the All-Tournament team by senior forward teammates Tai Wesley and Nate Bendall, who posting 19 and 16 points, respectively.
WAC NOTES
UTAH STATE TO FACE KANSAS STATE IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
Utah State men’s basketball will be making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 12 years when the 12th-seeded Aggies will face fifth-seeded Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Southeast Regional on Thursday, March 17 at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. No. 17/19 USU (30-3 overall, 15-1 WAC) is making its third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as the Aggies’ eighth in the last 12 years and ninth in the last 14 years. This will be Utah State’s 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in the history of the program. This is the third No. 12 seed for USU in the last four appearances and second in a row, as last year, 12th-seeded Utah State lost to fifth-seeded Texas A&M, 69-53, in the first round at Spokane, Wash.
BOISE STATE, HAWAI‘I, IDAHO AND SAN JOSE STATE INVITED TO POSTSEASON TOURNAMENTS
Four WAC teams, including Boise State, Hawai‘i, Idaho and San Jose State have been invited to participate in postseason tournaments. Boise State and San Jose State will play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), while Hawai‘i and Idaho will play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
UTAH STATE WINS WAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
Tai Wesley and Brockeith Pane each scored 19 points and Wesley also pulled down nine rebounds as the Aggies won the WAC Tournament with a 77-69 win over Boise State Saturday night. La”Shard Anderson paced Boise State with 18 points.
All-Tournament Team
La’Shard Anderson, Boise State
Nate Bendall, Utah State
Adrian Oliver, San Jose State
Tai Wesley, Utah State
Brockeith Pane, Utah State - MVP
WAC POSTSEASON AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The WAC men’s basketball postseason award winners as selected by the league’s nine head coaches.
First Team
La’Shard Anderson, Boise State, G, 6-1, 170, Sr., San Diego, Calif. (Irvine Valley CC)
Troy Gillenwater, New Mexico State, F, 6-8, 238, Jr., Boston, Mass. (Stoneridge Prep)
Adrian Oliver, San Jose State, G, 6-4, 210, Sr., Modesto, Calif. (Washington)
Brockeith Pane, Utah State, G, 6-1, 195, Jr., Dallas, Texas (Midland JC)
Tai Wesley, Utah State, F, 6-7, 240, Sr., Provo, Utah (Provo HS)
Second Team
Bill Amis, Hawai‘i, F, 6-9, 235, Sr., Oklahoma City, Okla. (Pratt CC)
Brian Green, Utah State, G, 6-1, 200, Sr., Kaysville, Utah (Salt Lake CC)
Dario Hunt, Nevada, F, 6-8, 230, Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo. (Charis Prep School)
Jeff Ledbetter, Idaho, G, 6-3, 195, Sr., Brea, Calif. (Irvine Valley CC)
Greg Smith, Fresno State, C, 6-10, 250, So., Fresno, Calif. (Westwind Academy)
Honorable Mention
Olu Ashaolu, Louisiana Tech, F, 6-7, 220, Jr., Toronto, Canada (Humble Christian)
Kyle Barone, Idaho, C, 6-10, 220, So., Garden Grove, Calif. (Pacifica HS)
Deonte Burton, Nevada, G, 6-1, 185, Fr., Los Angeles, Calif. (Compton Centenial HS)
Justin Graham, San Jose State, G, 6-4, 195, Sr., Ripon, Calif. (Ripon HS)
Zane Johnson, Hawai‘i, G, 6-6, 210, Jr., Phoenix, Ariz. (Arizona)
Player of the Year
: Tai Wesley, Utah State
Freshman of the Year
: Deonte Burton, Nevada
Don Haskins Coach of the Year
: Stew Morrill, Utah State
All-Defensive Team
La’Shard Anderson, Boise State, G, 6-1, 170, Sr., San Diego, Calif. (Irvine Valley CC)
Olu Ashaolu, Louisiana Tech, F, 6-7, 220, Jr., Toronto, Canada (Humble Christian)
Justin Graham, San Jose State, G, 6-4, 195, Sr., Ripon, Calif. (Ripon HS)
Dario Hunt, Nevada, F, 6-8, 230, Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo. (Charis Prep School)
Tyler Newbold, Utah State, G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Payson, Utah (Payson HS)
All-Newcomer Team
Deonte Burton, Nevada, G, 6-1, 185, Fr., Los Angeles, Calif. (Compton Centenial HS)
Olek Czyz, Nevada, 6-7, 240, Jr., Gdynia, Poland (Duke)
Zane Johnson, Hawai‘i, G, 6-6, 210, Jr., Phoenix, Ariz. (Arizona)
Brockeith Pane, Utah State, G, 6-1, 195, Jr., Dallas, Texas (Midland JC)
Tim Steed, Fresno State, G, 6-4, 215, Jr., Philadelphia, Penn. (Highland CC)
HAWAI‘I’S JOHNSON RECEIVES FINAL WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Hawai‘i’s Zane Johnson has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 28-March 6. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Johnson.
Johnson, a junior guard from Phoenix, Ariz. (Arizona), led Hawai‘i to a 1-1 record last week with a 77-71 win at San Jose State. Johnson scored a game-high 26 points to lead UH to its fourth win in five road games with the victory at San Jose State. He connected on 9-of-14 shots from the field, including a 6-of-10 clip from three-point distance. He was also perfect at the free throw line against the Spartans, going 2-for-2. Johnson dished out three assists against SJSU. He scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half, including a critical three-pointer with just 40 seconds remaining to help secure the victory. Johnson also scored 21 points with three assists in a road loss at Fresno State. For the week, Johnson averaged 23.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game. He shot 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) from the field, 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from three-point range and 3-of-4 (75 percent) from the free throw line.
Other nominees included
: Boise State senior La’Shard Anderson … Fresno State senior Ned Golubovic … Idaho sophomore Kyle Barone … Nevada freshman Deonte Burton … New Mexico State junior Troy Gillenwater … Utah State senior Tyler Newbold.
UTAH STATE SECURES FOURTH-STRAIGHT WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Utah State won its third-straight outright WAC regular season championship and fourth-straight league title overall without even playing as New Mexico State, the WAC’s second-place team, lost at San Jose State (72-70 OT) Wednesday night. Utah State has now won the last four regular season WAC titles as it shared the regular season championship in 2008 with a 12-4 mark, and won the conference outright in 2009 and 2010 with identical 14-2 league records. With its regular season WAC Championship, Utah State is guaranteed a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, extending its current school record run of consecutive postseason appearances to 12 straight as the Aggies have played in the NCAA Tournament seven times and the NIT four times in the past 11 years. Along with securing its 12-straight postseason appearance, Utah State is also one of just two teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last 12 seasons along with Kansas.
UTAH STATE IS NO. 17 ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES’ POLL, MOVES UP TO NO. 19 IN AP POLL
For the eighth straight week, Utah State maintained its top 25 ranking and is now 17th in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll and 19th in the latest Associated Press Poll. Utah State was ranked 19th in last week’s coaches’ poll and 21st in last week’s AP poll. Its current run of being ranked for eight consecutive weeks in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll is a school record, bettering the 2003-04 team that was ranked for five straight weeks. Prior to this season, the last time a USU team was ranked for more than eight straight weeks was during the 1970-71 season when that team was ranked in the Associated Press poll for 11 straight weeks.
WAC WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ON ESPN2
ESPN2 hosted WAC basketball games on Wednesday nights hoops five times this season. ESPN2 will also play host to this week’s WAC semifinal and championship games. ESPNU will air both of the WAC Tournament’s quarterfinal contests.
WAC TEAMS AMONG NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
As of March 14, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in nine team statistical categories. Individual WAC players rank in the top-25 in six individual categories. Utah State holds the highest team mark as it ranks third in the nation in scoring defense at 58.2. Individually, San Jose State’s Adrian Oliver ranks third nationally in scoring at 24.3 ppg.
WAC AND THE RPI
After starting the season with a conference RPI of 22, the WAC has climbed its way to the No. 13 spot, one position ahead of the WCC and just behind the Missouri Valley. Utah State hold’s the league’s top team RPI, coming in at No. 15 this week, according to collegerpi.com.
UTAH STATE BREAKS WAC RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE WAC GAMES WON
Utah State won a WAC record 25 straight league games before losing at Idaho on Feb. 10. USU’s 25-game WAC win streak breaks Utah’s mark of 19 straight during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons.
UTAH STATE HOLDS NATION’S THIRD-LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK
Utah State has won 31 straight home games, which is the third-longest active winning streak in the nation behind Duke (36) and Kentucky (34). Overall, USU has won 83 of its last 85 home games, including 15 straight non-conference games at home. The Aggies last home loss came against Saint Mary’s (68-63) on Dec. 5, 2009 as the Gaels snapped USU’s school-record 37-game home winning streak.
BOISE STATE AND SAN JOSE STATE TIE WAC RECORD WITH FOUR-OVERTIME GAME
Boise State defeated San Jose State 102-101 in four overtimes on Jan. 6. The four overtime game ties the WAC record for most overtimes played in a single game. The only other time two teams played a game that went into four overtimes was on March 3, 1983 when New Mexico defeated Hawai‘i 63-61 in Honolulu.
WAC TEAMS GO A COMBINED 8-1 IN ESPN SEARS BRACKETBUSTERS
For an ninth-straight year, the WAC participated in BracketBusters -- a two-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Tournament hopefuls. WAC teams went a combined 8-1 in those matchups. Utah State won the event’s featured game, defeating 23rd-ranked Saint Marys, 75-65 on ESPN2.
WAC Televised BracketBusters Games
Sat., 2/19, #17 Utah State def. #23 Saint Mary’s, 75-65 (ESPN2 HD)
WAC Non-Televised BracketBusters Games
Boise State def. UC Santa Barbara, 78-76 (OT)
Hawai‘i def. UC Davis, 83-69
Idaho def. Montana State, 65-50
Fresno State def. UC Riverside, 68-49
Louisiana Tech def. Georgia State, 51-45
Nevada def. UC Irvine, 74-63
Northern Colorado def. New Mexico State, 82-80
San Jose State def. Weber State, 62-46
HEAD COACH STEW MORRILL COLLECTS 300th USU WIN
With an 81-53 victory over Long Beach State on Dec. 7, Utah State head coach Stew Morrill collected his 300th win at the helm of the Aggies. The USU head coach is now 322-102 directing the Aggie program and is the winningest coach in school history and is first all-time in games coached with 424. All-time, Morrill is now 540-240 in 25 years as a collegiate head coach.