WAC NOTES
UTAH STATE’S MEDLIN NAMED VERIZON WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah State’s Preston Medlin has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 23-29. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week for Medlin.
Medlin, a sophomore guard from Carrollton, Texas (Hebron HS), led Utah State to a 2-0 home record last week with wins over Hawai‘i (77-72) and San Jose State (82-65). Against the Rainbow Warriors, Medlin scored 25 points as he was 5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-5 from three-point range and 13-of-14 at the free throw line. He also had two rebounds, two assists and one steal in the game. Against the Spartans, Medlin scored 15 points as he was 5-of-10 from the field, 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 2-for-2 at the free throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists in the game.
On the week, Medlin averaged 20.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He shot 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the field, 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from three-point range and 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Fresno State sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe … Hawai‘i junior forward Vander Joaquim … Idaho senior forward Djim Bandoumel … Nevada senior forward Olek Czyz … New Mexico State senior forward Wendell McKines.
ESPN SEARS BRACKETBUSTERS MATCHUPS SET
Pairings for the tenth annual BracketBusters – a three-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Championship hopefuls Friday, Feb. 17 - Sunday, Feb. 19 – were announced live on ESPN’s 2012 SEARS BracketBusters Selection Show last Monday. The WAC received two of the 13 television games. Nevada will travel to play Iona, while New Mexico State will host Drake. Both games will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18. The Nevada game will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2, while the New Mexico State game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Friday, Feb. 17 (All times Eastern)
Northern Iowa at VCU, 7 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)
Valparaiso at Loyola-Marymount, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, Feb. 18 (All times Eastern)
Drexel at Cleveland State, 11 a.m. (ESPNU
Wichita State at Davidson, Noon (ESPN or ESPN2/ESPN3)
Buffalo at South Dakota State, 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
Akron at Oral Roberts, 2 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2/ESPN3)
Drake at New Mexico State, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
Nevada at Iona, 4 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2/ESPN3)
Old Dominion a Missouri State, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
#16 Saint Mary’s at #9 Murray State, 6 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2/ESPN3)
UNC-Ashville at Ohio, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
UT-Arlington at Weber State, 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
Long Beach State at #12 Creighton, 10 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)
The other six WAC teams that were not selected to compete in a BracketBusters television game will play non-conference opponents on Saturday, Feb. 18. Those matchups are as follows:
WAC Non-TV Matchups (Saturday, Feb. 18)
Fresno State at Cal State Northridge, 7 p.m. PT
Hawai‘i at Montana, 7 p.m. MT
Portland State at Idaho, 7 p.m. PT
Central Arkansas at Louisiana Tech, 3:30 p.m. CT
San Jose State at Sacramento State, 7 p.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara at Utah State, 7 p.m. MT
WEEK 12 WAC HIGHLIGHTS
Nevada and Utah State each went a pefect 2-0 at home last week. Nevada downed New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech, while Utah State defeated Hawai‘i and San Jose State. With its two wins, Nevada extended the nation’s second-longest win streak to 15 games. Olek Czyz led the Wolf Pack over the two games, averaging 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 53.8 percent from the field. In Utah State’s two wins, Preston Medlin led the Aggies averagin 20.0 points while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor. He hit 15-of-16 free throws over the two games. There were a couple of other notable individual performances last week, including UH forward Vander Joaquim’s 24-point, 14-rebound effort at Utah State. Idaho’s Deremy Geiger connected on seven three-point field goals in the Vandals’ win over San Jose State.
NEVADA HOLDS NATIONS SECOND LONGEST ACTIVE WIN STREAK
Nevada’s 15-game win streak is the second longest active streak in the country behind Murray State’s 21. Kentucky and Oral Roberts are tied for third with 13-game streaks. The Wolf Pack’s 11-game home court win streak is tied for 22nd longest in the nation. Nevada has won 18-of-19 after starting the season 0-2. The only loss in the stretch was 76-55 to BYU in Chicago. The longest win streak in school history is 16 games during the 1965-66 season when head coach Jack Spencer led the Pack to a 21-6 record. The 18-3 start is the best since the 2006-07 squad began the year 19-2 on the way to a 29-5 record.
WAC CONTINUES RISE ON RPI AND ESPN CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS LIST
After starting the season as low as No. 28 on the conference RPI list, the WAC has surged its way to No. 12 this week, according to collegerpi.com. The league also comes in as the 12th-best conference in the nation according to ESPN’s conference power rankings. Nevada currently holds the highest team RPI in the league at No. 59 this week, up 15 spots from last week.
WAC TEAMS/PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Jan. 29, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in three team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in five individual stat categories. New Mexico State holds the highest team mark as it ranks 8th nationally in rebound margin at 8.0. NIdaho ranks 14th nationally in three-point percentage at 40.2. Individually, Nevada’s Malik Story holds the highest national mark, ranking seventh in three-point field goal percentage at 48.0 percent. New Mexico State’s Wendell McKines ranks 10th nationally with 12 double-doubles. Hawai‘i’s Zane Johnson ranks 10th in the nation in threes per game at 3.1.
NMSU’S MCKINES ON HIS WAY TO ELITE 1,000 POINT/1,000 REBOUND CLUB
With 1,271 career points and 988 career rebounds, New Mexico State senior forward Wendell McKines is on his way to the 1,000 points/rebounds club. There is currently only one active player in all of Division I that has at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds (T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State - 1,577 points/1,086 rebounds). McKines will become just the 12th player in WAC history to reach the double-milestone.
WAC All-Time 1,000 point/1,000 rebound List
Keith Van Horn, Utah (1993-97), 2,542 points/1,074 reb.
Nick Fazekas, Nevada (2003-07), 2,464 points/1,254 reb.
Bob Elliot, Arizona (1973-77), 2,131 points/1,083 reb.
Michael Harris, Rice (2001-05), 2,014 points/1,111 reb.
Josh Grant, Utah (1988-93), 2,000 points/1,066 reb.
Kenny Thomas, UNM (1996-99), 1,931 points/1,032 reb.
Micahel Cage, SDSU (1980-84), 1,846 points/1,317 reb.
Reginald Slater, UW (1988-92), 1,809 points/1,197 reb.
Al Fleming, Arizona (1973-76), 1,765 points/1,190 reb.
Paul Millsap, LA Tech (2003-06), 1,708 points/1,172 reb.
Mitch Smith, Utah (1985-89), 1,628 points/1,036 reb.
Wendell McKines, NMSU (2007-), 1,271 points/988 reb.
SAN JOSE STATE’S CARTER RECORDS FIRST WAC 20-20 GAME SINCE 2006
San Jose State senior forward Wil Carter scored 21 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in a loss at Hawai‘i on Jan. 7. Carter becomes the first WAC player to score at least 20 points and pull down 20 boards since Louisiana Tech’s Paul Millsap did it in 2006. It also marked the first 20-rebound game by a SJSU player since Chris McNealy did it against Utah in December of 1981. It marks only the eighth 20-rebound performance by a Division I player this season.
UTAH STATE AND HAWAI‘I IMPRESS AT HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS
Utah State went a perfect 3-0 at the Athletes in Action Classic in Logan to win the championship on Dec. 22. The Aggies defeated UT-Arlington 73-69, Saint Peter’s 72-47 and Kent State 81-62 to claim the title. Hawai‘i went 2-1 at the the Hawaiian Airlines Diamondhead Classic in Honolulu Dec. 22-25. The Rainbow Warriors dropped a close 65-62 decision to Auburn in its tournament opener before winning its next two games, an 84-82 overtime victory over then No. 14 Xavier and a 75-68 win against Clemson.
SAN JOSE STATE AND NEVADA SET SCHOOL RECORDS WITH 16 THREES IN A SINGLE GAME, RANKS AS FOURTH-BEST SINGLE GAME PERFORMANCE IN THE NATION
San Jose State set single-game school records with 16 three-point baskets made and 40 three-point baskets attempted in the December 29 victory over Coppin State at the Elgin Baylor Classic. The previous records in these categories were 14 made 3-pointers in a 2005 game against Louisiana Tech and 32 3-point tries in a 2011 game versus Boise State. Nevada set a single game school record of their own with 16 made thres and 32 attempts to break the old school record of 15 made threes against Cal State Fullerton in 1999. The 16 made threes ranks as the fourth-best single-game performance in the nation this season.
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS, TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The 2012 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 7-10 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and will include all eight WAC teams. All-session tickets for the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament presented by Verizon are available for purchase now. All-session tickets include access to each men’s and women’s tournament game, totaling 14 games in eight sessions. All-session tickets are on sale Friday through the Orleans Arena Box Office. Tickets will also be available for purchase through each WAC school’s ticket office. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets from their institution’s ticket office or online to avoid service fees associated with ticket sales through the Orleans Arena. Single-session tickets, which allow access to the two games listed in the session will be sold only on the day of the respective game, and can only be purchased through the Orleans Arena. Fans who wish to attend only the women’s tournament games may purchase a women’s tournament all-session ticket through the Orleans Arena ticket office.
INDIVIDUAL WAC SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE RANKS NATIONALLY
Utah State’s Preston Medlin hit eight three-point field goals in a win at Idaho State on Nov. 26. The eight threes is the third-most scored in the nation this season. USU’s Kyisean Reed connected on 11-of-12 shots for a 92.3 field goal percentage against Kent State on Dec. 22. Reed’s performance ranks as the second-best field goal percentage performance in the nation this season. Fresno State’s Jonathan Wills hit a perfect 13-of-13 free throws in a Nov. 22 game against UTSA. Wills’ night ranks him with the third-best performance nationally this year.
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (9-14, 1-6 WAC)
Fresno State went 0-2 last week on the road ... the Bulldogs dropped a heart-breaking 59-58 decision at Louisiana Tech before falling 60-65 at New Mexico State ... Fresno State rallied from a 10-point second half deficit and led 58-57 after Kevin Olekaibe sank two free throws with 17 seconds left for the ‘Dogs first lead since just after halftime ... LA Tech got the ball and laid it in for the win as time expired ... Olekaibe scored a game-high 20 points to pace Fresno State ... at NM State and down 39-29 with 16:26 to play, Fresno State rattled off a 14-0 run to take a 43-39 lead and sparked an exciting battle to the final buzzer ... Olekaibe led the Bulldogs with 18 points, including 10 in the first half, while Brown added 13 and senior Jonathan Wills also reached double-digits with 10 over 27 minutes ... Fresno State will face Idaho on Thursday night at the Save Mart Center, with tip off slated for 7 p.m. PT.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (12-9, 4-3 WAC)
Hawai‘i went 1-1 on the road last week ... the Rainbow Warriors took a 77-72 loss at Utah State before bouncing back with a 76-70 victory at Idaho ... at Utah State, the ‘Bows lost despite another monster effort by Vander Joaquim who recorded his second straight double-double ... Joaquim tied his career-high with 24 points, while also adding 14 rebounds ... Joston Thomas also posted a double-double for UH with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Hauns Brereton added 15 points and six rebounds ... in the win at Idaho, four played scored in double figures for UH led by Joaquim with 18 points and nine rebounds ... Thomas, who energized the Bows and made numerous big plays down the stretch, finished with 16 points and nine rebounds ... Zane Johnson poured in 16 points, while Hauns Brereton added 15 ... UH travels to San Jose State for a meeting with the Spartans on Saturday.
Idaho Vandals (11-10, 4-3 WAC)
Idaho went 1-1 last week at home ... the Vandals defeated San Jose State 74-66 before falling to Hawai‘i, 76-70 ... in the win over SJSU, Deremy Geiger provided the flash, while Djim Bandoumel and Kyle Barone were the substance ... Geiger went 7-of-10 from the field – all behind the 3-point line – for a game-high 21 points, while Barone put up a 21-point, 11-rebound effort for his sixth double-double of the year and Bandoumel earned his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds ... versus UH, the game featured seven lead changes and seven ties, and neither lead spent much time beyond a single possession ... Bandoumel picked up his game to the tune of a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while Stephen Madison pitched in 15 points, three assists and two steals ... Idaho will hit the road next week to play at Fresno State and Nevada.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (11-11, 3-4 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 1-1 at home last week ... the team defeated Fresno State 59-58 before falling 65-63 to Nevada ... Brandon Gibson’s buzzer-beating layup gave Louisiana Tech the victory over Fresno State, ending Tech’s six-game winless streak at home in WAC games ... Cordarius Johnson led Tech with 16 points while Trevor Gaskins and Romario Souza each scored 11 points ... a three-pointer from Gaskins rattled in-and-out with less than two seconds to play as Louisiana Tech fell to Nevada 65-63 Saturday ... Raheem Appleby paced the Bulldogs with 17 points after having to leave Thursday night’s contest with a knee injury ... Kenyon McNeail added 13 while Trevor Gaskins chipped in with 11 including three three-point field goals ... Louisiana Tech travels to New Mexico State to begin the second half of WAC play Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. CT.
Nevada Wolf Pack (18-3, 7-0 WAC)
Nevada went 2-0 on the road last week ... the Wolf Pack defeated New Mexico State 68-60 before taking down Louisiana Tech 65-63 ... at NM State, Deonte Burton scored 17 points and Nevada won its 14th straight game ... Dario Hunt added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Wolf Pack, who shot 57 percent from the field and were 7 for 17 from 3-point range ... Olek Czyz and Malik Story scored 14 points each ... Czyz tied his season high with 24 points and converted the game-winning three-point play as Nevada held off Louisiana Tech Saturday night for its 15th consecutive victory ... Czyz also had 10 rebounds for the Wolf Pack, whose winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the NCAA behind Murray State, with 21 ... Malik Story added 16 points for Nevada and Hunt grabbed 11 rebounds ... next up for Nevada will be a pair of home games against Utah State and Idaho.
New Mexico State Aggies (15-7, 5-2 WAC)
New Mexico State went 1-1 last week at home ... the team fell 68-60 to Nevada on Thursday night before picking up a 60-56 win over Fresno State on Saturday ... Tyrone Watson sank two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in regulation to seal a four-point win, 60-56, for the Aggies over Fresno State in the annual Lou Henson Classic on Saturday ... Wendell McKines scored a game-high 20 points along with 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the year ... Watson, Hamidu Rahman and Tshilidzi Nephawe supplied eight points each ... despite a season-high 21 points from senior guard Hernst Laroche, NM State’s late comeback against Nevada fell short, 68-60 on Thursday ... McKines ended the game with 15 points and eight rebounds ... this week, New Mexico State hosts CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday before hosting Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
San Jose Spartans (7-15, 0-7 WAC)
San Jose State went 2-1 last week ... SJSU defeated CSU Bakersfield 78-70 to open the week at home ... the team then fell 74-66 at Idaho before falling 82-65 at Utah State ... for the first time in his life in any form of organized basketball, D.J. Brown scored more than 30 points in a game ... his 33 points ended the Spartans’ five-game losing streak in a comeback win over CSU Bakersfield ... D.J. Brown of the Spartans followed up his career-high 33-point performance three nights earlier against CSU Bakersfield with a team-leading 18 points against Idaho ... Wil Carter and James Kinney each added 15 for San Jose State at Idaho ... Keith Shamburger missed the USU game due to back problems ... Kinney and Carter kept San Jose State in the game offensively with 21 and 14 points, respectively at USU ... SJSU hosts Hawai‘i on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT
Utah State Aggies (12-10, 4-3 WAC)
Utah State went 2-0 at home last week ... the Aggies defeated Hawai‘i 77-72 on Thursday before taking down San Jose State 82-65 on Saturday ... with a game-high 25 points, Preston Medlin was one of five Utah State players in double-figures as the Aggies got back on the winning track by holding off Hawai`i ... Medlin’s 25 points were his fourth-straight double-digit outing and his sixth game this season with 20-plus points ... Medlin was joined in double-digits by Danny Berger, who hit four three-pointers on the way to tying his career-high of 12 points ... against SJSU, Kyisean Reed led USU’s five players in double-digits by netting 21 points ... Brockeith Pane and guard duo of Preston Medlin and Mitch Bruneel all tallied 15 points each, with Bruneel draining four three-pointers on the way to his career-high scoring night ... USU travels to Nevada and Fresno State this week.