WAC NOTES
IDAHO’S BARONE NAMED VERIZON WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Idaho’s Kyle Barone has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 6-12. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week for Barone.
Barone, a junior center from Garden Grove, Calif. (Pacifica HS), led Idaho to a 3-0 record last week, helping extend the Vandal’s win streak to a season-high four games with wins over Seattle U (70-69), New Mexico State (59-58) and Louisiana Tech (73-64). Barone led Idaho with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win over SU on Tuesday night, while adding two blocked shots and hitting seven of his eight free throw attempts. He then added a 16-point, eight rebound, four-assist, two-block outing in the victory over NM State on Thursday. With Idaho trailing 58-51 with less than five minutes remaining to play, Barone scored six straight points for the Vandals and then assisted on the game-winning layup with 5.4 seconds remaining to secure the win over NMSU. In Saturday’s win over LA Tech, Barone had 14 points and tied his career high with 15 rebounds to earn his 10th career double-double.
Over the three games, Barone averaged 15.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. He shot 51.4 percent (18-of-35) from the floor and 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Fresno State sophomore forward Jery Brown … Hawai‘i junior center Vander Joaquim … Nevada senior forward Olek Czyz … New Mexico State senior forward Wendell McKines … Utah State sophomore guard Preston Medlin.
WEEK 14 WAC HIGHLIGHTS
Idaho went a perfect 3-0 last week with wins over Seattle U (70-69), New Mexico State (59-58) and Louisiana Tech (73-64). Playing the pivotal role in Idaho’s perfect record last week was this week’s WAC Player of the Week, Kyle Barone. Barone averaged 15.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 assists over the three games. He registered a pair of double-doubles and played a key role down the stretch in the win over NM State. Nevada went 2-0 last week with road wins over Hawai‘i (88-79) and San Jose State (76-70). Olek Czyz averaged 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game over the two contests. Dario Hunt tallied 29 rebounds over the two games. Hawai‘i, New Mexico State, San Jose State and Utah State each split thier two games.
WAC TEAMS TO PARTICIPATE IN ESPN SEARS BRACKETBUSTERS ON SATURDAY
Pairings for the tenth annual BracketBusters – a three-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Championship hopefuls Feb. 17-18 – 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 (ESPN2/ESPN3)
Buffalo at South Dakota State, 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
Akron at Oral Roberts, 2 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)
Drake at New Mexico State, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
Nevada at Iona, 4 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)
Old Dominion a Missouri State, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
#16 Saint Mary’s at #9 Murray State, 6 p.m. (ESPN/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
NEVADA’S WIN STREAK ENDS AT 16 GAMES
Nevada’s 16-game school record tying win streak was snapped on Saturday as the Wolf Pack fell 72-68 to Idaho on Feb. 4. The streak was the second longest in country when it ended to undefeated Murray State. The Wolf Pack’s 12-game home court win streak also ended and it was tied for 19th longest in the nation. The 16-game win streak is tied with the 1965-66 team for the longest in school history. The 1965-66 squad went on to post a 21-6 record for head coach Jack Spencer. The 19-4 start is the best since the 2006-07 squad began the year 21-2 on the way to a 29-5 record. Nevada has won 19-of-21 after starting the season 0-2.
NMSU’S MCKINES BECOMES WAC’S 12TH MEMBER OF 1,000 PT/1,000 REB. CLUB
New Mexico State’s Wendell McKines became a member of the 1,000-career point and 1,000-career rebound club and led the New Mexico State men’s basketball team to a 78-57 win over CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 1. With his 12th rebound of the game with 7:45 minutes remaining, McKines joined the elite club. He is only the second player in NM State history along with Sam Lacey, second active player in the NCAA (T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State) and 12th player in the WAC history to achieve the feat.
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-) 1,338 points/1,030 reb.
SJSU’s CARTER NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FIRST TEAM
Wil Carter, a senior forward on the San Jose State University men’s basketball team, is one of five NCAA Division I players named to the Capital One Academic All-District VIII first team. Voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the Academic All-District team is the first qualifying stage for Academic All-America honors. A co-captain of the 2011-12 San Jose State team, Carter is in his second year with the Spartans after transferring from Salt Lake Community College. The resident of Pocatello, Idaho ranks fourth in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in rebounding with an 8.2 per game average. He is third on the San Jose State team in scoring with an 11.3 average.
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. 58, according to the NCAA.
WAC TEAMS/PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Feb. 13, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in three team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in six individual stat categories. New Mexico State holds the highest team mark as it ranks 7th nationally in rebound margin at 7.4. Idaho ranks 25th nationally in three-point percentage at 38.8. Individually, Nevada’s Malik Story holds the WAC’s highest national ranking as he ranks seventh nationally in three-point field goal percentage at 46.8 percent. NM State’s Wendell McKines ranks eighth nationally with 14 double-doubles this season.
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.
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 WEEKLY NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (11-16, 3-8 WAC)
Fresno State went 0-2 on the road last week ... the Bulldogs dropped a 79-71 double overtime decision at San Jose State before falling 62-58 at Hawai‘i ... at SJSU, sophomore Kevin Olekaibe tallied team-best 21 points for the Bulldogs for their sixth straight on the road and fourth in six games overall ... Jonathan Wills added 16 points while redshirt sophomore Jerry Brown chipped in 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, before fouling out with 3:05 left in the first extra period ... at Hawai‘i, Brown delivered yet another solid effort as he led the Bulldogs with 17 points, which tied a career-high ... Kevin Foster pulled down 13 rebounds - one shy of his career-best ... Fresno State will play its first of two non-conference opponents next Saturday at Northridge as the ‘Dogs take a two-week break from WAC action and end the regular season by hosting a four-game homestand.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (14-10, 6-4 WAC)
Hawai‘i went 1-1 at home last week ... the Rainbow Warriors dropped an 88-79 decision to Nevada before rebounding to defeat Fresno State, 62-58 ... against Nevada, Joston Thomas led four Rainbow Warriors in double-digits with 18 points ... Hauns Brereton poured in 17 points and Vander Joaquim posted 14 points and nine rebounds ... Jeremiah Ostrowski scored a season-high 15 points, while adding eight assists ... in the win over Fresno State, Vander Joaquim notched his ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead UH ... Brereton scored in double digits for the fifth straight game with 12 points, while Thomas chipped in 11 points ... UH will play the final game of its three-game home stand when it hosts New Orleans in a non-conference contest on Tuesday, Feb. 14 ... the team travels to play Montana for ESPN Bracketbusters on Saturday.
Idaho Vandals (15-11, 7-4 WAC)
Idaho went a perfect 3-0 last week ... the team opened the week with a 70-69 non-conference win over Seattle U ... the Vandals then defeated New Mexico State 59-58 on Thursday before taking care of Louisiana Tech 73-64 on Saturday ... in the win over SU, Kyle Barone scored 17 points and added 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, while senior Deremy Geiger and sophomore Stephen Madison put in 16 points apiece to lead the effort ... versus NM State, Barone led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, along with eight rebounds, two blocks and a career-high-tying four assists ... ass a team, the Vandals tied a season high with 10 blocks in the game ... against LA Tech, Barone put together a third dominating performance this week with 14 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds ... Idaho hosts Portland State in its Sears BracketBuster game on Saturday.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (11-14, 3-7 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 0-2 on the road last week ... the team dropped a 77-63 decision at Utah State before falling 73-64 at Idaho ... Junior guard Brandon Gibson and freshman guard Raheem Appleby scored 15 points apiece as Louisiana Tech fell to Utah State on Thursday ... sophomore guard Cordarius Johnson scored 21 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as Louisiana Tech fell to Idaho Saturday night ... Ramario Souza and Trevor Gaskins scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, with nine of Souza’s total coming in the second half ... Appleby, Tech’ leading scorer, was held scoreless in the game for the first time since Nov. 30 at Southeastern Louisiana ... Louisiana Tech returns to action Thursday night at home against North Dakota ... the team hosts Central Arkansas on Saturday for ESPN Sears BracketBusters.
Nevada Wolf Pack (21-4, 10-1 WAC)
Nevada went a perfect 2-0 on the road last week, picking up wins at Hawai‘i (88-79) and at San Jose State (76-70) ... Deonte Burton scored 20 points to lead Nevada to the victory over Hawaii Thursday night ... Burton was one of five players that scored in double figures for the WAC-leading Wolf Pack ... Malik Story had 19 points, Olek Czyz and Dario Hunt scored 15 apiece and Jerry Evans Jr. had 13 points for Nevada ... Hunt also had 17 rebounds ... Olek Czyz scored 23 of his career-high 27 points in the second half, helping Nevada fend off another challenge to beat San Jose State on Saturday night ... Story scored 15 of his 23 in the first half for the Wolf Pack, who won their ninth straight on the road ... Hunt added 11 points and 12 rebounds ... Nevada steps out of conference play to host CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday before traveling to play Iona for ESPN Sears BracketBusters on Saturday on ESPN2.
New Mexico State Aggies (18-8, 7-3 WAC)
New Mexico State split a pair of road games last week ... the Aggies dropped a 59-58 decision at Idaho before picking up an 80-69 win at Utah State ... at Idaho, Wendell McKines and Hamidu Rahman led the team 12 points each ... Hernst Laroche and Tyrone Watson supplied nine points each. Watson also had a career-high eight assists ... NM State defeated Utah State in Logan, Utah for the first time since Feb. 11, 2006 ... NM State had four players in double-figures with McKines leading the way with a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds ... Laroche had 16 points and seven assists ... Bandja Sy supplied 13 points, while senior center Hamidu Rahman had 10 ... The Aggies return home to host a pair of non-conference games against Northern New Mexico, Tuesday and Drake in the Sears BracketBuster game, Saturday.
San Jose Spartans (8-17, 1-9 WAC)
San Jose State went 1-1 at home last week ... the Spartans defeated Fresno State 79-71 in double overtime on Thursday night before falling 76-70 to league-leader Nevada on Saturday ... Keith Shamburger scored 13 of his 21 points in the two overtime periods leading San Jose State to the victory over Fresno State ... Wil Carter led all players in scoring with a career-high 23 and notched his second double-double in as many games with 12 rebounds ... Carter and Shamburger accounted for 22 of San Jose State’s 24 points in the overtimes ... against Nevada, James Kinney poured in 26 points including 11 in the first five minutes of the second half ... Shamburger followed up a 21-point performance in the Fresno State win with 17 ... this week, San Jose State travels to play Sacramento State in its ESPN Sears BracketBuster game.
Utah State Aggies (13-13, 5-6 WAC)
Utah State went 1-1 at home last week ... the Aggies defeated Louisiana Tech 77-63 before falling 80-69 to New Mexico State in a nationally-televised game ... Preston Medlin and Kyisean Reed combined for 42 points to lead the Aggies to the win over Louisiana Tech Thursday night ... Medlin was balanced with his scoring, netting 11 in each half to finish with his eighth-straight double-digit scoring outing and his seventh 20-point game this year ... against NM State, Medlin led four Utah State players in double-figures with 16 points, while Danny Berger scored a career-high 14 points ... Reed added 11 points, while Morgan Grim finished with 10 points, four rebounds and a career-high four assists ... Utah State steps out of conference for a pair of home games next week as it hosts Montana Tech, an NAIA school, on Tuesday followed by an ESPN Sears BracketBuster game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.