WAC NOTES
NEW MEXICO STATE’S MULLINGS NAMED VERIZON WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State’s Daniel Mullings has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 20-26. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week for Mullings.
Mullings, a freshman guard from Toronto, Ontario (Laurier), became only the third Aggie in school history and 13th player in WAC history to record a triple-double. Mullings scored 28 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out 10 assists, all career high marks, in a 115-73 win over Hawai‘i on Feb. 23. Mullings is the first player to accomplish the feat since 1990 at NM State and only one of 12 players and the lone freshman to achieve a triple-double this season in the NCAA. He also tied a career high with five steals in the game. Mullings also set career-best marks for field goals made (11) and free throw attempts (9). In the home finale, Mullings scored 10 points for his 11th double-figure game of the year in a 79-68 win over San Jose State. He went 3-of-5 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw and tallied five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win over the Spartans.
On the week, Mullings averaged 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game. He shot 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the field and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Fresno State sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe … Idaho senior guard Deremy Geiger … Louisiana Tech senior guard Trevor Gaskins … Nevada senior forward Dario Hunt … Utah State sophomore guard Preston Medlin.
WEEK 16 WAC HIGHLIGHTS
Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Nevada and Utah State each went undefeated last week. LA Tech and NM State each went 2-0 while Nevada and Utah State went 1-0. LA Tech defeated both San Jose State and Hawai‘i. NM State recorded wins over Hawai‘i and San Jose State. In its win over UH, Daniel Mullings became the 13th player in WAC history with a triple-double, recording 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Fresno State’s Kevin Olekaibe scored a school-record 43 points to help the Bulldogs to a 78-72 win over Seattle U. The 43 points off the hand of Olekaibe tied for the third-most by any Division I player this year in a single game and marked the most by anyone in the Western Athletic Conference since Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll scored 44 against New Mexico State back on Feb. 5, 2007.
NM STATE’S MULLINGS BECOMES 13TH WAC PLAYER TO RECORD TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Daniel Mullings became only the third Aggie in school history and 13th player in WAC history to record a triple-double. Mullings scored 28 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out 10 assists, all career-high marks, in a 115-73 win over Hawai’i, Feb. 23. Mullings is the first player to accomplish the feat since 1990 at NM State and only one of 12 players and the lone freshman to achieve a triple-double this season in the NCAA. He also tied a career high with five steals in the game. Mullings also set career-best marks for field goals made (11) and free throw attempts (9).
FRESNO STATE’S OLEKAIBE BECOMES FIRST WAC PLAYER TO SCORE 43 OR MORE POINTS IN A SINGLE GAME SINCE 2007
Fresno State’s Kevin Olekaibe scored a school-record 43 points to help the Bulldogs to a 78-72 win over Seattle U on Feb. 23. The 43 points off the hand of Olekaibe tied for the third-most by any Division I player this year in a single game and marked the most by anyone in the Western Athletic Conference since Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll scored 44 against New Mexico State back on Feb. 5, 2007.
WAC TEAMS GO COMBINED 5-3 IN ESPN SEARS BRACKETBUSTERS GAMES
For an 10th-straight year, the WAC participated in BracketBusters -- a two-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Tournament hopefuls. WAC teams went a combined 5-3 in those matchups. New Mexico State picked up a featured ESPN Sears BracketBuster televised matchup, defeating Drake 71-55 on ESPNU.
WAC Televised BracketBuster Games
New Mexico State def. Drake, 71-55 (ESPNU)
Iona def. Nevada, 90-84 (ESPN2/ESPN3)
WAC Non-Televised BracketBuster Games
Fresno State def. Cal State Northridge, 62-49
Montana def. Hawai‘i, 94-79
Idaho def. Portland State, 77-68
Louisiana Tech def. Central Arkansas, 84-62
San Jose State def. Sacramento State, 79-67
UC Santa Barbara def. Utah State, 72-64
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. 56, according to the NCAA.
WAC TEAMS/PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Feb. 26, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in five team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in eight individual stat categories. New Mexico State holds the highest team mark as it ranks 4th nationally in rebound margin at 8.1.NMSU also ranks 14th nationally in scoring offense at 78.8 points per game. Individually, New Mexico State’s Daniel Mullings is tied for first nationally with one triple-double. NMSU’s Wendell McKines ranks sixth nationally with 16 double-doubles. Hawai‘i’s Jeremiah Ostrowski ranks eighth nationally in assists per game at 6.7.
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.
KENNETH SMITH SETS LA TECH’S SINGLE GAME ASSISTS RECORD
Freshman guard Kenneth Smith set the Louisiana Tech school record for assists in a game with 15 as the Bulldogs defeated Central Arkansas 84-42 Saturday afternoon in the Thomas Assembly Center in front of 3,977 fans that was a part of SEARS ESPN BracketBuster program. Smith’s 15th assist came at the 3:05 mark of the second half on a layup by freshman forward Stojan Gjuroski. Former Bulldog Bud Dean had held the assists record since Jan. 17, 1969 when he had 14 at Nicholls State. Smith’s 15 assists marks the most assists by a WAC player since Feb. 25, 2005 when UTEP’s Filiberto Rivera dished out 18 against Louisiana Tech. Smith’s 15 assists marks the second-best single-game assist mark in the NCAA this season.
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.
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-), 1,403 points/1,065 reb.
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.
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 three-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.
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 fifth-best performance nationally this year.
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (13-17, 3-9 WAC)
Fresno State went 1-1 last week ... the Bulldogs stepped out of WAC play to defeat Seattle U 78-72 before dropping a heart-breaking triple overtime game to Nevada, 79-76 ... Kevin Olekaibe torched the nets for a school-record 43 points to help lift the Bulldogs over Seattle U ... Olekaibe went 12-of-25 from the field and made all 14 of his free throws to become the first Fresno State player to score 40 points in a game since Courtney Alexander on March 1, 2000 and tally the most points in a 40-minute game in the Bulldogs’ 90-year history ... in the loss to Nevada, Kevin Foster and Jonathan Wills chalked up double-doubles to lead four ‘Dogs in double figures and five with more than 40 minutes of action ... Foster chalked up a career-high 24 points and added 12 rebounds while Wills scored 19 points to go with 10 rebounds ... Fresno State hosts LA Tech and NM State to close out WAC regular season play.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (15-13, 6-6 WAC)
The Rainbow Warriors went 0-2 on the road last week ... the team dropped a 115-73 decision at New Mexico State before taking an 84-67 setback at Louisiana Tech ... UH entered the NMSU game with a chance to move up into a tie for second place in the WAC standings, but instead suffered its second-worst loss ever in league play ... the 42-point loss is only eclipsed by a 44-point loss at Utah State in 2010, while the 115 points were the most UH surrendered since a 126 output by TCU in 1998 ... Joston Thomas led UH with 13 points before fouling out with 11:50 left in the game ... in the loss at LA Tech, Vander Joaquim posted his 11th double-double of the season to lead UH with 20 points and 10 rebounds ... Zane Johnson added 11 points, while Jeremiah Ostrowski recorded six points, 10 assists and seven rebounds ... UH closes our regular season play at home against Idaho and Utah State this week.
Idaho Vandals (16-12, 7-5 WAC)
Idaho went 0-1 last week with a 67-50 loss at Utah State ... Idaho held a 15-point first-half lead and a seven-point halftime edge, but had no answers for Utah State in the second half ... with Idaho holding a 29-14 lead at the 4:19 mark of the first half, the Vandals let the Aggies slip back into the game with an 8-0 run to end the half and send it into the break at 29-22 in Idaho’s favor ... that momentum carried over into the next period with a 12-3 USU run over the first four minutes and the Vandals never recovered ... Deremy Geiger led Idaho with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, along with four assists and four rebounds, but he was the only Vandal in double figures ... junior Kyle Barone had just six points and seven rebounds on 2-of-9 shooting, while sophomore Stephen Madison added eight points and six rebounds ... Idaho travels to play Hawai‘i and San Jose State this week.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (15-14, 5-7 WAC)
Louisiana Tech went 2-0 last week with wins at home over San Jose State (75-49) and Hawai‘i (84-67) ... senior forward Romario Souza scored a career-high 19 points, 13 in the first half, as Louisiana Tech defeated San Jose State ... Souza went 8-for-11 from the field with his made field goal total setting a new career-high for him ... Raheem Appleby and Trevor Gaskins also reached double-figures in points with 17 and 15, respectively ... Gaskins scored a game-high 22 points, dished out a career-high eight assists and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Louisiana Techto the win over Hawai‘i Saturday afternoon on senior day ... Gaskins rebounding total equaled his career-best while his points tied a season-high he set in the second game of the season at UT-Arlington ... this week, LA Tech travels to play at Fresno State and Nevada.
Nevada Wolf Pack (23-5, 11-1 WAC)
Nevada went 1-0 last week with a 79-76 triple overtime road win at Fresno State ... Olek Czyz scored 25 points and Dario Hunt added 20 points and 15 rebounds as Nevada outlasted Fresno State ... Czyz’s putback with 55.3 seconds remaining in the third overtime and Deonte Burton’s free throws with 21.4 seconds left helped Nevada clinch a share of the conference regular-season title ... the Bulldogs inbounded the ball with 1.5 seconds left but couldn’t get off a shot before the final buzzer ended the 55-minute contest ... the game featured 19 ties and 32 lead changes ... Nevada closes out regular season play this week at home ... the Wolf Pack host New Mexico State on Thursday in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN2 ... the team then hosts Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
New Mexico State Aggies (22-8, 9-3 WAC)
New Mexico State went 2-0 at home last week ... the Aggies defeated Hawai‘i 115-73 on Thursday before downing San Jose State 79-68 on Saturday ... in the win over UH, freshman guard Daniel Mullings recorded the New Mexico State’s first triple-double in school history in over 20 years ... Mullings had a career-high night with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, which is the first triple-double since 1990 when William Benjamin achieved the feat ... NM State had six players in double-digits with Wendell McKines adding 20 points and eight rebounds ... versus SJSU, Hamidu Rahman tied a career-high with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year ... McKines recorded his 16th double-double of the season and 43rd of his career with 20 points and 15 rebounds ... NMSU travels to Nevada (ESPN2) and Fresno State this week.
San Jose Spartans (9-19, 1-11 WAC)
San Jose State went 0-2 on the road last week ... the Spartans dropped a 75-49 decision at Louisiana Tech before falling 79-68 at New Mexico State ... at LA Tech, Wil Carter was the only double-figure scorer for San Jose State with 17 points ... Stephon Smith was 4-of-5 from inside for 8 points ... outside of the Spartans’ two frontcourt starters, the rest of the team was 8-of-35 from the field ... at New Mexico State, Wil Carter was the recipient of some nifty drop-off passes and led the Spartans with 19 points and 10 rebounds ... Keith Shamburger with 11 and James Kinney with 10 were San Jose State other two double-figure scorers ... San Jose State hosts Utah State on Thursday before welcoming Idaho on Saturday in the team’s final two regular season games of the season.
Utah State Aggies (15-14, 6-6 WAC)
Sophomore guard Preston Medlin scored a career-high 32 points, including an amazing 27 during the second-half alone, in single-handedly leading Utah State to a come-from-behind 67-50 win against Idaho inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Friday night as USU recognized its three seniors in forwards Morgan Grim and Brady Jardine, along with guard Brockeith Pane ... in all, Utah State finished the game on a 53-21 run during the final 23 minutes as it out-scored Idaho 45-21 in the second-half and wrapped up the first half with an 8-0 run after trailing 29-14 ... Medlin, who finished the night shooting 11-of-13 from the field, 6-of-8 from three-point range and 4-for-5 at the free throw line, single-handedly out-scored Idaho in the second-half as the Vandals had just 21 points after scoring 29 in the first-half ... USU travels to play San Jose State and Hawai‘i this week to wrap up regular season play.