No. 24 CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (22-10, 13-5 MVC)
vs. No. 15/13 NEVADA WOLF PACK (28-4, 14-2 WAC)
NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND - GAME NO. 33
Fri., March 16, 2007 - Approx. 2 p.m. CT (12 p.m. PT) - New Orleans Arena (18,000) - New Orleans, La.
Game will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Memphis-North Texas game (11:30 a.m. CT)
TELEVISION: CBS (Verne Lundquist, play-by-play, & Bill Raftery, color)
RADIO: Wolf Pack Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno)
Dan Gustin (play-by-play) & Don Marchand (color)
Pregame, 1:20 p.m. CT (11:20 a.m. PT)
SERIES HISTORY: The series between the two teams is tied 3-3.
LAST MEETING: Nevada has won the last three games between the two teams, most recently turning in a 61-58 victory on Dec. 19, 1995 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Tied for the school record for wins in a single season, the No. 15/13 Nevada Wolf Pack (28-4) has earned its fourth consecutive invitation to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and will travel to New Orleans, La., to take on No. 24 Creighton (22-10) in the first round on Friday, March 16. The Wolf Pack was awarded the No. 7 seed in the South (San Antonio) Regional and will face the 10th-seeded Bluejays at the New Orleans Arena. Creighton earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship. The Wolf Pack’s first-round match-up with the Bluejays will tip off at approximately 2 p.m. Central Time (12 p.m. Pacific), 30 minutes following the conclusion of the 11:30 a.m. contest between second-seeded and fifth-ranked Memphis (30-3) and No. 15 seed North Texas (23-10), and will be televised regionally by CBS. The winner of the Nevada-Creighton game will take on the winner of the Memphis-North Texas contest in the second round on Sunday, March 18 at either 1:15 or 3:45 p.m. CT. This season, Nevada clinched sole possession of the 2007 WAC regular-season title, marking the fourth consecutive year that the team earned at least a share of the conference crown and the third straight season the team won the WAC title outright. The team has earned the program’s second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and its sixth all-time NCAA invitation. Ranked 15th in this week’s Associated Press poll and 13th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll, Nevada has the fifth-best winning percentage in the country with its 28-4 overall record (.875). The Wolf Pack has notched four consecutive seasons with at least 25 victories and holds a 105-26 record in the last four seasons (.802). Nevada has also turned in a 13-3 record away from home this year, including a 3-1 record in neutral-site contests.
EXPOSURE
CBS will televise the Nevada-Creighton game to a regional audience with Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (color analyst) calling the action. Fans outside the Reno or Omaha, Neb., areas who want to guarantee they see the game in its entirety can purchase the Mega March Madness package from DirecTV.
Fans worldwide can also sign up for NCAA March Madness on Demand, which will include free live video webcasting of the 2007 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, including up to 56 games, press conferences and live stats. For more information about the package, log onto www.ncaasports.com/mmod. Live stats for all NCAA Tournament games is also available at www.ncaasports.com.
NEVADA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
This season marks Nevada’s sixth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its fourth consecutive trip to the "Big Dance." Nevada holds a 3-5 overall record in NCAA Tournament games and has earned an at-large invitation for the second time in history. The Wolf Pack has earned its conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 1984, 1985, 2004 and 2006 and has been an at-large selection in 2005 and 2007. The Wolf Pack’s No. 7 seed this season is the second-highest seed in school history. In 2006, the team earned a No. 5 seed in the Minneapolis Regional, the highest in school history. Nevada was a No. 9 seed in the Chicago Regional in 2005 and had never been higher than a No. 10 seed in its three previous appearances (11 in 1984, 14 in 1985 and 10 in 2004).
Last season, the Wolf Pack fell to Montana in the NCAA first round, while in 2005, Nevada advanced to the NCAA second round, defeating Texas before falling to eventual national runner-up Illinois in Indianapolis, Ind. In 2004, Nevada made the school's first trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, knocking off Michigan State and Gonzaga in the first and second rounds in Seattle, Wash., before falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Georgia Tech in the regional semifinals in St. Louis, Mo.
WOLF PACK STUDENT-ATHLETES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Five Wolf Pack student-athletes have played in the NCAA Tournament prior to this season, while eight others on the roster could see their first NCAA Tournament action in this year’s event. Senior Nick Fazekas will play in his fourth NCAA Tournament this year, while senior Kyle Shiloh (2005, 06) and juniors Marcelus Kemp (04, 06) and Ramon Sessions (05, 06) will be making their third appearances. Shiloh was on the team in 2004 but did not see any postseason action, while Kemp missed the 2005 season with a knee injury. Sophomore Lyndale Burleson appeared in the Montana game last year, while senior Denis Ikovlev and juniors David Ellis and Curry Lynch were on the team but did not play last season. Nevada’s five freshmen - Brandon Fields, Tyrone Hanson, Matt LaGrone, JaVale McGee and Richie Phillips - could also make their first NCAA Tournament appearances this season.
WAC CHAMPIONS
With a 14-2 mark in conference action this season, Nevada captured sole possession of the 2007 Western Athletic Conference regular-season championship, besting second-place New Mexico State by three games. That marked the third straight season that Nevada has won the title outright and the fourth consecutive year that the team has won a share of the regular-season conference crown. Nevada turned in a 13-3 mark to win the title last season, while the Wolf Pack won the regular-season crown with a WAC-record 16-2 conference mark in 2004-05. In 2003-04, Nevada tied for first with UTEP with a 13-5 record in WAC play.
ALL-WAC SELECTIONS
Senior forward Nick Fazekas has been named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. Fazekas becomes just the second player in conference history to win the award three times joining Utah’s Keith Van Horn (1995-97), while it marks the fourth year in a row that Nevada can claim the WAC Player of the Year as Kirk Snyder won the award in 2003-04. Third-year Wolf Pack head coach Mark Fox was named the 2007 Don Haskins Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year, becoming the first coach in WAC history to earn the award three straight years.
In addition to Fazekas who was also a first-team All-WAC pick, Nevada had three other players earn recognition from the league’s coaches this year. Junior guard Marcelus Kemp was named a first-team All-WAC selection, while junior guard Ramon Sessions earned second-team accolades. Senior guard Kyle Shiloh also earned a spot on the WAC All-Defensive team for the first time in his outstanding career. Kemp was also named to the 2007 WAC All-Tournament Team.
NEVADA TIES SCHOOL RECORD FOR SINGLE-SEASON WINS
With its 88-56 victory over Idaho in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament on March 8, Nevada tied the school record for wins in a single season with 28. The 1945-46 Wolf Pack squad also won 28 games, going 28-5 that season under the direction of legendary coach Jake Lawlor. The Wolf Pack is now 28-4 on the year, which is tied for the fifth-best record in the nation. Nevada has now notched four consecutive seasons with at least 25 wins (25-9 in 2003-04, 25-7 in 2004-05, 27-6 in 2005-06 and 28-4 this season) and has turned in a 105-26 record since the beginning of the 2003-04 season (.802 winning percentage).
With its victory at Louisiana Tech on Jan. 31, the Wolf Pack also reached 20 wins faster than any team in school history, needing just 22 games to achieve the milestone (the ninth 20-win season in school history), while the Feb. 13 victory over San Jose State marked its 100th victory in the last four seasons. Lawlor’s 1945-46 squad won its 20th contest 24 games into the season en route to its school-record 28 wins (28-5 overall record that year). Last season, the Wolf Pack earned its 20th victory 25 games into the year in its BracketBusters win over Akron on Feb. 17, while the 2004-05 squad also took 25 contests to reach the 20-win milestone. Head coach Mark Fox is the first coach in school history to lead more than one team to at least 20 wins, doing so in each of his first three seasons.
IN THE RANKINGS
Nevada has been featured in the national top 25 all season and checks in at 15th in the March 12 Associated Press poll and 13th in the March 11 ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll. That marks a drop of five spots in the AP poll and three in the coaches’ rankings from last week. Nevada had climbed as high as 10th in the previous two AP polls and ninth in the coaches’ poll for two weeks, the highest rankings in school history. Prior to this year, Nevada had climbed as high as 17th in the Dec. 5, 2005 AP poll last season. Friday’s NCAA Tournament opponent, Creighton, is ranked 24th in the coaches’ poll and is just out of the top 25 in the AP poll (26th with 104 points).
The Wolf Pack appeared at 24th in the preseason Associated Press poll, released on Nov. 6, and checked in at 25th in the first ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll, released on Oct. 27. That marks the second consecutive season Nevada has been ranked in the preseason by both of the major polls after checking in at 22nd (AP) and 25th (coaches) prior to the 2005-06 season.
The Wolf Pack spent 11 weeks ranked in one of the two major national polls in 2005-06, climbing as high as 17th in the AP poll on Dec. 5 and as high as 21st in the coaches’ rankings four times during the year. The team ended up ranked 20th in the final Associated Press poll of the year.
ABOUT THE CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS
No. 24 Creighton has turned in a 22-10 overall record this season and finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 13-5 league mark. The Bluejays earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament last weekend in St. Louis, Mo., upsetting 11th-ranked Southern Illinois 67-61 in the championship game on March 4. Under the direction of 13th-year head coach Dana Altman (260-140 record at Creighton), the Bluejays have won their last four games, ending the regular season with a win over Wichita State and turning in victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois in MVC Tournament. Creighton has appeared in seven of the last nine NCAA Tournaments (including this year) and has earned a postseason invitation in each of the last 10 years.
All-MVC honoree and tournament MVP Nate Funk (6-3, 195) is leading four Bluejays in double figures for scoring with 17.6 points per game. The senior guard, who was the runner-up for MVC Player of the Year, has made a team-high 54 three-pointers and is leading Creighton with 3.0 assists per contest. Senior center and All-MVC selection Anthony Tolliver (6-9, 245) is the club’s top rebounder, pulling down 6.7 boards per contest.
IN THE SERIES
The all-time series between Nevada and Creighton is tied 3-3. The Wolf Pack has won the last three contests between the two teams, most recently turning in a 61-58 victory over the Bluejays on Dec. 19, 1995 at the Hawai’i Nike Festival in Honolulu. The Wolf Pack holds a 5-12 all-time record against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, including a 79-64 victory over Northern Iowa in this year’s O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters on Feb. 17 in Reno.
CREIGHTON CONNECTIONS
Nevada head coach Mark Fox and Creighton head coach Dana Altman have been friends for over two decades. Both played college basketball at Eastern New Mexico with Altman graduating in 1980 and Fox in 1991. Altman was an assistant coach at Kansas State from 1986-89 and the Wildcats’ head coach from 1990-94 before leaving for Creighton after the 1993-94 season. Fox spent six seasons at Kansas State (1994-2000), joining the coaching staff of Tom Asbury who took over for Altman in Manhattan, Kan.
First-year Nevada assistant coach Doug Novsek is also more than a little familiar with the Bluejays of Creighton. He has matched up against Creighton 30 times in his career as a player and assistant coach. He went 3-5 against the Bluejays as a player at Southern Illinois (1983-87) and also coached vs. Creighton while at Indiana State (1989-94), Illinois State (1999-2002) and Nebraska (2002-06). Novsek joined the Wolf Pack coaching staff this summer after spending the previous four years at Nebraska.
NEVADA AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD
Nevada played four games against three teams which have earned NCAA Tournament bids this season (UNLV, Gonzaga, New Mexico State). The Wolf Pack owns a 2-2 record against those teams, including a win over Gonzaga, a loss to UNLV and a split with WAC opponent New Mexico State.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Creighton and Nevada have played four common opponents this year with the Wolf Pack turning in a 6-0 record against those teams and the Bluejays going 3-2.
FABULOUS FAZEKAS
The 2005, 2006 and 2007 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, senior forward Nick Fazekas will finish his career as the most decorated player in school history. He is the second player in league history to be named the WAC Player of the Year three times in his career (Utah's Keith Van Horn is the other). He has been named a first-team All-American by ESPN.com, SI.com and the United States Basketball Writers Association and is a second-team National Association of Basketball Association All-American. Fazekas was named a 2007 Wooden Award Midseason All-American and is under consideration for that prestigious National Player of the Year award. He is also one of 10 finalists for the 2007 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to an NCAA Division I male senior basketball player who excels both on and off the court, a finalist for the 2007 Naismith Trophy, a NABC District 13 first-team selection and the USBWA District 8 Player of the Year.
Fazekas has moved into the top five in nearly every Nevada career statistical category. The honorable-mention 2006-07 preseason Associated Press All-American scored 20 points in a Nov. 18 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff to become Nevada’s all-time leading scorer. He broke Edgar Jones’ 27-year-old record (1,877 points, 1975-79) and now has 2,427 career points, which ranks third on the WAC’s career scoring lists. Fazekas has already set Nevada's career record for blocked shots with 185, overtaking Jones who had 142 in his career. He has moved into first on the career list for field goals made with 889 and has also set the school record for free throws made with 534. With his five rebounds Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s, he moved past Jones for second on the Nevada career rebounding list, while his 1,236 rebounds are also second in the WAC career annals.
Fazekas has turned in double-doubles in a nation-best 20 of his 30 games this season and has scored in double figures in 60 consecutive games, dating back to last season. That marks the fourth-longest double-figures streak in the country. He has also had 67 career games with at least 20 points, the most among active players in the nation, including 19 this season. Fazekas scored a season-high 33 points to go along with 15 rebounds Feb. 8 at Fresno State, had 21 points and 14 rebounds Feb. 22 at Idaho, added 28 points and eight rebounds Feb. 24 at Boise State and had 20 points and 10 rebounds March 1 at Utah State and again March 8 vs. the Aggies. He had 24 points and a career high-tying 18 rebounds Jan. 27 vs. Utah State and 21 points and 10 rebounds Feb. 3 vs. Hawai’i. He scored 29 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes in the season opener against Alaska-Anchorage and then 19 points and matched his career best with 18 rebounds Nov. 15 at Oregon State. He pulled down 17 rebounds to go along with his 20 points in just 21 minutes vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, added 29 points and 14 rebounds Nov. 21 vs. UC Irvine and had 28 points and 15 rebounds Nov. 25 at Santa Clara. Fazekas also turned in a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds despite fouling out with 5:15 to play on Dec. 30 vs. Gonzaga.
Fazekas joins Texas’ Kevin Durant (25.6 ppg, 11.3 rpg) as the only of two players in the country to currently be averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. He is second in the WAC in scoring at 20.5 points per game, behind Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll (21.3 ppg). After leading the nation for the first seven weeks of the season, Fazekas is now first in the WAC and fifth in the NCAA in rebounding (11.2 boards per game) and has the WAC’s second-best field goal percentage (58.1 percent, 236-406). In addition, Fazekas also ranks 20th in the nation in scoring, 26th in field goal percentage and 48th in free throw percentage.
Fazekas suffered a severe ankle sprain Jan. 8 vs. Boise State and missed the first two games of his career at San Jose State Jan. 11 and Hawai’i Jan. 13. He returned to action Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State, turning in 20 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes while playing with a brace on the sore ankle and added 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting Jan. 20 at New Mexico State. Prior to the SJSU game, he had played in all 114 previous games in his four years at Nevada and had started 102 career games, including 86 consecutive contests. The senior has now played in 129 career games with 117 starts.
Fazekas turned in one of the finest seasons in school history in 2005-06. A third-team 2006 AP All-America selection, he led the WAC and ranked 16th in the nation in scoring with 21.8 points per game after pacing the conference with 20.7 points per game in 2004-05. With 721 points on the year, he also broke the school single-season scoring record, passing Ken Green’s 697 points in 1982-83. Fazekas finished first on the squad, second in the conference and 15th in the NCAA in rebounding with 10.4 boards per contest. He was one of 21 players in NCAA Division I basketball to average a double-double last year. He knocked down 52.9 percent of his field goal attempts (268-507), which was good for fourth in the WAC, and finished second in the league and 41st in the nation in free throw shooting at 84.6 percent (154-182). Fazekas added a team-best 49 blocked shots (third in the WAC at 1.48 per game).
FAZEKAS JOINS SOME ELITE COMPANY
With 19 points Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s, Wolf Pack career-leading scorer Nick Fazekas has become the first player in school history and just the 12th player in the history of the Western Athletic Conference to score 2,000 points. His 17 rebounds Dec. 9 vs. UNLV made the senior forward the third player in school history and the 12th WAC student-athlete to reach the 1,000-rebound plateau. Fazekas is just the fifth player in the history of the conference to turn in both 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, joining Utah’s Keith Van Horn, Arizona’s Bob Elliott, Rice’s Michael Harris and Utah’s Josh Grant on that prestigious list.
According to research done by Jon Teitel of collegehoopsnet.com, Fazekas has a chance to become just the sixth player all time to score 2,000 points, pull down 1,000 rebounds and shoot 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line. Accomplishing that feat will put Fazekas in some very elite company, which includes Rick Barry, Larry Bird, Bill Bradley, Christian Laettner and Keith Van Horn.
HUMAN DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Dubbed the “human double-double machine” by CBS Sportsline, senior Nick Fazekas has turned in 20 double-doubles in 30 games this season and 61 in his career. His 20 double-doubles this season are tied with Texas freshman Kevin Durant for the national lead.
2006-07 NATIONAL DOUBLE-DOUBLES LEADERS (through March 11)
Nick Fazekas, Nevada 20
Kevin Durant, Texas 20
Rashad Jones-Jennings, Arkansas-Little Rock 18
Obie Nwadike, Central Connecticut State 18
Jason Smith, Colorado State 18
Ruben Boykin, Jr., Northern Arizona 17
Jason Thompson, Rider 17
Clif Brown, Niagara 16
Ryvon Covile, Detroit 16
Chris Holm, Vermont 16
WINNINGEST PLAYERS
With Nevada’s Dec. 16 win over Pacific, seniors Nick Fazekas and Kyle Shiloh became the winningest players in school history, passing Kevinn Pinkney (2002-05) for the distinction. The pair now has 105 career victories to their credit. Since starting their Wolf Pack careers in 2003-04, Fazekas and Shiloh have played on teams that have amassed a 105-26 mark, including the 25-7 NCAA squad in 2004-05 and a 27-6 NCAA team last season. Pinkney was a member of four squads that turned in an 85-43 record, including an NCAA Sweet Sixteen season in 2003-04 (25-9 record).
FOX AMONG NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Third-year Wolf Pack head coach Mark Fox has been named one of 15 finalists for the 2007 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and is the 2007 National Association of Basketball Coaches District 13 Coach of the Year.
He notched the 80th victory of his career with Nevada’s March 8 WAC Tournament win over Idaho and has turned in an 80-17 record in three seasons at the helm of the Nevada men’s basketball program (.825). He has led the Wolf Pack to three consecutive WAC regular-season titles and NCAA Tournament appearances in his first three season. Last year, Fox became the first coach in school history to lead his squad to back-to-back 20-win seasons (and now a third straight). He is also the first coach in WAC history to be named the Don Haskins Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons (2005, 2006 and 2007).
The Jim Phelan Award is given annually to the nation’s top coach, as voted on by the 20-member panel. The winner will be presented with the award at the Final Four in Atlanta. Previous winners are Howland (2006), Tubby Smith (Kentucky, 2005), Phil Martelli (St. Joseph’s, 2004) and Mark Slonaker (Mercer, 2003).
The NABC selected 15 district coaches of the year and will present its national coach-of-the-year award at the coaches’ convention at the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Wolf Pack holds a 13-3 record away from home this year, including a 3-1 record in neutral-site games and a 10-2 road mark. Nevada won four of its last five regular-season road contests and 16 of its last 18. Including neutral-site games, Nevada has now won 19 of its last 22 games away from the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada had an 11-game regular-season road winning streak snapped with its Jan. 20 loss at New Mexico State. Included in that 11-game streak were seven straight WAC road victories, including a 72-63 victory at San Jose State on Jan. 11 and a 68-66 overtime win at Hawai’i on Jan. 13. The team downed Oregon State 75-47 on Nov. 15 in Corvallis, Ore., edged Santa Clara 78-70 on Nov. 25, snapping an eight-game losing streak in the Broncos’ home gym, beat Louisiana-Lafayette 86-74 Nov. 29 in the Cajundome. The Wolf Pack also snapped Akron’s 21-game home winning streak, then the fourth-longest streak in the nation, with a 73-71 victory on Dec. 22 in Akron, Ohio. Nevada also won both of its first neutral-site games this season, downing California 77-71 on Dec. 3 in the Pete Newell Challenge and Gonzaga 82-74 on Dec. 30 in Seattle.
The Wolf Pack has tallied a 31-7 record in road contests in the last three seasons (81.6 percent since the start of the 2004-05 season), including a 10-3 record on the road last season (6-2 WAC mark). The Dec. 3 contest against Cal in the Pete Newell Challenge ended a stretch of four of seven games away from Lawlor Events Center to start the year. That stretch included road games at Oregon State, Santa Clara and Louisiana-Lafayette and the neutral-site contest vs. California.
Last year, Nevada opened the year with five of its first six games away from the friendly confines of the Lawlor Events Center (four road wins and a loss on a neutral floor vs. NCAA runner-up UCLA) and saw streaks of 14 straight road wins and 10 consecutive WAC road victories, which dated back to the 2004-05 season, come to an end.
WOLF PACK SHOOTING THE BALL WELL
Nevada ranks among the national and WAC leaders in field goal, free throw and three-point percentage. The Wolf Pack leads the league and ranks sixth in the NCAA in three-point percentage (41.4 percent, 241-582). Nevada also ranks first in the WAC and 16th in the country in field goal percentage (48.9 percent) as well as second in the WAC and 16th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (75.0 percent). Last year, Nevada shot 45.6 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from three-point land and made 71.4 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe.
Nevada has shot 50 percent or better in 18 of its 32 games and has made at least seven three-pointers in all but nine games this year. The Wolf Pack knocked down a season-high 12 treys Jan. 11 at San Jose State, making 63.2 percent of its attempts (12-19). The team has made 11 treys in four other games this year: Nov. 21 vs. UC Irvine (11-19), Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State (11-25), Feb. 24 at Boise State (11-22) and March 1 at Utah State (11-24). Nevada also turned in a season-best 71.4 effort from beyond the arc Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s (10-14).
The Wolf Pack turned in a season-high 62.0 percent effort from the field Feb. 22 at Idaho. Nevada made 31-of-50 attempts in the game vs. the Vandals, including a 66.7 percent effort in the first half (20-30). That bested 59.6 percent shooting effort Nevada turned in on Dec. 28 vs. Maine (34-57), including an impressive 64.0 percent showing in the second half (16-25). Nevada shot 56.9 from the field (66-116) and 50.0 percent from three-point land (17-34) in its victories at Idaho on Feb. 22 and Boise State on Feb. 24. The team shot a season-high 62.0 percent from the field at Idaho and made 53.0 percent at Boise State.
NOTES FROM BEYOND THE ARC
The WAC’s top three-point shooting team this year at 41.4 percent (sixth in the nation), Nevada has already shattered the school single-season record for three-pointers made. The Wolf Pack now has made 241 three-pointers this year, breaking the school-record 214 made by the 1996-97 Wolf Pack squad.
In addition to leading the team and ranking third in the WAC in three-pointers made, junior Marcelus Kemp is second on the Nevada single-season charts with 80 three-pointers made.
KEMP ON A ROLL
Marcelus Kemp is a great shooter who can get on a roll, and that is just what the junior guard has done this season. Kemp has made 41.5 percent of his three-point attempts this season (80-193), good for third in the WAC statistics and 43rd in the NCAA, and is also third in the league in three-point field goals made (2.50). He has tied his career best with five three-pointers made in five games this season: in the Nov. 10 season opener vs. Alaska-Anchorage, Nov. 15 at Oregon State, Jan. 11 at San Jose State and in the last two games against Utah State (March 1 and 9). He also added four on Jan. 18 vs. Fresno State, draining 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc, and made 4-of-7 Feb. 3 vs. Hawai’i.
Kemp ranks second on the team, third in the WAC and 55th in the NCAA in scoring at 18.3 points per game. Kemp also ranks eighth in the WAC in field goal percentage at 46.3 percent. Kemp has led the team in scoring 17 times this year, including 11 of the last 19 games. He has turned in 15 games with 20 or more points, most recently leading the team with 25 points March 1 at Utah State, scoring a game-high 32 points March 3 vs. New Mexico State and adding 24 in the WAC Tournament semifinals against Utah State. He scored a season-best 33 points Jan. 11 at San Jose State, which was just one point shy of his career-high 34 vs. Montana in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, turned in 29 points, including 5-of-6 three-pointers, Nov. 15 at Oregon State and added 27 points Jan. 8 vs. Boise State.
With his 14 points Jan. 20 at New Mexico State, Kemp became the 18th player in school history to join the 1,000-point club and now has 1,235 career points, which ranks 12th on the all-time Nevada scoring lists.
Last year, Kemp was second on the team and 11th in the WAC with 15.0 points per contest. He led the team with 52 treys made and shot 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.
SCHOOL IS IN SESSIONS
After averaging 4.7 points per game last season, junior Ramon Sessions is turning in an average of 12.5 points per contest this year, which ranks 14th in the WAC. He has led the team in scoring in four games this year, including 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting Jan. 25 vs. La Tech and a career high-tying 23 points Jan. 20 at New Mexico State.
Sessions has turned in five 20-point games this season and a total of six in his career. He scored all 20 of his points in the second half in the Dec. 30 win over Gonzaga, turned in 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting Dec. 22 at Akron, had 21 in the Jan. 8 win over Boise State and turned in a team-high 19 Jan. 13 at Hawai’i.
Sessions, who is also leading the team in assists for the third consecutive season, is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point land (18-47) this season after turning in a 35.9 percent effort from the field and not making any treys one year ago (0-3).
DISHING IT OUT
The Wolf Pack ranks second in the WAC and 18th in the NCAA in assists so far this season and has two players ranked in the top 10 in the league in the category. Nevada is averaging 16.78 assists per game and turned in a season-best 28 assists Dec. 28 against Maine.
With 151 assists so far this year, junior Ramon Sessions is ranked second in the WAC with 4.72 assists per game. Sessions turned in a season-high nine assists in the March 9 WAC Tournament loss to Utah State. He has eight assists in the Dec. 16 win over Pacific and matched that Feb. 8 at Fresno State. Sessions has also dished out at least five assists in 14 other contests this year. Senior Kyle Shiloh is second on the team and seventh in the league at 3.35 assists per game, while junior Marcelus Kemp is third on the team with 2.31 assists per contest, including six Feb. 14 vs. San Jose State and Feb. 17 vs. Northern Iowa. Shiloh has turned in a season high six assists three times this year, including six assists with no turnovers Jan. 27 vs. Utah State and six March 8 vs. Idaho.
One of 17 national finalists for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, Sessions has moved into second place in the Nevada career record books with 470 assists in just 95 career games (4.95 assists per game). Sessions has led the team in assists in each of his seasons at Nevada, setting both the school’s freshman (166) and sophomore (153) marks for assists. Last year, he ranked second in the WAC with 4.9 assists per game.
Shiloh and Sessions are also ranked in the top five in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Shiloh is third in the WAC at 2.00 (104 assists-52turnovers) and Sessions is fourth (1.91, 151-79), while sophomore Lyndale Burleson would be leading the WAC at 2.41 (70-29) but falls short of the league minimum of 3.00 assists per game. As a team, Nevada has the league’s best 1.28 assist-to-turnover ratio.
TOUGH DEFENSE
So far this season, Nevada is holding its opponents to 67.1 points and 31.5 rebounds per game, including a season-low 45 points by Oregon State on Nov. 15 and 23 rebounds by La Tech on Jan. 25. That marked the fewest points since the Wolf Pack held Idaho to just 44 in a 70-44 victory on Jan. 12, 2006, while Nevada has won 47 of its last 49 games when holding its opponent to 60 points or less, including a 13-1 record last season and a 6-1 mark this year (most recently an 88-56 win over Idaho on March 8).
Nevada ranks fourth in the league in scoring defense and second in rebounding defense this year. The squad is also allowing teams to shoot just 40.8 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from three-point land, marks which rank third and second in the WAC, respectively. Nevada is also ranked 43rd in the nation in field goal percentage defense. Oregon State made just 29.0 percent of its attempts and 14.3 percent of its three-point attempts on Nov. 15, while Santa Clara knocked down just 14.3 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc on Nov. 25 (2-14).
The Wolf Pack led the WAC in field goal percentage defense and three-point field goal percentage defense, ranked second in scoring defense and ended up third in rebounding defense in 2005-06. Nevada held teams to just 63.7 points per game, including a season-low 44 Jan. 12 by Idaho, and 34.1 rebounds per contest. The Wolf Pack allowed teams to shoot just 30.4 percent from beyond the arc and 40.1 percent from the field (28th in the nation). Nevada held 20 of its 33 opponents under 40 percent from the field in 2005-06, including a season-low 29.6 percent Jan. 12 by Idaho.
NEWS AND NOTES
- The Wolf Pack and third-year head coach Mark Fox have turned in a combined 31-5 record over the final two months of the season (February and March) in the last three years, including a 21-0 mark in the month of February.
- Over the last five seasons, Nevada has turned in a 124-40 overall mark (.756), which is the most wins and is the best winning percentage of any WAC team during that time (just ahead of Utah State’s 115-39 record, .747). In conference games, the Wolf Pack has won 66 games, which is the most among league schools in that same time period. The next closest team is Fresno State, which has won 50 league contests.
- The team holds a 23-3 record when outrebounding its opponents this season and is outboarding its opponents by a WAC-best 6.7 rebounds per game this year. Led by the nation’s No. 5 rebounder, senior Nick Fazekas (11.2 rpg), Nevada ranks in the top five in the WAC in all five rebounding categories this season: offense (3rd-38.2 rpg), defense (2nd-31.5), margin (1st-6.7), offensive (5th-11.69) and defensive rebounds (3rd-26.50). Nevada also ranks 14th in the NCAA in rebounding margin.
- The Wolf Pack has been outrebounded just five times this year (twice by Hawai’i and New Mexico State and by Northern Iowa) and has won four of those five contests. The Wolf Pack pulled down a season-high 56 rebounds Feb. 8 at Fresno State and outrebounded the Bulldogs by 29 boards (56-27). That marked the team's second-highest rebounding margin of the year with the Wolf Pack only outrebounding Oregon State by more (54-24) on Nov. 15.
- The Wolf Pack has turned in a 14-4 record in games decided by 10 points or less this year, including a 5-2 mark in tilts decided by five points or less.
- The Wolf Pack is outscoring its opponents by a WAC-best 10.8 points per game this year (18th in the country in scoring margin). The team also ranks second in the WAC and 27th in the nation in scoring with an average of 77.9 points per game. The team scored a season-high 95 points Feb. 24 at Boise State, besting the previous high of 90 points, also against the Broncos on Jan. 8 in Reno. Nevada’s 88-56 win over Idaho in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals marked its largest margin of victory this season (32 points).
- Nevada has made all of its free throw attempts in two games this year: March 1 at Utah State (8-8) and Feb. 22 at Idaho (16-16). The eight free throw attempts vs. Utah State tied a season low for the Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack has shot 80.2 percent from the free throw line in its last 10 games (167-208). As a team, Nevada ranks second in the WAC and 16th in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 75.0 percent. The team also shot 95.2 percent from the line Feb. 3 vs. Hawai’i (20-21).
- Senior Nick Fazekas ranks second in the WAC and 48th in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 84.7 percent (116-137), including 7-of-7 efforts vs. Northern Iowa and at Idaho. Junior Ramon Sessions is fifth in the WAC in the category, knocking down 83.0 percent of his attempts this season (117-141), including a career-high 13-of-16 Jan. 8 vs. Boise State, while junior Marcelus Kemp checks in at seventh at 79.3 percent (96-121), including a 12-of-13 effort March 1 vs. NMSU. Sessions shot just 56.8 percent from the free throw line last year (25-44).
- While he had already set the Wolf Pack men’s basketball career scoring record in November, senior Nick Fazekas has now scored the most points by any Nevada basketball player - men’s or women’s. He broke Wolf Pack women’s basketball player Chris Starr’s school-record mark of 2,356 points (1982-86) with his first basket March 1 at Utah State and now has 2,427 career points.
- Nevada got a season-high 42 points from its bench in the March 8 WAC Tournament victory over Idaho vs. the Vandals. Junior David Ellis turned in a career-high 11 points from Ellis, freshman Matt LaGrone set a career best with seven points and freshman JaVale McGee matched his career high with eight. Sophomore Lyndale Burleson and freshman Brandon Fields each added seven points in the victory. This season, the Wolf Pack bench, which includes five freshmen, is turning in an average of 11.8 points per game (379 points), led by McGee at 3.4 per game.
- With its overtime loss at Utah State on March 1, Nevada has turned in a 2-7 record in its last nine overtime games and is 1-1 this year. The Jan. 13 victory over Hawai’i also marked the second straight year that Nevada had gone to overtime in Honolulu. Last year, the Wolf Pack turned in a 1-1 record in overtime games. Its win over Utah State in the championship game of the 2006 WAC Tournament snapped a string of six overtime losses dating back to the 2001-02 season.
- All five of Nevada's starters scored in double figures Feb. 24 at Boise State for the first time this season. The Wolf Pack had seen four starters score in double figures in 10 other games this year prior to Boise State.
- Senior Kyle Shiloh has averaged 12.1 points per game in his last eight games (97 points), including a season-high 18 Feb. 8 at Fresno State, 16 Feb. 14 vs. San Jose State and Feb. 17 Northern Iowa and 12 at Idaho, at Boise State and in the WAC Tournament vs. Idaho. He also turned in the first double-double of his career at Fresno State, matching his season high with 18 points and pulling down the career-best 11 rebounds. All 16 of Shiloh’s points came in the second half vs. NIU.
- Shiloh missed his first game in three years in the WAC Tournament semifinals vs. Utah State after suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of the quarterfinals vs. Idaho. That ended a streak of 95 consecutive games played, but he will be back for the NCAA Tournament.
- Shiloh is fifth in the WAC with an average of 1.35 steals per game this year. He ranks seventh on the Wolf Pack career list with 129 career steals. Shiloh has turned in a season-best four steals five times this year (vs. Alaska-Anchorage, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Idaho, Hawai’i and most recently Jan. 20 at New Mexico State).
- Nevada trailed at the half 33-32 Feb. 17 vs. Northern Iowa, marking the second consecutive contest that the team had overcome a second-half deficit. The Wolf Pack is now 5-1 this year when trailing at halftime.
- Nevada has won its 24 of its last 26 regular-season WAC games and 28 of its last 30 games against WAC opponents, including three WAC Tournament victories last season. The team won its last 10 WAC regular-season contests last year and won 14 of 16 this year.
- Senior Denis Ikovlev scored a career-best 18 points in the Jan. 18 win over Fresno State, making six field goals and three 3-pointers. He made a career-best four three-pointers Feb. 24 at Boise State (4-of-5). Ikovlev has started all 32 games this year (his first career starts) and is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest (up from averages of 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game last year). He pulled down a career-best nine rebounds to go along with 12 points Feb. 8 at Fresno State, while he had 14 points Feb. 24 at Boise State. Ikovlev has made at least one three-pointer in 25 of 32 games this year, including 10 games with more than one. He tied his then career best with three treys on Jan. 25 vs. La Tech, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and did it again Feb. 17 vs. Northern Iowa (3-3).
- The Wolf Pack has won 42 of its last 47 contests, dating back to an 82-79 victory at Boise State on Jan. 26, 2006. The team has lost back-to-back games just five times since the start of 2003-04 season.
- Senior Nick Fazekas and freshman JaVale McGee are both ranked in the top 10 in the WAC in blocked shots. Nevada’s career leader in the category with 185, Fazekas is sixth in the WAC at 1.37 blocks per game. He tied his career best with four blocks on Dec. 12 vs. Saint Mary’s. McGee is ninth in the league at 0.94 swat per game with a career-best four Jan. 6 vs. Idaho.
- Five Nevada players made their Wolf Pack regular-season collegiate debuts in the team’s Nov. 10 season opener vs. Alaska-Anchorage, including true freshmen Brandon Fields, Tyrone Hanson, Matt LaGrone and JaVale McGee and redshirt freshman Richie Phillips.
UP NEXT
The winner of the Nevada-Creighton game will take on the winner of the Memphis-North Texas contest in the NCAA second round on Sunday, March 18 at either 1:15 or 3:45 p.m. Central Time at the New Orleans Arena.
