BOISE STATE BRONCOS (12-5, 3-2 WAC) vs. NEVADA WOLF PACK (10-6, 2-1 WAC)
GAME NO. 17
Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008 - 7:05 p.m. PT - Lawlor Events Center (11,536) - Reno, Nev.
TELEVISION: Live video streaming at www.nevadawolfpack.com (subscription basis)
RADIO: Wolf Pack Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno)
Dan Gustin (play-by-play) & Don Marchand (color analyst)
Pregame, 6:35 p.m. PT
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads the all-time series 33-18.
LAST MEETING: Nevada has won the last four meetings between the two teams, most recently turning in a 95-81 victory over Boise State on Feb. 24, 2007 in Boise, Idaho.
Coming off a 69-61 win over Idaho in the team’s WAC home opener on Thursday, the four-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion Nevada Wolf Pack (10-6, 2-1) returns to action on Saturday night, playing host to the Boise State Broncos (12-5, 3-2). Saturday’s game will tip off at 7:05 p.m. at Lawlor Events Center, where Nevada has won its last six games. The Wolf Pack also brings a 14-game winning streak in WAC regular-season home contests into Saturday night, a stretch that dates back to the 2005-06 season. Thursday’s victory over the Vandals marked Nevada’s eighth win in its last 10 games and moved head coach Mark Fox into a tie for fourth place on the Nevada career wins list with 91. Following Saturday’s game with the Broncos, Nevada will return to the road, traveling to New Mexico State on Jan. 24 and La Tech on Jan. 26.
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Mark Fox, the Wolf Pack returned one starter and a total of eight letterwinners from last year’s school-record 29-5 team, including 2007 first-team All-WAC selection Marcelus Kemp. This year’s team also features four new faces (one redshirt freshman, a sophomore transfer and a pair of true freshmen). Last season, Nevada set the school single-season record for victories with 29, turned in its fourth consecutive year with at least 25 wins, won its fourth straight WAC regular-season title and earned the team’s fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
WINNING AT LAWLOR
The Wolf Pack has won 31 of its last 33 contests at Lawlor Events Center, including its last six home games. With its 15-1 home record last year and a 7-1 mark this season, the Wolf Pack has turned in a 67-7 record at Lawlor Events Center since the start of the 2003-04 season (.905 winning percentage). Nevada’s loss to California on Nov. 28 snapped the team’s 13-game home winning streak. The streak had been the longest active home winning streak in the WAC and the 12th-longest in the nation. Prior to the Cal loss, had not dropped a home contest since falling to UNLV on Dec. 9, 2006.
The Wolf Pack has also won 14 consecutive WAC home games, including a perfect 8-0 mark one year ago and a 2-0 mark this season. That streak dates back to January of 2006, while counting Nevada’s three wins in the 2006 WAC Tournament, the team has won its last 17 games against WAC opponents in the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center.
In 2005-06, the Wolf Pack turned in a 17-1 record at Lawlor Events Center, setting the school record for home victories in a single season. That bested the 15 victories the team turned in during the 2003-04 season. The Wolf Pack also turned in the second-best home winning percentage in school history in 2005-06 (.944), second only to the perfect 15-0 record the team turned in during that 2003-04 campaign.
The Wolf Pack has won 74.2 percent of its games at Lawlor Events Center since it opened in 1983-84 (267-93 all-time).
NEVADA TOP WAC TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS
Over the last four-plus seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 116-33 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.779 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 58 games, the most in that same time period.
ABOUT THE BOISE STATE BRONCOS
Boise State brings a 12-5 overall record and a 3-2 mark in WAC play into Saturday’s game with Nevada. The Broncos have won six of their last eight games but have dropped two of their last three conference games, most recently falling to Utah State 82-78 on Thursday night in Logan, Utah. Boise State has been a good road team this season, turning in a 6-2 record away from home (1-1 in WAC games). Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Greg Graham (95-79 record at BSU), the Broncos returned three starters and six letterwinners from last year’s 17-14 team. BSU finished in a tie for fifth in the WAC last year with an 8-8 mark.
Senior forward Reggie Larry (6-6, 224) is leading the Broncos and ranked third in the WAC in scoring at 19.1 points per game. He is also pacing the WAC in rebounding with 9.1 boards per contest. Senior forward Matt Nelson (6-9, 232) is second on the team and sixth in the WAC in scoring at 16.2 points per game and ranks third in the league with 7.9 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Tyler Tiedeman (6-7, 212) is adding 12.5 points per game and is leading Boise State and ranked second in the WAC in three-point shooting at 49.4 percent (41-83). As a team, the Broncos are pacing the WAC in scoring at 81.6 points per game and shooting a league-best 52.1 percent from the field. Boise State is also ranked second in three-point percentage (.378) and three-pointers made (7.82 per game).
IN THE SERIES
Nevada leads the series with Boise State 33-18 and has won the last four meetings between the two teams and 13 of the last 15. Last season, the Wolf Pack won both meetings with the Broncos, turning in a 90-86 victory on Jan. 8 in Reno and a 95-81 decision on Feb. 24 in Boise. Nevada holds a 19-7 advantage in games played in Reno and has won the last four and seven of the last eight at Lawlor Events Center. The Broncos' last victory in the series was a 73-72 win on March 10, 2005 in the opening round of the 2005 WAC Tournament in Reno.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Armon Johnson scored a career high-tying 23 points to lead Nevada over Idaho 69-61 in a Western Athletic Conference game on Thursday night at Lawlor Events Center.
Senior Marcelus Kemp scored 18 points and sophomores JaVale McGee and Brandon Fields had 13 apiece for the Wolf Pack. Jordan Brooks had 20 points and Michael Crowell 16 for the Vandals, who stayed close throughout the second half.
Nevada led by nine points several times in the second half, the last at 56-47 with 6:52 to play on a pair of free throws by Fields.
Clyde Johnson hit a pair of 3-point baskets around a free throw by McGee to pull the Vandals to withinfour at 57-53 with 5:28 left, but could get no closer.
Armon Johnson hit 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch for the Wolf Pack. He was 10 of 12 from the line for the game.
Nevada trailed 23-22 with 6:27 left in the first half but went on a 13-5 run to lead 36-27 at halftime.
The two teams combining for 46 fouls. Nevada hit 23 of 33 free throws, while Idaho hit only 10 of 22.
The Wolf Pack dominated the boards, outrebounding the Vandals 41-28. Senior Demarshay Johnson had 11 rebounds, six of them offensive, for Nevada.
KEMP PACING TEAM IN SCORING
A preseason candidate for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy, senior guard Marcelus Kemp is leading the team and ranked second in the WAC in scoring at 19.3 points per game (42nd in the NCAA). He has turned in at least 20 points in six of the last 12 games, including a season-high 29 Jan. 12 at Hawai’i, and has had 19 points in two other games in that stretch. After leading the team in scoring in 17 games last season, including five of the final six, the sixth-year senior has paced the Wolf Pack in scoring in 10 of 16 games this season, including eight of the last 12. He turned in a team-high 26 points with a season-best four three-pointers Nov. 28 vs. California and notched his second career double-double with a game-best 20 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds Dec. 1 at Pacific. He also turned in 28 points in a Dec. 19 win over Colorado State (22 in the second half).
Kemp holds the team lead and is tied for 10th in the WAC with 28 three-pointers made this year (1.75 per game). He has also moved into a tie for second on the Nevada career list with Jerry Hogan (1990-94) with 185 three-pointers made and stands 24 behind Nevada’s career leader in the category, Terrence Green (209 treys, 1999-2003).
With his 18 points Thursday vs. Idaho, Kemp turned in his 26th consecutive game in double figures for scoring (all 16 this year) and the 78th of his career. Dating back to the latter part of the 2005-06 season, Kemp’s sophomore year, he has scored in double figures in 57 of the last 59 games. With 1,588 career points, he has moved past Ric Herrin who had 1,512 points in his career from 1989-93 for sixth place on Nevada’s all-time list and stands 54 points out of the Nevada career top five for scoring.
DEALING WITH REJECTION
Sophomore JaVale McGee and the Wolf Pack continue to lead the WAC in blocked shots per game. McGee is averaging a league-best 3.19 blocks per game, 1.61 blocks per game ahead of New Mexico State’s Martin Iti (1.58), and ranks 10th in the NCAA in the category. He swatted a career-best seven shots Dec. 22 at Northern Iowa and has blocked six in two other games this season (Nov. 18 vs. Cal and Nov. 11 at UCF). He added five blocks Dec. 12 vs. San Diego and has had four in three of the last five games (North Carolina, Cal State Stanislaus and Idaho). McGee has blocked at least one shot in 15 of 16 games this season (12 with two or more). With 81 career blocks in just 49 games (1.65 per game), McGee has already climbed into eighth on the Nevada career list, moving past Sam Mosley who had 74 in 57 career games from 1982-83. With his four blocks Jan. 17 vs. Idaho, McGee also moved into a tie for third on the Nevada single-season list with 51 and has tied Nick Fazekas for the single-season mark by a Wolf Pack sophomore (51 in 2004-05). Last season, McGee ranked second on the team and ninth in the WAC with 0.9 blocked shots per game. He finished with 30 blocks on the year and had swatted a previous career best with four vs. Idaho on Jan. 6, 2007.
As a team, Nevada paces the conference and ranks 10th in the nation with an average of 6.63 blocks per game, including a season-best 11 in Thursday’s win over Idaho and 10 in the Dec. 19 win over Colorado State. Senior Demarshay Johnson is second on the team and fourth in the league in the category with 1.31 blocks per game, including a career-high six swats in the Dec. 19 victory over Colorado State.
NEVADA SINGLE-SEASON BLOCKS LIST
Player, Year G Blks
1. Edgar Jones, 1977-78 27 96
2. Greg Palm, 1981-82 28 55
3. JaVale McGee, 2007-08 15 51
Nick Fazekas, 2004-05 32 51
4. Nick Fazekas, 2005-06 33 49
5. Nick Fazekas, 2006-07 32 48
Greg Palm, 1980-81 26 48
FIELDS FROM DOWNTOWN
The Dec. 17 WAC Player of the Week, sophomore Brandon Fields is leading the team and ranked 10th in the WAC in three-point percentage at 39.7 percent (27-68). He is second on the team, one behind senior Marcelus Kemp, with 27 three-pointers made this year. Fields has knocked down at least one three-pointer in 14 of 16 games this year (seven with two or more). He made just three three-pointers and shot just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc all of last season (3-11).
Fields turned in career highs for scoring in back-to-back games against San Diego on Dec. 12 and UCF on Dec. 16, including 17 points in the win over the Toreros and a career-best 22 in the victory over the Knights. He notched career highs for three-pointers made in back-to-back games against Cal and Pacific. He made a then career-best 3-of-6 treys Nov. 28 vs. Cal and then bested that mark Dec. 1 at Pacific, knocking down a career-high four three-pointers (4-of-8). He knocked down another trio of three-pointers Dec. 12 vs. San Diego and matched his career high with four three-pointers Dec. 16 vs. UCF (4-of-6 from three-point land).
LIGHTING IT UP
Nevada scored a season-high 104 points in its Dec. 31 victory over Cal State Stanislaus and has turned in seven of its top 10 highest scoring outputs of the year in its last 10 games. That win over the Warriors also marked the first time that the team has topped the century mark since turning in a 101-76 win over Rice on Jan. 24, 2004 in Reno.
After averaging 67.5 points in the first six contests of the year, the Wolf Pack has averaged 75.3 points per game in its last 10 (753 points), including 86 points vs. UCF and 82 in its Dec. 8 victory over Montana State. Nevada now ranks third in the WAC in scoring at 72.4 points per game.
FINDING THEIR TOUCH
Nevada has turned in some of its most solid shooting efforts of the year in its last 10 games. The team has made 47.3 percent of its attempts from the field in its last 10 outings (263-556). The team has turned in five 50-percent shooting efforts this season, most recently knocking down 51.0 percent of its attempts Jan. 12 at Hawai’i (26-51) and making 54.1 percent of its attempts Dec. 31 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (40-74). The team made a season-best 56.9 percent of its attempts Nov. 13 at UC Irvine. Nevada turned in its best three-point night of the year Dec. 16 vs. UCF, making 46.7 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc (7-15) and matched those marks again Saturday at Hawai’i. Prior to the last nine games, Nevada had shot just 37.2 percent from the field in its previous two, while the team now ranks fourth in the league in field goal percentage this season (46.4 percent).
After leading the WAC and ranking 10th in the nation in three-point shooting at 40.6 percent last year, the Wolf Pack has struggled to find its touch from beyond the arc so far this season. Nevada checks in at seventh in the WAC at 32.5 percent from three-point land this season (81-243). The Wolf Pack knocked down a season-best eight treys Nov. 28 vs. Cal and has made at least seven three-pointers in six of its last 12 games (Pacific, Montana State, San Diego, UCF and Hawai’i).
SPREADING IT AROUND
Four members of the Wolf Pack are averaging in doubles figures for scoring this year, led by senior guard Marcelus Kemp who ranks second in the WAC and 42nd in the nation at 19.3 points per game. Kemp has led the team in scoring in 10 of 16 games this year, including eight of the last 12. Sophomore JaVale McGee is adding 12.9 points per game (12th in the WAC) with a career-high 20 at UC Irvine and again at UNLV, while sophomore Brandon Fields is adding 11.8 points per tilt, including a career-best 22 points Dec. 16 vs. UCF. After averaging 16.2 points per game over the last five, including a career-high 23 points at top-ranked North Carolina on Dec. 27 and again Thursday vs. Idaho, true freshman Armon Johnson has also returned to double figures at 11.7 points per game.
Nevada saw all five of its starters score in double figures for the first time this year on Dec. 12 vs. the Toreros, while it had five players in double figures again Dec. 31 vs. Cal State Stanislaus. The team has seen at least four players in double figures in a total of six games this year (UC Irvine, Montana State, UCF, Hawai’i and Idaho are the others).
Nevada got a season-high 35 points from its bench in its Dec. 31 win over Cal State Stanislaus, including a season-best 19 points from senior Demarshay Johnson. The Wolf Pack bench added 24 in the Dec. 8 win over Montana State, including a season-high seven by senior David Ellis and five from sophomore Ray Kraemer, the first points of Kraemer’s Wolf Pack career. Dec. 12 against San Diego, sophomore Matt LaGrone tallied a career-best 12 points, while true freshman Malik Cooke added a career-high seven, including his first career three-pointer.
PACK NEWS & NOTES
- True freshman Armon Johnson matched his career best with 23 points on Thursday vs. Idaho, marking the third time in five games that he has led the team in scoring. Johnson has turned in 16.2 points per game over the last five contests.
- Thursday’s victory over Idaho gave fourth-year Nevada head coach Mark Fox the 91st win of his career and moved him into a tie for fourth place on the team’s all-time wins list with Len Stevens (91-79 from 1987-93). Fox now holds a 91-24 record (.791 winning percentage) since becoming Nevada's head coach in 2004-05.
- The Wolf Pack ranks fourth in the WAC in free throw percentage at 70.5 percent and shot a season-high 85.7 percent from the charity stripe Jan. 12 at Hawai’i (18-21). Senior Marcelus Kemp is third in the WAC and 45th in the NCAA at 85.0 percent, including 11-of-13 in Nevada’s Dec. 19 win over Colorado State and 8-of-8 Jan. 12 at Hawai’i, while true freshman Armon Johnson ranks eighth in the WAC at 76.7 percent (46-60), including 10-of-12 Thursday vs. Idaho. Nevada has turned in five 80-percent efforts from the free throw line this season.
- Kemp missed a free throw in the first half Thursday against Idaho, ending a stretch of 22 consecutive made free throw attempts, dating back to the second half of the Dec. 22 game at Northern Iowa. Kemp has now converted on 23 of his last 24 free throw attempts. He has made all of his attempts in three of the last five games, including 4-of-4 Dec. 27 at top-ranked North Carolina, 6-of-6 Dec. 31 vs. Cal State Stanislaus and 8-of-8 Jan. 12 at Hawai’i (did not attempt any free throws at San Jose State). He has been perfect from the line in eight games this year.
- Including its 41-28 advantage over Idaho Thursday vs. Idaho, the Wolf Pack has now outrebounded nine of its 16 opponents this season (8-1 record in those games) and tied one other. Nevada has climbed to second in the WAC in rebounding offense (38.4 rpg) and margin (+5.1) this year. The team pulled down a season-high 57 rebounds and turned in its season best for rebounding margin (+31) Dec. 31 vs. Cal State Stanislaus, outrebounding the Warriors 57-26. Last season, Nevada beat its opponents on the boards in 27 of 34 games (24-3 record) and led the league in rebounding margin (+6.5). Nevada is 1-5 this year when getting outrebounded.
- After averaging 9.6 rebounds per game in the last eight games (77 rebounds), sophomore JaVale McGee has jumped from ninth to the top of the WAC with 8.4 rebounds per contest. After leading the WAC for several weeks, he now checks in at second, just behind Reggie Larry of Boise State, who has turned in 9.1 boards per game. McGee pulled down a career-best 18 rebounds Dec. 16 vs. UCF, which marked the most for the Pack since Nick Fazekas had 18 rebounds in Nevada’s Jan. 27, 2007 win over Utah State. McGee has led the team in rebounding in 11 games this season, including seven of the last nine. Most recently, he pulled down a game-best 12 boards Jan. 12 at Hawai’i. Senior Marcelus Kemp is second on the team at 5.8 rebounds per game.
- The Wolf Pack defense held Northern Iowa to a season-low 52 points in its Dec. 22 victory, season lows both for a Wolf Pack opponent and the Panthers this year. Nevada has won 49 of its last 51 games when holding its opponent to 60 points or less, including a 13-1 record in 2005-06, a 6-1 mark last year and a 3-0 record this season.
- Senior Demarshay Johnson made his return to the starting lineup on Thursday vs. the Vandals and responded by leading the team with a career high-tying 11 rebounds. Johnson started the first six games of the year but then embraced his role off the bench in the next nine before returning to the starting lineup Thursday. He is fourth on the team with 7.1 points per game and third at 4.9 rebounds per contest.
- Sophomore Brandon Fields leads the team and is tied for 10th in the WAC at 2.94 assists per game. Fields has tied his career high with five assists four times this season.
- Nevada opened the year with a 2-4 record for the first time since the 2002-03 season (now 10-6). That season, Nevada played five of its first seven games on the road and turned in a 2-5 mark before winning its next three contests. The 2002-03 team finished with an 18-14 record and made a trip to the postseason NIT, the first of five consecutive postseason appearances for the Wolf Pack (one NIT bid and four NCAA appearances). In 2003-04, Nevada opened the year with a 2-3 mark before reeling off wins in its next five games and seven of its next eight. The Wolf Pack finished with a 25-9 record that season, winning its first of four WAC regular-season championships and making the first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history.
- Nevada’s starting lineup in eight games this year has featured just one senior (Marcelus Kemp), three sophomores (Matt LaGrone, JaVale McGee, Brandon Fields) and one true freshman (Armon Johnson). Nevada has turned in a 6-2 record in those games.
- Senior Marcelus Kemp scored 22 of his game-high 28 points in the second half Dec. 19 vs. Colorado State and has turned in 53.9 percent of his points in the second halves of games this season (166-308). He had 17 of 24 points in the second half Dec. 16 vs. UCF, while in the first three games of the year, he scored 75.9 percent of his points in the final 20 minutes of games, including 16 of 23 Nov. 17 vs. Santa Clara, 10 of 12 Nov. 13 at UC Irvine and 15 of 19 Nov. 11 at UCF.
- The Dec. 8 victory over Montana State snapped the Wolf Pack’s first three-game losing streak since dropping five straight contests at the end of the 2000-01 season. The Nov. 28 loss to Cal marked Nevada’s first back-to-back losses in the same season since 2005-06. The Wolf Pack lost its second-round NCAA game to Memphis last year and opened this season with a 63-60 loss at UCF on Nov. 11, but the team had not dropped back-to-back losses in the same season since falling to Fresno State and Utah State in January of 2006. Head coach Mark Fox’s squads have dropped back-to-back games just five times in his three-plus seasons and hold an 18-6 record following a loss in his tenure.
- Sophomore forward JaVale McGee, sophomore guard Brandon Fields and true freshman guard Armon Johnson all made their first career starts for the Wolf Pack on Nov. 11 at UCF. Johnson marked the first Wolf Pack true freshman to start a game since Ramon Sessions started 31 of 32 games in 2004-05. Sessions was named the WAC Freshman of the Year that season.
FOX RETURNS FOR FOURTH SEASON
Fourth-year head coach Mark Fox is the first coach in school history to lead his squad to three consecutive 20-win and NCAA Tournament seasons. He holds a 91-24 career record in his three-plus seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program (.791 winning percentage) and is already tied for fourth in all-time wins at Nevada with 91. His 81 wins after his first three seasons were tied with Gonzaga's Mark Few for the most victories in Division I history by a coach through three seasons (81-18 record in his first three seasons).
Fox has been named the Don Haskins Coach of the Year in each of his first three seasons as Nevada’s head coach to become the first coach in WAC history to earn the honor in three consecutive years. Last year, he was also one of 15 finalists for the 2007 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 13 Coach of the Year.
NEVADA’S WINNINGEST COACHES (by wins)
Name (Years) Career Record (Win. Pct.)
1. Jake Lawlor (1942-43, 45-49) 201-159 (.558)
2. Jack Spencer (1959-72) 123-199 (.382)
3. Sonny Allen (1980-87) 114-89 (.562)
4. Mark Fox (2004-pres.) 91-24 (.791)
Len Stevens (1987-93) 91-79 (.535)
6. Pat Foster (1993-99) 90-81 (.526)
UP NEXT
Following Saturday’s game with Boise State, Nevada returns to the road to continue league play next week, traveling to New Mexico State on Thursday, Jan. 24 and to Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Jan. 26. The team will return to Reno the following week, playing host to Fresno State on Thursday, Jan. 31.
