FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (13-18, 5-11 WAC) vs. NEVADA WOLF PACK (20-10, 12-4 WAC)
2008 WAC TOURNAMENT - GAME NO. 31
Thurs., March 13, 2008 - 6 p.m. MT (5 p.m. PT) - Pan American Center (12,482) - Las Cruces, N.M.
TELEVISION: KAME-TV 21 (Reno), ESPN Full Court and wac.tv (live video on the internet)
Randy Rosenbloom (play-by-play) & Bob Donewald (color)
RADIO: Wolf Pack Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno)
Don Marchand (play-by-play)
Pregame, 6:35 p.m. PT
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads the all-time series 42-34
LAST MEETING: Nevada has won the last five meetings between the two teams, including a
76-63 victory on March 8 in Fresno, Calif.
Coming off a 76-63 victory at Fresno State in the team’s regular-season finale, the five-time Western Athletic Conference champion Nevada Wolf Pack (20-10, 12-4 WAC) heads to Las Cruces, N.M., for the 2008 WAC Tournament this week. As the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Nevada will take on seventh-seeded Fresno State (13-18, 5-11) in the quarterfinals on Thursday night at New Mexico State’s Pan American Center. Thursday game will tip off at 6 p.m. Mountain Time (5 p.m. Pacific Time) and will be televised locally by KAME-TV 21, nationally by ESPN Full Court and on the internet at wac.tv. Nevada finished in a four-tie for first in the WAC this season with a 12-4 record, marking the fifth consecutive season that the Wolf Pack has captured at least a share of the WAC regular-season title. The Wolf Pack has won its last three games, seven of its last nine and 12 of the last 16. Playing Fresno State for the second consecutive game, Nevada also looks to extend a streak of five consecutive victories over the Bulldogs. Nevada also looks to advance to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament for the sixth time in the seven years, while the winner of the Fresno State-Nevada contest will take on the winner of the quarterfinals game between third-seeded New Mexico State and sixth-seeded Idaho. The winner of the WAC Tournament will earn the league’s automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
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.
NEVADA IN THE WAC TOURNAMENT
Nevada holds a 10-5 record in WAC Tournament games since joining the league in 2000-01. The Wolf Pack has advanced to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament in five of its previous seven appearances in the event and has reached the championship game three times (2003, 04, 06), winning the WAC Tournament championship in 2004 and 2006.
Last season, the top-seeded Nevada downed Idaho 88-56 in the quarterfinals and dropped a 79-77 to Utah State in the semifinals. The Wolf Pack captured the 2006 WAC Tournament championship in Reno, downing Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State, while in 2005, Nevada fell to Boise State 73-72 in the quarterfinals in Reno. Nevada also captured the 2004 WAC Tournament championship in Fresno, Calif. In 2004, the team defeated SMU and Rice before taking down UTEP in the championship game 66-60. Nevada advanced to the WAC Tournament championship game in 2003 in Tulsa, Okla., downing Louisiana Tech and SMU before falling to the Golden Hurricane.
NEVADA IN WAC TOURNAMENT GAMES
Date Site Opponent Result
March 6, 2001 Tulsa, Okla. Rice L, 44-60
March 7, 2002 Tulsa, Okla. SMU W, 72-66
March 8, 2002 Tulsa, Okla. Hawai’i L, 68-90
March 13, 2003 Tulsa, Okla. Louisiana Tech W, 72-66
March 14, 2003 Tulsa, Okla. SMU W, 81-66
March 15, 2003 Tulsa, Okla. Tulsa^ L, 64-75
March 11, 2004 Fresno, Calif. SMU W, 75-60
March 12, 2004 Fresno, Calif. Rice W, 67-59
March 13, 2004 Fresno, Calif. UTEP^ W, 66-60
March 10, 2005 Reno, Nev. Boise State L, 72-73
March 9, 2006 Reno, Nev. Idaho W, 68-55
March 10, 2006 Reno, Nev. New Mexico State W, 70-59
March 11, 2006 Reno, Nev. Utah State^ W, 70-63
March 8, 2007 Las Cruces, N.M. Idaho W, 88-56
March 9, 2007 Las Cruces, N.M. Utah State L, 77-79
^ - WAC Tournament championship game
NEVADA TOP WAC TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS
Over the last four-plus seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 126-37 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.773 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 68 games, the most in that same time period.
WAC CHAMPIONS
With a 12-4 mark in conference action this season, Nevada finished in a tie for first in the WAC, capturing a share of its fifth consecutive WAC regular-season championship. Nevada had captured sole possession of the WAC regular-season crown in each of the previous seasons (2005, 06, 07) and shared the title with UTEP in 2004. Last year, the Wolf Pack finished with a 14-2 record in conference play, whle the team was 13-3 in 2006. Nevada won the regular-season crown with a WAC-record 16-2 conference mark in 2005, while in 2004, Nevada tied for first with a 13-5 record in WAC play.
ALL-WAC SELECTIONS
Freshman guard Armon Johnson was named the 2008 WAC Freshman of the Year, while senior guard Marcelus Kemp was named to the All-WAC first team for the second consecutive season. Sophomore forward JaVale McGee earned spots on both the All-WAC second team and the WAC All-Defensive squad, while joining McGee on the All-Defensive team was junior guard Lyndale Burleson. Johnson was also named to the All-Newcomer squad and became the first Wolf Pack player to earn WAC Freshman of the Year honors since Ramon Sessions did it in 2005.
NEVADA NOTCHES FIFTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON
With Saturday’s victory at Fresno State, Nevada turned in its fifth consecutive season with at least 20 wins. It also marked the 10th 20-win season in school history and the fourth for fourth-year head coach Mark Fox, who is the only coach in school history to lead more than one team to at least 20 victories. In each of the previous four years, Nevada had won at least 25 games (25-9 in 2003-04, 25-7 in 2004-05, 27-6 in 2005-06 and a school-record 29-5 in 2006-07).
Nevada has also turned in a school-record seven consecutive winning seasons dating back to the 2001-02 campaign (three under former Pack head coach Trent Johnson and four under fourth-year head coach Mark Fox). The previous long stretch was six from 1986-87 to 1991-92.
NEVADA 20-WIN SEASONS
Year Record Head Coach
2006-07 29-5 Mark Fox
1945-46 28-5 Jake Lawlor
2005-06 27-6 Mark Fox
2004-05 25-7 Mark Fox
2003-04 25-9 Trent Johnson
1965-66 21-6 Jack Spencer
1978-79 21-7 Jim Carey
1984-85 21-10 Sonny Allen
1996-97 21-10 Pat Foster
2007-08 20-10 Mark Fox
ROAD WARRIORS
Nevada has won 26 of its last 40 games away from the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center, including 22 road wins and four neutral-site victories (dating back to midway through the 2005-06 season). Last year, the team turned in a 14-4 record away from home, including a 10-2 road mark and a 4-2 record in neutral-site games. The Wolf Pack has won 10 of its last 19 regular-season road contests and 21 of its last 31 and holds a 7-8 road mark this season. Last year, the team saw an 11-game regular-season road winning streak snapped with a Jan. 20, 2007 loss at New Mexico State. Prior to that, the team had not dropped a road contest since falling at Fresno State on Jan. 18, 2006.
In the last three-plus seasons since the start of the 2004-05 campaign, the Wolf Pack has tallied a 38-15 record in road contests (.717 winning percentage). That includes a 26-7 record in WAC road games (.788).
According to a story by ESPN.com’s Kyle Whelliston, the Wolf Pack has traveled the third-most miles of any team in the country this season, behind just fellow WAC schools Hawai’i and New Mexico State. The team played four of its first six games away from home and logged 15 road contests and 32,258 miles traveled this season, including trips to UCF, Northern Iowa, North Carolina, Hawai’i, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, Utah State, Boise State, Idaho, Southern Illinois and Fresno State. This week’s 2,318-mile roundtrip to and from Las Cruces for the WAC Tournament will bring Nevada’s miles traveled to 34,576 for the season.
This year began with a season-opening two-game road trip to UCF and UC Irvine and trips to UNLV and Pacific. The team racked up over 5,800 frequent flier miles in five days to open the season, traveling 2,833 miles from Reno to Orlando, 2,496 miles from Orlando to Anaheim for a game two days later and 544 miles from Anaheim back to Reno.
Last season, Nevada opened the year with four of its first seven games away from home (three road wins and a neutral-site victory), while in 2005-06, the team played 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 to 2006 NCAA runner-up UCLA). That year, Nevada traveled over 10,000 miles in 11 days in a four-game road stand that included trips to Vermont, UNLV, Kansas and Pacific.
ABOUT THE FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS
Fresno State brings a 13-18 overall mark into Thursday’s game with Nevada and finished tied for sixth in the WAC standings with a 5-11 league record this season. The Bulldogs have lost their last three games, including Saturday’s loss to the Wolf Pack, a 69-64 loss to New Mexico State on March 1 and a 79-66 loss to Utah State on March 3 (all three games in Fresno). Under the direction of third-year head coach Steve Cleveland (50-41 record at FSU), Fresno State returned three starters and eight letterwinners from last year’s 22-10 team. The Bulldogs finished third in the WAC one season ago with a 10-6 league mark.
Senior guard Kevin Bell (5-10, 165) is leading three Bulldogs in double figures for scoring at 18.5 points per game. He ranks fourth in the WAC in scoring and is second in the league with 5.9 assists per contest. Senior guard Eddie Miller (6-3, 170) is adding 15.2 points per game. Ninth in the conference in scoring, Miller has also made a team-high 110 three-pointers and leads the WAC with 3.55 treys per game. Senior forward Hector Hernandez (6-9, 225) is the team’s top rebounder, checking in at fourth in the WAC with 7.3 boards per contest. As a team, Fresno State ranks second in the WAC in scoring defense, allowing its opponents just 69.5 points per game.
IN THE SERIES
Nevada holds a 42-34 advantage in the series with Fresno State, including wins in each of the last five games between the two teams and 11 of the last 14. The Wolf Pack swept the series this season, turning in a 79-67 victory on Jan. 31 in Reno and a 76-63 victory on March 8 in Fresno. Nevada won both meetings last season, turning in an 85-75 victory on Jan. 18, 2007 in Reno and an 81-68 win on Feb. 8, 2007 in Fresno. Thursday’s game will mark the first time that Nevada will face Fresno State in the WAC Tournament.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior Marcelus Kemp scored 25 points and sophomore JaVale McGee added 23 points and 14 rebounds as Nevada defeated Fresno State 76-63 on March 8 to clinch a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.
After leading by five points at halftime, the Wolf Pack pulled away early in the second half when Kemp scored seven points on consecutive possessions, including a four-point play.
Hector Hernandez had 15 points for Fresno State, which shot 33.3 percent from the field, compared to Nevada's 48.4 percent. Kevin Bell added 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State trailed by 10 points early in the second half before closing to within 46-43 on Eddie Miller's 3-pointer with 14:39 remaining. Kemp answered with a 3-pointer, then hit another on Nevada's next possession while drawing a foul on Tyson Parker. Kemp made the free throw to put the Wolf Pack in front 53-43 with 13:05 left.
Nevada maintained at least an eight-point lead for the rest of the game.
The Wolf Pack led 36-31 at halftime when Brandon Fields banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Freshman Ned Golubovic kept Fresno State within striking distance by scoring 11 of the Bulldogs' final 12 points of the half. Golubovic hit a 3-pointer with 6:03 left, then began taking the ball inside against the 7-foot McGee. Golubovic scored all 11 of his points during the surge.
KEMP PACING TEAM IN SCORING
A first-team All-WAC selection for the second consecutive season, senior guard Marcelus Kemp is leading the team and ranked second in the WAC in scoring at 20.1 points per game (36th in the NCAA). He has turned in at least 20 points in 14 of the last 26 games, including a career-best 35 Feb. 11 vs. Utah State and 32 Feb. 16 at Idaho. He also 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 19 of 30 games this season, including 17 of the last 26. He turned in a team-high 26 points with 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) and had 27 Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State.
A preseason candidate for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy, Kemp holds the team lead and ranks ninth in the WAC with 62 three-pointers made this year (2.07 per game). With two three-pointers Feb. 14 at Boise State, he became Nevada’s career leader for three-pointers made, passing Terrance Green (209 treys, 1999-2003), and now has made 219 career three-pointers. Kemp knocked down 5-of-6 three-pointers Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i, tying his career high for treys made in a game, and has made at least three three-pointers in 11 games this season.
With his 25 points March 8 at Fresno State, Kemp moved into second place on the Nevada career scoring list with 1,884 points. He jumped past Edgar Jones (1,877 points, 1976-79) for second on the list and will finish his career behind just three-time WAC Player of the Year Nick Fazekas (2,464 points, 2003-07). With just nine points in Nevada’s March 1 win over Louisiana Tech, Kemp saw his streak of 38 consecutive games in double figures for scoring snapped. He has now scored in double figures in 29 of 30 games this season and 91 times in his career. Dating back to the latter part of the 2005-06 season, Kemp’s sophomore year, he has scored in double figures in 70 of the last 73 games.
FIELDS HAS CAREER NIGHT
Sophomore Brandon Fields turned in one of the best nights of his career Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State, notching career highs with 29 points and nine rebounds. He made 9-of-11 attempts from the field and went 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
The Dec. 17 WAC Player of the Week, Fields is shooting 37.8 percent from three-point land this season (48-127). He is second on the team with 48 three-pointers made this year. Fields has knocked down at least one three-pointer in 24 of 30 games this year (13 with two or more). He made just three three-pointers and shot just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc last year (3-11).
Fields turned in then 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, while Jan. 24 at New Mexico State, he missed his career high by just one point, leading the team with 21 points. Fields 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 has matched his career high with four three-pointers in two other games (Dec. 16 vs. UCF and Jan. 19 vs. Boise State). He added 17 points Jan. 31 vs. Fresno State and again Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i and had 21 in the Feb. 16 win at Idaho.
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 36th in the nation at 20.1 points per game. Kemp has led the team in scoring in 19 of 30 games this year, including 17 of the last 26. Sophomore JaVale McGee is second on the team and 11th in the WAC with 13.9 points per game, while sophomore Brandon Fields (14th in the WAC) and freshman Armon Johnson trail just behind at 12.7 and 11.4 points per contest, respectively. McGee scored a career-high 26 points March 1 vs. Louisiana Tech and had 23 March 8 at Fresno State, while Fields turned in a career-best 29 points Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State. Johnson has matched his career high with 23 points twice (Dec. 27 at then top-ranked North Carolina and Jan. 17 vs. Idaho).
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 and vs. San Jose State on Feb. 7. The team has seen at least four players in double figures in a total of 13 games this year, most recently Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State.
Nevada got 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. On Jan. 26 at Louisiana Tech, senior David Ellis scored a career-best 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting to lead the team and pace a 31-point effort from the Wolf Pack bench.
On Feb. 7 vs. San Jose State, the Wolf Pack bench turned in 30 points, including a career-best 11 by sophomore Ray Kraemer on 4-of-5 shooting (3-of-3 from three-point land) and a season-high 10 by junior Lyndale Burleson.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Nevada has seen three different players turn in its nine double-doubles this season, led by sophomore JaVale McGee who has seven. Most recently, McGee turned in 23 points and 14 rebounds in Nevada’s March 8 regular-season finale at Fresno State. He also had 20 points and 10 boards Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i, while he turned in 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds Feb. 2 at Utah State. He contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds Jan. 12 at Hawai’i, 18 points and 11 rebounds Dec. 31 against Cal State Stanislaus and 15 points and a career-best 18 rebounds Dec. 16 vs. UCF. He nabbed his first career double-double Nov. 24 at UNLV with 20 points and 13 rebounds (both were then career highs). McGee has just missed two other double-doubles with 19 points and nine rebounds Nov. 28 vs. Cal and 11 points and nine rebounds Dec. 19 vs. Colorado State.
Senior Marcelus Kemp tallied his second career double-double with 20 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds Dec. 1 at Pacific, while senior Demarshay Johnson turned in his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 boards Nov. 13 at UC Irvine.
LIGHTING IT UP
Nevada scored 98 points Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State, which marked its second-highest point total of the season and the most points for the team in a WAC game since a 101-76 win over Rice on Jan. 24, 2004. The Wolf Pack scored a season-high 104 points in its Dec. 31 victory over Cal State Stanislaus and also had 88 points vs. Hawai’i on Feb. 9 with 88 points. That Dec. 31 win over the Warriors 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.
Nevada has turned in 12 80-point efforts this season and has reached that 80-point mark in six of the last nine games and nine of the last 14. After averaging 67.5 points in the first six contests of the year, the Wolf Pack has averaged 77.7 points per game in its last 24 (1865points), including 88 points Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i, 87 Jan. 24 at NMSU and 86 in its Dec. 16 win vs. UCF. Nevada has now moved into third place in the WAC statistics in scoring at 75.7 points per game.
FINDING THEIR TOUCH
Nevada turned in its two best shooting performances of the season recently. The team shot a then season-high 61.4 percent Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State (35-57) and then bested that mark with a 66.0-percent showing March 1 vs. Louisiana Tech (35-53, 70.8 percent in the second half). Nevada’s previous high mark was 61.2 percent effort set Jan. 26 at Louisiana Tech and again Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i (30-49 from the field in both games).
The Wolf Pack has made 49.0 percent of its attempts from the field in its last 24 outings (665-1357). The team has turned in 12 50-percent shooting efforts this season (four better than 60 percent), including seven of the last 13 games. The Wolf Pack holds a 12-0 mark in those contests. Nevada has also turned in its three best three-point nights of the year recently, including a season-high 64.7 percent Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i (11-17), 61.5 percent Jan. 31 vs. Fresno State (8-13) and 53.3 percent of its attempts (8-15) Jan. 24 at New Mexico State. Nevada now ranks third in the WAC and 15th in the nation in field goal percentage this season (48.4 percent).
After leading the WAC and ranking 10th in the nation in three-point shooting at 40.6 percent last year, the Wolf Pack struggled to find its touch from beyond the arc consistently this season. However, Nevada has now moved into fourth in the WAC at 36.4 percent from three-point land this season (175-481). In addition to turning in its best percentage of the season on Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i, the Wolf Pack knocked down a season-best 11 three-pointers in that game, besting its previous high of nine Jan. 19 vs. Boise State. Nevada has made eight in four other games (Cal, at NMSU, San Jose State, Utah State) and has knocked down at least seven three-pointers in 12 games this year.
DEALING WITH REJECTION
Sophomore JaVale McGee and the Wolf Pack continue to lead the WAC in blocked shots per game. McGee, who was recently named to the WAC’s All-Defensive team and the second-team All-WAC squad, is averaging a league-best 2.73 blocks per game, 1.35 blocks per game ahead of Idaho’s Darin Nagle and Hawai’i’s Bill Amis (1.38), and is 15th in the NCAA in the category. He swatted a career-best seven shots Dec. 22 at Northern Iowa and has blocked six in three other games this season (Nov. 11 at UCF, Nov. 18 vs. Cal and Feb. 11 vs. Utah State). He also added five blocks Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State and Dec. 12 vs. San Diego and has had four in five other games (at North Carolina, Cal State Stanislaus, Idaho, at NMSU, at Idaho). McGee has blocked at least one shot in 26 of 30 games this season (21 with two or more and 11 with four or more). With 112 career blocks in just 63 games (1.78 per game), McGee has moved into fourth on the Nevada career list, jumping Sean Paul for fourth (107, 2000-04). McGee has also already moved into second on the Nevada single-season list with 82 and has broken Nick Fazekas’ mark 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 14th in the nation with an average of 5.80 blocks per game, including a season-best 11 in its Jan. 17 win over Idaho and 10 in the Dec. 19 win over Colorado State. Senior Demarshay Johnson is second on the team and tied for sixth in the league in the category with 1.00 blocks per game, including a career-high six swats in the Dec. 19 victory over Colorado State.
ARMON JOHNSON ONE OF LEAGUE’S TOP FRESHMEN
2008 WAC Freshman of the Year Armon Johnson is pacing the Wolf Pack and ranked seventh in the WAC with 3.33 assists per game, while the graduate of Reno’s Hug High School is sixth in the league with a 1.45 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also ranks among the WAC leaders in free throw percentage, checking in at 10th at 77.9 percent. Johnson has averaged 3.7 assists per game in the last 11 games (41), including a career-best seven in the Feb. 9 win over Hawai’i.
Fourth on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game, Johnson has turned in 19 double-figures efforts this season, including four 20-point contests. He matched his career best with 23 points Jan. 17 vs. Idaho and turned in 20 points Jan. 19 vs. Boise State and Jan. 24 at New Mexico State.
PACK NEWS & NOTES
- The Wolf Pack and fourth-year head coach Mark Fox have turned in a combined 39-9 record over the final two months of the season (February and March) in the last four years, including a 26-3 record in the month of February and a 13-6 mark in March.
- Although senior Marcelus Kemp saw his streak of 38 consecutive games in double figures come to an end with nine points March 1 vs. Louisiana Tech, he led the team with eight rebounds and eight assists. That marked the second consecutive night that he turned in a career-best eight assists after doing it in the Feb. 28 victory over New Mexico State. He is now ranked eighth in the WAC with 3.30 assists per game.
- Nevada’s March 1 victory over Louisiana Tech gave fourth-year Nevada head coach Mark Fox the 100th win of his career. He tied for 21st on the NCAA's list of fastest coaches to reach 100 wins (among coaches with at least half of their seasons at the Division I level). Duke's Vic Bubas also took 128 wins to reach the milestone, doing it in his fifth season (1964). Fox also became the fastest coach in school history to reach the 100-win plateau. It took Jake Lawlor, the winningest coach in school history, seven seasons (10th game into that season) and 168 games to hit that milestone, while Sonny Allen reached the mark in the first game of his seventh season (100 wins in 174 games). Nevada has seen three of its previous head coaches notch at least 100 wins, including Lawlor (201-159 career record), Allen (114-89) and Jack Spencer (123-199). Fox now holds a 101-28 career record in four seasons.
- Nevada faced six first-year head coaches nine times this season and has turned in a 9-0 mark in those games, downing Santa Clara (Kerry Keating), San Diego (Bill Grier), Colorado State (Tim Miles), Hawai’i twice (Bob Nash), New Mexico State twice (Marvin Menzies) and Louisiana Tech twice (Kerry Rupp).
- Including its 47-38 advantage at Fresno State on March 8, the Wolf Pack has outrebounded 16 of its 30 opponents this season (14-2 record in those games) and tied two others. Nevada has climbed to second in the WAC in rebounding offense (36.9 rpg) and fourth in rebounding margin (+3.8) 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 4-8 this year when getting outrebounded.
- Sophomore JaVale McGee leads the team and ranks third in the WAC with 7.4 rebounds per contest. He led the WAC for several weeks earlier this year. 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 17 games this season. Most recently, he led the team with a game-high 14 rebounds March 8 at Fresno State. Senior Marcelus Kemp is second on the team at 5.3 rebounds per game.
- The Wolf Pack has topped the 80-point mark in nine of its last 14 games and is 11-1 this year when scoring 80 or more points. Nevada also just missed 80 points with 79 scored Jan. 31 against the Bulldogs.
- The Wolf Pack ranks fourth in the WAC in free throw percentage at 71.3 percent and turned in its season high at 91.4 percent Feb. 16 at Idaho (32-35). Nevada also shot a then season-high 85.7 percent from the charity stripe Jan. 12 at Hawai’i and Feb. 14 at Boise State. The team features three players ranked in the top 10 in the WAC in the category, including senior Marcelus Kemp who is fourth in the conference and 33rd in the NCAA at 85.7 percent. Sophomore Brandon Fields is fifth in the WAC at 84.4 percent after a 10-of-11 outing Feb. 28 vs. New Mexico State and a 13-of-13 effort Feb. 16 at Idaho. Freshman Armon Johnson is 10th at 77.9 percent. Nevada has turned in eight 80-percent efforts from the free throw line this season.
- Kemp missed a free throw in the first half Jan. 17 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 93 of his last 105 free throw attempts (88.6 percent). He has been perfect from the line in 12 games this year, while on Feb. 11 vs. Utah State, he made 13-of-14 from the charity stripe and went 15-of-16 from the line on Feb. 16 at Idaho.
- The Wolf Pack defense held San Jose State to 46 points on Feb. 7, a season low for a Wolf Pack opponent. Nevada has won 51 of its last 53 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 5-0 record this season. San Jose State also shot just 30.4 percent from the field (17-56), a season low for a Wolf Pack opponent.
- Freshman Malik Cooke scored a career-best eight points and pulled down seven rebounds Feb. 23 at Southern Illinois. Cooke turned in a career-best and team-high 10 rebounds Feb. 7 vs. San Jose State. That marked the second time this year that the Charlotte, N.C., native has led the team in rebounding. He also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds in the team’s Jan. 26 win at Louisiana Tech. Cooke has averaged 4.3 rebounds per game in the last 12 contests (52), up from his average of 2.8 boards per game. Cooke also turned in six points and pulled down five rebounds Feb. 14 at Boise State.
- Sophomore Ray Kraemer has knocked down nine of his 12 three-point attempts in the last 12 games (75.0 percent), including 2-of-2 Jan. 31 vs. Fresno State, a career-best 3-of-3 Feb. 7 vs. San Jose State and 2-of-2 Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i. Kraemer has averaged 3.2 points per game (38) and made 68.4 percent of his field goal attempts (13-19) in the 12 contests. On the season, Kraemer is averaging 1.8 points per game and shooting 50.0 percent from three-point land (11-22).
- Sophomore Brandon Fields is averaging 12.7 points per game this season, up from 2.0 points per game last season (+10.7), while fellow sophomore JaVale McGee is averaging 13.9 points per contest, up from 3.4 ppg last season (+10.5).
- Senior Demarshay Johnson has made his return to the starting lineup and responded by leading the team with a career high-tying 11 rebounds Jan. 17 vs. Idaho and turning in 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting Jan. 19 vs. Boise State. He also added nine points and six rebounds Jan. 24 at New Mexico State and had nine points Feb. 28 vs. the Aggies. 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 Jan. 17 vs. the Vandals. A starter in 21 of 30 games this year, including the last 15, Johnson is fifth on the team with 6.5 points per game and third at 4.4 rebounds per contest.
- Johnson led the Wolf Pack with nine rebounds Feb. 23 at Southern Illinois, marking the fifth time this year that he has paced the team in the category.
- Nevada opened the year with a 2-4 record for the first time since the 2002-03 season (now 20-10). 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 five WAC regular-season championships and making the first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history.
- Nevada’s starting lineup in eight games this year featured just one senior (Marcelus Kemp), three sophomores (Matt LaGrone, JaVale McGee, Brandon Fields) and one true freshman (Armon Johnson). Nevada turned in a 6-2 record in those games. The starting lineup has featured two sophomores and one freshman (McGee, Fields and Johnson) in the other 21 games (13-8 record).
- Nevada started its four seniors - forwards David Ellis and Demarshay Johnson and guards Marcelus Kemp and Curry Lynch - on Senior Night March 1 vs. La Tech. It marked the first start of Lynch's career.
- 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 a 21-6 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 WAC Freshman of the Year Ramon Sessions started 31 of 32 games in 2004-05.
UP NEXT
The winner of Nevada’s WAC Tournament quarterfinals game with Fresno State on Thursday will play the winner of the Idaho/New Mexico State game at 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time (7:30 p.m. PT) in Friday’s semifinals, while Saturday’s championship game is set for 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT). The winner of the WAC Tournament will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
The fields for the NCAA Tournament, National Invitation Tournament and inaugural College Basketball Invitational will be announced on Sunday, March 16.
