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HOUSTON COUGARS (22-9, 11-5 C-USA) vs. NEVADA WOLF PACK (21-11, 12-4 WAC)
2008 COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL w GAME NO. 33
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 - 6:03 p.m. PT - Lawlor Events Center (11,536) - Reno, Nev.
TELEVISION: Fox College Sports
Michael Reghi (play-by-play) & Bob Sundvold (color analyst)
RADIO: Wolf Pack Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno)
Dan Gustin (play-by-play) & Don Marchand (color)
Pregame, 5:35 p.m. PT
SERIES HISTORY: Houston leads the all-time series 6-1.
LAST MEETING: Houston won the last meeting between the two teams, turning in a 92-80 victory over Nevada on Feb. 6, 1993 in Reno.
Making its sixth consecutive postseason appearance, the five-time Western Athletic Conference champion Nevada Wolf Pack (21-11, 12-4 WAC) will play host to the Houston Cougars (22-9, 11-5 Conference USA) on Tuesday night in the first round of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational, a 16-team, single-elimination postseason tournament. Tuesday’s game will tip off at 6:03 p.m. Pacific Time and will be televised by Fox College Sports. After falling to New Mexico State in the semifinals of last week’s WAC Tournament, the Wolf Pack has won four of its last five games and eight of its last 11, while the team brings a six-game home winning streak into Tuesday’s game with the Cougars. Nevada has turned in its fifth consecutive 20-win season and 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. Houston turned in its best season since 1991-92 with a 22-9 overall record and finished third in the Conference USA standings with an 11-5. The winner of the Houston-Nevada contest will take on the winner of a first-round game between Washington and Valparaiso on Wednesday in Seattle.
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.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL
In its first year, the College Basketball Invitational is a 16-team, single-elimination postseason tournament that runs from Tuesday, March 18 through Friday, April 4. Games will be played at on-campus sites, while the championship series is a best-of-three with the higher-seeded team playing at home in the first game and, if necessary, the third. The first round is scheduled for March 18-19, while the Championship Series will be March 31, April 2 and April 4 (if necessary).
Selected games in the tournament will be televised by Fox College Sports, while all of the games will be streamed online at http://cbi2008.com/.
NEVADA TOP WAC TEAM OVER LAST FOUR YEARS
Over the last four-plus seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 127-38 record, the best record of any WAC team during that time (.770 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 its March 8 regular-season finale 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 21-11 Mark Fox
WINNING AT LAWLOR
The Wolf Pack has won 37 of its last 40 contests at Lawlor Events Center, including six straight and 12 of its last 13 home games. With its 15-1 home record last year and a 13-2 mark this season, the Wolf Pack has turned in a 73-8 record at Lawlor Events Center since the start of the 2003-04 season (.901 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.
Nevada has won 20 of its last 21 WAC regular-season home games and 23 of its last 25 home games against WAC opponents counting the 2006 WAC Tournament. A Jan. 19 loss to Boise State snapped the Wolf Pack’s 14-game winning streak in WAC home games, including a perfect 8-0 mark one year ago and a 2-0 mark to start this season (now 7-1). That 14-game win streak had dated back to January of 2006, while counting Nevada’s three wins in the 2006 WAC Tournament, the team had won its last 17 games against WAC opponents in the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center prior to the loss to the Broncos.
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 74.7 percent of its games at Lawlor Events Center since it opened in 1983-84 (274-93 all-time).
ABOUT THE HOUSTON COUGARS
Houston has turned in its best season since 1991-92 with a 22-9 overall record this year. Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Tom Penders (79-48 record at UH), the Cougars finished in third in the Conference USA standings with an 11-5 mark. Houston has dropped its last two games, both to UTEP, falling in El Paso, Texas, 87-81 on March 8 and dropping its opening game at the Conference USA Tournament to the Miners 80-77 on March 13 in Memphis, Tenn.
Senior guard Robert McKiver (6-3, 190) is leading the Cougars and ranked second in C-USA in scoring with 23.1 points per game. A first-team All-Conference USA and all-district selection, McKiver set the league’s single-game scoring record with 52 points in the team’s Feb. 27 win over Southern Miss and paces the Cougars with 129 three-pointers made (38.3 percent from beyond the arc). Senior forward Dion Dowell (6-6, 205), a third-team all-conference honoree, is leading the team with 6.7 rebounds per game and is second on the squad with 11.2 points per contest.
IN THE SERIES
Houston leads the all-time series between the two schools by a 6-1 advantage. The Cougars have won the last three games in the series, most recently turning in a 92-80 victory over Nevada on Feb. 6, 1993 in Reno. Houston has won all three meetings between the two teams played in Reno, while Nevada’s lone win in the series came in the form of a 77-73 victory on Nov. 27, 1978 in Houston.
Nevada holds a 34-34 record against the 15 teams that currently make up Conference USA, including four former members of the Western Athletic Conference (Rice 10-6, SMU 8-6, Tulsa 5-7 and UTEP 7-6). This season, the Wolf Pack split a home-and-home series with UCF, falling in Orlando 63-60 in the team’s Nov. 11 season opener and downing the Knight 86-74 on Dec. 16 in Reno.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Herb Pope set career marks with 18 points and 13 rebounds as New Mexico State downed Nevada 83-75 on March 14 in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
Justin Hawkins scored 23 and Pope scored six straight points in a key late run, stretching New Mexico State's lead to 67-61 with 1:52 remaining. It started with Pope scoring a tip-in after a miss by Jahmar Young, then Fred Peete found him for a short jumper.
Senior Marcelus Kemp scored 19 points to lead the second-seeded Wolf Pack, while freshman Armon Johnson had 17, sophomore JaVale McGee added 15 and sophomore Brandon Fields 10.
New Mexico State outrebounded Nevada 52-25 in the win.
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 19.8 points per game (38th in the NCAA). He has turned in at least 20 points in 14 of the last 28 games, including a career-best 35 Feb. 11 vs. Utah State and 32 Feb. 16 at Idaho. He also had 19 points in three 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 20 of 32 games this season, including 18 of the last 27. 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 68 three-pointers made this year (2.13 per game). He ranks sixth on the Nevada single-season chart with 68 treys, while 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 225 career three-pointers. Kemp knocked down 5-of-6 three-pointers Feb. 9 vs. Hawai’i and made five on March 14 at New Mexico State, tying his career high for treys made in a game. He has made at least three three-pointers in 12 games this season.
Kemp has moved into second place on the Nevada career scoring list with 1,915 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 31 of 32 games this season and 93 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 72 of the last 75 games.
NEVADA SINGLE-SEASON 3-pt field goals made
Player, Year G 3FG
1. Jimmy Carroll, 1996-97 31 96
2. Marcelus Kemp, 2006-07 34 84
3. Jimmy Carroll, 1997-98 26 74
Bryan Thomasson, 1991-92 29 74
5. Kevin Franklin, 1988-89 28 71
6. Marcelus Kemp, 2007-08 32 68
7. Jerry Hogan, 1993-94 28 66
Kevin Franklin, 1989-90 28 66
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Nevada has seen three different players turn in its 10 double-doubles this season, led by sophomore JaVale McGee who has eight. Most recently, McGee turned in his first back-to-back double-doubles of the year with 23 points and 14 rebounds in Nevada’s March 8 regular-season finale at Fresno State and 22 points and 10 boards in its WAC Tournament quarterfinals victory over Fresno State on March 13. 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.
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 38th in the nation at 19.8 points per game. Kemp has led the team in scoring in 20 of 32 games this year. Sophomore JaVale McGee is second on the team and 10th in the WAC with 14.2 points per game, while sophomore Brandon Fields and freshman Armon Johnson trail just behind at 12.3 and 11.3 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 14 games this year, most recently March 14 at 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.
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 2.81 blocks per game, 1.46 blocks per game ahead of Idaho’s Darin Nagle (1.44), and is 14th 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 seven other games (at North Carolina, Cal State Stanislaus, Idaho, at NMSU, at Idaho, vs. Fresno State and at NMSU in the WAC Tournament). McGee has blocked at least one shot in 28 of 32 games this season (23 with two or more and 11 with four or more). With 120 career blocks in just 65 games (1.85 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 90 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 has already broken the school record for blocks in a single season with 189, passing the mark of 167 set by the 2004-05 squad. This year, the Wolf Pack paces the conference and ranks 14th in the nation with an average of 5.90 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 eighth in the league in the category with 0.97 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. JaVale McGee, 2007-08 32 90*
3. Greg Palm, 1981-82 28 55
4. Nick Fazekas, 2004-05 32 51
5. Nick Fazekas, 2005-06 33 49
6. Nick Fazekas, 2006-07 32 48
Greg Palm, 1980-81 26 48
* Nevada single-season record for blocks by a sophomore
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 (51-135). He is second on the team with 51 three-pointers made this year. Fields has knocked down at least one three-pointer in 26 of 32 games this year (14 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.
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 11 games and nine of the last 16. After averaging 67.5 points in the first six contests of the year, the Wolf Pack has averaged 77.1 points per game in its last 26 (2004 points), 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 75.3 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 48.5 percent of its attempts from the field in its last 26 outings (714-1471). The team has turned in 12 50-percent shooting efforts this season (four better than 60 percent), including seven of the last 15 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 20th in the nation in field goal percentage this season (48.0 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 36.2 percent from three-point land this season (188-520). 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. Nevada has knocked down at least seven three-pointers in 13 games this year.
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 3.34 assists per game, while the graduate of Reno’s Hug High School is sixth in the league with a 1.39 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also ranks among the WAC leaders in free throw percentage, checking in at ninth at 77.9 percent. Johnson has averaged 3.7 assists per game in the last 13 games (48), including a career-best seven in the Feb. 9 win over Hawai’i.
Fourth on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game, Johnson has turned in 20 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
- In the last four games, McGee has averaged 21.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and has shot 64.4 percent from the field (38-59). He turned in a career-best 26 points on 12-of-14 shooting March 1 vs. Louisiana Tech and has notched double-doubles in each of the next two games, his first back-to-back double-doubles of the year. He had 23 points and 14 rebounds in Nevada's regular-season finale March 8 at Fresno State and followed it up with a 22-10 performance March 13 in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals vs. Fresno State.
- The Wolf Pack and fourth-year head coach Mark Fox have turned in a combined 40-10 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 14-7 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 3.25 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 102-29 career record in four seasons.
- Nevada faced six first-year head coaches 10 times this season and has turned in a 9-1 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 47-40 advantage over Fresno State on March 13, the Wolf Pack has outrebounded 17 of its 32 opponents this season (15-2 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 (+3.0) 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 4-9 this year when getting outrebounded.
- Sophomore JaVale McGee leads the team and ranks second 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 18 games this season. Most recently, he led the team with a game-high 14 rebounds March 8 at Fresno State and had 10 March 13 vs. Fresno State. Senior Marcelus Kemp is second on the team at 5.4 rebounds per game.
- The Wolf Pack has topped the 80-point mark in nine of its last 16 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 71.4 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 third in the conference and 31st in the NCAA at 86.1 percent. Sophomore Brandon Fields is fourth in the WAC at 84.3 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 ninth at 77.9 percent. Nevada has turned in nine 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 98 of his last 110 free throw attempts (89.0 percent). He has been perfect from the line in 14 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. The Wolf Pack held Fresno State to just 57 points on March 13 and has won 52 of its last 54 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 6-0 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 4.2 rebounds per game in the last 14 contests (59), up from his average of 3.2 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 14 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 2.7 points per game (38) and made 68.4 percent of his field goal attempts (13-19) in the 14 contests. On the season, Kraemer is averaging 1.7 points per game and shooting 50.0 percent from three-point land (11-22).
- Sophomore Brandon Fields is averaging 12.3 points per game this season, up from 2.0 points per game last season (+10.3), while fellow sophomore JaVale McGee is averaging 14.2 points per contest, up from 3.4 ppg last season (+10.8). McGee’s rebounding numbers are also up by 5.2 boards per contest (7.4 rpg per game this year, 2.2 last).
- 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 23 of 32 games this year, including the last 17, Johnson is fifth on the team with 6.7 points per game and third at 4.6 rebounds per contest.
- Johnson led the Wolf Pack with nine rebounds Feb. 23 at Southern Illinois and with six in the team’s March 14 WAC Tournament loss at New Mexico State, marking the fifth and sixth times 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 but has won 19 of the last 26 games (now 21-11). 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 22 games (14-8 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.
CLOSE LOSSES
Seven of Nevada’s 11 losses this season have come by an average of just 6.9 points per game (48 points), while three of them - a 63-60 loss at UCF on Nov. 11, a 70-66 defeat Dec. 1 at Pacific and a 62-60 loss at San Jose State on Jan. 10 - were decided by four points or less. Last year, Nevada’s five losses came by an average of just 6.8 points per game. In his four years as Nevada’s head coach, Mark Fox’s squads have only lost 10 games by a margin in double figures.
FOX FOURTH ON NEVADA CAREER WINS LIST
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 102-29 career record in his four seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program (.779 winning percentage) and is already fourth in all-time wins at Nevada. 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 was 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.) 101-29 (.779)
5. Len Stevens (1987-93) 91-79 (.535)
6. Pat Foster (1993-99) 90-81 (.526)
UP NEXT
The winner of Nevada’s game with Houston will play the winner of the a contest between Washington and Valpairaso on Wednesday, March 19 in Seattle, Wash. The second round of the College Basketball Invitational is set for Monday, March 24 with the location and time to be determined.
