BOISE STATE BRONCOS (12-3, 3-0 WAC) at NEVADA WOLF PACK (9-7, 2-1 WAC)
GAME #17
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 - 7:05 p.m. PT - Lawlor Events Center (11,536) - Reno, Nev.
TELEVISION: Live internet streaming at www.nevadawolfpack.com (subscription fee)
RADIO: University of Nevada Sports Network (ESPN Radio 630 AM, Reno;
KELK 1240 AM, Elko; KHWG 750 AM, Fallon & KSVL 92.3 FM, Yerington)
Ryan Radtke (play-by-play), pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. PT
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads the series with Boise State 33-20.
LAST MEETING: Boise State has won the last two meetings between the two teams, most recently turning in a 77-68 victory over Nevada on Feb. 14, 2008 in Boise, Idaho.
Coming off a 67-64 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, the five-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion Nevada Wolf Pack (9-7, 2-1 WAC) returns to Lawlor Events Center to start a three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 15 with the Boise State Broncos (12-3, 3-0). Thursday night’s game with the Broncos will tip off at 7:05 p.m. Pacific Time and can be heard on Nevada’s radio flagship, ESPN 630 AM, and affiliates throughout the state with Ryan Radtke calling the action. Nevada picked up its first two WAC wins of the year on the road last weekend, coming from behind to down New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. The Wolf Pack has won 20 of its last 22 WAC home games and looks to get its first conference home victory on Thursday vs. the Broncos. Following the game with Boise State, Nevada continues WAC action at Lawlor Events Center, playing host to Fresno State on Saturday, Jan. 17 and Hawai’i on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Mark Fox, the Wolf Pack returned two starters and a total of seven letterwinners from last year’s 21-12 team, including the coaches’ preseason WAC Player of the Year Armon Johnson who started 32 of 33 games last season as a true freshman. This year’s team also features five new faces (a junior college transfer and four true freshmen). Last season, Nevada turned in its fifth consecutive year with at least 20 wins, won its fifth straight WAC regular-season title and earned the team’s six consecutive postseason appearance with an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.
BABBITT NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Luke Babbitt has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 5-11. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week award for Babbitt and the second for the Wolf Pack this season after sophomore Armon Johnson was named the WAC Player of the Week for Dec. 15-21.
Babbitt led the Wolf Pack to a pair of come-from-behind road wins against New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. Babbitt tied career highs with 22 points and 12 rebounds in an overtime win at New Mexico State on Jan. 8 for his second double-double of the year. He scored four points and pulled down three rebounds in the overtime period to help secure the victory. Against NMSU, Babbitt also matched his career bests with three assists and three steals. In Nevada’s win at Louisiana Tech on Jan. 10, Babbitt made the game-winning three-pointer as time expired. He scored 15 points and led the team with nine rebounds against the Bulldogs, connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the field, including a career-best 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
On the week, Babbitt averaged 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 43.3 percent from the field (13-of-30), 57.1 percent from three-point range (4-of-7), and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe (7-of-8).
Johnson was named the Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 15-21. The honor marked his first career WAC Player of the Week award.
Johnson led the Wolf Pack to an 87-58 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 17 with 17 points and seven assists without a turnover. He followed up that performance with a career-high 33-point, five-rebound effort on the road Dec. 20 against California. Johnson scored 27 of his 33 points in the second half, including 13 in the final 2:26 to keep the game close down the stretch. On the week, Johnson averaged 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
WINNING AT LAWLOR
The Wolf Pack has won 42 of its last 50 contests at Lawlor Events Center, including 17 of its last 23 home games dating back to last season. Including a 13-3 mark in 2007-08 and a 5-4 mark this year, the Wolf Pack has turned in a 78-13 record at Lawlor Events Center since the start of the 2003-04 season (.857 winning percentage). Last year, Nevada’s loss to California on Nov. 28, 2007 snapped a 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, Nevada had not dropped a home contest since falling to UNLV on Dec. 9, 2006.
Nevada has also captured 20 of its last 22 WAC regular-season home games and 23 of its last 26 home games against WAC opponents counting the 2006 WAC Tournament. A Jan. 19, 2008 loss to Boise State snapped the Wolf Pack’s 14-game winning streak in WAC home games, including a perfect 8-0 mark in 2006-07 and a 2-0 mark to start the 2007-08 season (finished 7-1). That 14-game win streak had dated back to January of 2006.
ABOUT THE BOISE STATE BRONCOS
Boise State brings a 12-3 overall mark and a 3-0 WAC record into Thursday’s game with Nevada. The Broncos turned in a home sweep last weekend, downing San Jose State 84-64 and Hawai’i 54-49 in Boise, Idaho. Under the direction of seventh-year head coach Greg Graham (120-85 record at BSU), the Broncos returned one starter and nine letterwinners from last year’s 25-9 team. Boise State was part of the four-way tie for first in the WAC last season after turning in a 12-4 mark in conference play.
Senior forward Mark Sanchez (6-7, 235) is leading Boise State in scoring and rebounding. He ranked ninth in the WAC with 14.9 points per game and fourth in the conference with 7.7 rebounds per contest. Sophomore forward Paul Noonan (6-7, 210) is second on the squad with 11.3 points per game, while junior center Kurt Cunningham (6-9, 265) leads the WAC in field goal percentage, making 72.6 percent of his attempts (61-84). As a team, Boise State checks in at third in the WAC in scoring with 72.6 points per game and is shooting 47.7 percent from the field (second in the WAC).
IN THE SERIES
Nevada leads the series with Boise State 33-20 and has won four of the last six meetings between the two teams and 13 of the last 17. Last season, the Broncos snapped Nevada’s four-game winning streak in the series, taking both meetings between the two teams. Boise State turned in a 95-80 victory on Jan. 19, 2008 in Reno and a 77-68 win on Feb. 14, 2008 in Boise, Idaho. Nevada holds a 19-8 advantage in games played in Reno and has won four of the last five and seven of the last nine at Lawlor Events Center.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Luke Babbitt hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to lift Nevada to a 67-64 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon in Ruston, La.
Nevada led 61-51 on a layup by freshman Dario Hunt with 3:16 left, but Louisiana Tech went on a 10-4 run during the next three minutes to tie the score at 64-64 on a three-point play by Magnum Rolle with 16 seconds remaining.
But Louisiana Tech never got the ball back, and Nevada's timeout with 11.5 seconds left set the stage for Babbitt's gamewinner.
Junior Brandon Fields led the Wolf Pack with 17 points, Babbitt finished with 15 and sophomore Malik Cooke added 11. Babbitt finished the game shooting 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Kyle Gibson's 18 points led four players in double-figure scoring for the Bulldogs, who also got 13 points from Rolle and Jamel Guyton and Kenneth Cooper added 12 apiece.
The Bulldogs led 35-24 at the half and by as many as 15 points, 45-30 with 16:36 to play in the game, before Nevada erased the lead with a 26-9 run over the next 11 minutes. Nevada cut it to single digits with an 8-2 run, including a pair of three-pointers by Babbitt, and took the lead for good, 56-54 with 5:05 to play on a three-pointer by senior Lyndale Burleson.
BABBITT OPENS ROOKIE CAMPAIGN STRONG
Freshman Luke Babbitt has opened his first season in the Silver and Blue in strong fashion, leading the team in scoring and rebounding. With a career-high 22 points Dec. 31 vs. North Carolina and 22 again Jan. 8 at New Mexico State, he regained the team scoring lead. He is averaging 15.2 points per game and stands just ahead of sophomore Armon Johnson (14.6 ppg). The McDonald’s High School All-American ranks seventh in the WAC and ninth among the nation’s freshmen in scoring. He has turned four 20-point games this season, surpassing a pair of 20-point efforts (at Montana State and vs. Oregon State) with his efforts against North Carolina and New Mexico State, and has led the team in scoring in eight of 16 games, including three of the last five. He has been in double figures for scoring in all but two contests this year, most recently hitting the game-winning three-pointer as time expired for 15 points in Saturday’s win at Louisiana Tech.
Babbitt also checks in at fifth in the WAC with 7.3 rebounds per contest. He has led the Wolf Pack in rebounding eight times this season, most recently matching his career high with 12 boards Jan. 8 at New Mexico State and turning in nine Jan. 10 at La Tech. He turned in his first career double-double in his collegiate debut, tallying 20 points and a career-high 12 rebounds Nov. 15 at Montana State, and notched his second with 22 points and 12 boards Jan. 8 at NMSU.
Babbitt has a chance to become the first Wolf Pack freshman to lead the team in scoring since Terrance Green paced the squad with 13.9 points per game in 1999-2000. He could also become the first freshman to pace the Wolf Pack in rebounding since Nick Fazekas averaged 7.6 boards per game in 2003-04. Since 1972-73, Nevada has never had a freshman lead the team in both categories, while the Wolf Pack has had just two rookies lead the team in scoring (Green & Edgar Jones in 1975-75) and two pace the squad in rebounding (Fazekas and Pete Padgett in 1972-73) in that span.
NATION’S TOP FRESHMEN SCORERS IN 2008-09
Name, School PPG
1. Seth Curry, Liberty 20.4
2. Sylven Landesberg, Virginia 18.5
3. Mike Rosario, Rutgers 17.4
4. Tyreke Evans, Memphis 16.4
5. Keith Gabriel, VMI 16.1
6. Willie Warren, Oklahoma 15.8
7. Paul George, Fresno State 15.5
8. Afam Muojeke, Wyoming 15.3
9. Luke Babbitt, Nevada 15.2
10. Courtney Fortson, Arkansas 14.4
11. Alex Young, IUPUI 14.0
12. Samardo Samuels, Louisville 13.6
WIPING THE GLASS
The Wolf Pack has outrebounded each of its last five opponents, including a 51-43 advantage over New Mexico State on Jan. 8 and a 41-38 edge Jan. 10 at Louisiana Tech. Nevada is now 6-3 on the year when outrebounding its opponents. Nevada was down 27-17 in the rebounding battle at the half but outboarded the Aggies 34-16 in the final 25 minutes. The 51 rebounds were one shy of the team's season high of 52 Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State. In addition to a team-leading and career high-tying 12 rebounds from freshman Luke Babbitt, sophomore Malik Cooke and junior Joey Shaw each tied their career bests with 10 and eight rebounds, respectively, Jan. 8 vs. the Aggies.
As a team, Nevada ranks second in the WAC in overall and offensive rebounding with 38.6 total boards per game and 12.63 offensive boards per contest. In WAC games, Nevada is pulling down a league-best 42.7 rebounds per game.
Freshman Luke Babbitt is the team’s top rebounder, checking in at fifth in the WAC with 7.3 boards per game. He has pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds twice this year (at Montana State and at New Mexico State). Sophomore Malik Cooke ranks second on the team and 12th in the WAC with 6.1 rebounds per contest, while Cooke is Nevada’s best offensive rebounder this season, checking in at second in the WAC with 3.06 offensive rebounds per game this year. Cooke has matched his career best with 10 rebounds twice this year, most recently Jan. 8 at New Mexico State (five offensive boards).
JOHNSON TURNS IT ON
Sophomore Armon Johnson is now second on the team and 10th in the WAC with 14.6 points per contest. The preseason WAC Player of the Year has paced the team in scoring four times this year, including a career-high 33 points on Dec. 20 at California, 21 points Dec. 6 vs. UNLV and a then career high-tying 23 Dec. 2 at Colorado State. In the last 11 games, Johnson has turned in 16.6 points per game (183 points).
Johnson has had a knack for big second halves this year, including 27 of his career-high 33 points in the second half at Cal and 14 of 20 in the second half and overtime Jan. 8 at New Mexico State. Against the Bears, he scored Nevada's first seven points of the half and 13 of its last 15 in the game. Johnson also scored 13 of his points in the second half Dec. 31 vs. top-ranked North Carolina, 14 of his 23 points in the second half Dec. 2 at Colorado State and 14 of 16 in the final 20 minutes Dec. 14 vs. Southern Illinois.
Johnson is also leading the team in assists for the second year in a row. He ranks sixth in the WAC with 4.1 assists per game this year and is second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.94, 66 assists and just 34 turnovers). He turned in seven assists with no turnovers in the Dec. 17 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff as well as the Jan. 10 win at La Tech and has had just one turnover in six other games this season. He dished out a career-high 11 assists in the Nov. 22 win over Oregon State. He also added 11 points vs. the Beavers for his first career double-double and the Wolf Pack’s first points-assists double-double since Ramon Sessions had 11 points and 10 assists in an 84-66 victory over Boise State on Jan. 15, 2005.
SUCCESS AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Nevada ranks second in the WAC in free throw percentage this season, knocking down 72.6 percent of its attempts from the line (278-383). Nevada made a season-high 87.5 percent of its free throws in its Dec. 14 win over Southern Illinois (21-24), besting its previous high of 87.1 percent Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State (27-31).
Freshman Luke Babbitt is shooting 82.2 percent from the line (60-73) to rank second in the WAC, including all eight of his attempts Dec. 14 vs. Southern Illinois and Dec. 27 vs. Idaho State. Junior Ray Kraemer has made 17-of-18 of his free throw attempts on the year (.944) and would lead the WAC, while junior Joey Shaw is shooting 82.4 percent (28-34) which would rank second, but both players fall short of the league’s 2.0 minimum per game. Sophomore Armon Johnson checks in at ninth in the WAC at 74.0 percent (57-77).
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Including three games this year (3-0 record), Nevada has won 55 of its last 57 games when holding its opponent to 60 points or less, including a 13-1 record in 2005-06, a 6-1 mark in 2006-07 and a 6-0 record in 2007-08. As a team, Nevada ranks sixth in the WAC in scoring defense, allowing its opponents 65.6 points per game.
Nevada held Sonoma State to a season-low 39 points on Dec. 9, while Southern Illinois came into its Dec. 14 game with the Wolf Pack ranked 14th in the nation in three-point percentage at 42.1 percent but was held to just 26.7 percent (4-15). New Mexico State came into the Jan. 8 game ranked first in the WAC and seventh in the nation in three-point shooting at 41.0 percent but was held to just 12.5 percent by the Wolf Pack (1-8).
WOLF PACK NEWS & NOTES
- Nevada tied its season high with nine three-pointers made and shot 47.4 percent from three-point land in Saturday’s win at Louisiana Tech (9-19). The 47.4 percent effort marked second-best three-point showing of the season, trailing only a 50.0 percent effort Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State (6-12).
- In Saturday’s win, Nevada got a career-high three treys from freshman Luke Babbitt (3-3), including the game-winner as time expired, while junior Brandon Fields made a season-best three (3-6) and senior Lyndale Burleson tied his career best with three (3-4).
- The Wolf Pack rallied from second-half deficits in each of its road wins last weekend and is now 3-5 on the year when trailing at the half. Nevada trailed 40-31 at halftime at New Mexico State before downing the Aggies in overtime. At Louisiana Tech, Nevada was down 35-24 at the half and trailed 45-30 with 16:36 to play in the game before rallying for the victory.
- Junior Brandon Fields led the team in scoring with 17 points (14 in the second half) in Saturday’s win at Louisiana Tech. That marked the third time this season that he has paced the team after doing so three times all of last year. He also scored a game- and season-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line Dec. 17 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and had 19 Jan. 3 vs. Idaho. Fields has turned in 12.9 points per game in the last seven contests (90), up from his average of 9.4 points per game this season (fourth on the team).
- Fields is tied with freshman Luke Babbitt for the team scoring lead in conference play with each player averaging 14.0 points per game in WAC games.
- Freshman Dario Hunt blocked a career-best five shots in Nevada’s Jan. 8 win at New Mexico State, besting his previous mark of four Dec. 31 vs. then top-ranked North Carolina. He is leading the WAC with 1.94 blocks per game. He has blocked at least one shot in 13 of 16 games this year, including 11 with two or more. Hunt already has 44 blocked shots this season, which is just 13 shy of the school freshman record of 44 set by Nick Fazekas in 2003-04.
- Nevada is getting 64.7 percent of its scoring (724 points) and 62.1 percent of its rebounding (374 rebounds) from its freshmen and sophomores this season.
- The Wolf Pack bench is averaging 22.3 points per game this season (356 points), and Nevada holds a 7-3 record when its bench outscores its opponent’s. In the last nine games, the reserves have turned in 26.4 points per contest (238). Juniors Brandon Fields and Joey Shaw are Nevada’s leading scorers off the bench this year, averaging 9.4 and 8.1 points per game to rank fourth and fifth on the team, respectively. Nevada got a season-high 48 points from its bench in its Dec. 17 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, including 21 points from Fields, nine from Shaw and a career-best eight from freshman London Giles.
- Sophomore Malik Cooke added a career-high 17 points Jan. 3 vs. the Vandals, the second time in three games that he had turned in a career best in scoring. He had a then career-high 15 points Dec. 27 against Idaho State and followed that up with 13 points Dec. 31 vs. North Carolina. Cooke made 6-of-10 attempts from the field, matching his career high with two three-pointers made, and went 3-of-3 from the free throw line in vs. the Vandals. With 12.4 points per game in the last five contests (62 points), he has moved into third on the team in scoring with 9.8 points per contest.
- Cooke set a career best with six steals Dec. 6 vs. UNLV and is tied for second in the WAC with 1.69 steals per game. The Wolf Pack turned in a season-high 12 steals in its Nov. 22 win over Oregon State with four by junior Joey Shaw and three apiece by freshman Luke Babbitt and Cooke, and matched that with 12 in the Dec. 17 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Cooke also added four steals Dec. 31 vs. No. 1 North Carolina. As a team, Nevada leads the WAC with 7.44 steals per contest.
- Nevada has had some up and down shooting nights this season and is now shooting 41.5 percent on the year. Nevada made a season-high 53.4 percent of its attempts from the field Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State, besting its previous high of 51.7 percent from the field Dec. 2 at Colorado State. Nevada also turned in a season high from three-point land vs. Sonoma State (.500, 6-12).
- All 12 players scored for Nevada en route to the team’s season-high 95 points Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State, led by freshman Luke Babbitt who had 16 on 6-of-10 shooting. Nevada also notched season bests for field goal percentage (.534), field goals made (31), three-point percentage (.500), free throws made (27) and attempted (31), free throw percentage (.871, 27-31 - since broken), rebounds (52), assists (24) and blocked shots (12) vs. the Seawolves.
- The Wolf Pack opened the year with a 2-3 record for the second consecutive season (now 9-7). Last year, Nevada turned in a 2-4 mark to start the year but won its next five games and finished the season with a 21-10 mark and a share of its fifth consecutive WAC regular-season championship. In 2003-04, Nevada also opened the year with a 2-3 mark. That year, the Wolf Pack opened the season with a win over Vermont before falling at then top-ranked Connecticut (both in the Preseason NIT). Nevada then turned in a 74-62 win at UNLV and dropped games at Portland and Pacific 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 TOP WAC TEAM OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
Over the last five seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 136-46 record, the most wins of any WAC team during that time (.747 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 70 games, the most in that same time period.
ON THE ROAD
Nevada has won 31 of its last 49 games away from the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center, including 26 road wins and five neutral-site victories (dating back to midway through the 2005-06 season). In 2006-07, 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 14 of its last 26 regular-season road contests and 25 of its last 38 and turned in a 7-9 road mark last season (4-3 this year). In 2006-07, 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 five seasons since the start of the 2004-05 campaign, the Wolf Pack has tallied a 42-19 record in road contests (.689 winning percentage). That includes a 28-8 record in WAC road games (.778).
FOX RETURNS FOR FIFTH SEASON
Nevada head coach Mark Fox holds a 111-37 career record in his five seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program (.750 winning percentage) and is already fourth in all-time wins at Nevada. He is the first coach in school history to lead his squad to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Nevada’s March 1, 2008 victory over Louisiana Tech gave 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’s 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. He was also one of 15 finalists for the 2007 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and was named the 2007 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.) 111-37 (.750)
5. Len Stevens (1987-93) 91-79 (.535)
6. Pat Foster (1993-99) 90-81 (.526)
UP NEXT
Following Thursday’s game with Boise State, Nevada continues its three-game homestand at Lawlor Events Center, playing host to Fresno State on Saturday, Jan. 17 and Hawai’i on Thursday, Jan. 22.
