NEVADA WOLF PACK (14-10, 7-4 WAC) at HAWAI’I WARRIORS (12-11, 4-7 WAC)
GAME #25
Sat., Feb. 14, 2009 - 7:05 p.m. HT (9:05 p.m. PT) - Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu, Hawaii
TELEVISION: KAME-TV 21, Comcast SportsNet California, ESPN Full Court & ESPN360.com
Rich Cellini (play-by-play) & Len Stevens (analyst)
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. HT (8:30 p.m. PT)
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads the series with Hawai’i 15-9.
LAST MEETING: Nevada has won the last six meetings between the two teams, most recently turning in a 74-63 victory over Hawai’i on Jan. 22 in Reno.
Coming off an 80-68 win at San Jose State on Thursday night, the Nevada Wolf Pack (14-10, 7-4 WAC) continues its road trip this weekend, traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii, to take on the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (12-11, 4-7 WAC) on Saturday, Feb. 14. Saturday’s game at the Stan Sheriff Center will tip off at 7:05 p.m. Hawaii Time (9:05 p.m. Pacific Time) and will be broadcast locally on KAME-TV 21, regionally on Comcast SportsNet California and nationally as part of ESPN’s Full Court package. It can also be heard on Nevada’s radio flagship, ESPN 630 AM, and affiliates throughout the state with Ryan Radtke calling the action. Nevada snapped its two-game losing streak with Thursday’s win over the Spartans and is in second in the WAC standings with a 7-4 record, while Hawai’i is tied for sixth at 4-7. The Wolf Pack has turned in a 4-1 record on the road in league play this season and heads to the islands looking to extend a six-game winning streak over the Rainbow Warriors. Following Saturday’s game with Hawai’i, Nevada takes a step out of WAC action to take on Virginia Commonwealth in the ESPNU BracketBusters on Friday, Feb. 20.
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.
ON THE ROAD
Nevada has won 33 of its last 52 games away from the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center, including 28 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 16 of its last 29 regular-season road contests and 27 of its last 41 and turned in a 7-9 road mark last season (6-4 this year, 4-1 in WAC play). 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 44-20 record in road contests (.688 winning percentage). That includes a 30-9 record in WAC road games (.769).
ABOUT THE HAWAI’I RAINBOW WARRIORS
Hawai’i brings a 12-11 overall mark and a 4-7 WAC record into Saturday’s game with Nevada. The Rainbow Warriors have won their last two games and three of their last four, including a 69-43 win over Fresno State on Feb. 5 and a 71-49 victory over Idaho on Feb. 7 (both in Honolulu). Under the direction of second-year head coach Bob Nash (23-30 record at Hawai’i), the Warriors returned one starter and five letterwinners from last year’s 11-19 team. Hawai’i finished fifth in the WAC last season with a 7-9 mark in league play.
Junior guard Roderick Flemings (6-7, 210), a transfer from Weatherford (Texas) College, is leading Hawai’i and ranked third in the WAC in scoring with 17.3 points per game. Junior forward Bill Amis (6-9, 220) is second on the team with 10.7 points per game and is the Warriors’ top rebounder with 5.9 boards per contest (12th in the WAC). Fleming is adding 5.8 rebounds per game.
IN THE SERIES
Nevada holds a 15-9 lead in the series with Hawai'i and has won the last six games between the two schools. The Wolf Pack took this year’s first meeting with a 74-63 victory on Jan. 22 in Reno, while last year, Nevada turned in a 77-59 victory over Hawai'i on Jan. 12 in Honolulu and an 88-68 win on Feb. 9 in Reno. Hawai’i has claimed a 9-3 advantage in games played at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, while Nevada has won three of the last four games there.
LAST TIME VS. HAWAI’I
Junior Brandon Fields and freshman Luke Babbitt each scored 19 points as Nevada turned back Hawai’i 74-63 Jan. 22 at Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada also got 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals from sophomore Malik Cooke for his first career double-double. Hawai’i got 14 points from Kareem Nitoto, 12 from Roderick Flemings and 10 from Petras Balocka.
Nevada led the entire game, but Hawai’i pulled within 52-46 with just under eight minutes to play on a three-pointer by Nitoto. Lasha Parghalava hit a trey to cut Nevada's lead to 65-57 with three minutes to play.
But the Wolf Pack went up 65-52 with 3:45 to play on a jumper in the lane by sophomore Armon Johnson. Babbitt scored inside and hit a free throw for a 3-point play and a 68-57 lead with 2:32 to go. Fields threw down a dunk off a feed from Babbitt for a 70-59 lead with a minute to play.
Nevada, which led 37-20 at halftime, jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes as Babbitt hit a pair of 3-pointers on a short jumper. Hawai’i turned the ball over four times in its first six possessions.
Johnson drained a 3-pointer and Cooke scored inside as Nevada built a 15-4 lead with 14:35 to go in the first half. Hawaii, though, cut Nevada's lead to 19-13 after a jumper by Bill Amis with nine minutes to play in the half.
Junior Ray Kraemer came off the bench for Nevada to score seven points in just three minutes. A 3-pointer by Kraemer gave Nevada a 37-18 lead with 1:45 to go in the half.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior forward Joey Shaw came off the bench to score 16 of his career-high 23 points in the first half, leading Nevada to an 80-68 victory over San Jose State on Thursday night.
Shaw nailed his first six shots, four of them from three-point range. He was 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from long range in the first half. For the game, Shaw was 9-of-13 overall and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Nevada got 17 points from sophomore Malik Cooke and 13 apiece from freshman Luke Babbitt and sophomore Armon Johnson as Nevada beat the Spartans for the 12th time in the past 13 meetings.
Robert Owens led San Jose State with 17 points, making 5-of-7 three-pointers. C.J. Webster added 15 points.
Shaw's fourth straight basket from beyond the arc gave Nevada a 30-20 lead with 7:59 left in the first half. His fifth straight, this one a turnaround 15-footer from the right corner, made it 36-21 with 5:10 left. Nevada, which snapped a two-game losing streak, built a 43-23 halftime lead, outshooting the Spartans 66.7 percent to 37.5.
San Jose State, using a pair of three-pointers from Owens, cut the margin to 46-35 with 17:02 left, but Nevada quickly responded.
Babbitt hit a jump-hook from the key, Johnson made two free throws, Shaw made a jumper from the right corner and Babbitt scored on a tip-in. That put Nevada ahead 54-37 with 13:34 left to play.
FINDING ITS TOUCH
Nevada appears to be finding its shooting touch over the last few weeks and has shot 48.4 percent from the field in its last four games (107-221), up from its season percentage of 42.5 percent. The Wolf Pack made a season-best 62.3 percent of its field goal attempts Thursday at San Jose State (33-53), including a blazing 66.7 percent in the first half (18-27). That bested its previous high of 53.4 percent Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State. Sophomore Malik Cooke is leading the squad and ranked ninth in the WAC in field goal percentage, knocking down 53.0 percent of his attempts this season (80-151), including an 8-of-9 effort Thursday at San Jose State.
The Wolf Pack is also shooting well from three-point land in recent games, connecting on 38.2 percent of its attempts (34-89). On the season, Nevada is shooting 29.3 percent from three-point land (117-399). The team has made at least seven three-pointers in four of its last five games, including an 8-of-14 effort Thursday at San Jose State (.471). Junior Joey Shaw made 5-of-8 long-range attempts to lead the team vs. the Spartans. Nevada has notched its season high of 50 percent in three-point percentage twice this year with a 6-of-12 effort Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State and a 7-of-14 showing Jan. 29 at Utah State. Nevada tied its season high with nine three-pointers made and shot 47.4 percent from three-point land in its. Jan. 10 win at Louisiana Tech (9-19). Against the Bulldogs, 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).
Babbitt is shooting 44.1 percent from three-point land this year (26-59), which would rank among the WAC’s leaders, but he falls short of the league minimum of 2.0 made per game. He has made all three of his attempts Jan. 29 at Utah State, tying his career best for three-pointers made, and was 2-of-2 Feb. 5 vs. Utah State. Cooke has made 50.0 percent of his three-point attempts (7-14).
BABBITT OPENS ROOKIE CAMPAIGN STRONG
Winner of two WAC Player-of-the-Week awards this season, freshman Luke Babbitt has opened his first season in the Silver and Blue in strong fashion, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding this season. The McDonald’s High School All-American is averaging 16.4 points per game and ranks fifth in the WAC as well as fifth among the nation’s freshmen in scoring. Babbitt is also leading the Pack in both categories in conference play, checking in at third in the WAC with 17.5 points and second with 7.7 rebounds per conference contest.
He has turned in seven 20-point games this season, including a career-best 24 points Jan. 31 at Idaho and 23 Feb. 5 vs. La Tech. He has also scored 22 points three times and has led the team in scoring in 11 of 24 games, including six of the last 13. He has been in double figures for scoring in all but two contests this year and hit the game-winning three-pointer as time expired for 15 points in the Jan. 10 win at Louisiana Tech.
Babbitt checks in at fifth in the WAC with 7.4 rebounds per contest. He has led the Wolf Pack in rebounding 13 times this season (including six of the last 10 games), most recently pulling down six boards Feb. 5 vs. La Tech. He has turned in five games with 10 or more rebounds, including a career-best 13 boards Jan. 17 vs. Fresno State. Babbitt also leads the Wolf Pack with five double-doubles, including 24 points and 10 rebounds Jan. 31 at Idaho. 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.
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. With 379 points on the year, he is also closing in on Nevada’s freshman scoring record of 457 points set by Edgar Jones in 1975-76.
NATION’S TOP FRESHMEN SCORERS IN 2008-09
Name, School PPG
1. Seth Curry, Liberty 20.3
2. Sylven Landesberg, Virginia 17.8
3. Mike Rosario, Rutgers 17.5
4. Tyreke Evans, Memphis 16.8
5. Luke Babbitt, Nevada 16.4
6. Paul George, Fresno State 15.9
7. Afam Muojeke, Wyoming 15.1
8. Willie Warren, Oklahoma 14.9
9. Courtney Fortson, Arkansas 14.6
10. Keith Gabriel, VMI 14.5
11. Samardo Samuels, Louisville 12.3
12. Alex Young, IUPUI 11.2
NEVADA’S ALL-TIME TOP FRESHMAN SCORERS
Name, Year Points
1. Edgar Jones, 1975-76 457
2. Nick Fazekas, 2003-04 429
3. Pete Padgett, 1972-73 416
4. Terrance Green, 1999-00 402
5. Luke Babbitt, 2008-09 393
6. Armon Johnson, 2007-08 379
7. Ric Herrin, 1989-90 273
HUNT SETS NEVADA ROOKIE RECORD FOR BLOCKED SHOTS
With 55 blocked shots already this season, freshman Dario Hunt has set Nevada’s freshman single-season record, passing the 44 rejections that Wolf Pack great Nick Fazekas had in his rookie campaign in 2003-04. Hunt leads the WAC and ranks 33rd in the country with 2.29 blocks per game overall, while he also paces the WAC with 3.00 blocks per league game. He has already climbed into a tie for third on Nevada’s single-season chart with 55 rejections. Hunt blocked a career-best six shots in a Jan. 31 win at Idaho, besting his previous high of five Jan. 8 at New Mexico State and Feb. 7 vs. New Mexico State. He has blocked at least one shot in 21 of 24 games this year, including 18 with two or more.
As a team, Nevada leads the WAC and ranks 25th in the nation with 5.25 blocked shots per game with a season high of 12 Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State. In conference play, the Wolf Pack leads the league with 5.09 blocks per game. In the last four games, Nevada has blocked an average of 6.6 shots per game, including nine Thursday vs. the Spartans.
NEVADA SINGLE-SEASON BLOCKS
Name, Year Games Blocks
1. Edgar Jones, 1977-78 27 96 (3.6 per game)
2. JaVale McGee, 2007-08 33 92 (2.8)
3. Dario Hunt, 2008-09 24 55 (2.3)
Greg Palm, 1981-82 28 55 (2.0)
5. Nick Fazekas, 2004-05 32 51 (1.6)
6. Nick Fazekas, 2005-06 33 49 (1.5)
7. Nick Fazekas, 2006-07 32 48 (1.5)
Greg Palm, 1980-81 26 48 (1.8)
WIPING THE GLASS
The Wolf Pack has outrebounded each of its last 13 opponents, including a 30-28 advantage Thursday at San Jose State. Nevada is now 11-6 on the year when outrebounding its opponents. The team outrebounded Idaho 44-32 on Jan. 31, and the +12 advantage vs. the Vandals was the second-highest rebounding margin for the Wolf Pack this season, surpassed only by a 14-board advantage Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State (52-38).
On Jan. 8 at New Mexico State, Nevada was down 27-17 in the rebounding battle at the half but outboarded the Aggies 34-16 in the final 25 minutes on Jan. 8 (51-43 in the game). The 51 rebounds were one shy of the team's season high of 52 Dec. 9 vs. Sonoma State.
As a team, Nevada leads the WAC in rebounding offense with 37.5 boards per game and ranks second in offensive rebounding with 12.50 offensive boards per contest. In WAC games, Nevada is also pulling down a league-best 38.6 rebounds per game.
Freshman Luke Babbitt is the team’s top rebounder, checking in at fifth in the WAC with 7.4 boards per game and second with 7.7 rebounds per league tilt. He pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds Jan. 17 vs. Fresno State and has tallied 12 in two other games this year (at Montana State and at New Mexico State). Sophomore Malik Cooke ranks second on the team and 10th in the WAC with 6.3 rebounds per contest, including a career-best 12 boards Jan. 31 at Idaho. Cooke is Nevada’s best offensive rebounder this season, checking in at second in the WAC with 2.88 offensive rebounds per game this year, and is averaging 6.9 boards per contest in league play (second on the team and tied for sixth in the WAC). Cooke turned in his first career double-double with 12 points and a then career-best 10 rebounds Jan. 22 vs. Hawai’i and has been in double figures for rebounds four times this season.
JOHNSON TURNS IT ON
Sophomore Armon Johnson is now second on the team and seventh in the WAC with 14.8 points per contest. The preseason WAC Player of the Year has paced the team in scoring eight times this year, including 27 points Feb. 5 vs. La Tech and a career-high 33 points on Dec. 20 at California. In the last 19 games, Johnson has turned in 16.1 points per game (305 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, 14 of 20 in the second half and overtime Jan. 8 at New Mexico State and 16 of 25 in the final 20 minutes Jan. 15 vs. Boise 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 in the second half Dec. 2 at Colorado State, 14 of 16 in the final 20 minutes Dec. 14 vs. Southern Illinois and 18 of 27 in the second half Feb. 5 vs. Louisiana Tech.
Johnson is also leading the team in assists for the second year in a row. He ranks fifth in the WAC with 4.29 assists per game this year and is third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.87, 1-3 assists and just 55 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 eight other games this season (most recently three assists and one turnover Jan. 31 at Idaho). 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.
FOX MOVES INTO THIRD IN ALL-TIME WINS AT NEVADA
With Nevada’s 69-65 win Jan. 31 at Idaho, Nevada head coach Mark Fox moved into sole possession of third on the Wolf Pack’s all-time wins list, passing Sonny Allen (114-89 record in seven seasons from 1980-87). Fox holds a 116-40 career record in his five seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program (.744 winning percentage). He is the first coach in school history to lead his squad to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament appearances, while his winning percentage ranks first among all of Nevada’s head coaches.
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. Mark Fox (2004-pres.) 116-40 (.744)
4. Sonny Allen (1980-87) 114-89 (.562)
5. Len Stevens (1987-93) 91-79 (.535)
6. Pat Foster (1993-99) 90-81 (.526)
SUCCESS AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Nevada ranks third in the WAC in free throw percentage this season, knocking down 72.3 percent of its attempts from the line (401-555). 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). The team has been over 80 percent at the line four times this year, most recently knocking down 85.7 percent of its attempts Thursday at San Jose State (6-7).
Freshman Luke Babbitt is shooting 83.0 percent from the line (93-112) to rank fifth 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 22-of-24 of his free throw attempts on the year (.917) and would lead the WAC, while junior Joey Shaw is shooting 77.8 percent (35-45) which would rank eighth, but both players fall short of the league’s 2.0 minimum per game. Sophomore Armon Johnson checks in at sixth in the WAC at 78.4 percent (87-111), including a perfect 7-for-7 night Feb. 5 vs. La Tech and 5-of-5 outing Thursday at San Jose State.
WOLF PACK NEWS & NOTES
- Junior Joey Shaw led four Wolf Pack players in double figures for scoring with a career-best 23 points Thursday off the bench at San Jose State, the second time this year that he has led the team in scoring and his second 20-point effort of the season.
- Thursday also marked the fifth time this season that Nevada has had four players in double figures for scoring. In addition to 23 from Shaw, sophomore Malik Cooke tied his career high with 17 points, while sophomore Armon Johnson and freshman Luke Babbitt each added 13 points.
- The Wolf Pack's 80 points in Thursday’s win at San Jose State also marked a season high in WAC play and was the most points for the team since an 87-58 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 17.
- Nevada has shot just 18 free throws in its last two games, including a season-low seven Thursday at San Jose State. That is down from its season average of 23.1 trips to the free throw line per game this season.
- Sophomore Malik Cooke has tied his career best for scoring twice this year, most recently turning in 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting Thursday at San Jose State. He also scored 17 Jan. 3 vs. Idaho, which was 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 vs. the Vandals. With 10.2 points per game in the last 13 contests (133 points), he has moved into third on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per contest.
- Nevada’s Feb. 5 game with La Tech marked the third time this year that the Wolf Pack has had two players score at least 20 points (at Colorado State and at New Mexico State were the other two games). Sophomore Armon Johnson led the team with 27 points, the second-most points of his career, while freshman Luke Babbitt added 23 points, just one off his career high of 24 set on Jan. 31 at Idaho. Babbitt was 9-of-11 from the field, including both of his three-point attempts, and made all three of his free throw attempts Feb. 5 vs. La Tech.
- Sophomore Malik Cooke nabbed five of Nevada’s nine steals Jan. 31 at Idaho, one short of his career high of six Dec. 6 vs. UNLV. Cooke ranks second in the WAC with 1.79 steals per game and 1.91 thefts per conference 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 and again Jan. 22 vs. Hawai’i. As a team, Nevada is tied for first in the WAC with 7.04 steals per contest.
- In WAC play, Nevada leads the conference in rebounding offense and ranks third in scoring offense, averaging 70.9 points and 38.6 rebounds per league game. Those numbers are up from 70.0 ppg and 37.5 rpg in all contests. The Wolf Pack also ranks second in the WAC in offensive rebounds in conference play (13.55).
- Nevada is third in the WAC in turnover margin at +1.33 and ranked 25th in the country with just 12.2 turnovers per game, including a season-low six Feb. 5 vs. La Tech and Nov. 15 at Montana State. Senior Lyndale Burleson has the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the squad at 2.25 (45 assists and just 20 turnovers) and would rank second in the WAC but falls short of the minimum of 3.0 assists per game. Burleson has not turned the ball over in 10 of 23 contests this season.
- The Wolf Pack is getting 66.8 percent of its scoring (1123 points) and 63.6 percent of its rebounding (572 rebounds) from its freshmen and sophomores this season.
- The Wolf Pack bench is averaging 21.7 points per game this season (520 points), and Nevada holds an 11-4 record when its bench outscores its opponent’s. In the last 17 games, the reserves have turned in 23.6 points per contest (402). Juniors Brandon Fields and Joey Shaw are Nevada’s leading scorers off the bench this year, averaging 8.8 and 8.0 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.
- Junior Brandon Fields has led the team in scoring four times this season, most recently tying freshman Luke Babbitt for the squad lead with 19 points in a Jan. 22 win over Hawai’i. He paced the team in scoring three times all of last year. Fields 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.
- Junior Ray Kraemer scored seven points in just five minutes Jan. 22 in the win over Hawai’i, making his only field goal attempt (a three-pointer) and knocking down all four of his free throw attempts.
- The Wolf Pack holds 3-6 mark on the year when trailing at the half. Nevada trailed 40-31 at halftime Jan. 8 at New Mexico State before downing the Aggies in overtime. On Jan. 10 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.
- Including four games this year (4-0 record), Nevada has won 56 of its last 58 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. Nevada held Sonoma State to a season-low 39 points Dec. 9.
- 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 14-10). 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 ONE OF TOP WAC TEAMS OVER LAST 5 YEARS
Over the last five seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 141-49 record, the second-most wins of any WAC team during that time (.742 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 75 games, the most in that same time period. The top three teams in wins (both overall and WAC) over the last five seasons:
Overall Record (Pct.) WAC Record (Pct.)
1. Utah State 142-43 (.768) 1. Nevada 75-20 (.789)
2. Nevada 141-49 (.742) 2. Hawaii 47-47 (.500)
3. Hawaii 95-78 (.549) 3. Fresno State 42-50 (.457)
UP NEXT
Following Saturday’s game at Hawai’i, Nevada returns home on Friday, Feb. 20 for its ESPNU BracketBusters matchup with Virginia Commonwealth. ESPNU will televise that game to a national audience with tip-off set for 6:02 p.m. Pacific Time. The Wolf Pack returns to conference play on Thursday, Feb. 26, traveling to Fresno State
