NEVADA WOLF PACK (13-9, 5-4 WAC) vs. IDAHO VANDALS (11-11, 3-7 WAC)
GAME #23
Wed., Feb. 10, 2010 - 8:05 p.m. PT - Cowan Spectrum (7,000) - Moscow, Idaho
TELEVISION: ESPN2
Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) & Adrian Branch (color)
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 7:30 p.m. PT
SERIES HISTORY: Nevada leads the all-time series with Idaho 33-23.
LAST MEETING: Nevada has won the last two meetings between the two teams, most recently turning in a 76-68 victory over Idaho on Jan. 16 in Reno.
Coming off a 76-65 loss at Utah State on Saturday, the Nevada Wolf Pack (13-9, 5-4 WAC) stays on the road this week, traveling to Moscow, Idaho, to take on the Idaho Vandals (11-11, 3-7) on Wednesday night. Wednesday's game at Idaho's Cowan Spectrum will tip off at 8:05 p.m. Pacific Time and will be televised nationally by ESPN2. It can also be heard live on Nevada's flagship radio station, ESPN 630 AM, with Ryan Radtke calling the action. Wednesday's game continues a stretch of five of seven games on the road for Nevada and is part of a string of seven of 10 away from home for the Wolf Pack, which has turned in a 2-7 road record this year (2-3 in WAC play). Nevada stands in fourth place in the WAC with a 5-4 league mark and has dropped its last two WAC road contests. Following Wednesday's game with the Vandals, the Wolf Pack returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 13, returning to Lawlor Events Center to take on Boise State at 7:05 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with Nevada's women's basketball team.
Under the direction of first-year head coach David Carter, the Wolf Pack returned three starters and a total of eight letterwinners from last year's 21-13 team, including the preseason WAC Player of the Year in sophomore forward Luke Babbitt who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season as a true freshman and preseason first-team All-WAC selection junior guard Armon Johnson who was second on the team in scoring and paced the Wolf Pack in assists last year. This season's team also features three seniors in guards Brandon Fields and Ray Kraemer and forward Joey Shaw as well as five new faces. Last season, Nevada turned in its sixth consecutive year with at least 20 wins and earned the team's seventh consecutive postseason appearance with an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational.
BABBITT NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Wolf Pack sophomore forward Luke Babbitt has been named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 8 university men's basketball first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Babbitt holds a 3.51 grade-point average and is majoring in pre-business administration. He will now be placed on the national ballot with the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team being announced later this season. He looks to become the first Wolf Pack men's basketball student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors.
The academic all-district team was selected by members of CoSIDA from the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Academic nominees must be at least a sophomore academically, contribute as a starter or significant reserve and maintain at least a 3.30 overall grade point average.
He is joined on the District 8 team by Kurt Cunningham of Boise State, Nedeljko Golubovic of Fresno State, Tyler Newbold of Utah State and Marc Trasolini of Santa Clara.
ON THE ROAD
Nevada has won 38 of its last 66 games away from the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center, including 32 road wins and six 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 20 of its last 41 regular-season road contests and 31 of its last 52. Nevada turned in an 8-5 road mark last season (6-2 in WAC play) and is 2-7 on the road (2-3 in WAC play) and 1-1 in neutral-site games so far this season, picking up its first win away from home with a 99-68 rout of Tulsa on Dec. 23 on a neutral court at the Las Vegas Classic. Since dropping its first five games away from home, the Wolf Pack has now won three of its last six, including two of its last four WAC road games.Earlier this season, the team played three consecutive road games and four of five away from the friendly confines of Lawlor Events Center. The stretch also included tough losses at UNLV on Nov. 18, VCU on Nov. 27 and No. 11/12 North Carolina on Nov. 29. During that three-game road stretch, Nevada racked up 5,731 travel miles.
In the last six seasons since the start of the 2004-05 campaign, the Wolf Pack has tallied a 48-27 record in road contests (.640 winning percentage). That includes a 34-12 record in WAC road games (.739). In 2006-07, the Wolf Pack 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.
ABOUT THE IDAHO VANDALS
Under the direction of second-year head coach Don Verlin (28-27 record in one-plus years at UI), the Idaho Vandals returned four starters and a total of six letterwinners from last year's 17-16 team. The Vandals finished in a tie for third in the WAC last season with a 9-7 conference mark. Idaho holds an 11-11 overall mark and is in seventh place with a 3-7 WAC record this season. The Vandals have won three of their last four games, most recently turning in a 79-55 victory at Boise State on Saturday night.
Senior guard Mac Hopson (6-2, 185) leads Idaho and ranks 12th in the WAC in scoring with 14.5 points per game. He is also adding 5.0 boards per game and checks in at third in the WAC with 4.71 assists per contest. Senior guard Kashif Watson (6-4, 186) is second on the team with 11.0 points per game, while senior center Marvin Jefferson (6-10, 250) paces the Vandals and is tied for 13th in the WAC with 5.9 boards per contest.
IN THE SERIES
Nevada leads the series with Idaho 33-23 and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two former members of the Big West Conference. The Wolf Pack turned in a 76-68 victory over the Vandals on Jan. 16 in Reno in this season's first meeting, while last year, the two teams split the regular-season meetings with each winning on the other's home floor. Idaho turned in a 78-73 victory over Nevada Jan. 3, 2009 in Reno, and Nevada repaid the favor with a 69-65 victory on Jan. 31, 2009 in Moscow.
Nevada has won the last four games played between the two teams in Moscow, including last year's 69-65 victory.
LAST TIME VS. IDAHO
Sophomore Luke Babbitt scored 19 points and junior Armon Johnson added 17 to lead Nevada to a 76-68 win over Idaho on Jan. 16 in Reno.
Babbitt also grabbed nine rebounds and went 7-of-10 from the field for the Wolf Pack, while senior Joey Shaw finished with 15 points and senior Brandon Fields scored 14.
Mac Hopson finished with 16 points to lead the Vandals. Steffan Johnson had 13 points and Luiz Toledo added 12.
Nevada led 45-39 with 16:50 left before going on a 10-2 run over the next four minutes.
Senior Ray Kraemer's 3-pointer with about 12 minutes to go put the Wolf Pack up 55-41. Idaho could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
The Vandals led 21-11 midway through the first half before the Wolf Pack responded with a 25-9 run to close out the period leading 36-30. Johnson had 10 points during the run and Babbitt had eight.
LAST TIME OUT
Tai Wesley scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Utah State defeated Nevada 76-65 on Saturday night in Logan, Utah.
Pooh Williams had 16 for Utah State, while Brady Jardine added 13 and Jared Quayle 12. Sophomore Luke Babbitt led Nevada with 20 points and nine rebounds. Junior Armon Johnson had 19 and senior Joey Shaw 14.
USU took a four-point halftime lead and extended to 58-44 with 8:10 to play after Wesley scored four consecutive inside shots and Jardine followed up two missed shots for rebound buckets. Nevada got as close as 69-62 after Shaw hit a three-pointer but could not slow USU in the closing minutes.
Utah State grabbed 21 offensive rebounds in the game, 12 in the second half, while the Wolf Pack only had six offensive boards in the second half. USU also managed the ball well, with 18 assists and only four turnovers.
NEVADA TO HOLD RAMON SESSIONS NIGHT FEB. 13
Nevada will honor the former Wolf Pack star Ramon Sessions prior to its game with Boise State on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada will give Sessions, who is currently playing with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, the Senior Night he never had and present him with his jersey prior to the game.
Sessions helped Nevada to WAC regular-season championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his three seasons at Nevada from 2004-07. A finalist for the 2007 Bob Cousy Award which is annually presented to the top point guard in the country, he earned second-team All-WAC honors after averaging 12.3 points and 4.7 assists per game that season. He led the Wolf Pack in assists in each of his three years at Nevada and finished his career ranked second in the Nevada career record book with 478 assists. The 2005 WAC Freshman of the Year, Sessions started 94 of 97 career games at point guard at Nevada before leaving school after his junior year to enter the NBA Draft.
Sessions was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft. During his rookie season, the Myrtle Beach, S.C., native set a franchise record with 24 assists in a game and became the first Bucks player to notch 20 points and 20 assists in the same game. The next year, he led Milwaukee and ranked 18th in the NBA with 5.7 assists per game. This seasons, he signed a four-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and is averaging 7.6 points and 3.1 assists per game.
Since leaving the University of Nevada, Sessions has remained active in the northern Nevada community. Last June, he returned to Reno to host a basketball camp and has been a speaker at the Wolf Pack's basketball camps each summer. He has also helped the Wolf Pack coaching staff raise money for the American Cancer Society by attending the Suits and Sneakers Ball each spring.
ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS
Nevada will travel to Springfield, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 20 to take on the Missouri State Bears in the ESPNU BracketBusters. ESPN2 will televise the game at Missouri State's JQH Arena to a national audience with tip-off set for 2 p.m. Central Time (12 p.m. Pacific).
This year will mark Nevada's seventh appearance in the ESPNU BracketBusters, an event which was created in 2003 in conjunction with the Western Athletic Conference, ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences to match potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other. This year will mark just the second time in Nevada's seven appearances that the Wolf Pack will play on the road in the ESPNU BracketBusters, while the team has turned in a 5-1 record in its previous six BracketBusters appearances.
As part of the BracketBusters agreement, Missouri State will travel to Reno to play the Wolf Pack in 2010-11.
Four WAC teams will have televised games in this year's event, including Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State and Utah State. In addition to Nevada, Louisiana Tech will travel to play Northeastern on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2, New Mexico State travels to play Pacific on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. PT on ESPNU, and Utah State will host Wichita State at 10 p.m. MT on ESPN2. The other five WAC teams that were not selected to compete in a BracketBusters television game will play non-conference opponents that day.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD
Nevada leads the WAC in scoring offense and ranks 16th in the NCAA this season at 80.3 points per game, up from its average of 70.6 ppg last year. Four Wolf Pack players are averaging in double figures for scoring this season, and three are ranked in the WAC's top 15. Sophomore Luke Babbitt is leading the team and is tied for third in the WAC at 21.4 points per game (17th in the NCAA), while junior Armon Johnson is seventh in the WAC at 15.9 points per game and senior Brandon Fields ranks 11th at 14.6 points per contest. Senior Joey Shaw is just out of the WAC's top 15 at 10.6 points per game.
Nevada turned in three of its top four scoring efforts of the season with 104 points in its Dec. 22 loss to BYU, 99 points in the following day's victory over Tulsa and 96 in its 96-67 win over San Jose State on Jan. 9. The team has averaged 81.1 points per game in its last 16 contests (1297). This season marks the first time since 1997-98 that the team has topped the century mark twice in the same year, while its two 100-point efforts are the top two scoring efforts in the WAC so far this season. The Pack's 96 points Jan. 9 vs. San Jose State were also the most for Nevada in a WAC game since the team's 98-85 win over New Mexico State on Feb. 28, 2008 in Reno.
Nevada's season-high 112 points in its Nov. 21 win over Houston marked the most for the Wolf Pack since the team turned in a 117-88 win over Northwestern State on Dec. 19, 1991. The team's 61 points in the first half also mark the most points in a half since Nevada scored what is believed to be a school-record 71 points in the second half of a 117-88 win over Northwestern State on Dec. 19, 1991.
The Wolf Pack has had four different players lead the team in scoring this year. Sophomore Luke Babbitt has paced the Wolf Pack in scoring a team-best 14 times this year, including the last six games and 12 of the last 14. Most recently, he turned in 26 Jan. 4 at New Mexico State and Jan. 13 vs. Utah State, 19 Jan. 16 vs. Idaho, a season high-tying 29 Jan. 20 at Boise State and Jan. 23 at Fresno State and 20 Jan. 30 vs. Hawai'i and Saturday at Utah State. Babbitt also scored a season-best 29 points to pace the team Dec. 17 vs. Eastern Washington.
Junior Armon Johnson has led the team in scoring five times, including a season-high 30 points Dec. 22 vs. BYU (also a team season high) and 23 in the Jan. 9 win over San Jose State. Johnson also paced the Pack in three straight games with 20 points Nov. 29 at then No. 11/12 North Carolina, 18 Dec. 5 at Pacific and 19 Dec. 8 vs. Fresno Pacific. Senior Brandon Fields had 22 in a Nov. 18 loss at UNLV and 20 Dec. 12 vs. South Dakota State, while senior Joey Shaw turned in his career-best 26 in the Nov. 14 win over Houston.
Nevada has had at least four players in double figures for scoring in 15 of its 22 games this year, including two with five (Houston and BYU). The Wolf Pack had three players reach the 20-point plateau in each of those contests.
NEVADA'S 1,000-POINT SCORERS
With a free throw late in the second half Jan. 23 at Fresno State, sophomore Luke Babbitt became the 21st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Babbitt now has 1,045 career points (19th all time at Nevada) and is one of eight players in school history to reach the mark in only two seasons. Babbitt joins junior Armon Johnson and senior Brandon Fields in that elite club, marking the first time in school history that Nevada has members of the 1,000-point club on its roster in the same season.
With his 19 points on Jan. 9 vs. San Jose State, Fields reached the 1,000-point mark and now has 1,099 points in 120 career games (16th). Johnson scored his 1,000th career point Dec. 5 at Pacific and currently ranks 12th all time at Nevada with 1,256 points in 89 career games.
BABBITT PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF LAST YEAR
Sophomore forward Luke Babbitt has just picked up where he left off last season, leading the Wolf Pack again in scoring and rebounding this year. He ranks tied for third in the WAC with 21.4 points per game (17th in the NCAA) and first in the conference at 9.9 boards per contest (26th in the nation in rebounding). He also ranks second in the WAC in scoring and first in rebounding in conference games only, turning in 23.7 points and 10.3 boards per league tilt.
The Nevada southpaw turned in a season-high 29 points in a Dec. 17 victory over Eastern Washington, just one point shy of his career best, including 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the first half. He pulled down nine rebounds in the game to lead the Pack but saw his stretch of seven consecutive double-doubles snapped. He has also matched that season high twice recently, turning in 29 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field (including 2-of-2 from three-point land) and 11-of-11 shooting from the free throw line Jan. 20 at Boise State and scoring 29 on 11-of-19 shooting Jan. 23 at Fresno State.
Babbitt ranks fifth in the nation with 14 double-doubles and has had nine or more rebounds in all but four games this season. Babbitt has turned in a double-double in six of the last nine games, most recently adding 29 points and 10 rebounds Jan. 20 at Boise State and recording the game totals Jan. 23 at Fresno State.
Babbitt has had 25 career games with at least 20 points (including 14 this year and 11 of the last 12 games) and has led the team in scoring 29 times in his young career (15 times last year and 14 this season). He has scored in double figures in 53 of 56 career games at Nevada, including all 22 contests this year. In the last 12 games, Babbitt is averaging 23.3 points per contest (279). The preseason WAC Player of the Year, Babbitt was named to the preseason watch lists for the 2009-10 John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy. Both awards are annually presented to the top player in college basketball.
Babbitt turned in 27 points to go along with 13 rebounds Nov. 27 at VCU, scoring 23 of his 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the second half in Nevada's near comeback. He also had 14 points and a career-best 17 rebounds Nov. 21 vs. Houston and opened the year with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting in the team's Nov. 14 win over Montana State.
Babbitt, a 6-9, 225-pound forward from Reno, Nev., was named the 2009 WAC Freshman of the Year last season after leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.9 points and 7.4 boards per game. An all-district selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball Writers Association, he ranked second among the nation's freshmen in scoring last year behind only Liberty's Seth Curry (20.2 ppg). Babbitt finished third in the WAC in scoring and rebounding and led the league in free throw shooting. Babbitt also set nearly every Wolf Pack freshman single-season record, including scoring with 573 total points.
KRAEMER LIGHTS IT UP FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Senior Ray Kraemer leads the WAC and ranks 11th in the nation in three-point percentage, knocking down 48.2 percent of his long-range attempts (41-85). He has shot 50.0 percent in the last 12 games (26-52), including a 4-of-4 outing Jan. 13 vs. Utah State to match his career best for three-pointers made. He has drained a career-best four trey three times this season with 4-of-6 efforts Nov. 21 vs. Houston and Dec. 22 vs. BYU and the 4-of-4 showing vs. the Aggies.
Kraemer has made at least one three-pointer in 19 of 22 games this season, including 11 contests with more than one. He has already made 41 three-pointers this season, surpassing the 23 he had in his first two seasons combined.
At 43.5 percent for his career (64-147), he ranks second in career three-point percentage at Nevada, just behind Byron Strachan who made 45.0 percent (68-151) from 1986-88.
SHOOTING TOUCH
Nevada leads the WAC and ranks 15th in the nation in field goal percentage, knocking down 48.6 percent of its field goal attempts, compared to just 42.7 percent from the field last season. The Wolf Pack has shot 49.3 percent from the field in its last 12 games (382-775), including a 58.8-percent effort Dec. 22 vs. BYU and a 56.3-percent showing Dec. 23 vs. Tulsa.
The Wolf Pack has shot over 50 percent in 10 of its 22 games this season and holds a 9-1 record in those games. Nevada shot a sizzling season-high 60.9 percent in its Nov. 21 victory over Houston. That marked the team's first 60-percent effort since a 62.3-percent shooting night at San Jose State on Feb. 12, 2009.
Nevada's roster features two players ranked in the WAC's top 15 for field goal percentage. Sophomore Luke Babbitt is ranked 12th in the WAC and 49th in the nation at 52.8 percent, and junior Armon Johnson checks in at 15th at 50.0 percent.
Nevada has also checked in at 35.6 percent from three-point land this season after shooting just 30.6 percent from long range a year ago. The Wolf Pack has made 50 percent of its three-point attempts five times this year (6-of-12 at UNLV, 11-of-22 vs. Houston, 9-of-18 vs. Tulsa, 9-of-18 Jan. 13 vs. Utah State, 7-13 Jan. 20 at Boise State) and made nine in its Jan. 4 win at New Mexico State (45.0 percent, 9-20). The 11 three-pointers made vs. Houston marked the most for Nevada since it made 11 in a Feb. 9, 2008 win over Hawai'i.
ASSISTS MACHINE
Junior guard Armon Johnson leads the WAC and ranks 30th in the nation this year with 5.45 assists per game this year. The leftie dished out a career-best 12 assists Nov. 21 vs. Houston for his second career double-double and matched that career high with 12 assists in a Jan. 30 win over Hawai'i. He also had eight assists in a Dec. 17 victory over Eastern Washington and turned in nine assists Jan. 13 vs. Utah State. Johnson also leads the WAC with 6.3 assists per game in league play. Last year, Johnson turned in 11 points and 11 assists in a win over Oregon State, which marked Nevada's first points-assists double-double since Ramon Sessions had his lone career double-double in 2004-05 vs. Boise State (11 points and 10 assists). Johnson's 12 assists in the team's wins over Houston and Hawai'i are still the most by a WAC player so far this season.
With his seven assists in the Dec. 8 win over Fresno Pacific, Johnson entered the Nevada career chart for assists and currently ranks seventh with 376 career assists. He has also become just the sixth player in Wolf Pack history to turn in 1,000 points and 250 assists in his career. Only Nevada standouts Marcelus Kemp, Pete Padgett, Darryl Owens Kevin Soares and Matt Williams have previously scored at least 1,000 points and dished out 250 or more assists as members of the Wolf Pack. Johnson was on the preseason watch list for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award, which is annually presented to the top collegiate point guard in the country.
A 2009 first-team All-WAC selection, Johnson has led the Pack in scoring five times this year and checks in at seventh in the WAC in scoring with 15.9 points per game this season. He scored a season-high 30 points in the Dec. 22 game with BYU, his second career 30-point game and just three points shy of his career best of 33 last year vs. California. He has also turned two other 20-point games this year, including 22 points in the Nov. 21 win over Houston and a game-high 23 Jan. 9 vs. San Jose State.
HUNT COMING INTO HIS OWN
Sophomore forward Dario Hunt has continued to improve and is averaging 6.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game (ninth in the WAC) this season, up from 3.6 points and 4.4 boards per game last season. He had the best weekend of his young Wolf Pack career, averaging 11.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in Nevada's East Coast swing to VCU and North Carolina. He turned in his first career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds Nov. 27 at VCU (both career highs). Two nights later, he set another career high for scoring with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and nearly missed his second career double-double with nine rebounds Nov. 29 at No. 11/12 North Carolina. Hunt has since broken his career scoring high, turning in 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 free throw shooting Dec. 22 vs. BYU. He also pulled down nine boards in the game against the Cougars. He had 11 rebounds Jan. 2 at Louisiana Tech and added 12 points Jan. 4 at New Mexico State.
The WAC's leader last year, sophomore Dario Hunt is second in the league in blocked shots this year with 2.23 per game (37th in the NCAA), including a career-high matching six Jan. 13 vs. Utah State and again Jan. 30 vs. Hawai'i, five in the season opener vs. Montana State and three in five other games. He has blocked at least one shot in 48 of 56 career games (20 of 22 contests this season) and has turned in 33 career games with more than one block, including six with five or more. Hunt has 116 blocks in his career (in 56 games, 2.07 per game), which already ranks fifth on the Nevada career list. Hunt's 67 blocks last season set the school freshman record and ranked third in the Nevada single-season record book.
CARTER WINS HIS HEAD COACHING DEBUT
Nevada's Nov. 14 win over Montana State gave Nevada head coach David Carter his first career victory, and he is now 13-9 in his first year as the Wolf Pack's mentor. He became the eighth head coach in school history to win his first game, joining recent head coaches Trent Johnson and Mark Fox who also won their Wolf Pack coaching debuts.
After spending 10 years as an assistant on the Wolf Pack bench, including the last five as Nevada's associate head coach, Carter was named the 17th head coach in the history of the Nevada men's basketball program on April 3, 2009, just one day after fifth-year head coach Mark Fox announced that he was leaving Nevada after five seasons for the University of Georgia. Carter has been an integral part of Nevada's five WAC regular-season championships and seven postseason appearances, including four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004-07. Carter was also recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation, making FOXSports.com's list of the top 10 Mid-Major Assistant Coaches in 2007-08 and being named the best assistant coach in the Western Athletic Conference in Street's & Smith's 2004-05 College Basketball National Preview.
WOLF PACK NOTES
- The 65 points in Saturday's loss at Utah State were a low for Nevada in WAC play this year. The Wolf Pack has averaged just 65.5 points per game in its last two contests, down from its WAC-leading average of 80.3 ppg.
- Nevada has shot 80.8 percent from the free throw line in its last two games (21-26) after shooting just 63.4 percent from the charity stripe in its previous three (64-101). That stretch included a season-low 50.0 percent (9-18) in its Jan. 13 overtime loss to Utah State.
- Sophomore Luke Babbitt ranks second in the WAC and 13th in the nation at 89.1 percent from the free throw line this year (115-129), including a 10-of-10 effort Nov. 18 at UNLV and 11-of-11 showings Jan. 9 vs. San Jose State and Jan. 20 at Boise State. In the last 11 games, Babbitt has made 68-of-76 free throw attempts (89.5 percent), while his miss in the second half Jan. 4 at New Mexico State snapped a stretch of 22 straight made free throws for him. Last year, Babbitt led the WAC in free throw percentage and ranked 24th in the country last year as a freshman at 86.4 percent.
- Babbitt has made 87.5 percent of his career free throw attempts (267-305) and ranks second in career percentage at Nevada behind only Jimmy Carroll (.881, 1996-98).
- The Wolf Pack still ranks second in the WAC with 37.8 boards per game but has averaged just 34.8 rebounds per contest since starting WAC play. The team has pulled down only 32.4 rebounds per game in its last five contests (162).
- Nevada has been outrebounded in five of its last six games and tied Fresno State in rebounding on Jan. 23 in the only other game in that stretch. Prior to the last six games, the team had outrebounded its previous 11 opponents. Nevada is 9-4 when outrebounding its opponent this season.
- Nevada has two players ranked in the WAC's top 10 in rebounding. Sophomore Luke Babbitt leads the WAC and ranks 24th in the nation with 9.9 rebounds per game, while sophomore Dario Hunt checks in at ninth in the WAC at 7.2 boards per contest. Four Wolf Pack players set or tied career bests for rebounding in the season-high 57-rebound performance vs. Houston, including a career-high 17 by Babbitt, a career best-tying nine by senior Joey Shaw and Hunt (since broken) and a career high-matching seven by junior Armon Johnson.
- Fields is turning in 14.6 points per game this season (third on the team and 10th in the WAC), up 5.2 ppg from his average of 9.4 last year. He tied his career best with four three-pointers made Jan. 23 at Fresno State and Jan. 30 vs. Hawai'i.
- The Wolf Pack is now 6-7 in games decided by 10 points or less and has lost its nine games this year by an average of just 8.0 points per contest (72).
- The Wolf Pack leads the WAC with 4.59 blocked shots per game after leading the conference in the category with 4.79 per tilt last season. Nevada blocked a season-high 11 shots Jan. 13 vs. Utah State with sophomore Dario Hunt matching his career best with six rejections and sophomore Luke Babbitt setting a career high with four blocks. Hunt checks in at second in the WAC with 2.23 blocked shots per game and also had six blocks in the Jan. 30 win over Hawai'i.
- In addition to its 10-1 home mark, Nevada has put up some gaudy offensive numbers at Lawlor Events Center this season. The Wolf Pack is averaging 82.1 points per game and shooting 51.1 percent from the field in its 10 home games. Sophomore Luke Babbitt is averaging 20.5 points per home game, while senior Brandon Fields and junior Armon Johnson are adding 15.9 and 15.7 ppg, respectively. Johnson is shooting the ball particularly well at home, making 56.6 percent of his shots at Lawlor (73-129). He has also dished out 6.7 assists per home game. Senior Ray Kraemer is knocking down 50.0 percent of his three-point attempts at home (23-46), including a perfect 4-of-4 outing Jan. 13 vs. Utah State.
- Sophomore Keith Olson saw the first action of his Wolf Pack career Dec. 19 vs. Wagner, turning in five points on 2-of-4 shooting and pulling down four rebounds in 11 minutes. The Gardnerville, Nev., native and Douglas High School graduate transferred to Nevada from Northern Arizona and sat out the first semester due to NCAA rules.
- Sophomore London Giles turned in a career-high six assists in 10 minutes of action in the Dec. 17 Wagner game, while senior Brandon Fields matched his career high with five. The pair accounted for 11 of Nevada's 19 assists in the contest.
- The contest-cinching three-pointer that senior Brandon Fields hit to with 4.3 seconds left in its Dec. 17 victory over Eastern Washington marked the first game-winning field goal for Fields in his Nevada career. He had been 0-of-5 from three-point land in the game before nailing the shot.
- All 11 of the Wolf Pack players who saw action in the Dec. 12 win over South Dakota State scored at least two points, including freshman Keith Fuetsch who scored the first four points of his career. Ten of 11 players scored in the Dec. 8 win over Fresno Pacific. The Wolf Pack got two of its three highest bench scoring outputs recently, including a season-high 26 bench points in the Dec. 8 win over Fresno Pacific and 22 in the Dec. 12 victory over South Dakota State. Nevada also got 23 bench points in its Nov. 21 victory over Houston. Senior Ray Kraemer is Nevada's leading scorer off the bench, turning in 6.6 points per game.
- Freshman Marko Cukic turned in season highs with six points on 3-of-3 shooting and five rebounds Dec. 5 at Pacific and bested those marks in the Dec. 8 win over Fresno Pacific with seven points and six boards.
- Sophomore Luke Babbitt was on the preseason watch list for the Wooden Award, marking the fourth time in five seasons that Nevada has had a player considered for that prestigious award with Marcelus Kemp making the preseason list in 2007-08 and Nick Fazekas in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Fazekas was named to the final ballot for the Wooden Award in each of those years and in 2006-07, he was named one of 10 Wooden Award All-Americans and finished eighth in the final voting for the award.
UP NEXT
Following Wednesday's game at Idaho, Nevada will return home for a pair of games, playing host to Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 13 and Fresno State on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Saturday's game will be part of a doubleheader with the Wolf Pack women taking on Utah State at 4:30 p.m. that day.
