Posted on: Tuesday, March 8, 2005
WAC MEN'S CAPSULES
Odds favor host Nevada
| • | 'Bows want to roll in Reno |
| • | Rainbows hope to fill big gap left by Abele |
| • | 2005 Men's WAC Basketball Tournament |
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Ten teams enter this week's Western Athletic Conference Tournament for men's basketball at Reno, Nev.
Only one team can win the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For now, all 10 teams probably feel like they have a shot, including the University of Hawai'i.
"Assuming every team steps it up and plays its best, this is a year with no clear-cut favorite," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said.
If any team has an advantage, it's Nevada. The Wolf Pack is the No. 1 seed, the home team, and the defending tournament champs.
"Right now, Nevada is the favorite and they're the home team so it's going to be hard to overcome them," Fresno State head coach Ray Lopes said. "But with everybody else, anybody can beat anybody. It should be a fun tournament."
A capsule look at each team, in order of seeding:
Records: 24-5 overall, 16-2 WAC Top players: Sophomore forward Nick Fazekas is the WAC Player of the Year. He leads the conference with 21.5 points per game and is third in rebounding with 9.4 per game. ... Senior center Kevinn Pinkney contributes 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. ... Point guard Ramon Sessions averages 5.3 assists per game and is the WAC Freshman of the Year. History: The Wolf Pack won its first WAC Tournament championship last year. It is hosting the tournament for the first time, and Nevada is 13-3 at home this season. Outlook: Betting is legal in Reno, and Nevada is the odds-on favorite to win the tournament. The Wolf Pack's two WAC losses were each by three points. Simply put, it's their tournament to lose. Records: 24-7 overall, 14-4 WAC Top players: Senior forward Omar Thomas averages 20.2 points per game. ... Senior point guard Filiberto Rivera averages 12.9 points and a WAC-best 7.2 assists per game. History: The Miners have won four WAC Tournament titles, but the last one came in 1990. They lost to Nevada, 66-60, in last season's championship game. Outlook: UTEP beat Nevada in Reno earlier this season. Senior leadership from Thomas and Rivera could give the Miners the best shot at taking it away from Nevada. Records: 18-10 overall, 12-6 WAC Top players: Senior forward Michael Harris is second in the WAC in both scoring and rebounding with 20.4 points and 11.8 boards per game. ... Senior guard Jason McKreith contributes 14.7 points and 3.7 assists per game. History: The Owls are 2-6 all-time in WAC Tournament games, and have never advanced to the championship game. Outlook: The Owls have made progress over each of the past three years, and this is supposed to be their payoff year with Harris and McKreith as fourth-year starters. Records: 15-13 overall, 9-9 WAC
Top players: Sophomore guard Ja'Vance Coleman is averaging 16.3 points per game, and leads the WAC with 72 3-pointers. ... Senior center Mustafa Al-Sayyad averages 11.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and leads the WAC with 66 blocked shots. History: The Bulldogs are 9-9 in WAC Tournament games, and had to forfeit their 2000 WAC Tournament championship. Outlook: The Bulldogs are the only WAC team to beat both Nevada and UTEP this season. Fresno State uses six freshmen in its regular rotation. Are they young and dangerous or too inexperienced? Records: 14-14 overall, 9-9 WAC
Top players: Sophomore forward Paul Millsap averages 20.3 points and a NCAA-best 12.3 rebounds per game. ... Junior Daevon Haskins contributes 8.2 points and 5.8 assists per game.
History: The Bulldogs are 1-3 in three previous WAC Tournaments. They joined the WAC in 2001-02, and have never advanced past the quarterfinals.
Outlook: LaTech may be the most unpredictable team in the field. It is capable of winning the tournament or getting blown out in the quarterfinals. Records: 14-13 overall, 9-9 WAC Top players: Junior point guard Bryan Hopkins averages 18.1 points and 4.0 assists per game, and leads the WAC with 56 steals. ... Senior center Eric Castro averages 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. History: The Mustangs joined the WAC in 1996-97, but have never played in the championship game of the WAC Tournament. Outlook: Nagging injuries contributed to an inconsistent regular season for SMU. The top players are all healthy now, but it may be too late for them to make a run. Records: 15-12 overall, 7-11 WAC Top players: Junior forward Julian Sensley averages 12.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. ... Sophomore guard Matt Gibson leads the team with 13.5 points per game. History: The Rainbow Warriors are the last team to win back-to-back WAC Tournament titles (in 2001 and 2002).
Outlook: The 'Bows are a dangerous No. 7 seed because eight of their WAC losses were by six points or fewer. However, Hawai'i is 0-6 all-time in Reno. Records: 13-17 overall, 6-12 WAC
Top players: Senior guard Jermaine Blackburn averages 15.3 points per game. ... Senior forward Jason Ellis averages 9.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. History: The Broncos are 2-3 in the WAC Tournament, and have never advanced past the semifinals. Outlook: The Broncos have not won more than two consecutive games all season, and it's not likely to happen this week. Records: 9-19 overall, 5-13 WAC Top players: Senior forward Jarius Glenn averages 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. ... Junior center Anthony Price adds 13.5 points per game. History: Tulsa won the WAC Tournament in 2003, but its overall record since then is 18-39. Outlook: Tulsa makes the most of what it has, which basically means they don't have much this season. Records: 6-22 overall, 3-15 WAC Top players: Senior forward Marquin Chandler averages 19.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. ... Junior guard Alex Elam adds 10.0 points per game. History: The Spartans are 1-7 in the WAC Tournament, and have never advanced past the quarterfinals. Outlook: It would be an accomplishment if the Spartans can even win their play-in game today against Hawai'i.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
Nevada
Texas-El Paso
Rice
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
Southern Methodist
Hawai'i
Boise State
Tulsa
San Jose State
