It has been a good WAC weekend

As for contests involving WAC teams this weekend, we are very glad to report that it was a good series of outcomes overall.


The Aggies notched a very good home win, done in convincing style, against a tough Oral Roberts squad:

Not even close
Shawn Harrison
Logan Herald Journal
December 30, 2007

After three down-to-the-wire finishes against Oral Roberts over the past two seasons, Utah State took care of business early Saturday night.

The Aggie men’s basketball team made sure this one was decided way before the second half even began. USU jumped on the Golden Eagles right out of the gate and cruised to a 76-55 win in front of 7,959 fans at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

“Oral Roberts had played some good teams and played some good basketball this year, so we feel really fortunate,” Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said. “It was a good win...”

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AND

Boise State notches the best win of the night, beating nationally ranked BYU and solidifying the thinking that the Broncos and Utah State are the teams to beat coming into conference play. But also don't forget Nevada with its threesome of Marcelus Kemp, JaVale McGee and Armon Johnson.

Broncos pull upset
Boise State edges BYU for first win over ranked opponent at home since 1998-99 season
Nick Jezierney
Idaho Statesman
12/30/07

Quietly, the Boise State men's basketball team had been putting together a good season that lacked only one thing - a signature victory.

The Broncos now can cross that off their to-do list.

BSU defeated No. 20 BYU 73-70 on Saturday night in front of a season-high 8,779 fans at Taco Bell Arena, earning the program's fourth win in school history against a ranked team and the first at home since beating No. 15 Washington during the 1998-99 season.

BSU (9-3) posted the best nonconference record of any WAC team and is the only one to beat a ranked foe. The Broncos open WAC play Wednesday at home against San Jose State.

"This win is huge for this program," BSU senior Matt Nelson said. "We had the (packed crowd) and we put on a good show for them. We beat a good team. That's what we wanted to do - we wanted to show these guys, the city, what we've been doing this year because we're putting together a pretty good season."

It was BSU's second game against a ranked team this season. The Broncos blew a 13-point lead and lost to unbeaten Washington State, which is ranked fourth. BSU's last win over a ranked team came in its WAC Tournament run in 2005, when the eighth-seeded Broncos beat No. 24 Nevada in Reno...

Go here for the remiander.

AND

Heck, even Louisiana Tech got into the act.

Tech men take down McNeese State
News-Star news services

RUSTON — Louisiana Tech got double-digit scoring from four different players and held on to a double-digit halftime lead en route to a 73-63 victory over McNeese State on Saturday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center.
"This was a good win for us tonight," Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "It's good to end the preseason on a high note and move in the right direction. We want to give a good effort and enthusiasm and compete the entire time."

Tech (3-9) shot 48.8 percent for the game, including a 7-of-12 outing from 3-point range (58.3 percent). It was the 10th win for the Bulldogs in their last 11 meetings with the Cowboys (6-6).

The Cowboys were dominant on the boards with a 40-25 edge, but the Bulldogs won the turnover battle as they only had eight in the contest. Tech also took care of business at the free throw stripe, knocking down 24 of 33 attempts, season highs in both categories...

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AND

Fresno played Stanford tough:

'Dogs short out vs. Cardinal
Fresno State sees shooting, defense on half of 7-foot twin tandem fail in defeat
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
12/29/07

STANFORD -- Fresno State accomplished half of its game plan, limiting Robin Lopez to six points and three turnovers. His playing time was limited because of foul trouble.

The second phase proved to be a more difficult task.

Brook Lopez, the other 7-foot twin from Memorial High, enjoyed a better outing against his hometown college, scoring a game-high 19 points with 12 rebounds.

And on a Saturday afternoon in which Fresno State failed to take advantage of one of its few offensive equalizers -- the 3-pointer -- the Bulldogs lost a chance to beat a Pac-10 school for the first time in three seasons, losing 55-48 at Maples Pavilion.

"We had good looks," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said. "We just didn't make them."

A crowd of 7,329 watched Fresno State, undersized at nearly every position, control the opening 8 minutes of the nonconference game then lose its chance at an upset. The Bulldogs converted 20% of their 3-pointers, which dominated their shot selection in the final minutes...

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