Boise State moves into first place (no, this is not someone's imagination)

Let's lead with the Boise State victory since the Broncos now reside in first place at the moment. But first the standings:

WAC standings

Boise State 10-3 -- 19-6 overall
New Mexico State 9-3 -- 15-12 overall
Utah State 8-3 -- 18-8 overall
Nevada 9-4 -- 17-9 overall
Hawaii 7-4 -- 11-12 overall
Fresno State 4-8 -- 11-15 overall
San Jose State 3-8 -- 11-13 overall
Idaho 3-10 -- 6-18 overall
Louisiana Tech 1-11 -- 4-20 overall

Broncos leave no doubt against Bulldogs
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
2/16/08

BOISE, ID -- This time, there was no errant pass or slip under the basket on defense.
Fresno State fell 84-72 Saturday night to Boise State because it never figured out how to stop Reggie Larry and Matt Nelson at Taco Bell Arena, their moves under and around the rim bewitching the Bulldogs for the second time in three weeks.

This time, the Broncos didn't need overtime or a late-game Fresno State turnover to beat the Bulldogs. All they needed in front of a home crowd of 5,268 fans was enough post scoring to lead by double digits early and in the second half, a contribution off the bench.

Larry led all scorers with 25 points, along with seven rebounds. Nelson had 16 points and eight rebounds. Reserve Mark Sanchez keyed a run in the second half, where he scored seven of his nine points...

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Or if you prefer the Idaho perspective:

Broncos win, move into first
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
February 17, 2008

Boise State knew where its advantage was Saturday night against Fresno State.

That's why the Broncos repeatedly fed Reggie Larry and Matt Nelson and rode their senior forwards to an 84-72 win over the Bulldogs in front of 5,268 fans at Taco Bell Arena.

Larry scored 25 points and Nelson added 16 as the Broncos swept Fresno State for the first time since joining the WAC.

"I don't want to sound conceited," Nelson said. "But I think with Reggie and I down there that we pretty much have the advantage in all of the games we play. We work hard and play well, it's what we do."

Boise State (19-6 overall, 10-3 WAC) moved into first place in the WAC, ahead of Utah State (18-8, 8-3). The Aggies lost at Hawaii 71-66 late Saturday.

The Broncos' inside dominance was magnified against the Bulldogs (11-15, 4-8), whose post players lack either the size or quickness to stay with the BSU duo. And once Nelson and Larry got Fresno State's bigs in foul trouble, their job was much easier...

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This is the big one of the evening, Hawaii winning with big man PJ Owsley not even playing:

Ags falter in 2nd half
Shawn Harrison
Logan Herald Journal
February 17, 2008

HONOLULU — It will go down as the one that got away.

Utah State had a 14-point lead with less than 10 minutes to play late Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. But there was too much time left.

Hawaii got back into the game with a 15-2 run, then finished off the comeback with a 10-1 surge down the stretch. The Rainbow Warriors held on for a thrilling 71-66 Western Athletic Conference victory over the Aggies in front of 4,849 fans.

It was thrilling for host Hawaii, but certainly not for USU.

“That’s disappointing and sad,” Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said. “We worked too hard to put ourselves in a position to win and then just ... I’m sure they feel like they won it. I feel like we lost it.”

USU (18-8, 8-3 WAC) could muster just nine points over the last 10 minutes of the contest. During that time, Hawaii scored 28 points to grab its fifth straight win at home.

“We just gave it away, handed them the game,” Morrill said. “We panicked.”

Turnovers and missed shots down the stretch helped spell doom for the Aggies...

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Or from the Hawaii perspective:

UH's second-half rally stuns Utah State, 71-66
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser
February 17, 2008

The roller-coaster season for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team took another thrilling turn last night.

The Rainbow Warriors rallied from a 14-point deficit in the game's final 10 minutes to score an improbable 71-66 victory over Utah State.

An energized crowd of 4,849 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows knock the Aggies out of first place.

"It's just one of those teams that no matter what the situation, we're never going to give up," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said.

Hawai'i — which was coming off a 20-point loss at Nevada — improved to 11-12 overall and 7-4 in the WAC with its fifth consecutive home victory. The 'Bows are still in fifth place, but just two games behind new leader Boise State (which is 10-3).

"To be able to beat one of the top teams in the conference when nobody gives you a chance to be successful, I think it speaks volumes for how hard these guys work every day," Nash said.

Utah State dropped to 18-8 and fell from first place to third at 8-3...

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and this:

Rainbow Warriors rally to beat Aggies
Jason Kaneshiro
Honolulu Star Bulletin
February 17, 2008

Generally, road wins in conference play are considered "steals."

Hawaii's home win over Utah State last night might fall under that category as well.

On a night when the school honored its past, the current Rainbow Warriors built on the celebratory atmosphere by storming back from a 14-point second half deficit to stun the Aggies 71-66 before a crowd of 4,849 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"To be able to beat one of the top teams in the conference when nobody gives you a chance, I think it speaks volumes for how hard these guys work every day," UH coach Bob Nash said. "It's just one of those teams that no matter what the situation is we're never going to give up. ... I think you saw evidence of that tonight."

The Rainbows (11-12, 7-4 WAC) were to leave this morning for a road trip to Fresno State and are among five teams vying for the league lead.

"Like Coach Nash always says, we control our own destiny," said swingman Riley Luettgerodt, who scored 16 points and came up with six steals.

Trailing 57-43 with 9:45 left, the Rainbows outscored the Aggies (18-8, 8-3) 28-9 the rest of the way to earn their fifth straight home win...

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and as for Nevada:

Pack basketball: Nevada's four-man show races past Idaho
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
February 17, 2008

MOSCOW, ID -- Four were enough for the Nevada basketball team Saturday night.

Only four players scored for the Wolf Pack as Marcelus Kemp broke loose for 32 points and JaVale McGee tied a career high with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Nevada to an 85-72 victory over Idaho in front of 1,817 fans at Cowan Spectrum. Brandon Fields' 21 points and Armon Johnson's 12 completed the scoring.

The game was the fifth in 10 days for the weary Pack, which gets a respite this week, but still has to hit the road again. After returning home today, Nevada will leave on Thursday and play Southern Illinois at Carbondale, Ill., in an ESPNU-televised BracketBuster on Saturday afternoon.

"We played a lot of guys so we'd have energy," said Nevada coach Mark Fox. "It's a tired team to be honest with you. These kids look like they're ready to go home.

"Early offensively, I thought we were sleep-walking. We talked a lot at the half about getting into a rhythm. We finally found a way to score on consecutive possessions."

Nevada raised its record to 17-9 overall and 9-4 in the Western Athletic Conference and Idaho fell to 6-18 overall and 3-10 in the WAC.

"It was a big win. Any win is big, but we needed to win coming off a loss (at Boise State)," Kemp said.

The Pack literally won the game at the foul line, where it hit 32-of-35 for a season-high 91.4 percent, on a night the Vandals had 27 field goals to Nevada's 24 and 10 baskets from 3-point range to Nevada's five. Kemp hit 15-of-16 from the line and Fields was 13-of-13.

"They were pounding us, hacking us," said Kemp, offering his explanation why the Vandals were called for 26 fouls to Nevada's 18.

In a game where there wasn't anything more than a four-point unanswered run for either team in the first 28 minutes, the Pack finally got a meaningful run going on a McGee 3-pointer that made it 54-52 with 11:56 left and started an 8-0 run. It was the 18th and final lead change of the game after there had been 11 ties...

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