Wednesday's bunch o' links

Kyle Goon quotes a national source about the Utah State non-conference schedule.

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Louisiana Tech is making sure things are lively in the upcoming matchup with Idaho. By the way, when is the local/regional press going to recognize what Coach White and his staff have accomplished so quickly? It's not like LSU deserves all that much print this season.

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Shawn Harrison writes that stepping up is not just a gym exercise.

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Texas State Sports interviewed Coach Doug Davalos and Bobcats Matt Staff and Vonn Jones.

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Jason Groves checks in with a contenders/pretenders column as a number of teams will find out about themselves by Sunday.

Thursday's roundup: last night games, tonight's contests and signings

Louisiana Tech faced the challenge of Arkansas Little Rock last night and turned back the visitors 70-52. Cordarius Johnson exploded for 17 points on 7-11 shooting while point Kenneth Smith produced a seven point, seven rebound, six steal, five assist line. LT shot only 36% but forced 19 TOs.

LT athletics serves up the game report, including a post-game interview with Coach Mike White.

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Denver and Texas A&M Corpus Christi met up last evening and the elevation squad topped the coastal dwellers 68-51. Chris Udofia produced 17 points and seven rebounds with guard Brett Olsen totaled 11 points. Coach Joe Scott is employing junior Blake Foeman as his big and he stands 6-foot-7 205 pounds (similar to the numbers for Udofia).

SB Nation Denver and Denver athletics provide game reports.

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Utah State hosts St. Mary's tonight. Kraig Williams, Kyle Goon and Shawn Harrison all preview.

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New Mexico State welcomes Southeastern Louisiana. Jason Groves provides his pre-game take and prediction plus another look.

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Host San Jose State University has a challenge with Weber State coming to town. From WS athletics: "...The Wildcats are 1-0 and coming off a 110-52 win over Arizona Christian in the season opener last Friday at home.  WSU host 64 percent from the field and had seven players in double figures in route to the 58 point win, the second largest in school history..."

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Chuck Stark profiles Seattle backcourter Jarell Flora.

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Denver signed small forward and in-state talent Drick Bernstine -- Pioneer athletics has the details. Here is Bernstine's Twitter account. His first name actually is Roderick.

An evaluation from noted analyst Gerry Freitas: "Bernstine is an athletic combo forward who can run and jump. He handles it ok and is a very consistent driver. He shoots it ok with 3-point range and is a solid rebounder. Bernstine’s ultimate level is somewhere in the low to mid major range."

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Coach Mike White netted the signatures of an in-state backcourter and a frontcourter from the Motor City -- LA TECH athletics offers the background. The Shreveport Times has more.

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Texas San Antonio athletics covers the signing of Luke Wilshire.

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Kyle Goon notes Utah State's two signings -- a big and a legacy commit.

Matt Sonnenberg ventures into similar territory.

The 7-footer will redshirt next season while Moore will soon become an all-leaguer. He's a tremendous addition as the Aggies enter the Mountain West Conference

Tuesday's WAC basketball digest

Louisiana Tech athletics offers a preview of this year's squad, with some player attribute updates.

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2013 Backcourter Trey Dickerson lists an offer from Seattle. From New York City and also Los Angeles, here's a profile. It looks like he is doing a prep year in Dallas.

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In a solid p.r. gesture, New Nexico State is inviting basketball season ticketholders to a practice.

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From Frank Woodford's latest (a Rivals sub is required):

Zylan Cheatham - 2014 Small Forward from Westwind Prep -
...The six-foot-seven forward wowed the crowd with his athleticism and competitiveness, no one wanted to tell Cheatham that this was only a showcase. The small forward's greatest attribute is his effort and motor. He accedes at playing as a point forward, he is creative and showed good creativity over the weekend. There were many times the forward skied for a rebound, and then took the ball coast to coast for a dunk. Defensively, Cheatham was all over the court, blocking shots, rebounding and playing the passing lanes. The area that he must improve however is his outside shooting...

Jake Toolson - 2014 Shooting Guard from Highland High School -
...he is a terrific one on one player that utilizes several go-to moves to create separation for his favorite move, a step back jumper. The junior-to-be is an interesting prospect because he has the size and strength to be a wing, but is more productive with the ball in his hands at the point. Toolson is creative and can play a point forward at times, but his ball handling must improve if he was to slide over and play the position on a regular basis. His greatest attribute on the basketball court is his shooting, he has great range and is a threat from anywhere on the court...

Both hold offers from Utah State.

The 2012-13 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Here's Coach Mike White's 2012-13 roster:

(alphabetical)

Chris Anderson 6-6/210 F JR Muskegon, Mich. Weatherford College

Raheem Appleby 6-2/160 G SO Jacksonville, Ark. Jacksonville HS

Brandon Gibson 6-5/225 G SR Marianna, Fla. Marianna HS

Stojan Gjuroski 6-7/195 F SO Gostivar, Macedonia Life Center Academy

Alex Hamilton 6-4/180 G FR Chipley, Fla. Chipley HS

Cordarius Johnson 6-5/215 G JR Coushatta, La. Red River HS

Jaron Johnson 6-6/205 G  JR Tyler, Texas  Tyler Junior College

Michale Kyser 6-9/210 F   SO Lancaster, Texas Christian Life Center

J.L. Lewis 6-8/240 F/C SR Gonzales, La. University of New Orleans

Isaiah Massey 6-8/220 F SO McDonough, Ga. Ole Miss

Kenyon McNeail 6-1/185 G JR Conway, Ark. Conway HS

Kenneth Smith 6-3/185 G SO St. Petersburg, Fla. Boca Ciega HS

Gilbert Talbot 6-10/240 F/C FR Houma, La. Ellender HS
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(Wrote the following back on May 14):

Coach Mike White and Louisiana Tech are entering season two and preparing a followup act to last season's 18-16, 6-8 turnaround.

Two players have departed -- Lonnie Smith and Alex Carr -- but such will have no effect. Two have graduated, Trevor Gaskins, who contributed mightily and Romario Souza, to a lesser degree. But with the latter pair, returnees and newcomers will step up with no dropoff.

Here's the 2012-13 Bulldog roster.

In the middle are:

* Michale Kyzer, 6-foot-9 sophomore
* J.L. Lewis, 6-foot-8 senior
* Gilbert Talbot, 6-foot-10 freshman

Kyzer led the squad with 60 rejections -- this while playing but 13.5 minutes per game. Add some strength/weight and his rebounding effectiveness will elevate but his offensive game is still evolving.

Lewis was a nice surprise but remains a fill-in talent

Talbot is a frosh who advanced his skills set a long way as a prep senior but will probably benefit from being a redshirt next season.

At the four:

* Isaiah Massey, 6-8 sophomore
* Demetrius Moore, 6-foot-8 junior

Massey got off to a promising start before an injury ended his season early and, between him and newcomer Moore, the four spot should become a real strength for the Techsters. But remember that Massey has missed virtually two straight seasons (redshirting at Mississippi two years ago) and Moore will be making the jump from the JC ranks so progress may come with sits and starts.

Beginning with the outside-the-paint talents:

* Brandon Gibson, 6-foot-5 senior wing
* Jaron Johnson, 6-foot-6, junior wing
* Stojan Gjuroski, 6-foot-7 sophomore wing

PTW keeps expecting Gibson to explode into an All-WAC player but his shooting percentages need to elevator up dramatically. Johnson is just out of the the JC ranks but is a superb athlete with solid basketball skills and perfect for White's uptempo offensive and defensive systems. Gjuroski redshirted two years ago, played little last season and it doesn't look like much of an opportunity for playing time will be available for him in 2012-13.

At shooting guard:

* Raheem Appleby, 6-foot-2 sophomore
* Cordarius Johnson, 6-foot-5 junior
* Alex Hamilton, 6-foot-4 freshman

Appleby enjoyed a remarkable freshman year and such should be a jumping off point as he'll be an All-WAC selection and a contender for WAC POY come the new season. Johnson was streaky but certainly contributed to the positive Bulldog reversal. A better assist-to-turnover ratio is needed from him. Newbie Hamilton faces a crowded situation but PTW still thinks he'll earn his way on to the court and be a contributor even if he has to play some one (which he is capable of).

Getting to the point:

* Kenneth Smith, 6-foot-3 sophomore
* Kenyon McNeail, 6-foot-1 junior

Smith was a 27-minute-a-game player in 2011-12 -- even as a frosh -- and piled up the assists as the LT team leader in that category. He also topped the Bulldogs in steals but does need to improve his shooting accuracy. McNeail also contributed with his passing and scoring but likewise needs to reach the net more often with his attempts.

In summary, keep an eye on Massey and Hamilton to help and then eventually emerge as prominent contributors. Plus, Johnson will solidify the three spot. Coach Mike White keeps stealthily building in Ruston.
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The Bulldog starting five:

* Isaiah Massey
* Demetrius Moore
* Brandon Gibson
* Raheem Appleby
* Kenneth Smith

Where Michale Kyzer fits is a big question -- has he developed enough physically and regarding offensive skills to nab the five spot starting role?

Wednesday's WAC hoops roundup

Jason Pugh captures Coach Mike White, his Bulldogs and the season enjoyed in quite the deserving feature. PTW didn't know that White is just 35 years old.

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Chris Murray is back with a check on Nevada's mindset going into Thursday. Dan Hinxman writes that it's free but too often a throw for the Wolf Pack and such may prove to be an Achilles heel. Joe Santoro 'capsulizes' the WAC competitors.

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Theo Lawson serves up his WAC tourney initial round game predictions. It is hard to see any upsets on Thursday.

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Timothy R. Olsen works his way through the ups-downs-ups of the USU season.

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Jason Groves and NMSU AD McKinley Boston talk Aggie post season. Jason also features Bandja Sy and Daniel Mullings as unsung performers this season.

Missed this one

Gaylen Wood offers a game report -- one loaded with coach and player quotes -- on Idaho's win over Louisiana Tech.

Sunday's report on last night's contests

Nevada trekked down to San Jose State and opened an eight-point lead at the half, 35-27. The point differential got closer but the horn eventually sounded with the Wolf Pack leading 76-70. Olek Czyz posted a 27/10 double-double and Malik Story added 23 points, shooting 6-11 from long distance. Deonte Burton had an uncharacteristically quiet night, attempting but seven shots although he finished with eight assists versus zero TOs. James Kinney was on tonight for the Spartans, concluding with 26 points, five boards and four assists while Keith Shamburger produced 17 markers plus six assists.

Chris Murray was on press row, also posted a 'notes' column and  tweeted the pairing.

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Idaho welcomed Louisiana Tech and led 33-26 after the initial 20 minutes.The Vandals finished ahead 73-64 powered by 15 points apiece from Kyle Barone, Deremy Geiger and Landon Tatum. Barone also snatched 15 rebounds to earn a double-double. Don Verlin's bunch won the rebounding battle 33-23 and shot 54% overall. Cordarius Johnson led LT in both categories with 21 points and seven boards. Raheem Appleby shot 0-8 on the night.

Josh Wright game reports. Vandal Nation tweeted the matchup.

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Hawaii bid aloha to Fresno State and the two then battled fairly evenly all night with the Rainbow Warriors finally coming out on top 62-58. Vander Joaquim totaled 23 points and 12 rebounds against the smaller Bulldogs while Zane Johnson went for four points in 39 minutes of action. UH shot 51% on the night. Jerry Brown led FSU with 17 points. Kevin Olekaibe took just six shots in scoring eight points. Coach Rodney Terry's team shot 39% overall.  

Wes Nakama filed a game report. Brian McInnis was twitterin'. Robert Kueada also checks in.

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Sam Wasson has a report on the New Mexico State victory in Logan.

Thursday's slate of games and more

Hawaii and Nevada tangle tonight in Honolulu.

Chris Murray has posted his four keys and also has a prediction for the matchup. Dayton Morinaga goes long and multi-media with his look. Dayton also writes about a blackout and he's not referring to any television showing. Joe Santoro has posted an interesting column touching a number of Wolf Pack basketball subjects. Chris has another post about Nevada getting into the zone.

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Idaho welcomes New Mexico State.

Wendell Faines and Djim Bandoumel talk about the game in a Vandal Nation video. Jason Groves write about stylin'.

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Louisiana Tech will be exposed to The Spectrum Experience but will the students keep up the attendance and therefore the effect for Utah State?

Tony Jones, Shawn Harrison and Kraig Williams each preview.

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Fresno State is short-tripping it to San Jose State.

Angel Moreno/The Collegian looks at the Bulldogs and Robert Kuwada drills down to what is different of late about FSU.

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Jason Groves writes about a mini-McK on the Aggie roster.

Jeff Portnoy is back with a new UH hoops column.

Sunday's report on Saturday's WAC scores

It was 44-40 New Mexico State over Louisiana Tech after the initial 20 minutes and the Aggies upped that lead to eventually win 83-72 -- this despite 30 points from Raheem Appleby. Hamidu Rahman led NMSU with 20 points (but just 6-15 at the foul line), Daniel Mullings contributed 15 and Wendell McKines totaled a 15/10 double-double.

Jason Groves tweeted the matchup.

Jason provides a game report as does Anthony Esparza while Tim Barnett-Queen has posted a bevy of game photos. 

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Host Nevada owned a 35-31 lead at the break over Idaho, then it was 60-58 the Vandals with four minutes left and finally 72-68 as time expired, with Don Verlin's squad winning. Stephen Madison came off scoring zero last game to lead with 18 points, with Kyle Barone and Deremy Geiger each adding 16. Idaho shot 52% overall plus 10-22 on treys. Deonte Burton's 18 paced the Wolf Pack who won the battle of the boards 35-23 but shot 43% and 6-24 from long distance.

Chris Murray was tweeting.

Josh Wright reports on the pairing while Chris Murray and Joe Santoro were on press row. Chris also added a 'notes' column. Mark Rauh serves up quite a number of photos from last night.

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SJSU and Hawaii were tied at 70 at the end of regulation and it finished 83-81 in favor of the Rainbow Warriors, whose shaky foul line numbers almost came back to bite them. Joston Thomas finished with a double-double of 29/12 while Vander Joaquim posted his own of 17/10. UH shot 54% overall but just 18-31 at the charity stripe. Wil Carter enjoyed his own 22/12 double-double for the Spartans plus backcourter James Kinney added 21. SJSU had a 16-point lead in the second half.

Brian McInnis took to Twitter.

Dayton Morinaga and Jimmy Durkin were present and accounted for.

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The score was a remarkable 21-16 at halftime as Fresno State hosted Utah State and the Dogs carried that to the end, winning 60-54. Bulldog Kevin Olekaibe was on top with 26 points, Jerry Brown added 14/8 plus Tyler Johnson's line was 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and a trio of steals. Morgan Grim's 13/8 was the best Aggie performance. Preston Medlin also scored 13 points but didn't shoot well and totaled five turnovers. Brockeith Pane produced six TOs.

Robert Kuwada, Shawn Harrison (who again traveled with the team. kudos, kudos, kudos) and Matt Sonnenberg all check in.

Saturday's WAC warmup

Tonight,

Nevada hosts Idaho.

Gotta go with the Wolf Pack here (duh).

Chris Murray has his predictions plus goes Carnak the Magnificent (minus the cape, turban and#2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall's porch). Chris also posted a second article on the pairing.

Josh Wright checks in from the Vandal perspective.

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Utah State in in the San Joaquin to face Fresno State.

USU will be mad, based on the late loss up in Reno but, hey, Fresno State has two WAC wins, one over a team (Idaho) that took down the Aggies.

Shawn Harrison (who is in Fresno) previews, as does Kraig Williams, and Tony Jones.

Robert Kuwada zeroes in of Kevin Olekaibe's recent shooting slump.

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New Mexico State welcomes Louisiana Tech.

PTW predicts an athletic-fest overall -- with the outcome hingeing on how the Bulldogs handle the size the Aggie frontline presents.

Jason Groves takes a look.

Anthony Esparza offers a solid piece of seasonal analysis.

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Hawaii is roadin' it at San Jose State.

Can the Spartans reduce the effectiveness of UH's bigs?

Dayton Morinaga is here and here, the latter more of a preview.

Sunday report on Saturday's games

It was 28 apiece at the half between host Louisiana Tech and Nevada and the second 20 minutes concluded with the Wolf Pack winning by two, 65-63. Olek Czyz posted a 24/10 double-double for the victors with Raheem Appleby coming off the bench for a team-leading 17 Bulldogs points. Coach David Carter's squad shot 48% to 31% for Coach Mike White's bunch but the Pack committed 22 turnovers to 11 for the Ruston-ites.

Chris Murray was twittering.

Jerit Roser has a game report and Chris Murray was in Ruston (yet another high five to the Gazette-Journal management). Plus, Chris offers a 'notes' column.

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In Las Cruces, New Mexico State led Fresno State 35-27 at halftime, then lost the lead and it was 45 up at the 8:40 mark. The score went back and forth until the the Aggies pulled slightly ahead late and then triumphed 60-56. Wendell McKines was again out front for NMSU with a 20/10 double-double. The Bulldogs were led by Kevin Olekaibe's 17 points. Coach Marvin Menzie's group won the boards battle 42-24, 17 of which were offensive. New Mexico State shot 7-18 from the charity stripe.

Jason Groves tweeted the matchup.

Jason also serves up a multi-media take on the contest while Anthony Esparza offers his perspective.

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Utah State, powered by Kyisean Reed's 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, notched a victory it needed with an 82-65 victory over visiting San Jose State. Wing Mitch Bruneel added a season best 15 on 4-5 from long distance as the Aggies overall shot 10-21 on trey attempts. James Kinney paced the Spartans with 21 points and five assists. USU took the rebounding battle 37-29.

Tony Jones and Kraig Williams tweeted.

Kraig Williams, Shawn Harrison, Matt Sonnenberg and Tony Jones were in the house. Tony also offers a separate piece on Mitch Bruneel.

Craig J. Peterson has posted 43 game photos.

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Idaho welcomed Hawaii into Moscow and it was next to even, 36-35 in favor of the Vandals, after the initial 20 minutes. UH eventually pulled it out 76-70 in what defines a true team victory.

Brian McInnis was twittering.

Dayton Morinaga, John Blanchette and Theo Lawson all offer takes on the matchup.  

Saturday's game previews and more

Louisiana Tech enjoys the privilege of hosting Nevada tonight and it might be a Bulldog squad minus freshman backcourter Raheem Appleby due to injury. It's appearing to these eyes that the Wolf Pack will be way too strong upfront for LT.

Chris Murray provides his keys to the game plus a prediction. Chris also serves up another look at the pairing. Jerit Roser looks at how LT is approaching the game.

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Fresno State has to face what will be an undeniably upset New Mexico State squad in Las Cruces.

Robert Kuwada checks in. 

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Will San Jose State get Spectrum-ized or will facing a similar style of play to Thursday's opponent (Idaho) aid the Spartans against Utah State? Keith Shamburger is out for the game due his flagrant foul late in the loss to Idaho.

Tony Jones and Shawn Harrison pre-game the duet. 

Matt Sonnenberg has a piece up on the USU addition of Matt Lopez. Anyone have the details on the how and why of Lopez, a young man out of New Joisey, becoming a Logan resident -- usually there's a coaching connection of some degree.

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Hawaii meets up with Idaho in Moscow in a game the Rainbow Warriors really need but one the Vandals also want in order to keep close to Nevada and tied with New Mexico State.

Dayton Morinaga has a preview.

Brian McInnis provides a 'notes' column.

Saturday's WAC basketball rollout

So it's Nevada hosting Hawaii tonight matching up the current heavyweight and a light heavyweight wanting to move up. This will certainly be the opportunity to do so but Vander Joaquim and Joston Thomas have to shine, starting by reducing the 11 turnovers they paired up for against Fresno State.

Chris Murray looks at the matchup as does Dayton Morinaga.

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Coming off the 20-point win versus Utah State, New Mexico State welcomes Idaho. A second road win will boost the Vandals confidence but Wendell McKines and Company are riding high.

Jim Hilley and Jason Groves each goes pre-game. 

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Do you want to be Louisiana Tech? The Utah Staters is coming to Ruston after a reaming out and a charge of quitting issued by Coach Stew Morrill. Let's see how the Aggies respond. Let's see how the Bulldogs respond to the USU response?

Tony Jones, Shawn Harrison and Kraig Williams all look at the pairing. Jerit Roser comes from the Ruston perspective, with Tech Coach Mike White calling the game huge.

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Fresno State has San Jose State entering the SaveMart Center in a matchup where each squad sees a victory after 40 minutes. But alas, only one vision will prove correct.

Robert Kuwada looks at the contest as well as Garrett Johnson's strong last game. Robert also writes about Fresno State getting thisclose in a couple of the WAC contests.

Friday's report on last night's matchups

Yowza wowsa! New Mexico State 80-60 over visiting Utah State as a 46-26 second half did the job. Give the Freshman of the Year award to Daniel Mullings now as he led the southern Aggies with 17 points. Kyisean Reed paced USU with 18 points and six boards.

Sam Wasson reports while Jason Groves offers print and photos plus a video report on the outcome. From the northern Aggie perspective, Tony Jones and Shawn Harrison were in Las Cruces (a shout out to the The Salt Lake Tribune and Herald Journal execs) plus Matt Sonnenberg weighs in.

Tony also tweeted the game as did Jason.

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In overtime, it was Hawaii 74 and host Fresno State 68 as Warrior Vander Joaquim posted a 23/16 double-double while Zane Johnson totaled 24 points on 6-12 from long range. Garrett Johnson paced the Dogs with 18 markers and Kevin Olekaibe scored 15 (on 5-17 shooting). UH defender deluxe Garrett Jefferson played 43 minutes so let's look at the game reports to see if his presence was a factor.

Dayton Morinaga, Jeff Portnoy and Robert Kuwada serve up summaries. Brian McInnis tweeted the tussle.

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Idaho went into Ruston in need of a win and did just that, 90-88 in overtime versus Louisiana Tech. Kyle Barone went for 13 points and 15 boards while Deremy Geiger went for 23 (6-9 on treys), Landon Tatum 20 and Stephen Madison 18. For LT, Brandon Gibson was feeling it with a 22/13 double-double and Raheem Appleby had 19 points (17 shot attempts), Trevor Gaskins 15 and Cordarius Johnson 12.

Josh Wright has the very interesting details as does Theo Lawson and Jerit Roser.

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Nevada hosted San Jose State University and won both halves in an 81-57 victory. Jerry Evans scored 19 points to lead the Pack (an en fuego 5-6 from long distance) and his seven boards also were tops on the team. Coach David Carter's squad shot 54% overall and an amazing 16-32 from three-point land. James Kinney led the Spartans with 16 points but on 17 shot attempts.

Chris Murray supplies the details and also a notes column. Chris also tweeted the contest.

Sunday morning's report on last night's games

Nevada did some of its own Spectrum-izing, downing Utah State in Logan 78-71. Tony Jones tweeted the pairing as did Chris Murray. Deonte Burton totaled 25 points with three other members of the Wolf Pack starting five reaching double figures. Brockeith Pane went for 21 points with Preston Medlin right behind at 20. Nevada attempted 12 more shots than USU and outrebounded Stew Morrill's squad 32-23, including eight more offensive boards.

Kraig Williams, Shawn Harrison, Tony Jones and Matt Sonnenberg present the Utah State perspective while Chris Murray serves up the Nevada take. Chris also authors another piece on the game. Craig Peterson has posted, count 'em, 54 game photos.

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It was Idaho four better than visiting Fresno State, 64-59, in a game that went to the wire.

Josh Wright offers a report on the game plus a couple of Vandal personnel items and Robert Kuwada has posted his take. Josh also tweeted the contest.

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New Mexico State proved to be 10 points better, 83-73, than host Louisiana Tech. It was yet another double-double for Wendell McKines at 25/4 while freshman starting guard Daniel Mullings put up this intriguing line: 10 rebounds, eight points, three assists and a trio of blocked shots. LT shot 35%, 17% and 53% but did induce 20 turnovers by the Aggies.

Sam Wasson and Jason Groves check in. Jason also tweeted the matchup. Cody Futrell has the view from LT territory.

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It was host Hawaii and San Jose State tangling with a 42-31 lead in favor of the Rainbow Warriors at the half. Brian McInnis tweeted the contest.

Dayton Morinaga has the coverage of UH's 82-69 final over SJSU despite Will Carter's double-double-double of 21 points and 20 boards.The Rainbow Warrior frontline led the way as Joston Thomas put up 20/8 and Vander Joaquim had a 20/14 DD.

Saturday's look at WAC basketball links and items, plus a score

Idaho tripped to Corvallis last evening and led 35-24 after the initial 20 minutes. It was 56-38 a little more than halfway through the second half but the Beavers closed to within eight points with four minutes remaining. However, Idaho finished strong and won 74-60, outscoring OSU in both halves. Deremy Geiger exploded for 27 points, including shooting 7-9 from three-point range. The Vandals shot 50% overall, 57% from long distance to Oregon State's 33% and 13% respectively. It's a big, big win.

Kevin Hampton reports.

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Nevada is in Missoula tonight for a match with Montana and Chris Murray serves up his keys to the game plus a prediction. Chris also offers another piece on the game. FYI: the weather at 8 p.m. Friday night was 20 degrees. Grizzly fans must be very hearty or maybe PTW is just a wuss. I wonder how a poll on those subjects would play out? Hmmmmm.

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San Jose State hosts Cal Poly in a rematch as the Mustangs took the earlier contest 79-52.

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Louisiana Tech is in Hattiesburg to battle tough Southern Mississippi, owners of two wins this season against New Mexico State.

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Utah State is in Kansas, Wichita to be specific, to take on the Shockers. Wichita State hosted UNLV back on December 4 and took out the Rebels 89-70.

Shawn Harrison and Tony Jones preview.

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Fresno State is facing Phil Knight U, otherwise known as the Pac-12 Oregon Ducks, who are coming off a 79-65 road loss to BYU.

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PTW loves it! Matt Sonnenberg/The Sagebrush begins his article on Steven Thornton's departure with a cultural reference. He even adds a film reference, consciously or unconsciously, later on. We've been telling ya, the man has style.

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Zane Johnson is back with another video about life on the road.

A note on former LA TECH frontcourter Olu Ashaolu

From CanBallReport:

"Toronto's Olu Ashaolu had 6 pts and 3 rebs in 26 mins in Oregon's 78-64 loss to Vanderbilt"

Thursday's WAC hoops extravaganza

Tony Jones has video on the Quincy Bair and Marcel Davis signings for USU.

Tony also offers an overall look at this season's Aggies.

Shawn Harrison looks at Friday night's matchup with BYU -- did you know that "full tilt boogie" was in Stew Morrill's vocabulary?

Over 1,000 students are already camping out outside The Spectrum, even with a low of 16 degrees last night. Wow.

If football wasn't driving all this conferences realignment, Utah State hoops would be having suitors like the Big East.

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Jason Groves looks at the New Mexico State road game against Northern Colorado.

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Andrew Maurins/Silver and Blue Sports riffs off a Star Trek II line in his look at Nevada hoops.

As expected, Coach David Carter received three LOIs yesterday.

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Brian McInnis writes about Hawaii matchup with fellow island program Hawaii Pacific.

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Here's the official announcement of Coach Mike White's two LA TECH signings.

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rncke (or is it mcke?) at the GoVandals MB located a pair of links about Idaho's signing of a big (Marcus Bell) and then a point (Denzel Douglas).

Here's Bell's coach: "With the strides that he's making right now without having played in a year and a half," said Brynjarsson, "I really feel Marcus has a chance to really impact their team."

Here's Douglas' coach: “Denzel has matured a lot since last year,” Casper College coach Joel Davidson said. “He’s a better three-point shooter and he’s explosive off the bounce."

Louisiana Tech receives a pair of LOIs

Per Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello:

"4:28 p.m.: Louisiana Tech just received faxes from Demetrius Moore and Alex Hamilton"

Tuesday's WAC hullabaloo

Ryan Baylis got Aggie-ized as a high school senior -- read his story. A tip o' the hat to The Sagebrush for the link.

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PTW missed this exhibition game report on Louisiana Tech. Brandon Gibson totaled 18 points (he'll be Tech's top scorer this season) and freshman transfer Isaiah Massey grabbed nine boards.

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Former Utah Stater Gary Wilkinson just nabbed a Player of the Week award.

Eric Frandsen has tweeted that Antonio Bumpus has departed from Utah State. A tip o' the hat to SpectrumMagic for the link at the USUFans Stew Morrill MB.

Tony Jones also contributes an article on Bumpus.

By the way, anyone know where Anthony DiLoreto landed? Did he return home to Minnesota and enroll somewhere? Somebody will give him the chance.

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Teddy Feinberg offers more on Wendell McKines' dissing of UTEP basketball. PTW thinks the idea of bulletin board material is way overblown. If a coach can't get a team ready for a rivalry game and/or if the players themselves aren't up for the matchup, then something is awry and BB material won't fix it.