Spartans win 76-74

One concern emanating out of Boise State this week was a so-called lack of a go-to guy at the end of games. Fittingly, that meme reared its head tonight, both positively and negatively for the Broncos in a 76-74 loss.

With 2:43 remaining, Adrian Oliver made a pair of free throws (note a theme beginning here) to make it 71-66 in San Jose State's favor.

At the 2:10 mark, BSU's La'Shard Anderson buried a trey. After an exchange of possessions, Daequon Montreal scored on a putback to tie the game.

AO was fouled again and repeated his earlier success, making both free throws to push the Spartans back up 73-71.

Anderson came down and buried another trey to put the Broncos ahead 74-73 with 59 second left.

At the 34 second mark, Oliver was fouled yet again and duplicated his previous attempts, burying both free throws to nudge San Jose State back up 75-74.

After a BSU timeout, Anderson missed a three-point attempt and Mac Peterson was fouled after gathering in the rebound.

Peterson missed his initial free throw and made the second, leaving the score 76-74.

Boise State came down, missed on a shot and then a rebound putback but Anthony Thomas boarded and scored down low. However, he released his shot after the clock ran out.

SJSU's Oliver scored 37 in the last matchup with Boise State -- tonight he poured in 33.

The Spartans shot 48% as a team to BSU's 40%. SJSU went 17-21 at the foul line and this is where Coach Greg Graham's team stumbled, going 7-16. Boise State did enjoy a 49-29 rebounding advantage, with 26 offensive boards.

At the half it was even at 40 apiece. Oliver had 19 at that point and Justin Graham 11. The latter scored four baskets early on with dribble-drives to the hoop. After 20 minutes, there were already 13 ties and 11 lead changes between the teams.

We loved this initial half quote, coming from the Boise State announcers: "nobody is stopping anybody tonight."

It was soon followed with "who puts up two defensive stops and comes down and scores, wins it."

But that changed -- to a degree -- when the teams returned to the court.

San Jose State's C.J. Webster missed the game after being poked in the eye against Fresno State in the previous contest.

Boise State here on Thursday

The song remains the same. Boise State fans are either focused on football or expect their men's basketball program to emulate the football program. The latter is never going to happen but that won't stop the carping.

Coach Greg Graham's team is currently 0-4 in the WAC (2-5 on the road for the season), with three rather close contests and including matchups at Fresno State, hosting New Mexico State and welcoming Louisiana Tech. Only Nevada is missing from this Murderer's Row, plus Utah State should probably be included too.

Regardless, the Broncos need a win, period. For confidence, for momentum. To drown out the noise.

The BSU Schedule To Date

Nov 13 Loyola Marymount @ Missoula, MT 90 - 87 (W)
Nov 14 Montana @ Missoula, MT 82 - 95 (L)
Nov 15 North Dakota @ Missoula, MT 75 - 60 (W)
Nov 21 @ Wyoming 61 - 87 (L)
Nov 24 @ Eastern Washington 82 - 69 (W)
Nov 28 North Texas 79 - 73 (W)
Dec 05 @ Illinois 77 - 84 (L)
Dec 09 @ Idaho State 79 - 67 (W)
Dec 12 San Diego 56 - 59 (L)
Dec 19 Houston Baptist 96 - 59 (W)
Dec 21 Portland State 69 - 62 (W)
Dec 23 Montana State 58 - 56 (W)
Dec 29 Northwest Nazarene 76 - 58 (W)
Jan 02 @ Fresno State 68 - 71 (L)
Jan 04 @ Hawai'i 68 - 76 (L)
Jan 09 New Mexico State 85 - 88 (L)
Jan 11 Louisiana Tech 64 - 79 (L)

The Bronco Starting Five

6-foot-9 Kurt Cunningham - still a deadly shooter at 61% on the season and a load down low, he is scoring 8.9 ppg. and latching on to 3.6 rpg. along with passing out 23 assists. He can't be allowed to obtain the position in the paint he desires or it's lights out.

6-foot-9 Ike Okoye - the leading scorer (13.4) and rebounder (9.0) on the team as well as the top shotblocker with 30. Okoye is shooting 56% from the floor.

6-foot-6 Robert Arnold - can score a lot or a little and is at 11.3 ppg., he has launched 58 three-pointers with a 37% success rate, is very athletic

6-foot-1 La'Shard Anderson - the best point on the team this season with 69 assists, he is averaging 12 ppg. but shooting 39% overall and 28% from long distance

6-foot-2 Anthony Thomas - it has not been the senior season he expected, shooting 38% and 32% respectively and just 8 more assists than turnovers

The Cavalry

6-foot-7 Daequon Montreal - a junior college transfer who is very athletic, he is averaging 8.3 ppg. anf a seoncd-on-the-team 5.6 rpg. in 21 minutes a game

6-foot-10 Zack Moritz - he is another of the Beef Brothers who will fill in when Cunningham needs a rest

6-foot-6 Paul Noonan - has been injured of late and may or may not be available, in past seasons, he has been a three-point shooter but his numbers are down this season


The Boise State roster, by position

G.A. Hill G 5-8 140 Fr.
Justin Salzwedel G 6-2 184 Jr.
Anthony Thomas G 6-0 211 Sr.
Nate Larsen G 6-2 188 Sr.
La'Shard Anderson G 6-1 170 Jr.

Daequon Montreal F 6-7 229 Jr.
Ike Okoye F 6-9 235 Sr.
Sean Imadiyi F 6-7 207 Sr.
Robert Arnold F 6-6 170 Jr.
Paul Noonan F 6-7 214 Jr.
Tyler Young F 6-8 219 Fr.

Zack Moritz C 6-11 245 Jr.
Kurt Cunningham C 6-9 265 Sr.

G Westly Perryman is injured and not available
F Sam Hicks is a freshman who is redshirting


What To Expect

* Boise State has typically liked to get up and down the court, even with its bigs, but there not much of a bench this season so watch to see if that transpires.

* As a team, the Broncos are shooting 31% from three-point range but also currently have 33 more free throw attempts than opponents. Look for a focus on mid-range and inside shot attempts from Graham's unit.

* Adrian Oliver scored 37 points last time out against BSU -- deja vu?

* On the flip side, Ike Okoye went for 22 points on 8-of-12 from the floor and 6-for-10 from the line. 6-foot-9 or so , muscular bigs have been a thorn for SJSU.

* Key(est) item: the Spartans need to limit turnovers (empty possessions) as Boise doesn't appear to have the shooters to put up a 50% team shooting on the board

* Anthony Thomas was expected to lead this Boise squad but his shooting has dropped and turnovers increased in this, his senior go-around. Does that trend continue to play out, or not on Thursday?

Fresno State prevails 80-70

There's body by Jake. Lies by Fox. Candy by See's. Tonight, it was win by George -- Paul George. On offense and defense, the long-armed Fresno State sophomore dominated with points (29) and steals (3) as his Bulldogs won 80-70 in Fresno.

Teammate Mychal Ladd played big like surname namesake Ernie, nailing five three-pointers for his total of 15. Sylvester Seay added 19.

Mac Peterson was dialed up long distance like never before nailing a total of seven three-pointers for 21 points. Chris Oakes doubled-doubled again with 12 points and 13 boards. Adrian Oliver totaled 12.

The Bulldogs kept the second half lead around nine to 11 points until a Peterson trey pulled the Spartans within five at the 13 minute mark. A short while later, another Peterson three-pointer pulled SJSU to within four. Fresno State kept scoring but Robert Owens also buried a three to make it 54-50. Then FSU sped away and returned the point differential to the previous nine to 11 spread.

Fresno State is now undefeated in the WAC at 3-0 and has a five game home winning streak.

At the half, it was Fresno in front 38-29. Peterson nailed 5-7 three-point attempts at that point to lead the Spartans with 15 points. Oakes and Webster both missed time with two fouls apiece in the initial 20 minutes.

What kind of game was it? Try this: 6-foot-8 Nedeljko Golubovic came into the game shooting 4-22 on treys but, of course, he nailed a three-pointer in the first half.

Fresno State went 13-30 from long distance as a team, San Jose State 10-24.

The Spartans won the battle of the boards 38-31.

Webster left midway in the second half with an apparent eye injury after being poked. He totaled 15 minutes of playing time.

SJSU travels to Fresno Monday night

How it is possible for Fresno State to sport a so-so record? We ask this because the Bulldogs have explosive point producers in conjunction with a team holding opponents to 39% shooting. Steve Cleveland's team also leads the WAC in blocked shots at 4.5 a game and in steals with 8.1 a contest.

All this makes it appear like Fresno State should be undefeated.

The Fresno Bee's Marek Warszawski wrote this about Bulldog basketball on January 4 -- to what degree it is accurate is subject to opinion:

It didn't make the paper, but the lasting image I took from Fresno State's victory over Boise State on Saturday night wasn't Paul George's game-winning bucket with 15 seconds left.

It was watching coach Steve Cleveland hold one finger above his head (as if to say "Hold it for one shot!") as George drove the lane, split two defenders and swooped in for the layup.

What can one say about the 2009-2010 Bulldogs? Often exciting, always exasperating.

Based solely on talent, Fresno State should be a factor in the WAC race. (Only Nevada, New Mexico State and perhaps Louisiana Tech can match the 'Dogs in that department.) But as we all know, basketball games aren't decided on talent alone. Coaching is equally important. Not necessarily good or bad coaching, mind you, but whether the players actually listen to what's coming from the bench.

The Bulldogs, from what I've observed attending every home game, tend to fall short in that department.

First off, I'm not saying that the Bulldogs totally ignore Cleveland's coaching. They don't. But in critical moments, there's a tendency to free-lance and rely on one-on-one moves.

When it works out (like it did Saturday night), everyone forgets and goes home happy. But when it doesn't, well, we all know how that turns out, too. (See last season's 3-13 WAC record.)

Just look at Utah State. The Aggies haven't won two straight WAC titles (and are favored for a third) because they put the most talent on the floor. They did it because Stew Morrill is an excellent coach and recruits players who operate within his system.

Sometimes, when watching Fresno State, I get the feeling that highlight-reel plays that get thousands of YouTube hits are more important to this team than fundamentals like blocking out or executing set plays. And that's not just coaching. It's having players who are willing to let themselves be coached instead of thinking they can get by on God-given talent.

The schedule certainly works in Fresno State's favor. If the Bulldogs can start 3-0 at home (against the three teams picked to finish behind him in the WAC race), I think the momentum will carry over to key road games at Louisiana Tech (Jan. 16) and New Mexico State (Jan. 18).

But next time Cleveland asks the 'Dogs to hold the ball for the last shot with the game on the line, they ought to listen to him.

As we wrote earlier, here is one of the X-factors that is working in the Dogs' favor:

"...FSU coach Steve Cleveland attributes the [positive defensive] stats to a new defensive philosophy — a willingness to embrace the zone. He's been primarily a man-to-man stylist over his 30-plus years of coaching. "I think changing the defense, in some ways kind of takes teams longer to get into a groove," Cleveland said. "I think one thing we really struggled with last year in our man is, we really allowed people to kind of pound it at us, and it really kind of broke us down. We're gonna use a combination. We're gonna use what works, but you're going to see us on misses and makes play man and zone, and switch defenses often at timeouts and dead balls."

Let's see how it all plays out for both teams on Monday night in Fresno.

The Season So Far

11/17/09 @ Northern Arizona W, 65-59
11/19/09 @ Seattle University L, 85-84
11/23/09 vs. San Diego State L, 62-58
11/28/09 @ Santa Clara L, 74-67
12/01/09 vs. Pacific L, 70-58
12/06/09 vs. San Diego W, 69-37
12/08/09 @ Pepperdine W, 80-72
12/12/09 vs. BYU L, 72-67
12/17/09 vs. UC Davis W, 68-57
12/19/09 vs. North Dakota State W, 68-54
12/21/09 @ Montana L, 59-56
12/23/09 @ Oregon State L, 73-65
12/28/09 vs. Colorado State W, 73-50
01/02/10 vs. Boise State W, 71-68
01/09/10 vs. Hawai'i W, 78-64


Steve Cleveland's Starting Five

6-foot-10 Greg Smith - the odds-on favorite for WAC Rookie of the Year, he is averaging 12 points (60% shooting from the floor) and 6.5 rebounds each time out, plus a team-leading 27 blocks.

6-10 Sylvester Seay - averaging 16 ppg. along with six boards, he shoots well from the floor (almost 50%) but only 26% from three-point range (and he is third on the squad in long-range attempts) -- his attitude was a problem earlier this season but that issue seems to be resolved.

6-foot-8 Paul George - call him the stats producer as he tops the team in scoring (17) and rebounding (8.8), plus the most three-point attempts, the most fouls, the most steals, the most turnovers and is second in assists -- plus, don't foul him as he is shooting 90% at the line

6-foot-5 Mychal Ladd - how's this for an anomaly as the kid is shooting 44% on his three-pointers but 40% overall, this despite having marvelous athleticism -- also has just 11 free throw attempts on the season so it doesn't take a weatherman to know how to defend him

6-foot-2 Steven Shepp - FSU badly needed a viable point guard and brought in Shepp from the junior college ranks and he has compiled 72 assists to 41 turnovers, is tied with Justin Graham at a league-leading 4.8 assists per game, while shooting well (42% overall and from long range)

The Cavalry

6-foot-8 Nedeljko Golubovic - his stats and playing time are way down, especially his shooting at 28% -- injured in the BYU game with a torn tendon in one hand and a hyper-extended a finger in another

6-foot-7 Jerry Brown - a fresman just feeling his way this season

6-foot-4 Brandon Sperling - the backup at the point, he's not much of a shooter (23%) or creator


The Bulldog Roster by position

Greg Smith Center 6-10 250 FR

Justin Johnson Forward 6-6 205 FR
Sylvester Seay Forward 6-10 235 SR
Nedeljko Golubovic Forward 6-8 245 JR

Jerry Brown, Jr. Guard/Forward 6-7 195 FR
Paul George Guard/Forward 6-8 210 SO
Garrett Johnson Guard/Forward 6-5 190 FR

Taylor Kelly Guard 6-2 200 FR
Mychal Ladd Guard 6-5 190 SO
Steven Shepp Guard 6-2 170 SO
Brandon Sperling Guard 6-4 180 SO

Jonathan Wills Guard 6-6 180 JR (is redshirting)


What To Expect

* Greg Smith a tall and wide so his matchup with Chris Oakes will be quite the battle

* Who will match up with Paul George? It looks like Mac Peterson if the Spartans go with the lineup that has been employed of late and that will be a load.

* Adrian Oliver won't be facing a stellar defender a la some of the games this season but that probably only means he'll be facing multiple roadblocks in his maneuvers on the court.

* Fresno doesn't have the scoring power in the backcourt that Nevada featured so can SJSU outscore the Bulldogs there to make up for an expected deficit in the frontcourt?

* Does the sophomore George go the NBA after this season or next?

* We also predict the freshman Smith doesn't wear the Bulldog uniform for four years.

Nevada wins 96-67

The streak continued. Nevada has been dominant in recent games against San Jose State and that didn't change tonight. The Wolf Pack won 96-67.

Adrian Oliver led SJSU with 20 points. C.J. Webster added 15 on 7-10 shooting and Chris Oakes notched another double-double of 13 points and 10 boards.

Nevada shot 51% on the night, going 34-66. San Jose State checked in at 47%, making 28 baskets in 59 attempts. Rebounding was just about even.

Nevada began fast, running out to a quick 8-2 lead, Then it was 13-4. At the 8:15 mark, David Carter's squad was ahead 34-15. At that point, the Pack was 5-8 on three-point attempts and leading the Spartans 14-6 in rebounding. SJSU also had nine turnovers.

At the half, it was 47-29 Nevada. Oakes almost had his double-double by then with nine points and eight boards.

San Jose State made a second-half run as a Robert Owens basket cut the Nevada lead to 55-41 and Oliver followed with a trey to reduce the deficit to 11, 55-44. But Armon Johnson then added three points on a basket and free throw and the Wolf Pack continued to roll.

Nevada hosts SJSU Saturday night

San Jose State is travelin' northward towards a Saturday night matchup with Nevada, a team coming off a road split with a loss to Louisiana Tech and win versus New Mexico State. The Pack is led by a pair of gunslingers: Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, two of the most difficult players to defend against in the WAC.

Coach David Carter has loosened the reigns, so to speak, and that has Nevada playing a more upbeat tempo this season.

Here's Coach Nessman quoted about this in a Chris Murray/Reno Gazette-Journal article:

“I think when you open the court up, you become harder to guard without a doubt, and I think you’re seeing Nevada’s point totals are way up there," Nessman said. "Nevada, to me, is probably the best overall offensive team in the conference because they run some good stuff, but they also have some pretty good individual players who can simply make plays when things break down. That’s a pretty good combo to have." Nessman said it helps having two All-WAC players in Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, adding that the way the team employs those stars has been trickier to defend this season. “It’s really tough," Nessman said of defending Babbitt and Johnson. "They’re hard to guard and I like the way David has them moving around. He has Babbitt playing all over the floor now even more than in the past. They’re a difficult matchup and that’s why they’re scoring 80-plus points a game.”

The concern this season for the Wolf Pack has been defense. As for the former, Carter was recently quoted in a ChrisMurray/Reno Gazette Journal article here:

"What I tell the kids is that we’re not getting stops when we need to. We’re holding teams to (44.5) percent shooting and out-rebounding them, so on paper we’re playing well. But we’re just not getting the key stops when we need to in crunch time. That means we’re not getting a key blockout, that means not getting a key stop in transition, that means taking care of the ball. Those are all tough plays, and I thought we took care of the ball on Monday (against New Mexico State) and got the key rebounds. Overall, when you look at the game and you look at the stats, (we’re winning) every category. We’re out-rebounding teams, we’re shooting a better percentage, we’re holding their percentages down, however, we’re not getting the key stops when we need to. You look at La. Tech, we out-rebounded them by seven, but there were two rebounds that we did not get that meant more than out-rebounding them by seven."

To a question about assists, Carter responded:

"...You’re saying we need to share the ball a little more? I will talk to the team about that. [laughs] Personally, I would like our assists to be up a little bit. The guys are not playing selfishly, so I’m not concerned with that area. We do share the ball. Because our guys can take their defender off the dribble a lot, we don’t have as many assists. You don’t get as many assists when you have guys who can take one or two dribbles and score. I think Luke Babbitt can do that very well. I think Armon Johnson can, too. It’s kind of deceiving. I don’t think they’re playing selfishly. I just think it’s the kid’s ability to score when the ball is in their hands rather than scoring on a catch-and-shoot. Besides Kraemer, we don’t have a lot of guys who can catch-and-shoot. Kraemer is the guy who can get you a lot of assists. Armon Johnson knows that. The other guys catch the ball and it’s dribble, dribble, dribble and then score. So it takes away from the assists, but we still get the bucket. So, you don’t like the dribble-dribble score? [laughs] You like the catch-and-shoot."

Schedule to Date

Wins against Tulsa, Houston and Portland highlight the slate:

Nov 14 Montana State 75 - 61 (W)

Nov 18 @ UNLV 75 - 88 (L)

Nov 21 Houston 112 - 99 (W)

Nov 27 @ VCU 76 - 85 (L)

Nov 29 @ North Carolina 73 - 80 (L)

Dec 05 @ Pacific 58 - 61 (L)

Dec 12 South Dakota State 92 - 72 (W)

Dec 17 Eastern Washington 73 - 70 (W)

Dec 19 Wagner 74 - 61 (W)

Dec 22 BYU at Las Vegas, Nev. (The Orleans) 104 - 110 (L)

Dec 23 Tulsa at Las Vegas, Nev. (The Orleans) 99 - 68 (W)

Dec 28 Portland 78 - 69 (W)

Jan 02 @ Louisiana Tech 71 - 77 (L)

Jan 04 @ New Mexico State 77 - 67 (W)


The Nevada Starting Five
6-foot-8 Dario Hunt: he is shooting 54% from the floor and the foul line (hint: send him to the line if you send anybody), averaging 7.2 ppg. and 7.3 rpg. (48 offensive and 62 defensive), leads the squad with 29 blocks and 50 fouls

6-foot-9 Luke Babbitt: probably the early lead candidate for POY in the WAC, 20.5 ppg. and 9.9 rpg., shooting 52% from the floor, can score with his back to the basket and facing it, good range on his shot, surprisngly has 38 turnovers to date, averaging 35 minutes a game

6-foot-6 Joey Shaw: shooting 48% overall and 35% on three-point sttempts, solid rebounder at 5.8 a game, tied for tops on the team with 16 steals, he was 'en fuego' in last year's game at Walt McPherson Court including one shot that must have been a 30-footer, averaging just less than 30 minutes a game

6-foot-4 Brandon Fields: is it going to be the 'good' Brandon Fields or the inconsistent one on Saturday? he is first on the team in three-point shots with 72 but is making 30% of those attempts, is scoring at a 14.3 ppg. clip, has a solid 37-19 assists-to-turnovers ratio and plays at the point when Armon Johnson is taking a breather, averaging 32 minutes a game

6-foot-3 Armon Johnson: he is shooting much better overall this season (53%) but still too low on his treys (21%) and his foul shooting (65%), 71 assists in 15 games but also 55 turnovers, averaging 33 minutes a game

The Cavalry
6-foot-4 Ray Kraemer: he has really come on in his final season, 52 of his 68 shot attempts have been from long distance and he is shooting 50% on his treys -- don't lose him defensively, do opposing fans chant 'Cosmo" when he enters the game?

6-foot- 9 Marko Cukic: a freshman who has been foul prone to date, is activer inside but learning the so-called ropes

6-foot-3 London Giles: the backup at the point, best on the team at nabbing steals

6-foot-9 Keith Olson: a walk-on transfer from Northern Arizona

The Wolf Pack Roster by position
Brandon Fields G 6-4 190 Sr.
Patrick Nyeko G 6-6 180 Fr.
London Giles G 6-3 185 So.
Keith Fuetsch G 5-11 170 Fr.
Ray Kraemer G 6-4 200 Sr.
Malik Story G 6-5 225 So. (redshirting)
Armon Johnson G 6-3 195 Jr.

Joey Shaw F 6-6 210 Sr.
Luke Babbitt F 6-9 225 So.
Marko Cukic F 6-9 240 Fr.
Adam Carp F 6-7 205 Jr.
Keith Olson F 6-9 260 So.
Dario Hunt F 6-8 230 So.

What to Expect
* Get Hunt into foul trouble and then there is a problem and neither Marko Cukic or Keith Olson are particularly adept at defending

* Nevada is holding opponents to 33% shooting from long distance -- can the Pack maintain this against Mac Peterson and Robert Owens?

* The Wolf Pack is out-boarding opposing teams by seven a game, San Jose State is +4.2 in rebounding margi: who will win this battle?

* Expectations are that will matchup will be a high scoring one -- so who will shoot better on the night?

* Here's another question and answer from the Murray article and C.J. Webster receives a mention:

Question: When do you decide whether to front or stay behind a big man in the paint? It seems to me that some of the troubles we've had in the paint, we've allowed the ball to get in too deep.

Answer: I'll give you an example. Against New Mexico State, the kid (Hamidu Rahman) is 7-foot, so you don't want to front him because they'll throw it over the top and get a dunk. He doesn't score well when trying to score over his shoulder. So it all depends on personnel. Magnum Rolle at Louisiana Tech can score in front of you or behind you, so we have to try and pick and choose and mix it up. It depends on the personnel of the kid we're playing against. This Saturday, (San Jose State) has a big kid named (C.J.) Webster who can score really well over his left shoulder, so we have to be able to take that away from him, maybe double him, maybe mix it up a little bit. It all depends on who we're defending and how they score and how we can take that away from them.

More on last night 's game

We're still feeling the vibe emanating from last night's victory over Idaho so let's revel in it some more.

Here's a take on the game from an Idaho student journalist:

Late Spartan surge ends Idaho’s bid to sweep road trip
Travis Mason-Bushman
Vandal Nation
January 5, 2010

SAN JOSE, Calif. — With four minutes and change to play in San Jose State’s WAC opener against Idaho last night, Spartan forward C.J. Webster looked at the opposing shot clock across the court — it was about to expire. In desperation, he flicked up a no-look shot backwards over his head from the free-throw line.

Back of the rim. Net. Score. The 1,287 fans in the Events Center sounded like 10,000.

It was just that kind of night for the home team...

Go here for the remainder. Do make sure to check out the YouTube link to Coach Don Verlin's post-game press conference.

+++++

What We Liked

* The Spartans scored 44 of their 78 points in the paint -- that's amazing because the Vandals aren't exactly helpless inside defensively. But, as Coach Verlin offered in his post-game press conference, you have to pick your poison and he chose a strategy that didn't quite work for this 40 minutes at least.

* On the other hand, Idaho was credited with 32 points in the paint -- a total that surprises us considering the Vandal top scorers were guards and wings. Remember this statistic from our pre-game report: "In its 2009-2010 victories to date, Idaho has averaged 33+ points in paint to just 24 points in the paint in losses." Curious.

* The official rebounding numbers number turned out to be fairly close (SJSU 13 + 18 = 31, ID 10 + 18 = 28) but San Jose State out-scored the Vandals 22-14 in second-chance points.

* Shooting 52.5% from the floor was a tremendous feat for the Spartans but Idaho also shot a to-be-proud-of (for them) 50.9%.

* First coming back from a second-half deficit and then holding on to a lead down the stretch was an impressive San Jose State achievement. This was a missing element from last season.

Elementary my dear Watson...er Webster

We certainly can't attend the upperclassmen dinner now. Well, maybe with Mike Tyson in tow providing security.

A certain Rebounder pointed out to us -- we thank him -- that C.J. Webster has not changed his name nor morphed into a Golden State Warrior backcourter (as Idaho and soon the rest of the WAC wishes).

We don't know what we were thinking last night or if we were thinking when doing the game report. But we sure love the state of Texas and have a particular fondness for Missouri City, Texas...

Let us know when it is safe to emerge from our bunker.

San Jose State triumphs 78-75

It was a battle of middleweights, quite the appropriate Whelliston-ian reference for two mid-majority schools. One would throw a punch, so to speak, followed with a rejoinder by the other. But neither could achieve a knockout so it was a match to be decided on points (pun intended).

San Jose State eventually triumphed over visiting Idaho 78-75.

C.J. Watson re-introduced himself to the WAC, Idaho specifically, with a 21/11 double-double. Adrian Oliver topped San Jose with 22 points. Chris Oakes contributed 18.

Midway through the second half, a five point run brought SJSU to within one at 56-55.

San Jose State then pulled ahead by seven and it was 71-65 in favor of the Spartans with 3:41 remaining. Kashif Watson scored for the Vandals sandwiched around a SJSU travel and a turnover on a steal.

Mac Peterson, off all night with his shooting, then nailed a trey to make the score 74-67. It was his sole make of the evening.

But Idaho wasn't done just yet.

Mac Hopson put in a deuce to bring the margin back to five, 74 to 69, at the 1:08 mark.

Adrian Oliver followed with a matching fallaway jumper.

Luiz Toledo was fouled and made one of two free throw attempts, making it 76-70.

Oliver misfired with a one-and-one at the foul line and Luciano de Souza calmly came down and buried a three-pointer, making it a one possession game at 76-73.

Robert Owens was fouled on the following possession and cooly knocked down both shots.

But amazingly, Watson then was fouled attempting a three-pointer. He made the front and back end shots, missing the middle attempt and that's how the contest ended.

The Vandals led 38-37 at the half. Webster topped SJSU with 13 points on 6-7 shooting. Chris Oakes missed some time as a precaution due to a pair of fouls. Idaho had just four free throw attempts after the first 20 minutes, making all. The biggest Idaho lead was three -- it was four for the Spartans. Luciano de Souza shot a sizzling 5-8.

After being out-boarded in the first half, San Jose State rebounded (again pun intended) to win that battle 29-24.

Idaho was led by Mac Hopson with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Steffan Johnson helped out with 15 points -- on five three-pointers.
___________________________________

By the way, Louisiana Tech is serious this season, having beat down Utah State 82-60 tonight in Ruston.

Idaho comes to town Monday night

Idaho currently (Friday) sits at 5-4 as we aren't counting wins against Eastern Oregon and Lewis & Clark. The Vandals play Hawaii in the islands on Saturday so the SJSU master plan surely is to have the Vandals be jetlagged while still dreaming about the inviting sand, warm surf and yes, those bikinis in January.

It's Monday night when Coach Don Verlin brings his troops to Walt McPherson Court to face San Jose State.

The 2009-2010 season started with a blast for the Vandals -- a seven-point "Super Bowl" smacking of Utah in Salt Lake City. Then a road loss to a better-than-usual Texas Southern squad tempered the elation. It was soon followed by a two-point road loss to Cal State Northridge. Questions began arising: just how good is Idaho?

All then seemed well after a 20 point spanking of Portland, which was ranked #25 at the time.

A road loss to Washington State wasn't unexpected and a rematch with Portland -- in the Rose City -- was then on tap. The Vandals figuratively didn't show up as the Pilots won by 30 points.

In the pre-season polls, Idaho was picked to finish fourth in the conference by both the coaches and media.

The Vandals didn't lose any players of significance so the expectations are that last season's 9-7 league record will be bettered.

Both the media and the coaches named Mac Hopson to the preseason all-WAC first team while the media voted fellow backcourter Steffan Johnson, a Pacific transfer who sat out last season, as the WAC Newcomer of the Year.

So more talent, greater experience and not that many new players to introduce to the system are all positive factors.

So why the erraticism?

We don't know the answer. More than likely, Coach Verlin and his coaching staff are in the same boat. As with all the WAC teams, it's takes a unit, playing well together, to be successful as the league isn't composed of squads who have a star or two who are talented enough to take over and dominate contests when teammates are enduring off-nights, or vice versa.

Here's Travis Mason-Bushman at his topnotch Vandal Nation site after the loss to Portland:

"For the third straight game, the Vandals looked more interested in sleeping in than playing basketball last night. The Portland Pilots, hungry for revenge at home after a 20-point Idaho beatdown knocked them out of the Top 25 last week, gladly took advantage...

...Idaho has looked disjointed, sluggish and indifferent ever since its home win over then-No. 25 Portland two weeks ago. There’s nothing good to talk about from this game, as virtually every stat was a season low for the Vandals: 38 percent shooting, 19 turnovers, even a spectacularly bad 12-for-29 performance from the free-throw line..."

But conference play is a brand new season, a slate swept clean and an opportunity to right any deficiencies.

By the way, why the nickname Vandals? From the Idaho athletic site: "One of the unique nicknames in sports, “Vandals” has been the nickname for University of Idaho athletic teams for more than 80 years. Area sportswriters coined the nickname as they tried to describe the tenacity with which coach Hec Edmundson’s basketball teams played defense. It first was used in 1918 strictly for the men’s basketball team and officially adopted for all teams in 1921. The sports editor of the school newspaper, Lloyd “Jazz” McCarty, along with the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Edward Maslin Hulme, made the final push for the nickname to be adopted, both as a tribute to the intensity of the athletic teams and to the Norsemen of old.


Schedule to Date

Nov 13 @ Utah 94 - 87 (W)

Nov 15 @ Texas Southern 65 - 72 (L)

Nov 21 @ North Dakota State 81 - 69 (W)

Nov 24 Sacramento State 75 - 61 (W)

Nov 28 Eastern Washington 76 - 54 (W)

Dec 03 @ Cal State Northridge 93 - 95 (L)

Dec 06 Portland 68 - 48 (W)

Dec 09 @ Washington State 64 - 76 (L)

Dec 12 Eastern Oregon 82 - 77 (W)

Dec 22 @ Portland 52 - 82 (L)

Dec 29 Lewis & Clark 71 - 52 (W)


Idaho's Starting Quintet

Marvin Jefferson 6-foot-9: 8.1 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, a team-leading 22 blocked shots, a scorer more on putbacks and dunk opportunities, needs to remain out of foul trouble

Luiz Toledo 6-foot-7: 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a game, shooting 66% from the floor, bothered earlier by injuries

Kashif Watson 6-foot-4: 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds a game, shooting 50% on the season, has not attempted a trey, his 55 free throw attempts are the most on the team as he is a slicer and dicer who gets opponents out of position, resulting in whistles

Steffan Johnson 6-foot-1: 11.7 points per game, a team-leading 15 steals, shooting 42% overall, 44% from three-point range, watch for him on the offensive boards as his rebounding total is split 31 defensive and 30 offensive

Mac Hopson 6-foot-2: averaging 13 points and four rebounds a game, with a team-leading 45 assists -- he makes the offense go. Hopson is shooting 45% overall, 28% from long distance. His turnover rate is inexplicably up this season but we haven't seen him play so don't have a clue as to the cause or causes.

Each starter averages 25-28 minutes per game.

A usual starter, Brandon Wiley, has been injured this season and that has definitely been a negative since he is sort of a 'glue'guy' who performs well in his roles and never reaches beyond his capabilities. Wiley has been out since November 15 and his current status is unknown..

The Cavalry

Luciano de Souza 6-foot-7: great hair and a long distance shooter almost exclusively, 31 of his 38 shot attempts have been treys

Jeff Ledbetter 6-foot-3: ditto, even the hair, 28 of his 38 shots have been threes

Kyle Barone 6-10: 4.6 rebounds a game and he is also shooting 63% from the floor, add some beef and he could be something

Shawn Henderson: 6-3 - backcourt depth


The Vandal Roster by position

Mac Hopson G 6-2 185 Sr.
Jeff Ledbetter G 6-3 195 Jr.
Shawn Henderson G 6-3 178 Jr.
Steffan Johnson G 6-1 180 Sr.
Landon Tatum G 5-11 196 Jr.
Justin Stewart G 6-1 185 Fr.
Kashif Watson G 6-4 186 Sr.

Corey Stern, Corey F 6-7 200 Fr.
Brandon Wiley F 6-6 218 Sr.
Luciano de Souza F 6-7 210 Sr.
Luiz Toledo F 6-8 225 So.
Travis Blackstock F 6-5 206 Sr.

Kyle Barone C 6-10 220 Fr.
Joe Kammerer C 6-9 241 Fr.
Marvin Jefferson C 6-9 250 Sr.


What to Look For

* It may or may not mean anything but Idaho went 3-5 on the road in WAC play last season.

* Last year, Idaho lacked depth and size, finishing last in rebounding. This season, the Vandals have improved to the middle of the pack. Translated: rebounding totals should be close on Monday.

* Verlin's squad is shooting close to 41% from three-point range this season while holding opponents to 36%.

* Piggybacking on the above, Idaho is shooting 47% overall from the floor while holding opposing teams to 41%.

* The Vandals are nabbing 6.3 steals a game -- will that number be met or not or exceeded on Monday? The Spartans are a -31 in steals with opponents.

* Here's a curious statistic to track on Monday: In its 2009-2010 victories to date, Idaho has averaged 33+ points in paint to just 24 points in the paint in losses.