All Links WSU
Recruiting News
Wildcat Wall
WSU Fans Forum
Video Clips
WSU Football
Contact Us
News Archives 2007 - Current

3/9/13
11 straight Weber wins!
Hide your kids, hide your wife, cuz they winnin' every game out here!
Weber State 65, Eastern Washington 57

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored 18 points and Weber State closed the game on a 14-7 run to defeat Eastern Washington 65-57 Saturday night.

The Wildcats (24-5, 18-2) will take their 11-game winning streak and a No. 2 seed into next week's Big Sky Conference tournament, where they will face seventh-seeded Northern Arizona on Thursday.

Joel Bolomboy added 11 points for Weber State, which has won 19 straight games at home.

Tyler Harvey scored 17 points for Eastern Washington (10-21, 7-13). The loss eliminated the Eagles from the Big Sky tournament, which takes only the top seven teams in the conference.

With the Wildcats nursing a 51-50 lead, Bamforth hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to make it 56-50 with 4:35 left. The Eagles got within 60-57 on Parker Kelly's layup with 1:24 remaining but another 3 by Bamforth at the 57-second mark was all the cushion Weber State needed.

3/9/13
Senior Night: E-Wash at Weber State, tonight at 7
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | EWU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
North Dakota 68, SUU 61
Montana State 71, Sac State 55
Weber State 65, EWU 57
Montana 63, NAU 50
Idaho State 72 Portland State 71

Who is in? Who is out?
Montana and Weber : 1st or 2nd
North Dakota owns 3rd place
Northern Colorado will either be the 4 or 5 seed
Sacramento State can finish as high as 5th but can still get eliminated
Northern Arizona can finish as high as 5th but can still get eliminated
Southern Utah can finish as high as 6th but can still get eliminated
Eastern Washington can only get 7th by beating WSU plus get help

3/9/13
Bamforth takes the floor as one of WSU's 50 best
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/03/08/bamforth-takes-floor-one-wsus-50-best

3/9/13
Eastern Washington at Weber State preview


3/8/13
Weber State honoring Scott Bamforth and Frank 'Mook' Otis on senior night
Trevor Phibbs, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865575279/Weber-State-honoring-Scott-Bamforth-and-Frank-Mook-Otis-on-senior-night.html

3/8/13
Former Weber State stars to share fond memories
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/03/06/former-weber-state-stars-share-fond-memories

3/8/13
50 years later, 'Cats still dominate
Martin Renzhofer, The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55942594-77/state-weber-wsu-game.html.csp

3/7/13
Wildcats shine bright like a diamond in 10th straight win
Weber State 80, Portland State 52

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Davion Berry scored 19 points as Weber State stayed in contention for the Big Sky Conference regular-season title by defeating Portland State 80-52 Thursday night.

The Wildcats (23-5, 17-2 Big Sky), who have won 10 straight, trail Big Sky leader Montana by one game with one game remaining.

Scott Bamforth added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Weber State, which led 41-13 at halftime. Joel Bolomboy had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats shot 56 percent from the field, made 8 of 16 3-point attempts and outrebounded the Vikings 44-23.

Portland State (8-19, 5-14), which was eliminated from contention for the Big Sky tournament last week, fell to 0-13 on the road this season.

Renado Parker scored 13 points for the Vikings and Aaron Moore had 11.

3/7/13
Portland State at Weber State, tonight at 7
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | PSU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Weber State 80, Portland State 52
Montana 63, Sac State 52
Northern Colorado 66, Southern Utah 58
Eastern Washington 87, Idaho State 73
Montana State 83, NAU 79 OT

3/7/13
Healthy Otis finally enjoys playing at WSU
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/03/06/healthy-otis-finally-enjoys-playing-wsu

3/7/13
League Announces Days, Times for Potential Tournament Sites
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2013/3/6/MBB_0306130608.aspx

3/6/13
Portland State at Weber State, Thurs night - Welcome to the No Fly Zone

Thursday night Weber will host Portland State for its second to last home game of the 2012-13 regular season. Weber State is 31-11 all-time against the Vikings and 19-1 at the Dee Events Center. The Wildcats have beat the Viks 5 straight with its last loss being in Portland on Jan 20, 2011. The only loss in Ogden was in the 2005-06 season. Coach Rahe is 13-3 vs PSU, 9-0 at home and 4-3 in Portand. Rahe has never beat a Big Sky team 14 times.

Weber's final home game and senior night will be on Saturday against Eastern Washington. WSU will honor its 2 seniors in Scott Bamforth and Frank Otis.

3/6/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber now 15th; Griz #13, BYU #16, USU 2 votes
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

3/5/13
Harlem Shake Weber State Basketball


3/4/13
Montana beats SUU 86-74 in overtime
UND clinches the 3-seed

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=330630253

3/3/13
Wildcats will spend 'An Evening with Legends'
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765623724/Wildcats-will-spend-An-Evening-with-Legends.html

3/3/13
Wildcats steal wild win in Flagstaff
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/03/02/wildcats-steal-wild-win-flagstaff

3/2/13
WSU wins in OT and gets 10th road win for first time in 43 years
Weber State 80, NAU 78

Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Davion Berry scored 25 points, Scott Bamforth added 20 and Weber State won its ninth straight contest by outlasting Northern Arizona 80-78 in overtime Saturday.

Weber State (22-5, 16-2 Big Sky) led 37-29 at halftime but the Lumberjacks used a 20-5 run to begin the second half capped off by a Gabe Rogers 3-pointer to give Northern Arizona a 49-42 lead with 8:32 remaining in the game.

Trailing 69-67 with 11 seconds left, Berry hit a pair of free throws to send it to overtime and the Wildcats scored the first seven points in overtime to hold off Northern Arizona (11-18, 8-10).

Rogers finished with 25 points while hitting six 3-pointers to lead the Lumberjacks. DeWayne Russell had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Max Jacobsen finished with 17 points.

Weber State shot 47.3 percent from the field and was 19 of 23 from the free-throw line.

3/2/13
Highlights: WSU at NAU


3/2/13
Weber State at NAU: White out game for senior day, 2 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | NAU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Weber State 80, NAU 78 OT
North Dakota 78, Eastern Washington 74
Montana 71, Montana State 68
Sac State 53, Idaho State 52
Northern Colorado 85, Portland State75

3/2/13
Wildcats chasing top seed in Big Sky tourney
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/03/01/wildcats-chasing-top-seed-big-sky-tourney

3/1/13
Berry carries 'Cats to eighth straight win
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/02/28/berry-carries-cats-eighth-straight-win

3/1/13
Sac State beaten at home by Weber State
Mark Billingsley, The Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/01/5227616/sac-state-men-beaten-at-home-by.html

2/28/13
8 straight Weber wins
Weber State 70, Sac State 55

Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Davion Berry scored 22 points, including four 3-point baskets, to pace Weber State to a 70-55 victory over Sacramento State on Thursday night.

Berry also had seven assists for Weber State (21-5, 15-2 Big Sky).

Scott Bamforth scored 14 points for Weber State, including four 3-pointers, and Joel Bolomboy scored 11.

Sacramento State (13-13, 7-10) got 12 points each from Konner Veteto and Dylan Garrity, and Garrity handed out eight assists.

Weber State had a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points and 7-0 edge in fast-break points. The team also had an 11-6 edge in points off turnovers.

Frank Otis grabbed eight rebounds to help give Weber State a 37-28 advantage on the glass.

2/28/13
Weber State at Sac State, 8 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | Sac Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Idaho State at NAU, 6:30 pm
Montana State at SUU, 7 pm
Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado, 7 pm
Weber State at Sac State, 8 pm
North Dakota at Portland State, 8:30 pm

2/28/13
Hot-shooting Wildcats visit hard-luck Sacramento State
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/02/27/hot-shooting-wildcats-visit-hard-luck-sacramento-state

2/28/13
Weber State #1 in FG% and 3FG%
ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/statistics/team/_/stat/field-goals

FG %
1. Weber State .514
2. Gonzaga .509
3. Creighton .505
4. North Carolina State .498
4. Indiana .497

3-point %
1. Weber State .428
2. Indiana .426
3. Creighton .418
4. Duke .416
5. Virginia .404

2/26/13
Weber State's Rahe is college basketball's hidden gem
Trevor Phibbs, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765623328/Weber-States-Rahe-is-college-basketballs-hidden-gem.html

2/26/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber moves up to 18th; Griz #14
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

2/26/13
Cherry's foot not broke
GrizBasketball.com
http://www.grizbasketball.com/?p=798

2/23/13
WSU wins 20th game for 25th time in 50 years!
Weber State 70, Oral Roberts 66

Associated Press
TULSA, Okla. -- Kyle Tresnak scored 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting and grabbed five rebounds to lead Weber State in its 70-66 BracketBusters win over Oral Roberts on Saturday night.

Oral Roberts led 36-29 at halftime but the Wildcats (20-5) responded with a 19-6 run to begin the second half capped off by two Jordan Richardson 3-pointers to take a 48-42 lead with just over 12 minutes to go in the game. Richardson ended his night with 12 points.

The Golden Eagles fought back, and with 9:20 to go Korey Billbury hit a lay-up to give Oral Roberts (17-11) a 53-51 lead. It was short lived however as Scott Bamforth hit another Weber State 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 54-53 advantage and they never trailed again.

Bamforth finished the night with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Shawn Glover led Oral Roberts with 16 while Damen Bell-Holter and Warren Niles each had 13.

2/23/13
Cherry injury: Griz loss to Davidson could prove costly
GrizBasketball.com
http://www.grizbasketball.com/?p=795

2/23/13
Beat the Bobs!
Weber State at Oral Roberts tonight at 6:30 pm

Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Free Online Feed | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | ORU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Weber at Oral Roberts game will be televised live nationally by Golden Eagle Broadcasting (GEB), DirecTV 363 and on Fox College Sports. The game will also be streamed by Golden Eagle Broadcasting at gebamerica.com or at orugoldeneagles.com.

South Dakota at Montana State, Sunday, 1:00 pm


Wins
Weber State 70, Oral Roberts 66
Southern Utah 73, CS Northridge 72
Sac State 51, UC Santa Barbara 50
Portland State 66, UC Riverside 58
Eastern Washington 81, Sam Houston State 76

Losses
Nebraska-Omaha 83, North Dakota 75
Davison 93, Montana 87 OT
Idaho 75, Idaho State 69
UC Davis 79, Northern Colorado 78
Hawaii 84, NAU 50


2/22/13
BracketBuster could impact Big Sky race
Martin Renzhofer, The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55876707-77/weber-game-state-montana.html.csp

2/22/13
Wildcats take on Oral Roberts University on Saturday
Nathan Davis, Weber State Sign Post
http://www.wsusignpost.com/2013/02/21/wildcats-take-on-oral-roberts-university-on-saturday-31825

2/21/13
Griz leading scorer Mathias Ward out 2-4 weeks with injury
Mick Holien, GrizVox
http://grizvox.com/2013/02/ouch-5/

2/21/13
Damian Lillard on Sportscenter, Wednesday morning


2/21/13
North Dakota hoops announcer suspended 2 games for saying "choke job"
Joe Lucia, AwfulAnnouncing.com
http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/february/north-dakota-basketball-announcer-suspended-two-games-for-saying-choke-job.html

2/19/13
WSU's Davion Berry Named Big Sky Player of the Week
Big Sky Conference
http://bigskyconf.com/awards.aspx?aow=189

2/19/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber back in the rankings at #22; Griz #13
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

2/18/13
Weber State national statistics
ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/statistics/team/_/stat/field-goals

FG %
1. Weber State .513
2. Creighton .508
3. Gonzaga .505
4. Indiana .502
5. North Carolina State .499

3-point %
1. Creighton .429
2. Indiana .427
3. Weber State .423
4. Lehigh .412
5. Virginia .411

Points per game
1. Northwestern State 84.1
11. BYU 78.3
20. St. Mary's/Missouri 76.5
22. Weber State 76.3
23. Michigan 76.2

Blocks per game
1. St. John's 7.56
14. Eastern Washington 5.52
29. Southern Utah 5.12
35. Weber State 4.96
Purdue 4.96
Arkansas 4.96
Alabama 4.96

Single player FG%
1. Taylor Smith, Stephen F. Austin, .712
2. Frank Otis, Weber State, .688
Marshall Bjorklund, North Dakota State, .688
4. Zeke Marshall, Akron, .657
5. Gregory Echenique, Creighton, .654
87. Kyle Tresnak, Weber State, .563

WSU true freshman Joel Bolomboy is ranked 81st in the country for total blocks with 45. His 45 blocks rank 5th most in WSU history for a single season. The school record is 67 blocks by Shaun Campbell in 1984. Bolomboy has also had 2 games with 5 blocks which is 3rd most in school history for a single game. The school record is 7 swats set by Brian Devincenzi in 1980.

2/18/13
Highlights: Motana State at Weber State


2/16/13
Hot-shooting Weber State downs Montana State for sixth straight
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/02/16/hot-shooting-weber-state-downs-montana-state-sixth-straight-victory

2/16/13
The nation's leader in FG% shoots 64% past MSU
Weber State 69, Montana St 61

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Davion Berry had 21 points, dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds to lead Weber State to its sixth straight victory and a 69-61 win over Montana State on Saturday night.

Jordan Richardson scored 16 points, Frank Otis chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds and the Wildcats shot 64.1 percent from the field, making 25 of 39 attempts. Weber State (19-5, 14-2 Big Sky) hit 6 of 12 from 3-point range and was 13 of 16 from the free-throw line.

Weber State led 35-30 at halftime but used a 20-9 run to begin the second half to put the Bobcats away.

Marcus Colbert scored 19 points, pulled five rebounds and had three assists to lead Montana State (10-14, 7-9), which shot 40 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers. Paul Egwuonwu had 12 points and six rebounds while Christian Moon added 15.

2/16/13
Montana State at Weber State, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Weber State 69, Montana State 61
Montana 61, Idaho State 54
NAU 74, North Dakota 72 OT
EWU 86, SUU 72
Northern Colorado 78, Sac State 64

2/16/13
Wildcats chase Grizzlies with eye on Big Sky bye
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/02/15/wildcats-chase-grizzlies-eye-big-sky-bye

2/16/13
Highlights: Griz @ Weber


2/14/13
Wildcats hand Montana its worst regular-season loss in 4 years
Trevor Phibbs, Deseret News
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55836091-77/0-0-weber-montana-0-1.html.csp

2/14/13
Weber State trounces Montana
Martin Renzhofer, The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55609406-77/weber-0-0-wsu-bolomboy.html.csp

2/14/13
Montana's 25 straight Big Sky win streak ends!
Weber State 87, Montana 63

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Tresnak scored 19 points and Davion Berry had 16 as Weber State knocked off Big Sky-leading Montana 87-63, snapping the Grizzlies' 25-game conference winning streak in the regular season.

Frank Otis and Gelaun Wheelwright added 14 points apiece for the Wildcats (18-5, 16-2), whose fifth straight victory pulled them within a game of Montana (18-5, 14-1) and avenged a 76-74 loss to the Grizzlies earlier this season.

Mathias Ward and Will Cherry scored 18 points each for Montana, which had won 14 straight overall and a conference-record 25 in a row in the Big Sky (27 straight counting the conference tournament). The Grizzlies' last loss in conference play was also at Weber State (80-64 on Jan.

14, 2012), where the Wildcats have won 27 of their last 28 games.

Weber State pulled away early on Thursday, scoring 11 straight points to take a 26-11 lead and extending the cushion to 44-24 by halftime.

2/13/13
Montana at Weber State, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | Griz Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
North Dakota 49, Sac State 48
Weber State 87, Montana 63
Idaho State 87, Montana State 51
Northern Colorado 76, NAU 68
Southern Utah at Portland State

2/12/13
A Rundown of the Big Sky Standings
BigSkyBball.com
http://www.bigskybball.com/2013/02/a-rundown-of-big-sky-standings.html

2/12/13
Preview: Griz @ Weber


2/11/13
Weber State clinches postseason berth
With Weber State's win over Idaho State, the 'Cats have clinched a spot in the 2012-13 Big Sky Conference Tournament. Montana also clinched berth with its win this past Saturday against North Dakota. Seven teams will qualify for the conference tournament for the first time in Big Sky history due to conference expansion. Prior to '12-'13 the tournament had 6 teams qualify for the past 20+ years. The Big Sky was the second conference in NCAA Division I history to have a conference championship tournament.

The Big Sky regular season champion will host the entire tournament. From 1975-76 to 2002-03 the tournament was hosted at a single site each year. From 2003-04 until last season the first round games (quarter finals) were not at the hosting site. The 3 seed hosted the 6 seed and the 4 seed hosted the 5 seed. The top 2 teams had a bye until the semifinals.

Weber State has now qualified for the Big Sky postseason in each of Coach Rahe's seven seasons. Weber State also owns a Big Sky record 24 consecutive conference tournament appearances (1982-2005). Weber State has only missed the conference tournament twice - 1981 and 2006.

Weber hosts Montana on Thursday night. If WSU can get a win the 'Cats would be back 1 game behind the Griz with 5 to go. Montana hosted the tournament last year after finshing the season 15-1, Weber was 14-2. It was the closest, tightest race for a crown in Big Sky history . Under Coach Rahe the 'Cats have hosted the tournament 3 times - 2007, 2009 and 2010. Montana's last 3 were 1992, 2000 and 2012. Montana owns a league best 11 2nd place finishes. Weber owns the most Big Sky hardware with 19 regular season championships. Griz have the 2nd most with 8 trophies. Only NAU Cross Country has more Big Sky trophies than Weber State men's basketball.

2/11/13
A crowd of 8,758 watched WSU mash them taters
Weber State 56, Idaho State 40

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Tresnak scored 15 points and Weber State never trailed in winning its fourth game in a row, a 56-40 victory over Idaho State on Monday night.

Davion Berry had 14 points and Frank Otis had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-5, 12-2 Big Sky), who held a 35-20 edge on the boards.

Tresnak scored 12 of his points in the first half as Weber State built a 31-21 lead. The Wildcats shot 49 percent while Idaho State finished at 39 percent from the field.

Melvin Morgan scored 12 to lead the Bengals (4-19, 3-11), who have lost seven straight. After trailing by 10 at the break, they came no closer than seven points to the Wildcats in the second half.

2/11/13
It's Potato Day!
Idaho State at Weber State, 7 pm

Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Tonight is Weber's annual Whiteout game. The first 4,000 fans will receive a free white T-shirt, courtesy of America First Credit Union. It is also America First Credit Union Night where credit union customers can show their card and get up to four free tickets. Those with a Hill Air Force Base ID can also get four free tickets. It is also Utah Jazz Bear Night.

2/10/13
Wildcats eat up Thunderbirds
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/02/09/wildcats-eat-thunderbirds

2/9/13
Weber State 75, SUU 58
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Davion Berry had 21 points and five assists as Weber State defeated Southern Utah 75-58 Saturday night.

Scott Bamforth and Jordan Richardson added 15 points apiece for the Wildcats (16-5, 11-2 Big Sky), who hit 11 of 20 3-pointers and shot 53 percent overall from the field en route to their third straight win.

Jackson Stevenett scored 24 points and Damon Heuir had 18 for Southern Utah (10-13, 8-6). The Thunderbirds shot just 29 percent and had their five-game winning streak snapped -- their longest in 11 years.

Bamforth and Royce Williams hit 3-pointers during a 9-2 run that put Weber State ahead 39-26 with 1:51 left in the first half. Southern Utah got within 39-31 at halftime, but Weber State pulled away and led by as many as 24 points in the second half.

2/9/13
Weber-SUU Highlights


2/9/13
SUU at Weber State, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter | Forum
EWU 77, NAU 74 OT
Weber 75, SUU 58
Montana 78, UND 58
UNC 85, MSU 72
Sac 77, PSU 71

2/7/13
Big Sky, Thursday
Big Sky Scoreboard
Montana 73, Northern Colorado 63
North Dakota 82, Montana State 73
Southern Utah 81, Idaho State 79 OT
Sacramento State 61, Eastern Washington 55
Northern Arizona 79, Portland State 72

2/6/13
Fill The Dee for SUU @ WSU, Saturday night!


2/6/13
Weber State national statistics
ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/statistics/team/_/stat/scoring-per-game/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct

FG %
1. Creighton .520
2. Gonzaga .509
3. Weber State .505
4. NC State .504
5. Michigan .503
6. Indiana .501
7. Belmont .493
8. Southern Miss/Florida .492
10. Saint Mary's .491

3-point %
1. Creighton .449
2. Lehigh .424
3. Indiana .422
4. Weber State .418
5. Harvard .415
6. Michigan .412
7. Duke .411
8. Belmont .406
9. NC State/Boise State .401

PPG
1. Northwestern State 83.9
16. Michigan/Saint Mary's 77.7
18. Virinia Military Institute/Belmont 77.6
20. Weber State 77.3
21. East Carolina 77.2
22. Arkansas 77.1
23. CS Northridge/Houston 76.9

1/5/13
WSU to play at Oral Roberts in Bracketbusters
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=206264560&DB_OEM_ID=8600

2/3/13
Wildcats get the job done in style
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/02/02/wildcats-get-job-done-style

2/2/13
Montana Closes in on Record
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2013/2/3/MBB_0203131020.aspx

2/2/13
Weber State Cruises to 85-64 Victory
BigSkyBball.com
http://www.bigskybball.com/2013/02/weber-state-cruises-to-85-64-victory.html

2/2/13
Weber St. 85, N. Colorado 64
Associated Press
GREELEY, Colo. -- Scott Bamforth had 20 points to lead five Weber State players scoring in double figures in an 85-64 victory against Northern Colorado on Saturday night.

Otis Frank added 15 points, Kyle Tresnak and Davion Berry 12 each and Gelaun Wheelwright 10 for the Wildcats (15-5, 10-2 Big Sky), who shot 60.8 percent (31 of 51) from the floor.

Emmanuel Addo and Paul Garnica scored 11 points each for the Bears (6-14, 4-8), who couldn't repeat the hot shooting they had in their previous game. After shooting 71.4 percent from 3-point range (making 15 shots) against Idaho State, Northern Colorado shot 38.6 percent (22 of 57) from the floor overall and was outrebounded 35-27.

Weber State never trailed Frank's jumper tied the game at 2-all. The Wildcats led 45-25 at the break.

2/2/13
Weber State at Northern Colorado, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
North Dakota 69, Idaho State 52
Weber State 85, Northern Colorado 64
Montana 65, Eastern Washington 46
Southern Utah 78, Northern Arizona 67
Montana State 70, Portland State 64

2/2/13
Sports Illustrated: Hangin' With Damian Lillard
http://weberhoops.com/basketball/si-lillard-2013-large.jpg

2/2/13
Weber State looking to finish four-game road trip strong
Trevor Phibbs, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865572094/Weber-State-looking-to-finish-four-game-road-trip-strong.html

2/2/13
Bears look to keep up hot shooting vs. Weber State
UNC Athletics
http://uncbears.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/releases/20130201g9rgdr

1/31/13
Weber State 66, North Dakota 51
Associated Press
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Davion Berry scored 21 points and Frank Otis had 20 points and 12 rebounds as Weber State defeated North Dakota 66-51 Thursday night.

The Wildcats (14-5, 9-2 Big Sky), who opened conference play 9-0 before being swept last week at Montana State and league-leading Montana, got back on the winning track by shooting 46 percent and outrebounding North Dakota 40-28.

Josh Schuler had 12 points for the Fighting Sioux (8-12, 5-6), who had won four of their past five games.

Weber State opened the second half with an 11-0 run to take a 40-26 lead. North Dakota got within 53-48 with 6:44 remaining before Berry hit a 3-pointer that sparked a game-ending 13-3 run for the Wildcats. Berry had seven points in the spurt, and Otis had four.

Weber State hit 4 of 5 3-pointers in the second half after missing all five attempts before the intermission.

1/31/13
Weber State at North Dakota, 6 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter | Forum
Weber State 66, North Dakota 51
Eastern Washington 72, Montana State 68
Southern Utah 79, Sacramento State 67
Northern Colorado 78, Idaho State 63
Montana 81, Portland State 68

1/28/13
BracketBusters announcement next week
http://smcgaels.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/bracketbusters-announcement-next-week/
Despite conflicting information from a variety of sources, the announcement of pairings for this year's 2013 Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters event will take place on Monday, February 4 on ESPNU (time tba).

1/28/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber unranked with votes, Montana #16 ; Jan 28
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

1/28/13
WSU @ UM: Postgame scuffle


1/28/13
Post-game altercation fitting end to heated rivalry matchup
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/01/27/post-game-altercation-fitting-end-heated-rivalry-matchup

1/28/13
Montana 76, Weber St. 74
Associated Press
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Will Cherry scored 28 points and Montana hit 30 of 33 free throws to defeat Weber State 76-74 Saturday night in a battle between the top two teams in the Big Sky Conference.

The Grizzlies (14-4, 10-0 Big Sky) scored eight straight points to take a 74-66 lead with 41 seconds remaining, but Davion Berry scored four quick points and Gelaun Wheelwright made two layups around a pair of Montana free throws to pull Weber State within two points with 3 seconds left. After a Montana turnover, Berry's 3-pointer from mid-court fell short.

The Wildcats (13-5, 8-2) got 17 points apiece from Berry and Frank Otis, while Kyle Tresnak and Scott Bamforth each had 14.

Kareem Jamar and Mathias Ward added 11 points each for the Grizzlies and Spencer Coleman had 10.

The Wildcats outshot the Grizzlies 51 percent to 45 percent, but Montana outrebounded Weber State 31-25 and scored 13 more points at the free-throw line.

1/28/13
Montana St. 79, Weber St. 74
Associated Press
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Antonio Biglow and Xavier Blount scored 18 points apiece as Montana State knocked off Weber State 79-74 Thursday night.

The Bobcats (8-9, 5-4 Big Sky), who nearly beat one undefeated Big Sky team on Saturday before falling to Montana in overtime, did the trick Thursday against the conference's other unbeaten in Weber State (13-4, 8-1).

Christian Moon added 16 points for Montana State, and Paul Egwuonwu had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Bobcats scored 19 points off 16 Wildcats turnovers while committing only seven turnovers themselves.

Davion Berry was 6 for 8 beyond the arc and had 24 points for the Wildcats, who had their nine-game winning streak snapped. Scott Bamforth added 14 points, and Kyle Tresnak had 13 points and eight rebounds. Weber State faces Montana (13-4, 9-0) on Saturday.

Montana State, which features four new starters this year, is starting to gel with six wins in its last eight games.

1/28/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber #22, Montana #23 ; Jan 21
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

1/20/13
9 straight wins!
Weber St. 65, Sac St. 56

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored 18 points and Kyle Tresnak had 15, helping Weber State win its ninth straight game with a 65-56 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday night.

Frank Otis added 12 points for the Wildcats (13-3, 8-0 Big Sky), who have beaten Sacramento State 11 straight times. Dylan Garrity led the Hornets (8-8, 3-5) with 20 points, and Konner Veteto added 16.

Sacramento State was within 56-54 after Garrity hit a jumper with 3:21 remaining, but Weber State scored nine straight points on a basket by Tresnak, a 3-pointer by Jordan Richardson, two free throws from Bamforth and a layup by Otis.

The win sets up a big week for the Wildcats, who face Montana State (3-4 Big Sky) on Thursday before squaring off with Montana (8-0) in a battle for first place next Saturday.

1/19/13
Sac State at Weber State, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | Sac Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
North Dakota 85, Portland State 76
Weber State 65, Sacramento State 56
Montana 76, Montana State 71, OT
Northern Arizona 60, Idaho State 55
Northern Colorado 72, Eastern Washington 56

1/17/13
8 straight wins!
Weber St. 83, NAU 70

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Tresnak scored 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and Weber State shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half to beat Northern Arizona 83-70 on Thursday night to stay perfect in Big Sky play.

Joel Bolomboy had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Weber State (12-3, 7-0 Big Sky) and Davion Berry scored 17 points including a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line.

The Lumberjacks led 31-30 on a lay-up from Max Jacobsen with 2:52 remaining in the first half but Weber State closed out the half on an 8-0 run to lead 38-31 at halftime. The Wildcats led by as many as 14 in the second half and never trailed again.

Jacobsen finished with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds for Northern Arizona (5-12, 2-5), which shot an even 50 percent from the field in the game.

1/17/13
NAU at Weber State, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | NAU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Weber State 83, Northern Arizona 70
Montana 73, Southern Utah 67
Idaho State 60, Sacramento State 59
Northern Colorado 67, Portland State 50
North Dakota 65 , Eastern Washington 47

1/14/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber #24, Montana #25 ; Jan 14
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

1/14/13
Bamforth, Wildcats heat up in second half, rout Bengals on road
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/01/14/bamforth-wildcats-heat-second-half-rout-bengals-road

1/14/13
Hot fried spuds on a Monday night!
7 straight Wildcat wins
Weber St. 70, Idaho St. 54

Associated Press
Pocatello, ID -- Scott Bamforth scored 17 points, all in the second half, and Davion Berry added 16 points as Weber State defeated Idaho State 70-54 on Monday night.

Bamforth had eight points in a 14-2 run beginning the second half for the Wildcats (11-3, 6-0 Big Sky), who have won seven in a row.

Chris Hansen led the Bengals (3-12, 2-4) with 15 points.

The teams played even most of the first half, battling to six lead changes and five ties. The Wildcats led 28-26 at halftime.

Weber State had a 33-20 rebounding advantage for the game, led by Kyle Tresnak with nine.

1/14/13
CBS Sports Bracketology: 15-Weber, Jan 14
CBS Sports
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

1/14/13
It's Potato Day!
Weber State at Idaho State, 7 pm

Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | ISU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum

1/14/13
Wildcats face familiar foe in upset-minded Idaho State
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/01/13/wildcats-face-familiar-foe-upset-minded-idaho-state

1/12/13
Saturday Big Sky scores, Jan 12
Big Sky Scoreboard
Montana 85, Northern Colorado 77
Idaho State 54, Southern Utah 53
Sacramento State 60, Eastern Washington 53
North Dakota 86, Montana State 73
Portland State 79, Northern Arizona 74

Weber State at Idaho State, Monday night at 7:00 PM

1/10/13
Wildcats edge T-Birds for sixth straight victory
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/01/10/wildcats-edge-t-birds-sixth-straight-victory

1/10/13
Weber State outlasts Southern Utah
Martin Renzhofer, The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55609406-77/weber-0-0-wsu-bolomboy.html.csp

1/10/13
'Cats now 12-1 in last 13 regular season Big Sky away games
Weber St. 81, Southern Ut. 74

Associated Press
CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Joel Bolomboy had 13 points and 17 rebounds, Davion Berry scored 19 points, and Weber State beat Southern Utah 81-74 Thursday night.

Bolomboy, who was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line, got 10 of his rebounds on the defensive end. Berry was 4 of 11 from the field and 10 of 16 at the free-throw line. Scott Bamforth had 17 points, and Kyle Tresnak had 11 for Weber State (10-3, 5-0 Big Sky).

Weber State led 30-29 at halftime in a game with six ties and 10 lead changes. The Wildcats shot 39.6 percent from the field for the game, while Southern Utah shot 35.8 percent.

Jackson Stevenett scored 29 points for Southern Utah (5-9, 3-2). Damon Heuir had 16 points. Wade Collie had a team-high nine rebounds.

Weber State has won six consecutive games.

1/9/13
Weber State at SUU, Thurs, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | WSU Game Notes | SUU Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Montana at North Dakota, 6 pm
Weber State at Southern Utah, 7 pm
Montana State at Northern Colorado, 7 pm
Northern Arizona at Eastern Washington, 7pm
Sacramento State at Portland State, 8:30 pm

1/9/13
Wildcats pay visit to T-Birds in first Big Sky meeting
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/01/09/wildcats-pay-visit-t-birds-first-big-sky-meeting

1/9/13
T-Bird Men Host Two, Including League-Leading Wildcats
SUU Athletics
http://www.suutbirds.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205895560&DB_OEM_ID=20100

1/9/13
Weber still atop weekly Big Sky rankings
GrizBasketball.com
http://www.grizbasketball.com/?p=680

1/9/13
Thursday Night Big Sky Predictions
BigSkyBball.com
http://www.bigskybball.com/

1/8/13
Wildcats are #7 in the nation for FG%
ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/statistics/team/_/stat/field-goals
1. North Carolina State
2. Michigan
3. Gonzaga
4. Notre Dame
5. Creighton
6. Indiana
7. Weber State
8. CS Fullerton
9. Maryland/Pittsburgh
10. Saint Mary's

1/8/13
ESPN Bracketology: 13-Weber in San Jose, Jan 8
ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology

1/8/13
KenPom: WSU 74th, Jan 8
KenPom.com
http://kenpom.com/
71. Dayton
72. Georgia Tech
73. Santa Clara
74. Weber State
75. Tennessee
76. Davidson
77. Providence
78. Harvard
79. Alabama
80. Rutgers

1/8/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber 22 votes, Montana 21 votes; Jan 7
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

1/7/13
Sac St 64, SUU 59
Sac State Cools Off T-Bird Men

SUU Athletics
http://www.suutbirds.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=95898&SPID=11728&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205884860&DB_OEM_ID=20100

1/7/13
WSU's Scott Bamforth Named Big Sky Player of the Week
Big Sky Conference
http://bigskyconf.com/awards.aspx?aow=137

1/5/13
WSU off to 4-0 start for 2nd year in a row and 3rd time in 11 years
Weber St. 95, North Dakota 63

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Tresnak scored 22 points, Davion Berry added 20 and Scott Bamforth had 19 as Weber State defeated North Dakota 95-63 Saturday night.

The Wildcats (9-3, 4-0 Big Sky) shot 56 percent from the floor, hit 9 of 21 3-point attempts and outrebounded the Fighting Sioux 46-26 en route to their fifth straight victory. Gelaun Wheelwright added 13 points and Joel Bolomboy had 11 rebounds for Weber State.

North Dakota(4-9, 1-3) got 23 points from Aaron Anderson, 15 from Troy Huff and 10 from Jamal Webb.

Weber State used a 17-1 run to take a 22-8 lead midway through the first half, and later added a 13-2 run en route to a 46-21 halftime lead. The Wildcats led by as many as 35 points in the second half when Jordan Richardson hit a pair of free throws with 1:40 remaining.

1/5/13
North Dakota at Weber State, Sat, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Online | Live Stats | Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Weber State 95, North Dakota 63
Idaho State 86, Northern Colorado 63
Montana State 70, Eastern Washington 68 OT
Montana 62, Portland State 55
Southern Utah 90, Northern Arizona 77

1/3/13
Thursday Scores, Jan 3
Big Sky Scoreboard
Weber State 79, Northern Colorado 54 | Northern Arizona 57, Sacramento State 50 | Montana State 62, Portland State 59 | Montana 81, Eastern Washington 66 | North Dakota 66, Idaho State 53

1/3/13
Wildcats beat Bears 79-54 to start 3-0 in Big Sky
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205874261

1/3/13
Weber St. 79, N. Colorado 54
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting including five 3-pointers and Weber State stayed perfect in Big Sky play with a 79-54 victory over Northern Colorado on Thursday night.

Weber State (8-3, 3-0 Big Sky) jumped on the Bears from the beginning, starting the game with a 12-3 run capped off by Jordan Richardson's 3-pointer with 15:24 to go in the first half. The Wildcats led 43-26 at the break and never looked back.

Gelaun Wheelwright had 13 points for Weber State and Kyle Tresnak and Richardson each scored 10.

The Wildcats shot 54.5 percent from the field, making 30 of 55 shot attempts. Weber State had 17 assists as a team and forced Northern Colorado (3-8, 1-2) to commit 21 turnovers.

Tate Unruh had 15 points and six rebounds to lead Northern Colorado.

1/3/13
Confident Scott Bamforth leads Wildcats to big win over Northern Colorado
Trevor Phibbs, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865569911/Weber-State-mens-basketball-Confident-Scott-Bamforth-leads-Wildcats-to-big-win-over-Northern.html

1/3/13
Weber State runs over N. Colorado
Martin Renzhofer, The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55567469-77/weber-colorado-0-0-1-2.html.csp

1/3/13
Wildcats blow up Bears behind Bamforth
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/01/03/wildcats-blow-bears-behind-bamforth

1/2/13
KenPom New Year's Day Conference Title Predictions
KenPom.com
http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/entry/conference_title_predictions

1/2/13
Weber State freshman has 'worlds of potential'
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/12/31/weber-state-freshman-has-worlds-potential

1/2/13
Mid Major Top 25: Weber & Montana each with 9 votes; Jan 1
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

12/31/12
CBS Sports RPI; Weber 93rd
CBS Sports
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/rpi/index2

12/31/12
CBS Sports Bracketology, Dec 27; 15-Weber
CBS Sports
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

12/31/12
USA Today's Sagarin Ratings, Dec 31; WSU 79th
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkc1213.htm
79 Weber State
165 Montana
206 Sacramento State
246 Northern Arizona
253 Portland State
283 Northern Colorado
288 Eastern Washington
289 Montana State
313 Idaho State
322 North Dakota
331 Southern Utah


12/31/12
Rahe's backups picked up valuable playing time in rout
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/12/30/rahe-s-backups-picked-valuable-playing-time-rout

12/31/12
Wildcats set home scoring record
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/12/29/wildcats-set-home-scoring-record

12/30/12
Weber State basketball crushes NAIA's Southwest
Martin Renzhofer, The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55543979-77/0-0-richardson-game-weber.html.csp

12/30/12
Wildcats cruise to huge win
Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765618984/Weber-State-mens-basketball-Wildcats-cruise-to-huge-win.html

12/30/12
Weber St. 110, Southwest 45
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth had 18 points as Weber State had five players score in double figures for a second straight game in a 110-45 victory against University of the Southwest on Saturday night.

Royce Williams had 17 points, Joel Bolomboy 16, Davion Berry 15 and Gelaun Wheelwright 12 for the Wildcats (7-3), who shot 69.7 percent (46 of 66) from the field, including 54.5 percent (12 of 22) from 3-point range.

The victory margin is the largest in school history.

Clarence Rivas scored 12 points for Southwest, an NAIA school in Hobbs, N.M., that classified the game as an exhibition. The Mustangs' record remained 3-8.

Weber State outrebounded Southwest 44-19.

12/30/12
'Cats beat Southwest 110-45 for largest win ever
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205858546

12/28/12
Southwest at Weber State, Sat, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Online | Live Stats | Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Idaho State @ Washington State, 4 pm
Southwest @ Weber State, 7 pm
NW Indian @ Montana State, 7 pm
Northern Colorado @ Southern Utah, 7:30 pm

12/28/12
Weber State back home for Southwest Saturday
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205852914

12/24/12
WSU's Richardson Named Big Sky Player of the Week
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/12/24/MBB_1224124756.aspx

12/24/12
Mid Major Top 25: Weber with 2 votes; Dec 24
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

12/24/12
Weber St. 73, Portland St. 69 in OT
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Kyle Tresnak scored only 12 points and had five rebounds but his dunk with 1:07 remaining in overtime gave the Wildcats the lift they were looking for, giving Weber State a 73-69 victory over Portland State on Saturday night.

Tresnak's dunk gave Weber State (6-3, 2-0 Big Sky) a 72-69 lead and Davion Berry added a free throw with 17 seconds left. Four other players scored in double figures for the Wildcats with Gelaun Wheelwright and Jordan Richardson scoring 14 points apiece. Scott Bamforth added 13 and Berry finished with 12 points and seven assists.

At the end of regulation, Renado Parker hit a jumper for Portland State (3-6, 1-1) with 1:55 remaining in the game to make it 63-63, but neither team managed a point after that, missing six shots and two free throws combined.

Parker finished the game with 18 points and Aaron Moore scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

12/24/12
Weber St. 74, E. Washington 53
Associated Press
CHENEY, Wash. -- Jordan Richardson had 15 points, Kyle Tresnak had 14 and Weber State opened Big Sky play by producing a well balanced scoring attack to rout Eastern Washington 74-53 on Thursday night.

Weber State (5-3, 1-0 Big Sky) led 37-26 at halftime but lit up the scoreboard in the second half to eventually lead by as many as 27 with just under 12 minutes to play. The Wildcats shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second half, out-rebounded Eastern Washington 41-28 overall and were 20 of 28 from the free-throw line.

The Eagles never led in the game.

As for the balanced scoring attack, Joel Bolomboy scored nine points and had 12 rebounds while Byron Fulton and Davion Berry each had nine. Scott Bamforth had eight points and four rebounds.

Venky Jois scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead Eastern Washington (2-9, 0-1).

12/17/12
WSU's Berry Named Big Sky Player of the Week
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/12/17/MBB_1217125838.aspx

12/17/12
Mid Major Top 25: Weber still with 12 votes; Dec 17
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

12/16/12
BYU 78, Weber St. 68
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Brandon Davies had a career-high 33 points and Tyler Haws added 23 points to lead BYU to a 78-68 victory against Weber State on Saturday night.

Davies shot 14 of 17 from the floor and had eight rebounds for the Cougars (7-3), who snapped Weber State's 20-game home winning streak.

Davion Berry scored 25 points and Gelaun Wheelwright 12 for the Wildcats (4-3).

A 14-1 second -half run gave BYU permanent control. Davies and Cory Calvert had five points each during the surge while Weber State went 4:22 without a field goal. Calvert's layup made it 65-50 with 6:01 remaining, and the Wildcats got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

The Cougars shot 53.7 percent (29 of 54) from the floor.

12/15/12
BYU @ Weber State, Sat, 7 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | TV: BYUtv | Radio | Watch Online | Live Stats | Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
BYU 78, Weber State 68
South Dakota State 68, Montana 67 2OT
Portland State 85, George Fox 74

12/15/12
Weber State vs BYU
The annual Weber State vs BYU game is tonight in Ogden at the Dee Events Center. Since 1973, the Wildcats and Cougars have played each other 37 times. Weber State is 10-27 overall against BYU, 10-8 in Ogden and 0-19 in Provo. Weber's last win against BYU was 2003 winning the game 75-69 after a 15 point halftime lead. WSU went on to win 16 more in-a-row that year to have the nation's 2nd longest win streak. Currently Weber has the nation's 4th longest home win streak at 20. The following stats are since 1963 which was the first year WSU competed as a 4-year institution as well as WSU's first year in Division I basketball.

Weber State vs Brigham Young
Since 1963
WSU
BYU
Overall Wins
920
899
Last Tournament Appearance
2007
2012
Last Tournament Win
1999
2012
Tournament Appearances
14
24
Tournament Wins
6
11
Best Tournament Seed
7
3
Conference Titles
19
18
20 Win Seasons
24
26
Winning Seasons
41
39
Losing Seasons
8
10
Best Record
27-3
32-5
Worst Record
7-22
1-25
Undefeated in Conference
2
0

12/15/12
Wildcat Weekly Update (Dec. 14)
WSU Athletics


12/15/12
Wildcats look to end nine-game skid against Cougars
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/12/14/wildcats-look-end-nine-game-skid-against-cougars

12/11/12
No more BracketBusters tournament
Gidal Kaiser, Bozeman Daily Chronicle
http://bobcatblog.bozemandailychronicle.com/?p=11201

12/11/12
WSU's Tresnak Named Big Sky Player of the Week
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/12/11/MBB_1211125632.aspx

12/11/12
ESPN Bracketology, Dec 11; 15-Weber
ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology

12/11/12
Blazers' Damian Lillard making Weber look good
Kurt Kragthorpe, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55422257-77/lillard-nba-rahe-damian.html.csp

12/10/12
Dave Rose on Weber State
KSL.com: Rose talks about Weber State at the 16 minute mark of BYU Coach's Show
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=13378103&nid=841&title=byu-basketball-with-head-coach-dave-rose

12/10/12
Mid Major Top 25: Weber has 12 votes, Dec 10
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

12/10/12
'Cats run home winning streak to 20 games
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/12/08/cats-run-home-winning-streak-20-games
1 Syracuse 28
2 Kansas 26
3 South Dakota State 23
4 Weber State 20
5 Colorado State 17
5 Southern Miss 17
7 Ohio 16
8 Montana 15
9 Iowa State 14
10 Marquette 13
10 Wichita State 13

12/8/12
Weber St. 65, UC Irvine 51
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Tresnak led the charge for Weber State, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds and the Wildcats hit 14 of 18 free throws in the second half to beat UC Irvine 65-51 on Saturday night.

Weber State (4-2) didn't have the greatest shooting night, making 21 of 35 from the free-throw line, was 2 for 12 from beyond the arc and shot only 41.2 percent from the field overall.

Frank Otis scored 13 points and pulled six rebounds for the Wildcats, Scott Bamforth had 11 points including a 7 for 8 performance from the free-throw line and Joel Bolomboy scored only four points but had 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Daman Starring led UC Irvine (4-6) with 15 points and four rebounds. The Anteaters shot 17 3-pointers, making only three.

12/8/12
Lillard dunks on Jimmer's Kings
Portland Trailblazers' rookie Damian Lillard could have been a senior at Weber State this year.


12/8/12
UC Irvine @ Weber State, 7pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Online | Live Stats | Game Notes | Twitter | Forum
Oregon 87, Idaho State 35
Weber State 65, UC Irvine 51
San Jose State 62, Sacramento State 57
#24 Wichita State 80, Northern Colorado 54
Montana 78, Carroll College 58

12/8/12
Montana's Will Cherry back to practice
KPAX, GrizCentral.com
http://www.kpax.com/news/will-cherry-returns-to-griz-practice/

12/8/12
Weber State postgame: Randy Rahe on Utah Valley


12/5/12
Weber St. 89, Utah Valley St. 56
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Tresnak scored a season-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Weber State dominated Utah Valley in an 89-56 victory Wednesday night.

Tresnak was 8 of 10 from the field, part of a 55 percent shooting effort for the Wildcats (3-2). Scott Bamforth added 18 points and made all four of Weber State's 3-pointers, and Frank Otis had 14 points.

Holton Hunsaker and Nick Thompson scored 12 points apiece for the Wolverines (5-5), and Alfonzo Hubbard had 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Wildcats didn't trail after the opening minutes, going ahead on Gelaun Wheelwright's layup 5:44 into the game and leading by as many as 35 in the second half.

Weber State was 4 of 8 from behind the arc, improving upon their 43.5 percent 3-point shooting percentage -- good for seventh in the nation entering the game. The Wildcats improved to 4-2 all-time against Utah Valley.

12/5/12
Weber State blows away UVU 89-56
Big Sky Scoreboard | Twitter | Forum
Weber State 89, Utah Valley 56
Loyola Mary 92, Northern Arizona 86 OT
UM Kansas City 73, North Dakota 70
Northern Iowa 76, Northern Colorado 59

12/1/12
Wildcats return home for Utah Valley Wednesday
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205820058

12/3/12
Mid Major Top 25: Sac is only Big Sky team on Radar; Dec 3
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/new/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

12/2/12
Weekend Scores - Nov 30-Dec 1
Big Sky Scoreboard br> Friday
Eastern Washington 79, CS Fullerton 75 | San Francisco 78, Montana 68

Saturday
San Jose State 82, Montana State 74 | Northern Arizona 77, Sam Houston State 60
Loyola Mary 66, Portland State 56 | Arizona State 90, Sacramento State 70
Southern Utah 95, San Diego Christian 65 | UC Riverside 69, Northern Colorado 63

Sunday
None

12/1/12
Weber State men's basketball adds two players
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205818687

11/28/12
Weber St. 62, Dayton 61
Associated Press
DAYTON, Ohio -- Kyle Tresnak scored 16 points and Scott Bamforth added 15 as Weber State rallied from a seven-point deficit, then held off Dayton 62-61 Wednesday night.

Trailing 27-20, the Wildcats (2-2) went on a 16-2 run, with Bamforth scoring eight straight points in the spree, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Dayton (4-2) used a 7-0 spurt to tie it at 38, but couldn't pull ahead until a Josh Benson three-point play with 2:34 to go made it 57-56.

Tresnak knotted the game with a free throw, then Bamforth hit a 3 with 1:26 remaining.

Benson trimmed the deficit to 60-59 with two free throws, which Bamforth matched with 8 seconds left. Devin Oliver made a layup with 1 second remaining for the final margin as the Flyers saw their three-game winning streak end.

Kevin Dillard led Dayton with 18 points and Benson had 17 in the first meeting between the programs.

11/28/12
Wildcats grind out road victory against Flyers
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/28/wildcats-grind-out-road-victory-against-flyers

11/28/12
Wildcats get big road win 62-61 at Dayton
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205814760

11/28/12
Weber State @ Dayton, 5 pm
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Online (free) | Live Stats | Twitter | Forum
Weber State @ Dayton, 5 pm
Montana @ BYU, 7 pm
North Dakota @ South Dakota State, 7:30 pm
Northern Arizona @ #9 Arizona, 8 pm

11/28/12
Rahe happy to 'test' Wildcats in hostile environment against Flyers
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/27/rahe-happy-test-wildcats-hostile-environment-against-flyers

11/28/12
Wildcats hit the road at Dayton Wednesday
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205776759

11/25/12
Thanksgiving Weekend Scores
Big Sky Scoreboard
Friday
Jacksonville State 50, Northern Arizona 48 | Wright State 60, Idaho State 45
Santa Clara 89, Eastern Washington 74

Saturday
Utah State 65, Weber State 55 | Montana 67, San Diego 66 | Central Michigan 54, Idaho State 52
Northern Arizona 70, Campbell 62 | Sacramento State 71, Central Arkansas 68

Sunday
#20 Oklahoma State 81, Portland State 58 | Oregon State 78, Montana State 65

11/25/12
Utah St. 65, Weber St. 55
Associated Press
LOGAN, Utah -- Prestin Medlin scored 17 points, Jarred Shaw had 16 and Utah State closed the game on a 12-2 run to defeat Weber State 65-55 Saturday night.

Ben Clifford added 11 points for the Aggies (3-1), who outrebounded Weber State 43-30. Shaw had 12 rebounds and Medlin added nine.

Davion Berry led the Wildcats (1-2) with 11 points.

In a game that featured 24 lead changes and 16 ties, Utah State pulled away in the final 5 minutes. With the scored tied at 53-all, the Aggies got baskets from Shaw and Kyisean Reed to go along with a pair of free throws from Clifford to open a six-point lead. After a Weber State free throw, Utah State again scored six straight points to put the game out of reach.

Neither team led by more than three points in the second half until Utah State's deciding run.

11/25/12
Missed free throws haunt Wildcats against Aggies
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/24/missed-free-throws-haunt-wildcats-against-aggies

11/25/12
Aggies claw to 65-55 victory over Wildcats
Kraig Williams, Deseret New
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567466/Utah-State-basketball-Aggies-claw-to-65-55-victory-over-Weber-State.html

11/25/12
Late run gives Utah State 65-55 win over Wildcats
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205764478

11/24/12
Weber State @ Utah State, Tonight in Logan
WSU, USU coaching staffs know each other all to well
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner

Aggies, Wildcats collide in Beehive State battle Saturday
Kraig Williams, Deseret News

Aggies ready for in-state shootout with Weber State
Kyle Goon, Salt Lake Tribune

Weber State (1-1) at Utah State (2-1)
By Sports Network, Herald Journal

11/23/12
Wildcats take on Aggies Saturday in Logan
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205757464

11/18/12
Weekend Scores Around The 'Sky
Big Sky Scoreboard
Friday
Sacramento State 74, Utah 71 | UW Green Bay 66, Southern Utah 54

Saturday
Montana 66, Idaho 63 | Northern Iowa 72, North Dakota 47 | CS Fullerton 112, Southern Utah 69

Sunday
Montana 83, Portland 64 | Northern Arizona 85, UC Davis 82 | Nevada 79, Southern Utah 61
Saint Mary's 85, Eastern Washington 66

11/18/12
Runnin' Utes have piled up patsies on this year's preseason schedule - with good reason
Mike Sorensen, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865566665/Utah-Utes-basketball-Runnin-Utes-have-piled-up-patsies-on-this-years-preseason-schedule-2-with.html?pg=1

11/15/12
Wildcats can't seal deal in overtime loss to Spartans
Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/15/wildcats-cant-seal-deal-overtime-loss-spartans

11/9/12
San Jose St. 68, Weber St. 67 OT
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- D.J. Brown converted four key free throws in the final minute of overtime and San Jose State slipped past Weber State 68-67 on Thursday night.

A basket by Davion Berry with 1:08 left in overtime gave Weber State (1-1) a 67-64 lead, but Brown brought the Spartans (1-2) back with two free throws at the 1:01 and two more with :09 showing.

James Kinney scored 24 points to lead San Jose State and Chris Cunningham had 10 points.

Davion Berry led Weber State with 21 points and Scott Bamforth scored 11. Joel Bolomboy grabbed 11 rebounds for the Wildcats

11/15/12
Wildcats fall 68-67 to Spartans in overtime
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205744315

11/14/12
National Letter of Intent Day: WSU signs two players
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205738018&DB_OEM_ID=8600

11/14/12
Wildcats head to San Jose State Thursday
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205737321&DB_OEM_ID=8600

11/14/12
Lillard-less Wildcats get another crack at San Jose State
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/14/lillard-less-wildcats-get-another-crack-san-jose-st

11/14/12
Weber State basketball team faces first road trip of season
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865566792/Weber-State-basketball-team-faces-first-road-trip-of-season.html

11/14/12
All 11 Big Sky Teams in BracketBusters Pool
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/11/14/MBB_1114122136.aspx

11/12/12
UNC Scores 127 Points
Northern Colorado Athletics
http://uncbears.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/files/GM01-USW.XML

11/9/12
Weber St. 110, Arizona Christian 52
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Davion Berry scored 17 points to lead seven Wildcats in double figures, and hot-shooting Weber State rolled past Arizona Christian 110-52 on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

Joel Bolomboy added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who got most of their roster involved in the scoring against Arizona Christian, an NAIA school. Jordan Richardson had 15 points, while Frank Otis had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Weber State shot 64 percent from the field, including 70 percent in the second half, and made 13 of its 25 3-point attempts.

The Wildcats never trailed, started the game on an 18-4 run and headed into halftime with a 55-23 lead. They kept pouring it on after the break, and the final score matched their biggest lead.

Mason Jones scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead the Firestorm, who shot 27 percent from the field.

11/9/12
Griz basketball falls to Colorad State in season opener 72-65
GoGriz.com
http://www.gogriz.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/111012aaa.html

11/9/12
Wildcats douse Firestorm in season-opener
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/09/wildcats-douse-firestorm-season-opener

11/9/12
Wildcats bash Arizona Christian on opening night
Trevor Phibbs, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865566470/Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-bash-Arizona-Christian-on-opening-night.html

11/8/12
Men's basketball season opener Friday
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205727663&DB_OEM_ID=8600

11/8/12
Mid Major Top 25
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/new/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

11/8/12
Wildcats win exhibition game 82-56
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205726169&DB_OEM_ID=8600

11/8/12
Weber State hoops teams earn exhibition wins
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/05/weber-state-hoops-teams-earn-exhibition-wins

11/8/12
Murphy set for first season with Lumberjacks
Sports Illustrated
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/basketball/ncaa/11/03/jack-murphy-northern-arizona.ap/index.html?xid=si_ncaab

11/8/12
Utah State's Brashaw to transfer to Montana
NBC Montana
http://www.nbcmontana.com/sports/Corvallis-Bradshaw-coming-home-to-Grizzlies/-/14594634/17318872/-/u32ty1/-/index.html

11/3/12
Men's basketball home Monday for exhibition
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205724274&DB_OEM_ID=8600

11/3/12
Blazers' Damian Lillard makes history in NBA debut
SBNation.com
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/11/1/3584436/damian-lillard-portland-trail-blazers

11/3/12
WSU hoops lands verbal commitment from Cannon
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/11/01/wsu-hoops-lands-verbal-commitment-cannon

10/30/12
CBSSports.com Top 50 Shooters - Bamforth #6
Jeff Goodman, CBSSports.com
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/20751921

10/30/12
A Day In The Life: Scott Bamforth


10/30/12
Previewing the mid-majors
Myron Medcalf , ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8572131/breaking-mid-majors-2012-13-college-basketball

Big Sky
My pick: Montana
The Grizzlies won 20 of their last 21 games in 2011-12, but they were dismissed from the NCAA tournament when they scored just 49 points against Wisconsin in the second round. Still, the Big Sky favorites should earn another trip to March Madness with Will Cherry (15.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.6 steals per game), who's equally effective on both ends of the floor, and Kareem Jamar (scored 15 points or more in six of the team's final 13 games). That duo led the Grizzlies to Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles last season. Mathias Ward's contributions -- 23 points in Montana's win over Weber State in the title game -- can't be overlooked, either. This core is talented enough to lead the Grizzlies to another set of crowns.

Greatest threat: Damian Lillard took his talents to the pros in the offseason. The Portland Trailblazers selected Lillard with the sixth pick in the 2012 draft. He was that good. But Weber State has a chance, although there will be a lot of pressure on guard Scott Bamforth (14.5 ppg).

X factor: In its first year in the league, North Dakota could make noise in the Big Sky. Troy Huff (13.1 ppg) is one of four starters returning for a squad that won 17 games last season.

Preseason MVP: Will Cherry, Montana

10/28/12
Lillard, Rahe, Beckner in Sports Illustrated
http://wildcats.bigskyfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3517

10/28/12
Men's basketball season gets under way
WSU Signpost
http://www.wsusignpost.com/2012/10/27/wsu-basketball-preview/

10/28/12
Will Cherry's foot cast removed
Grizzly Journal
http://grizzlyjournal.blogspot.com/2012/10/will-cherry-working-to-try-to-get-back.html

10/26/12
Media teleconference with the Big Sky Conference men's basketball coaches
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/10/25/MBB_1025120702.aspx

10/25/12
Wildcat men scrimmage in Purple and White game
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205719255&DB_OEM_ID=8600

10/25/12
Photo Gallery: Weber State Basketball Scrimmage
Kera Williams, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/slideshows/2012/10/25/weber-state-basketball-scrimmage-oct-24-2012

10/25/12
WSU's Damian Lillard hasn't forgotten where he came from
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565210/WSUs-Lillard-hasnt-forgotten-where-he-came-from.html

10/21/12
Wildcats expect more success despite loss of Lillard
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/55066788-77/state-weber-forward-season.html.csp

10/19/12
Idaho Vandals returning to Big Sky Conference
Billings Gazette
http://billingsgazette.com/sports/college/big-sky-conference/montana-state-university/idaho-vandals-returning-to-big-sky-conference/article_1cec203e-35f5-5665-8bb4-7a8b440ffc28.html

10/19/12
Grizzlies Top Men's Preseason Polls
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/10/18/MBB_1018120635.aspx

10/19/12
Wildcats picked second in Big Sky preseason polls
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205715613

10/16/12
Gelaun Wheelwright, 1 of 15 Players with Breakout Potential
NBC Sports
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/15/college-hoops-preview-15-players-with-breakout-potential/

10/16/12
Predicting the 2013 men's NCAA tournament
CBS Sports
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

10/16/12
Big Sky Preview: Montana remains preseason favorite despite Will Cherry's injury
Yahoo! Sports
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/big-sky-preview-montana-remains-preseason-favorite-despite-130032975--ncaab.html

10/16/12
Big Sky Men's Basketball Prospectus
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/documents/2012/10/10/12-13Prospectusx.pdf

10/16/12
Griz 10th In Mid Major Power Rankings
NBC Sports
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/10/mid-major-power-rankings-the-top-15/

10/13/12
Wildcats start season with restocked roster
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/10/10/wildcats-start-season-restocked-roster#.UHcM4qfRv9g.twitter

10/13/12
Official Practice Begins
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205709352

10/7/12
2012-13 Men's Basketball Schedule
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205501442&DB_OEM_ID=8600

3/14/12
CIT Round 2: Weber State at Loyola Marymount
CIT Schedule | CIT Guide
The Wildcats will head to Los Angeles to take on the Lions of Loyola Marymount in the second round of the CIT Tournament. The second round matchup will take place on Sunday at the Gertsen Pavilion (capacity: 4,156). Tipoff will be at 4:00 pm. Loyola Marymount is 20-12 after beating Cal State Fullerton 88-79 Wednesday night in the first round of the tournament. The Lions finished 11-5 in West Coast Conference games, finishing in fourth place.

Weber State is 25-6 after a 72-69 victory over Utah Valley at home Tuesday night in the first round.

WSU is 4-0 all-time against Loyola Marymount but the 'Cats have not played the Lions since December 1977.

Utah State beat CS Bakersfield 75-69 in the first round and will host conference foe Idaho in the second round on Friday night. Should WSU and USU win second round games they would meet in a quarterfinals matchup on Tuesday or Wednesday as they would be the only remaining western teams.

3/14/12
CIT Round 1: Attendance
Weber State 2,334
Old Dominion 2,246
Utah State 2,141
Indiana State 2,113
LA-Fafayette 2,037
Oakland 2,015
Drake 1,829
Mercer 1,773
Fairfield 1,744
Georgia State 1,509
Idaho 1,203
Loyola Marymount 1,161
Toledo 1,140
Albany 458
American U 256

3/13/12
Wolverines Edged by Three at Weber State in CIT
Utah Valley Athletics
http://www.wolverinegreen.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031312aaa.html

3/7/12
Montana shuts down Weber State in Big Sky final
Associated Press
MISSOULA, Mont. -- It's been 20 years since Montana was this good.

Kareem Jamar and Mathias Ward each scored 23 points and the Grizzlies' erupted for 54 points in the second half to swamp Weber State 85-66 on Wednesday night and win the Big Sky Conference tournament and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Montana (25-6) set a team record with 14 straight wins and closed with its best record since the 1992 season. The Grizzlies' last loss was Jan. 14 at Weber State.

The Wildcats led 36-31 after a first half in which they shot 58 percent. But they were blown out in the second half as Montana outscored them 54-30 on 59 percent shooting, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers.

"What a second half, that's all I can say," Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. "Weber came out and hit us in the mouth. I think our guys did a good job of not panicking."

Damian Lillard, the nation's second-leading scorer, scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Weber State (24-6), which lost in the season finale at Montana to give the Grizzlies the regular-season title.

Montana will make its second NCAA tournament appearance in three years and ninth overall. Jubilant fans stormed the floor after the game.

"We have achieved our No. 1 goal now and that was winning the tournament championship to go to the NCAAs," Tinkle said. "We are not out of our goals yet."

Montana has made 15 title game appearances and won eight times.

Jamar, a sophomore guard selected Most Valuable Player of the tournament, went 9 of 12 from the floor, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and added seven assists. Derek Selvig scored 16 points and Will Cherry added 13 for the Grizzlies. Art Steward scored 10.

Jamar scored 16 points and had four 3-pointers in the second half.

"They were going in, thank God," Jamar said. "I was happy that we shared the ball."

Weber State coach Randy Rahe was impressed.

"We tried to guard him and he kept moving out," Rahe said of Jamar. "They have a lot of weapons, five guys in double figures. It's hard to guard."

Kyle Tresnak scored 12 points for Weber State, which shot just 40 percent in the second half.

Rahe couldn't blame his defense for the loss.

"Sometimes a team makes shots," he said. "We got beat by a hot team tonight, on their court.

"We are not ashamed. We fought hard and came up short."

After Montana trailed by five at halftime, Ward scored the first five points of the second half to tie it at 36.

"We wanted to get the momentum," Ward said.

The teams traded the lead until Ward's jumper sparked a 10-0 run that gave the Grizzlies a 52-43 advantage with 9:38 left. Jamar scored seven of those points, and Weber was held scoreless for nearly 5 minutes as the Wildcats made just 6 of 17 shots to open the second half.

Weber State started making baskets, but Jamar replied with three 3-pointers to give the Grizzlies a 64-54 lead. Montana extended that to 70-56 with 4:30 left and the Wildcats could not reply.

Lillard said he was eager for another crack at Montana after the Grizzlies beat the Wildcats in the regular-season finale.

"I wanted to get to the NCAA tournament," Lillard said. "It hurts a lot that we fell short again after all the success we had."

In the first half, Weber State jumped to an 18-8 lead by making 7 of its first 10 shots, including all four 3-pointers. Selvig's 3 capped a 10-0 Montana run that tied the score at 25.

Lillard converted a three-point play to launch an 11-2 run that gave Weber a 36-27 lead.

Weber State led 36-31 at halftime, after shooting 58 percent while Montana shot 50 percent. Lillard and Selvig each scored 13 points in the first half.

Lillard averages 24 points per game and is the Big Sky's player of the year.

Weber State leads the nation in free throw shooting at 81 percent, but got only 10 attempts Wednesday, making eight.

3/6/12
Wildcats grind out Big Sky semifinal win
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/03/06/wildcats-grind-out-big-sky-semifinal-win

3/6/12
WSU Moves On To Championship Game
Weber St. 69, Portland St. 63

Associated Press
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Damian Lillard had 22 points and Weber State outscored Portland State 11-1 in the last 4:59 for a 69-63 victory on Tuesday night in a Big Sky tournament semifinal.

Gelaun Wheelwright scored 15 points and Kyle Tresnak 10 for the No. 2-seeded Wildcats (24-5), who play top-seeded Montana in the championship game on Wednesday.

It is a rematch of the teams' Feb. 28 meeting on the same floor, in which the Big Sky's regular-season crown was on the line. Montana won 66-51 to earn the championship and right to host the tournament semifinals and title game.

Charles Odum had 24 points and Chehales Tapscott 19 points and 11 rebounds for the third-seeded Vikings (17-14), who led or were tied for all but a 35-second span early in the second half and the final 2:24.

Portland State shot 0 of 4 from the floor, 1 of 2 from the line and committed four turnovers in its last eight possessions.

Baskets by Lillard, the Big Sky player of the year, and Wheelwright gave Weber State a 64-62 lead. Odum hit a free throw with 39 seconds left, and two Lillard shots from the line made the score 66-63.

After Odum missed a jumper, Portland State was forced to foul, and the Wildcats added three more points on free throws.

3/6/12
Wildcats pull off ugly win
Nathan Davis, WSU Signpost
http://www.wsusignpost.com/2012/03/06/wildcats-pass-gut-check-advance-to-finals/

3/5/12
'Cats take on Vikings in Big Sky semifinals
Weber State Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205392200&DB_OEM_ID=8600

3/5/12
MBB Notes - Semifinal Edition
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/3/5/MBB_0305124035.aspx

3/5/12
Wildcats look to take their turn as Big Sky spoiler
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/03/05/wildcats-look-take-their-turn-big-sky-spoiler

3/5/12
Vikings Advance To Face Weber State In Big Sky Semifinal
Portland State Athletics
http://goviks.com/news/2012/3/4/MBB_0304124637.aspx

3/5/12
Wildcats open BSC Tournament against Portland State
Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/cat/WSUWildcats

3/5/12
Damian Lillard named Big Sky MVP
Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765555694/Weber-State-basketball-Damian-Lillard-named-Big-Sky-player-of-the-year.html

2/28/12
Griz Win First Big Sky Title in 12 Years
Montana 66, Weber St. 51

Associated Press
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Will Cherry scored 23 points Tuesday night to lead Montana to the Big Sky regular-season championship in a winner-take-all 66-51 victory over Weber State.

The victory means Montana will host the conference semifinal and championship tournament games March 6-7.

Kareem Jamar added 17, including three 3-pointers, and Mathias Ward 15 as the Grizzlies (23-6, 15-1) ran their winning streak to 12. Art Steward grabbed 12 rebounds, and Cherry had four assists.

Damian Lillard scored 19 points but went just 2 of 11 from 3-point range for the Wildcats (23-5, 14-2). They had won seven in a row but shot just 30 percent and went 3 of 26 from 3-point range.

The win gave Montana its seventh regular-season title and first since 2000.

The Grizzlies have won the conference tournament four times since then, in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2010.

2/28/12
Big Sky Tuesday
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Weber State at Montana, 7:00 pm
Idaho State at Eastern Washington, 7:00 pm
Northern Colorado at Portland State, 8:00 pm

2/28/12
WSU-Montana Basketball Breakdown from ESPN


2/28/12
Showdown: Wildcats face Grizzlies for all the marbles
Roy Burton, Standar-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/27/showdown-wildcats-face-grizzlies-all-marbles

2/28/12
The Man in the Big Sky
Kyle Stack, SlamOnline.com
http://www.slamonline.com/online/college-hs/college/2012/02/the-man-in-the-big-sky/

2/28/12
Weber St. will host Big Sky tourney if it can beat Montana on the road
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765554726/Weber-St-will-host-Big-Sky-tourney-if-it-can-beat-Montana-on-the-road.html

2/27/12
Montana vs Weber State: It all comes down to this


2/26/12
Six-Team Men's Field Full
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/2/26/MBB_0226125735.aspx

2/23/12
Weber St. 88, N. Colorado 71
Associated Press
GREELEY, Colo. -- Damian Lillard scored 30 points and dished out eight assists as Weber State rolled to an 88-71 victory over Northern Colorado on Thursday night.

Weber State (23-4, 14-1 Big Sky) never trailed and shot 44 percent on 3-pointers to aid in the rout of Northern Colorado (9-18, 5-10), which was doomed by 52.6 percent free throw shooting.

Gelaun Wheelwright scored 15 points off the bench for Weber State, contributing to a balanced scoring effort that saw four Wildcats reach double-figures.

Paul Garnica, who did not start, led Northern Colorado with 16 points and Mike Proctor added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

2/23/12
Wildcats can't get caught looking ahead to Montana matchup
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765553258/Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-cant-get-caught-looking-ahead-to-Montana-matchup.html

2/23/12
WSU vs UNC Game Notes
WSU Athletics
https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf8/826327.pdf?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8600

2/23/12
Wildcats not overlooking defending Big Sky champs
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/22/wildcats-not-overlooking-defending-big-sky-champs

2/23/12
Weber State prepares for Big Sky Conference title run
Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53568217-77/game-montana-state-weber.html.csp

2/23/12
Men's Basketball ready for first-place 'Cats on 'Senior Night'
Northern Colorado Athletics
http://uncbears.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20120223i4v3yz

2/23/12
Weber State caps UNC's home schedule
Grant Evans, UNC Mirror
http://www.uncmirror.com/sports/weber-state-caps-unc-s-home-schedule-1.2790692#.T0aDqocge70

2/23/12
Damian Lillard Interview
1320 AM KFan
http://1320kfan.com/index.php/a...

2/23/12
Damian Lillard working way into lottery
Chad Ford, ESPN.com
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog...

2/20/12
Weber & Montana Making History: A Duel to the Finish?
With league play winding down every game remaining for the entire league has become very interesting. Each game left will have a huge impact on seeding and who will go to the conference tournament and who will stay home. The Wildcats have two road games to go: Northern Colorado and Montana. So far, Weber and Montana have clinched berths to the conference semifinals. Idaho State has clinched a spot in the league tournament and Northern Arizona has been eliminated from tournament contention. Portland State, Eastern Washington, Montana State, Northern Colorado and even Sacramento State still have a chance to get in or be left out.

On Thursday night, Weber will travel to Greeley to take on the Northern Colorado Bears and Montana will host NAU. UNC is 5-8 at home this year and NAU is 1-13 away from Flagstaff with the lone win being at Arizona State.

On Saturday night, Montana will host in-state rival Montana State. Weber will have the night off and will actually not have another game until five days later when the Wildcats head back to the Treasure State to play the Griz in what might be for the Big Sky championship and right to host the conference tournament. Even though the Griz get to finish the regular season in Missoula they will have to endure three games in six nights. The Griz & Wildcats could possibly end up as co-champions but the only concern each team will have is who will host the tournament Mar 6-7.

If Weber State and Montana finish at the top of the standings with the winner having one loss and second place with two losses it would be unprecedented. Never in the history of the Big Sky Conference has this happened.

The Big Sky has had co-champions eight times including tri-champions even in 1976 and close finishes in the final standings during its 48 year history but not quite like what might happen in 2012. The closest Big Sky finishes between two teams with the least amount of losses took place in 1966 and 1977.

In 1966 Weber State won the Big Sky crown with an 8-2 mark tied with Gonzaga. Idaho State won the Big Sky title in 1977 with a 13-1 record with Weber finishing in second with an 11-3 record.

Regardless of what happens, the Griz are already having a team of history. Their 7-1 Big Sky road record is a school record and being 12-1 right now could tie a school record with a win over NAU on Thursday night. The best season in Griz history was their 13-1 1975 team which was the first from Missoula to make it to the Big Dance. The next best Griz teams were 1978 (12-2) and 1992 (14-2). Griz have never won 15 conference games and have not hosted the league tournament since 1999-00; both are possible this year but the Wildcats can prevent it.

Tuesday night on February 28th in Missoula on the Altitude, the final game of the Big Sky season will take place between the Wildcats and Grizzlies.

2/18/12
WSU 15-0 at Home, First Time Ever!
Weber St. 72, Texas-Arlington 70

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half to lead Weber State to a 72-70 victory over Texas-Arlington on Saturday, snapping the Mavericks' school record 16-game winning streak.

In a BracketBusters game, Jordan Reves scored with four seconds remaining to get Texas-Arlington within two points, and LaMarcus Reed stole the ensuing inbounds pass near midcourt. Reed slipped before heaving a 40-foot desperation shot that missed as the buzzer sounded.

Damon Lillard had 17 points and Byron Fulton 11 for Weber State (22-4).

Reves led the Mavericks (20-6) with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Bo Ingram added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Reed finished with 16 points.

Bamforth made four 3-pointers early in the second half to spark a 16-4 run that gave the Wildcats the lead. Weber State was up 60-44 before Texas-Arlington got back in the game with an 11-0 run.

2/18/12
Big Sky in BracketBusters
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | ESPN3.com | Live Stats | Twitter
UC Irvine 78, Eastern Washington 73
Pacific 66, Idaho State 64 OT
Montana 94, Hawaii 79
CS Fullerton 80, Montana State 66
UC Davis 70, Northern Arizona 65
Northern Colorado 81, Cal Poly 73
Idaho 77, Portland State 68
San Jose State 79, Sacramento State 67
Weber State 72, Texas Arlington 70

2/18/12
'Cats host Mavericks for BracketBusters game on ESPN3
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205381206&DB_OEM_ID=8600

2/18/12
WSU seniors not backing down for Bracketbuster
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/17/wsu-seniors-not-backing-down-bracketbuster

2/18/12
Weber State Eyes BracketBusters Win
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/2/17/MBB_0217121444.aspx

2/18/12
Mavs at Weber State for Sears BracketBusters
Texas Arlington Athletics
http://www.utamavs.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/021712aaa.html

2/18/12
Weber State hosts UT-Arlington in ESPN Bracketbuster
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765551857/Weber-State-hosts-UT-Arlington-in-nationally-televised-game.html

2/16/12
Bengals Clinch Postseason Bid
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/2/16/MBB_0216122418.aspx
Big Sky Tournament Bracket | Big Sky Standings

2/15/12
Weber St. 79, Montana St. 70
Associated Press
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Damian Lillard and Byron Fulton scored 17 points each to lead Weber State to a 79-70 victory against Montana State on Wednesday night.

Scott Bamforth had 15 points and Kyle Tresnak 14 for the Wildcats (21-4, 13-1 Big Sky), who moved a half-game in front of idle Montana for first place in the conference standings. Weber State, which defeated the Grizzlies in January, visits Montana in the regular-season finale on Feb. 28.

Shawn Reid scored 31 points and made five 3-pointers for the Bobcats (11-14, 6-8), and Mohammed Fall added 13 points.

Lillard had four steals for the Wildcats, who never trailed and shot 54.2 percent (26 of 48) from the floor for the game.

Montana State used a 22-6 run to start the second half to get within 48-46. But Jordan Richardson hit a 3-pointer to ignite a 10-0 Weber State run, and the Bobcats got no closer than six points the rest of the way.

2/15/12
Big Sky Tourney To Grow To 7 Teams
Conference Schedule To Grow To 20 Games

Bob Meseroll, Missoulian
http://missoulian.com/college/griz/big-sky-basketball-tourney-to-grow-to-teams/article_cf1e643e-5785-11e1-ba3c-0019bb2963f4.html

2/15/12
MSU Forward Xavier Blount's season likely over; four MSU athletes cited
Colter Nuanez & Gidal Kaiser, Bozeman Daily Chronicle
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/article_89259d7a-56b9-11e1-ba85-0019bb2963f4.html

2/15/12
Wildcats take on Bobcats Wednesday in Bozeman
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205379571&DB_OEM_ID=8600

2/15/12
Montana State men look for remedy tonight against Weber State
Gidal Kaiser, Bozeman Daily Chronicle
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/article_a69083e0-5775-11e1-9d7c-001871e3ce6c.html

2/15/12
Wildcats relying more on depth during final stretch
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/14/wildcats-relying-more-depth-during-final-stretch

2/15/12
Weber State facing 3 must-win games on the road
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765550938/Weber-State-facing-3-must-win-games-on-the-road.html

2/15/12
Kyle Bullinger excited to contribute after string of mishaps
Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53473129-77/bullinger-state-weber-points.html.csp

2/12/12
Lillard vs Jimmer
Trevor Amicone, KSL.com
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=294&sid=19208066#.Tzg0TgpBROY.twitter

2/11/12
WSU 14-0 at Home!
Weber St. 84, E. Washington 75

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- NCAA scoring leader Damian Lillard scored 22 points and Bryon Fulton added a season-high 16 points off the bench as Weber State held off Eastern Washington for an 84-75 win Saturday, its fourth straight.

Scott Bamforth added 13 and Kyle Bullinger had 10 for the Wildcats (20-4, 12-1 Big Sky), who led the whole way but could never relax as the Eagles (11-14, 5-7) hung around. Cliff Colimon scored all 20 of his points after halftime and Parker Kelly added a season-high 17 points off the bench for Eastern Washington, which dropped its second conference contest in a row.

Lillard was 12-for-12 from the line despite going 4 of 13 from the field. Weber State, the top free-throw shooting team in the country, was 32 of 35 from the line and outrebounded Eastern Washington 44-35.

2/11/12
'Cats look for 20th win Saturday against Eagles
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205377654

2/11/12
In a Tight Race, Eagles Play at League-Leading Weber State
Eastern Washington Athletics
http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/Releases/12mbFeb6WSU

2/11/12
Wildcats want to finish season perfect at hom
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700224125/Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-want-to-finish-season-perfect-at-home.html

2/11/12
Wildcats host Eagles before road gauntlet
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/10/wildcats-host-eagles-road-gauntlet

2/10/12
Weber State & Montana Clinch Big Sky Semifinal Berth
Big Sky Conference
MBB Recap - Feb. 9

2/9/12
Weber St. 67, N. Arizona 49
Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Damian Lillard scored 18 points and Kyle Bullinger added a season-high 16 as Weber State beat Northern Arizona 67-49 on Thursday night.

Byron Fulton contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Wildcats (19-4 overall, 11-1 Big Sky), who beat the Lumberjacks for the eighth straight time.

Durrell Norman scored 11 points for Northern Arizona (5-20, 1-12), which has lost 12 straight, its longest losing skid in 23 years.

Lillard, the nation's leading scorer at 25.5 points per game, scored seven straight points to put Weber State up 28-14 with 4:23 left in the first half.

Northern Arizona closed the gap to 30-23 with back-to-back 3-pointers right before halftime and then cut the deficit to five early in the second half.

But the Wildcats quickly regained a double-digit lead courtesy of Bullinger, who scored Weber State's first 10 points of the second half.

2/9/12
'Cats hit the road at NAU Thursday
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205375813&DB_OEM_ID=8600

2/9/12
Rare Opportunity to See Future NBA Player This Week
Steve Shaff, NAU Media Relations Director
http://nauathletics.blogspot.com/2012/02/rare-opportunity-to-see-future-nba.html

2/9/12
Men's Basketball Hosts NCAA's Leading Scorer Lillard and Weber State Thursday
Northern Arizona Athletics
http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20120208egokxj

2/9/12
Wildcats hit road to face struggling Lumberjacks
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700223400/Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-hit-road-to-face-struggling-Lumberjacks.html

2/9/12
'Team unity' hot shooting keying WSU success
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/08/team-unity-hot-shooting-keying-wsu-success

2/9/12
Wildcats could be poised for a long run
Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53465437-77/weber-state-points-center.html.csp

2/6/12
Co-players of the week: Anthony Davis (Kentucky) and Damian Lillard (Weber State)
Andy Katz, ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/notebookweeklywatch1209/week-9

2/6/12
Lillard named to Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list
Weber State Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205375038

2/6/12
Lou Henson Award Player of the Week Honors for Lillard
CollegeInsider.com
http://www.collegeinsider.com/henson/weekly.html

2/6/12
Lillard Earns 5th Big Sky POTW This Season
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/2/6/MBB_0206125648.aspx

2/4/12
Wildcats Now 13-0 at Home
Weber St. 93, N. Colorado 81

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- NCAA scoring leader Damian Lillard followed a 40-point outing in his last game with 35 more Saturday, and Weber State never trailed in a 93-81 victory over Northern Colorado.

Lillard, who came in averaging 25.1 points per game, hit 12 of 18 shots from the field and 5 of 9 from beyond the arc for the Wildcats (18-4, 11-1 Big Sky), who have not lost at home this season and have a 14-game home winning streak dating to last season. Weber State has now beaten every team in the conference at least once.

Scott Bamforth added 18 points and Gelaun Wheelwright and Byron Fulton had 11 and 10, respectively, off the bench for the Wildcats, who converted 16 UNC turnovers into 25 points.

Tate Unruh had 17 points to lead five players in double figures for the Bears (7-15, 2-7), who suffered their fifth loss in six games.

2/4/12
Game Notes: UNC at Weber State
Weber State Athletics
https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf8/822040.pdf?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8600

2/4/12
Wildcats looking for last year's magic against Bears
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/authors/roy-burton

2/4/12
Wildcats, Bears have reversed roles in 2012
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700221931/Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-Bears-have-reversed-roles-in-2012.html

2/4/12
Wildcats host Northern Colorado
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53440095-77/state-points-wsu-weber.html.csp

2/4/12
Recap of Last Year's Win Against Northern Colorado


2/2/12
12-0 at Home!
Weber St. 92, Portland St. 79

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard showed why he's the leading scorer in the country, scoring 40 points as Weber State rebounded from its first conference loss of the season for a 92-79 win over Portland State on Thursday night.

Lillard made 13 of 18 shots from the field and was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc for Weber State (17-4, 9-1 Big Sky). Lillard had 17 points at the half and scored 15 out of his team's 19 points in a stretch where the Wildcats built up a 16-point advantage after the break.

Scott Bamforth added 16 as Weber State won for the 11th time in 12 games and remained perfect at home, where it has won 12 in a row going back to last season.

Charles Odum scored 26 points, Chehales Tapscott had 15 and Gary Winston added 14 for Portland State (10-12, 4-6), which lost its third straight.

2/2/12
Banged-up Wildcats hope to bounce back against Vikings
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/01/banged-wildcats-hope-bounce-back-against-vikings

2/2/12
Vikings catch Wildcats on the rebound
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700221246/Weber-State-basketball-Vikings-catch-Wildcats-on-the-rebound.html

2/2/12
Weber State returns home after stinging loss
Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53423073-77/state-weber-4-5-game.html.csp

2/2/12
Wildcats back home for Vikings Thursday
WSU Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205371720&DB_OEM_ID=8600

1/30/12
Weber State, UT-Arlington snag ESPN3 slot for Bracketbusters matchup
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://blogs.standard.net/wsu-sports-blog/2012/01/30/weber-state-bracketbusters/

1/28/12
Idaho St. 64, Weber St. 62
Associated Press
POCATELLO, Idaho -- Kenny McGowen hit a 3-pointer from the right corner as the buzzer sounded to lift Idaho State to a 64-62 victory over Weber State on Saturday night.

McGowen's 19 points led the Bengals (7-14, 5-4 Big Sky), who won their third game in a row and fourth in their last five. Andre Hatchett added 12 and Chase Grabau 10.

Scott Bamforth led the Wildcats (16-4, 8-1) with 17 points. Damian Lillard scored 15, well below his nation-leading average of 24.8, and Kyle Bullinger added 12.

The loss broke Weber State's 10-game winning streak.

Idaho State led most of the way and had a 54-47 advantage until the Wildcats used a 9-1 run to go ahead 56-55 on Bullinger's 3-pointer with 5:46 remaining.

With Weber State up 62-61, Lillard missed a shot, and Grabau rebounded with 14 seconds left. He then fed McGowen for the game-winner.

1/27/12
Damian Lillard drawing NBA attention
By Eamonn Brennan, ESPN College Basketball Nation Blog
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/46263/damian-lillard-drawing-nba-attention

1/27/12
Heading To The Potato Barn!
Weber State at Idaho State, Saturday Night

Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Tomorrow night the Wildcats will head up to Potatoville to challenge the unusually Hot Potatoes who have won 2 in-a-row at home and 3-of-4 overall despite the 6-14 record. If ISU is hot then Weber is red hot. The 'Cats are riding a 10 game win streak and haven't lost since mid December. Weber State has only started the season 8-0 two other times in school history and both of those seasons ended with zero losses in the 'L' column.

After beating Sac State for the 10th time straight, Weber now has won ten straight overall for the 11th time in WSU history. WSU has won 11 or more seven times. In 2009-10 the 'Cats won 12 in-a-row and in 2003 they won 17 straight. The school record is 18 back in 1980.

The Bengal beatdown WSU fans will be hoping for will be the 112th all-time meeting between the two rival railroad towns. Weber leads the series 71-40, 43-9 at home and 28-31 away from Ogden. The 'Cats have beat the Spuds seven straight and nine of the last ten including five in-a-row in Ogden and three straight in Pocatello. All three of those wins in Pocatello are enough reason to drive up to the game for any fans on the fence. Last year the 'Cats held the Bengals to just 39 points which was the third lowest opponent points total in Weber history. The two prior seasons Weber won both games in overtime with the 2009-10 game going to triple overtime.

Randy Rahe is 9-2 against ISU. Rahe's Big Sky record is 73-24, 46-6 at home and 27-18 away from the Dee.

On December 16th, Idaho State lost in Salt Lake to Utah, 71-59, giving Utah its first DI win. A few days after the game head coach Joe O'Brien resigned and assistant coach Deane Martin was named the interim head coach and will run the team until the next coach is hired. Since Martin has taken over ISU is 4-6 (0-1 vs WSU); with OB the Bengals were 2-8.

Injury Update: Frank Otis suffered an MCL knee injury earlier this week in practice and will be out indefinitely. Otis started the first seven games of the season then dislocated his knee at BYU. He missed the next nine games and recently returned for the two games prior to the Sac game. Now is other knee is injured. James Hajek's January 7th knee injury sustained at PSU will keep him off the hardwood for another three to four weeks.

School Records: Damian Lillard scored 21 points at Sac State which moves him past Jermaine Boyette as the third all-time scoring leader in the history of WSU with 1,622 points. He needs just three points to pass Jimmy DeGraffenried for the second all-time scorer. He trails Bruce Collins (2019 points), the school record holder by 398 points. Lillard is 28 three pointers away from passing Johnny Hamilton's 241 three's which is the school record. Lillard continues to lead the nation in scoring with 24.8 ppg. He is fifth in free-throw percentage, 91.2%. He is seventh in 3-point field goals per game at 3.4. He ranks 13th in 3-point field goal percentage at 45.5. Lillard leads the Wildcats in points (24.8), rebounds (5.8), assists (3.7) and steals (1.3). He is the front-runner for his second consecutive Big Sky MVP award with no one in his rear-view mirror.

The game time for the Northern Colorado game at Weber State on Feb 4th has been moved from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will be televised on the Altitude.

1/26/12
WSU Wins 10th Straight
Weber St. 75, Sacramento St. 60

Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Damian Lillard scored 21 points as Weber State and Sacramento kept streaking in opposite directions Thursday night.

The Wildcats (16-3, 8-0 Big Sky) won their 10th straight game, beating Sacramento State 75-60 and sending the Hornets (5-14, 0-8) to their ninth straight defeat.

Weber State is off to its best start since going 16-1 to open the 1970-80 season.

Lillard, who entered the game as the nation's leader in scoring (25.1 points per game), moved past Jermaine Boyette into third place on the school's career scoring list with 1,622 points and needs three more to pass Jimmy Degraffenried for second all-time.

Scott Bamforth added 17 points, Darin Mahoney had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Tresnak scored 13 for the Wildcats.

John Dickson led Sacramento State with 20 points, Jackson Carbajal added 14 and Dylan Garrity had 10 points and nine assists.

1/26/12
Tonight, Weber State at Sac State
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Weber State has won nine straight games including seven at home but its time to hit the road. Next up, Sacramento State Hornets at 8 p.m. Sac State has lost eight straight and haven't won a game since before Christmas. Weber has won nine in-a-row against the Hornets and own the series winning 32 of the total 36 games played. WSU is 18-1 at home and 14-3 in Sacramento.

Coach Rahe is 10-1 against Sac which is his best record against a conference opponent. Sac's Brian Katz is in his fourth season as head coach of the Hornets with an overall record of 23-81. He is 0-7 against the Wildcats.

Damian Lillard still leads the nation in scoring at 25.1 ppg. He is also the 5th best free-throw shooter in the nation shooting 90.9%. UVU's Holton Hunsaker leads the nation at 94.3% and Scott Bamforth's 89.7% ranks 13th. Lillard ranks 4th in WSU history with 1,601 career points. He needs just 13 points to surpass Jermaine Boyette and 25 points to pass up Jimmy DeGraffenried to become the #2 all-time WSU scorer. Bruce Collins' 2,019 points which date back to 1980 might be safe through 2012. Both Collins and DeGraff played four seasons for the Wildcats.

In the preseason Big Sky coaches and media polls the Hornets were picked to finish 8th. This is the first year since 2006-07 that Sac wasn't picked last by the coaches. The Potato Harvesters were picked last in both polls this year. Athlon Sports' preseason basketball magazine picked Sac last and Lindy's picked them 8th.

Athlon: The two constants in Sacramento State's constantly changing starting lineup last winter were leading scorer Sultan Toles-Bey and John Dickson, and Toles-Bey was among the Hornets' graduation losses. That means fourth-year coach Brian Katz must turn to Dickson, a 6'6" junior forward who averaged 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds as a sophomore.

Lindy's: The Hornets haven't qualified for the Big Sky Tournament in four years. Make that five - unless they can locate some leadership, shooting and better decision making. They do have a piece to build around in forward John Dickson, an anticipated recruit in Dylan Garrity - maybe a four-year starter at the point - and a potential leader in JC guard Jordan Estrada. Losing center Alpha N'Diaye to academics was a blow, but an opportunity for UC Riverside transfer Konner Veteto. But the Hornets' first winning season in two decades in Division I will remain elusive.

Keep An Eye On: Dylan Garrity became the first player at Edison High School in Huntington Beach to have his number retired.


Injury Update: James Hajek is expected to still be out another 3-4 weeks due to his kneecap dislocation.

1/21/12
Saturday, Jan 21; Big Sky Games
Montana 85, Sacramento State 56
Montana State 84, Northern Colorado 72
Portland State 78, Eastern Washington 76 - OT
Idaho State 78, Northern Arizona 62

1/21/12
Under-the-radar point guards
Yahoo! Sports' Greg Anthony provides some insight into some point guards who will be key heading toward the NCAA Tournament.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/video/college-basketball/Under-the-radar-point-guards-1101776;_ylt=Ameg3EbVSCLcIkgzvmfY3fnevbYF

1/19/12
WSU Wins 9th Straight, 11-0 At Home
Weber St. 81, N. Arizona 67

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Tresnak had 16 of his career-high 22 points at halftime and Weber State stretched its winning streak to nine with an 81-67 victory over Northern Arizona Thursday.

Damian Lillard, who entered the game as the top scorer in Division I, added 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for Weber State (15-3, 7-0 Big Sky).

Tresnak hit 10 of 14 from the field, Frank Otis contributed 12 points in his second game back from a knee injury and Jordan Richardson had 10 as four Wildcats scored in double figures.

Michael Dunn had 13 points, and Gabe Rogers and Ephraim Ekanem each added 12 for Northern Arizona (5-14, 1-6), losers of six straight.

Weber State and Northern Arizona each shot 63 percent from the floor in the first half, but the Wildcats led 47-37 at the break.

1/18/12
NAU 'Jacks at Weber State, Thursday Night
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Tomorrow night at 7 pm the 6-0 Wildcats will attempt their 9th straight win which would also make the 'Cats 11-0 at home in 2011-12. Weber's 14-3 record is the best start after 17 games in 32 seasons since a 16-1 start in 1979-80. The 1980 team finished with a 26-3 record. The 2002-03 team who went 16-0 in Big Sky was 12-5 at this point.

The Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona come to the Dee Events Center on a five game skid, they are just 1-7 on the road and Mike Adras, their head coach of 12 plus years "resigned" on December 9th. Adras had patrolled the NAU sidelines since 1999-00 after spending seven years prior as an assistant for the 'Jacks. In his 12+ years as the head coach he compiled an overall record of 193-170. Adras was the second longest tenured coach in Big Sky history. Only MSU's Mick Durham coached longer (16 years, 1990-2006). His 193 wins rank 4th in Big Sky history. His 99 conference victories rank 3rd in Big Sky history. NAU's interim coach is Dave Brown who has been a long-time NAU employee. NAU will search for a permanent replacement for next season. Brown is a member of the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame and former NAU women's basketball head coach. Prior to Adras, the last coach to leave NAU was current UCLA head coach Ben Howland who left NAU for Pitt in 1999. Howland's last game was a loss in the Dee at the conference championship game which sent WSU to the NCAA Tournament. Howland played basketball at Weber and graduated in 1979.

Coach Rahe is 9-3 against the Lumberjacks and Weber State is 67-26 all-time against NAU and 42-6 in Ogden. WSU has won the last six games in the series including three in-a-row in Flagstaff. Rahe's first season in 2007 he beat NAU three times. The next season NAU beat Weber three times, since then (2008), NAU has not had a win against Weber.

NAU was picked to be a middle of the pack kind of team in the preseason polls. The Big Sky coaches had them 6th, the media 4th. Athlon Sports and Lindy's both picked the 'Jacks 5th. Lindy's also picked Gabe Rogers to finish as a second team all-BSC player.

Athlon: The Lumberjacks suffered some big-time graduation losses, including leading scorer Cameron Jones. But longtime coach Mike Adras has put together an outstanding recruiting class that should complement the play of returning starters Gabe Rogers, a junior guard who scored 13.0 points per game; fellow junior Stallon Saldivar; and Durrell Norman, who is the only senior on the roster. NAU won't wow anyone with its size, but look for the Lumberjacks to remain a factor in the Big Sky.

Lindy's: For a fourth-place team, NAU certainly has a near-miss quality a year ago - but now comes the retooling, and without school scoring leader Cameron Jones. The typically good-shooting Lumberjacks should be again - Gabe Rogers is one of the nation's best 3-point marksmen - but the question marks are inside, made worse by the dismissal of forward Josh Lepley. Austin Smith is a capable banger - when he's not in foul trouble - and Max Jacobsen was prolific in JC, if in an underwhelming league. Point guard Stallon Saldivar is a solid playmaker, but could stand to be a bigger offensive threat.

Keep An Eye On: Austin Smith, the only returning big man, shot 61 percent from the field and should have an expanded role.


NAU bio
Established: 1899
Students: 21,352
Location Flagstaff, AZ
Colors: Blue, Sage, & Gold
Nickname: Lumberjacks

1/17/12
It's a wide-open race for the Wooden Award
Andy Katz Blog, ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/7471475/wide-open-race-wooden-award

Damian Lillard, 6-3, Jr., G, Weber State
Stat line: 25.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg
Chances: He won't win national POY, but he should be in contention for second-team All-American honors. Lillard is having a stellar season for the Wildcats, who are in first place in the Big Sky. He leads the nation in scoring and his stat line is as good as any in the country. The problem is that Weber has been in obscurity so far this season. Lillard will likely not be seen by the masses until March.


1/17/12
Lillard named to Wooden Award midseason list
Weber State Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205363425

1/17/12
The Mid-Major Power 15
Myron Medcalf, ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7469545/middle-tennessee-state-passes-chemistry-test-college-basketball

1/15/12
Hollis Asks Lillard If He Will Forgo Senior Season
5 Questions: Weber State's Damian Lillard
Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700215513/5-questions-Weber-States-Damian-Lillard.html

1/15/12
Weber at full strength a scary proposition
Missoulian Blog
http://www.grizbasketball.com/?p=272

1/14/12
The 10-0 At Home Wildcats have won 8 Straight
Weber St. 80, Montana 64

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 21 points and Weber State extended its winning streak to eight games by outlasting Montana 80-64 Saturday night in a battle of unbeaten Big Sky teams.

Scott Bamforth added 15 points for the Wildcats (13-3, 5-0 Big Sky), Kyle Tresnak scored 12 and Darin Mahoney had eight points and nine rebounds.

Will Cherry scored 15 points for Montana (11-6, 4-1), which had its six-game win streak snapped. Kareem Jamar added 11 points and Mathias Ward had eight points and 12 rebounds.

The Grizzlies cut a 23-point lead to eight on Mike Weisner's 3-pointer with just over 8 minutes to go, but Bamforth answered with a 3 and another pair of baskets to keep Weber State in control of the game and alone atop the league standings.

Lillard, the nation's leading scorer, passed Willie Sojourner with his first basket to move into fourth place on Weber State's all-time scoring list.

1/14/12
Da Griz In Ogden, Tonight at 7
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
The Montana Griz are in town for what Wildcat fans hope will be Montana's annual loss in Ogden that they have come accustomed to. Weber is 9-0 at home and have won seven straight games. The Griz haven't beat Weber in Ogden in a regular season Big Sky game since 2003-04. Tonight's game is Weber's 113th all-time meeting with Montana. No other school in the nation has played Weber more times than da Griz. The 'Cats are 65-47 overall in the series, 40-14 at home and 25-32 in Missoula. UM's winning percentage of .419 is the best of any 'Sky school against Weber. Randy Rahe is 7-5 against Montana and 44-6 in home league games.

In the Big Sky preseason polls Montana was picked to finish second by the coaches and media. Montana also received one out of nine possible first place votes by the coaches. Weber received the other eight and a coach can't vote for his own team. Athlon Sports and Lindy's both picked the Griz to finish in second place. Athlon also had Weber's Lillard, Bamforth and Bullinger and UM's Will Cherry as 1st team players. Lindy's 1st team selections included Lillard, Bamforth and Bullinger from Weber and Cherry and Derek Selvig from Montana. Lindy's picked Cherry to be the defensive player of the year. Lillard vs Cherry will be the most anticipated Big Sky matchup of the year. Arguably the two best guards in the conference and they are both from Oakland and played against each other in high school. Lillard played for Oakland High and graduated in 2008 and Cherry graduated from McClymonds in 2009 which means he was a teammate of Frank Otis (McClymonds 2008).

Athlon:Sixth-year head coach Wayne Tinkle, who looked into a job opening at Fresno State during the offseason before deciding to stay at his alma mater, returns 11 players off last year's roster, including junior All-Big Sky point guard Will Cherry, who averaged 14.1 points and a team-best 4.3 assists as a sophomore. The graduaton loss of last year's top scorer and rebounder, Brian Qvale, will hurt, but 7'0" senior center Derek Selvig is back after averaging 10.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. Among Tinkle's other returning players are senior guards Jordan Wood and Shawn Stockton, senior forward Art Steward and sophomore wing Kareem Jamar.

Lindy's:Where do the Grizzlies go without the Sky's best big man? Brian Qvale wasn't always dominant, but he was a 6-11 security blanket and his record shot blocking made Montana the league's top defensive team. The focus will now be on Will Cherry, as dynamic a talent as the Sky has, and Derek Selvig, the best-passing 7-footer in the West - though anything but a strongman inside. Mathias Ward and one of the young big men will have to assume that role, and newcomers Jordan Gregory and Kevin Henderson need to provide the consistent 3-point threat the Grizzlies lacked last year.

Keep An Eye On: Kareem Jamar closed out his freshman year with a 22-point CBI effort against Duquesne.


UM Bio
Established: 1893
Location: Missoula, MT
Students: 15,642
Nickname: Grizzlies
Colors: Maroon & Silver
Stadium: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)

Injury Update: Bullinger is back! He played ten minutes on Thursday against Montana State after missing nine games due to an elbow dislocation. Frank Otis is listed as questionable for tonight's game and James Hajek will be out 4-6 weeks with a dislocated knee.

1/12/12
7 Straight Wins For The Wildcats!
Weber St. 63, Montana St. 49

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored 20 points to maintain his hot start in Big Sky Conference play and Weber State won its seventh straight game with a 63-49 victory over Montana State Thursday.

Damian Lillard added 17 points and Byron Fulton contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds off the bench as Weber State (13-3, 5-0 Big Sky) remained perfect in conference play and set up a battle of Big Sky unbeatens at home against Montana on Saturday.

Lillard, who entered the game as the nation's leading scorer (26.3 ppg), moved into Weber State's top five career scoring list, passing Jimmie Watts.

Jeff Budinich and Michael Dison led Montana State (7-8, 2-2) with 12 and 11 points, respectively, as the Bobcats' two-game winning streak ended.

Wildcats senior Kyle Bullinger, an all-Big Sky Conference first-teamer, saw his first action since injuring his elbow Dec. 3. Bullinger played 10 minutes and did not score.

1/12/12
Free Tickets For Public Safety Officials For MSU/UM
Public Safety Officials night at Weber State basketball
Weber State Athletics
Weber State Athletics has partnered with Swire Coca-Cola of Ogden to offer complimentary tickets to all public safety officials and their families to this week's Weber State men's basketball home games.

All public safety officials with a valid ID will receive up to four complimentary tickets to Thursday night's game against Montana State and Saturday's night game with Montana. Both games begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. Present a valid ID at the Ticket Office at the Dee Events Center.

Thursday's game is Mascot Night with local area mascots entertaining the fans throughout the game and at halftime. On Saturday the halftime performance will feature Jean's Golden Girls, one of the most popular halftime shows of the season. Plus the first 1,000 fans will receive a Weber State hat, courtesy of Petersen, Inc.


1/11/12
Montana State at Weber State, Thursday Night
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. begins a 3-game home stand in the friendly confines of the Dee Events Center in Ogden. WSU takes on the Bobcats of Montana State in the 108th all-time meeting between the 2 schools. Only Idaho State and Montana have played Weber more times than the Bobcats or any other school in the nation.

Weber's all-time record against Montana State is 72-35 overall, 45-11 in Ogden, and 27-24 at MSU. Randy Rahe is 8-4 against MSU and 69-24 overall in Big Sky games. His home record at Weber is 68-11 and 43-6 against the Big Sky.

Preseason Polls
In the Big Sky preseason polls Montana State was picked to finish 7th by the coaches and media. To qualify for the Big Sky Tournament a team needs to finish in the top six. The last year MSU did not qualify was in 2003-04. Athlon Sports picked Montana State to take 4th and Lindy's had them 7th.

Athlon:The Bobcats lost their top two scorers, Erik Rush and Bobby Howard, from last year's team that failed to live up to some lofty preseason expectations. But sixth-year coach Brad Huse appears to have retooled nicely by adding a trio of junior college transfers, including Southern California Junior College Player of the Year Antonio Biglow, to his backcourt. Biglow averaged 22.4 points per game as a sophomore at Mt. San Antonio (Calif) College and will battle fellow juco transfers Xavier Johnson-Blount and Jamie Stewart for playing time alongside senior point guard Rod Singleton, MSU's leading returning scorer.

Lindy's:With just one winning season in five - no real improvement on what he inherited - coach Brad Huse understands the urgency for gains. This team doesn't seem likely to make any, having lost more scoring and rebounding production than any school in the Sky. That leaves major opportunity for three JC scorers - Antonio Biglow, Jamie Stewart and Xavier Johnson-Blount - and big man Mohammed Fall. But just as necessary is a jump from what remains of a big freshman class Huse recruited a year ago, the best of whom, forward Shawn Reid, showed flashes with a couple of 20-point nights.

Keep An Eye On: Biglow was the Southern California JC Player of the Year at Mt. SAC, averaging 22.4 points per game.


Montana State Bio
Established: 1893
Students: 14,153
Location: Bozeman, MT
Nickname: Bobcats
Colors: Blue & Gold
Stadium: Worthington Arena (6,378)

1/11/12
Could Bull & Mook Be Back This Week?
Reinforcements coming for Wildcats
Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/01/11/reinforcements-coming-wildcats

1/11/12
Jamie Stewart no longer a member of Montana State basketball team
Gidal Kaiser, Bozeman Chronicle
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/article_4d6fa352-3bfc-11e1-9dfd-0019bb2963f4.html#.Tw4QF4HAKuk.twitter

1/11/12
Big Sky's Q&A With Darin Mahoney
Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/1/10/MBB_0110125638.aspx

1/10/12
Weber State's Lillard Is Oscar Robertson National Player Of The Week
U.S. Basketball Writers Association
http://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/news/2012/oscar120110.html

1/10/12
Lillard's 4th Big Sky Player Of The Week Of 2011-12
WSU's Lillard Claims POTW
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2012/1/9/MBB_0109125747.aspx

1/8/12
The Fly Guy & WSU Flying Through The Record Books
The season is half over and Weber State is 12-3 and conference is just getting underway and the 'Cats are off to a 4-0 start, their best start since 2002-03. Damian Lillard leads the nation in scoring with 26.3 ppg. Creighton's Doug McDermott is in 2nd averaging 25.2 ppg. Of the top five scorers in the country, all but one attempt more shots per game than the Fly Guy.

Lillard is also ranked 13th nationally in free-throw percentage shooting 91%. Scott Bamforth is ranked 24th shooting 89%. As a team WSU is ranked 3rd with just a tenth of a percent seperating WSU from being #1. WSU is ranked #7 in three-point field goal percentage, 42%. Weber's 9.7 3's per game is 2nd best in the nation. Florida is #1 making 11.0 per game. Weber averages 80.1 ppg which is 16th best.

In the Weber State record books just about every game Lillard is moving up in some statistical category. Just this past game he scored 38 points which is the 5th most points scored in a single game in WSU history. He already scored 42 points in a game last month which is 2nd best in school history (#11 Big Sky) with the record being 45 points by Stan Mayhew in 1977. Lillard has also scored 36 points twice which is 7th best at WSU.

Lillard has the 6th most career points in Weber history at 1,545. He is nine points away from moving past Jimmy Watts (1,553) and 10 more points beyond that would move him past #4 Willie Sojourner's 1,563 points (#22 Big Sky). Jermaine Boyette has 1,613 points (#17 Big Sky) at #3 and Jimmy DeGraffenried's 1,624 points (#15 Big Sky) took 4 years to obtain. The school record is Bruce Collins' 2,019 points (#2 Big Sky) which also took four years.

The WSU single season points record is 713 in 1998-99 by Harold Arceneaux (#7 Big Sky). Lillard already has the 8th most points in school history with 617 his sophomore year. Currently, Lillard has 395 points and averages 26.3 ppg. The school record for points average for a season is Stan Rose's 23.2 in 1992-93 (#12 Big Sky). The record for career points average is Harold Arceneaux at 22.6 ppg from 1998-00 (#6 Big Sky). Right now Lillard averages 18.18 ppg which would be #19 in Big Sky history. Before the season started he was averaging 16.2 for his career.

Against Sac State Lillard hit two 3's which moved him past Jimmy DeGraffenried's 196 career 3-pointers which was #2 in school history (#13 Big Sky). The WSU record is Johnny Hamilton with 241 (#5 Big Sky). Both Hamilton and DeGraff played four seasons. Lillard could break the Hamilton record this season and Bamforth is also on track to catch it.

The single season 3-pointers record is 84 in 2009-10 by Lillard (#11 Big Sky), #2 is Eddie Gill with 83 in 1998-99 and #3 is Bamforth's 78 last season as a soph. At the midpoint in the season right now, Dame has 55 3's and Bam has 42. The 84 could be beat by two players this year.

The single game 3's record took place in 1987-88 when Greg Boyd hit nine of them in a game. Second best is eight 3's which Lillard did last night at PSU hitting 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. Lillard had never hit more than six in a game in his three years at WSU. Third best at Weber is seven 3's by Bamforth in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Jordan Richardson also has seven 3's which he hit against Mayville State on Dec 19th. Nick Hansen, class of 2010, also had a night of seven from downtown. This year's team broke the school record for single game 3's hitting 18 treys against Mayville State. Richardson had 7, Lillard 4, Mike Brown and Bamforth each had 3 and Gelaun Wheelwright hit one. The previous school record was 17 which the team hit against Northern New Mexico in November. Prior to that the record was 15 in 2009 which took 15 years to beat 14 threes.

Don't miss any action at the Dee this year. We have just seven home games left including the ESPNU BracketBusters game on Feb 18th. Rahe has the two best 3-point shooters in WSU history on the same squad! WSU starts a three game home stand on Jan 12th against Montana State. Weber is 8-0 at home this season. Also, all Big Sky games can be seen online free at BigSkyTV.org.

1/8/12
Injury Update
Kyle Bullinger should be back in about a week and Frank Otis could still be out another two weeks. James Hajek dislocated his kneecap at Portland State and should be out at least a few weeks.

1/7/12
6 Straight Wins For The Wildcats!
Weber St. 88, Portland St. 81

Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard scored 38 points to lead Weber State to an 88-81 victory over Portland State on Saturday night.

Lillard, the nation's leading scorer, hit 8-of-14 from the 3-point line for the Wildcats (12-3, 4-0 Big Sky). Teammate Scott Bamforth added 21 points.

Chehales Tapscott led Portland State (7-9, 1-3) with 26 points and Nate Lozeau had 13 points.

Weber State battled back from a 15-point first half deficit and tied the score at 71 after Lillard hit his eighth 3-pointer of the night with 8:27 left to play. The Wildcats went up 78-75 on a runner by Jordan Richardson with 4:35 remaining, then closed out the Vikings by holding them to just one field goal in the final four minutes.

Weber State shot 53 percent from the field and Portland State shot 50 percent.

1/7/12
Weber State at Portland State, Tonight
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Tonight at 8 p.m. in Portland, Oregon, Weber State will take on the Portland State Vikings at the Stott Center. Weber State is 3-0 in league play and 1-0 on the road after having won at EWU on Thursday. The last time Weber made the Northwest sweep was in 2008-09. Weber has lost its last two in Portland but has a 9-10 record at PSU. Coach Rahe is 25-18 away from the Dee in Big Sky games. Last season during Lillard's medical redshirt, WSU went 4-4 on the road. With Lillard playing, Weber is 14-3 in Big Sky away games.

WSU is 27-11 all-time against PSU, 18-1 in Ogden and 9-10 in Portland. PSU head coach Tyler Geving is in his third season at the helm after Ken Bone left for Washington State. Geving was a Bone assistant at PSU for four seasons prior and Geving is 2-3 against Weber and 34-43 overall as a head coach.

Preseason Polls
The Big Sky preseason polls had PSU tabbed as the 5th place finisher and Athlon Sports picked PSU 3rd and Lindy's had the Viks at 6th. PSU's APR issues appear to be gone as they are eligible this season for the Big Sky tournament unlike last season.

Athlon: After being ruled ineligible for postseason play because of APR deficiencies, the Vikings are back in contention for the Big Sky title thanks to the solid foundation that has been poured by third-year coach Tyler Geving. The Vikings return three starters, including senior guard and second-team All-BSC pick Charles Odum, who averaged 14.0 points and 2.8 assists last winter to lead his team in both categories. Also back is senior forward Chehales Tapscott, who averaged 11.8 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds as a junior. In addition, Geving added a couple of early impact junior college transfers in Michael Harvey, an athletic 6'5" wing who can get to the foul line, and Lateef McMullan, a 5'11" point guard and splended decision-maker.

Lindy's: Welcome to Second Chance U. No fewer than 10 Vikings started their careers at JC or other four-year schools, and only four are holdovers, so coach Tyler Geving had better be an able chemist. At least PSU has a postseason carrot now that it's out of APR jail. Guard Chris Harriel's transfer is a big loss, but holdovers Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott will try to be the glue for a glut of newcomers - notable among them Washington State sharpshooter Mike Harthun and Gary Winston. But aside from Tapscott, the Vikings were helpless on the glass last year.

PSU Bio
Established: 1946
Undergraduates: 27,972
Location: Portland, OR
Colors: Forest Green & White
Home Court: Stott Center, capacity 1,500

Injury Update: Bullinger and Otis are both expected to be out at least another week and James Hajek suffered no injury at EWU when he took a poke to the eye.

1/7/12
Vikings Prepare For Nation's Top Scorer, Big Sky's Best Team
Portland State Athletics
http://goviks.com/news/2012/1/6/MBB_0106123435.aspx

1/5/12
Weber State A Cinderella?
CBSSports.com Midseason Awards and Predictions
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/34202786

1/5/12
WSU Gets 4th Straight Win @ EWU
Weber St. 76, E. Washington 69

Associated Press
CHENEY, Wash. -- Damian Lillard scored 12 of his game-high 30 points in the final 7:34, carrying Weber State to a 76-69 victory over Eastern Washington on Thursday night.

Scott Bamforth added 19 points for the Wildcats (11-3, 3-0 Big Sky). Cliff Ederaine scored 20 points and Cliff Colimon had 18 for the Eagles (7-8, 1-2).

After a Jeffrey Forbes basket pulled Eastern Washington within 60-58 with 6:30 left, Weber State answered with four quick points, including a 3-pointer by Lillard -- the NCAA Division I scoring leader at 25.2 points per game -- that pushed the Wildcats' lead back to six. Eastern Washington never got closer than five the rest of the way.

Behind Lillard, who made his first five shots, Weber State raced to a 27-10 lead midway through the first half. Eastern Washington rallied for a 39-38 advantage on Laron Griffin's three-point play with 17:45 left in the game.

1/4/12
Weber State at Eastern Washington, Thursday Night
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
At 7 p.m. in Cheney, WA, WSU will take on the Eagles of Eastern Washington Thursday night. The game will be the 60th all-time meeting between the two conference foes. Weber is 39-20 against EWU, 26-4 in Ogden, 13-16 in Cheney. WSU has won three straight at EWU. The last time the 'Cats lost at EWU was on Feb 14, 2008.

Randy Rahe is 8-3 against EWU. Rahe's Big Sky record is 67-24, 43-6 at home and 24-18 on the road.

This year's EWU team finished 6-6 in the OOC which included wins over Hawaii, Idaho and UC Davis. The Eags went 3-7 on the road in 10 games so far this season which includes two conference games. They went to the Montanas and split; they beat the Bobs 82-66 and lost to the Griz 79-71. EWU has only played four home games but they are 4-0.

Preseason Polls
The Big Sky preseason coaches poll had EWU picked to finish third and the media had EWU at sixth. Athlon Sports picked picked the Eagles 7th and Lindy's had them 4th. Clearly no one has a clue what to expect from EWU going into the season with first year head coach Jim Hayford. EWU hired Hayford last spring after firing Kirk Earlywine (former Weber assistant, 2000-06). Hayford spent the previous ten seasons as head coach at DIII Whitworth in Spokane where he compiled a 217-57 career record. He also spent two years as head coach at Sioux Falls. Former NBA player Craig Ehlo is in his first season as an assistant coach for Eastern.

Athlon Sports: First-year coach Jim Hayford got an early punch to the stomach when last year's leading scorer Glen Dean decided to transfer. The Eagles still have a trio of tested and talented guards in senior Cliff Colimon and juniors Jeffrey Forbes and Kevin Winford, who combined to average just over 30 points per game last winter. Hayford needs help inside, where a pair of athletic but undersized seniors, Cliff Ederaine and Tremayne Johnson, will man the low blocks.

Lindy's: Time ran out on coach Kirk Earlywine despite the Eagles reaching the Big Sky Tournament for the first time under his watch. Eastern Washington has turned to Jim Hayford, a Division III success at Whitworth. He inherits a mostly full cupboard - all-league guard Glen Dean transferred to Utah, but 81 percent of the scoring returns, though more is needed up front from Tremayne Johnson, who rarely cracked the starting lineup in his first year. JC transfer Collin Chiverton, originally a Saint Mary's signee, will be in the Newcomer of the Year picture, and redshirt Willie Hankins could snag minutes on the undersized back line.

Keep an eye on: Transfer Jordan Hickert, a 6-9 Australian whose father played at Kansas State, was a 43 percent 3-point shooter in JC.


EWU Bio
Established: 1882
Students: 10,750
Location: Cheney, WA
Colors: Red & White
Home Court: Reese Court, capacity 6,000

Injury Update: Bullinger and Otis are still expected to be out for another one to two weeks.

1/4/12
Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 20 Finalists for 2012 Bob Cousy Award
CousyAward.com
http://www.cousyaward.com/docs/2012CousyAward-Final20.pdf

1/4/12
Lillard named a finalist for Bob Cousy Award
Weber State Athletics
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=205356247#.TwTV8ovVx-I.twitter

1/4/12
Eastern Hosts League Favorite & NCAA Leading Scorer on Thursday
Eastern Washington Athletics
http://goeags.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/Releases/12mbJan1WeberState

12/31/11
WSU Beats Sac To Improve To 8-0 At Home
Weber St. 74, Sacramento St. 63

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard led the way with 22 points as Weber State won its fourth consecutive game and ninth in a row over Sacramento State 74-63 on Saturday.

Scott Bamforth added 19 points and Kyle Tresnak had 18 points for the Wildcats (10-3, 2-0 Big Sky), who outscored the Hornets 32-14 in the paint despite being outrebounded 37-29.

John Dickson scored 20 points, Joe Eberhard had 15 points and seven rebounds and Heath Hoffman added 12 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento State (5-8, 0-2 Big Sky), which dropped its third straight game.

Lillard, who entered the game as the top scorer in the country at 25.4 points per game, had his streak of made free throws snapped at 23 but hit 10 of 11 from the line and had nine rebounds.

The Wildcats are 18-1 all-time against the Hornets in games played in Ogden and lead the series 32-4.

12/30/11
New Year's Eve 2 PM Game vs Sacramento State
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
At 2 pm on New Year's Eve Weber State will host the Hornets of Sacramento State. Weber is coming off of a 78-64 win over Idaho State and are 1-0 in league play. The victory over ISU was win number 900 all-time in WSU history. The 9-3 'Cats are 7-0 at home while Sac is 1-5 on the road. WSU has won three straight games and Sac last lost 2 in-a-row. Weber has won eight straight and 10 of the last 11 against the Hornets. Weber dominates Sac with a 31-4 record, 17-1 in Ogden and 14-3 in Sacramento.

Coach Rahe is 9-1 against Sac which is his best record against a conference opponent. Sac's Brian Katz is in his fourth season as head coach of the Hornets with an overall record of 23-75. He is 0-6 against the Wildcats.

Damian Lillard continues to lead the nation in scoring at 25.4 ppg. He is also the 22nd best free-throw shooter in the nation shooting 90.1% and has made his last 20 attempts. Lillard scored 26 against ISU which was his ninth time in 12 games this year to score 20 or more points. Lillard surpassed Al Hamilton and moved into sixth place on the Weber State career scoring list now with 1,455 career points. He needs just three three-pointers to pass up Jimmy Degraffenried's 196 career three's (13th in Big Sky history) which is second best in WSU history. The school record is Johnny Hamilton's 241 three's.

Scott Bamforth had 21 points in the Potato victory, the second time this season he has scored 20 or more points in a game. Bamforth's three three's against the Bengals was his sixth time in 12 games to knock in at least three treys from downtown. Bamforth was also 6-6 from the free-throw line Thursday and now leads the Big Sky and is 20th in the nation in free-throw percentage at 90.4 percent. Weber State is the second best free-throw shooting team in the nation shooting (213-265) 80.4%. In the past seven games the 'Cats are shooting 87%.

Lord Byron "Lord of the Rims" Fulton scored a season-high 15 points in Thursday?s "dub". Fulton was 5-6 from the field, including a perfect 3-3 from three-point land, just two off his career-high. On the season Fulton is averaging 7.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg but is averaging 9.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in the last five games. He has scored in double figures in three of the last five games.

Hornet Bio
Established: 1947
Students: 29,241
Location: Sacramento, CA
Colors: Green & Gold
Home Court: Hornets Nest, capacity 1,200

12/30/11
Rahe expects better effort from Wildcats against Hornets
By Jim Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/30/rahe-expects-better-effort-wildcats-against-hornets

12/30/11
Wildcats unsatisfied in win over Idaho State
By Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700211119/Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-unsatisfied-in-win-over-Idaho-State.html

12/30/11
Wildcats 'loose' in home victory
By Jim Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/29/wildcats-loose-home-victory

12/30/11
Weber State opens Big Sky Conference season with 78-64 win over Idaho State
By Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53203230-77/state-weber-season-wsu.html.csp

12/30/11
900th Win In Weber State History!
Weber St. 78, Idaho St. 64

OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 26 points and Scott Bamforth added 21 as Weber State beat Idaho State 78-64 Thursday night to kick off Big Sky Conference play.

Weber State (10-2, 1-0) led by as many as 20 points in the first half, but Idaho State (2-10, 0-1) rallied with a full-court press and cut the led to 61-49 with 10:59 remaining.

Idaho State's Chase Grabau scored a game-high 31 points, 26 of his points coming in the second half. No other Bengal reached double figures.

Both teams were cold shooting the ball at the start of the game, combining to go 2 for 12 over the first 3:05.

The Bengals owned a brief 11-9 lead at the 12:48 mark, but Lillard responded with a basket to start a 9-2 run and the Wildcats never trailed again.

Idaho State dropped its fifth game in a row and seventh in eight games.

12/28/11
It's Potatoes Eve!
Idaho State at Weber State, Thursday Night

Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
It isn't quite January yet but Big Sky play is here anyway. Weber State hosts Idaho State Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. WSU is 29-29 in Big Sky openers, 22-6 when BSC openers are at home. WSU & ISU haven't met in a home opener since 1993.

Weber State is off to its best start in 12 years with a non-conference record of 8-3. The 1999-00 team also started out 8-3 and the 2002-03 team who finished 16-0 started out 10-5 in OOC (out of conference) games. This year's squad still has one more OOC game with the BracketBusters game coming in late February.

WSU's 6-0 record in the Dee is the best home start in nine years. The 2003 team finished the season 13-0 at home. Including last season the 'Cats have actually won seven straight in the Dee and 14 of their last 15. With 15 home games on the schedule this year, breaking the 2003 record is possible.

Tomorrow night will be the 111th all-time meeting between the two rival railroad towns. Weber leads the series 70-40 and have a 42-9 record at home against the Bengals. The 110 games is the 2nd longest series in WSU history just three short of the number of times the 'Cats have faced the Griz. The 'Cats have beat the Bengals six straight and eight of the last nine including four in-a-row in Ogden.

Randy Rahe is 8-2 against ISU. Rahe's Big Sky record is 65-24, 41-6 at home and 65-11 in all home games.

This year's Idaho State team went 2-9 in OOC games with wins over Colorado Christian and North Dakota. UND was its only Division I win. On December 16th, Idaho State lost in Salt Lake to Utah, 71-59, giving Utah its first DI win. A few days after the game head coach Joe O'Brien resigned and interim head coach Deane Martin has takin over. O'Brien patrolled the Bengal sideline for nearly six seasons and compiled an overall record of 56-105 and 33-46 in Big Sky play. Martin was a first year assistant in Pocatello. Prior to ISU, Martin was an assistant coach at UNLV, Tennessee-Martin, St. Louis and in the NBA D-League. This has been a strange year in the Big Sky and there hasn't even been a single 'Sky game played. Two of the nine head coaches have resigned. NAU's Mike Adras a few weeks ago resigned after 12+ years with the Lumberjacks.

Preseason Polls
The Big Sky preseason coaches/media polls both had ISU 9th; the last two seasons the Bengals finished in 8th. Athlon Sports picked picked ISU 8th and Lindy's had them 9th.

Athlon Sports: The Bengals lost last year's top two scorers, Broderick Gilchrist and Deividas Busma, to graduation. That leaves senior guard Kenny McGowen (9.3 ppg) as sixth-year coach Joe O'Brien's leading returning scorer. Optimism arrives with transfer Melvin Morgan, who averaged 15.9 points and 3.4 assists at Itawamb (Miss.) Community College last winter

Lindy's: The Big Sky's worst shooting team (39.5 percent in league play, and just 28 percent on 3-pointers) will get an infusion from the JC ranks in Aussie Dejan Kostur and Melvin Morgan, called by coach Joe O'Brien "the best true point guard we've recruited." But the Bengals lost their only two reliable scorers and unless the group of undistinguished holdovers - led by seniors Chase Grabau and Kenny McGowen - take a jump, the clock could be ticking on the O'Brien era. Getting Sherrod Baldwin back after an injury redshirt year may help.

Keep an eye on: It will be hard to miss 7-4 Jakub Kusmieruk, a Central Florida transfer and a project in the post.


Bengal Bio
Established: 1901
Students: 15,553
Location: Pocatello, ID
Colors: Black & Orange
Home Court: Holt Arena, capacity 8,000
Mascot: Benny the Bengal

Injury Update: Bullinger and Otis are still expected to be out for another two to three weeks.

The game time for Saturday's new year's eve game against Sacramento State has been changed from 4 p.m. to 2 p.m.

12/27/11
After Destroying Utah, Weber Wins The Old Oquirrh Bucket!
For the first time since 1999-00, Weber State has been crowned the in-state champion of Division I basketball in the state of Utah. Even though it was announced on November 15, 2010, that the Oquirrh Bucket would be retired, Weber can still claim in-state supremacy for the 2011-12 season. Weber beat Utah, Utah State, SUU and lost to BYU to finish with a 3-1 record. This year was the first time the Wildcats beat both Utah and USU in the same season since 2000. WSU and USU tied with at 3-1, but Weber wins the tie breaker since the 'Cats beat the Aggies 73-63. BYU may have beaten WSU, but their loss to USU, and the fact that they only played 3 games, ensures a 3rd place finish because of a lower winning percentage. Utah, UVU and SUU combined for zero wins and five losses.

1. Weber State, 3-1
2. Utah State, 3-1
3. Brigham Young, 2-1
4. Utah Valley, 0-1
5. Southern Utah, 0-2
5. Utah, 0-2

The Old Oquirrh Bucket (1974-2010), though now retired, was once the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy for the state of Utah. Each year, the trophy was awarded to the team that had the best win-loss record against the other in-state competition. The trophy was named after the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of Salt Lake City.

Originally, the trophy was started in 1974. Yet, at that time, there wasn't an actual trophy that could be awarded to the winner. Not until 1977, that is, when Weber State won the bucket for the first time. A creative Weber State fan fashioned a trophy out of an old pioneer bucket by attaching a plaque, which showed a map of the state of Utah, with the names of the four original schools involved in the competition- BYU, Utah, Utah State & Weber State College (since SUU and UVU have been included)- Weber didn't become a university until 1991. With their win over the Utes, this year would have been WSU's 5th bucket after winning it in 1977, 1986, 1993 and 2000.

Last year, the Standard-Examiner printed this article about how the Utah schools decided to retire the trophy. The article states that the trophy was retired due to recent changes in conference affiliation among schools in the state of Utah, and the now differing schedules between those in-state schools. Unofficially, it has been said that the blame belongs to the Utes with their move to the Pac-12, and their wanting to play less in-state games.

Utah announced on October 7, 2010, that they would discontinue the home-and-home series with Weber State, and that any future games, with USU, have yet to be determined. Utah did not play the Aggies this year, a streak dating back to the 1944-45 season, and they also might not play BYU next year, which would end one of the longest and, most heated, rivalries in the United States.

Utah was Weber's 6th oldest rivalry which dates back to the 1973 season. In all reality, Utah would be WSU's fifth oldest rivalry, since the 'Cats have played UM and ISU since 1963, MSU since 1964, NAU since 1970 and USU since 1971. In that first game, Weber won, in Salt Lake, 81-70. After Weber's surprise victory, the two didn't play again until 1976. The rivalry was then played every year except for 1993, when Rick Majerus refused to play in Ogden, but then resumed from 1994 until 2011-12, after an agreement was worked out. After two straight losses at the Dee Events Center, it might be a valid reason why Utah may be too afraid to come back. Sadly, last Thursday's game might be the last one ever played in Ogden, at least, for the foreseeable future, and it is unknown when the next game in Salt Lake will be played

12/27/11
Lillard again named Big Sky player of the week
Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/26/lillard-again-named-big-sky-player-week

12/26/11
Weber State's Lillard doesn't shy away from leadership role
By Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/25/weber-states-lillard-doesnt-shy-away-leadership-role

12/26/11
Weber State's Rahe now voting in coaches' Top 25 poll
By Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://blogs.standard.net/wsu-sports-blog/2011/12/18/rahe-coaches-top25-poll/

12/23/11
Weber State stomps Utah at the Dee
By Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/22/weber-state-stomps-utah-dee

12/23/11
Good start doesn't lead to win for Utes
By Dirk Facer, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705396305/Utah-Utes-basketball-Good-start-doesnt-lead-to-win-for-Utes.html

12/23/11
Wildcats send Utes home in style
By Randy Hollis, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700209488/Utah-Utes-Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-send-Utes-home-in-style.html

12/23/11
Weber State crushes Utah 80-51
By Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53172752-77/utah-weber-wildcats-lillard.html.csp

12/23/11
Utes Lose Their Last 2 In Ogden And Won't Come Back
Weber St. 80, Utah 51

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 22 points Thursday night as Weber State defeated Utah 80-51 -- the Wildcats' largest margin of victory ever in this intrastate series.

Scott Bamforth, Kyle Tresnak and James Hajek added 10 points each for the Wildcats (8-3), who also held Utah to its fewest points in a game in the rivalry series.

The Utes (3-9) had won nine of the previous 10 meetings between the schools.

Lillard, who entered the game leading the nation with 25.7 points per game, topped 20 points for the eighth time in 11 games.

Dijon Farr led Utah with 14 points and Josh Watkins added 10.

Weber State shot 54 percent from the field and outrebounded Utah 32-21 while holding the Utes to just 3 of 15 shooting from 3-point range.

12/19/11
The Last Utah Game In Ogden, Thursday Night At 7
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | TV: Altitude | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
The 2011-12 season marks Utah's 104th season of men's basketball and Weber's 50th. Tomorrow night's game will be the 40th meeting between the two schools dating back to 1973. The game will also be the last trip the Utes will take to Ogden according the University of Utah which already stopped playing Utah State this year. Utah only has two in-state games this year, BYU (once) and Weber. It hasn't been announced if the rivarly will continue next year, the 40th year. Coach Rahe has mentioned in the media that WSU would likely play in Salt Lake and keep the rivalry going. It is just a short bus ride and playing a Pac 12 is considered a money game.

Coach Rahe was an assistant for the Utes under Ray Giacoletti from 2004-2006. Rahe is 1-4 vs Utah as a head coach. Utah's former coach Jim Boylen is 3-1 against Weber State and first year head coach Larry Krystkowiak is 3-2 against Weber State but all five games were when he was Montana's coach (2004-05,2005-06).

Weber State is 13-26 all-time against Utah and 10-8 at home. Weber will attempt its second win in-a-row against the Utes at home after winning two year's ago 83-76. WSU's last win in Salt Lake was a 79-77 victory in 2000-01. Last year's game in Salt Lake was an ugly event, the 90-75 loss saw a combined 55 fouls called, 32 on Weber, and the 3 hour+ game seemed to never end. The nightmare in Salt Lake officiated by Ruben Ramos, Michael Borgelt and Jimmy Casas, had a combined 36 turnovers and just 17 assists, Utah actually had more free throw attempts (45) than field goal tries (42). Utah scored 40 of its 90 points from the charity stripe. The pleasant aromas of familiar home cooking the Utes are used to will not be meandering throughout the Dee Events Center Thursday night.

This year's Utes are 3-8 overall and are on track to be one of the wost Utah teams in history. They only have three wins but they bring a two game win streak to Ogden. Has Utah turned the corner? Utah beat Idaho State and Portland this past week and ISU's coach resigned after the Utah loss. ISU and Portland combine for three DI wins and 17 losses. Utah's other win was over non-DI San Diego Christian, 58-55. Their eight losses were to Boise State (80-59), Montana State (70-64), Harvard (75-47), UMass (89-75), UNC Asheville (87-65), Fresno State (82-52), CS Fullerton (81-50), and BYU (61-42). Utah has played 11 games so far but only two were road games. They are 0-5 away from the Huntsman Center including an 0-2 road record and 0-3 in neutrals.

Utah Bio
Established: 1850
Undergraduates: 23,371
Postgraduates: 7,448
Colors: Red & White
Conference: Pac 12
10 highest winning % in NCAA Div I history
1998 NCAA champion runner-up
1944 NCAA National Champion

Krystkowiak Bio
From Missoula, MT, played for the Griz from 1982-86 and is the only player in Big Sky history to be named Big Sky MVP three times. He might even be the only person to play on an opposing team and lead two different opposing colleges all in the Dee. It's possible he even played in the Dee in a Utah Jazz preseason game when he played for the Jazz from 1992-1993. His 2,017 career points are the third most in BSC history. He was drafted by the Bulls in the 2nd round and throughout his career he played for the Spurs, Bucks, Jazz, Magic, Bulls and Lakers. He coached the Griz for 2 seasons, '05 and '06, then left for the Milwaukee Bucks where he was an assistant for one year then head coach the next season. Then took a couple years off before joining the Nets as an assistant for one year before going to Utah last April.

12/19/11
2011-12 Wildcats Break 3-Point Record Twice!
The single game three-point record was broken in tonight's game. Weber State hit 18 three's from 33 attempts. The old record only lasted 38 days. Against Northern New Mexico the 'Cats hit 17-of-29 from beyond the three-point arc. Over the years there have been many games where WSU teams got close to breaking the single game three's record but the old record of 14 was safe from 1993-94 until Rahe's 2009 team made 15 in a game. Last season WSU hit 19-of-26 but it was in an exhibition game so it didn't count as a new record. In 1994 Weber beat Utah State with a half court shot at the buzzer on a night of 14-of-41 three-point shooting. Both attempts and three's made were WSU records. The conference record is 20 three's by NAU in 2000 and 2003.

Tonight's hot shooting was led by Jordan Richardson's 7-of-8 three's which is tied #3 in WSU history with Scott Bamforth (2011, 2012), Nick Hansen (2010) and Ryan Cuff (1997). #2 is 8 three's made by Alex Fisher (1996) and the school record is 9 in a game by Greg Boyd (1988). Lillard hit 4-of-6 from downtown in tonight's game and Bamforth and Mike Brown each hit three and Gelaun Wheelwright hit one. Only Darin Mahoney, Kyle Tresnak and James Hajek did not attempt a three in the game.

Lillard has made 35 three's this year and Bamforth has made 28. Lillard is on track to break the school single season record of 84 which he already owns from the 2009-10 season. Bamforth is on track to tie the 84 record with 30 games played.

Lillard also moved up as the 7th all-time WSU career scorer after his 5th point tonight to pass up Todd Harper's 1,383 points. Lillard needs just 46 points to get to 1,453 which would be #6 all-time passing up Al Hamilton. Another 172 points beyond that will move Lillard past #5 Jimmy Watts (1,553), #4 Willie Sojourner (1,563), #3 Jermaine Boyette (1,613) and #2 Jimmy DeGraffenried (1,624). Lillard could become the #2 scorer in school history as a junior. The school record for career points is Bruce Collins with 2,019 points, both Collins and DeGraffenried played four seasons. Lillard has scored 257 points this season in 10 games. There are at least 18 games left this year excluding any post season play and the conference tournament.

Big Sky Records
The Big Sky record for single game points is 53 by Willie Humes (1971, ISU) and the WSU record is Stan Mayhew's 45 points (1977). Lillard's career best is 42 points. The Big Sky record for career points is Orlando Lightfoot's 2,102 points (1990-94, Idaho). Lightfoot, Weber's Collins and Utah's current head coach Larry Krystkowiak (1982-85, UM) are the only players in BSC history to score more than 2,000 points. The Big Sky record for single season points is 845 by Dave Wagnon (1966, ISU). Lillard is on track for 771 points if he plays 30 games. The BSC record for career three's is 308 by Ross Land (1996-00, NAU). Lillard's 187 ranks 18th. The single season three-point BSC record is owned by Stephen Sir with 124 (NAU, 2007). Lillard's 84 ranks 11th.

12/19/11
Weber Now 5-0 At Home
Weber St. 106, Mayville State 57

OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 28 points and continued to move up Weber State's all-time scoring list in the Wildcats' 106-57 win over Mayville State on Monday night.

Jordan Richardson scored 23 points on 7 of 8 shooting from 3-point range for Weber State (7-3). Scott Bamforth added 19 and James Hajek had 13 points.

Gus Kueber scored 24 points, Eric Shulstad 14 and Matt Bauduin 11 for Mayville (N.D.) State, a NAIA school that classified the game as an exhibition. The Comets' record remained 7-7.

Lillard entered the game leading the nation in scoring at 25.4 points a game. He rebounded from a 14-point performance at California on Friday, his lowest scoring output of the year.

The junior point guard had 18 points at halftime and passed Todd Harper for seventh place on WSU's career scoring list. Lillard also finished with 12 rebounds in his second career double-double.

12/19/11
Mayville State at Weber State, Tonight at 7
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Weber State is back at home for its fifth home game where the 'Cats are 4-0 on the season. Weber has never played a game against NAIA Mayville State (North Dakota).

Game Day Articles
WSU Athletics: Wildcats Back Home for Comets Monday
http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39376&SPID=3470&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205349409&DB_OEM_ID=8600

Standard-Examine, Roy Burton: Banged-up Wildcats happy to see incoming Comets
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/18/banged-wildcats-happy-see-incoming-comets

Deseret News, Randy Hollis: Weber State basketball: Wildcats wish to do thumping against Mayville State
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700208199/Weber-State-basketball-Wildcats-wish-to-do-thumping-against-Mayville-State.html

12/17/11
The Weber Glory Days of the 60's, 70's and 1980
From 1962 the year Weber State went DI through the 1975-76 season Weber played its home games in the Swenson Gym. The old "Wildcat Gym" had a capacity of 5,500 and it was never easy to find a seat and some had to stand especially the students who were able to attend. In the 15 year's that basketball games were played in the old gym, Weber's record was 180-18 (91%).

From 1968 to 1973 the 'Cats won 6 consecutive Big Sky titles which is still the conference record. Four of those teams finished ranked in the AP Top 20 (now Top 25). The first two coaches at Weber State went on directly to the NBA as head coaches. Both, Dick Motta and Phil Johnson went on to be NBA Coaches of the Year during their careers. Twelve Weber players from 1966 to 1980 went on to the NBA (and 18 through 2008). Three players on the 1979-80 team were drafted, 1980 was a special year.

By the time Weber got into the 70's it was clear there was a need for a much larger venue as the 'Cats were too large for the old gym. In November of 1976 the Dee Events Center opened. A new 12,000 seat facility was needed and would be sufficient for years to come. The Dee Events Center was and still is one of the larger Division I basketball arenas. The Dee was even larger by a couple thousand seats than the Salt Palace the Utah Jazz started playing in in 1979 having moved from New Orleans. The Dee was and is also a few thousand seats larger than the Spectrum in Logan. Today the Dee is almost twice the size of the next biggest Big Sky basketball arena excluding the couple teams that play in the football domes.

Weber was so good at basketball in the early days of the program that BYU, Utah and USU were afraid to play the 'Cats and they wanted no part of coming into the old gym where Weber rarely lost. They couldn't deal with the fact that they might lose to this new DI school that is encroaching on their domain. It took almost 10 years before the in-state schools would take on Weber State. In 1971 and 1972 Utah State hosted the Wildcats. Unfortunately for the Aggies and the Utes and Cougars eye-balling the game, Weber won both games in the Spectrum. The first in-state game held on the campus of Weber State was Utah State in 1972. For many years the 'Cats and Aggies would play twice a year but that died off by the early 90's. The series with the Aggies went back and for with neither team leading by more than one game between 1973 to 1983. The largest lead was Weber up 2-0 in 1972 and Weber again leading the series 14-12 by 1984 and even a 3 game lead by '86. The tables started to turn in the early 90's for USU.

Utah and BYU must have given in to peer pressure or decided it was time to accept this little Weber school as an in-state rival. In 1973 the first Weber/Utah game was played. Weber won the game in Salt Lake and then no game was played again until 1976. Guess who won the '76 game? Yes, Weber won that one too, it was the first ever played in Ogden. It is a shame that the Utah game in Ogden on December 22, 2011, is supposed to be the last ever Ute trip to the Dee...or at least for a long time. Thanks Utah. In those early years between Utah and WSU, the 'Cats won three of the first four and four of the first six and even six of the first nine by 1980. The 1980 season was a special year. It wasn't until the hiring of Rick Majerus in 1989-90 before the Utes could keep up with Weber.

BYU was the last in-state DI school that dared play Weber. In 1974 BYU hosted Weber and won the game 77-76. From '74 to '78 the home team would win the single annual meeting. Then in 1979 and 1980 there was no game. Those were a couple of good years for BYU to not play Weber as the 'Cats had three players on those rosters that were drafted to the NBA. Has it been mentioned that 1980 was a special year? To this day Weber has never won in Provo, 0-19, but Weber also has a winning record at home against every in-state school including newer additions to DI in recent years in Southern Utah and Utah Valley.

It was a special year in 1980. Weber State won the Big Sky title. Weber State made the NCAA tournament as a 7-seed and finished with a 26-3 record. Weber finished 17th ranked in the country in the AP poll. Weber beat Utah, Utah State, UNLV, New Mexico (in The Pitt) and Michigan State. The 'Cats even had an 18-game win streak (still the Big Sky record). The 1980 team averaged 10,500 fans per home game for 16 games. That was and still is the Weber State and Big Sky Conference record for attendance. Four of the top ten largest crowds in WSU history were in 1980 including the top three biggest crowds.

Finally, the reason for this article which may seem out of left field after the Cal game last night. Some WSU fans on the WSU Fans Forum have been discussing the old days of the Swenson Gym and what it was like going to games back then. Feel free to join in and discuss or ask questions. Weber State basketball has great history and tradition that lives on today which can be confirmed with the 19 banners that line the interior perimeter of the Purple Palace. This year's team has a great shot at a 20th banner. Twenty banners by one school in just 49 seasons of Big Sky basketball and 50 years of Weber State basketball at the Division I level would be a historic season to remember.

12/16/11
California 77, Weber St. 57
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Jorge Gutierrez scored 24 points and held Damian Lillard, the nation's leading scorer, to his worst offensive performance of the season as California beat Weber State 77-57 on Friday night.

Allen Crabbe added 16 points and six rebounds while Richard Solomon and Harper Kamp had 11 apiece for the Golden Bears (9-2), who have won three straight and five of six. Cal also remained unbeaten at home and has outscored its last three opponents at Haas Pavilion by an average of 30.6 points.

Lillard, who grew up and went to high school in nearby Oakland, entered the game averaging 26.9 points a game but couldn't get loose against Gutierrez and finished just 4 of 17 from the floor while scoring a season-low 14 points.

Scott Bamforth had 19 points for Weber State (6-3).

12/15/11
Weber State @ California, Friday Night
Big Sky Scoreboard | Cal Stream ($7.95) | Live Stats | Radio | Twitter
The California Golden Bears (8-2) will host the Weber State Wildcats (6-2) Friday night at 8:30 p.m. This will be the first meeting since 1970-71 and Weber's first trip to Berkeley. The lone game played 41 years ago was a 75-65 Cal win in the Cable Car Classic in San Francisco. The other tournament game played was a 79-65 Weber win over San Francisco. Overall against the Pac 12, WSU is 15-45 which includes a 13-26 record against Utah. Minus the Utes, the 'Cats are 2-19 against the former Pac 10. The two wins were against Arizona State and Oregon State.

In 1969-70 Weber beat Arizona State 59-57 in Tempe, AZ. The Oregeon State win was a 61-49 final in the Far West Classic in Portland, OR, in 1976-77. The other two tournament games played that year included a 64-57 win over St. Louis and a 75-54 loss to North Carolina. The last Pac opponent WSU has faced was last season in Anchorage when the 'Cats lost 59-58 to Arizona State. WSU vs Pac 12: Washington 0-1, Arizona State 1-2, Washington State 0-1, California 0-1, Colorado 0-2, Oregon 0-3, Stanford 0-0, Arizona 0-3, Oregon State 1-3, UCLA 0-2, USC 0-0, Utah 13-26.

Weber State has quickly got back on track and in a hurry to forget that ugly BYU game by beating SUU 84-66 which included a Big Sky Player of the Week performance by Damian Lillard who leads the nation in scoring (26.9 ppg). Lillard's stat line vs SUU: 32 minutes, 31 points, 9 assists, 0 turnovers and 5 three-pointers. The 'Cats had 20 assists in the game, nearly doubling its season average, and only committing eight turnovers. Hopefully Weber State has built a little momentum heading to Cal which is likely the best team the 'Cats will face in 2011-12.

The Cal Bears, 8-2 overall are 7-0 at home this season. They are 1-1 in neutral games and have only played one road game which they lost 64-63 at San Diego State. The Bears' seven wins at home were against UC Irvine (77-56), George Washington (81-54), Austin Peay (72-55), Denver (80-59), McNeese State (73-57), San Jose State (81-36) and Jackson State (73-46). The neutral games played were against Georgia (W 70-46) and #21 Missouri (L 92-53).

The Bears feature two all-conference caliber guards in Jorge Gutierrez (6-3 195) and Allen Crabbe (6-6 205). Gutierrez is averaging 12.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 49.5% from the field, 50% from three and over 90% from the free-throw line. Crabbe is averaging 15.8 ppg and shoots 47% from three-point range. Both Gutierrez and Crabbe were selected as preseason picks to make All-Pac 12 1st Team guards and Harper Kamp, a 6-8 245 pound senior was picked to be an All-Pac 12 2nd team player.

Cal was ranked in the top 25 the first four weeks of the season until its 64-63 loss at SDSU. Currently the Bears have three top 25 votes. Cal is ranked 17th in the nation in assists (16.6), 44th in FG% (.476), 95th in rebounding (37.6) and 108th in scoring (72.3). Weber State ranks 22nd in scoring (80.3) and 47th in rebounding (39.0). Rebounding looks to be the key stat for WSU. In the eight games Weber has played, three times the 'Cats have been outrebounded and two of those three games were losses.

Cal is led by head coach Mike Montgomery who is a former Griz coach. He spent eight seasons in Missoula from from 1979-86 compiling a record of 154-76. Only five coaches in Big Sky history have won more games than Montgomery. One of his assistants named Stew Morrill took over the Griz in 1987. Montgomery then went to Stanford for 18 seasons and won 393 games and led them to four conference titles and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including once to the Final Four. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year four times and National Coach of the Year twice. Montgomery then spent two seasons as head coach of the Golden State Warriors prior to Cal. At Cal he is 72-39 in his 4th year and has led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament twice and one trip to the NIT.

12/13/11
Damian Lillard Named Big Sky Player Of The Week
By Jon Kasper, Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2011/12/13/MBB_1213111015.aspx

12/10/11
Weber St. 84, S. Utah 66
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 31 points to lead Weber State to a 84-66 win over Southern Utah on Saturday night in the final non-conference contest between future Big Sky Conference foes.

Lillard, who entered the game leading the nation in scoring at 26.3 points per game, bounced back from a 15-point outing at BYU on Wednesday. Lillard had 18 at halftime and missed his second straight double-double for Weber State (6-2) by one assist to finish with nine.

Southern Utah (4-5), which will join the Big Sky next season, was led by Ray Jones Jr. with 14 points.

Kyle Tresnak had 15 and Byron Fulton and Jordan Richardson, in his first career start, each added 10 points for the Wildcats, who won their fifth straight over the Thunderbirds.

Jackson Stevenett had 12 points and Damon Heuir added 11 for Southern Utah, which is coached by Weber State alum Roger Reid.

12/10/11
Southern Utah at Weber State, Tonight at 7
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
Tonight's game against SUU will be the 29th game ever played between the Thunderbirds and Wildcats. WSU leads the series 22-6 (15-2 in Ogden). Weber has won the last four and Coach Rahe is 4-1 against SUU. The 'Birds' two wins in Ogden came in 1987 and 2005. This is the last game between the two schools as a non-conference game since SUU will join the Big Sky on July 1, 2012.

SUU is led by 5th year head coach, Roger Reid. Reid is 44-84 with SUU and 196-160 as a DI coach. He played basketball and graduated from Weber State in 1968. Reid is 0-3 against WSU with SUU. SUU is 4-4 this season with DI wins against UC Davis and Bryant. The 'Birds lost in Logan 65-63. The Thunderbirds are led by junior guard Damon Heuir who is averaging 11.9 ppg. Senior forward Ramell Taylor is averaging 11.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg, while shooting 53% from the field. Two other T-birds, Matt Massey and Jackons Stevenett, are averaging 11 ppg. SUU is shooting 48 percent from the field which ranks 36th in the country but just 26 percent from three-point land which ranks 324th. SUU has been an efficient passing team with an average of 16.6 assists per game which is 20th best in the nation compared to Weber at 255th with just over 11 apg.

Weber has lost two of its last three games and has now lost two starters to injury. WSU is still ranked 30th nationally in ppg with 79.7 and 23rd in rebounds with a 40.7 average. Damian Lillard's 26.3 ppg ranks #1 in the nation. With Bullinger out 4-6 weeks from the date of his injury and Otis' time frame of getting back on the court from his knee injury still unknown, the 'Cats will need other players to step up. Redshirt guard, Gelaun Wheelwright is now an active player as of the BYU game. He played 27 minutes and scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds which was second best on the team in Provo.

Standard-Examiner's Roy Burton's update on Otis:Frank "Mook" Otis limped off the court with loose cartilage in his knee in the first half of the BYU contest, just days after Weber State lost 6-foot-6 senior forward Kyle Bullinger for up to six weeks with a dislocated elbow. Otis, a 6-6 junior forward from Oakland, Calif., is out indefinitely as doctors try to rehab his knee without having to scope it out as they did last spring.

Weber State will travel to the San Francisco Bay Area for its second time this season. Weber will play the 7-2 Cal Bears in Berkeley next Friday.

12/9/11
Men's Basketball Coach Mike Adras Resigns
NAU Athletics
http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20111209cjn92x

12/7/11
BYU 94, Weber St. 66
Associated Press
PROVO, Utah -- Noah Hartsock had 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks as BYU dominated inside en route to a 94-66 victory Wednesday night over instate opponent Weber State.

The Wildcats (5-2) are now 0-19 in Provo.

Weber State's Damian Lillard entered the game leading the nation in scoring at 28.2 points a game but had just 15 on 5 of 12 shooting Wednesday against constant pressure.

Guard Brock Zylstra scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes for BYU (7-2) and finished with 15 as did Charles Abouo. Stephen Rogers and Nate Austin added 15 off the bench for the Cougars and Brandon Davies had 11, all in the first half.

12/6/11
Weber State at BYU
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Online | Live Stats | Twitter | WSU Stats
Game Notes: WSU | BYU
Wednesday night on December 7th, Weber State will travel down to Provo to attempt its first ever win in the Marriott Center. The game will air on BYU TV with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. BYU TV is located on Comcast channel 21, 374 on DirecTV and 9403 on Dish Network.

12/6/11
Another Jimmer? Weber State's Lillard leading nation in scoring
By Lynn DeBruin, Associated Press
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=294&sid=18384800

12/6/11
Lillard Named POTW
By Jon Kasper, Big Sky Conference
http://bigskyconf.com/news/2011/12/6/MBB_1206114033.aspx

12/6/11
Welcome to the Damian Lillard show
By Diamond Leung, ESPN
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/41123/welcome-to-the-damian-lillard-show

12/5/11
Weber State vs BYU
The annual Weber State vs BYU game is this Wednesday night in Provo. Since 1973, the Wildcats and Cougars have played each other 36 times. Weber State is 10-26 overall against BYU, 10-8 in Ogden and 0-18 in Provo. Weber's last win against BYU was 2003 winning the game 75-69 after a 15 point halftime lead. WSU went on to win 16 more in-a-row that year to have the nation's 2nd longest win streak. The following stats are since 1963 which was the first year WSU competed as a 4-year institution as well as WSU's first year in Division I basketball.

Weber State vs Brigham Young
Since 1963
WSU
BYU
Overall Wins
896
874
Last Tournament Appearance
2007
2011
Last Tournament Win
1999
2011
Tournament Appearances
14
23
Tournament Wins
6
10
Best Tournament Seed
7
3
Conference Titles
19
18
20 Win Seasons
23
25
Winning Seasons
40
38
Losing Seasons
8
10
Best Record
27-3
32-5
Worst Record
7-22
1-25
Undefeated in Conference
2
0

12/4/11
Milestones & Records
With Weber's double-overtime thriller over San Jose State, the Big Sky is now 7-3 against the Western Athletic Conference. The win was number 100 for Randy Rahe as the head coach of Weber State. Coach Rahe is the fifth WSU coach to achieve 100 wins at Weber State. Four of the five coaches got number 100 in their sixth season at WSU. Only Neil McCarthy reached 100 in five years. McCarthy also has the WSU record for the most Big Sky regular season titles with four. Rahe long with Dick Motta, Phil Johnson and Ron Abegglen coached teams to three titles. Rah'es 100 wins are the fifth most wins in school history; he needs 17 more wins to move up to fourth. Joe Cravens has 116 wins, third best is Motta with 120 wins, Abegglen's 157 is second most. The school record is McCarthy with 200 wins in his 11 year tenure at WSU.

Damian Lillard is the nation's leading scorer averaging 28.2 ppg. His career-best 41 points scored against San Jose State was the second most points scored in a single game in Weber State history. His prior high was 36 points which he did against Saint Mary's (2011-12) and Eastern Washington (2009-10). After the EWU game Lillard was quoted as saying the following after leaving the game with a few minutes remaining, "I knew I had 36 and I mean, why not go for 40? But I'm not going to argue with the coach." He finally got the 40 points but it was a long wait because of last year's medical redshirt.

Single Game Points
1. Stan Mayhew 45 1977 (Utah State)
2. DAMIAN LILLARD 41 2012 (San Jose St)
3. Jerry Trice 40 1966 (NAU)
Harold Arceneax 40 2000 (@ EWU)
Harold Arceneax 40 2000 (MSU)
4. Jim Lyon 39 1964 (CS Los Angeles)
Jim Lyon 39 1964 (Whitworth)
Willie Sojourner 39 1970 (MSU)
Bruce Collins 39 1977 (CS Stanislaus)
Harold Arceneaux 39 1999 (EWU)
Harold Arceneaux 39 2000 (ISU)
5. Stan Rose 38 1993 (@ EWU)
Harold Arceneaux 38 1999 (@ EWU)
6. Al Hamilton 37 1992 (The Citadel)
Jermaine Boyette 37 2003 (BYU)
7. Ryan Cuff 36 1997 (@ ISU)
Harold Arceneaux 36 1999 (vs North Carolina, NCAA 1st Rd)
Harold Arceneaux 36 2000 (CS Northridge)
Jermaine Boyette 36 2001 (BYU)
DAMIAN LILLARD 36 2010 (EWU)
DAMIAN LILLARD 36 2012 (St Mary's)

Lillard still is 10th in WSU history for career points with 1,321. Another 37 points will move him ahead of Harold Arceneaux's 1,357. Lillard scored 617 points as a sophomore which is the 8th most in school history for a single season. On WSU's 28 game schedule, he would need to average 25.5 ppg to surpass Arceneaux's school record in 713 points. Qualifying for the conference tournament would add one to three more games and a post season berth could add at least a one more game. "The Show" played in 33 games in 1999.

Lillard's six 3-pointers against SJSU moved him up to #3 in the WSU record books for career 3-pointers with 177. Alex Fisher (1995-98) made 176. Ahead of Lillard are Jimmy DeGraffenried (196, 1991-96) and Johnny Hamilton (241, 2000-04).

The single season scoring average record at WSU is 23.2 ppg by Stan Rose in 1992-93. Two other players have also averaged 23 ppg: Bob Davis (23.1, 1971-72) and Arceneaux (23.0, 1999-00). Lillard has a great shot to get the school record with his 28.2 ppg after six games played.

As a team, Weber State is currently 17th ranked nationally in points per game with 82.0 and 31st in rebounds per game with 40.5. The Wildcats' 9.2 three-pointers per game is 15th best in the nation. Weber's three-point average is 39.9% which ranks 44th.

Weber's leading rebounder, Kyle Bullinger who averages more than nine boards per game played just 12 minutes against SJSU after suffering a dislocated elbow. His status has not been announced yet as to when Wildcat fans can expect him back on the court. Bull had already been dealing with a slipped disc issue with his back prior to the Saint Mary's tournament and he also had a minor ankle sprain against Jacksonville State.

12/3/11
Memorable Win For Rahe's 100th
Weber St. 91, San Jose St. 89 2OT

Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored a career-high 41 points as he made a driving layup with 10.7 seconds left in double overtime and converted the old-fashioned 3-point play as Weber State outlasted San Jose State in a 91-89 double-overtime victory Saturday night.

Lillard, who entered the game leading the nation in scoring at 25.6 points per game, hit a 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime for Weber State (5-1).

James Kinney scored 28 points, including a couple of 3-pointers to bring San Jose State (3-5) back in the second overtime. Keith Shamburger hit a pair of free throws to put San Jose State up by one with 21 seconds left, before Lillard's game-winner and a Weber State defensive stop.

Weber State coach Randy Rahe won his 100th career game.

12/1/11
San Jose State at Weber State, Saturday Night
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter
This Saturday night at the Dee Events Center the Wildcats are back in action after three game 18 day road trip where the 'Cats went 2-1 including the first 4-0 start since 1985. The Wildcats take on the Spartans of San Jose State at 7:30 p.m. The WSU women's team also plays San Jose State, that game has a 5:00 p.m. tipoff.

San Jose State makes just its second appearance in Ogden with the last being in 1976 when Weber beat San Jose 98-82. Overall in the series the Spartans lead 2-1, winning 64-56 in 1973-74 and last year in San Jose at the ESPNU Bracketbusters WSU lost 62-46.

As part of the Bracketbusters, the home team is required to play at the road team's place the following season if possible or the season after that. So if Weber can get say Nevada, Hawaii, Butler or Wichita State this season, the 'Cats would have to go play on the road at their place next year.

The Spartans have a 3-4 record with wins coming at home against UC Irvine (51-50), UT San Antonio (72-66) and a non-DI (109-71). The four losses are to Cal Poly (79-52), San Francisco (83-81 OT), Santa Clara (84-58) and Montana State (77-70). The loss to the Bobcats was the only one on their home floor.

The Spartans average 70.4 ppg and allow 72.9. They average 34.0 rpg and their opponents average 39.4. Graduated from SJSU last season is Adrian Oliver who was one of the top scorers in the nation where he averaged 24 ppg. This year junior guard James Kinney leads the team with 16.7 ppg and he dropped 30 against UTSA. Sophomore Keith Shamburger averages 14.4 ppg and Wil Carter, of Pocatello, is averaging 9.7 ppg and a team-best 8.6 rpg.

San Jose State finished with a 17-16 record last year and had their first winning season in nearly two decades. They only went 5-11 in WAC play but advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament where they lost to the eventual champion Utah State. The Spartans advanced to the CBI where they lost 85-74 to Creighton in the tournament's first round.

Weber State vs the WAC
Overall 110-87
Fresno State 4-1
Hawaii 4-2
Idaho 52-20
Louisiana Tech 0-2
Nevada 19-20
New Mexico State 4-2
San Jose State 1-2
Utah State 26-38

A win over SJSU would be win number 100 for Coach Rahe and it would also be win number 896 for WSU all-time. Also, the Big Sky is 6-3 against the WAC this season. A SJSU win would bring the Big Sky's record to 7-3 vs the WAC. Weber has not lost a home OOC game excluding in-state opponents since 2005.

Damian Lillard is averaging 25.6 ppg, which leads the nation in scoring. He has scored 20 or more points in four of five games this season. This week he moved into tenth place on the WSU career scoring list with 1,280 points surpassing Johnny Hamilton's 1,240 points.

After Saturday's matchup the 'Cats head back on the road for an in-state battle at BYU next Wednesday, December 7. The Provo showdown will tipoff at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on BYUTV.

11/28/11
Saint Mary's 87, Weber St. 70
Associated Press
MORAGA, Calif. -- Matthew Dellavedova had 25 points and a career-high 11 assists and Rob Jones added 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead Saint Mary's to an 87-70 victory over Weber State in the championship game of the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic on Monday night.

Kenneth Walker II added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Gaels (4-1), who beat the Wildcats for the second straight season.

Damian Lillard matched his career high with 36 points for Weber State (4-1), including a dominant stretch in the second half in which he scored 21 straight points for the Wildcats. Kyle Tresnak added 17 points.

Lillard's second-chance basket got Weber State within 64-58 with 7:26 left, but Saint Mary's went on a 14-2 run to lead 78-60 with 4:28 remaining. Dellavedova culminated the surge with a 3-pointer.

The Gaels were 8 for 13 from beyond the arc.

11/28/11
WSU @ St. Mary's For Championship
Big Sky Scoreboard | SMC Stream ($7.95) | Live Stats | Radio | Twitter
Sunday
Saint Mary's 86, San Francisco State 52
Weber State 69, Jacksonville State 61
Monday
Jacksonville State vs San Francisco State, 6:00 p.m.
Weber State @ Saint Mary's, 8:30 p.m.

11/27/11
Coach Rahe Gets 99th Win!
Weber St. 69, Jacksonville St. 61

Associated Press
MORAGA, Calif. -- Damian Lillard scored 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead Weber State to a 69-61 victory over Jacksonville State in the opening round of the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic on Sunday night.

The Wildcats advanced to Monday's championship game against Saint Mary's, which beat San Francisco State earlier Sunday.

Kyle Bullinger added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Weber State, which improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 1985-86 season.

Brian Williams scored 16 points and made five assists for the Gamecocks (2-4), who fell behind by 21 late in the first half but gradually sliced into the deficit and trailed just 64-59 with a minute left. But a 3-point try by Williams went in and out, and the Wildcats held on.

Rinaldo Mafra added 14 points for Jacksonville State, but leading scorer Tarvin Gaines was held to nine points, six under his average.

11/27/11
Shamrock Office Solutions Classic
Big Sky Scoreboard | SMC Stream ($7.95) | Live Stats | Radio | Twitter
Sunday
San Francisco State vs Saint Mary's, 5:00 p.m.
Jacksonville State vs Weber State, 7:30 p.m.
Monday
Consolation game, 6:00 p.m.
Championship game, 8:30 p.m.

11/26/11
Stats and Milestones
National Stats
Currently Weber State is ranked 8th nationally in points per game with 87.3 and 3rd in rebounds per game with 44.0. WSU is #1 in the nation for 3-point field goal percentage shooting 50%, hitting 37-of-74. WSU is also #1 in 3-pointers made per game with a 12.3 average.

Damian Lillard ranks 6th nationally in points per game with 23.0 and Scott Bamforth is ranked 24th with a 21.0 average. Bam also is ranked #2 in the nation for 3-point field goal percentage shooting 82.4% from 14-of-17 shooting. Kyle Bullinger is ranked 10th in rebounds per game with 11.3.

Records and Milestones
Lillard has the 11th most career points in WSU history with 1,219 and needs 21 points to be 10th. Knocking in another 13 3-pointers will tie Lillard with Alex Fisher (176) for the 3rd most career 3-pointers at WSU. Lillard already has the school record, 84, the most 3's made in a single season. Lillard is tied 6th with 3 other players for the most points scored in a single game with 36. The record is 45 points by Stan Mayhew in 1977. If Lillard can end the season at his current average points per game of 23.0 that would tie him for the 3rd best single season points average with Harold Arceneaux.

Bullinger is just 71 points away from being the 26th player in WSU history to score 1,000 career points. He also just became the 23rd player in WSU history to get 500 rebounds. He currently has 504. He needs just 5 boards to get to 22nd to pass up Johnnie Moore and 7 more than that would tie him with Lance Allred (511). Bull can also become just the 14th player in WSU history to get 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Bull's junior year he hit 54 3's; if he can do that again he would graduate with 184 3's, the 3rd most in school history. Bull could become one of two players in WSU history to achieve 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 177+ 3-pointers.

Bamforth's 7 3-pointers against Utah State is the second time he has hit 7 in a game. Seven 3's in a game is the 3rd most in a single game by a WSU player which is shared with Nick Hansen (2010) and Ryan Cuff (1997). The school record is held by Greg Boyd (1988) with 9 and 2nd most is a two way tie between Alex Fisher (1996) and Johnny Hamilton (2004). Bam also has the 3rd most 3's made in a single season with 78. He was 5 short of Eddie Gill's (1999) 83. Lillard's (2010) 84 is the school record.

If Bam can get 78 3's per season like he did his sophomore year he would graduate with 234 3's. The school record is Johnny Hamilton's 241 (2000-2004). Second most is Jimmy DeGraffenried with 196 (1991-96).

Coach Randy Rahe needs 2 more wins to get to 100 overall at Weber State and as a DI head coach. Of the 9 coaches in WSU's previous 49 year history as a DI member, 4 coaches have crossed the 100 mark. In Neil McCarthy's 10 seasons he won 200 games. The second longest tenured coach was Ron Abegglen who won 157 games in 8 seasons. Number three is Dick Motta with 120 wins in 6 seasons and Joe Cravens won 116 games in the 7 seasons prior to the hiring of Coach Rahe. Rahe is in his 6th season at Weber and all of the WSU coaches to crack 100 wins did it in their 6th season except for McCarthy who did it in 5 seasons. Rahe is also in a 4 way tie for the 2nd most Big Sky regular season titles with 3. McCarthy won 4 conference titles.

The Weber State men's basketball program needs just 6 wins to get to 900 all-time.

11/25/11
Sun/Mon: Shamrock Office Solutions Classic
Big Sky Scoreboard | SMC Stream ($7.95) | Live Stats | Radio | Twitter
This coming Sunday and Monday, the 3-0 Wildcats will compete in the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic in Moraga, CA, which is the home court of the St. Mary's Gaels. WSU hasn't started a season 4-0 since 1985-86 when the 'Cats started out 10-0. Oddly that team only won 8 of its final 19 games and lost in the semifinal of the 1986 Coors Light Big Sky Tournament in Reno.

Weber's first opponent at the Shamrock will be the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State, Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. which will be the second act after St. Mary's plays San Francisco State, a local DII team. The two winners will play in Monday's championship game at 8:30 p.m. and the two losers will play in a 6:00 p.m. consolation game. All four games of the tournament will feature a live video stream via subscription services Gaels Live on SMCGaels.com.

The JSU 'Cocks have a 2-2 record with wins over non-DI Miles College (87-64) and Alabama State (78-65) and losses to Marshall (58-44) and #20 Cincinnati (73-59). JSU, located in Jacksonville, AL, will start a 6 game road trip tonight traveling to Natchitoches, LA, to take on Northwestern State at 6:45 p.m. JSU's next home game isn't until December 17th. The 'Cocks average 67 ppg, 4.5 bpg, 8.3 spg and outrebound their opponents by eight boards per game.

St. Mary's lately has started each season pretty hot and has been a solid mid-major team with at-large aspirations. On Wednesday night, the Gaels (2-1) had a disappointing loss at the University of Denver, 70-58. Their two wins were against non-DI Fresno Pacific (98-58) and Northern Iowa (57-41). SMC's Rob Jones the West Coast Conference leader in boards and field goal percentage is averaging 18.7 ppg and 11.0 rpg. Matthew Dellavedova, a 6-4 guard considered one of the best in the country is averaging 13.7 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.7 rpg and shoots 40% from 3.

San Francisco State is 1-4 overall and have faced no DI opponents yet. James Albright, a junior transfer from CS Bakersfield is averaging 14.4 ppg and is shooting 58.5% from the field.

Athlon Sports Preseason Preview, Jacksonville State
The Gamecocks want to put a 2010-11 season that included a 14-game losing streak behind them. But it could be more of the same if senior forward Stephen Hall (11.1 ppg) doesn't receive some help on offense.

Lindy's Preseason Preview, Jacksonville State
Jacksonville State has picked up a reputation as being a football school with former Arkansas coach Jack Crowe running the program. Beating Ole Miss last season only helped the Gamecocks' football street cred. So James Green has an uphill struggle to get Jacksonville State on the college basketball map. It doesn't help Green's cause that Nick Murphy and Jeremy Bynum aren't returning after exhausting their eligibility. Murphy was Jacksonville State's all-time leading scorer, while Bynum was No. 3. Stephen Hall is a solid piece, but experience is thin and the Gamecocks had yet to announce their crop of newcomers at press time, although Louisiana guard Mason Leggett committed to the program.

Athlon & Lindy's both picked the Gamecocks 10th of 11 in the Ohio Valley Conference with no all-conference preseason selections.

Athlon Sports Preseason Preview, St. Mary's
Even though they lost the WCC's Player of the Year, Mickey McConnell, to graduation, don't look for the Gaels, who are riding a streak of four-straight 25-win seasons, to go away. Randy Bennett, in his 11th season as head coach, has the Gaels positioned on a national stage. Bennett has seven of his top eight scorers - including four starters - returning from last year's team, which lost to Kent State in the opening round of the NIT. Two of those returnees, junior guard Matthew Dellavedova, who averaged 13.4 points and 5.3 assists last season, and senior forward Rob Jones, who averaged 13.8 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds as a junior, were first-team All-WCC selections. Mitchell Young, a 6'9" junior forward who averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds as the league's best sixth man, is also back, along with three others players with starting experience.

Lindy's Preseason Preview, St. Mary's
The debate in Moraga is whether this group has the potential of the Patty Mills-Omar Samhan-Diamon Simpson team that had Gonzaga on the ropes in 2009. More to the point is whether the Gaels have upgraded the schedule enough to sway the NCAA selectors. The Gaels are always good enough to beat anybody, but need to beat a few more somebodies. Adding two games with BYU in league play won't hurt. This could be Bennett's deepest team, if not his very best.
- John Blanchette.

Athlon picked SMC to finish 3rd in the WCC behind Gonzaga and BYU while Lindy's picked the 'Zags first and SMC second.

Weber State is 4-0 against the OVC and has never met the 'Cocks on the hardwood. WSU is 1-0 against: Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Morehead State and Tennessee State. Against St. Mary's, Weber is 0-3 and 62-49 against the WCC (10-26 BYU, 29-14 Gonzaga, 4-0 Loyola Marymount, 4-1 Pepperdine, 8-0 Portland, 3-1 San Diego, 2-3 San Francisco, 2-1 Santa Clara). WSU's three losses to SMC were in 1990-91 (L 80-69), 1991-92 (L 74-71) and 2010-11 (L 77-54). WSU has never played a game against San Francisco State.

Gamecocks Bio
Public school established in 1883
Students: 9,481
Location: Jacksonville, Alabama
Conference: Ohio Valley
Colors: Red and White
Arena: Pete Mathews Coliseum, 5,800

Gaels Bio
Private school established in 1863
Students: 3,917
Location: Moraga, CA
Conference: West Coast Conference
Colors: Red, White and Blue
Arena: McKeon Pavilion, 3,500

11/23/11
Big Sky Games Thanksgiving Week
Sunday
Northern Iowa 78, UNC 69 | Montana 73, San Diego 60
Monday
PSU 101, Linfield 64
Tuesday
EWU 89, Hawaii 72 | Seattle 85, MSU 73 | NAU 80, N. New Mexico 49
Iowa State 90, UNC 82 | Sac 69, UC Davis 61
Wednesday
Loyola Mary 79, ISU 76 OT | North Dakota 88, UM 81 OT
Thursday
No Games
Friday
UNC 74, Western Carolina 57 | Wyoming 65, PSU 51
Saturday
Utah State 75, ISU 62 | Loyola Mary 81, NAU 61 | PSU 66, Louisiana Tech 48
UM 73, Long Beach State 71 | Idaho 76, MSU 67 | McNeese State 68, Sac 63

11/23/11
Bamforth Named POTW
By Jon Kasper, Big Sky Conference
http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2011/11/22/MBB_1122114744.aspx

11/21/11
'Cats Move Up To #11 In Mid-Major Top 25
The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 week 3 poll is out with Weber moving up from 19th to 11th. The first two weeks Weber stayed at 19th.

The last year WSU cracked the top 10 or top 5 was in 2002-03. 2011-12 is the 13th season of the mid-major poll. Back in '03 there was only a top 10 until a few years later it expanded to a top 25 format.

Upon a win over Jacksonville State this Sunday at the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic, WSU would get to take on tournament host St. Mary's who is #9 in this week's poll. SMC also has 9 AP top 25 votes.

Also in the poll is BYU at #16 who fell from 15th. Utah Valley has 4 votes and remains unranked. Former Big Sky member Gonzaga sits firm at #1 with 26 of the possible 31 top place votes.

11/19/11
Weber St. 80, UC Irvine 72
Associated Press
IRVINE, Calif. -- Damian Lillard scored 27 points, Scott Bamforth added 16, and Weber State beat UC Irvine 80-72 Saturday in a back-and-forth contest featuring 10 ties and five lead changes.

Lillard added eight rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats (3-0). Kyle Bullinger had 11 points and 16 rebounds.

Daman Starring scored a career-high 21 points for UCI (0-3). Michael Wilder and Derick Flowers added nine points apiece.

Chris McNealy hit two free throws with 5:44 left for a 59-57 Irvine lead before the Wildcats went on a 16-3 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Lillard, to go up 73-62 with 1:38 remaining.

Weber State hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 54 seconds to seal the victory. For the game, Weber State hit 26 of 31 free throws, including 20 of 23 in the second half. UCI was 22 of 34 from the foul line.

11/19/11
Weber State's First Road Challenge is at UC Irvine
Big Sky Scoreboard | Big West TV (Free) | Radio | Twitter | Forum
Tonight at 5:30 p.m. the Wildcats will attempt to go 3-0 for the first time in 5 years and get its first road win of the season at UC Irvine. The UC Irvine Anteaters are 0-2 with both losses against teams WSU will face within the next month. UCI lost to #24 Cal 77-56 and with 6 seconds left in the game against San Jose State, UCI lost the lead and the game on a pair of Spartan free-throws, 51-50. Weber State will be UCI's first home game.
Tonight's game is the second ever meeting between the two schools. The only game played was in a 1983 Utah Classic in Salt Lake City, with the 'Cats winning 83-65 on the first night of the tournament on December 29th. Weber State is 29-20 against the Big West: 2-1 Pacific; 1-1 UC Riverside; 2-2 UC Santa Barbara; 4-1 CS Fullerton; 13-8 CS Northridge; 3-8 Long Beach State; 1-0 UC Irvine; 2-0 UC Davis; 0-0 Cal Poly. From 1996-2001, CS Northridge was a full member of the Big Sky and in its last season won the Big Sky regular season title and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Sky Tournament by beating EWU 73-58.

Probable Starters
Chris McNealy, G, 6-1, 180, So, 9.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
Daman Starring, G, 6-3, 190, Jr, 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg
Michael Wilder, F, 6-2, 215, Jr, 5.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Will Davis II, F, 6-8, 210, Fr, 10.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg
Mike Best, C, 6-10, 200, Fr, 2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Athlon Sports Outlook
The Anteaters lost five seniors, including their starting backcourt, then got blindsided in late May when 6-6, 240-pound forward Eric Wise (16.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg), one of the Big West's premier players, announced he was transferring to USC for his senior season. Irvine has experience in the backcourt with juniors Mike Wilder (9.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Damon Starring (7.4 ppg) and sophomore Chris McNealy (5.0 ppg). Junior post Adam Folker, who missed last season with hand and hip injuries, returns. UCI led the Big West in scoring last season, but was last defensively.

Lindy's College Basketball Outlook
Like Pacific (with the transfer of Allen Huddleston), the Anteaters also lost an underclass All-BWC choice when Eric Wise quit and later transferred to USC for a senior season in 2012-13. Without Wise's wide frame positioned in the high- or low-post areas, coach Russell Turner will have to rely even more heavily upon the offensive skills of Mike Wilder, Daman Starring and Chris McNealy. Each is capable of scoring in the 15 points-per-game range. Turner also anticipates giving extensive opportunities to freshmen guards Aaron Wright and Collin Woods, each of who is likely to be a starter far sooner than later. The Anteaters are in need of some dependable post players.

Athlon picked UCI to finish 7th of 9 schools and Lindy's had the 'Eaters 9th. Both publications had UC Santa Barbara's Orlando Johnson as a BWC 1st Team All-Conference selection. Johnson is the younger brother of former WSU basketball player Robbie Johnson (1990-94) who is #3 in WSU history for career steals with 156.

UCI's Collin Woods who was recruited by WSU was a high school teammate of Kyle Tresnak at Horizon High in Scottsdale, AZ. Both graduated in 2010.

Anteater Bio
Public school established in 1965
Students: 27,676
Location: Irvine, CA
Conference: Big West
Colors: Navy Blue and Gold
Arena: Bren Events Center: 5,000

11/17/11
WSU sharpshooter counts blessings as well as 3-pointers
By Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/11/17/wsu-sharpshooter-counts-blessings-well-3-pointers

11/16/11
Getting to know the best basketball team in Utah
By Trevor Amicone, ksl.com Contributor
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=18112573&nid=294&title=weber-state-basketball-getting-to-know-the-best-basketball-team-in-utah

11/15/11
Weber St. 73, Utah St. 63
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored a career-high 28 points and made seven 3-pointers as Weber State defeated Utah State 73-63 on Tuesday night.

Bamforth hit his first five 3-point tries of the game to improve to 10 for 10 on the season. He finished 7 for 9 beyond the arc.

Damian Lillard added 17 points and Byron Fulton 10 for the Wildcats (2-0), who lost 10 of the previous 11 meetings between the schools. Kyle Bullinger tallied eight points and 13 rebounds.

Morgan Grim led Utah State (1-1) with 19 points. Brockeith Pane added 14 points, and Brady Jardine had nine points and 14 rebounds.

11/14/11
Utah State @ Weber State, Tuesday Night 7 PM
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter | Forum
After pounding a non DI oppponent by more than 50 points, the Wildcats are ready to take on a real team and there is no better way to start the season than hosting the Utah State Aggies. Utah State fresh off of a 69-62 home win over BYU.

While the Aggies haven't lost an in-state home battle since the 1990's, WSU would just like to protect its home court against the in-state schools. At home, WSU is 15-14 against USU, 10-8 vs BYU, 10-8 vs Utah, 15-2 vs SUU and 2-0 vs UVU.

Utah State has won four straight and 10 of the last 11 games against Weber. WSU's last 2 wins in the series are both home games - 2001-02 and 2007-08. Since that '02 buzzer beater three-pointer by Brad Barton, the 'Cats are 2-3 at home against the Ags.

11/14/11
Damian Lillard, Wildcats look to snap streak vs. Aggies
From the Deseret News: Randy Hollis
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700197945/Weber-State-Utah-State-basketball-Damian-Lillard-Wildcats-look-to-snap-streak-vs-Aggies.html?s_cid=rss-18

11/13/11
Athlon/Lindy's College Basketball Preview On WSU's Next Opponent: Utah State
Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview 2011-12
There are plenty of questions at Utah State about the upcoming season. Can the Aggies win a fifth straight Western Athletic Conference regular-season title? How will they replace four veteran starters? Is this going to be a rebuilding year, or can USU reload and contend?

Those are just a few of the questiosn facing Aggies fans, most of whom do believe USU will reload and be right at the top of the WAC again.

Veteran head coach Stew Morrill promises he is excited and almost giddy about the challenges that lie ahead for this season's team. Entering his 26th year as a head coach and 14th at USU, Morrill is looking forward to teaching his system to a plethora of new faces.

"Any time you start over with a lot of new players, there is the challenge of trying to make a new group mesh with a few veterans to see what you have," Morrill says. "I hope I'm as excited in February as I am now about coaching this team."

Eight letterwinners from a team that went 30-4 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament are gone. Six seniors graduated and two others left the program. Two of those seniors were four-year starters, including league MVP Tai Wesley, while another started for three seaons. Many times the Aggies were able to count on experience down the stretch in close games. Over the past four seasons, USU boasts a 111-28 record.

While USU lost a ton of experience, the cupboard is not totally bare. WAC Tournament MVP Brockeith Pane is back at point guard. The senior headlines a gruop of four letterwinners from a year ago. There are also three players who redshirted last season, including Preston Medlin, who saw action as a true freshman.

Pane, who averaged 11.8 points and 3.4 assists per game last season, will be counted on to be a leader, especially in the early going. Fellow seniors Brady Jardine and Morgan Grim - both forwards - will need to do their part to help bring along all the newcomers. Junior guard E. J. Farris will also be asked to nurture the 10 newcomers, including six freshmen.

The USU coaching staff believes the recent additions bring plenty of talent to the program. This could be one of the most athletic Aggie teams in a while, but it certainly is lacking experience.

Redshirts Antonio Bumpus, a junior, and Ben Clifford, a freshman, will definitely challenge for playing time. Junior college transfers Danny Berger, Mitch Bruneel, Igor Premasunac and Kyisean Reed are expected to be in the mix, as well as freshmen Steven Thornton, Adam Thoseby, David Collette and Jordan Stone.

"I want this group to believe they can be successful," Morrill says. "I just want them to go about it the right way, which is day-by-day. You can't win a WAC championship by talking about it; you've got to go to work."

The goal is to mesh in time for conference play. Making a run at a fifth straight regular-season league title is the plan - despite all the new faces.

Athlon Sports picked USU to win the WAC with New Mexico State second and Nevada third and picked Brockeith Pane to finish with 1st Team honors.

Lindy's Sports College Basketball 2011-12 Preview
After ruling the WAC with an iron fist the past several seasons, this Utah State team will be fortunate to get back to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive time. Losing four of five starters is bad enough. Having to bring in a dozen new players will test head coach Stew Morrill. Seniors Brockeith Pane and Brady Jardine are the only players with any significat minutes of experience. In the recent past, picking Utah State to win the WAC in hoops was like choosing former league member Boise State to take it all in football. But this year could be different for the Aggies as they try to find their way with little experience to draw upon.

2011-12 Honors Candidates: Brockeith Pane, Brady Jardine

Keep An Eye On: Jardine will likely be in the starting lineup after coming off the bench last season. He needs to adapt to keep the Aggies grounded with a dozen new players roaming the halls.

Returning Starter (1): Brockeith Pane, G, 6-1, 195, Sr. (11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

Returning Key Reserves: Brady Jardine, F, 6-7, 220, Sr. (7.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg); Morgan Grim, F, 6-7, 230, Sr. (2.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg); E.J. Farris, G, 6-2, 185, Jr. (1.9 ppg, 0.5 rpg)

Starters Lost (4): Tai Wesley, F, 6-7, 240 (14.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg); Pooh Williams, G/F, 6-4, 190 (8.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg); Tyler Newbold, G, 6-5, 210 (6.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Nate Bendall, F, 6-9, 250 (6.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

Lindy's Sports picked USU to finish third with New Mexico State second and Nevada to win the WAC and Brockeith Pane to the 1st Team.

Sources: Athlon Sports Magazine & Lindy's Sports Magazine

11/12/11
Historical Stats: Weber State vs Utah State
Weber State will open its first of three in-state home games in 2011-12 by playing Utah State at the Dee Events Center on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. This year's game is the 64th all-time meeting; the overall series is, WSU with 25 wins and USU with 38. Utah State is Weber's fifth-oldest rivalry in school history.

Against the Aggies, the 'Cats are 15-14 at home, 2-1 on neutral courts and 8-23 in Logan. The first 2 games ever played between WSU & USU were 1971 & 1972, both in Logan and both won by Weber.

There have been 5 overtime games and WSU has taken 3 of them. The lowest scoring game was in 1971, WSU won 63-62. The highest scoring game was 1988, USU won 107-93. Over the years the series went back and forth and WSU had a lead in the wins column up until 1988 where the series came to a 17-17 tie. Since '89 USU has led the series and the 'Cats had kept within 4 games until USU's recent success winning 10 of the last 11 games dating back to 2003.

Stew Morrill is in his 14th season as USU's head coach, he is 11-4 against Weber with USU. His first year was 1999 and his Aggies lost by 20 points to the 'Cats at the Delta Center. Stew would lose 3 of his first 4 competitions to the Purple and White. Stew is the winningest coach in USU history with a record of 325-103 and 12 straight 23 win seasons. This season USU has 17 home games which should help in securing another 20 win season. Stew has a 194-13 record in Logan.

Coach Rahe spent 13 seasons as an assistant to Stew at Colorado State & Utah State. Rahe is 1-6 vs Stew.
Weber State vs Utah State
Since 1963*
WSU
Utah State
Overall Wins
892
910
Last Tournament Appearance
2007
2011
Last Tournament Win
1999
2001
Tournament Appearances
14
18
Tournament Wins
6
4
Best Tournament Seed
7
10
Last 3 Tournament Seeds
14, 12, 15
11, 12, 12
Conference Titles
19
11
20 Win Seasons
23
24
Winning Seasons
40
38
Losing Seasons
8
11
Best Record
27-3
30-4
Worst Record
7-22
4-23
Undefeated in Conference
2
1

*1963 was the first year Weber State competed as an NCAA Division I basketball team.

11/11/11
Wildcats Score Triple Digits In Win Over NNMC
Associated Press
OGDEN, Utah -- Weber State set school records for most 3-pointers (17) and largest margin of victory in a game, defeating Northern New Mexico College 109-50 in the Wildcats' season opener.

Weber State had twice reached 15 3-pointers in a game, in 1996 and 2009.

Damian Lillard scored 25 points in his first regular-season game back from a broken foot that cost him most of last season to lead Weber State.

Frank Otis, a transfer from SMU, had 13 points and 17 rebounds in his first official game as a Wildcat and Scott Bamforth added 17 points as six Wildcats finished in double figures. Kyle Bullinger added 11 points.Northern New Mexico College, an NAIA school, was led by Christian Camacho's 11 points. The Eagles are winless this season.

11/10/11
The Season Begins with Northern New Mexico @ Weber State
Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Live | Twitter | Forum
The 2011-12 Weber State basketball season is officially underway with a home game against the Eagles of Northern New Mexico College. NNMC started the season off 0-6 with two of its last three games played in Salt Lake City. The Eagles lost to fellow NAIA member Westminster 100-52 and 96-68 to Montana Western.

NNMC will be the smallest team WSU faces all season with just one player on the roster taller than 6'5". The Eagles are led by 6'7" Christian Camacho who is averaging 11.4 ppg and Eric Bouma (6'3") is averaging 10.5 ppg.

Friday night's game will be the first ever meeting between the two schools. WSU is 40-9 in season opening games and 29-3 when opening at home. The three losses: 1991-92 against St. Mary's, 1997-98 to Utah and USU in 2009-10. Weber has lost its last two season openers, both to Utah State. During the Rahe era, WSU is 3-2 in season openers and the 'Cats have only lost the first home game once in his five seasons.

Eagle Bio
Public School
Students: 2,252
Location: Espanola, New Mexico
NCAA Classification: NAIA
Colors: Navy Blue, Orange and White

Weber State's first basketball game airing on its new radio partner, 1280 The Zone, will be Friday's game. Over the summer WSU announced 1280 KZNS "The Zone" will be the new home to WSU football and basketball. Long time play-by-play voice of the Wildcats, The Wildcat, Carl Arky will continue to broadcast all of WSU's games. A pre/post-game show will continue as well The Zone will feature a weekly coaches show. The Zone can also be found on the FM frequency 104.7.

There are seven other Big Sky teams also playing Friday night. EWU @ #23 Gonzaga, ISU @ Oklahoma, PSU @ Denver, Menlo College @ Sac, MSU @ Arizona State, Montana @ Colorado State and NAU @ LA-Lafayette.

The 'Cats will host in-state rival Utah State on Tuesday, Nov 15.

11/9/11
Rahe Signs Two High School Forwards From Texas
Coach Randy Rahe has inked two players today on the first day of the early singing period for NCAA DI men's basketball. Two Texans in Joel Bolomboy and Kyndahl Hill have signed their National Letters of Intent to join the Wildcat basketball program and will come to WSU in 2012-13.

"We are very excited about Joel and Kyndahl joining our program," Rahe said. "Both kids were our top priorities for over a year, Joel at the power forward position and Kyndahl at small forward. Both kids fit our program perfectly, they have great character, are very good students and love to be in the gym. Joel and Kyndahl both come from excellent high school programs and great coaches with very similar philosophies that we have here at Weber State."

Joel Bolomboy. Bolomboy is a 6'8.5", 210 lb forward from Central High in Keller, Texas. Last season as a junior he averaged 9.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.1 bpg and 1.3 apg. AAU: Texas Select.

Schools of Interest: Clemson, Colorado, Fresno State, Hartford, IUPUI, Long Island, Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, New Mexico, St. Francis, Texas A&M, Tulsa, UTEP, Washington, Washington State and Weber State.
Offers: Fresno State, Hartford, IUPUI, Long Island, Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, New Mexico, St. Francis, Texas A&M and Weber State.

"Joel is very athletic, runs the court extremely well and is a high level rebounder and shot blocker," Rahe said. "He is a good face up shooter and has really improved his low post game. Joel plays with a lot of energy and with some added strength and weight has the ability to make a strong impact on our program."

Kyndahl Hill, 6'7" 200 lb forward, Humble, Texas. Senior year, 2012 at Humble High. 32 inch vertical leap, 4.7 40-yard dash. Averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds as a junior. Hill was expected to be a standout defensive end and high-major football recruit but has chosen to pursue basketball.

Schools of Interest: Arizona, Arizona State, Evansville, Houston, Lehigh, Long Island, North Texas, Northern Colorado, Pepperdine, Southeastern Louisiana, UT-Arlington, Utah State, UTEP and Weber State.

Offers: Holy Cross, North Texas, Sam Houston State, UT-Arlington and Weber State. He also had football offers from Kansas State, North Texas and UNLV and interest from Arizona, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Illinois and Texas.

"At the small forward position we were looking for some size and athleticism, Kyndahl really fits our needs well," Rahe added. "He is a tough competitor, can really shoot it with good range, and is an excellent rebounder. Kyndahl was also a high level football player, now that he is able to concentrate more on improving his basketball skills we are very excited about his potential and what he can become in our program."

11/7/11
WSU Beats UCCS 101-55
WeberStateSports.com
OGDEN, Utah -- The Weber State men's basketball team got its first chance to play against another team and the 'Cats made the most of it, dominating the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs 101-55 in an exhibition game Monday night. It was Weber State's only exhibition game of the season.

The Wildcats dominated the game from the start, jumping out to a 42-17 lead at halftime and cruised to the victory. The 'Cats led by as many as 51 points during the game.

The 'Cats shot 59 percent from the field, including 10-23 from three-point land. Weber State also pulled down 37 rebounds and dished out 21 assists. They also forced the Mountain Lions to 22 turnovers.

Senior Kyle Bullinger led five Wildcats in double figures scoring posting a game-high 17 points on 7-10 shooting. Damian Lillard, in his first action since breaking his foot last December added 16 points, along with four assists and four steals.

Scott Bamforth had 13 points and a game-high five assists. Off the bench Byron Fulton added 13 points and freshman Geluan Wheelwright had 10.

The Wildcats will begin the 2011-12 regular season this Friday when they host Northern New Mexico at 8:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. The 'Cats host Utah State on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

11/5/11
UC Colorado Springs @ Weber State In Exhibition Game
The Weber State men's basketball team will play its lone exhibition game at 8:00 p.m. on Monday night to start the 2011-12 season. The 'Cats will host the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Mountain Lions. This will be the fifth meeting between the two teams in the exhibitions. During the Coach Rahe era, WSU is 3-0 gainst UCCS. In 2006-07 WSU won 86-67, 96-81 in 2008-09 and 110-58 2009-10.

The Mountain Lion basketball squad finished last season with an overall record of 9-17. UCCS returns just four players from last year's roster but two are returning starters. Junior guard Alan Paul (6-3 185 lbs) averaged 7.4 ppg and 3.2 rpg last season and junior Damar Hill (5-9 150 lbs) averaged 5.8 ppg and 4.3 apg.

Weber State also has a lot of new faces on this year's roster. WSU has eight Wildcats including red-shirts from last season who haven't logged their first minute of play. Frank Otis, a junior forward sat out last season after transferring from Southern Methodist University. James Hajek, a freshman big sat out last season as a red-shirt. New players to the program are five true freshmen in Mike Brown (6-2, 180, G, Heber City, Utah), Shai Fields (6-4, 180, G, Houston, Tex.), Logan Foster (6-3, 180, Fr., Los Angeles, Calif.), Ryan Van Pelt (6-10, 210, F/C, Orem, Utah) and Gelaun Wheelwright (6-1, 180, G., Corona, Calif.). Davion Berry, a junior 6-4 wing transferred from CS Monterrey Bay and red-shirt this year.

Mountain Lion Bio
Public School
Undergraduates: 7,150
Postgraduates: 1,500
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Conference: Rocky Mtn Athletic Conference
NCAA Classification: Division II
Colors: Black & Gold

The 2011-12 season will begin on Friday, Nov 11 with a home game against Northern New Mexico at 8:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. The 'Cats will host in-state rival Utah State on Tuesday, Nov 15.

11/4/11
Kyle Bullinger Nominated For Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Weber State senior Kyle Bullinger has been nominated as a candidate for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. He is one of just 30 seniors in the country selected out of the 340+ DI schools.

Last season, as a junior he earned First Team Big Sky All-Conference honors and averaged 11.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg. His red-shirt freshman year he was an All-Conference honorable mention. He has started every game he has ever played for WSU and needs just 101 more points to become the 25th player in WSU history with 1,000 career points and could finish as a top 10 scorer upon reaching 1,240 points. He will need 341 points. Bull also needs just 30 more rebounds become the 22nd player in school history with 500 career rebounds.

Not only is Bull a two time All-Conference standout but he also twice has earned Big Sky Academic All-Conference honors and has been part of two Big Sky title teams.

From the list of 30 candidates the field will be narrowed down to 10 finalists midway through the season. The final 10 will be placed on the official ballot and ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, Division I men's coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the men's Senior CLASS Award winner during the 2012 NCAA Men's Final Four, which will be held March 31 and April 2 in New Orleans.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. The award is sponsored by Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, and is managed by Premier Sports Management.

The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award's first winner was Duke's Shane Battier in 2001. In 2008 Utah State's Jaycee Carroll finished on the CLASS' 2nd team and last year in 2011 BYU's Jimmer Fredette won the award and Northern Colorado's Devon Beitzel made the 1st team and Northern Arizona's Cameron Jones was on the 2nd team.

11/3/11
CBS Sports Ranks Lillard #84
CBSSports.com's 2011-12 season preview
Top 100 players in college basketball

11/3/11
Jazz Fans Should Go See Some College Games
From Standard.net: Jim Burton
With no Jazz games on tap, let's give our support to college hoops

11/1/11
Sports Illustrated's Top 16 Shooters
#10 Scott Bamforth, Jr, Weber State
"Bamforth came out of nowhere to finish fourth nationally in three-point percentage (48.7, 78-of-160). He played his freshman season at Western Nebraska Community College, broke his arm and missed his whole sophomore year, after which he transferred to Weber State ... and became the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year."

Read more:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1110/cbb-top-shooters/content.7.html#ixzz1cWCiXnLm

10/31/11
Weber Debuts at #19 In Mid-Major Top 25
CollegeInsider.com's top 25 poll now in its 13th season of existence is a poll for the 25 best teams from the mid-major conferences. This year's first poll was released today, October 31st with Weber State ranked 19th and Montana has 18 votes.

The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.

This is the first year BYU has been part of the poll since they are now in the West Coast Conference. The Cougars are #9 as well Utah Valley has 5 votes. All Utah division I schools play in eligible conferences for the mid-major top 25 except for USU and Utah. With all the changes in conference realignment the WAC could be added to the mid-major poll soon but there is no official update from CollegeInsider.

In 2010-11 Weber started the season ranked 19th with 3 other Big Sky teams with votes: Montana 33, Montana State 2, Northern Colorado 2. UNC won the Big Sky and finished the season 21-11 overall and ranked 23rd. WSU had 3 losses in its first five games of the year and slowly fell out of the poll and then a few weeks later Lillard broke his foot and the 'Cats didn't receive any more votes the rest of the season.

The 2009-10 season had the Wildcats in the poll or with votes most of the season and finishing the year at #17. WSU's 2008-09 team finished ranked 20th. The last week of the regular season the Wildcats had 5 votes to be in the AP Top 25 before falling to Montana State in the Big Sky Semifinals. The 2006-07 team led by David Patten finished ranked 25th. In 2003, WSU finished the season in the top 10 (No. 30 in the AP Poll). The last WSU team to finish in the AP Top 25 was the 1980 team which finished 17th.

VOTING PANEL: Jesse Agel (Brown), Casey Alexander (Stetson), Murry Bartow (East Tennessee State), Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Horace Broadnax (Savannah State), Milan Brown (Holy Cross), Will Brown (Albany), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Billy Donlon (Wright State), Bruiser Flint (Drexel), James Fox (Davidson), Tyler Geving (Portland State), Mike Gillian (Longwood), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Willie Hayes (Alabama A&M), B.J. Hill (Northern Colorado), Dick Hunsaker (Utah Valley), Greg Kampe (Oakland), Danny Kaspar (Stephen F. Austin), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Greg McDermott (Creighton), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Jeff Neubauer (Eastern Kentucky), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Buzz Peterson (UNC Wilmington), Barclay Radebaugh (Charleston Southern), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Jim Woolridge (UC Riverside), Ernie Zeigler (Central Michigan)

10/26/11
Ogden gets first glimpse of WSU hoops squads
From Standard.net: Roy Burton
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/10/26/ogden-gets-first-glimpse-wsu-hoops-squads

10/26/11
Purple & White Game
From Standard.net: Roy Burton
WSU hoopsters to show off tonight

10/24/11
Big Sky Men's Basketball Coaches Preview the 2011-12 Season


10/22/11
St. Mary's Takes Notice of Big Sky Teams
Gaels face two of top 3 Big Sky teams, according to coaches poll
Saint Mary's Gaels Blog

10/22/11
CBS Sports NCAA Tournament Prediction
Predicting the 2012 NCAA tournament field
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology/

10/19/11
Coaches/Media Preseason Favorite Is Weber State
Last season WSU finished 11-5 two games out of first place without Damian Lillard who missed most of the season with a season ending injury. Prior to 2010-11, WSU won back-to-back regular season titles with Big Sky MVPs in Kellen McCoy (2009) and Lillard (2010).

For the third straight season and fourth time in five years Weber as been picked #1 in at least one poll. In the coaches, of the 8 possible first place votes WSU received all 8 (6 last year); a coach can't vote for his own team. In the media poll WSU received 19 (21-of-27 last year) of the possible 24 first place votes. The media voters must know something the coaches to not or they might not know their Big Sky basketball teams. Weber returns Lillard a former MVP, Kyle Bullinger and Scott Bamforth, all 1st team players. WSU fans should also expect to see a deep bench making an impact. The 'Cats also had last year's freshman of the year in Byron Fulton. Three 6-10 bigs on the WSU roster is something the Purple and White rarely have so expect rebounding to improve from last year.

Coming in at second in both polls is Montana who has been picked second just about every year Rahe has been at Weber. Griz are led by all-conference selection Will Cherry, an Oakland native that should likely be the front runner for the defensive player of the year award. Cherry will be racking up assists with the help of senior center 7-foot Derek Selvig who was a Big Sky honorable mention last year. The Griz have had solid recruiting classes lately which will help Wayne Tinkle's crew to continue to be a force in the Sky to contend for its first regular season championship since 2000.

In both polls the preseason picks for third through seventh might be a complete crapshoot then again most years in the Big Sky both polls are far from accurate indicators of what to expect. Both polls seem to be certain though that the bottom two will be Idaho State and Sacramento State. Sac unfortunately has finished in the bottom two spots for five straight years while ISU has been a bottom two dweller four times in seven years.
Coaches' Poll
Team - First-place votes
1. Weber State 8
2. Montana 1
3. Eastern Washington
4. Northern Colorado
5. Portland State
6. Northern Arizona
7. Montana State
8. Sacramento State
9. Idaho State
Media Poll
Team - First-place votes
1. Weber State 19
2. Montana 4
3. Northern Colorado 1
4. Northern Arizona
5. Portland State
6. Eastern Washington
7. Montana State
8. Sacramento State
9. Idaho State

In 2010-11 WSU was picked 1st in both polls and finished 3rd. In 2009-10 the 'Cats were also picked 1st in both polls and finished 1st. The 2008-09 team was picked 4th/5th and finished 1st. In 2007-08 Weber was picked 1st and 2nd but finished 3rd. In Rahe's first season, 2006-07 the 'Cats were picked to finish 6th/7th and won the title after finishing dead last just one season removed.

10/17/11
Athlon & Lindy's Annual College Basketball Preview: Both Picked WSU #1
Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview 2011-12
Since arriving in Ogden, Utah, five years ago, coach Randy Rahe has led Weber State to three Big Sky Conference titles. So the Wildcats, after finishing third in the regular-season BSC standings and bowing out in the semifinals of the league tournament, might have some extra - though hardly needed - motivation heading into the 2011-12 season. For starters, the Wildcats return the league's best player in 6'2" junior guard Damian Lillard, who played in only nine games last winter before suffering a season-ending foot injury. Lillard, who was granted a medical redshirt season, was coming off a sensational sophomore year in which he averageed 19.9 points and earned the league's Most Valuable Player Award. Lillard returns this year to a loaded WSU roster that includes a pair of returning first-team all-conference performers in senior forward Kyle Bullinger, last year's leading rebounder with an average of 6.3 per game, and junior guard Scott Bamforth, whose scoring average was 12.2 points per game was second-best on the team last winter.

All Big Sky 1st Team
Damian Lillard, G, Jr, Weber State
Scott Bamforth, G, Jr, Weber State
Kyle Bullinger, F, Sr, Weber State
Will Cherry, G, Jr, Montana
Charles Odum, G, Sr, Portland State

Lindy's Sports College Basketball 2011-12 Preview
There's loaded, and then there's loaded. Even with 2010 Big Sky MVP Damian Lillard out with a broken foot, the Wildcats made a run at the league title. Now he's back - with his year restored - along with a pair of all-league players in long-range bomber Scott Bamforth and Kyle Bullinger, plus the Sky's Freshman of the Year, Byron Fulton. There's solid role support, enhanced by the addition of SMU transfer Frank Otis up front. But the showstopper is Lillard, a smooth scorer and playmaker who may not be around to enjoy that extra year of eligibility.

Keep An Eye On: Byron Fulton was the Big Sky's Freshman of the Year and shot nearly 47 percent from 3-point range.

Returning Starters (3): Scott Bamforth, G, 6-2 190, Jr. (12.2 ppg, 48.8 3-pt pct.); Kyle Bullinger, F, 6-6, 215, Sr. (11.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg); Darin Mahoney, F, 6-8 225, Sr. (4.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

Returning Key Reserves: Damian Lillard, G, 6-2, 185, Jr. (19.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg); Byron Fulton, F, 6-7, 220 So. (7.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg); Kyle Tresnak, C, 6-10, 250, So. (3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg); Jordan Richardson, G, 6-1, 180, So. (3.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg)

Newcomers to Watch: Frank Otis, F, 6-6, 230 (SMU); Gelaun Wheelwright, G, 6-1, 180; Shai Fields, G, 6-4, 180; Mike Brown, G, 6-2, 180; Ryan Van Pelt, F, 6-10, 210

Starters Lost (2): Lindsey Hughey, G, 6-3, 200 (12.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg); Trevor Morris, C, 6-9, 240 (9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg)

All Big Sky 1st Team
Damian Lillard, G, Jr, Weber State
Scott Bamforth, G, Jr, Weber State
Kyle Bullinger, F, Sr, Weber State
Will Cherry, G, Jr, Montana
Derek Selvig, C, Sr, Montana

All Big Sky 2nd Team
Gabe Rogers, G, Jr, Northern Arizona
Mike Proctor, F, Sr, Northern Colorado
Chehales Tapscott, F, Sr, Portland State
Charles Odum, G, Sr, Portland State
John Dickson, F, Jr, Sac State
MVP: Damian Lillard, G, Sr, Weber State; Newcomer of the Year: Antonio Biglow, G, Jr, Montana State

Athlon
1
Weber State
2
Montana
3
Portland State
4
Montana State
5
Northern Arizona
6
Northern Colorado
7
Eastern Washington
8
Idaho State
9
Sacramento State
Lindy
1
Weber State
2
Montana
3
Northern Colorado
4
Eastern Washington
5
Northern Arizona
6
Portland State
7
Montana State
8
Sacramento State
9
Idaho State


Sources: Athlon Sports Magazine & Lindy's Sports Magazine

10/13/11
Rivals.com: Big Sky Preview
Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports provides a Big Sky preview for the Big Sky Conference on Rivals.com.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Weber State
2. Montana
3. Northern Arizona
4. Eastern Washington
5. Portland State
6. Montana State
7. Northern Colorado
8. Sacramento State
9. Idaho State

10/4/11
Weber State Great Dies
Standard-Examiner: CEU hoops coach Barton found dead
By Standard Staff
Standard-Examiner

PRICE -- Former Weber State basketball player Brad Barton was found dead in Price on Tuesday. The cause of death is still undetermined.

Barton, 31, who became the head basketball coach at USU Eastern (formerly the College of Eastern Utah) in June.

Price police Sgt. Bill Barnes told the Sun Advocate newspaper there was no sign of foul play at Barton's apartment close to the university and that Barton was found there by an assistant coach who came to check after not hearing from Barton on Monday. The state medical office will investigate the cause of death, Barnes said.

Barton played high school basketball at Davis High and played two seasons at Weber State (2001-02 and 2002-03) after transfering from BYU-Hawaii.

"Brad was kind of a one-in-a-million person and player," former Weber State coach Joe Cravens said Tuesday night. "He played for me on a team that went undefeated in (the Big Sky Conference in 2002-03). He was kind of the heart and soul of that team. He wasn't the star but he was the guy that kind of made that team go. He was the most compettitve, compassionate player I think I've ever coached."

Barton had suffered from diabetes for years, Cravens said.

"I think almost everyone assumes (Barton's death) is diabetes related. Several times throughout his career at Weber State, he collapsed and had diabetic seizures and someone was there to call 911. This is purely speculation on my part, but I suspect this time it happened and there was no one there. I talked to his mother tonight and she said he was in great physical condition and was really taking care of himself. I think it's safe to say it was diabetes related."

Cravens said Barton was the hardest-nosed, most competitive player he ever coached. Barton became the head coach at USU Eastern this June after leading the team to a 23-7 record as the interim coach last year. He had previously been an assistant there and also at Snow College in 2006-07.

Dozens of friends left their goodbyes on Barton's Facebook page Tuesday night after news of his passing spread.

9/28/11
WSU Receives Verbal From Texas High School Forward, Kyndahl Hill
From Standard.net: Roy Burton
http://blogs.standard.net/wsu-sports-blog/2011/09/27/another-texas-hoops-star/

9/21/11
Big Sky Releases 2011-12 Media Guide
Basketball season is almost here. The Purple and White game is only 35 days away. The Big Sky Conference has released the 2011-12 media guide.

2011-12 Composite Schedule .................................... 3-6
2010-11 Season In Review ......................................... 7-12
2010-11 Coach of the Year/Expansion ........................ 13
Eastern Washington .................................................... 14-15
Idaho State .................................................................. 16-17
Montana ....................................................................... 18-19
Montana State ............................................................. 20-21
Northern Arizona .......................................................... 22-23
Northern Colorado ....................................................... 24-25
Portland State .............................................................. 26-27
Sacramento State ........................................................ 28-29
Weber State ................................................................. 30-31

2011-12 Men's Basketball Prospectus

Top Returning Wildcats
Damian Lillard Guard Jr., 6-2, 185 Pounds
  • League MVP in 2009-10. Two Time First-Team All-Conference pick.
  • Missed all but nine games of the 2010-11 season with an injury. Received a medical redshirt.
  • Has scored 1,150 points for an average of 16.2 points per game in 71 career game.


  • Kyle Bullinger Forward Sr., 6-6, 215 Pounds
  • First-Team All-Conference as a junior.
  • Averaged 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game during the 2010-11 season.
  • Has appeared in 94 career games with 899 points and 469 rebounds.


  • Newcomer To Watch Frank Otis Forward Jr., 6-6, 230 Pounds
  • Sat out last season as a redshirt after transferring from SMU.
  • Played in 58 career games at SMU, starting 1


  • Wildcat Personnel Picture
    Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1 | Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/4
    Incoming Freshmen/Transfers: 4/1 | Returning All-Big Sky Performers: 1

    Wildcat Quick Facts
    Location: Ogden, Utah | Enrollment: 25,000
    Nickname: Wildcats | Colors: Royal Purple and White
    Arena (Capacity): Dee Events Center (12,000)

    Wildcat Team Facts
    Head Coach: Randy Rahe | Years at Weber State: Sixth season
    Record at Weber State: 95-61 | Overall Record: 95-61
    Assistant Coaches: Eric Duft, Tim Gardner, Phil Beckner

    9/6/11
    WSU Receives Verbal From High School Power Forward
    Salt Lake Tribune reports that Coach Rahe received a verbal commitment from Texas high school forward Joel Bolomboy. Bolomboy is a 6'8.5", 210 lb forward that is a long, athletic post with a 7-foot wingspan who runs the floor well and is a shotblocker. Bolomboy plays for Central High in Keller, Texas. Last season as a junior he averaged 9.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.1 bpg and 1.3 apg. AAU: Texas Select.

    Schools of Interest: Clemson, Colorado, Fresno State, Hartford, IUPUI, Long Island, Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, New Mexico, St. Francis, Texas A&M, Tulsa, UTEP, Washington, Washington State and Weber State.

    Offers: Fresno State, Hartford, IUPUI, Long Island, Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, New Mexico, St. Francis, Texas A&M and Weber State.

    8/28/11
    EWU Hires New Basketball Coach, Jim Hayford
    Kirk Earlywine is out after compiling a 42-78 record in 4 seasons at Eastern Washington with just one Big Sky Tournament appearance. He was 2-7 against Weber State.

    EWU has hired Jim Hayford who has spent the past 10 seasons as the head coach of Whitworth University a DIII school located in Spokane, WA. Hayford comes to EWU with a 217-57 record which includes eight 20-win seasons and six appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament. His Whitworth Pirate teams won five Northwest Conference titles, three Sweet 16 appearances and one Elite Eight appearance.

    Hayford, a 1990 graduate of Azusa Pacific, will be the 17th head coach at EWU and 9th since moving up to Division I. The five time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year will have his work cut out for him in Cheney where the program hasn't seen any consistent winning since Ray Giocoletti left for Utah in 2004.

    EWU's only all-conference selection from last season, Glen Dean, has transferred to Utah. Hayford has brought in 6 new players and kept 8 players from last season. Earlywine's 2010-11 squad had 6 freshman, 3 sophomores, 6 juniors and 0 seniors.

    Hayford has hired Craig Fortier, Craig Ehlo and Shantay Legans as his assistant coaches. Fortier graduated from Cal State Monterey Bay in 2003 and was an assistant at Whitworth the past 4 seasons. Ehlo the 14 year NBA veteran and Washington State graduate (1999) will make his collegiate debut this season at EWU. He had a 3 year stint as a high school coach in Spokane at Rogers High from 1998-2001. Legans, a 2004 graduate of Fresno State, has been retained from the Earlywine staff which he was apart of for the past three seasons.

    8/23/11
    Weber State rallies to help member of its family
    From Standard.net: Jim Burton
    http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/08/23/weber-state-rallies-help-member-its-family

    Dewey Crayton was a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats, playing cornerback from 2002-2005.

    Crayton recently lost his home and all of his possessions to a fire. Many people have stepped up to help Dewey out with clothing, furniture, etc., but he still has a great financial need to get back on his feet.

    Those who would like to donate to Dewey's cause, can stop by a local Chase Bank and donate money to an account set up there under his name.

    WSU had a charity benefit event earlier today where they had a dunk tank, in which WSU administration, students and student-athletes were dunked. Dontations were taken and each individual that was dunked set an amount had to be reached before they are able to be dunked.

    8/20/11
    WSU, BYU and Utah Still In The Mix For #1 Utah High School Recruit
    From Salt Lake Tribune
    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsutahsports/52420874-59/loveridge-jordan-utes-krystkowiak.html.csp

    8/3/11
    Weber's Lillard Invited to Prestigious Tournament
    From Salt Lake Tribune
    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/52319956-77/lillard-players-season-state.html.csp

    7/16/11
    Big Sky Commissioner's Address at WSU
    Photos by Paul Turnblom |
    From Standard.net: Roy Burton
    http://standard.net/topics/sports/2011/07/14/big-sky-conference-dreams-big

    3/16/11
    Ducks Eliminate Wildcats from CBI in Comeback Fashion, 68-59
    From GazelleGroup.com: CBI Tournament
    http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/cbi/results/2011/100316oregonweberst_recap.htm#ixzz1GptLbkaU

    3/13/11
    Weber State @ Oregon in CBI Tournament
    CBI Bracket | CBI Schedule | CBI Historical Results
    Wednesday night, WSU will play at Oregon in its first ever CBI appearance. Tipoff is set for 8 pm at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. The game will be televised by HDnet and will be available through Comcast, DIRECTV and Dish Network.

    The CBI first-round is scheduled for March 15-16. The quarterfinals and semifinals will take place March 21-23. The championship series, best of three format will be on March 28-April 1

    CBI 1st Round
    March 15 - James Madison at Davidson; San Jose State at Creighton
    March 15 - Austin Peay at Boise State; Hofstra at Evansville
    March 16 - Duquesne at Montana; Weber State at Oregon
    March 16 - Miami (Ohio) at Rhode Island; St. Bonaventure at UCF

    Weber State vs PAC 10
    Overall 2-15
    Arizona 0-3
    Arizona State 1-2
    California 0-1
    Oregon 0-2
    Oregon State 1-3
    Stanford 0-0
    UCLA 0-2
    USC 0-0
    Washington 0-1
    Washington State 0-1

    3/11/11
    Weber State Accepts Bid to CBI Tournament
    Weber State Athletics reports that the Wildcats will compete in the 2010-11 College Basketball Invitational. The Wildcats will host a first round game on Tuesday or Wednesday. Sunday night the 16-team bracket of the CBI will be announced at 7 pm.

    The quarterfinal games will be played on March 21 with the semifinals taking place Wednesday, March 23. The championship round is the best of three games taking place March 28-April 1.

    The CBI started in 2007-08 and its teams compete on the home court of the higher seeded teams. The tourney is single elimination until the championship round which is the best of three format.

    This is Weber's first ever appearance in the CBI and its 18th overall post season appearance. Weber State has competed in 14 NCAA Tournaments and 3 NIT's. This year's post season appearance is WSU's 4th in five seasons and is the most in school history in such a span since its six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1968-73. This also is WSU's 3rd straight post season appearance for the first time since 1978-80.

    Weber State is the first Big Sky school to compete in the CBI, former members Boise State and Nevada have both made appearances as well Utah has.

    3/11/11
    Could the 'Cats Play in a Post Season Tourney?
    Today's Standard-Examiner article by Roy Burton, 'Cats play for Lillard, in a very literal sense, discusses why this St. Mary's game was added to the schedule so late in the season to help Damian Lillard get his medical hardship.

    Burton also mentions that the SMC game might not be the end for the 'Cats in 2010-11. WSU was contacted by officials of both the College Basketball Invitational and CollegeInsider.com Tournament expressing their interest in WSU hosting a postseason home game.

    CIT Tournament Announcements
    So far Air Force, Furman, Hawai'i, Northern Iowa, Portland and Santa Clara have announced they will participate in the 2011 CIT.

    The CIT 24-team bracket will be announced Sunday evening. The tournament will begin with 12 first round games beginning Tuesday night. Air Force, Hawai'i, Northern Iowa and Santa Clara will host first round games. Portland will play at Hawai'i and Furman will also play on the road.

    3/11/11
    Saint Mary's 77, Weber St. 54
    Associated Press
    MORAGA, Calif. -- Rob Jones had 20 points and 13 rebounds Friday night, lifting Saint Mary's to a 77-54 victory over Weber State as the Gaels improved their resume for the NCAA tournament selection committee with their 25th win of the season.

    Mickey McConnell added 15 points and eight assists for Saint Mary's (25-8), while Clint Steindl had 13 points, all in the first half.

    Trevor Morris, playing in his school-record 121st career game, led Weber State (18-13) with 13 points. The Gaels used a 20-2 run to build a 36-20 lead with just over 4 minutes left in the first half. Steindl, who came off the bench for the third straight game after losing his starting job to Stephen Holt, made nine points during the run, hitting a trio of 3-pointers.

    The game, a late addition to the regular-season schedule, came after both teams had been eliminated from their conference tournaments.

    3/11/11
    Weber State at St. Mary's Tonight at 8 PM
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Live | Twitter | Forum
    Weber State after getting knocked out of the Big Sky Tournament in the semifinals doesn't have to go home yet. The 'Cats play at St. Mary's College of the West Coast Conference tonight in Moraga, CA, just 15 minutes outside of Oakland in its final out of conference game of the season. WSU also might have a chance to play in one of the other tournaments such as the CIT and will find out on Sunday.

    Weber State is 52-22 all-time against the WCC and the SMC Gaels are the only team in the league WSU has never beat. WSU is 0-2 vs SMC.

    1990-91: L 80-69
    1991-1992: L 74-71

    The Gaels currently are 24-8 and have lost 4 of its final 6 games including a 75-63 loss in the WCC Tournament Championship to Gonzaga in Las Vegas. During the season, SMC beat St. John's, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, lost to BYU by 1 and lost to Utah State at home by 10. SMC has lost 2 of its last 3 at home.

    SMC will pay tribute to its two seniors in Phil Benson and Mickey McConnell tonight for seniors night.

    The Gaels finished the West Coast Conference regular-season with an 11-3 record and the school's first WCC title since 1988-89. SMC will be sitting on the couch hoping for an at-large bid on Sunday to the Big Dance. Losing to Weber State two nights before the selection wouldn't be helping this bubble team out.

    WSU vs West Coast
    Overall 52-22
    Saint Mary's 0-2
    Gonzaga 29-14
    Portland 8-0
    San Diego 3-1
    Santa Clara 2-1
    Pepperdine 4-1
    Loyola Marymount 4-0
    San Francisco 2-3

    3/8/11
    Montana 57, Weber St. 40
    Associated Press
    GREELEY, Colo. -- Will Cherry scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Kareem Jamar provided a spark off the bench with 10, helping Montana rally for a 57-40 win over Weber State on Tuesday night in the Big Sky Conference tournament semifinals.

    The Grizzlies (21-9) will face the winner of the other semifinal between Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona in Wednesday's championship game. Montana is seeking its second straight tournament crown. Scott Bamforth led the way for Weber State (18-12) with 10 points.

    This was a matchup of last season's championship game, when Montana stormed back from a 22-point deficit to beat Weber State, 66-65.

    Once again, the Grizzlies needed a big rally to move on.

    3/7/10
    Big Sky Semifinal: 3-WSU vs 2-Montana
    Bracket | Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Tuesday: 3-WSU vs 2-UM, 5:30 pm on the Altitude
    Tuesday: 4-NAU vs 1-UNC, 8:00 pm on the Altitude
    Wednesday: Championship, 7:00 pm on ESPN2

    The 2010-11 Big Sky tournament will be the first ever in Greeley, Colorado, as this year is the first ever Big Sky regular season championship for the Northern Colorado Bears. This is the 36th Big Sky tournament and Weber State has played in 29 of the previous 35 semifinals and is 14-15 in those games. WSU is 9-1 in seminfinal games in Ogden.

    Against Montana in the conference touranment, Weber is 5-4. In semifinal games only, WSU is 2-1 against the Griz. The last time WSU and UM met in a semifinal game was in 1997 when the Griz beat the 'Cats in Flagstaff 81-56. WSU is 1-1 against UM in neutral semifinal games.

    Weber State and Montana combined have played in the most conference tournaments, have played the most conference tournament games and have won the most conference tournament championships. Surprisingly the two teams have never met in the first round/quarterfinals. The Big Sky tournament started in 1975-76. WSU and UM have met in five tournament championship games and the 'Cats are 3-2 in those meetings.

    WSU/UM Semifinals
    1978-79: Weber State 98, Montana 71, Ogden, UT
    1982-83: Weber State 54, Montana 53, Reno, NV
    1996-97: Montana 81, Weber State 56, Flagstaff, AZ

    3/5/11
    'Cats Move on to Seminfinals
    Weber St. 79, E. Washington 70

    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Bullinger scored a career-high 26 points and Weber State overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Eastern Washington 79-70 in a Big Sky Conference quarterfinal on Saturday night.

    Scott Bamforth scored 13 points and hit a critical 3-pointer to give Weber State some separation at 75-68 with 2:31 remaining.

    Trevor Morris added another 13 and Lindsey Hughey had 10 as the No. 3 seed Wildcats (18-11, 11-5) avenged a home loss to the No. 6 seed Eagles (10-20, 7-9) on Wednesday.

    The Eagles' Cliff Colimon had a game-high 27 points but only five after the break as Weber State went on a 22-10 run to erase Eastern Washington's advantage.

    Tremayne Johnson added 17 points and Cliff Ederaine 10 in Eastern's first appearance in the Big Sky tournament since 2005-06.

    Weber State advances to face No. 2 seed Montana in a semifinal Tuesday.

    3/5/10
    Big Sky Tournament Begins Tonight
    Bracket | Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Tonight WSU will host Eastern Washington at 7:30 pm which is the exact same game that was just played on Wednesday night. After the 16 point home loss from three nights ago the Wildcats go a do-over. It also might benefit the 'Cats if EWU went home Thursday then to have had to come back to Utah on Friday to prepare for tonight's matchup. The more a team travels the better the odds are of losing. Big Sky road games were never easy to win as it was especially with EWU being 3-25 in Ogden. EWU did get the rare Ogden win and are now back to the Big Sky Tournament for the first time since 2006. WSU has a winning record in the tournament against every league school except for its 1-3 record vs EWU. The only win was the 2003 Big Sky title in Ogden, 60-57. The losses were an 83-67 Boise semifinal in 1990; a 62-57 loss in the Bozeman, MT, semifinals in 2002; and a 72-53 loss in the 2004 semifinals in Cheney, WA.

    The Big Sky Tournament begins tonight with 5-seed Montana State at 4-seed Northern Arizona at 6:30 pm. 6-seed EWU at 3-seed WSU an hour later at 7:30. The semifinal games will be held Tuesday and the championship on Wednesday, at the Butler-Hancock Pavilion in Greeley, Colorado. Northern Colorado won its first ever Big Sky title, it took just 5 years from moving up from Division II. UNC is 0-2 all-time in the conference tournament losing in the seminfinals in Ogden last year as a 2-seed to 4-seed Montana 68-63. In 2008-09 in the Bears' first ever tournament appearance, UNC lost at 4-seed Idaho State in the quarterfinals as a 5-seed, 67-60.

    In the semifinals on Tuesday night, 2-seed Montana will play the highest remaining seed in the first game at 5:30 pm on the Altitude followed by 1-seed UNC taking on the lowest remaining seed in the second game at 7 pm. The winners of the semifinals will play in the title game on Wednesday night at 7 pm on ESPN2; the winner will advance to the NCAA Tournament. All games will also be streaming online free at BigSkyTV.org.

    Below are the all-time wins and losses in the Big Sky Tournament which started in 1976. Weber is 15-12 between this year's bracket participants. The 'Cats have never played UNC.

    Big Sky Tournament Win/Loss Records
    Boise State 11-10
    Cal State Northridge 7-4
    Eastern Washington 7-9
    Gonzaga 0-1
    Idaho 15-13
    Idaho State 16-20
    Montana 28-24
    Montana State 15-23
    Nevada 11-9
    Northern Arizona 13-17
    Northern Colorado 0-2
    Portland State 7-7
    Sacramento State 2-4
    Weber State 35-25

    Weber State's Tournament Record vs Current Members (27-14)
    Eastern Washington 1-3
    Idaho State 5-3
    Montana 5-4
    Montana State 5-3
    Northern Arizona 4-1
    Northern Colorado 0-0
    Portland State 4-0
    Sacramento State 3-0

    Weber State's Tournament Record vs Former Members (8-11)
    Boise State 2-4
    Cal State Northridge 0-2
    Gonzaga 1-0
    Idaho 1-2
    Nevada 4-3

    Big Sky Tournament Championships
    Weber State 8
    Montana 7
    Boise State 4
    Idaho 4
    Idaho State 2
    Montana State 2
    Nevada 2
    Northern Arizona 2
    Portland State 2
    Cal State Northridge 1
    Eastern Washington 1
    Gonzaga 0
    Northern Colorado 0
    Sacramento State 0

    Year-by-Year Results | Year-by-Year Champions

    3/4/11
    EWU at WSU, Again
    Standard-Examiner's Roy Burton
    No time to rest: Wildcats prepare for rematch
    Standard.net

    3/4/10
    The Big Sky Awards - 5 WSU Players Honored
    The Big Sky Conference announced the selections for the all-conference awards. From 1963 (the inaugural year of the Big Sky) until 1990, the conference named a 1st & 2nd team. From 1991 to 2006 they only named a 1st team. In 2007 the 2nd team award was re-instated as well as adding the honorable mention list. The panel of voters are the 9 league head coaches.

    2010-11 Big Sky All-Conference Selections

    First Team
    Scott Bamforth, WSU
    Kyle Bullinger, WSU
    Devon Beitzel, UNC
    Will Cherry, UM
    Brian Qvale, UM
    Cameron Jones, NAU

    Second Team
    Glen Dean, EWU
    Bobby Howard, MSU
    Neal Kingman, UNC
    Charles Odum, PSU
    Gabe Rogers, NAU

    Honorable Mention
    Lindsey Hughey, WSU
    Trevor Morris, WSU
    Broderick Gilchrest, ISU
    Deividas Busma, ISU
    Derek Selvig, UM
    Erik Rush, MSU
    Shane Johannsen, NAU
    Chris Kaba, UNC
    John Dickson, Sac

    Individual Awards
    Most Valuable Player - Devon Beitzel, UNC
    Newcomer of the Year - Scott Bamforth, WSU
    Freshman of the Year - Byron Fulton, WSU
    Defensive Player of the Year - Brian Qvale, UM

    All-Time Big Sky 1st Team Players
    Weber State 73
    Montana 45
    Idaho State 44
    Montana State 38
    Northern Arizona 29
    Eastern Washington 24
    Portland State 18
    Sacramento State 5
    Northern Colorado 3

    All-Time Big Sky 2nd Team Players
    Montana 26
    Weber State 25
    Montana State 24
    Idaho State 21
    Northern Arizona 15
    Portland State 5
    Eastern Washington 3
    Northern Colorado 2
    Sacramento State 0
    3/2/11
    Damian Lillard's Video Diary
    The Big Sky Conference posted the below video on their YouTube Channel today. This is the first episode of "Damian's Diary," a video blog which will chronicle the recovery from his December Jones Fracture foot injury that limited him to just nine games this season.



    3/2/11
    WSU Loses to EWU 75-59
    WSU Hosts EWU in 3 vs 6 on Saturday

    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah - Jeffrey Forbes and Cliff Colimon each scored 17 points and Eastern Washington beat Weber State 75-59 on Wednesday to earn a rematch in the Big Sky Conference tournament quarterfinals.

    Cliff Ederaine added 16 points, while Colimon drained three big second-half 3-pointers to keep Weber State at bay shortly after the Wildcats' Lindsey Hughey scored 11 points in 2-1/2 minutes to cut an 18-point halftime deficit down to four.

    Hughey finished with 21 points and Kyle Bullinger added 13.

    Weber State (17-11, 11-5) fell to the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky tournament and will host No. 6 Eastern Washington (10-19, 7-9) in Ogden on Saturday.

    Eastern Washington converted 23 Weber State turnovers into 29 points and held a 40-22 advantage at halftime.

    3/1/11
    Honor Your Departing Seniors, EWU at WSU, Wednesday Night
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Live Stats | Twitter | Forum
    Weber State will play its final home game of the season Wednesday night at 8 pm. The Wildcats will honor the two seniors in Lindsey Hughey and Trevor Morris. WSU is 7-0 at home in league play and have won eight straight conference games and 21 consecutive regular season Big Sky home games. EWU is 19-38 against WSU and just 3-25 at the Dee.

    Discount coupons for half price tickets are available at any America First Credit Union branch in Weber County. Stop by any America First and grab a coupon, AFCU membership not required.

    The Standard-Examiner's article One game left: Will 'Cats strike Big Sky gold? by Roy Burton has some interesting statistics.

    2/28/11
    The 6 Team Field Is Set For The Big Sky Tournament
    Northern Colorado beat Idaho State in Pocatello to improve to 12-3 with one game to go. ISU's loss eliminates them from post season contention and the field is now set for the conference tournament though the seeds are still a mystery with four games to go and all on Wednesday night.

    While only one seed is set in stone, NAU with the 4-seed, the top three will be UNC, UM and WSU and the final two seeds will be EWU and MSU.

    Sac and ISU are both out with 11 losses. Portland State has been banned from the post season because of APR issues. For the bottom half of the conference standings this was probably the easiest year to get into the tournament since either 2004 or 2006. In '04 the 7th place team was only one game back from 2nd place. In '06 there was a one game difference between 5th place and last place.

    N. Colorado 77, Idaho St. 74
    Associated Press
    POCATELLO, Idaho -- Chris Kaba blocked Broderick Gilchrest's 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left and Northern Colorado edged Idaho State 77-74 Monday night, eliminating the Bengals from postseason contention.

    Devon Beitzel scored 28 points for the Bears (18-10, 12-3 Big Sky) and was 16 of 16 from the free-throw line. Neal Kingman added 14 points.

    Idaho State (9-19, 4-11) battled back from a 39-34 halftime deficit to build a 64-60 lead with 9:14 left, but Northern Colorado ended the game on a 17-10 run to stay in contention for the No. 1 seed for the Big Sky tournament. The Bears will win the regular season title outright with a victory over Sacramento State on Wednesday.

    Gilchrest scored 26 points to lead the Bengals, who were hoping to stay in contention for the No. 6 seed in the Big Sky tournament. Idaho State's loss clinched a spot for Montana State.

    2/27/11
    It's Potato's Eve...Again!
    For the third time this season and second time in 6 days Potato's Eve is upon us. No it is not Potato Night for Weber State tomorrow but Wildcat fans are just as excited for tomorrow's matchup of Northern Colorado at Idaho State. If the Bengals can pull off the upset at home, Weber would get a share of the conference championship and host the conference tournament by beating Eastern Washington on Wednesday.

    UNC has two games left on the league docket, @ Idaho State and Sacramento State. Weber still has a shot at hosting the tournament if UNC can lose. UNC is 1-3 in its past four Big Sky road games. This year's ISU team with its 4-10 (9-18) record isn't the type of team anyone would like to rely on with a conference title out of its hands but it is WSU's best chance. If ISU can't win then it is up to Sac State at UNC. Those odds are even more slim. UNC is 11-0 at home and 7-0 in Big Sky.

    Some encouraging news about an upset taking place is as previously mentioned the Bears have lost three of its last four on the road in league play to Montana, NAU and Weber. Though the Bengals are just 4-10, ISU has won three of its last five games. ISU beat Cal State Fullerton in a BracketBusters matchup and also beat NAU at home and Portland State on the road. If ISU were to beat UNC they would have a great shot at getting the final seed for the conference tournament. ISU finishes the season at Montana State, the Bobcats have lost 10 of its last 11 games including a home loss to Sac State. UNC is about to play its second game of three in a five day span.

    If Weber State beats EWU to finish the season 12-4 tied with UM the 'Cats will get the 2-seed winning the tie-breaker with the Griz, assuming UNC finishes 13-3 and doesn't choke. If UNC does what is not expected and ends up 12-4 along side WSU and UM, Weber would host the conference tournament winning the tie-breaker with both UM and UNC. In both scenarios the tie-breaker is the same. WSU swept 4th place NAU who split with both UM and UNC. Only one time in Big Sky history has there been a three-way tie for a conference championship when WSU, ISU and Boise State all tied at 9-5 in 1975-76. That was also the first ever Big Sky Tournament which is the second oldest Division I conference tournament. Boise hosted and also won the tournament and got the bid to the Big Dance.

    If UNC and WSU win out, the seeding should be the following.

    1. Northern Colorado, 1st Round Bye
    2. Weber State, 1st Round Bye
    6. Eastern Washington @ 3. Montana
    5. Montana State @ 4. Northern Arizona

    The 5 and 6 seed could be flipflopped depending on if MSU beats ISU.

    Can the Bengals beat the Bears and help out the rival Wildcats? Tipoff is at 7:05 pm Monday night in Pocatello and will be streaming online at BigSkyTV.org.

    2/27/11
    Big Sky Win Streak Now 8
    Weber St. 73, Sacramento St. 70

    Associated Press
    SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Scott Bamforth scored 17 points and Weber State defeated Sacramento State 73-70 on Saturday night.

    The Wildcats (17-10, 11-4), who led 36-31 at the half, stretched it to as many as 15 points in the second half and held on. Jackson Carbajal's layup with 1:07 left pulled the Hornets (7-20, 4-11) within three points, but neither team scored the rest of the way.

    Duro Bjegovic had a game-high 21 points and Sultan Toles-Bey added 17 points and 10 assists for the Hornets.

    Both teams were hot from beyond the 3-point arc. Sacramento State made 11 of 22 attempts, and Weber State connected on 10 of 20.

    2/25/10
    Weber State at Sacramento State on Saturday Night
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Weber State's win on Tuesday at Idaho State clinched a no worse than 3rd place finish in the Big Sky. If WSU beats Sacramento State the Wildcats can still have a chance for a share of the Big Sky title but need the Griz to lose at EWU the same night. NAU also plays at UNC and if the Bears can't get the win at home WSU could end up in at least second place. Sac can keep its hopes alive of getting into the conference tournament's final slot with a win against WSU.

    WSU is 30-4 all-time against Sac State with a 17-1 home record and 13-3 record in Sacramento. Only Portland State's 1-18 record at the Dee is worse.

    Randy Rahe is 8-1 against the Hornets and 63-22 in Big Sky games including a 23-17 record in away games. Sac State's Brian Katz is in his third season as the head coach of the Hornets. He is 8-38 in Big Sky games and 18-66 overall. His first season, 2008-09, the Hornets won just 1 conference game and improved to 3 wins last year and 4 so far this year. Sac State is one of the worst programs in all of Division I basketball. Sac has finished last in the Big Sky for the past three seasons and have only qualified for the Big Sky Tournament four times in the past 14 seasons the Hornets have been a Big Sky member. Sac has never won a basketball title and its best finish was fourth place in back-to-back seasons in 2003-04 and 2004-05.

    Weber has beat Sac seven games straight dating back to the 2006-07 season finale in Sacramento where the 'Cats lost 105-83. Weber's lone home loss to Sac was in 2005-06 the year before Coach Rahe was hired.

    Hornet Bio
    Established: 1947
    Students: 29,241
    Location: Sacramento, CA
    Colors: Green & Gold
    Home Court: Hornets Nest, capacity 1,200

    2/24/11
    Thursday Scores
    Montana 85, Portland State 84
    Montana State 60, Eastern Washington 56
    Northern Arizona 63, Sacramento State 42

    2/23/11
    Wildcat Wall: Damian Lillard Interview
    His freshman year, he made first team all conference honors and was part of a Big Sky championship. His sophomore year, he led the Wildcats to a regular season Big Sky title and earned the Big Sky MVP award and made AP all-american honorable mention. This, his junior year, promised to be something special for Damian Lillard. Lillard's non-conference play indicated as much. He was one of the nation's top scorers, and several sports websites had him projected to be a potential NBA first-round draft pick. On December 16th, on the road at Tulsa, all that changed for Lillard. In the game Lillard broke his foot so badly that he would need surgery and would have to sit out the remainder of the season...Read More

    2/22/11
    7 Straight Big Sky Wins For WSU!
    Weber St. 63, Idaho St. 39

    Associated Press
    POCATELLO, Idaho -- Lindsey Hughey recorded a double-double and Weber State limited Idaho State to 21.7 percent shooting in a 63-39 victory Tuesday night.

    Hughey finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Kyle Bullinger added 17 points for the Wildcats (16-10, 10-4 Big Sky).

    The Bengals (9-18, 4-10), who were held under 40 points for the second time this season, failed to register a field goal for the final 7:22 of the first half and went scoreless during a span of 8:21 in the second half.

    Weber State took a 25-15 lead into halftime and extended its advantage to 29 in the second half.

    Scott Bamforth added 11 points for the Wildcats.

    Broderick Gilchrest and Kenny McGowen each scored 11 points for Idaho State, which finished 10 of 46 from the field with three assists and 16 turnovers.

    Weber State shot 40.7 percent and had just eight turnovers.

    2/21/11
    Wildcat Wall: Whoopie Cushion Guy
    Stadiumjourney.com is a website that rates and reviews the many different professional and college stadiums and arenas throughout the U.S. One of their most recent reviews was of Weber State's Dee Events Center. David Mortimer, the author of the review, gave the Purple Palace a pleasant four out of five stars, mentioning things like the student section's "Turn over, Turn over, You Suck!" chant to easy access to the arena to the Whoopie Cushion Guy in the student section for his high praise...Read More

    2/20/11
    Weber State at St. Mary's College, March 11th
    The Standard-Examiner's Roy Burton reports that Weber State has added an extra game after the Big Sky tournament to secure Damian Lillard's medical waiver to get his junior season back after playing just nine games this season.

    The Wildcats have agreed to a contract to play at Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif., on Friday, March 11, two days after the end of the Big Sky Conference tournament.

    Weber State sought an extra game in an effort to ensure that Weber State star Damian Lillard will receive a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to restore his eligibility for his junior season after suffering a broken foot on Dec. 16 at Tulsa.

    Collegiate rules allow for a medical waiver if an athlete has not played more than 30 percent of his team's games. Lillard, the returning Big Sky MVP, was lost for the year in WSU's ninth game, so an extra contest brings his percentage down to 30 percent (9 of 30). Advancing to a second or third conference tourney game would drop him even further below the 30 percent threshold.

    For Saint Mary's, the game will provide a chance to tune up for a possible NCAA tournament appearance and to avoid getting rusty after the West Coast Conference tourney. The game time has not been finalized.

    2/20/11
    BracketBusters Scores
    San Jose State 62, Weber State 46
    Idaho State 84, CS Fullerton 69
    Northern Colorado 82, New Mexico State 80
    Idaho 65, Montana State 50
    CS Northridge 68, Eastern Washington 59
    Portland State 84, Loyola Mary 75
    SE Missouri State 67, Sacramento State 52
    Northern Arizona 59, Cal Poly 56
    Long Beach State 74, Montana 56

    2/18/11
    San Jose St. 62, Weber St. 46
    Associated Press
    SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Keith Shamburger scored 21 points, Will Carter added 16 and San Jose State beat Weber State 62-46 on Friday night in a BracketBusters game.

    Justin Graham added 14 points for the Spartans (13-12), who won their second straight and fourth of six.

    Kyle Bullinger and Trevor Morris each scored 10 points for the Wildcats (15-10), whose six-game winning streak ended.

    San Jose State's Adrian Oliver, the nation's second-leading scorer at 24.5, was held to a season-low nine points. Weber State's Scott Bamforth, the nation's most accurate 3-point shooter, missed both of his long-range attempts.

    The Spartans never trailed and led by as many as 19 points.

    San Jose State led at halftime 30-22.

    2/18/10
    Purple Pak Alumni Center Watch Party For San Jose Game
    Weber State is playing at San Jose State tonight at 8 pm. All students are invited attend the watch party at the Alumni Center to watch the game. Refreshments will be served.

    The game will also be available online with the feed being offered by San Jose State for $5.00. The game will not be available on Big Sky TV as the game is not taking place at a Big Sky school.

    2/17/11
    Weber State at San Jose State, Friday Night
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Watch Online | Live Stats | Twitter | Forum
    Friday night at 8 pm mountain time the Wildcats will take on the Spartans of San Jose State in San Jose, CA. This is the first game between the two schools since 1975-76. Weber State is 1-1 all-time against San Jose State. In '76 WSU beat SJSU 98-82 in Ogden and lost at San Jose 64-56 in 1973-74.

    Since this is an ESPU BracketBusters game the Spartans are obligated to play a return game at the Dee in 2011-12 or 2012-13. SJSU has agreed to come to Ogden next season.

    The Spartans are 3-9 in the WAC and 12-12 overall. Currently they have won three of their last five games. While they are stuggling this season in the win column they do have the #2 scorer in the nation in senior shooting guard Adrian Oliver who averages 24.5 ppg.

    San Jose and Weber have played four common opponents this season - Eastern Washington, Seattle, Utah State and Montana State. SJSU beat EWU 67-60 in Cheney and beat them again 70-69 in San Jose. WSU beat EWU 80-68 last week in Cheney and play the Eags in Ogden in a couple of weeks. SJSU beat Seattle 86-70 in Seattle and WSU beat Seattle 65-61 in Ogden. The Spartans lost in Logan to USU 80-71 and WSU lost 77-65; San Jose also lost at home to USU 84-65. This past Tuesday, San Jose beat Montana State at home 77-73 after having lost back-to-back games to Nevada. Weber lost in Bozeman 75-72 but beat MSU 78-58 in Ogden.

    Weber is on a 6-game win streak which is the longest streak for WSU since its 12 straight in 2008-09. SJSU hasn't strung more than 3 wins together since 2003-04. San Jose's last winning season (15-12) was in 1993-94. Last year at this same time the Spartans were 12-12 and ended up 14-17.

    Weber has been red hot as of late having won 9-of-11 and are nationally the 42nd best shooting team (.469) and 2nd best 3-point shooting team (.429). San Jose is the 312th best shooting team (.403) but are 53rd in ppg (74.4) while WSU is 60th (73.8).

    Weber State vs the WAC
    Overall 150-113
    Boise State 41-28
    Fresno State 4-1
    Hawaii 4-2
    Idaho 52-20
    Louisiana Tech 0-2
    Nevada 19-20
    New Mexico State 4-2
    San Jose State 1-1
    Utah State 25-38

    Big Sky BracketBusters games on Saturday
    CS Northridge (Big West) @ Eastern Washington
    Cal State Fullerton (Big West) @ Idaho State
    Montana at Long Beach State (Big West) on ESPN2
    Idaho (WAC) @ Montana State
    Northern Arizona @ Cal Poly (Big West)
    Northern Colorado @ New Mexico State (WAC)
    Loyola Marymount (WCC) @ Portland State
    Sacramento State @ Southeast Missouri St. (OVC)

    2/17/11
    Weber State vs Portland State Highlights
    On Wednesday night Weber State smoked Portland State at the Dee Events Center 80-58. This was Weber's 18th home win against Portland out of 19 attempts dating back to the 1990's.


    Post game press conference with Coach Rahe


    2/16/11
    The Big Sky Discusses Tie Breaker Scenarios
    The Big Sky Conference Blog: Talkin' Tiebreaker
    http://www.bigskyconference.blogspot.com/

    2/16/11
    'Cats Get 6th Straight Big Sky Win
    Weber St. 80, Portland St. 58

    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Bullinger tied his career high with 22 points as Weber State defeated Portland State on Wednesday night.

    Scott Bamforth added 19 points, making 3 of 5 from 3-point range, as Weber State (15-9, 9-4 Big Sky) won its sixth straight conference game.

    Lindsey Hughey and Trevor Morris helped out the Wildcats with 12 points each.

    Melvin Jones scored 13 points and Dane Johnson 11 for the Vikings (11-14, 4-9) in their fourth straight loss.

    After seven ties and five lead changes in the first half, Weber State broke it open with an 18-3 run to take a 43-28 halftime advantage.

    Bullinger and Hughey combined for 15 points in the run and Morris scored Weber State's first eight points of the second half to pull away.

    The Wildcats shot 53.4 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from 3-point range, and outrebounded the Vikings 42-28.

    2/15/11
    Portland State at Weber State, Wednesday Night
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Tomorrow night at the Dee Events Center, Weber State will attempt to win its 22nd consecutive regular season home conference game with a win against the Portland State Vikings. The Wildcats are 6-0 at home in league play and the Vikings are 1-5 in road games with its only win coming from Pocatello.

    WSU is 26-11 all-time against PSU, 17-1 in Ogden, 9-10 in Portland. The 'Cats lost at Portland State last month 71-69. In a nail-biter and down by one point WSU had the final possession of the game. Hughey was called for traveling with 5.4 seconds to play and then a Mahoney foul led to a Melvin Jones free throw to end the game.

    Weber State head coach Randy Rahe is 8-3 against PSU and 61-22 overall in Big Sky games. He is 39-5 at home in league games with his 5th season almost complete. Second year PSU head coach Tyler Geving is 24-32 overall and 12-18 in Big Sky games and his team has lost five of their last six games.

    Preseason Polls
    The Big Sky preseason polls had PSU tabbed as 7th place as well Athlon Sports magazine predicted the Vikings to a 7th place finish. With APR issues causing PSU to lose the opportunity to compete in any post season games, it didn't appear too many pollsters had confidence in PSU.

    Athlon: The Vikings lost their top two scorers to graduation and will be hardpressed to replace Dominic Waters, their floor general on the perimeter, and Jamie Jones, their shot-blocking sheriff of the low blocks. Senior guard Melvin Jones (11.8 ppg) is back along with senior wing Paul Guede, and coach Tyler Geving has put together one of the league's top recruiting classes. But the key to PSU's chances could hinge on senior forward Phil Nelson, a former transfer from the University of Washington, and how fully he recovers from the broken foot that sidelined him 20 games into the 2009-10 season.

    PSU Bio
    Established: 1946
    Undergraduates: 27,972
    Location: Portland, OR
    Colors: Forest Green & White
    Home Court: Stott Center, capacity 1,500

    NBC's Today show did a segment about Melvin Jones on February 4th. An adoption story more dramatic than 'The Blind Side' says NBC. Jennifer Annable took in the sullen 16-year-old who trusted no one; today he's a top student at Portland State University.

    Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

    2/14/11
    Kyle Bullinger, Big Sky Player Of The Week
    The Big Sky Conference has announced that Kyle Bullinger is the Big Sky Players of the Week.

    K-Bull was named player of the week after helping the 'Cats to wins last week over NAU and EWU. Bull averaged 17.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 5 apg. He shot 54.5% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Bullinger had a career high 14 rebounds against NAU.

    2/13/11
    Feb 10-13
    Thursday
    Weber State 82, Northern Arizona 55
    Northern Colorado 86, Montana State 77
    Montana 64, Sacramento State 44
    Idaho State 84, Portland State 79

    Saturday
    Weber State 80, Eastern Washington 68
    Montana 55, Northern Colorado 42
    Idaho State 90, Northern Arizona 88 - OT

    Sunday
    Sacramento State 74, Montana State 71

    2/12/11
    Weber St. 80, E. Washington 68
    Associated Press
    CHENEY, Wash. -- Kyle Bullinger and Scott Bamforth scored 17 points each as Weber State beat Eastern Washington 80-68 on Saturday night.

    Lindsey Hughey added 16 points, Byron Fulton 13 and Trevor Morris 10 for the Wildcats (14-9, 8-4 Big Sky), winners of seven of their last nine games.

    Glen Dean hit six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points for the Eagles (8-16, 5-7).

    Leading 60-56 midway through the second half, Weber State took control with an 11-3 run capped by Hughey's 3-pointer with 5:58 left, the Wildcats' final field goal of the game. Weber State closed it out at the free-throw line, hitting 9 of 10 from that point as Eastern Washington got no closer than seven the rest of the way.

    Tremayne Johnson had 14 points and Laron Griffin 11 rebounds for Eastern Washington, which hit 13 of 27 3-point attempts.

    2/12/11
    WSU @ EWU, Tonight
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Live Stats | Forum
    At 8 pm in Cheney, WA, WSU will take on the Eagles of Eastern Washington who currently are playing much better basketball as of late. Though they are #293 in the Sagarin Ratings they have won 4 of their last 6 games and could be a big trap game for the hot 'Cats who have won 4 in-a-row and looked unstoppable against NAU. EWU is 4-1 in Big Sky home games and 5-6 overall. WSU is 1-4 in league road games. The Eags have faced everyone this season at home except for WSU and the Montanas.

    Last year when the 'Cats went to EWU it was a clincher for the Big Sky crown with an 85-57 victory which was WSU's second straight at Reese Court. Even if EWU loses tonight they are still in a good position to get into the conference tournament which they haven't done since 2005-06. Portland State's post season ban may be a big part in helping another team such as EWU get in.

    Oddly this is the first game between the two schools this year. With the schedule fans have seen this year no one is at all surprised that WSU has finished playing three other schools yet haven't even played EWU yet. After having seen WSU play five of its first seven conference games on the road, Wildcat fans have little to complain about since then. The matchup in Cheney will be the 57th all-time meeting between the two conference foes. Weber is 37-19 against EWU, 25-3 in Ogden, 12-16 in Cheney. The last time the 'Cats lost to EWU was on Feb 14, 2008, in Cheney.

    Coach Randy Rahe who claims 3 Big Sky titles in his 4 previous seasons and a shot at this year's title is 6-2 against EWU. Rahe is 90-56 overall as a head coach, his Big Sky record is 60-22, 39-5 at home and 21-17 on the road. Fourth year EWU head coach, Kirk Earlywine, led his teams to 6-10 records the first two seaons and a 5-11 mark last season. Earlywine spent 7 years at Weber State as an assistant during the Cravens era (2000-2006; record 116-88).

    EWU Bio
    Established: 1882
    Students: 10,750
    Location: Cheney, WA
    Colors: Red & White
    Home Court: Reese Court, capacity 6,000

    Other Big Sky games tonight include Northern Colorado at Montana and Northern Arizona at Idaho State.

    2/10/11
    Just Keep Winnin'
    After a big win at home against NAU, WSU is now alone in 3rd place just 2.5 games out of first place. UNC and UM sit atop the standings but will face each other in Missoula on Saturday night.

    Tonight's win was Weber State's 20th straight regular season conference win at home dating back to an MSU loss on Jan 15, 2009. Tonight was also Coach Rahe's 90th overall win as a head coach and his 60th all-time win in the Big Sky. He needs just 10 wins to be the 4th ever WSU coach to reach 100 victories.

    Scott Bamforth's hot night of shooting hitting 7-of-10 three-pointers is the 4th most three's in a game for a WSU player. Bamforth's 53% 3-point percentage ranks 4th in the nation. As a team WSU is ranked #5 in the nation for 3-point percentage and NAU is #1.

    Single Game 3-pointers
    1. Greg Boyd 9 1988
    2. Alex Fisher 8 1996
    2. Johnny Hamilton 8 2004
    3. Nick Hansen 7 2010
    3. Scott Bamforth 7 2011

    2/10/11
    Seven 3's For Bam!
    Weber St. 82, N. Arizona 55

    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored a career-high 27 points and Kyle Bullinger added 18 points and 14 rebounds as Weber State defeated Northern Arizona 82-55 on Thursday night.

    Lindsey Hughey added 13 points and six rebounds for the Wildcats (13-9, 7-4 Big Sky), who won their fourth straight while snapping the Lumberjacks' four-game win streak.

    Gabe Rogers had a team-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from behind the 3-point arc, and Cameron Jones added 13 points for Northern Arizona (14-9, 6-5 Big Sky) in a contest for third place in the Big Sky.

    Both teams were strong from 3-point range as Weber State finished 12 of 21 (57.1 percent), and Northern Arizona went 9 for 19 (47.4 percent).

    The Lumberjacks entered the game leading the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage, while Weber State was fifth.

    Weber State outrebounded Northern Arizona 39-18.

    2/9/11
    Jacks vs Cats, Thursday Night At The Dee
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Tomorrow night at 7 pm Weber State will take on the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.

    Weber State started the conference schedule out 0-2 and only won 2 games out of the first 6. The first win was on the road at NAU. The 'Cats are now on a 3 game win streak with its toughest remaining game of the season at home tomorrow night. Playing five of the first seven games on the road as WSU did would be brutal to any team in the Big Sky this year but now the 'Cats finish with six of the final nine at home. The NAU game is the last game of a four game home stand.

    On Jan 29 WSU beat UNC who had won 7 straight which was the longest streak in the league. On Feb 3 WSU beat UM who had 6 straight wins, the longest streak at the time. NAU comes to Ogden with a 4 game wins streak which currently is the Big Sky's best. WSU has the chance again to end the conference's longest win streak for the third time in four games.

    WSU's final five games after NAU are against the bottom four teams of the Big Sky. Montana and Northern Colorado better keep a close eye on their rear view mirrors if Weber can get past the 'Jacks with a win.

    Coach Rahe is 8-3 against the Lumberjacks and Weber State is 66-26 all-time against NAU and 41-6 in Ogden. WSU has won the last 5 games in the series, 3 in-a-row in Flagstaff. WSU's last loss to NAU was March 11, 2008, in the Big Sky semifinal in Portland. WSU's last Ogden loss to NAU was 69-56 beating on January 25, 2008.

    A WSU win will take a solid defensive effort to slow down NBA prospect Cameron Jones. Jones a 6-4 guard and Big Sky MVP candidate is averaging 19.4 ppg (34th nationally) and shoots 54% from 3-point land (2nd nationally). Last summer Jones considered leaving NAU for the draft but later elected to stay for his senior season.

    NAU bio
    Established: 1899
    Undergraduates: 15,569
    Postgraduates: 5,783
    Location Flagstaff, AZ
    Colors: Blue, Sage, & Gold
    Nickname: Lumberjacks
    Mascot: Louie the Lumberjack

    1/17/11
    Morris, Johannsen Share Player Of The Week
    The Big Sky Conference has announced that Trevor Morris and NAU's Shane Johannsen are the co-players of the week.

    Morris was named player of the week after helping the Wildcats to wins over the Griz and Bobcats last week. Morris averaged 17 points and five rebounds and shot 60% from the field and 77% from the free-throw line.

    2/7/11
    Scotty B For 3!
    Scott Bamforth, yes, he is only a sophomore, yes, he has needed shoulder surgery since November and yes, he is still playing at just 50% and not getting better. His shoulder can't improve; there is no way around the needed surgery. So how is he shooting over 50% from the 3-point line after 21 games? Only he knows.

    Bamforth is actually shooting 51.1% on the season. He has played in all but one game this season. He has even had 4 games this year where he didn't even make a 3. He has made 48-of-94 from beyond the arc, that is #6 in the nation for 3-point percentage.

    1. Gary Clark, Wake Forest, (42-68) 61.8%
    2. Cameron Jones, Northern Arizona, (24-44) 54.5%
    3. Khalid Mutakabbir, Presbyterian, (43-81) 53.1%
    4. Jack Eggleston, Pennsylvania, (25-48) 52.1%
    5. John Shurna, Northwestern, (49-95) 51.6%
    6. Scott Bamforth, Weber State, (48-94) 51.1%
    7. Nikola Malesevic, Rhode Island, (42-84) 50%
    7. Keaton Nankivil, Wisconsin, (33-66) 50%
    7. Jordan Dykstra, San Diego State, (24-48) 50%
    10. Solomon Bozeman, Arkansas-Little Rock, (54-109) 49.5%

    Bamforth has 7 games left this season and 2 more full seasons. He will have plenty of time to try and chase the WSU record books for long distance shooting.

    Single Game 3-pointers
    1. Greg Boyd 9 1988
    2. Alex Fisher 8 1996
    2. Johnny Hamilton 8 2004
    3. Nick Hansen 7 2010

    Bamforth has made 6 three's in a game 2 times this season.

    Single Season 3-pointers
    1. Damian Lillard 84 2010
    2. Eddie Gill 83 1999
    3. Johnny Hamilton 76 2002

    Career 3-pointers
    1. Johnny Hamilton 241 2000-2004
    2. Jimmy DeGraffenried 196 1991-96
    3. Alex Fisher 176 1995-98

    As a team, Weber State is ranked #6 in the nation for 3-point percentage at 41%. The 'Cats are also 16th nationally for free-throw percentage shooting 75.6%. Bamforth is shooting 86.1% off of 31-of-36 attempts at the charity stripe.

    2/5/11
    Weber St. 78, Montana St. 58
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth scored 15 of his game-high 18 points before halftime and Weber State hit a dozen 3-pointers on the way to beating Montana State 78-58 on Saturday.

    Trevor Morris matched his career high with 17 points for the second game in a row for the Wildcats (12-9, 6-4 Big Sky), who have won three in a row.

    Lindsey Hughey added 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Weber State.

    The Wildcats saw their streak of 42 games with at least five 3-pointers snapped Thursday night against Montana. On Saturday, they made 8 of 10 in the first half and finished 12 of 19 (63 percent). That was better than their overall field-goal percentage of 56 percent.

    Erik Rush scored 15 points and Bobby Howard added 13 for Montana State (11-12, 5-6). The Bobcats shot 36 percent on Saturday and have lost their last five games.

    2/5/11
    Montana State @ Weber State, 4 PM on Altitude TV
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Standard-Examiner's Roy Burton
    WSU eyes revenge against Bobcats
    Standard.net

    2/4/11
    Wildcat Wall: Q&A With Trevor Morris
    Since we've done a Q&A with several of the under-classman on this year's team and we are now already 2/3rds the way through the season, I figured it was time to get to know the Wildcat veterans a little better. This year's Wildcat team has only 2 seniors, and Trevor Morris is the only one who has been on the team for four years...Read More

    2/4/11
    'Cats Beat Griz At Home In Football And Basketball This Year
    Weber St. 68, Montana 52

    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Trevor Morris scored a career-high 17 points as Weber State knocked off Montana 68-52 on Thursday night.

    It was the second straight game in which the Wildcats (11-9, 5-4) beat a first place team in the Big Sky Conference. They defeated Northern Colorado with a last-second 3-pointer on Saturday.

    Byron Fulton added 14 points, Kyle Bullinger 13 and Lindsey Hughey nine for the Wildcats to avenge an earlier 19-point loss to the Grizzlies (16-6, 8-2). Brian Qvale and Vaughn Autry each scored 10 points as Montana ended its six-game winning streak.

    The Wildcats shot 54.2 percent from the field and used a 13-0 first half run to pull away and hold off a brief charge by the Grizzlies early in the second half. Montana turned over the ball 18 times and shot 39.0 percent from the floor.

    2/3/11
    'Cats vs Griz, Tonight at 7
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    On New Year's Eve in Missoula, MT, Weber State lost to the Griz 75-56. It was the 3rd consecutive loss to UM since beating the Griz 64-56 in Ogden Jan 2, 2010. Wildcat fans want payback. The squad finally gets the chance to avenge these 3 losses in-a-row to the Griz as well last year's shocking loss at home in the Big Sky Championship game also to UM. With only one game played in the past 12 days the 'Cats will be ready for a fight.

    Tonight's game is Weber's 111th all-time meeting with Montana. The 'Cats are 64-46 overall in the series, 39-14 at home and 25-32 in Missoula. There is no other team that has played Weber State more in basketball than the University of Montana. UM has the best record against WSU in the Big Sky. Randy Rahe is 13-8 against the Montanas, 7-4 vs MSU and 6-4 vs UM.

    WSU lost 75-56 in Missoula on Jan 1st. Derek Selvig scored 23 points and Brian Qvale chipped in with 13. Will Cherry, the Oakland native who played high school basketball against Damian Lillard had 11 points. Kyle Bullinger and Trevor Morris both scored 10 points. WSU had a poor shooting and and got beat inside by UM's big bigs. UM outrebounded WSU 35-30 and outscored the 'Cats in the paint 28-18.

    Another look at the preseason polls
    In the Big Sky preseason polls Montana was picked third by the coaches and media. Montana also had 2 out of 8 possible 1st place votes by the coaches. In the media, UM had 4 votes out of the posssible 28. Athlon Sports College Basketball magazine picked Montana to finish third with NAU second and WSU first. Athlon's All-Big Sky First Team includes Brian Qvale of UM, Damian Lillard, WSU; Glen Dean, EWU; Broderick Gilchrest, ISU; and Cameron Jones of NAU.

    Athlon on UM:The graduation loss of last year's top scorer, Anthony Johnson, is big. But so are 6'11" senior Brian Qvale and 7'0" junior Derek Selvig, a pair of veteran front-liners who should keep the defending Big Sky Tournament champion Grizzlies among the league's elite teams again this winter. Qvale, the league's best big man, averaged 10.2 points and 7.1 rebounds as a junior and punctuated his solid season with a montser game - 26 points and 13 rebounds - in a 62-57 loss to New Mexico in the opening round of the NCAAs. If a couple of coach Wayne Tinkle's young guards - including sophomore Will Cherry - continue to develop as expected, the Grizzlies should be in the Big Sky title chase from start to finish.

    UM Bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 11,799
    Graduates: 2,059
    Location: Missoula, MT
    Nickname: Grizzlies
    Colors: Maroon & Silver
    Stadium: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)

    2/1/11
    UNC Postgame Press Conference
    Scott Bamforth and Jordan Richardson discuss crazy ending to UNC game this past Saturday night.


    Coach Randy Rahe talks about the UNC win.


    1/31/11
    Weber State Will Play At San Jose State In ESPNU BracketBusters Game
    Today on ESPNU the BracketBusters field was announced. Weber will play at San Jose State. Weber State is 1-1 all-time with the San Jose State Spartans and 150-113 against the Western Athletic Conference.

    In 1973-74 WSU lost at San Jose 64-56 under then head coach Gene Visscher and finished the season 3rd in the Big Sky. In 1975-76 under first year head coach Neil McCarthy WSU went 21-11 and had a Big Sky 2nd place finish and beat San Jose State 98-82 in Ogden.

    Since Weber will travel to play at San Jose, the Spartans are obligated to play a return game at the Dee Events Center next season.

    The ESPNU BracketBusters field features 114 teams from 15 conferences as well as one independent: 12 teams from the Mid-American Conference and Colonial Athletic Conference, 10 from the Ohio Valley, nine from the Big Sky, Big South, Big West and WAC; eight from the Horizon League, five from America East and Southern; two from the MEAC and West Coast; and one from the Summit League, as well as independent Seattle.

    Big Sky Games, Sat, Feb 19
    CS Northridge (Big West) @ Eastern Washington
    Cal State Fullerton (Big West) @ Idaho State
    Montana at Long Beach State (Big West) on ESPN2
    Idaho (WAC) @ Montana State
    Northern Arizona @ Cal Poly (Big West)
    Northern Colorado @ New Mexico State (WAC)
    Loyola Marymount (WCC) @ Portland State
    Sacramento State @ Southeast Missouri St. (OVC)
    Weber State @ San Jose State (WAC)

    Weber State vs the WAC
    Overall 150-113
    Boise State 41-28
    Fresno State 4-1
    Hawaii 4-2
    Idaho 52-20
    Louisiana Tech 0-2
    Nevada 19-20
    New Mexico State 4-2
    San Jose State 1-1
    Utah State 25-38

    1/30/11
    The Shot
    Weber State's Scott Bamforth sinks a contested half-court shot as time expired to give the Wildcats a 72-71 victory over Northern Colorado.


    1/29/11
    Bam Hits Half-Court Buzzer Beater
    Weber St. 72, N. Colorado 71

    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Scott Bamforth buried a contested shot from just inside the half-court line as time expired to give Weber State a 72-71 victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday night.

    Devon Beitzel finished with a game-high 29 points for Northern Colorado (11-8, 7-1 Big Sky), including a pair of go-ahead free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining, but Bamforth's answered 3-point prayer snapped the Bears' seven-game winning streak.

    Bamforth, a sophomore, has been playing with a shoulder injury that has limited his minutes. He played just nine minutes in the first half on Saturday en route to finishing with 12 points.

    Jordan Richardson led the Wildcats (10-9, 4-4) with 17 points. Kyle Bullinger added 13 points and Trevor Morris 10.

    Elliott Lloyd and Emmanuel Addo scored 10 points each for Northern Colorado, which beat Weber State 65-46 in Greeley, Colo., on Jan. 22.

    1/29/11
    Northern Colorado @ Weber State, Tonight at 7 on Altitude TV
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Standard-Examiner's Roy Burton
    Wildcats hope for better effort in Round 2
    Standard.net

    1/24/11
    N. Colorado 65, Weber St. 46
    Associated Press
    GREELEY, Colo. -- Elliott Lloyd scored 16 points as Northern Colorado ran its winning streak to seven with a 65-46 victory over Weber State on Saturday night.

    Chris Kaba and Neal Kingman added 12 points apiece for the Bears (11-7, 7-0 Big Sky), who made 9 of 23 from 3-point range. Lloyd sank 3 of 4, and Kaba went 2 of 4. Lloyd also had six assists.

    Scott Bamforth led the Wildcats (9-9, 3-4) with 19 points, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. But no teammate scored more than seven points. Kyle Bullinger had team-leading totals of seven rebounds and four assists.

    Mike Proctor grabbed eight rebounds to lead Northern Colorado to a 38-27 advantage on the boards.

    Northern Colorado built a 43-20 halftime lead and was never in serious trouble.

    1/21/11
    Saturday Night, Weber At Northern Colorado
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Tomorrow night's matchup in Greeley, Colorado, will be the 9th all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Bears of Northern Colorado. The 'Cats are 6-2 against the Bears with both losses being in Greeley in 2007-08 and 2009-10. WSU is 4-0 at home vs UNC.

    Randy Rahe is 6-2 against the Bears and 21-16 in Big Sky road games. UNC head coach BJ Hill is in his first season with the Bears and is 10-7 overall and 6-0 in league games. He has never lost a conference game nor has he faced Weber State at this point. Hill's predecessor Tad Boyle coached UNC for four years then left for the Colorado Buffs. Hill was Boyle's top assistant for two years.

    Preseason Polls
    In the Big Sky preseason polls UNC was picked 4th by the coaches and 2nd by the media with two first place votes. Athlon Sports magazine had UNC finishing 4th.

    Athlon Sports on UNC: The surprise team in the league last season, UNC returns five of its top six scorers, including Devon Beitzel, a senior wing who averaged 14.3 points per game and shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range as a junior. Taylor Montgomery, a 6'7" senior forward (8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), also returns along with Mike Proctor, a 6'8" junior who averaged 8.2 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds as a sophomore. What the Bears don't bring back, however, is their head coach. Tad Boyle bolted for the top job at Colorado and was replaced by B.J. Hill, UNC's associate head coach the past two seasons. It's unlikely the Bears will sneak up on anyone this winter, but it's also unlikely they willl take a step back.

    Bears Bio
    Established: 1889
    Undergraduates: 10,097
    Postgraduates: 2,261
    Location: Greeley, Colorado
    Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
    Home Court: Butler-Hancock, capacity 2,941
    Moved up to DI and the Big Sky: 2006-07

    1/21/11
    Portland St. 71, Weber St. 69
    Associated Press
    PORTLAND, Ore. -- Charles Odum scored 16 points to lead Portland State to a 71-69 victory over Weber State on Thursday night.

    Melvin Jones added 15 points for the Vikings (10-8, 3-3 Big Sky), and Phillip Thomas had 13.

    Scott Bamforth led the Wildcats (9-8, 3-3) with a game-high 20 points. Lindsey Hughey and Trevor Morris each had 15 points, and Kyle Bullinger chipped in with 13.

    Portland State battled back from a 37-33 halftime deficit and used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to take a 58-50 lead after Jones hit a 3-pointer with 8:02 left.

    The Wildcats tied it at 60 on a 3-pointer by Bullinger and had a chance to win, but Hughey was called for traveling with 5.4 seconds to play and Weber State down 70-69. Jones' free throw iced it for the Vikings.

    Weber State shot 50 percent to Portland State's 44 percent.

    1/19/11
    Thursday, Weber At Portland State
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Tomorrow night at 8 pm at the Stott Center in Portland, Oregon, WSU will take on the Portland State Vikings. The matchup will be the 37th all-time meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. Weber is 26-10 overall, 17-1 in Ogden and 9-9 in Portland. WSU had a winning record in Portland until last season's 84-79 loss on Feb 28th which was the final game of the regular season. PSU's lone win in Ogden was Weber's final home game of the 2005-06 season. The 'Cats lost 73-59.

    The last couple of seasons Wildcat fans have looked forward to the PSU games more than ISU or even Montana. Former PSU Viking guard Dominic Waters was a big reason why; he was a very entertaining and highly skilled player. WSU fans enjoyed seeing him on the court for his nonsensical approach and drama he created everytime he came to Ogden. He would taunt and talk back to the WSU student section regulary which just fueled their chants directed toward him. WSU fans saw him play in the Dee four times in just two seasons. This past September, Waters was named to the Utah Jazz summer league team. Currently he is playing professionally in Belgium.

    With Waters gone and names like Jeremiah Dominguez, Jamie Jones and Julius Thomas no longer being heard over the PA, times have changed. There is now a new Viking vanguard with many new names and faces. As well there is a new captain mastering the PSU vessel in Tyler Geving.

    Ken Bone left for Washington State prior to last season after leading the Viks to consecutive 23 win seasons and two trips to the NCAA tournament. Geving was a Bone assistant for four seasons and is now in his second year as the head coach. Geving has a 22-27 record overall and 10-13 against Big Sky opponents. He is 1-2 against WSU but 1-0 in Portland. Geving graduated of Central Washington in 1996 and has been in collegiate coaching for 16 years. The 37 year old is the youngest coach in the Big Sky.

    The new faces of PSU that have promising futures are Charles Odum, Chris Harriel and Chehales Tapscott. Odum moved into the starting lineup six games back and has scored 107 points (18 ppg) hitting 39-of-60 from the field, 11-16 3-point shooting, 24 rebounds, 18 assists and seven steals. Odum scored a career-high 24 at Montana last Saturday.

    Chehales Tapscott, a junior forward and Oregon native is averaging 11.9 ppg and an impressive 8.1 rpg. While he is only 6'5" he has recorded five double-doubles and six games with 10 or more rebounds.

    Chris Harriel, a 6'4" sophomore guard is having a huge season averaging 15.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 32 mpg. Last season Harriel played 14 minutes per game and averaged 3.9 points.

    Two noteworthy seniors PSU was counting on this year are Melvin Jones and Phil Nelson. Since Odum entered the starting lineup, Jones has moved to the point from the two and in six games has committed just five turnovers. On the season Jones is averaging 11.1 ppg, 2.8 apg and shoots 85% from the line and 32% from the arc. Phil Nelson has had a rough couple of seasons due to a twice-broken foot. Last season was cut short and he only played in 20 games. So after 26 straight games missed he is been back on the court the past three games but is not in game condition after being out so long. Nelson is averaging 4.7 ppg in 21 minutes per contest.

    Weber State head coach Randy Rahe is 8-2 vs the Vikings and 2-2 in Portland. Rahe is 86-54 overall as a head coach, his Big Sky record is 56-20, 35-5 at home and 21-15 on the road.

    Preseason Polls
    The Big Sky preseason polls had PSU picked to finish 7th in both polls. Athlon Sports also tabbed the Viks 7th. PSU lost a lot of talent from last season and it isn't helping much that they are on probation from the NCAA for APR issues. PSU has been banned from any post season play this season which means if they finish in the top six in the 'Sky they can not compete in the Big Sky postseason tournament.

    Athlon Sports: The Vikings lost their top two scorers to graduation and will be hard pressed to replace Dominic Waters, their floor general on the perimeter, and Jamie Jones, their shot-blocking sheriff of the low blocks. Senior guard Melvin Jones is back along with senior wing Paul Guede, and coach Tyler Geving has put together one of the league's top recruiting classes. But the key to PSU's chances could hinge on senior forward Phil Nelson, a former transfer from the University of Washington, and how fully he recovers from the broken foot that sidelined him 20 games into the 2009-10 season.

    PSU Bio
    Established: 1946
    Students: 27,972
    Location: Portland, OR
    Colors: Forest Green & White
    Home Court: Stott Center, capacity 1,500

    PSU Schedule
    Nov 12 Pepperdine W 83-81
    Nov 19 vs Southern Methodist L 69-53
    Nov 20 vs Lamar W 102-98
    Nov 21 vs UC-Riverside W 69-58
    Dec 1 Seattle W 83-76
    Dec 5 @ Oregon L 68-49
    Dec 9 George Fox W 92-58
    Dec 12 CS-Fullerton W 93-89
    Dec 15 @ CS-Bakersfield L 92-77
    Dec 18 Portland L 78-67
    Dec 20 @ Nevada L 79-73
    Dec 23 Utah Valley W 73-53
    Dec 29 Northern Colorado L 79-66
    Jan 2 Idaho State W 79-72
    Jan 8 Eastern Washington W 74-58
    Jan 13 @ Montana State L 74-65
    Jan 15 @ Montana L 77-70

    1/19/11
    Not A Joke, Home Crowd Helped Thieve One From ISU
    Wolfmother's hit song "Joker and the Thief" has been a crowd favorite as long as Rahe has been the coach of the Wildcats. Last Saturday night Weber was in a cat fight with ISU to get the win at home by 4 after trailing at the half and most of the game. Late in the game during a timeout the Wolfmother song was blasting from the DEC sound system and it really got the crowd going. WSU senior guard Lindsey Hughey told WeberHoops.com that "Joker and the Thief" and the crowd excitement really pumped up the team for the final moments of the game.

    Rahe was quoted in the Standard-Examiner mentioning the home crowd helping the team out. "Our crowd was absolutely terrific in the second half and we needed the boost," he said. "It really helped our kids out."



    The Australian band's "Joker and the Thief" as well being a hit with Weber State has appeared in a number of movies and video games. Weber fans may remember the song in films such as Shrek the Third, The Hangover and Shoot 'Em Up.

    1/17/11
    Lindsey Hughey, Big Sky Player of the Week
    The Big Sky Conference has announced that Lindsey Hughey and Montana's Brian Qvale are the co-players of the week.

    Hughey was named player of the week after helping his team to two wins this week at home. Hughey had a career-high 27 points against Sac State shooting 9-of-15 from the field and hit three three-pointers. He also had four rebounds and three blocks against the Hornets. In the ISU rivalry game, Hughey had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.

    1/15/10
    WSU Gets 5th Straight Win Against ISU
    Weber St. 71, Idaho St. 67

    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Lindsey Hughey scored a game-high 18 points and Weber State held on to defeat Idaho State 71-67 on Saturday night.

    The victory was the fifth straight over the Bengals (5-12, 1-4 Big Sky) for the Wildcats (9-7, 3-2).

    Freshman forward Byron Fulton, getting his first career start in place of injured Darin Mahoney, contributed 16 points and nine rebounds, including the final insurance basket, for Weber State.

    Kyle Bullinger added 14 points and eight rebounds as Weber State extended its league winning streak to three.

    Broderick Gilchrest scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime for Idaho State, which lost its fourth straight game in Big Sky play. Kenny McGowen had 14 points and Chase Grabau scored 13, making 4 of 5 3-pointers.

    1/13/10
    Weber St. 84, Sacramento St. 71
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Lindsey Hughey scored a career-high 27 points as Weber State defeated Sacramento State 84-71 Thursday night.

    Byron Fulton added a career-high 17 points off the bench for the Wildcats (8-7, 2-2 Big Sky). He entered the game tied for the scoring lead among Big Sky freshmen with 7.5 points per game.

    Trevor Morris and Kyle Bullinger had 15 points apiece for Weber State, which shot 54 percent from the field and never trailed in the game. The Wildcats led 42-32 at halftime, then used a 14-5 run to start the second half to put the game out of reach.

    Sacramento State (3-13, 0-5) lost for the seventh straight time, including three overtime defeats. John Dickson led the Hornets with 15 points, while Sultan Toles-Bey and Walter Jackson added 10 each.

    1/11/10
    Weber Back At Home, Host Sac And Idaho State
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter | Forum
    Weber State is back to the Dee after 23 days away. The 'Cats will play its first two conference home games this week with the Hornets of Sacramento State on Thursday and the Idaho State Bengals on Saturday.

    WSU is a 29-4 all-time against Sac State with a 16-1 record in games played in Ogden. Only Portland State's 1-17 record at the Dee is worse for Big Sky teams. The 'Cats are 68-40 all-time against ISU and 41-9 at home. The Bengal rivalry of 108 games is the 2nd longest series in WSU history just two short of the number of times the 'Cats have faced the Griz.

    Randy Rahe is 7-1 against Sac and 6-2 against ISU. Rahe's Big Sky record is 54-20, 33-5 at home and 51-10 in all home games.

    Preseason Polls
    The Big Sky preseason polls had ISU 8th and Sac 9th which is exaclty how they finished last season. Athlon Sports also picked ISU and Sac 8th & 9th .

    Athlon Sports on Sac: Coach Brian Katz has a boatload of newcomers on his roster, and he hopes they're all quick learners. The Hornets return a pair of starters in senior guard Sultan Toles-Bey (10.3 ppg, 3.3 apg) and sophomore wing John Dickson (9.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg), along with a couple of minor role players. But Justin Eller, last year's top scorer and rebounder, is gone, and unless Katz's eight-man recruiting class produces an undisovered gem or two, it could be another long winter in Sacramento.

    Athlon Sports on ISU: Like many of the teams in the Big Sky, ISU remains a bit of a mystery because of its hefty class of incoming recruits. Fifth-year coach Joe O'Brien signed eight players and will need to work them into his system in a hurry if he hopes to make any major progress in his ongoing rebuilding efforts. Having senior guard and last year's second-leading scorer Broderick Gilchrest (15.5 ppg, 3.2 apg) back will help, but the graduation losses of Amorrow Morgan and three other starters will be difficult for the Bengals to overcome.

    Hornet Bio
    Established: 1947
    Students: 29,241
    Location: Sacramento, CA
    Colors: Green & Gold
    Home Court: Hornets Nest, capacity 1,200
    Mascot: Herky the Hornet

    Bengal Bio
    Established: 1901
    Students: 15,553
    Location: Pocatello, ID
    Colors: Black & Orange
    Home Court: Holt Arena, capacity 8,000
    Mascot: Benny the Bengal

    Famous Hornets
    Tom Hanks, Creed Bratton from The Office, Lester Holt anchor of the weekend edition of Today, Joan Lunden & Bobby McFerrin.

    Famous Potatoes
    Jerry Graybeal, former WSU Athletic Director; Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings; Ron Boone, broadcaster for the Utah Jazz; Merril Hoge, ESPN commentator; Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals head coach

    1/8/11
    Saturday, Jan 8
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 68, Northern Arizona 67
    Northern Colorado 72, Montana State 58
    Montana 68, Sacramento State 52
    Portland State 74, Eastern Washington 58

    1/8/11
    Weber St. 68, N. Arizona 67
    Associated Press
    FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Lindsey Hughey hit a go-ahead layup with 1:12 left, then drilled a crucial 3-pointer in the final seconds as Weber State held off Northern Arizona 68-67 on Saturday night.

    Hughey scored 12 points, all in the second half, to help the Wildcats (7-7, 1-2 Big Sky) avoid their worst conference start in five years.

    Kyle Bullinger had 18 points to lead Weber State, which has beaten the Lumberjacks (9-7, 1-3) five straight times.

    Cameron Jones scored 26 points for Northern Arizona, which took a 64-63 lead on Shane Johannsen's layup with 1:56 left.

    Hughey then drove the lane and scooped in the game-winning shot. He hit an off-balance 3 as the shot clock expired to put the Wildcats up 68-64 with 9 seconds to go.

    Jones pulled Northern Arizona to within a point with a long 3, but time ran out on the Lumberjacks.

    1/8/11
    WSU At NAU, 'Cats Look For 1st Win
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter
    With Weber State starting the conference schedule 0-2, the Wildcat faithful are hoping the 'Cats can come home with the 'W' to salvage a difficult 3 game road trip. WSU fans will have had to wait a span of 23 days until the next home game which is January 13th vs Sac State.

    Coach Rahe is 7-3 against the Lumberjacks and Weber State is 65-26 all-time against NAU and 41-6 at home. WSU has won the last 4 games in the series, 2 in-a-row in Flagstaff. WSU's last loss to NAU was March 11, 2008, in the Big Sky semifinal in Portland. WSU's last Flagstaff loss was 74-71 on February 28, 2008. Over WSU is 24-20 at NAU.

    The 1-2 Lumberjacks beat Idaho State in overtime on Thursday night at home. Prior to that, they went 0-2 at the Montanas as did WSU.

    A struggling yet persistent young Wildcat team still feeling the effects of injuries in the loss column are still playing to win and are not going to give up. Weber hasn't started off 0-3 since 2005-06. Back in '06 the 'Cats started off 0-6.

    Lillard had his foot surgery about 2 weeks ago and Bamforth's shoulder isn't getting better and may likely require surgery. Jordan Richardson will likely see significant minutes like he did in Missoula playing 28 minutes which was a career-high for the redshirt to be. With Josh Noble leaving the team, Richardson was not able to redshirt. With Lillard going out for the season WSU really needs Richardson to contribute in any way that he can. BJ Porter becoming eligible by the Tulsa game is a huge help to the 'Cats. Many fans don't even remember the last time the team had this many unfortunate injuries, if ever.

    NAU has a couple of potential all-conference 1st team selections on its roster in Cameron Jones and Gabe Rogers. Jones a 6-4 guard is averaging 19.3 ppg and shoots 50% from 3-point land. Jones likely will be the front-runner for Big Sky MVP and could end up in the NBA after having considered leaving NAU last summer for the draft but elected to stay. Jones dropped 37 on ISU and had 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Gabe Rogers is a 6-2 guard who averages 12.7 ppg and shoots 52% from beyond the arc. Rogers scored 20 against ISU and hit 5 three's.

    NAU bio
    Established: 1899
    Undergraduates: 15,569
    Postgraduates: 5,783
    Location Flagstaff, AZ
    Colors: Blue, Sage, & Gold
    Nickname: Lumberjacks
    Mascot: Louie the Lumberjack

    NAU has been a member of the Big Sky since 1970. The 'Jacks have 5 conference championships - '87, '97, '98, '06, & '07. NAU and Weber were co-champions in 2007 by both finishing 11-5, however, Weber beat NAU in the conference tournament championship and later went on to the NCAA tournament. Even though the 2 finished as co-champs, WSU swept NAU 3-0. NAU has won the conference tournament 2 times of the 5 times they have hosted. When WSU is hosting the conference tournament, the 'Cats are 7-for-10 in getting to the Big Dance.

    1/7/11
    Thursday's Scores
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    NAU 82, ISU 80 OT
    UNC 63, UM 45
    MSU 61, Sac 59
    Seattle 60, EWU 51

    12/31/10
    'Cats Lose to Griz and Go 0-2 to Start Big Sky Season
    Box Score | Photos
    On a New Year's Eve day game in Missoula, MT, Weber State lost to the Griz 75-56. This is WSU's second straight loss in Missoula and third loss to the Griz in-a-row. Weber getting swept on the Montanas trip hasn't happened since 2006-07 and starting the season off 0-2 hasn't happened since 2005-06 during the final year of the Cravens Era.

    Today's game was Weber's 110th all-time meeting between with Montana. The 'Cats are 64-46 overall in the series, 39-14 at home and 25-32 in Missoula. There is no other team that has played Weber State more in basketball than the University of Montana. UM has the best record against WSU in the Big Sky. Randy Rahe is 13-8 against the Montanas, 7-4 vs MSU and 6-4 vs UM.

    Montana 75, Weber St. 56
    Associated Press
    MISSOULA, Mont. -- Derek Selvig scored 23 points and Brian Qvale added 13 as Montana routed Weber State 75-56 on Friday.

    Will Cherry had 11 points for the Grizzlies (10-4, 2-0 Big Sky), who have won five straight and seven of eight.

    The game's final lead change occurred midway through the first half when Montana put together a 10-0 run to take a 25-17 lead.

    Kyle Bullinger and Trevor Morris each scored 10 points for the Wildcats (6-7, 0-2).

    The Grizzlies held Weber State to 36.7 percent shooting and took advantage of the void left by last season's Big Sky MVP Damian Lillard, who was lost for the season after breaking a bone in his right foot in Weber State's loss to Tulsa on Dec. 16.

    The Grizzlies shot 45.6 percent from the field and outscored the Wildcats 28-18 in the paint.

    Preseason Polls
    In the Big Sky preseason polls Montana was picked third by the coaches and media. Montana also had 2 out of 8 possible 1st place votes by the coaches. In the media, UM had 4 votes out of the posssible 28. Athlon Sports College Basketball magazine picked Montana to finish third with NAU second and WSU first. Athlon's All-Big Sky First Team includes Brian Qvale of UM, Damian Lillard, WSU; Glen Dean, EWU; Broderick Gilchrest, ISU; and Cameron Jones of NAU. Both Lillard and Dean are out for the season with injuries.

    Athlon on UM:The graduation loss of last year's top scorer, Anthony Johnson, is big. But so are 6'11" senior Brian Qvale and 7'0" junior Derek Selvig, a pair of veteran front-liners who should keep the defending Big Sky Tournament champion Grizzlies among the league's elite teams again this winter. Qvale, the league's best big man, averaged 10.2 points and 7.1 rebounds as a junior and punctuated his solid season with a montser game - 26 points and 13 rebounds - in a 62-57 loss to New Mexico in the opening round of the NCAAs. If a couple of coach Wayne Tinkle's young guards - including sophomore Will Cherry - continue to develop as expected, the Grizzlies should be in the Big Sky title chase from start to finish.

    UM Bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 11,799
    Graduates: 2,059
    Location: Missoula, MT
    Nickname: Grizzlies
    Colors: Maroon & Silver
    Stadium: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)

    12/29/10
    Montana St. 75, Weber St. 72
    Box Score | Photos
    Associated Press
    BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Cody Anderson scored a career-high 15 points and Bobby Howard had 14 points and 13 rebounds as Montana State edged Weber State 75-72 in the Big Sky opener for both Wednesday night.

    Rod Singleton added 10 points for the Bobcats (7-6), who snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats.

    Lindsey Hughey had a career-high 21 points and added 10 rebounds to lead Weber State (6-6) while Scott Bamforth had 14 points and Kyle Bullinger finished with 13.

    Weber State trailed 72-64 with 1 minute to play before rallying to within 74-72 with 10 seconds left. Hughey scored six points during the 8-2 run. After Montana State added a free throw, the Wildcats had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but Bamforth's 3 was off line.

    The Bobcats trailed 34-33 at halftime but opened the second half with a 13-8 run and led the rest of the way.

    12/28/10
    Weber at Montana State, Wed, 7 PM
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter
    Tomorrow night at 7 PM Weber State will open up conference play with a game at Montana State in Bozeman, MT. The game will be the 106th all-time meeting between the 2 schools. Only Idaho State and Montana have played Weber more times than the Bobcats or any other school in the nation.

    Last season, the 'Cats swept the Bobcats with a 75-71 victory in Bozeman and a 75-62 New Year's Eve win in Ogden.

    Weber's all-time record against Montana State is 71-34 overall, 44-11 in Ogden, and 27-23 at MSU. Randy Rahe is 13-6 against the Montanas, 7-3 vs MSU and 6-3 vs UM. The last time WSU didn't get the W in Bozeman was a 63-48 loss on Jan 18, 2007.

    Preseason Polls
    In the Big Sky preseason polls Montana State was picked to finish 5th by the coaches and media and WSU was picked 1st. Athlon Sports College Basketball magazine picked Montana State to take 6th with Weber on top expected to repeat as Big Sky champs.

    Athlon on MSU:Bobby Howard, a senior forward and first-team all-league pick, is back after averaging 14.3 points and 5.8 rebounds last winter. So is 6'5" senior Erik Rush (11.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg). But with eight new players on his roster, coach Brad Huse will need Rod Singleton, a first-year junior college transfer and highly touted point guard, to figure things out in a hurry. If he does, the Bobcats could surprise a lot of naysayers who believe the graduation losses of Marquis Navarre, Branden Johnson and Will Bynum are too much to overcome.

    Montana State Bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 10,842
    Postgraduates: 1,408
    Location: Bozeman, MT
    Nickname: Bobcats
    Colors: Blue & Gold
    Stadium: Worthington Arena (6,378)

    Notable alumni of Montana State include Dennis Erickson, current head football coach at Arizona State, Craig Kilborn the actor and former talk show host played basketball for the Bobcats. Also, the Big Sky's only school to ever win a national championship in men's basketball was MSU in 1929.

    12/21/10
    No. 23 BYU 72, Weber St. 66
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Jimmer Fredette scored 28 points, including a pair of free throws down the stretch and the No. 23 BYU Cougars held off Weber State 72-66 on Tuesday night.

    BYU, which bounced back from an 86-79 loss to UCLA on Saturday, improved to 11-1. The Wildcats fell to 6-5.

    The game was supposed to be a matchup of marquee point guards, with two NBA scouts on hand to watch Fredette and Weber State star Damian Lillard. But Lillard, who was leading the Big Sky Conference in scoring at 21.5 points a game, suffered a season-ending foot injury last week and is scheduled to undergo surgery on Sunday.

    Still, the Wildcats refused to give in.

    After trailing by 17 points in the second half, the Wildcats pulled within 67-63 on Scott Bamforth's 3-pointer with 2:30 to play.

    When Fredette missed a 3-pointer with 1:25 left then was called for an offensive foul, Weber State had a chance to cut it to a single possession. But Byron Fulton was called for a travel and Jackson Emery's free throw bumped BYU's lead to six.

    Kyle Bullinger's driving layup with 12 seconds left pulled Weber State within 70-66, but Fredette was fouled immediately and made both free throws for the final margin of victory.

    Bamforth, who moved into the starting lineup after Lillard's injury, led Weber State with 17 points. Lindsey Hughey added 15 points and six rebounds for the Wildcats, and Darin Mahoney had five blocks and seven rebounds.

    Mahoney and B.J. Porter set the tone from the beginning. Mahoney had two blocks in the first four minutes and Porter blocked Emery's shot from behind during a Cougar fastbreak.

    But BYU grabbed the offensive rebound and scored for an 11-7 lead. From there, BYU went on a 11-4 run, capped by Fredette's 3-pointer, to take a 22-11 lead with 7:51 left in the half.

    Fredette scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half, and hit five 3-pointers to lead all scorers.

    12/20/10
    Tuesday Night, #23 BYU at Weber State
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV & KJZZ | Twitter | Fan Contest!
    Since 1973, the 'Cats and Cougars have played each other 35 times. The Wildcats are 10-25 overall and 10-7 in Ogden. Weber's last win against BYU was 2003 winning the game 75-69 after a 15 point halftime lead. WSU went on to win 16 more in a row that year to have the nation's 2nd longest win streak. The following stats are since 1964 which was the first year WSU competed as a 4-year institution as well as WSU's first year in Division I basketball.

    Weber State vs Brigham Young
    Since 1964
    WSU
    BYU
    Overall Wins
    878
    851
    Last Tournament Appearance
    2007
    2010
    Last Tournament Win
    1999
    2010
    Tournament Appearances
    14
    22
    Tournament Wins
    6
    8
    Highest Tournament Seed
    7
    4
    Conference Titles
    19
    17
    20 Win Seasons
    23
    24
    Winning Seasons
    39
    37
    Losing Seasons
    8
    10
    Best Record
    27-3
    30-6
    Worst Record
    7-22
    1-25
    Undefeated in Conference
    2
    0

    12/19/10
    BYU at Weber on KJZZ
    Weber State (6-4) will host BYU (10-1) on Tuesday at the Dee Events Center at 7 pm. The game will be televised on KJZZ. The last WSU game to air on KJZZ was December 3, 2008, which was the last time BYU played at Weber State in the annual home-and-home series which dates back to 1974. The two teams have played each other every year since '74 except for 1979 and 1980. In 1979 and 1980 Weber won back-to-back Big Sky titles with 25-9 and 26-3 records respectively. In both years the 'Cats were 7-seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The 1980 team finished the season nationally ranked 17th.

    Weber State is 10-25 all-time vs BYU and 10-7 in Ogden.

    12/18/10
    'Cats Beat USW By 40
    No Lillard, no problem for Wildcats
    Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner

    12/18/10
    Southwest at WSU, Tonight, 7:30 PM
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter
    Weber State's first ever meeting with the University of the Southwest takes place tonight in the second act of a double-header. The WSU women's team will play Boise State at 5 pm followed by the men's game at 7:30 pm.

    The USW Mustangs are 1-3 in conference play and 6-5 overall with a one game winning streak. WSU will be their first DI opponent and they will play at McNeese State on Dec 21. Last season USW finished 7th of 11 in the RRAC with a 10-10 record and 12-16 overall.

    USW Bio
    Established: 1956
    Location: Hobbs, NM
    Type: Private, Non-Denominational
    Nickname: Mustangs
    Colors: Blue & Red
    Conference: Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC)
    Classification: NAIA

    Weber State Plagued With Injuries
    Weber State is having an unfortunate season full of injuries unlike any season in recent years. Damian Lillard is out for the season with a broken foot. Scott Bamforth played injured against SUU after separating his shoulder the day before. Bamforth has separated his shoulder two times this season with the first being prior to the regular season starting. Bamforth didn't dress for Tulsa and may not be back on the court until the BYU game on Tuesday. Trevor Morris and Kyle Tresnak had ankle issues against Tulsa and Lindsey Hughey reaggravated his ankle sprain at Tulsa that originally happened in Anchorage against Arizona State.

    All players on the roster minus Lillard and Bamforth are expected to play tonight. Lillard is tentatively scheduled for foot surgery on Dec 26. A Jones Fracture requires 10-12 weeks of healing to make sure the bone is solid. Whether or not Lillard can get a medical redshirt is unknown at this time but odds are against him considering WSU has played 9 of its 28 game schedule thus far.

    12/17/10
    Damian Lillard's Season Ending Injury
    ESPN.com: Foot surgery to end Damian Lillard's season
    "Weber State guard Damian Lillard is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a broken foot, a team spokesman said Friday.

    Lillard, the reigning Big Sky player of the year, suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot during Thursday's 81-79 overtime loss at Tulsa. He is tentatively scheduled undergo surgery to have a screw inserted in the foot Dec. 26 and need 10 to 12 weeks for the bone to heal.

    The 6-foot-2 junior entered the Tulsa game ranked 20th in the nation in scoring averaging 21.5 points per game, but was injured with 16:08 left in the second half going for a loose ball after scoring five points in 21 minutes.

    Lillard, who returned to campus Friday to visit with the team's orthopedic surgeon, also led defending Big Sky regular-season Weber State in assists and steals."


    12/16/10
    Hughey's Half Court Buzzer Beater Not Enough
    Tulsa 81, Weber St. 79, OT

    Associated Press
    TULSA, Okla. -- Justin Hurtt scored a career-high 36 points as Tulsa snapped a three-game losing streak by edging Weber State 81-79 in overtime on Thursday night.

    Steven Idlet added 14, including a jumper with 35 seconds left that gave the Golden Hurricane (5-5) a 74-70 lead. Hurtt went 10 for 10 on free throws in overtime to keep the Wildcats (5-4) at bay.

    Lindsey Hughey led Weber State with 20 points, including three 3-pointers in the final 12 seconds. Trevor Morris added 15 points and Byron Fulton 11.Weber State led 58-50 on a jumper by Morris with 7:50 left in regulation, but Hurtt led Tulsa back.

    A jumper by Hurtt gave the Hurricane its first lead of the second half at 59-58 and another by Tim Peete made it 61-58.

    Weber State's B.J. Porter tied it with a 3-pointer with 3:37 to go in the half and each team made just one basket the rest of the way.

    12/15/10
    Weber at Tulsa, Thurs, 6 PM
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Game Tracker | Twitter | TV: None
    Weber State tips off Thursday night in its first ever matchup with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The 4-5 Hurricane have DI wins over Oral Roberts, Missouri State, Stanford and former Big Sky member CS Northridge. Tulsa has lost its last three games and two of them at home; overall they are 2-3 at home thus far. Tulsa has losses to Appalachian State, UNLV, AR-Little Rock, Oklahoma State and Princeton.

    Last Sunday Tulsa's loss at home to Princeton was an 82-78 heart-breaker in double overtime. Post game comments from Doug Wojcik, Tulsa Head Coach:

    "Tough afternoon for TU Basketball. Injuries continue to plague us. Our kids fought back and made two big threes to give us a chance to win the game. We've got to do more of the little things throughout the course of the game to build a lead and then put people away. We did a nice job handling the basketball. We didn't turn it over too much with 50 minutes of playing time. Again, we're not shooting free throws particularly well. Give Princeton credit. They hung in there and found a way to win. We had a tough time guarding Kareem Maddox and Ian Hummer, which we knew about. We talked about it all week. It's just a very disappointing loss."

    Tulsa was picked to finish 4th in Conference USA by Athlon Sports this season and they have won 20 or more games each of the last four seasons.

    Justin Hurtt a 6-4 200 pound senior guard was selected as a 2011 Conference USA preseason First Teamer. Hurtt is averaging 18 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, .437 FG% and .373 3P%. Steve Idlet a 6-11 junior center is averaging 13.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg and has two double-doubles. Scottie Haralson, 6-4 227 lb soph guard averages 12.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, .411 FG% and .375 3P%. Another player on the squad also averaging double figures is Jordan Clarkson a 6-4 185 lb freshman guard who averages 12.3 ppg, 2 apg, 1.9 rpg, .448 FG% and .333 3P%.

    Weber is 1-3 all-time vs CUSA with a win against Rice (72-66 2OT, 1998-99), a loss to Southern Miss (68-49, 2008-09) and two losses to UTEP (74-63, 1965-66; 73-38, 1966-67).

    Tulsa Bio
    Established: 1894
    Location: Tulsa, OK
    Type: Private, Presbyterian
    Undergraduates: 2,987
    Nickname: Golden Hurricane
    Colors: Old Gold, Royal Blue, Yellow & Crimson
    Arena: Donald W. Reynolds Center, capacity: 8,355
    Conference: Conference USA
    Mascot: Captain Cane

    In the 2003 NCAA Tournament Weber and Tulsa played in the same two-game session. WSU as a 12-seed lost to 5-seed Wisconsin 81-74 and 13-seed Tulsa beat 4-seed Dayton 84-71. Tulsa lost in the second round to Wisconsin 61-60.

    Tulsa has the lowest enrollment of any DI FBS school in the nation

    12/15/10
    Darin Mahoney, Big Sky Player of the Week
    From the Big Sky Conference's official site by Jon Kasper
    WSU's Mahoney Wins Honor
    BigSkyConf.com

    11/14/10
    Wildcat Wall: Fan Contest
    Win A WSU Signed Ball!

    WeberHoops.com is proud to announce an opportunity for Wildcat fans to win an authentic purple and yellow basketball autographed by the Wildcat men's basketball team.

    On Tuesday, December 21st, the Wildcats host the 16th ranked BYU Cougars. And the fans who bring a sign to the game will have a chance to win an autographed ball.

    To enter the contest, simply email a picture of the sign that shows it was at the Weber/BYU game to mark@weberhoops.com. The winning sign will be one that is considered original and/or funny.

    Signs that are disrespectful and of poor sportsmanship will be disqualified from the contest. Pictures of signs submitted will be posted on WeberHoops.com, and the winning contestant will be notified via email by December 28th. We will accept contest entries up until December 24th.

    Special thanks to the Weber State Book Store for giving us a discount on the ball. And a special thanks to Coach Rahe for having his players sign the ball.

    Good luck, Wildcat fans!

    12/13/10
    Thursday Night, Shai Fields On ESPN
    Weber State signee Shai Fields' Yates High School (Houston, TX), will play Findlay Prep (Henderson, NV) on Thursday night at 7 pm on ESPN. ESPN is showing six appearances of the nation's top three teams in the preseason POWERADE FAB 50. In the POWERADE FAB 50 high school basketball national rankings has Yates at #18 and Findlay is #4. The nationally televised game will take place at Texas Southern University in Houston.

    In the POWERADE FAB 50 top 20 regional rankings they have Yates High at #2 in the Southwest Region Top 20. The Southwest Region includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

    Last season Yates was #1 as the FAB 50 champion with a 34-0 record and Texas 4A state champion. They currently have won 64 games in-a-row.

    ESPN's 2010-11 Preseason FAB 50 Outlook
    27. Yates (Houston, Texas)
    Last Season's Record: 34-0, Class 4A state champion
    Top Player: SF Clyde Santee (6-6, Jr.)
    Outlook: Graduation losses are plenty, but with coach Greg Wise's system of pressing and quick rotations off a 12-deep club, returnees such as Santee, SG Shai Fields (6-3, Sr.) and PF Charles Lewis (6-6, Sr.) are prepared to step up. Last season Yates set national records for scoring average (116.2) and consecutive 100-point games (15), but the Lions displayed the ability to win close ones as well.


    In the West Region Top 20 there are no teams from the state of Utah ranked.

    12/12/10
    Sunday Scores, Dec 12
    San Jose State 70, Eastern Washington 69
    San Francisco 50, Montana 48, OT
    #17 Illinois 86, Northern Colorado 76
    Portland State 93, CS Fullerton 89

    12/11/10
    Saturday Scores, Dec 11
    Weber State 77, Southern Utah 71
    USC 60, Northern Arizona 52
    Idaho State 78, UMKC 57

    12/10/10
    Weber State at Southern Utah
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Twitter | TV: None
    Saturday night at 7:30 pm the (4-3) Wildcats will travel down to Cedar to play the (2-6) Thunderbirds of Southern Utah. Currently SUU has lost 2 straight conference games (Oakland, IPFW) after getting a win in the 7th/8th place game at the Great Alaska Shootout against Houston Baptist. Weber and SUU have met on the hardwood 26 times since 1982. Weber leads the series with a record of 20-6. In Ogden, WSU is 15-2 and 5-4 in Cedar City. Tomorrow's game will be Coach Rahe's 5th against the T-Birds and he is 3-1 overall with the lone loss being the first game of the series back in 2007. Rahe is 81-50 overall with WSU and 32-39 on the road.

    WSU vs SUU All-Time Games
    Rahe vs SUU
    2010: WSU 84-66
    2009: WSU 66-62
    2007: SUU 75-63, WSU 59-57

    The T-birds are led by 4th year head coach Roger Reid who is 30-67 at SUU and 182-143 as a DI coach. Reid graduated from Weber State in 1968 with a BS in Physical Education and played for the Wildcats under former WSU coach Dick Motta.

    Reid Coaching Experience
    Head Coach, Southern Utah 2007-Present
    Head Coach, Snow College 2005-07
    Head Coach, Hangzhou (Chinese League) 2003-05
    Assistant Coach, Phoenix Suns 1998-2003
    Head Coach, Brigham Young 1989-97
    Assistant Coach, Brigham Young 1978-1989
    Clearfield High School, Head Coach 1974-78
    Payson High School, Head Coach 1971-7

    SUU received and accepted a formal invitation to join the Big Sky Conference along with the University of North Dakota beginning in the fall of 2012. UC Davis and Cal Poly also have accepted invitations as football only members.

    SUU Conference History
    1923 Joined Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference
    1963 Moved to four-year competition, became an NAIA Independent
    1967 Joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
    1986 Joined the Western Football Conference (football only)
    1986 Became an NCAA Division II Independent in all sports but football
    1988 Became an NCAA Division I Independent in all sports but football
    1993 Joined the American West Conference as a charter member as football moves to Division I
    1996 Became an NCAA Division I Independent
    1997 Joined the Mid-Continent Conference, which later became The Summit League
    2002 Gymnastics joins the Western Gymnastics Conference as a charter member
    2004 Football joins the Great West Football Conference as a charter member
    2006 Gymnastics joined the Western Athletic Conference
    2010 Announced the University will join the Big Sky Conference

    T-Bird Bio
    Established: 1897
    Location: Cedar City, UT
    Nickname: Thunderbirds
    Colors: Red & White
    Undergraduates: 6,490
    Postgraduates: 567
    Conference: Summit League

    12/4/10
    WSU 65, Seattle 61
    Cold-shooting Weber rallies past Seattle
    Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune

    12/4/10
    Saturday Scores, Dec 4
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter
    Iowa 70, Idaho State 53
    Weber State 65, Seattle 61
    Illinois State 62, Montana State 56
    Northern Arizona 91 Bethany 50
    Utah Valley 77, Sac State 52
    Northern Colorado 84, Black Hills St 52
    Eastern Washington 112, New Hope Christian 41

    12/3/10
    Seattle at Weber State, Sat, 2 PM
    Seattle University (3-7) comes to Ogden with wins against Oregon State, Navy and Montana State. Weber State (3-3) will attempt to avenge last year's 91-87 loss at the Key Arena in Seattle. Last year's Seattle team had 17 wins but had a huge loss with Charles Garcia leaving for the pros after his junior year. Garcia's 18.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg will be hard to make up for and with seven losses in 10 games the Redhawks are struggling.

    Weber State is 9-6 all-time against Seattle. In 1968-69 the two teams played each other three times. The regular season was a split and in the post season WSU beat Seattle in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.

    SU moved up to DI in 2008-09 after spending the past 30 years between the NAIA and DII ranks. SU had a DI men's basketball team from 1950 to 1980. From 1950 to 1971 SU was an Independent; from 1971 to 1980 Seattle was a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The 1958 SU team led by Elgin Baylor made it to the Final 4 where they knocked off #1 ranked Kansas State before losing the title game to Kentucky. In 1966 Texas Western's "glory road" to winning the national title was almost perfect. TWU's lone loss on the season was to Seattle U. During the 1960's, SU sent more players to the NBA than any other school.

    SU is reclassifying from Division II to Division I right now and the move will take five years and should be complete in 2012-13. Prior to last season SU hired Cameron Dollar, a former assistant at University of Washington. Dollar was a top candidate for Sac State before they hired Brian Katz.

    SU would like to be reunited as a member of the West Coast Conference, which is made up of small, private, religiously affiliated schools. The WCC is a non-football conference.

    Seattle Bio
    Established: 1891
    Location: Seattle, WA
    Type: Private, Jesuit
    Undergraduates: 7,751
    Nickname: Redhawks
    Colors: Scarlet & White
    Arena: Key Arena, capacity: 17,072
    Conference: Independent

    11/28/10
    'Cats Finish 3rd At Great Alaska Shootout
    Associated Press
    ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Damian Lillard hit two free throws after a technical foul with 5.7 seconds left Saturday night and Weber State defeated Drake 82-81 for third place in the Carrs-Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.

    Drake (2-3) thought it had the game won when Lillard, who finished the game with 31 points, drove the lane and was called for an offensive foul.

    But Bulldogs forward Aaron Hawley spiked the ball after the whistle and was called for the technical. Referees reviewed the play before confirming the call.

    Weber State (3-3) trailed 46-34 at halftime but rallied behind Lillard's 27 second-half points. Scott Bamforth had 22 for the Wildcats and Byron Fulton had 14.

    Rayvonte Rice led Drake with 21 points. Ryan Wedel had 17 points and Hawley had 15 points and six rebounds.

    11/27/10
    For 3rd Place: Weber State vs Drake, 7:30 PM
    Tourney Bracket |Scoreboard | Radio | Twitter | Streaming Online | TV: Altitude 2/Fox Sports AZ
    Weber lost a 59-58 heart-breaker to Arizona State losing its lead with 8 seconds left in the game and missed a buzzer shot. The 'Cats will need to regroup for its game against Drake less than 24 hours later.

    SUU and Houston Baptist will play for 7th and 8th place (2 pm). Alaska Anchorage and Ball State will play for 4th and 6th place (4 pm). WSU & Drake will duke it out for 3rd and 5th (7:30 pm) and St. John's and Arizona State will battle for the title (10 pm).

    There are four other Big Sky games on today. Montana State lost today to Iowa State 81-59 and Northern Colorado beat Bethune-Cookman 69-45. At 4 pm Eastern Washington will host Idaho and at 8 pm Cal Poly will play at Sacramento State.

    11/27/10
    Arizona St. 59, Weber St. 58
    Associated Press
    ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Trent Lockett matched his career high with 24 points, including the game-winning basket with 8.4 seconds left, and Arizona State defeated Weber State 59-58 Friday night in the semifinals of the Carrs-Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.

    Weber State (2-3) took just its third lead of the game, 58-57, when Damian Lillard hit two free throws with 17.5 seconds left.

    The Sun Devils (3-1) inbounded and Lockett drove the left side of the lane. He banked a layup off the glass and in, and was fouled. He missed the free throw but Lillard missed a 3-pointer as time ran out.

    The game featured a dozen ties. Arizona led 57-52 with 3:57 remaining on a free throw by Lockett, but didn't score again until Lockett's game-winner.

    Jamelle McMillan added 16 points for the Sun Devils and Rihards Kuksiks had 11. Scott Bamforth scored 15 to lead the Wildcats.

    11/26/10
    Weber State vs Arizona State, 10 PM
    Tourney Bracket |Scoreboard | Radio | Twitter | Streaming Online | TV: Altitude 2/Fox Sports AZ
    On Day 2 of the Great Alaska Shootout Weber beat Alaska Anchorage by 32 and Arizona State beat Houston Baptist 73-55. Of the four games played so far, three of the four have been blow outs. Only St. John's and Ball State had a close game which ended in overtime.

    Tonight at 7:30 in semifinal #1 Drake and St. John's play to see who goes to the championship tomorrow. Semifinal #2 will follow at 10 pm with Weber and ASU. Earlier in the day on the consolation side of the bracket, SUU will play Ball State and Houston Baptist will meet the host Seawolves of UAA.

    Arizona State (2-1) will play WSU for the first time since 1997. In ASU's 73-55 win on the annual day of turkey over Houston Baptist, Ty Abbott (senior first-team All-Pac-10) didn't play due to a knee contusion. Trent Lockett had a team-high 18 points, nine boards and six assists while Kyle Cain came off the bench with 13 points and 17 boards. Cain's 17 boards are the fourth most in a game in the ASU record books. Keala King, also off the bench added 13 points and five assists.

    WSU and ASU have split the only two games that have been played and both were at ASU. ASU beat the 'Cats 88-79 on Dec 22, 1997, while WSU beat the Sun Devils 59-56 on Dec 3, 1969.

    ASU head coach Herb Sendek is 330-214 in his 18th year as a DI head coach. Sendek has been at ASU the same amount of time Rahe has been at WSU. Sendek's record at ASU is 78-57 with three consecutive 20 win seasons after winning just eight games his first year. Coach Rahe is 79-49 with three 20 win seasons in the past four years and three Big Sky titles. In Sendek's four years ASU has had a 10th, 5th, 3rd and 2nd place finish in the PAC 10. Both coaches will be looking to get win #80 in Alaska.

    Weber is 2-14 against the PAC 10: Washington 0-1, Arizona State 1-1,Washington State 0-1, California 0-1,Oregon 0-2,Stanford 0-0, Arizona 0-3,Oregon State 1-3, UCLA 0-2,USC 0-0.

    Sun Devil Bio
    Established: 1885
    Students: 70,440
    Nickname: Sun Devils
    Colors: Maroon & Gold
    Conference: Pac 10

    11/26/10
    Athlon's ASU Preseason Outlook
    Athlon Sports Magazine 2010-11 Preview has Arizona State picked to finish 4th in the Pac 10. Jamelle McMillan is picked as the most underrated player of the year, Ty Abbott to the All-Pac 10 First Team and Rihards Kuksiks to the All-Pac 2nd team.

    Athlon expects ASU to have many good players at the guard positions fighting for minutes while the bigs will be their weakness for 2010-11. ASU's starting 4 in Rihards Kuksiks is only 6'6". The Sun Devils don't return a single big man that played significant minutes from last season. When Pac 10 play begins ASU might have to bank on back up center 7'2" freshman Jordan Bachynski who has been out of basketball the past 2 years while gone on his LDS mission. Kyle Cain a 6'7 freshman forward will come off the bench. Carrick Felix is a JC transfer from the College of Southern Idaho who originally committed to Duke is an impact player.

    Athlon's Final Analysis
    Sendek has almost miraculously raised the Sun Devil program from the dead and won 20 games in three of his four seasons in Tempe. To do so again, however, will be a tall task.

    ASU's non-conference schedule is considerabley tougher than it has been in the past - the Devils will play in the Great Alaska Shootout and travel to New Mexico and Baylor - and the lack of size and skill in the frontcourt could be terminal. But Sendek gets more out of his players - and his system - than any other coach in the Pac 10. His matchup zone defense will keep the Sun Devils in games while he slowly brings along his freshmen, particularly Bachynski.

    Given how young ASU is, an NCAA Tournament berth is probably out of the question. But don't be surprised if the sun Devils over-achieve and win 17 or 18 games.


    ASU Probable Starters
    Rihards Kuksiks F 6-6 210 Sr
    Carrick Felix F 6-6 180 So
    Ruslan Pateev C 7-0 231 So
    Jamelle McMillan G 6-2 180 Sr
    Trent Lockett G 6-4 211 So

    WSU Starters
    Kyle Bullinger F 6-6 215 Jr
    Darin Mahoney F 6-8 225 Jr
    Trevor Morris C 6-9 245 Sr
    Damian Lillard G 6-2 185 Jr
    Lindsey Hughey G 6-3 200 Sr

    11/25/10
    Weber St. 86, Alaska-Anchorage 54
    Associated Press
    ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Lindsey Hughey and Byron Fulton scored 14 points apiece as Weber State defeated Alaska-Anchorage 86-54 on Thursday night in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout.

    Damian Lillard added 11 and Kyle Bullinger 10 for the Wildcats (2-2), who shot 59.3 percent (35 of 59).

    Taylor Rohde scored a game-high 19 for the host Seawolves (1-3). Mario Gill added 12.

    The Wildcats won the rebounding battle 35-23.

    Weber State scored the first seven points, and the lead reached double figures when Kyle Tresnak's basket made it 19-8 with 9:54 left in the first half. The Wildcats pushed it to 37-23 at halftime, closing on a 6-1 run.

    The Seawolves climbed within 48-39 with 14:42 to play, but Weber State ripped off 18 of the next 20 points for a 66-41 edge with 9:05 to go.

    Weber State will face Arizona State in the semifinals.

    11/25/10
    WSU vs Alaska Anchorage, 9:30 PM
    Tourney Bracket |Scoreboard | Radio | Twitter | Streaming Online | TV: Fox Sports
    Early this morning before 3 am the first half of the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout completed. Drake beat SUU 78-59. St. John's took down Ball State 78-73 in what would be considered an overtime thriller but after 2 am who was really still awake?

    Drake and St. John's will meet in the semifinal and SUU and Ball State will meet in the consolation semifinal.

    Tonight's doubleheader will be Houston Baptist vs Arizona State at 7 pm and Weber State vs Alaska Anchorage at 9:30 pm. The game can be found on the following TV networks: Fox College Sports /DIRECTV Sports Pak/Dish Network Multi-Sport Pak/AT&T U-Verse. Today's winners will meet in the semifinal and the losers will play each other in the consolation semifinal.

    Full TV schedule

    11/24/10
    Can Anyone Stop Lillard?
    After 3 games played, Damian Lillard is averaging 27 points per game which is #3 in the nation. Orlando Johnson of UC Santa Barbara is #6 averaging 26.3 ppg. Johnson is the younger brother to former Weber State guard Robbie Johnson. Jimmer Fredette is #13 with 23.3 ppg.

    Lillard stat line: 33.7 MPG, 27.0 PPG, 8.3 FGM, 15.0 FGA, .556 FG%, 3.7 3PM, 7.0 3PA, .524 3P%, 6.7 FTM, 7.7 FTA, .870 FT%.

    As a team, Weber State is #8 in the nation for free-throw percentage at .808. SUU is #1 shooting .875, Utah is #4, Northern Colorado is #11, UVU is #15 and Portland State is 23rd.

    Weber State ranks #25 in the nation for 3-point field goal percentage shooting .421. NAU is #5 at .470.

    11/23/10
    WSU vs Anchorage on Thanksgiving
    On Thanksgiving night WSU will take on host University of Alaska, Anchorage. The tournament begins on Wednesday with Southern Utah against Drake and Ball State vs St. John's.

    Thursday will be Houston Baptist vs Arizona State with Weber State vs Alaska Anchorage to follow.

    Weber's opening opponent, the Seawolves, are the only DII team in the tournament. This is the 33rd annual Great Alaska Shootout. UAA is 30-66 all-time in the tournament. In 26 of the last 32 shootouts UAA has won at least one game. UAA's best finish was 4th place which the Seawolves have done five times (1986, 1987, 1991, 2003, 2009). Four times UAA has won the first round game (1979, Pacific; 1990, Texas Tech; 1993, Wake Forest; 1996, Maine).

    UAA's all-time wins: Auburn (1989), Canisius (2003), Dayton (1992), Grambling State (1999), High Point (2004), Idaho (1991), Iona (1988), Jackson State (1994), Louisiana Tech (2008), Miami, Fla. (1987), Missouri (1985), Missouri-Kansas City (2006), Montana (2002), New Mexico (1983), Nicholls State (1980, 2009), Notre Dame (1998), Penn State (1978), Rhode Island (2000), Santa Clara (1991), Southern Illinois (2005), Texas State (1987, 2003), Texas (1986), TCU (1995) and Washington (1986).

    UAA is 50-131 all-time vs DI. The biggest Seawolves win in school history was in 1989 when they beat #2 Michigan at the Utah Seiko Classic. Michigan won the national title that year. UAA's head coach at the time was former WSU coach Ron Abegglen (1986-1991). Abegglen became WSU's head coach in 1991.

    Last season UAA had a 17-10 record and finished 5th place with an 8-8 record in conference play. In the Great Alaska Shootout, UAA beat Nichols State and lost to Houston and Washington State.

    Only three times in the past 32 tournaments has there been a tournament champion that was a traditional mid-major school (1981, Southwestern Louisiana; 2002, College of Charleston; 2007, Butler). Twenty-five of the 32 champions have come from schools that have FBS football teams that compete in BCS conferences.

    Notable Great Alaska Shootout MVP's: 1980, Scott Hastings; 1983, Joe Kleine; 1985, Brad Daugherty; 1987, Sean Elliott; 1993, Glenn Robinson; 1995, Ray Allen; 1996, Ron Mercer; 1997, Antawn Jamison; 2001, Dwyane Wade; 2004, Nate Robinson; 2008, Kyle Spain.

    UAA Bio
    Established: 1954
    Undergraduates: 16,500
    Nickname: Seawolves
    Colors: Green & Gold
    Conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference
    Classification: Division II

    Weber State is 3-2 vs Anchorage with the last game being in 1995-96. WSU is 6-3 overall vs the state of Alaska including a 3-1 record against Fairbanks.

    WSU vs UAA
    1995-96 W 108-101
    1993-94 W 91-82
    1992-93 L 80-71
    1978-79 W 73-71
    1978-79 L 77-75

    WSU vs UA, Fairbanks
    2006-07 W 71-66 OT
    2002-03 L 77-65
    1978-79 W 80-57
    1978-79 W 69-63

    11/21/10
    Alaska Tourney TV Schedule
    The University of Alaska-Anchorage has announced the TV schedule for the 33rd annual Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout basketball tournament which will take place during the Thanksgiving holidays in Anchorage. Twelve basketball games will take place in four days between the eight schools.

    All games will also be streamed live on GoSeawolves.com. The full tournament subscription package is available for $19.95 and single games can be viewed for $6.95.

    In the first round of the tournament starting on Nov 24th, SUU will play Drake and Ball State will take on St. John's. On Nov 25th, Weber will play host Anchorage and Houston Baptist will play Arizona State.

    Tv Schedule

    11/20/10
    Utah 90, Weber St. 75
    Associated Press
    SALT LAKE CITY -- Will Clyburn had a season-high 27 points and nine rebounds and Josh Watkins added 16 points and six assists to boost Utah over Weber State 90-75 on Saturday night.

    In his first three games with Utah, Clyburn has led the team in scoring each time and helped the Utes to their first 3-0 start since 2005-06. Jay Watkins added 12 points and Chris Hines 11.

    Damian Lillard led the Wildcats (1-2) with 28 points. Lindsey Hughey had 12.

    The ragged game had 36 turnovers and just 17 assists, and the Utes actually had more free throw attempts (45) than field goal tries (42). Clyburn made 14 of 15 from the line as the Utes went 40 of 45 in their highest-scoring game since beating BYU 94-88 on Jan. 27, 2009.

    Byron Fulton scored a season-best 11, including 10 in the first half, to keep the Wildcats in the game.

    11/19/10
    Wildcats Take On Runnin' Utes in SLC On Saturday
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Fans Forum | Twitter | TV: None
    The 2010-11 season marks Utah's 103rd season of men's hoops and Weber's 49th. Tomorrow night's game will be the 39th meeting between the two schools dating back to the 1973. Coach Rahe was an assistant for the Utes under Ray Giacoletti from 2004-2006. Rahe is 1-3 vs Utah as a head coach. Utah's Jim Boylen is 2-1 against Rahe and the Wildcats.

    Weber State is 13-25 all-time against Utah and 10-8 at home. Weber will attempt its second win in-a-row against Utah after winning last year's game 83-76 at the Dee Events Center. WSU's last win in Salt Lake was a 79-77 victory in 2000-01. The last game played in Salt Lake was in 2008-09, Weber lost 74-64. WSU and Utah were tied at 56 all with five minutes to go and then Utah's Tyler Kepkay scored back-to-back 3-pointers and then hit two free throws and scored a layup, giving the Utes a 68-59 lead that WSU never recovered from.

    This year's Utes are 2-0 with wins over Grand Canyon and Montana. Utah beat Montana on Wednesday 80-71.

    Utah Bio
    Established: 1850
    Undergraduates: 21,526
    Postgraduates: 6,685
    Nickname: Utes
    Colors: Red & White
    Conference: Mountain West
    10 highest winning % in NCAA Div I history
    1998 NCAA champion runner-up
    1944 NCAA National Champions

    Boylen's Coaching Experience
    2005-07 Michigan State assistant coach (under Tom Izzo), 2004-05 Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach,2003-04 Golden State Warriors assistant coach,1992-2003 Houston Rockets assistant coach, 1987-92 Michigan State assistant coach (under Jud Heathcote).

    Jud Heathcote was the head coach for Montana (1971-76) for 5 seasons, he lead UM to its first ever Big Sky championship in 1975. He became Michigan State's head coach in 1976 (and won the 1979 National Championship at the Huntsman Center) and 19 seasons later he would go on to lose the last game he would ever coach to 14-seed Weber State in the first round of the 1995 NCAA Tourney.

    11/18/10
    Potatoes Get New Basketball Court
    Idaho Central Credit Union Partners with ISU Athletics
    POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State Director of Athletics Jeff Tingey announced a partnership with Idaho Central Credit Union, on Monday, November 8. This partnership with ICCU will allow a new basketball court at Holt Arena to be built. Idaho Central Credit Union will own naming rights for the court at Holt and Reed Gym. The partnership is a substantial four year investment.

    Read More

    11/17/10
    WSU vs CCU Highlights


    11/17/10
    Montana at Utah, 7 PM
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Live Stats | Radio
    Since Weber is playing at Utah this Saturday at 4 pm we should pay attention to Utah's game vs the Griz tonight. We'll be able to see how both Utah and Montana are this year though we don't play the Griz until New Year's Eve. Utah is 1-0 thus far with a win over DII Grand Canyon. Montana is 0-1 with an 81-66 loss at Nevada. UM is yet to have a home game but will open things up in Missoula on the 19th hosting Montana Tech.

    11/16/10
    Weber St. 97, Colorado Christian 73
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 25 points and Weber State beat Colorado Christian in the Wildcats' home opener Tuesday night.

    Lillard, the Big Sky Conference's reigning MVP and leading returning scorer, hit a 3-pointer, a pair of free throws and a breakaway dunk to give Weber State (1-1) a 26-point lead with just over seven minutes remaining. The Wildcats stretched it to a game-high 27-point margin four minutes later to cruise to victory.

    Colorado Christian (0-1) got a game-high 13 points from sophomore guard Jeff Jefferson off the bench.Weber State used an 11-0 run to open the second half to get some separation from the Cougars after leading 31-30 at the break.

    Sophomore guard Scott Bamforth came off the bench to score 20 points, hitting 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Guard Lindsey Hughey added 14 points and center Trevor Morris had 13 for the Wildcats.

    11/16/10
    Colorado Christian at Weber State, 5:30 PM
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Radio | Big Sky TV | Twitter
    Tonight Weber State hosts Colorado Christian University at 5:30 pm in the first game of a doubleheader. The WSU women's team will play Utah at 8 pm. The first 2,500 fans in attendance at the games will receive a free Weber State schedule magnet.

    Colorado Christian University is a private, interdenominational Christian liberal arts school located in Lakewood, Colorado. In 1914 CCU was founded as the Denver Bible Institute. The CCU Cougars will be led by 6-7 junior Jobi Wall, who was selected as a preseason RMAC All-East 1st Team player. Tonight is CCU's first game.

    Weber State is 1-0 all-time vs CCU even though this will be the third ever meeting between the two schools. The first meeting on November 10, 2006, was Rahe's first ever game on the WSU sidelines. WSU won 83-57. Last year's game was an exhibition so it didn't count. WSU won 75-65.

    Cougar Bio
    Private School
    Undergraduates: 3,400
    Location: Lakewood, CO
    Conference: Rocky Mtn Athletic Conference
    NCAA Classification: Division II
    Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
    Nickname: Cougars

    WSU is 39-10 in season openers and 29-3 when opening the season at home. Losing to Utah State 66-60 last year in Ogden ended a 12 year streak of opening wins at home. The only losses came in 1991-92 against St. Mary's, 1997-98 to Utah and USU in 2009-10. WSU is 4-9 when opening the season on an opponent's home court. WSU is 4-1 in neutral court season openers.

    There are four other Big Sky games on tonight. Eastern Washington will play at #15 Washington, Alabama State at Northern Arizona, Wyoming at Northern Colorado and Bethany at Sacramento State.

    11/15/10
    Old Oquirrh Bucket Gets Retired
    The Old Oquirrh Bucket, once the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy in the state of Utah has been retired.

    Each year the trophy was awarded to the team that had the best win-loss record against in-state competition. The trophy was named after the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of Salt Lake City.

    The trophy was started in 1974 but there wasn't actually a real trophy to pass around until 1977 when Weber State won the bucket for the first time. A Weber fan made the trophy out of an old pioneer bucket by attaching a plaque which included a map of the state of Utah with the names of the four original schools - BYU, Utah, Utah State & Weber State College. Weber didn't become a university until 1991.

    According to today's Standard-Examiner the Utah schools have decided to retire the trophy due to recent changes in conference affiliation among schools in the state of Utah, and the differing schedules between those in-state schools.

    Utah announced on October 7th that they will discontinue the home-and-home series with Weber State and their future with USU is undetermined. Utah is currently Weber's 6th oldest rivalry which dates back to 1973. The Utes and 'Cats have played every year since 1976 except for 1993. Weber plays at Utah this Saturday and the Utes are scheduled to come to Ogden next year for the last time for the foreseeable future.

    11/13/10
    Utah St. 77, Weber St. 65
    Associated Press
    LOGAN, Utah -- Brockeith Pane scored 20 points and Tai Wesley added 19 to lead Utah State past in-state rival Weber State 77-65 Saturday night in the season opener for both schools.

    Paine also got a team-high four assists while Wesley snared a team-high nine rebounds for the Aggies. Damian Lillard led the Wildcats with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting.

    Weber State led throughout the first half, was up 36-29 at halftime and still in charge at 45-37 with 15:30 to play following a pair of 3-point shots by Lillard. Utah State then went on a 17-0 run over the next five minutes, keyed by eight points from Paine, for a 46-36 lead.

    The Wildcats closed to within 63-59 with 4:40 remaining, but Paine scored seven points in the final four minutes and Brian Green scored the Aggies' only 3-pointer in the game to keep Weber State at bay.

    11/13/10
    Weber State at Utah State, 7 PM
    Live Stats | Radio | TV: CW30 | Twitter
    WSU basketball fans that want to listen to the season opener in Logan against USU tonight at 7 pm can tune in to KLO 1430 AM for the live broadcast with The Wildcat, Carl Arky. The game will also be televised on CW30 with Mychal Clayton and Brooks Hansen calling the action.

    Aggies host rival 'Cats in opener
    Roy Burton, Standard-Examiner staff

    USU vs. WSU: Conference favorites face off tonight
    Andrew Aragon, Deseret News

    Wildcats Open 2010-11 Season
    WSU Athletics

    Ready or not, USU opens basketball season with Weber State
    The Herald Journal

    USU hoops: Weber State keys
    Tony Jones, Salt Lake Tribune

    11/11/10
    Three Players Sign National Letter of Intent
    Weber State Athletics Press Release
    Weber State Men's Basketball Signs Three Prep Guards to Letters of Intent

    Ogden, Utah - Weber State head men's basketball coach, Randy Rahe, has announced the signings of three outstanding high school senior guards to join the Wildcats next season and beyond.

    Mike Brown (6-2, 170) from Wasatch High School in Heber City, Utah, Shai Fields (6-4, 165) from Yates HS in Houston, Texas and Gelaun Wheelwright (6-1, 170) from Centennial HS in Corona, California each cast their lot with Weber State.

    "We are very excited about all three of these kids. Not only do they fit our needs for our future but they are all terrific fits for the type of people we want in our program," said Rahe. "We evaluate character, competitiveness, being good teammates and students very strongly, and all three of these kids have those intangibles that we look for in our players. All three of these athletes comes from a winning high school program which have excellent coaches who have prepared them for life at the collegiate level."

    Brown will play his senior season under Coach Norm Hayter. Last year as a junior, Brown was the Utah 3A Player of the Year averaging 16.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He led the Wasps to Region 10 championship and the 3A state championship.

    "Mike is tough and competitive, is a good athlete, and has a high skill level,"said Rahe. "He is a well rounded player who can affect the game in a lot ways. Mike has the unique ability to make his teammates better on both ends of the floor. He loves to defend and is willing to do whatever it takes to win. With some added weight and strength he is set to become a excellent multi-dimensional player for us. He's also a terrifc student with a 3.8 gpa."

    Fields is a combo guard who played at Pearland HS last season as a junior, averaging 17.6 points, three rebounds and two assists per game. He has transferred to perennial power Yates HS for his senior season where he will play under Coach Greg Wise. ESPN recruiting says he's a "...good athlete who plays with great energy and urgency."

    "Shai is a talented scorer, shooter with a high skill level. He is an excellent athlete with good size, length and has the ability, and hunger, to become a very good defender," Rahe said. "He loves to compete, loves to be in the gym working out. With some weight and strength, Shai has the potential to be make a strong impact in our program. He's is also a terrific student with a 3.2 GPA."

    Wheelwright will play at Centennial High this season for Coach Josh Giles. Last year as a junior he averaged 18.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. His team won the Big 8 championships and has a third place finish at the Max Preps Torrey Pines Classic in San Diego. He was named 2nd Team All-CIF and All-Big 8, and was a First Team All-Big 8 Academic Team member as well. ESPN recruiting said "...he has a scorers mentality and can put up a ton of points in a hurry, his handle is very good and has a nifty crossover move..."

    "Gelaun is a high level athlete with an excellent skill set. He's a very good shooter, but also has the quickness and explosiveness to go by people and make plays," said Rahe. "He has the physical ability to become a defensive stopper. Gelaun is also very competitive and has shown the ability to raise his level of play against top flight competition. Like Mike and Shai, with some added weight and strength, he too has the potential to become an impact player in our program. He too, is a great student in the classroom with a 3.2 gpa."

    11/11/10
    Stew Morrill Talks About Weber State
    Utah State head coach Stew Morrill talks about Weber State today in a press conference in Logan.

    Thoughts on playing against Weber State in the season opener...
    "Weber is a good basketball team, I have nothing but respect for the league that they play in and the winning tradition that Weber State has. When you look at the tradition Weber State has had going back to the coaches they have had some greats, Dick Motta, Gene Visscher, Phil Johnson, Neal McCarthy, and now Randy Rahe. Randy certainly fits right in with that group. He always gives me far to much credit for helping him in his career and he is his own man. He does a great job of running that program and it's a good marriage between the two. I am happy that Weber State recognized his value and have rewarded him with a long-term contract. He does a lot of things really well and his team reflects that because they do things very well. They are an athletic team and they have a premiere player who is as good as any player in the state of Utah. They cause a lot of problems with their ability to shoot three's, their ability to rebound the ball, and their athleticism. They run a lot of good plays, some of which we are familiar with and others we aren't. I was telling our players that we are playing a lot of teams on our schedule that are picked to either win their league or contend right at the top of their leagues. We start our season right away with Weber State coming in picked as the favorite to win their conference. I think when you open up at home against a good team like this, that creates a sense of urgency as to how we are going to react when we play against a good team."

    Thoughts on Weber State guard Damian Lillard...
    "He is a very good guard who makes plays, he can shoot the basketball, and he can get on a roll, much like Jaycee Carroll, where it doesn't matter if you have a hand in his face. What we are going to have to do is make him earn every basket he gets. I don't think that we did that last year in the second half of our game in Logan, he just went off and got them right back into the game. Once he was rolling there wasn't a whole lot that we could do about it. Like I said he isn't just a good shooter, he can take the ball to the basket, he can make plays for his teammates and he can pass the ball extremely well. I think he is the best player in that league and they still have him for several more years. We have a whole lot of respect for that young man but he certainly isn't the only player they have on that team. Kyle Bullinger has been around a long time, Darin Mahoney is a tough kid, Trevor Morris has played a lot of basketball and they have a lot of talent. You don't get picked to win your league if you have just Lillard, they have a lot of weapons."

    Thoughts on Weber State's newcomers...
    "I like their new guys, I don't know if I'd be able to single just one of them out. I have been able to watch both of their exhibition games and I'm sure that Randy has watched both of ours. I know that they have a new guard who they are very high on who has been struggling with a shoulder issue and I'm not sure if he is going to be able to play in our game our not. Most of the newcomers to that team are freshman, but they are good freshman that have a bright future. They have certainly recruited well."

    11/8/10
    The Stats: Weber State vs Utah State
    Weber State will open the 2010-11 basketball season playing Utah State in Logan on Saturday at 7 pm. This year's game is the 63rd all-time meeting; the overall series is, WSU with 25 wins and USU with 37. Utah State is Weber's fifth-oldest rivalry in school history.

    Against the Ag's, the 'Cats are 15-14 at home, 2-1 on neutral courts and 8-22 in Logan. The first 2 games ever played between WSU & USU were 1971 & 1972, both in Logan and both won by Weber.

    There have been 5 overtime games and WSU has taken 3 of them. The lowest scoring game between the 2 was 1971, WSU won 63-62. The highest scoring game was 1988, USU won 107-93. The series has gone back and forth and WSU has led in wins up until 1988 where the series came to a 17-17 tie. Since '89 the Aggies have led the series and the 'Cats had kept within 4 games until USU's recent success winning 9 of the last 10 games dating back to 2003.

    Stew Morrill is in his 13th season as USU's head coach, he is 10-4 against Weber with USU. His first year was 1999 and his Aggies lost by 20 points to the 'Cats at the Delta Center. Stew would lose 3 of his first 4 competitions to the Purple and White. Stew is the winningest coach in USU history with a record of 294-99 and 11 straight 23 win seasons. This season USU has 17 home games which will help in securing another 20 win season.

    Coach Rahe spent 13 seasons as an assistant to Stew at Colorado State & Utah State. Rahe is 1-5 vs Stew.
    Weber State vs Utah State
    Since 1963*
    WSU
    Utah State
    Overall Wins
    872
    879
    Last Tournament Appearance
    2007
    2010
    Last Tournament Win
    1999
    2001
    Tournament Appearances
    14
    17
    Tournament Wins
    6
    4
    Highest Tournament Seed
    7
    10
    Last 3 Tournament Seeds
    14, 12, 15
    12, 11, 12
    Conference Titles
    19
    10
    20 Win Seasons
    23
    23
    Winning Seasons
    39
    37
    Losing Seasons
    8
    11
    Best Record
    27-3
    30-5
    Worst Record
    7-22
    4-23
    Undefeated in Conference
    2
    1

    *1963 was the first year Weber State competed as an NCAA Division I basketball team.

    11/8/10
    WSU vs WNMU Highlights


    11/7/10
    WSU Goes 2-0 In Exhibitions with 94-78 Win
    Box Score
    Weber completes the exhibition part of the season with a 94-78 win over its first ever game against Western New Mexico. Damian Lillard led all scores with 27 points. Kyle Bullinger had 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds; he had a double-double in both exhibition games. Lindsey Hughey had 15 points and Trevor Morris added 11 & 7.

    WSU shot 53.2% from the field and 61.1% from 3-point range and 70.2% from the foul line hitting just 21-32 in the second half. The 'Cats outrebounded the Mustangs 49-27 but struggled with turnovers giving the ball up 18 times to WNMU's 11.

    Weber had a 52-36 lead at the half but the Mustangs rallied back within 6 points in the second half with the help of great 3-point shooting hitting 13-27 in the game. Weber's new young team still getting used to playing together had a few stuggles but ended up with another 18 point lead late in the game before getting the win by 16.

    In 2 exhibition games Weber shot 55-117 (47%) from the field, 52-70 (74%) from the free-throw line, 18-45 (40%) 3-point shooting, 53 rpg to its opponents 25.5, 16 turnovers per game to its opponents 12.5. Weber also averages 66.5 minutes per game of Freshmen minutes. Rahe has 4 Freshmen averaging 15-20 mpg a piece. With all these Freshmen getting quality minutes this should be Rahe's youngest team in his 5 years at Weber State.

    11/6/10
    WSU vs Western New Mexico at 4 PM
    Weber's last exhibition game takes place today at 4 pm at the Dee against Western New Mexico. WNMU is a DII that competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The matchup between the 'Cats and Mustangs will be the first ever. Prior to the game, the Women's team will be playing the University of Mary with a 2 pm tip-off.

    On Wednesday night WNMU lost at NAU, 96-86. The Mustangs were led by TJ Riley a 6-1 guard scoring 26 points and hitting 5 three-pointers. As a team the Mustangs were hot from outside making 13-25 beyond the arc. In an ugly game of 37 total turnovers NAU was able to get the win despite being out scored in the second half. NAU's Lowe's Senior Class Award candidate in Cameron Jones scored 21 points and had 5 rebounds and 5 steals in 25 minutes of action.

    Next Saturday, Nov 13, Weber will travel to Logan to take on Utah State for its first official game of the 2010-11 season. USU has 4 votes to be ranked in the AP Top 25 in the preseason poll. Three days later WSU will be back at home for its first home game against Colorado Christian with a 5:30 pm tip-off.

    11/5/10
    Des News On New WSU Team
    Weber State basketball a mix of new and old
    By Andrew Aragon, Deseret News
    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700078862/Weber-State-basketball-a-mix-of-new-and-old.html?pg=1

    11/5/10
    Weber Debuts at #19 In Mid-Major Top 25
    CollegeInsider.com's top 25 poll now in its 12th season of existence is a poll for the 25 best teams from the mid-major conferences. This year's first poll was released on Monday with Weber State ranked 19th and 3 other Big Sky teams with votes to be ranked: Montana 33; Montana State 2; Northern Colorado 2.

    The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.

    With BYU joining the WCC next season they will become eligible to be ranked in the Mid-Major Poll along with Weber, SUU and UVU. Utah and USU are not part of the Mid-Major conferences.

    In 2009-10 the Wildcats spent most of the season with votes or ranked in the Mid-Major and finished at #17. WSU's 2009 team finished ranked 20th in the Mid-Major. The last week of the regular season the Wildcats had 5 votes to be in the AP Top 25 before falling to Montana State in the Big Sky Semifinals. The 2007 team led by David Patten finished ranked 25th. In 2003, WSU finished the season in the top 10 (No. 30 in the AP Poll). The last WSU team to finish in the AP Top 25 was the 1980 team which finished 17th.

    VOTING PANEL: Jesse Agel (Brown), Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Milan Brown (Holy Cross), Will Brown (Albany), Rick Byrd (Belmont), Dave Calloway (Monmouth), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Billy Donlon (Wright State), James Fox (Davidson), Tyler Geving (Portland State), Mike Gillian (Longwood), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Dick Hunsaker (Utah Valley), Greg Kampe (Oakland), Danny Kaspar (Stephen F. Austin), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara), Billy Kennedy (Murray State), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Greg McDermott (Creighton), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Gregg Nibert (Presbyterian), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Buzz Peterson (UNC Wilmington), Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M), Clifford Reed, Jr. (Bethune Cookman), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Gary Stewart (UC Davis), Ernie Zeigler (Central Michigan)

    11/3/10
    WSU vs Laval Highlights


    11/2/10
    Weber State Men's Basketball Fan Survey
    Please answer the following question about attendance and interest in Weber State men's basketball games. This information will be helpful to the Athletic Department in efforts to increase attendance and awareness of Weber State Basketball. Your participation is voluntary.

    http://www.weberstatesports.com//quest/Questionaire.dbml?QID=91812&DB_OEM_ID=8600

    11/2/10
    WSU beats Laval
    Box Score
    Weber's first exhibition game of the season which ended as an 86-57 blow win saw action from 10 Wildcats (5 Freshmen, 3 Juniors, 2 Seniors). With lots of Freshman minutes being used by Rahe, the opposition was able to hang in the game early on. At the half WSU was up just 6. Shooting better and solid D turned the game around in the second half making the game a 29-point win.

    Damian Lillard had the game high 23 points knocking in 8-of-16 from the field. Lindsey Hughey shot 7-of-11 from the floor for 22 points and 10 boards. Kyle Bullinger had a big night with 10 points and 10 rebounds and 2 steals at his debut at the wing. True Freshman Kyle Tresnak hit 5-of-8 for 10 points and had 2 rebounds in 16 minutes. Darin Mahoney had 9 rebounds and Trevor Morris had 8.

    The Wildcats outrebounded the Red & Gold 57-24 and shot 30-70 (43%) on the game while allowing 21-55 (38%). Weber also shot an impressive 19-23 (82%) from the free-throw line and struggled early to find its 3-point shot finishing the game 7-27 (26%).

    Weber will host DII, Western New Mexico on Saturday at 4pm for its final exhibition game. WNM will play at NAU tomorrow night.

    11/1/10
    First Exhibition Game Tonight
    Weber State will play its first exhibition basketball game tonight against Laval University and then wrap things up with a game this Saturday against Western New Mexico. Saturday, Nov 13 at Utah State will be WSU's first official game of the 2010-11 season.

    Laval is located in Quebec, Canada. Laval is the oldest school in Canada and it was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French. The school was founded in 1663 and has a current enrollment of 35,000+.

    Laval's nickname is Rouge-et-Or (Red & Gold). This will be the second ever matchup between the 'Cats and Rouge-et-Or. On Nov 1, 2007, WSU beat Laval 77-55.

    Under Coach Rahe, WSU has played 8 games against Canadian teams and the 'Cats are 7-1. The only loss was in 2007-08 at the Battle of the Border Tournament in Calgary. Weber's one loss was an 81-74 defeat to the U of Calgary which was just hours after the 'Cats beatdown the Mount Royal All-Stars 85-42. Calgary only had the one game that day.

    The Red & Gold are on a Utah tour. They lost to BYU 101-55 last Friday and then on Saturday they lost in Logan to Utah State 93-51. In the 2 games Laval is averaging (39-113) 35% from the field, (15-48) 31% from 3-pt land and (13-16) 81% from the charity stripe. J Turcotte-Routhier is leading the team with 14 ppg and 7.5 rpg.

    Purple & White Game Recap
    All scores in the Purple and White were led by Damian Lillard with 17 points last Wednesday. The final score was a tie at 45 all. The game was played in 3 segments which totaled 26 minutes. Trevor Morris scored 10 points, BJ Porter 9 points and looked good working the floor and leaving the fans with the memory of a Daviin Davis like swat from behind. Kyle Tresnak had 8, Kyle Bullinger and Byron Fulton each knocked in 7.

    10/25/10
    Off Season Update: Part 4
    EWU's Earlywine Extended
    Eastern Washington head coach Kirk Earlywine signed a one-year extension after last season's end. With a young starting lineup the future of EWU is looking very good. The Eags finished the 2009-10 season losing 10 games by 6 points or less and came up short of the Big Sky tournament with a 5-11 Big Sky record and 9-21 overall.

    Earlywine is 32-58 in his 3 seasons at EWU and 17-31 in league play.

    2010: 5-11, 9-21
    2009: 6-10, 12,18
    2008: 6-10, 11-19

    Prior to EWU, Earlywine was the associate head coach at UNC-Wilmington for the 2006-07 season and held the same title at Weber State under Joe Cravens from 1999-00 to 2005-06.

    UNC Hires New Coach
    After taking UNC to consecutive Big Sky Tournament appearances which are the only appearances in school history after joining the conference in 2006, Tad Boyle, moves on to become the new head coach for the University of Colorado. Boyle was at UNC for 4 seasons where he compiled a 54-62 record (28-36 in conference). His 2009-10 season the Bears went 25-8 overall and 12-4 in the Big Sky and made a post-season appearance in the CIT.

    The new head coach for the Bears is BJ Hill who was an assistant under Boyle for 4 seasons. Northern Colorado is hopeful that Hill can keep the program going in the right direction given his experience with the Bears. UNC finished last in the nation in the 2007 NCAA DI RPI report. Four seasons later UNC had its best season in school history winning 25 games.

    "We all think that continuity in a sports program is paramount to its success," said Jay Hinrichs, UNC AD. "It was critical that we follow through with our multiyear succession plan to ensure stability throughout our men's basketball program and not miss a beat in the development of our student-athletes."

    "This is an unbelievable opportunity," Hill said. "I want to thank Jay Hinrichs, President (Kay) Norton and everybody involved who believed in me. I also want to thank Tad Boyle. I'm extremely excited, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to carry on what Coach (Boyle) started and carrying it on to the next level."

    10/24/10
    Wildcat Wall: Q&A With Jordan Richardson
    When Jordan Richardson signed his letter-of-intent in November of 2009, the Wildcats may have found the man who will be able to run the team when Lillard moves on. Richardson attended Merrill West High School in Northern California where he averaged around 22 points per game as a senior...Read More

    10/20/10
    Coaches & Media Pick WSU to 3-Peat
    Last season WSU went 13-3 in the regular season and went to the NIT which was its third post season in 4 years. In back-to-back seasons Weber had conference titles and Big Sky MVP's in Kellen McCoy and Damian Lillard.

    For the second time in 3 years the coaches poll has tabbed Weber as #1. Of the 8 possible first place votes WSU received 6 (4 last year); a coach can't vote for his own team. In the media poll WSU received 21 (23 last year) of the possible 28 first place votes.

    Coming in at second in the coaches to no surprise to the die-hard Big Sky fans is NAU who returns NBA prospect Cameron Jones who considered leaving college early then decided to play his senior year. Jones will be complemented with all-conference hopefuls in Eric Platt, Shane Johannsen and Gabe Rogers. Rogers was 1 of the top performing Freshmen in the Big Sky last season. The 'Jacks have had a rough couple years plagued with injuries and off the court issues. A couple solid recruiting classes should help NAU get back to having winning seasons and finishing in the top 4.

    Montana has been picked by the coaches in each of Rahe's 4 seasons to finish second which never happened. This year UM is third in both polls. The Griz are expected to have the best bigs in the 'Sky but replacing two-guard Anthony Johnson is easier said than done. Will Cherry at the point and some promising new recruits will give the Griz what is needed to contend for its first regular season championship since 2000.

    Since the Big Sky Conference started in 1964, 10 times there has been a team win back-to-back regular season titles in basketball. Six of these 10 were the Wildcats.

    Coaches' Poll
    Team - First-place votes
    1. Weber State 6
    2. Northern Arizona 1
    3. Montana 2
    4. Northern Colorado
    5. Montana State
    6. Eastern Washington
    7. Portland State
    8. Idaho State
    9. Sacramento State
    Media Poll
    Team - First-place votes
    1. Weber State 21
    2. Northern Colorado 2
    3. Montana 4
    4. Northern Arizona 1
    5. Montana State
    6. Eastern Washington
    7. Portland State
    8. Idaho State
    9. Sacramento State

    In 2009-10 WSU was picked 1st in both polls and finished 1st.In 2008-09 WSU was picked 4th/5th by the 2 polls and won the regular season Big Sky Championship. In 2007-08 Weber was picked to finish 1st/2nd and the 'Cats finished 3rd. In Rahe's first season, 2006-07 the 'Cats were picked to finish 6th/7th and won the title after finishing last place the season before.

    10/18/10
    Blue Ribbon Big Sky Forecast
    BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
    1. Weber State
    2. Montana
    3. Northern Arizona
    4. Montana State
    5. Northern Colorado
    6. Eastern Washington
    7. Idaho State
    8. Portland State
    9. Sacramento State

    ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
    G-Devon Beitzel, SR, Northern Colorado
    G-Cameron Jones, SR, Northern Arizona
    G-Damian Lillard, JR, Weber State
    F-Bobby Howard, SR, Montana State
    C-Brian Qvale, SR, Montana

    PLAYER OF THE YEAR
    Damian Lillard, JR, Weber State

    10/18/10
    Blue Ribbon Preview: Weber State
    The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook for 2010-11 has been released. Blue Ribbon is an annual publication which includes preseason previews of every NCAA Division I men's college basketball team.

    Blue Ribbon Analysis

    Backcourt: A-
    Bench/Depth: B-
    FrontCourt: C
    Intangibles: A+

    The Wildcats have Lillard back, but in terms of personnel, there's some work to be done. Lillard is also the only proven Division I scorer on the roster. In the paint, the responsibility rests on a career role player in Morris and three guys who've never played a minute of collegiate basketball. Rahe also is banking on Bamforth to quickly stake a claim on the perimeter, even if he can't beat out Hughey for a starting job.

    "I'm very comfortable playing eight to nine guys tops," Rahe said. "I've always been a big believer in getting our starting lineup set, getting the guys off the bench understanding their roles. The quicker they do that, the better we are.

    "We don't usually start playing our best basketball until early or mid-December. The quicker the new guys can become familiar with our system and become comfortable and confident, that's when we'll show the most improvement."

    On paper, Weber State will be the Big Sky's team to beat yet again. Being the two-time defending regular-season champion has that effect. The only flaw is that the Wildcats have no NCAA Tournament appearances to show for their regular-season success.

    "We've had our opportunities and come up short. It's time," Rahe said. "We want everything. We want to try to win the regular season, we want to try to win the tournament. That's the nature of everything."

    Time will tell if some other team has what it takes to unseat the Wildcats.

    10/8/10
    Walk-on Tryouts
    Tomorrow, Oct 9, the WSU coaching staff will hold a tryout for walk-on's for this year's squad. The tryouts will take place at 8:30 a.m. in the Stromberg HPHP Complex. Students need to be enrolled in 12 credit hours in order to try out and need to stop by the compliance office and complete all necessary paperwork prior to the tryout.

    10/6/10
    ESPN BracketBusters To Include WSU
    All Nine Teams in BracketBusters Pool
    By Jon Kasper, Big Sky Conference
    http://bigskyconf.com/news/2010/9/30/MBB_0930102605.aspx

    The 114-team field features teams from 15 conferences as well as one independent: 12 teams from the Mid-American Conference and Colonial Athletic Conference, 10 from the Ohio Valley, nine from the Big Sky, Big South, Big West and WAC; eight from the Horizon League, five from America East and Southern; two from the MEAC and West Coast; and one from the Summit League, as well as independent Seattle.

    Eastern Washington, Portland State, Idaho State and Montana State will be at home on BracketBusters weekend. Montana, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State and Weber State will be on the road. The 11 TV matchups will be announced on Jan. 31.

    "Having all of our teams in BracketBusters assures our best teams will be vying for one of the coveted television games," said Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton. "Had all of our teams been in last year's pool, we would have been in position for as many as three TV games."

    "This is also great for scheduling as it provides an additional future non-conference game," Fullerton added. "Because of our participation on BracketBusters, teams such as Wichita State, Western Kentucky have played non-conference road games against Big Sky teams."


    10/4/10
    2010-11 Altitude TV Big Sky Schedule
    The Big Sky basketball "Game of the Week" is back on Altitude Sports & Entertainment for the fourth year. The Altitude games start Sunday, Jan 2nd with Portland State at Idaho State at 2 PM. In the past the games have always been on Sundays, this year 5 of the 8 games will be on Saturdays. The conference semifinal games will be broadcasted on the Altitude and the championship game will be on ESPN2.

    The games can be viewed on DirecTV, dish Network, and Comcast.

    Altitude is available within a 10-state territory of the Rocky Mountain Region including: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Northern New Mexico, Northeast Nevada and Southwest South Dakota.

    Date Games Time
    Sun, Jan 2 Portland State at Idaho State 2 PM
    Sat, Jan 8 Montana State at Northern Colorado 7 PM
    Sun, Jan 16 Eastern Washington at Montana State 2 PM
    Sat, Jan 22 Northern Arizona at Portland State 6 PM
    Sat, Jan 29 Northern Colorado at Weber State 7 PM
    Sat, Feb 5 Montana State at Weber State 4 PM
    Sun, Feb 13 Sac State at Montana State 12 PM
    Sat, Feb 26 Montana at Eastern Washington 6 PM
    Tue, Mar 8 BSC Semifinal 1 TBD
    Tue, Mar 8 BSC Semifinal 2 TBD

    9/27/10
    Off Season Update: Part 3
    WSU Basketball Coaching Changes
    New assistant coach
    Standard-Examiner
    standard.net/topics/weber-state-university

    Phil Beckner, who has served as the Director of Basketball Operations for the past two seasons, has been elevated to a full time assistant coach replacing Charles Harral. Rahe also announced that Chris Gold has come on board as the new Director of Basketball Operations.

    "Coach Beckner has done an outstanding job within our basketball program, and I am excited about his now increased responsibilities," said Rahe. "I know he will continue to play an integral role in the success of our program. He has worked extremely hard to put himself into this position and he's always represented our program in a positive manner. Phil has a terrific future in the coaching profession. Chris brings a tremendous work ethic to our program. He is highly motivated and brings a positive attitude to work each day. He is a great addition to our program."

    Beckner came to Weber State in the Summer of 2008. A native of Buckeye, Ariz., he attended Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas, where he played four years on the men's basketball team. Gold, a native of Denver, Colo., graduated from Regis High School and also attended Kansas Wesleyan University where he played four years as a point guard.


    9/15/10
    Off Season Update: Part 2
    2009-10 Home Attendance
    The 2009-10 season saw an attendance increase of 16% from 2008-09. The 2010 average was 5,310 with a single game high of 9,272. In 2009 the average was 4,598 with the highest single game attended being 7,401. Weber State had the 21st highest DI attendance average in the Western United States. Excluding the Pac10, WSU had the 12th highest average in the West. WSU's 5,310 average was higher than: the entire Big West, 3 MWC teams, half the WAC, 8-of-9 WCC teams and higher than USC of the Pac.

    There are 334 NCAA Division I men's basketball programs, 31 conferences, 4,995 games were played, 25,164,431 fans, 5,038 national attendance average.

    Click here for to see the attendance of each team in the West.

    9/10/10
    Students, Join The Purple Pak!
    The Purple Pak and WSUSA were at the Bell Tower today promoting the Weber State/Northern Colorado football game and encouraging students to join the Purple Pak.

    Students can join the Purple Pak at the WSU Bookstore or at the Purple Pak tailgate party in the North lot of Stewart Stadium before the UNC game. The 3:30pm tailgate is free to all students. All other Purple Pak tailgate parties will be members only. A membership is just $20.

    The Purple Pak will be selling Purple Pak Icecream at its concession trailer behind the South endzone next to the bookstore trailer during the game. Saturday's game kicks off at 6pm and will be on the Altitude as well free online at BigSkyTV.org.

    Pics here

    9/9/10
    Recruit Verbally Commits
    Shai Fields, 6'3" guard from Houston, TX, to play his senior season at Yates High has verbally committed to WSU to sign in November. Fields played AAU ball for Team Texas. As a junior he averaged 16.2 ppg and shot 80% from the FT line. Yates was one of the top ranked high school basketball teams in the US in the national polls last season.

    Schools of Interest: Bradley, Detroit, Houston, Missouri State, San Diego, Southern Methodist, South Alabama, TCU, UNC-Wilmington, Wichita State and Weber State.

    November and April are when the NCAA accepts National Letters of Intent from high school seniors. November 10, 2010 is the start of the early signing period. November 17th is the final signing date. April 13, 2011 will start the regular signing period which will end on May 18th. With most of the top prospects already signed in November and the basketbal season over, teams rush to shore up signees from the year's remaining high school seniors.

    9/3/10
    Off Season Update: Part 1
    What exactly happened over the Summer regarding Weber State basketball and the Big Sky Conference? What did we miss? This is part 1 of a 6 article series summarizing the off season which will be ending in less than 2 months with the annual Purple & White on Oct 27.

    Regular Big Sky Schedule Is Back!
    Due to the economic down turn the Big Sky changed all sports to playing games on back-to-back nights to cut costs last season. Prior to last season the normal schedule would be to have games played on Thursday and Saturday. The 2009-10 basketball season saw games on Friday and Saturday night for conference games.

    Overall the teams and coaches didn't like this new format but it had its pro's and con's with the fans. Weber State saw an attendance improvement from 2008-09 to 2009-10. Notably games played on Friday had higher attendance at the Dee than those played on Thursday in 2009. Most WSU fans are glad to see the schedule back to normal. The team is also probably glad to have the schedule back to normal after having to bus from Missoula to Bozeman immediately after a game in a snow storm since there was no travel day.

    Portland State Banned From Post Season
    In early June, OregonLive.com announced the PSU men's basketball program will be banned from all post season play for the 2010-11 season as well they have lost 2 scholarships.

    The ban was due to poor academics. PSU's APR (Academic Progress Rate) was 865 which was below the national average of 940 on the 1,000-point scale. A score of 925 is the NCAA minimum to avoid penalties.

    Part 2 of this series will be about WSU's 2009-10 home basketball attendance and how it compared to the rest of the Big Sky and the nation.

    8/29/10
    Wildcat Wall: Q&A With Kyle Tresnak
    Last year Weber State lost center Steve Panos to graduation. And this is Trevor Morris's last year as a Wildcat. We all know and expect Darin Mahoney to be a contributor at the center position this year and next, but who has coach Randy Rahe recruited as the next generation center? The answer is 6'10" big-man Kyle Tresnak. Tresnak, like fellow teammates Byron Fulton and Blake Davis, comes to Ogden from Arizona. It appears that this 225 pound freshman will likely see some playing time as a true freshman this year as well...Read More

    8/19/10
    Wildcat Wall: Q&A With Scott Bamforth
    Weberhoops.com is excited to see what Scott Bamforth, JC transfer out of Western Nebraska CC, will bring to this year's squad. The only JC transfer in this year's recruiting class, Bamforth comes highly touted. Bamforth was planning on playing his sophomore year with Western Nebraska before a season-ending elbow injury prevented that from happening. While this was most likely devastating to him, it can be seen as a positive for the 'Cats. Now, instead of having Bamforth for only 2 years, Weber will have him for 3...Read More

    Wildcat Wall is a fan blog on WeberHoops.com with articles by Mark Berger.

    8/11/10
    Dee Events Center Upgrades: Pro-Star Vision Screen
    The Dee Events Center will have a new look this October at the Purple and White game. Weber State fans' prayers have been answered and dreams have come true. We have a new JumboTron! Jerry Graybeal was a huge part in getting this done. Click here for pics.

    Although technically the term JumboTron was a registered trademark of Sony, the term is commonly used to describe large screens inside sports stadiums. This is not a JumboTron. Sony debuted its JumboTron at the 1985 Expo World's Fair in Japan. Sony left the JumboTron business in 2001. So who cares about Sony? No one here...3 days before the "black-out" home football game vs Montana, WSU fans will get to see for the first time in action its new Pro-Star Vision Screen.

    Weber's new Vision Screen was built by Daktronics (Brookings, South Dakota) one of the world's largest suppliers of electronic signs. Daktronics also is responsible for Stewart Stadium's Vision Screen. Daktronics has been in the electronic scoreboard/screen industry since the late 1960's. The company was started by a couple of Jackrabbit professors at South Dakota State.

    Some of Daktronics notable creations include the world's largest video display for sports in 2004 at Jacobs Field (Cleveland Indians). The two HD screens and the world's largest fascia board at Sun Life Stadium (Miami Dolphins) in 2006. The world's largest HD screen at Texas Memorial Stadium (Texas Longhorns) also in 2006. In 2008 Daktronics installed the world's largest HD lighting display at Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals).

    Enough history and back to The Dee. Weber's new Vision Screen will feature 4 HD LCD screens, an all LED display around the screens and a Pro-Add LED Display Ring on top. The front panel of the scorer's table will be another Pro-Add LED Display. Both the ring and the scorer's table will be full-color full-motion LED fascias. Also, The Dee will feature a new scoreboard behind each basketball hoop. Both are LED displays unlike the old bulbs in the previous scoreboards and JumboTron.

    Last but not least, the basketball standards will have new three-sided shot clocks which will include the running game time. The old shot clocks were one-sided and didn't have the game time.

    The Vision Screen will have replay capabilities and WSU fans will actually be able to know what they looking at unlike the past. It is even possible that all 4 screens and both LED fascias can simultaneously be showing something different.

    It is expected that the Vision Screen will be raised up this week. Afterwards, the court will be resurfaced and ready to go for our two-time defending Big Sky Conference Champions. Go Weber!

    8/9/10
    Wildcat Wall: Q&A With Blake Davis
    It has been almost two years since redshirt freshman, Blake Davis, committed to come to Ogden to play for Coach Randy Rahe and the Wildcats. Now that his redshirt year is over, he is anxious to get out on the court and show Wildcat fans he belongs on a Division I court. And should he catch Rahe's eye, he may very well get good minutes on the court this year....Read More

    Wildcat Wall is a fan blog on WeberHoops.com with articles by Mark Berger.

    8/6/10
    Wildcat Wall: Excited To See The New Additions
    I know that it is August and that I should be getting all geared up and excited about football season. And I am excited for football, but mostly because when it's football season, that means we are just a few short months away from watching Lillard and Co. take the court again and make another run at a Big Sky title and an appearance in the NCAA tournament...Read More

    Wildcat Wall is a fan blog on WeberHoops.com with articles by Mark Berger.

    7/21/10
    Official Basketball Schedule Released
    WSU Athletics has officially released the basketball schedule for the 2010-11 season. The highlights of the schedule are Seattle and BYU at home with a BracketBusters game possibly at home as well. The 'Cats will travel to play Utah, Utah State and SUU. Similar to the 2008 and 2009 seasons WSU will start things off with a game against the Aggies (Nov 13). In late November, from the 25th to 27th, WSU will compete in the 2010 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, an 8 team tournament. WSU will play host Alaska-Anchorage on the 25th and then take on either Arizona State or Houston Baptist on the 26th. The third night will be the championship/consolation games.

    Big Sky play will begin with WSU heading to Montana for the New Year's Holiday. The 'Cats will play at Montana State on Dec 29 at 7 PM and at Montana on Dec 31 at an undecided time which may give the team a chance to get home before midnight.

    All Big Sky games will resume the traditional Thursday/Saturday format fans are accustomed to. Last season the 'Sky scheduled all conference games on Friday/Saturdays to help cut costs.

    When Big Sky play gets underway, Weber will play 3 away games before its first home game and 5 of its first 7 on the road. Then WSU will be back at home for 4 games and a total of 5-of-6 games at home in a 19 day stretch.

    On February 19th WSU will play in its second ever ESPNU BracketBusters game which could be a home or away game. The announced pairings will take place in early February. Weber's other BracketBusters game was an 80-66 loss on February 19th, 2005, at Boise State. Of the 98 team pool last season, 11 games were nationally televised.

    4/14/10
    Rahe Signs Another Big, James Hajek
    'Cats ink Nebraska big man
    By Jasen Asay, Standard-Examiner
    http://www.standard.net/topics/sports/2010/04/13/cats-ink-nebraska-big-man

    3/29/10
    Damian Lillard, AP All-American
    Dame "Fly Guy" Lillard, the 2009-10 Big Sky MVP was named to the 2009-10 Associated Press Basketball All-America Team.

    Lillard is the third WSU player to make all-american in the past 4 seasons and the only Big Sky player named to the list this year. David Patten, the 2007 Big Sky MVP and former Wildcat was also an AP All-American and last season's Big Sky MVP in Kellen McCoy also was an All-American.

    This season as a sophomore, Lillard was an all-conference first team selection and won the Big Sky MVP award while leading his team to back-to-back titles. Lillard also led the conference in scoring while averaging 19.9 ppg (31st in the nation) and 20.7 ppg in league play.

    His .853 free-throw percentage was 50th best in the nation. Damian also led the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game with 2.7, and was fourth in assists with 3.8. He had more than 10 points in 29 of WSU's 31 games, hitting for at least 20 in 17 games. Lillard is one of just four sophomores in Big Sky history to win the MVP award.

    AP ALL-AMERICA TEAM
    FIRST TEAM
    Evan Turner, Ohio State
    John Wall, Kentucky
    Wes Johnson, Syracuse
    Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
    DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky

    SECOND TEAM
    James Anderson, Oklahoma State
    Sherron Collins, Kansas
    Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
    Jon Scheyer, Duke
    Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia

    THIRD TEAM
    Greg Monroe, Georgetown
    Cole Aldrich, Kansas
    Damion James, Texas
    Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
    Darington Hobson, New Mexico

    HONORABLE MENTION
    Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest; Kevin Anderson, Richmond; Luke Babbitt, Nevada; Keith Benson, Oakland; Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga.

    Randy Culpepper, UTEP; Noah Dahlman, Wofford; Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech; Devan Downey, South Carolina.

    Muhammad El-Amin, Stony Brook; Kenneth Faried, Morehead State; Alex Franklin, Siena; Jimmer Fredette, BYU; Marquez Haynes, Texas-Arlington.

    Gordon Hayward, Butler; Lazar Hayward, Marquette; Adnan Hodzic, Lipscomb; Reggie Holmes, Morgan State; Robbie Hummel, Purdue.

    Charles Jenkins, Hofstra; Garrison Johnson, Jackson State; Orlando Johnson, UC Santa Barbara; Tyren Johnson, Louisiana-Lafayette; Dominique Jones, South Florida.

    Adam Koch, Northern Iowa; David Kool, Western Michigan; Damian Lillard, Weber State; Kalin Lucas, Michigan State; C.J. McCollum, Lehigh.

    E'Twaun Moore, Purdue; Artsiom Parakhouski, Radford; Patrick Patterson, Kentucky; Quincy Pondexter, Washington; Jacob Pullen, Kansas State.

    Jerome Randle, California; Andy Rautins, Syracuse; Justin Rutty, Quinnipiac; Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's; Kyle Singler, Duke; Ekpe Udoh, Baylor; Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State; Hassan Whiteside, Marshall; Ryan Wittman, Cornell. Cornell

    3/24/10
    The Wizard of Weber Signs Extension!
    Rahe's new contract
    By Jasen Asay, Standard-Examiner WSU Blog
    http://blogs.standard.net/wsu-sports-blog/

    While all of the details aren't out - and probably won't be for a few more days - one thing looks certain: Randy Rahe is going to be a Wildcat for a long time.

    Rahe signed a contract extension on Wednesday afternoon that will keep him at Weber State through the 2016-2017 season. Financial terms of the contract were not immediately available. However, you can bet that Rahe's salary increased from the $145,000 base pay before benefits that he reportedly earned this season.

    This is the second extension Rahe has signed at WSU. Following his first season (2006-2007) Rahe signed a deal that went through the 2011-2012 season. However with schools like Boise State requesting permission to talk with Rahe about their coaching vacancies, WSU felt it needed to act in order to keep its coach.


    3/17/10
    Cincinnati uses Vaughn's 16 points, 17-0 run to knock off Weber State
    (7) Weber St 62, (2) Cincinnati 76
    Associated Press
    CINCINNATI -- Deonta Vaughn scored 16 points and became Cincinnati's career leader in assists and made 3-point shots Wednesday night, leading the Bearcats to a 76-62 victory over Weber State.

    The senior guard signed on to revive a program that fell on hard times after coach Bob Huggins was ousted. The Bearcats (19-15) hadn't won more than 18 games in any of the last three seasons under coach Mick Cronin, who was brought in for the reconstruction.

    Follow the NIT championship from first-round games through the finals at Madison Square Garden on April 1. Bracket

    "It's progress," Cronin said. "Getting in the NIT is progress. Playing in March is a habit. When you're building a program, that's important."

    Cincinnati, playing in the tournament for the first time since 2006, will host Dayton in the second round. A date hadn't been set.

    Vaughn has been through a lot of tough times, failing to reach the NCAA tournament in his four years. He was the team's top player during that span, sometimes the only scoring threat in a subpar offense.

    After he set the two school records in the second half, the 2,410 fans gave him a standing ovation during a timeout. At Cronin's urging, Vaughn stood and acknowledged the crowd.

    "I just wanted to sit down and get the game over and finish our first NIT game off right," Vaughn said. "It felt good to be among one of the greatest at shooting 3s and dishing the ball out to teammates."

    Weber State (20-11) fell apart when Cincinnati went to a half-court trap midway through the first half. The Wildcats had seven turnovers during a decisive 17-0 run and finished with a season-high 23.

    The run put the Bearcats up 37-19. Cincinnati had three steals and forced an errant pass, setting up four straight baskets in a 1-minute, 18-second span.

    "It was tough," said guard Damian Lillard, who had a game-high 26 points. "When we went over their press, they were right there. Sometimes they denied me the ball and forced everybody else to have to bring up the ball and make plays."

    Cincinnati hasn't been very adept at the trap, but thought it might be useful. The Bearcats executed it as well as they have all season, surprising the Wildcats.

    "Part of that was my fault," coach Randy Rahe said. "We practiced it a little bit coming in. We haven't seen it a lot. We talked to people in the Big East and asked about it, and people said it wasn't a big factor [for Cincinnati]. We worked on it in practice a little, but obviously not enough."

    3/17/10
    Gameday: NIT 1st Rd
    Final: WSU L 76-62
    TV: ESPN2
    Internet: none
    Radio: KLO 1430 AM
    Live Stats: ESPN Big Sky Scoreboard

    Weber State Wildcats Cincinnati Bearcats

    The Big Sky is 3-15 all-time in the NIT. A Big Sky team is playing in the NIT for the 13th time. Weber State is 1-2 all-time in the NIT, with the victory coming at home in 1984 over Fordham.
    3/17/10
    USBWA NAMES 2009-10 MEN'S ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS
    The U.S. Basketball Writers Association located in St. Louis, MO, has released its 2009-10 Men's All-District Teams. There are 9 districts nationwide with the state of Utah in district 8. A player and coach of the year are selected in each region along with an all-district team.

    Damian Lillard, the Big Sky MVP, has been selected to the USBWA District VIII All-America Team. BYU's Jimmer Fredette was named the District VIII Player of the Year. New Mexico's Steve Alford was selected as the Coach of the Year. Utah State's Jared Quayle also made the list.

    In 2006-07, WSU's David Patten made the all-district team and Coach Randy Rahe was coach of the year.

    The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was established in 1956 and is considered one of the most influential organizations in college basketball.

    In other news, Coach Rahe has been nominated as one of the 15 finalists for the CollegInsider.com Durham Coach of the Year Award. The award is given annually to the top mid-major coach in the nation. This is Coach Rahe's 3rd nomination in 4 years. The winning coach will be announced at the Final Four.

    3/16/10
    Randy Rahe, Big Sky Coach of the Year
    WSU's Rahe Named Coach of the Year
    By Jon Kasper
    BigSkyConf.com

    This marks the third time Coach Rahe has received coach of the year honors in his 4 seasons at Weber State. Rahe is now the 6th Big Sky coach to win the award 3 times.

    Randy Rahe, WSU; 2007, 2009, 2010
    Mick Durham, MSU; 1996, 2002, 2005
    Rob Abegglen, WSU; 1994, 1995, 1999
    Bobby Dye, Boise St; 1987, 1988, 1993
    Neil McCarthy, WSU; 1978, 1980, 1983
    Phil Johnson, WSU; 1969, 1970, 1971

    No coach in the Big Sky's 47 year history has ever had the honor 4 times.

    3/15/10
    Attention Purple Pak/Students
    The Weber State Wildcats are in the NIT Tournament which will be played on Wednesday, March 17th at 5:00 p.m. They will be playing Cincinnati in Cincinnati. You are invited to attend a playoff party at the Alumni Center to watch the game. Refreshments will be served.

    Go Wildcats!!

    Andy Skillman
    Purple Pak Chairman

    3/15/10
    NIT: WSU at Cincinnati on ESPN2
    2010 NIT Bracket | NIT Website | Fans Forum
    On Wednesday night at 5 PM Weber State will take on the Bearcats of Cincinnati on ESPN2. This will be WSU's 1st ever game against the Bearcats and 6th ever game against teams currently in the Big East (0-5).

    Cincinnati 0-0,Connecticut 0-0,DePaul 0-3 (Last game 1990),Georgetown 0-1 (1995, L 53-51),Louisville 0-0,Marquette 0-0, Notre Dame 0-0,Pittsburgh 0-0, Providence 0-0,Rutgers 0-0, St. John's 0-0,Seton Hall 0-0,South Florida 0-0,Syracuse 0-0,Villanova 0-0,West Virginia 0-1 (1975, L 80-72)

    Weber State head coach Randy Rahe claims 3 Big Sky titles in his 4 years at WSU. Rahe is 77-46 overall as a head coach, his Big Sky record is 53-18, 33-5 at home and 20-13 on the road. Rahe's overall road record is 30-35.

    Cincinnati's Mick Cronin is in his 4th year as head coach of the Bearcats. Cronin has an overall record of 56-63 with a CBI appearance and now an NIT appearance. UC is 45-26 at home with Cronin and 27-9 at home in non Big East games. Cronin's best conference finishes were 10th place in 2008 and 2009. The Big East is the best basketball conference in the nation and has 16 teams. Currently 5 Big East teams are ranked and 8 made the NCAA Tournament and 5 made the NIT. Cincinnati's basketball program has been a member of the Big East Conference since the 2005-06 season. Prior to '06, UC was a member of Conference USA.

    Probable UC Starters
    C-32 Ibrahima Thomas 6-11 238 Jr Dakar, Senegal (5.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.7 bpg, .250 3P%)
    F-34 Yancy Gates 6-9 260 So Cincinnati, OH (10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.8 bpg)
    G-33 Lance Stephenson 6-5 210 Fr Brooklyn, NY (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.9 spg, .206 3P%)
    G-5 Deonta Vaughn 6-1 190 Sr Indianapolis, IN (11.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg, .339 3P%)
    G-44 Jaquon Parker 6-3 210 Fr Suffolk, VA (4.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, .350 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (8.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, .330 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (10.6, 6.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.8 spg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.0 spg, .378 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.1 spg, .388 3P%)

    Bearcat Bio
    Established: 1819
    Students: 39,667
    Postgraduates: 9,420
    Location: Cincinnati, OH
    Colors: Red & Black
    Home Court: Fifth Third Arena, capacity 13,176
    Conference: Big East

    UC Schedule
    November 16 Prairie View A&M W 69-62 1-0
    November 18 Toledo W 92-68 2-0
    November 23 vs. No. 24 Vanderbilt* W 67-58 3-0
    November 24 vs. No. 22 Maryland* W 69-57 4-0
    November 25 vs. Gonzaga* L 61-59 4-1
    December 1 Texas Southern W 94-57 5-1
    December 10 Miami (OH) W 63-59 6-1
    December 13 at Xavier L 83-79 6-2
    December 16 at UAB L 64-47 6-3
    December 19 Lipscomb W 80-52 7-3
    December 22 Winthrop W 74-57 8-3
    December 30 No. 10 Connecticut W 71-69 9-3 (1-0)
    January 2 at Rutgers W 65-58 10-3 (2-0)
    January 4 Pittsburgh L 74-71 10-4 (2-1)
    January 6 Cal State Bakersfield W 87-58 11-4
    January 9 at Seton Hall L 83-76 11-5 (2-2)
    January 13 at St. John's L 52-50 11-6 (2-3)
    January 16 Notre Dame W 60-58 12-6 (3-3)
    January 20 South Florida W 78-70 13-6 (4-3)
    January 24 at Louisville L 68-60 13-7 (4-4)
    January 30 Providence W 92-88 14-7 (5-4)
    February 4 at Notre Dame L 83-65 14-8 (5-5)
    February 7 No. 4 Syracuse L 71-54 14-9 (5-6)
    February 13 at Connecticut W 60-48 15-9 (6-6)
    February 16 at South Florida L 65-57 15-10 (6-7)
    February 21 Marquette L 79-76 15-11 (6-8)
    February 24 DePaul W 74-69 16-11 (7-8)
    February 27 at No. 7 West Virginia L 74-68 16-12 (7-9)
    March 2 No. 9 Villanova L 77-73 16-13 (7-10)
    March 6 at No. 20 Georgetown L 74-47 16-14 (7-11)
    March 9 vs. Rutgers* W 69-68 17-14 (7-11)
    March 10 vs. Louisville* W 69-66 18-14 (7-11)
    March 11 vs. No. 6 West Virginia* L 54-51 18-15 (7-11)

    3/14/10
    WSU To Head To Cincy
    In the 1st round of the NIT, 7-seed Weber State will play at 2-seed Cincinnati, Wednesday night at 5 PM (MDT) on ESPN2.

    3/11/10
    WSU To NIT
    NIT Predictions | NIT Website
    The 2009-10 Weber State men's basketball team has a bid to this year's NIT. Weber will find out who its opponent will be and when and where the game will be Sunday night on ESPNU during the NIT Selection Show. All games will take place at campus sites through the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals will be hosted at Madison Square Garden in New York.

    Tournament Schedule
    1st Rd: Tues, March 16 and Wed, March 17
    2nd Rd: Thurs, March 18, Fri, March 19, Sat, March, 20 and Mon, March 22
    Quarterfinal Rd: Tues, March 23 and Wed, March 24
    Semifinals: Tues, March 30
    Championship: Thurs, April 1

    Weber State in the NIT (1-2)
    The Wildcats have competed in three NIT games with its two appearances being 1984 and 2009. In '84, WSU beat Fordham 75-63 and then lost in the 2nd round to SW Louisiana (currently known as Louisiana-Lafayette) 74-72 in double overtime. Last season WSU lost at San Diego State 65-49.

    Weber State in the Preseason NIT (1-2)
    Weber has also competed in the preseason NIT twice. In 1987-88 the 'Cats lost to New Mexico 88-72. In 1995-96 WSU beat Fresno State 102-86 and then lost to Michigan 80-62.

    3/10/10
    Johnson rallies Montana by Weber St. for tourney title, NCAA bid
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Anthony Johnson wasn't ready to look ahead -- not even to playing in his first NCAA tournament.

    Johnson was too busy relishing what he and his teammates had just done, rallying Montana from a 22-point deficit to beat Weber State 66-65 in the Big Sky tournament championship game on Wednesday night.Fast Facts

    "Right now I'm kind of confused. It's all kind of just surreal," said Johnson, who scored a tournament-record 42 while leading the Grizzlies back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years. "I'm not even thinking about that. I just want to live in the moment and soak this up a little bit."

    Johnson scored 34 in the second half, including the Grizzlies' last 21 points to complete the amazing comeback and stun the tournament's No. 1 seed.

    Johnson hit a jumper with 10 seconds left to put Montana up by a point and the Grizzlies completed it with a final stop on defense when Will Cherry tied up Damian Lillard with 2.6 seconds left. The officials called a jump ball and the Grizzlies knew they had the possession arrow and the game.

    Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said his assistants suggested trying to get the ball inside to 7-foot Derek Selvig or 6-11 Brian Qvale, but Tinkle wasn't going to do anything to break Johnson's rhythm.

    "We're going to get it to AJ," Tinkle said. "We're going to ride him."

    The ride will continue when Montana (22-9) makes its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006, the season before Tinkle was hired by his alma mater to replace Larry Krystkowiak.

    Selvig added 12 points and Qvale pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked six for the Grizzlies, who held Weber State to 28 percent shooting in the second half.

    After committing 14 turnovers in the first half, Montana had just six in the second, slowly chipping away until Johnson hit what turned out to be the winning shot.

    "I feel like I'm kind of dreaming right now," Johnson said. "I'll probably end up watching on TV and it will sink in when we get back home."

    Lillard scored 16 to lead top-seeded Weber State (20-10), which led 40-20 at halftime.

    "It's hard when somebody's unconscious like that. Even when you have a hand in his face and he's still making it," Weber State's Nick Hansen said. "I don't really think we let down defensively, I think that he just played out of this world."

    Johnson took over after Selvig got Montana within 51-45 on a reverse layup with about 10:30 left to play.

    Johnson finished 13 for 22 and made all 14 of his foul shots, breaking his previous career high by 10 points despite playing the last several minutes with four fouls. The Wildcats knew who was going to take the shots for Montana, but still couldn't stop Johnson -- and couldn't shoot in the second half, going 7 for 25.

    "We're so used to jumping on AJ's back and letting him carry us. He did it one more time," Selvig said. "It was looking pretty abysmal there for a while. We just had to scrap and got it done."

    Johnson broke the tournament record of 39 points, set by Mike O'Quinn of Cal State Northridge against Eastern Washington in 1998 quarterfinals.

    Franklin Session had 10 points for Weber State, but missed seven of his 12 foul shots. He missed twice from the line with 28 seconds left and Weber State up 65-64, allowing Johnson to make the game-winner on the next possession.

    After Johnson's shot, Montana's Will Cherry tied up Lillard and forced a jump ball with 2.6 seconds left, giving possession back to the Grizzlies. Selvig missed his first free throw with 2.1 seconds, then clanged the second off the rim and Weber State didn't have enough time to get the ball back up court for another shot.

    Weber State was hosting the semifinals and championship after winning the Big Sky regular season for the second straight year, but fell short again of returning the NCAA tournament, instead settling for an NIT berth.

    "We will think about that down the road. It's going to take a while to get over this," Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. "It hurts, obviously. When guys invest so much into something, it's supposed to hurt. If they didn't there is something wrong."

    3/10/10
    Gameday: Tournament Championship
    Final: WSU loses to Montana 66-65
    TV: ESPN2
    Internet: Big Sky TV
    Radio: KLO 1430 AM
    Live Stats: ESPN Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats Portland State

    3/10/10
    Championship: Weber State vs Montana, Tonight on ESPN2
    Just one year later after WSU hosted the Big Sky tournament and fell in the semifinals, WSU is back in the championship game for the first time since 2006-07.

    The 2009-10 season marks the 35th ever Big Sky conference tournament which dates back to 1975-76. Weber has hosted the tournament 10 times and of the previous 9 the 'Cats have won the championship game 6 times out of 7 attempts. The only championship loss in Ogden was to Boise State in double overtime, 77-70, in 1976. The 1976 tournament was played in the old Swensen Gym where WSU played for 15 seasons.

    In 1977 the Dee Events Center opened. In the Dee, WSU is a perfect 6-0 in championship games. Two times out of the past 9 when WSU hosted the 'Cats didn't get to the championship game (1984 and 2009).

    Tonight is WSU's 13th appearance in a Big Sky tournament championship game, 8 at WSU and 5 on the road. Of the 5 championship games on the road WSU took home the tournament title twice (1978 and 1983).

    WSU vs UM, Championships
    1978: Weber State 62, Montana 55 (Missoula)
    1980: Weber State 50, Montana 42 (Ogden)
    1995: Weber State 84, Montana 62 (Ogden)
    2005: Montana 63, Weber State 61 (Portland)
    2010: Weber State vs Montana (Ogden)

    Results of WSU's 12 previous championship appearances

    3/10/10
    One More To Go!
    Wildcats get just enough
    By Jasen Asay, Standard-Examiner
    http://www.standard.net/topics/sports/2010/03/09/wildcats-get-just-enough

    'Cats one win from NCAAs
    By Martin Renzhofer, Salt Lake Tribune
    http://www.sltrib.com/wsuwildcats/ci_14644815

    Wildcats hold off Portland State 69-60
    By Andrew Aragon, Deseret News
    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700015318/Wildcats-get-revenge.html

    3/10/10
    Waters Gets Heckled
    Weber State beats Portland State 69-60 in Big Sky Conference basketball semifinals
    By Trent Toone, The Oregonian
    http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2010/03/weber_state_beats_portland_sta.html

    ...PSU's Dominic Waters endured all kinds of heckling from WSU fans and still finished the game with 19 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds. He played 33 minutes on a bruised left heel, despite getting his fourth foul with 14 minutes to go in the second half.

    At first, the somber senior could only describe his feelings with one word -- "hurt."

    Then he talked about the 23-6 foul disparity in the second half.

    "We held together and competed in the second half, but fell short," Waters said. "We shot six free throws, they shot 23. They only foul six times in the second half? That is pretty crazy, I don't really understand that. But hey, we got the short end of the stick a lot this year. ... Better luck to the team next year."


    3/9/10
    Student Section Troubled Waters
    'Cats Get 20th Win and Advance to Big Sky Tournament Championship

    Weber St. 69, Portland St. 60
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard had 23 points, Franklin Session added 13 points and eight rebounds and top-seeded Weber State held off Portland State 69-60 on Tuesday night in the Big Sky Conference tournament semifinals.

    The Wildcats (20-9) advanced to play Montana in the championship game Wednesday night despite one of their worst shooting nights of the season, going 20-for-60 from the floor. The Wildcats also struggled from the foul line and had a difficult time pulling away from the pesky Vikings (13-19), who won the last two Big Sky tournament titles.

    Dominic Waters had 19 points to lead the Vikings before fouling out with 23 seconds to play. He was one of four Portland State players to foul out.

    Montana 68, N. Colorado 63
    OGDEN, Utah -- Anthony Johnson scored 19 points and Will Cherry scored 10, including a jumper with 24 seconds left as Montana scored the final six points in a 68-63 win over Northern Colorado on Tuesday night in the Big Sky Conference tournament semifinals.

    The Grizzlies (21-9) advanced to the Big Sky championship game for the first time since winning it in 2006.

    Ryan Staudacher also finished with 10 points and Derek Selvig and Vassy Banny pulled down eight rebounds apiece for Montana, which outrebounded the Bears 36-25.

    Will Figures led the Bears (24-7) with 23 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers during a 17-3 run that tied the game at 60 with less than 4 minutes to play.

    3/9/10
    Gameday: Big Sky Semifinals
    Final: UM beats UNC 68-63 | WSU takes out Vikings 69-60 | Game Pics
    TV: Altitude (Dish 410, DirecTV 681, Comcast 61)
    Internet: Big Sky TV
    Radio: KLO 1430 AM
    Live Stats: ESPN Big Sky Scoreboard
    2010 Big Sky Tournament

    3/7/10
    Big Sky Tournament at the Dee
    The Big Sky Tournament is almost here. The semifinal games will be held Tuesday and the championship on Wednesday, at the Dee Events Center.

    In the semifinals on Tuesday, 2-Northern Colorado will take on 4-Montana in the first game at 4:30 PM followed by 1-Weber State taking on 6-Portland State in the second game at 7 PM. The winners of the semifinal will play in the title game; the winner will advance to the NCAA Tournament.

    The semis will be on the Altitude and the championship on ESPN2. All games will also be free on BigSkyTV.org.

    Below are the all-time wins and losses in the Big Sky Tournament which started in 1976. Weber is 8-3 between Montana, Northern Colorado and Portland State. The 'Cats have never lost in the tournament to Portland State and have never played UNC.

    Big Sky Tournament Win/Loss Records
    Boise State 11-10
    Cal State Northridge 7-4
    Eastern Washington 7-9
    Gonzaga 0-1
    Idaho 15-13
    Idaho State 16-20
    Montana 25-23
    Montana State 16-22
    Nevada 11-9
    Northern Arizona 13-18
    Northern Colorado 0-1
    Portland State 7-6
    Sacramento State 2-4
    Weber State 34-24

    Weber State's Tournament Record vs Current Members (26-13)
    Eastern Washington 1-3
    Idaho State 5-3
    Montana 5-3
    Montana State 5-3
    Northern Arizona 4-1
    Northern Colorado 0-0
    Portland State 3-0
    Sacramento State 3-0

    Weber State's Tournament Record vs Former Members (8-11)
    Boise State 2-4
    Cal State Northridge 0-2
    Gonzaga 1-0
    Idaho 1-2
    Nevada 4-3

    Big Sky Tournament Championships
    Weber State 7
    Boise State 4
    Idaho 4
    Montana 4
    Idaho State 2
    Montana State 2
    Nevada 2
    Northern Arizona 2
    Portland State 2
    Cal State Northridge 1
    Eastern Washington 1
    Gonzaga 0
    Northern Colorado 0
    Sacramento State 0

    Year-by-Year Results | Year-by-Year Champions

    3/6/10
    Big Sky Quarterfinals
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    6-Portland State 68, 3-Montana State 65
    4-Montana 81, 5-Northern Arizona 60

    PSU upsets MSU in Bozeman. WSU will host the Vikings of PSU on Tuesday at the Dee Events Center at 7 PM. Montana will play Northern Colorado at 4:30 PM.

    3/5/10
    Wildcat Wall: Got My Tourney Tickets!
    It's official. I have my two tickets for the Big Sky tournament--a ticket for the semi final round on the 9th and a ticket for the championship game on the 10th. I know it may seem somewhat presumptuous for me to buy a ticket for the championship game when I still don't...Read More

    Wildcat Wall is a fan blog on WeberHoops.com with articles by Mark Berger.

    3/5/10
    Standard.net
    Sitting for eight days
    By Jasen Asay
    http://blogs.standard.net/2010/03/sitting-for-eight-days/

    3/3/10
    The Big Sky Awards - 3 WSU Players Honored
    Today the Big Sky Conference announced the selections for all-conference awards. From 1963 (the inaugural year of the Big Sky) until 1990, the conference named a 1st & 2nd team. From 1991 to 2006 they only named a 1st team. In 2007 the 2nd team award was re-instated as well as adding the honorable mention list. The panel of voters are the 9 head coaches.

    2009-10 Big Sky All-Conference Selections

    First Team
    Damian Lillard, WSU
    Will Figures, UNC
    Jamie Jones, PSU
    Anthony Johnson, UM
    Cameron Jones, NAU
    Bobby Howard, MSU

    Second Team
    Steve Panos, WSU
    Franklin Session, WSU
    Dominic Waters, PSU
    Amorrow Morgan, ISU
    Devon Beitzel, UNC

    Honorable Mention
    Will Cherry, UM
    Glen Dean, EWU
    Justin Eller, Sac
    Broderick Gilchrest, ISU
    Marquis Navarre, MSU
    Ryan Staudacher, UM

    Individual Awards
    Most Valuable Player - Damian Lillard, WSU
    Newcomer of the Year - Franklin Session, WSU
    Freshman of the Year - Glen Dean, EWU
    Defensive Player of the Year - Yahosh Bonner, UNC

    All-Time Big Sky 1st Team Players
    Weber State 71
    Idaho State 44
    Montana 43
    Montana State 38
    Northern Arizona 28
    Eastern Washington 24
    Portland State 18
    Sacramento State 5
    Northern Colorado 2

    All-Time Big Sky 2nd Team Players
    Montana 26
    Weber State 25
    Montana State 23
    Idaho State 21
    Northern Arizona 14
    Portland State 4
    Eastern Washington 2
    Northern Colorado 1
    Sacramento State 0
    3/2/10
    Tuesday
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Portland State loses final game of season at Seattle U, 93-80. No other Big Sky teams have games left. The conference tournament starts on Saturday with NAU at UM and PSU at MSU.

    2/28/10
    Hansen's Hot 3 Pt Shooting Wasn't Enough; Cats Fall to Viks
    Portland St. 84, Weber St. 79
    Associated Press
    PORTLAND, Ore. -- Dominic Waters scored 28 points to lead Portland State to an 84-79 victory over Weber State on Sunday in the final Big Sky game of the regular season.

    Jamie Jones had 21 points and eight rebound for the Vikings (12-17, 7-9 Big Sky, and Julius Thomas added 17 points.

    Damian Lillard led the Wildcats (19-9, 13-3) with 21 points. Nick Hansen scored 18, Kyle Bullinger had 14 and Lindsey Hughey 12.

    Portland State broke open a close game with a 15-0 run midway through the second half and led 62-47 after Waters connected on a 3-pointer with 9:29 to play.

    Weber State got back into the game with three 3s from Lillard and cut the lead to 79-76 when Bullinger hit a short jumper with 1:11 remaining. The Vikings connected on 7-of-10 free throws in the final minutes to secure the victory over the conference's top team.

    2/28/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 84-79
    Big Sky Scoreboard |Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM | Fans Forum | Game Pics
    Weber State Wildcats Portland State

    2/28/10
    The Final Big Sky Game
    Today's game vs PSU will be WSU's 35th all-time meeting against the Vikings. Weber is 25-9 all-time against PSU, 16-1 in Ogden, 9-8 in Portland. PSU joined the Big Sky Conference in 1997. PSU along with Sac and CS-Northridge joined the Big Sky when Boise State and Idaho left for the Big West.

    Weber swept the Vikings last season and the last time the 'Cats lost to PSU was in Feb of 2009. Portland State had lost 4 straight home games before beating Idaho State on Friday. The Vikings are 7-4 at home on the season and 4-4 in Big Sky games. WSU is 5-2 on the road in league play and 7-7 away from the Dee overall.

    Coach Randy Rahe's best record in league is his 7-1 records against both Sac and PSU. Today's game has no impact on the standings. PSU is the 6-seed and WSU is the 1-seed regardless of the outcome.

    Probable PSU Starters
    C-44 Jamie Jones 6-7 220 Sr El Segundo, CA (14.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.2 bpg)
    F-1 Julius Thomas 6-5 225 Sr Stockton, CA (10.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.4 spg)
    G-12 Paul Guede 6-5 205 Jr London, UK (5.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .238 3P%)
    G-4 Melvin Jones 5-10 165 Jr Seattle, WA (11.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, .429 3P%)
    G-11 Dominic Waters 6-1 180 Sr Portland, OR (19.1 ppg, 4.8 apg, 2.3 rpg, .444 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, .326 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (10.8, 6.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.8 spg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .376 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, .388 3P%)

    2/28/10
    Big Sky Tourney Seeds Set
    The results of Saturday night's games cemented in the seeds for the conference tournament. Seven of the nine Big Sky schools completed their conference schedules and only the WSU at PSU game remains. The 'Cats and Vikings will tipoff on the Altitude at 2:00 PM.

    Montana State beat Montana in Missoula to complete a season sweep against the Griz. Both teams finished with a 10-6 record but the Bobcats get the 3-seed and will host the Vikings in the Big Sky quarterfinals. Montana's loss gives them the 4-seed and NAU. The highest remaining seed will play UNC in the semifinals at the Dee Events Center on Tuesday, March 9th. The lowest remaining seed will take on the Wildcats after the UNC game ends. Both semifinal games will be live on the Altitude.

    The Seeds
    1. Weber State
    2. Northern Colorado
    3. Montana State
    4. Montana
    5. Northern Arizona
    6. Portland State

    Big Sky Tournament
    Saturday: 6-PSU at 3-MSU
    Saturday: 5-NAU at 4-UM
    Tues: Highest vs UNC, 4:30 PM on the Altitude
    Tues: Lowest vs WSU, 7:00 PM on the Altitude
    Wed: Big Sky Championship, 7:00 PM on ESPN2

    2/27/10
    Saturday
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Montana State 73, Montana 67
    Eastern Washington 79, Idaho State 71
    Northern Colorado 78, Sacramento State 66

    2/26/10
    WSU Outright Champs!
    Weber St. 85, E. Washington 57
    Associated Press
    CHENEY, Wash. -- Damian Lillard scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the first half and added seven rebounds and four steals as Weber State rolled to an 85-57 victory over Eastern Washington on Friday night.

    Franklin Session added 16 points, Kyle Bullinger 13 points and 12 rebounds and Lindsey Hughey 11 points as the Wildcats (19-8, 13-2 Big Sky) earned their second straight regular-season title.

    Glen Dean scored 17 points and Jeffrey Forbes 10 for the Eagles (8-21, 4-11), who were eliminated from postseason play.

    Weber State opened a big early lead, getting back-to-back dunks by Session and Lillard during a 13-0 burst and grabbing a 20-5 lead with 14:11 left.

    After two foul shots by Eastern Washington's Gary Gibson cut the deficit to 25-13 with 11:45 left, the Wildcats answered with an 8-0 run capped by Hughey's 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 33-13, and they cruised home.

    2/26/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 85-57
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM | Fans Forum
    Weber State Wildcats Eastern Washington
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 85, Eastern Washington 57
    Northern Arizona 73, Sacramento State 59
    Portland State 98, Idaho State 63

    2/24/10
    WSU at Eastern Washington
    On Friday night at 8 pm (7 pm PST) in Cheney, WA, WSU will take on the Eagles of Eastern Washington and then travel to Portland State to finish up the regular season on Saturday. WSU went 8-0 at home in Big Sky play and currently is 4-2 in road games. EWU is 3-3 in Big Sky home games and 6-5 at home overall. Their 3 conference home wins were against Sac St, UM and MSU. EWU has lost its last 2 games which were both on the road at UNC and NAU.

    The top 5 seeds for the conference tournament are already spoken for. The 6th and final spot is up for grabs and will go to either PSU, EWU or ISU. Sac St could still tie the other 3 teams at 5-11 but would lose a tiebreaker. The Eags can only gain the 6 seed with 2 wins this week and 2 PSU losses. ISU needs a win over PSU on Saturday to have a chance. WSU needs to win 1 of its final 2 games or a UNC loss to secure an outright Big Sky title.

    Friday's game will be the Wildcats' 56th all-time meeting against the Eags. Weber is 36-19 all-time against EWU, 25-3 in Ogden, 11-16 in Cheney. EWU joined the Big Sky in 1987.

    Weber beat EWU 89-67 in Ogden earlier this season and swept the Eags last season (2-0). The last time the 'Cats lost to EWU was on Feb 14, 2008, in Cheney.

    Weber State head coach Randy Rahe who claims 3 Big Sky titles in his 4 years at WSU is 5-2 against EWU. Rahe is 75-44 overall as a head coach, his Big Sky record is 51-16, 32-4 at home and 19-12 on the road. Third year EWU head coach, Kirk Earlywine, led his teams both to 6-10 records in the Big Sky the past two seasons and neither team made the Big Sky Tourney despite last season's 6-2 start. Earlywine spent 7 years at Weber as an assistant during the Cravens era (2000-2006).

    Probable EWU Starters
    C-45 Brandon Moore 6-9 250 Sr Graham, WA (8.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg)
    F-42 Mark Dunn 6-8 270 Sr Trafalgar, IN (10.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .390 3P%)
    G-2 Jeffrey Forbes 5-10 170 Fr Federal Way, WA (11.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.3 spg, .342 3P%)
    G-1 Glen Dean 5-10 170 Fr Seattle, WA (12.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.6 rpg, 0.9 spg, .439 3P%)
    G-14 Gary Gibson 6-1 175 Sr Windsor, ON (2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, .214 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .311 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (10.6, 6.2 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.8 spg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .367 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, .382 3P%)

    EWU Bio
    Established: 1882
    Undergraduates: 8,309
    Postgraduates: 923
    Location: Cheney, WA
    Colors: Red & White
    Home Court: Reese Court, capacity 6,000
    WSU vs EWU, football: 14-14
    WSU vs EWU, basketball: 36-19

    EWU Big Sky
    Dec 5 @ Portland State* L 98-75
    Dec 31 Sac State* W 79-75
    Jan 8 @ Montana* L 79-66
    Jan 10 @ Montana State* W 75-73
    Jan 15 Northern Arizona* L 73-69
    Jan 16 Northern Colorado* L 74-71
    Jan 22 @ Idaho State* L 80-74
    Jan 23 @ Weber State* L 89-67
    Jan 30 Portland State* L 85-77
    Feb 7 @ Sac State* L 74-67
    Feb 12 Montana State* W 74-69
    Feb 14 Montana* W 69-68
    Feb 18 @ Northern Colorado* L 58-54
    Feb 20 @ Northern Arizona* L 74-71
    Feb 26 Weber State* 8 PM
    Feb 27 Idaho State* 8 PM

    2/21/10
    WSU Cuts Down Net!


    2/21/10
    WSU 2009-10 Big Sky Champions
    WSU To Host Big Sky Tournament
    WSU fans and players celebrated the men's basketball team's 19th Big Sky title with the win over Idaho State, 89-64, at the Dee Events Center. The team cut down the net for the third time in four years. Steve Panos is the first WSU player to be part of three conference titles in at least 30 years. WSU also has defended its title by winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1993-94, 1994-95.

    Weber is now 41-9 at home vs the Bengals of ISU and 68-40 overall in the series. The 2010 Wildcats had their first undefeated home record in conference play with an 8-0 record since 2003. If the 'Cats can win the final 2 games and go 14-2 it would be WSU's third best Big Sky record since 1984 (2009, 15-1; 2003, 14-0; 1984, 12-2).

    On March 9-10, WSU will host the conference tournament for the second year in-a-row for the first time since 1978-79, 1979-80. Tickets are now on sale at the Dee Events Center. The quarterfinals will take place at campus sites (#6 @ #3, #5 @ #4) on March 6. The semifinal game on the Altitude and championship game on ESPN2 will take place at Weber State.

    Ticket information can be found here.

    Since moving up to Division I basketball the Wildcats have had nine head coaches. Coach Rahe is one of five WSU coaches to win three titles. Only Neil McCarthy (1976-1985) won more with four. Dick Motta (1963-68) won three titles in four years before leaving WSU to go on to coach in the NBA where he is now one of the winningest coaches in the league's history. Phil Johnson, the current Jazz assistant and former NBA coach of the year won three Big Sky titles in his three year tenure with the Wildcats from 1969 to 1971. McCarthy who won four titles took five years to get his first three and he is WSU's all-time winningest coach with a 200-98 record. Coach Ron Abegglen (1992-1999) won three titles in a six year span (1994, 1995 and 1999).

    (Damian Lillard is just a sophomore.)

    2/20/10
    Weber St. 89, Idaho St. 64
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Nick Hansen scored 21 points -- all on 3-pointers -- and was one of four Weber State players in double figures as the Wildcats beat Idaho State 89-64 Saturday night and clinched a share of the Big Sky regular-season title.

    Steve Panos finished with 14 points for the Wildcats (18-8, 12-2), who also earned the right to host the conference tournament March 9-10, at which they will be the No. 1 seeds.

    Kyle Bullinger had 12 points and Lindsey Hughey 10 for Weber State.

    Amorrow Morgan led the Bengals (7-20, 4-10) with 17 points. Austin Kilpatrick had 12, Todd Starks 11 and Demetrius Moore 10.

    Late in the first half Hansen's 3-pointer started a 14-2 stretch and helped Weber State make it 42-25 with 2:57 remaining before halftime.

    Damian Lillard's 3-pointer with 4:38 put the Wildcats up 79-48 for their biggest lead of the game.

    2/20/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 89-64
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM | Fans Forum | Game Pics
    Weber State Wildcats Idaho State

    2/18/10
    Salt Lake Tribune
    Weber on brink of another Big Sky title, but 'Cats want more
    By Steve Luhm
    http://www.sltrib.com/wsuwildcats/ci_14427091

    2/18/10
    This Week's Games
    Big Sky Scoreboard | Big Sky TV
    Monday
    CS Bakersfield 82, Idaho State 79
    Thursday
    Northern Colorado 58, Eastern Washington 54
    Northern Arizona 86, Portland State 85, 2OT
    Montana State 80, Sacramento State 74
    Saturday
    Weber State 89, Idaho State 64
    Northern Colorado 64, Portland State 61
    Montana 86, Sacramento State 58
    Northern Arizona 74, Eastern Washington 71
    San Jose State 77, Montana State 66

    2/15/10
    Steve Panos, Big Sky Player of the Week
    From the Big Sky Conference's official site by Jon Kasper
    WSU's Panos Wins First POTW
    BigSkyConf.com

    2/14/10
    Sunday
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Eastern Washington 69, Montana 68

    2/13/10
    Weber St. 81, N. Colorado 76
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Steve Panos scored a career-high 29 points as Weber State defeated Northern Colorado 81-76 on Saturday to earn a two-game cushion atop the Big Sky Conference.

    Nick Hansen scored 18 points, shooting a perfect 6 of 6 from 3-point range for WSU (17-8, 11-2) while Damian Lillard added 14.

    Hansen's sixth 3-pointer started an 8-0 run for the Wildcats, giving them a 62-52 lead with 10:45 left.

    The Bears (20-6, 9-4) hit five free throws to cut that lead in half, and then eventually pulled to 73-72 with 1:21 left after back-to-back 3-pointers from Will Figures.

    Figures led UNC with 33 points while Mike Proctor had 10.

    After that, Panos completed a three-point play and WSU made 5-of-6 free throws to seal the win.

    2/13/10
    Gameday: 1 vs 2
    Final: WSU W 81-76
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM | Fans Forum
    Weber State Wildcats Northern Colorado
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 81, Northern Colorado 76
    Idaho State 73, Northern Arizona 71, OT
    Montana State 79, Portland State 71
    Seattle 98, Sac State 67

    2/13/10
    Weber St. 76, N. Arizona 66
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 26 points and Weber State came up with 16 steals in a 76-66 victory over Northern Arizona on Friday night.

    The Wildcats (16-8, 10-2 Big Sky), who completed a season sweep of the Lumberjacks, also got a big night from Franklin Session. He scored 22 points and grabbed eight steals.

    Cameron Jones led Northern Arizona (11-12, 5-7) with 24 points, scoring 16 in the first half.

    The Lumberjacks went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to pull within 42-38 with 13:33 left. However, Lillard and Nick Hansen hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Wildcats erupted on a 13-0 surge to lead 55-38 less than five minutes later. Session ended that stretch with a three-point play.

    Weber State led 69-50 on a dunk from Session with 5:26 to gain its biggest lead of the game.

    2/12/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 76-66
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Northern Arizona
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 76, Northern Arizona 66
    Northern Colorado 68, Idaho State 59
    Montana 81, Portland State 76
    Eastern Washington 74, Montana State 69

    2/11/10
    Friday, NAU; Saturday, #2 UNC
    This week's games will be Weber's third time to play on back-to-back nights in league play. WSU is 3-1 in those games with two at home and two on the road. Friday night WSU will host the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona and then on Saturday, the #1 Wildcats will take on the #2 Northern Colorado Bears. A home sweep this week would put the 'Cats at 7-0 at home with just ISU remaining on Feb 20th. Fans could also start making plans for the Big Sky Tournament in Ogden. If WSU can get past NAU but lose to UNC, WSU would be tied for 1st with an 0-2 record against UNC (assuming UNC beats ISU on Friday).

    Friday will be the 91st all-time game between WSU and NAU. Weber is 64-26 in those games and 40-6 at home. Coach Rahe is 6-3 against the 'Jacks; all 3 losses came in 2007-08.

    Saturday night's game will be WSU's 8th all-time meeting against UNC. The 'Cats are 5-2 against the Bears with the 2 losses being in Greeley in 2007-08 and this season.

    Randy Rahe is a combined 11-5 against this week's foes.

    Jan 7, 2010 in Greeley
    N. Colorado 84, Weber St. 75

    Associated Press
    GREELEY, Colo. -- Devon Beitzel scored 25 points leading Northern Colorado to a 84-75 victory over Weber State Thursday night.

    Taylor Montgomery added a career-high 19 points and Will Figures had 14 for Northern Colorado (14-3, 3-1 Big Sky).

    Figures became just the third player in school history to score 1,000 points in Division I and the 13th overall.The Bears are off to their best start since beginning 17-2 in 1966-67.

    Damian Lillard led Weber State (9-7, 3-1) with 15 points.

    The Wildcats won 15 straight regular-season conference games and 10 straight conference road victories before the loss.

    Jan 9, 2010 in Flagstaff
    Weber St. 87, N. Arizona 62

    Associated Press
    FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Nick Hansen scored 17 points and Damian Lillard added 16 as Weber State beat Northern Arizona 87-62 Saturday night.

    The Wildcats (10-7, 4-1 Big Sky) blew open a close game with a 21-7 run in the second half that put them ahead 71-52 with 5:51 remaining.

    Weber State led 42-31 at halftime after shooting 53.3 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. The Wildcats outscored the Lumberjacks 22-10 in the paint in the first half, and 42-14 overall.

    Northern Arizona (7-9, 1-4) got within 43-41 after opening the second half on a 10-1 run before Weber State pulled away.

    Cameron Jones led the Lumberjacks with 16 points and Gabe Rogers added 13.

    Kyle Bullinger added 13 points, Franklin Session 11 and Trevor Morris 10 for the Wildcats.

    Probable NAU Starters
    C-32 Nick Larson 6-8 225 Sr Ventura, CA (6.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .344 3P%)
    F-42 Josh Lepley 6-8 210 So Reno, NV (5.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
    G-10 Cameron Jones 6-4 180 Jr Los Angeles, CA (18.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.1 ppg, 1.1 spg, .412 3P%)
    G-11 Gabe Rogers 6-2 165 Fr Houston, TX (8.1 ppg, 2.3 apg, .388 3P%)
    G-12 Julian Olubuyi 5-9 175 Jr Houston, TX (2.9 ppg, 4.0 apg, .333 3P%)

    UNC Starters
    C-41 Mike Proctor 6-8 200 So Phoenix, AZ (7.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
    F-33 Neal Kingman 6-6 210 Jr Greeley, CO (6.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .288 3P%)
    G-32 Devon Beitzel 6-0 170 Jr Lafayette, CO (14.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.0 spg, .445 3P%)
    G-2 Will Figures 5-9 155 Sr Centennial, CO (16.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg, .383 3P%)
    G-20 Yahosh Bonner 6-0 210 Sr Mesa, AZ (6.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg, .355 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .313 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (10.5, 6.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.0 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (8.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .318 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (20.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, .380 3P%)

    NAU Schedule
    Nov 13 Southwestern (AZ) W 113-61
    Nov 15 @ Arizona L 87-70
    Nov 17 Fresno State L 65-59
    Nov 19 Pacific Suspended
    Nov 25 @ Santa Clara W 88-72
    Nov 28 San Diego State L 89-48
    Dec 4 @ Montana* L 71-54
    Dec 5 @ Montana State L 62-50
    Dec 13 UC-Riverside W 68-56
    Dec 16 @ #19 New Mexico L 96-57
    Dec 19 @ Air Force W 60-52
    Dec 20 @ Colorado State L 64-56
    Dec 28 @ TX-Pan American W 64-59
    Dec 30 Northern New Mexico W 113-68
    Jan 2 Northern Colorado* L 75-66
    Jan 7 Idaho State* L 68-56
    Jan 9 Weber State* L 78-62
    Jan 15 @ Eastern Washington* W 73-69
    Jan 17 @ Portland State* W 93-86
    Jan 24 Sacramento State* W 75-71
    Jan 28 Montana State* W 71-58
    Jan 30 Montana* L 84-64
    Feb 7 @ Northern Colorado* L 70-63 OT
    Feb 12 @ Weber State* 7:00 PM

    UNC Schedule
    Nov 13 vs McNeese State W 101-73
    Nov 15 vs Southern Utah W 73-51
    Nov 17 @ Hawaii W 81-75
    Nov 20 vs Texas Southern W 66-62
    Nov 21 @ Air Force W 70-46
    Nov 27 @ North Dakota W 70-63
    Dec 1 Colorado State W 70-63
    Dec 4 @ Montana State* L 87-63
    Dec 5 @ Montana* W 59-48
    Dec 12 @ Wyoming L 76-70
    Dec 16 Louisiana-Monroe W 95-84
    Dec 19 @ Oklahoma L 80-79
    Dec 21 San Jose State W 93-69
    Dec 28 Denver W 72-57
    Dec 30 @ TCU Fort W 64-53
    Jan 2 @ Northern Arizona* W 75-66
    Jan 7 Weber State* W 84-75
    Jan 9 Idaho State* W 78-66
    Jan 15 @ Portland State* L 85-69
    Jan 16 @ Eastern Washington* W 74-71
    Jan 22 Sacramento State* W 79-65
    Jan 28 Montana* L 64-62
    Jan 31 Montana State* W 74-68
    Feb 7 Northern Arizona* W 70-63 OT
    Feb 12 @ Idaho State* 7:00 PM
    Feb 13 @ Weber State* 7:00 PM

    2/8/10
    BigSkyConf.com
    MBB Notes - Feb. 8
    Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

    Around the Big Sky

    WILDCATS IN: Weber State became the first team to clinch a spot in the postseason tournament, clinching one of the six spots on Sunday. Weber State moved to 9-2 in conference with a 75-71 win over Montana State on Saturday in Bozeman, but didn't clinch the spot until Sunday. Sacramento State's 74-67 win over Eastern Washington on Sunday assured Weber State a bid. Idaho State, Eastern Washington and Sacramento State all have at least eight conference losses and will not be able to catch Weber State. The Wildcats have advanced to the Big Sky Championship four consecutive seasons, and have missed out in the postseason just twice - 1981 and 2006 since the league began the tournament in 1976. Weber State has won or shared two of the past three regular-season titles and will position itself for a third title in four years with home victories this week. The Wildcats face Northern Arizona on Friday and second-place Northern Colorado on Saturday. WSU has won 24 of its last 27 Big Sky games. Weber State is 5-0 in conference home games this season and 12-1 the past two seasons.

    TOURNEY TALK: Weber State is in the tournament, and Northern Colorado, Montana and Montana State are all on the verge of clinching postseason bids. Currently, a team needs nine victories to clinch a bid, but that number could shrink to eight by Friday night. Northern Colorado (8-3) will clinch a spot with a victory over Idaho State on Friday. Montana State (7-5) can clinch a spot with a win over Eastern Washington on Friday or a victory over Portland State on Saturday. Montana (8-4) will clinch with a win over Portland State on Friday, or losses by Eastern Washington and Idaho State. The top six teams qualify for the Big Sky Championship. The regular-season champion will host the semifinals on Tuesday, March 9, and the championship on Wednesday, March 10. Portland State is currently in fifth place at 5-5. The Vikings play four of their final six conference games at home. NAU is in sixth at 5-6. The Lumberjacks have three road games and two home games remaining.

    2/7/10
    Sunday
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Northern Colorado 70, Northern Arizona 63, OT
    Seattle 80, Portland State 77
    Sacramento State 74, Eastern Washington 67

    2/7/10
    Standard.net
    'Cats hang on to split road trip
    By Jasen Asay
    http://www.standard.net/topics/sports/2010/02/06/cats-hang-split-road-trip

    2/6/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 75-71
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Montana State
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 75, Montana State 71
    Montana 91, Idaho State 68

    2/6/10
    Montana Ends 6 Game Losing Streak to WSU
    Montana 75, Weber St. 61
    Associated Press
    MISSOULA, Mont. -- Anthony Johnson scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and surging Montana topped league-leading Weber State 75-61 in Big Sky play Friday night.

    Johnson sank 12 of 14 free throws in the second half. Montana enjoyed a 21-for-28 outing from the foul line for the game. The Wildcats made just 10 trips.

    Ryan Staudacher provided the shooting touch for the Grizzlies (16-7, 7-4), who have won six of their last seven and snapped an six-game losing streak to Weber State.

    Staudacher hit five 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. His 3-pointer with 5:14 left gave Montana a 68-52 after Weber State had closed within eight on a 9-0 spurt. Will Cherry added 14 points.

    Damian Lillard scored 24 points to lead the Wildcats (14-8, 8-2). Lindsey Hughey and Franklin Session had 12 apiece.

    Weber State had beaten the Grizzlies 64-56 last month.

    2/5/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 75-61
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats U of Montana
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Montana 75, Weber State 61
    Montana State 63, Idaho State 60
    Portland State 76, Sacramento State 62

    2/3/10
    Wildcat Wall Blog Interview With Franklin Session
    Wildcat Wall is a fan blog on WeberHoops.com with articles written by Mark Berger and Rod Eyre.

    New Fan Favorite, Franklin Session
    February 3rdFor three years Daviin Davis's style of play made him a fan favorite. He blocked shots, he dove for lose balls, and he dunked like no other. When he graduated last year, I wondered who would step up and take his place as the fans' favorite.

    This year there is no doubt who holds that honor. Franklin "The Blur" Session.

    Listed as 6'2" and 175 pounds, no one on Weber State's active roster is smaller than shooting guard Franklin Session. However, if you look at Session's statistics, it is clear that no one plays bigger. Session leads the team in rebounds and steals. He is number two on the team in assists, blocked shots and minutes played. (In conference play he is actually #1 in all these categories!) Oh, yeah. The dude can dunk as well!

    Of all the players on the court he shows the most emotion, much to the pleasure of the fans. Often after a big dunk, a blocked shot, or any other big play, Session looks to the student section and waves his arms or thumps his chest, bringing fans to their feet in applause.

    In short he has become a fan favorite because he is fast, athletic, enthusiastic, emotional, and he always gives one hundred percent effort.

    WeberHoops.com caught up with him and was able to ask him a few questions.

    Q- You have quickly become an obvious contender for Fan Favorite. What do you think about that?
    A- "I don't know about fan favorite. Damian is pretty favorable lol..."

    Q-You are often the smallest player on the court. What is your secret to getting so many rebounds and blocked shots?
    A- "I just play hard as possible every possession, and I can tell where rebounds are going to end up, and I just go get them!"

    Q-I have noticed that you now do the jump balls at the beginning of games. How did you get that assignment?
    A- "I got that assignment because when we went into the 3 OT game at Idaho State we needed the first possession in every OT, so I ended up winning them and they decided to just keep me at the jump balls now."

    Q-I know the student section really likes you because you acknowledge them after a big play. How important are the fans and the student section for you and the team?
    A- "The student section and the fans are a big part of where our energy as a team comes from, especially me. I feed off the student section and fans because it just takes my game to another level...so to me the fans and student section are much needed and very important!!"

    Q-You mention on a Facebook status that you really want a championship ring. How big would it be to win the Big Sky title?
    A-Winning the Big Sky title would be one of the biggest accomplishments in my life! Especially since I have wanted a ring that big since high school lol..."
    By Mark Berger
    For questions, comments, or thoughts, email me at mark@weberhoops.com

    1/31/10
    Game of the Week
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Northern Colorado 74, Montana State 68

    1/30/10
    Saturday
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Montana 84, Northern Arizona 64
    Sacramento State 71, Idaho State 55
    Portland State 85, Eastern Washington 77

    1/29/10
    WSU beats Sac; 5th Straight Win
    Weber St. 81, Sacramento St. 59
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Steve Panos scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds as Weber State defeated Sacramento State 81-59 on Friday night to complete a season sweep of the Hornets.

    The Wildcats (14-7, 8-1 Big Sky) used a 17-4 run midway through the first half to take control of the game. Lindsey Hughey started the stretch with a 3-pointer followed by a three-point play, and Weber State eventually led 33-22 with 4:24 left in the first half.

    Damian Lillard scored 15 points, while Hughey added 14 and Franklin Session 11.

    Justin Eller led the Hornets (7-15, 1-8) with 12 points. Duro Bjegovic had 10.

    After leading 36-28 at halftime, the Wildcats started the second half on a 9-0 run, with Panos scoring four points. Weber State eventually built a 72-44 lead after a basket from Lillard with 6:57 remaining.

    1/29/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 81-59
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM | Big Sky Scoreboard

    Weber State Wildcats Sacramento State

    1/28/10
    Thursday Night's Games
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Montana 64, Northern Colorado 62
    Northern Arizona 71, Montana State 58

    1/26/09
    Fri: Sac State at Weber
    On Friday night, WSU, now 25th ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25, will attempt to win its 5th straight game and 6th straight against the Hornets of Sacramento State. This week's lone matchup is the 17th all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Hornets in Ogden. WSU is 4-0 at home in Big Sky games and Sac is 0-4 in Big Sky road games.

    The Hornets have only one win in Ogden and just four wins overall out of the 32 all-time games. All four of Sac's wins against Weber have come in the last seven years. In 2005-06 (one of the eight worst seasons in WSU history) Sac State and Portland State both got their only win in Ogden to date, and after the Hornets won they were so excited they even took the game ball home.

    WSU head coach Randy Rahe is 6-1 overall against the Hornets. Sac State's head coach Brian Katz is 0-3 vs Weber and was a first year DI coach last season. Katz spent 19 seasons in the JC rankings all in the state of California. He spent 15 years prior to Sac at San Joaquin Delta JC in Stockton, CA. At San Joaquin Delta Katz went 348-138 (79%). The 4 years prior to San Joaquin Katz was the coach at Lassen JC where he posted a 87-47 (65%) record. Overall he was 435-185 (70%) at the JUCO level.

    Sac Starters
    C-40 Justin Eller 6-8 235 Sr Yreka, CA (9.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
    F-33 Duro Bjegovic 6-7 235 Jr Drnis, Croatia (6.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, .444 3P%)
    G-12 Jared Stigall 5-10 160 Sr Sacramento, CA (1.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.5 apg, .280 3P%)
    G-23 Domineek Daniel 6-3 190 Jr Barstow, CA (7.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, .313 3P%)
    G-21 Sultan Toles-Bey 5-10 185 Jr Compton, CA (10.6 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 spg, .359 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .310 3P%)
    G-23 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (10.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.8 spg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .331 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (20.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, .367 3P%)

    Sac Schedule
    Nov 13 @ Rice L 81-51
    Nov 14 vs. Houston Baptist W 70-60
    Nov 15 vs. South Alabama L 70-58
    Nov 18 Bethany (CA) W 90-75
    Nov 21 @ Oregon State W 65-63
    Nov 24 @ Idaho L 75-61
    Nov 28 UC Riverside L 59-58
    Dec 2 @ UC Davis W 59-57
    Dec 5 Weber State* 80-65
    Dec 8 @ USC L 51-36
    Dec 12 @ Pacific L 79-49
    Dec 19 Idaho State* W 64-63
    Dec 21 William Jessup W 74-42
    Dec 27 Loyola Marymount L 82-78
    Dec 31 @ Eastern Washington* L 79-75
    Jan 2 @ Portland State* L 94-66
    Jan 9 Seattle W 80-67
    Jan 15 Montana* L 57-56
    Jan 17 Montana State* L 58-53
    Jan 22 @ Northern Colorado* L 79-65
    Jan 24 @ Northern Arizona* L 75-71
    Jan 29 @ Weber State* 7:00 PM

    Hornet bio
    Established: 1947
    Undergraduates: 22,555
    Postgraduates: 5,417
    Location: Sacramento, CA
    Colors: Green & Gold
    Mascot: Herky the Hornet
    Series: WSU is 28-4 all-time vs Sac

    1/25/10
    Lillard's 2nd POTW / WSU Ranked in Mid-Major
    Lillard Player of the Week
    From the Big Sky Conference's official site by Jon Kasper
    Lillard, Morgan Share Honor
    BigSkyConf.com

    Mid-Major Top 25
    CollegeInsider.com's top 25 poll now in its 11th season of existence is a poll for the 25 best teams from the mid-major conferences. This year's first poll was released in October with no Big Sky teams ranked but 4 had votes to be ranked: Weber State 50; Montana State 9; Portland State 9; Montana 4.

    With Northern Colorado surprising many by starting the season going 7-0, it quickly caught the attention of the Mid-Major voting panel. UNC is now 17-4 overall and ranked 10th. Weber State after starting the season with 50 votes was no where to be found after starting the season 0-3. Now that WSU is 7-1 and sitting on top of the Big Sky voters are respecting the Wildcats. WSU along with 4 other schools went from being unranked to cracking the top 25. Interestingly WSU didn't even have a single vote to be ranked just last week while Montana has spent the whole season with votes.

    The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.

    WSU's 2009 team finished ranked 20th in the Mid-Major. The last week of the regular season the Wildcats had 5 votes to be in the AP Top 25 before falling to Montana State in the Big Sky Semifinals. The 2007 team led by David Patton finished ranked 25th. In 2003, WSU finished the season in the top 10 (No. 30 in the AP Poll). The last WSU team to finish in the AP Top 25 was the 1980 team which finished 17th.

    VOTING PANEL: Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Will Brown (Albany), Rick Byrd (Belmont), Dave Calloway (Monmouth), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Steve Donahue (Cornell), Anthony Evans (Norfolk State), James Fox (Davidson), Mike Gillian (Longwood), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Dick Hunsaker (Utah Valley), Eddie Jackson (American), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara) *, Billy Kennedy (Murray State), Tod Kowalczyk (UW-Green Bay), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Jim Les (Bradley), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Bob Marlin (Sam Houston State), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M), Rick Scruggs (Gardner-Webb), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Gary Stewart (UC Davis), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts), Wayne Tinkle (Montana), Ernie Zeigler (Central Michigan)

    1/22/10
    Weber St. 89, E. Washington 67
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored a career-high 36 points, including 25 in the first half, to lead Weber State to an 89-67 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday.

    The sophomore scored the first eight points of the game as the Wildcats (13-7, 7-1 Big Sky) jumped out to an 18-5 lead.

    Steve Panos added 19 points for Weber State, and Lindsey Hughey and Trevor Morris each finished with 10.

    Glen Dean led the Eagles (6-15, 2-6) with 16 points. Laron Griffin had 11 and Jeffery Forbes added 10.

    Eastern Washington pulled within 34-30 on a basket by Forbes with 4:37 left in the first half. But Lillard took over again, scoring 12 points in the next two minutes to give the Wildcats a 46-32 lead.

    After leading 50-34 at halftime, WSU stretched its lead to 61-39 five minutes into the second half and never trailed by less than 12 points the rest of the game.

    1/23/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 89-67
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Eastern Washington
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 89, Eastern Washington 67
    Idaho State 88, Portland State 80, OT
    Montana State 61, Montana 52

    1/22/10
    Weber St. 86, Portland St. 83
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Franklin Session scored a career-high 24 points and was one of four Weber State players in double digits as the Wildcats defeated Portland State 86-83 on Friday night.

    Damian Lillard scored 15 for the Wildcats (12-7, 6-1 Big Sky), who made 8 of 10 free throws in final 55 seconds to hold on for the win. Lindsey Hughey had 13 points and Steve Panos 10.

    Weber State's free throws came after Melvin Jones' 3-pointer ended a 6-0 run for the Vikings (8-11, 3-4) and pulled them within 78-76. Jones' layup with 15 seconds left cut Weber State's lead to 84-83.

    After two free throws by Hughey, the Vikings had two chances to tie the game. But Dominic Waters and Jones each missed 3-point attempts, with Jones' shot coming at the buzzer.

    Waters had 21 points for the Vikings. Phil Nelson and Julius Thomas each had 15.

    1/22/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 86-83
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Portland State
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 86, Portland State 83
    Idaho State 80, Eastern Washington 74
    Northern Colorado 79, Sacramento State 65

    1/21/10
    Fri: Portland State; Sat: Eastern Washington
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM
    This Friday night at the Dee Events Center WSU will host the Portland State Vikings, WSU will also host Eastern Washington on Saturday. Due to the economic downturn the Big Sky Conference has made some adjustments to the scheduling of men's basketball by playing games on back-to-back nights to cut costs. As for when the traditional Thurs/Sat schedule will resume it is unknown.

    Friday's game vs PSU will be WSU's 34th all-time meeting against the Vikings. Weber is 24-9 all-time against PSU, 15-1 in Ogden, 9-8 in Portland. PSU joined the Big Sky Conference in 1997. PSU along with Sac and CS-Northridge joined the Big Sky when Boise State and Idaho left for the Big West. WSU's Saturday night game against the Eagles of EWU will be the 55th all-time meeting; overall WSU is 35-19 vs the Eagles, 24-3 in Ogden, 11-16 in Cheney, WA. EWU joined the Big Sky in 1987.

    Weber swept the Vikings and Eagles last season (4-0) and the last time the 'Cats have lost to both teams was on Feb 14th and 16th of 2008. Portland State's loss last week to NAU at home on Jan 17th was its first loss in the Stott Center in a year since losing to Weber on Jan 18, 2009.

    Weber State head coach Randy Rahe is 10-3 vs the two Northwestern foes. Rahe is 68-41 overall as a head coach, his Big Sky record is 44-15, 26-4 at home and 18-11 on the road. First year PSU head coach Kevin Geving is 8-10 overall and 3-3 in league play. Geving was an assistant to Ken Bone who led the Vikings to the NCAA Tournament the past 2 seasons before leaving for Washington State. EWU's Kirk Earlywine in his 3rd year is 29-50 overall and 14-24 in Big Sky play. Coach E led his teams both to a 6-10 record in the Big Sky the past two seasons and neither team made the Big Sky Tourney despite last season's 6-2 start. Earlywine spent 7 years at Weber as an assistant during the Cravens era (2000-2006).

    Preseason Polls
    The Big Sky preseason polls had PSU and EWU picked to finish 3rd and 8th respectively in both polls. Lindy's College Basketball magazine picked PSU 4th and EWU 6th while Athlon Sports magazine went with PSU 2nd and EWU 7th.

    Portland State
    Lindy's: The Vikings enjoyed their greatest success in school history the past two years with consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Others naturally took notice, namely Washington State, which promptly hired coach Ken Bone to the Pac-10. Now it's Tyler Geving's turn. Bone's lead assistant loses some star quality with graduations and departures, but also has enough firepower returning in double-figures scorers Dominic Waters and Phil Nelson to make another title run. The Vikings are woefully short in stature and will need to depend on their athleticism, not size, to get victories.

    Athlon Sports: The Vikings, who put together back-to-back 23-win seasons and made it to the NCAA Tournament the last two years under Ken Bone, will be a diffent team now that their former coach has moved on to Washigton State. But the school's decision to promote associate head coach Tyler Geving to replace Bone should make the change relatively seamless, which means Portland State should remain among the Big Sky's top teams. Geving welcomes back five letterwinners, including starters Phil Nelson (10.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg), a junior forward, and senior forward Jamie Jones (9.1 ppg). But the key returnee is senior combo guard Dominic Waters, who started only two games last season but averaged 11.4 points and 2.9 assists per game in earning a spot on the All-BSC second team. Waters is a game-changer who can provide instant offense, and he should help keep PSU among the league's elite programs.

    Eastern Washington
    Lindy's: Now is the time for the Eagles to take a step forward. It's year three in coach Kirk Earlywine's tenure in Cheney, and he has the players to make a statement. Three starters return, including two of the conferences's best in guard Benny Valentine, a 5-7 blur who was EWU's top scorer last year, and 6-9 post Brandon Moore, who led the club in rebounding. Big power forward Mark Dunn is a another returning starter. Add a large and talented recruiting class and on paper, this should be the year the Eagles get a least into the conference tournament, something they haven't done the past three seasons.

    Athlon Sports: The Eagles failed to take as big a step as third-year coach Kirk Earlywine had hoped last winter, mainly because of chemistry problems resulting from the midseason addition of a couple of players who had been academically ineligible. Both are gone. This year's team has a chance to build around one of the Big Sky's top point guards in senior Benny Valentine (15.1 ppg). But to make any great strides, the Eagles will need to find help for 6'9" senior center Brandon Moore (11.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg) on the low blocks.

    Probable PSU Starters
    C-44 Jamie Jones 6-7 220 Sr El Segundo, CA (12.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.0 bpg)
    F-21 Phil Nelson 6-7 220 Jr Keizer, OR (12.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 spg, .400 3P%)
    G-12 Paul Guede 6-5 205 Jr London, UK (4.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .209 3P%)
    G-4 Melvin Jones 5-10 165 Jr Seattle, WA (13.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, .481 3P%)
    G-11 Dominic Waters 6-1 180 Sr Portland, OR (18.9 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.2 rpg, .488 3P%)

    Probable EWU Starters
    C-45 Brandon Moore 6-9 250 Sr Graham, WA (8.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
    F-42 Mark Dunn 6-8 270 Sr Trafalgar, IN (12.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, .459 3P%)
    G-2 Jeffrey Forbes 5-10 170 Fr Federal Way, WA (9.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.5 spg, .281 3P%)
    G-1 Glen Dean 5-10 170 Fr Seattle, WA (12.1 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.4 rpg, 1.0 spg, .449 3P%)
    G-14 Gary Gibson 6-1 175 Sr Windsor, ON (2.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, .111 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (10.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (10.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .333 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (9.7, 6.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .331 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.6 apg, .344 3P%)

    PSU Bio
    Established: 1946
    Undergraduates: 18,012
    Postgraduates: 6,272
    Location: Portland, OR
    Colors: Forest Green & White
    Home Court: Stott Center, capacity 1,500
    WSU vs PSU, football: 18-12
    WSU vs PSU, basketball: 24-9

    EWU Bio
    Established: 1882
    Undergraduates: 8,309
    Postgraduates: 923
    Location: Cheney, WA
    Colors: Red & White
    Home Court: Reese Court, capacity 6,000
    WSU vs EWU, football: 14-14
    WSU vs EWU, basketball: 35-19

    PSU Schedule
    Nov 13 vs Belmont L 74-67
    Nov 14 vs Wright State L 75-70
    Nov 15 @ #13 Washington L 111-55
    Nov 21 Cal Poly W 92-83
    Nov 29 @ Stanford L 83-64
    Dec 2 @ #25 Portland W 86-82
    Dec 5 Eastern Washington* W 98-75
    Dec 9 Linfield College W 85-52
    Dec 13 @ Pepperdine W 93-81
    Dec 15 @ Saint Mary's L 101-80
    Dec 19 @ Washington State L 93-69
    Dec 21 @ Boise State L 69-62
    Dec 29 Williamette W 97-90
    Jan 2 Sacramento State, CA* W 94-66
    Jan 8 @ Montana State* L 77-71
    Jan 9 @ Montana* L 90-58
    Jan 15 Northern Colorado* W 85-69
    Jan 17 Northern Arizona* L 93-86

    EWU Schedule
    Nov 14 Portland A L 64-58
    Nov 16 @ Washington State L 67-61
    Nov 17 Whitman W 100-88
    Nov 21 @ UT-Arlington W 72-68
    Nov 24 Boise State L 82-69
    Nov 28 @ Idaho L 76-54
    Dec 1 Walla Walla W 89-61
    Dec 5 @ Portland State* L 98-75
    Dec 12 Seattle U W 100-97 OT
    Dec 17 @ Nevada L 73-70
    Dec 19 @ BYU L 91-34
    Dec 22 vs Chicago State L 62-53
    Dec 23 vs Jackson State L 72-67
    Dec 28 @ Gonzaga L 94-52
    Dec 31 Sac State* W 79-75
    Jan 8 @ Montana* L 79-66
    Jan 10 @ Montana State* W 75-73
    Jan 15 Northern Arizona* L 73-69
    Jan 16 Northern Colorado* L 74-71

    1/20/10
    Jazz Bear Night Friday vs PSU


    WSU will host Portland State and Eastern Washington on back-to-back nights this Friday and Saturday. Tipoff for both games will be at 7 PM at the Dee. Look for the Standard-Examiner Family Night coupon to get six tickets for just $25 in Thursday's paper. Coupon is valid for both games.

    1/17/10
    Sunday
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Northern Arizona 93, Portland State 86
    Montana State 58, Sacramento State 53

    1/17/10
    Big Sky Overtime Records
    Last night Weber State beat the ISU Bengals in triple overtime at Holt Arena in Pocatello. WSU has played in eight overtime games during the Coach Rahe era and have won five of the contests. Idaho State has played in 13 overtime games in the same span of time but only succeeding twice. At one point last season ISU lost three straight games in OT, two of them in double OT.

    Most Overtimes in a Game
    4 Portland State at Northern Arizona - Jan. 4, 2009
    4 Weber State at Eastern Washington - Jan. 16, 1999
    4 Idaho State vs Montana State - Jan. 26, 1989
    4 Idaho State vs Weber State - Feb. 28, 1981
    4 Montana vs Idaho State - Feb. 17, 1979
    4 Gonzaga vs Idaho State - Feb. 10, 1978
    4 Weber State vs Northern Arizona - Jan. 25, 1966

    Most Overtime Games in a Season
    5 Weber State - 1998-99
    5 Montana - 1994-95 (Three 2OT)
    5 Weber State - 1977-78
    5 Idaho State - 2000-01
    5 Idaho State - 2008-09

    1/17/10
    WSU wins Border War in Pokey in Triple OT!
    Associated Press
    Weber St. 95, Idaho St. 93
    POCATELLO, Idaho -- Damian Lillard hit a layup with 0.5 seconds left in triple overtime Saturday to lift Weber State to a 95-93 victory over Idaho State.

    Lillard finished with 28 points for the Wildcats (11-7, 5-1 Big Sky). Franklin Session added 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists; Steve Panos had 21 points and seven rebounds; and Kyle Bullinger finished with 13 points.

    The Bengals (4-14, 1-5) were led by Amorrow Morgan with 30 points. Broderick Gilchrest had 25 points and seven assists, and Austin Kilpatrick added 12 points and nine rebounds.

    Morgan hit a jump shot with 1:02 left in the second overtime to tie it 82-82. Lillard's 3-pointer at the buzzer missed.

    In the first overtime, Gilchrest had a chance to end the game. But after hitting his first free throw with 0.7 seconds left to tie it at 74, he missed the second attempt.

    The game was tied at 62 at the end of regulation.

    1/16/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 95-93 in triple overtime
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Idaho State
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State 95, Idaho State 93
    Northern Colorado 74, Eastern Washington 71

    1/15/10
    Friday Night
    Portland State 85, Northern Colorado 69
    Montana 57, Sacramento State 56
    Northern Arizona 73, Eastern Washington 69

    1/14/10
    Sat: Weber at Idaho State
    This Saturday night in Pocatello, Idaho, the Wildcats will take on the rival Bengals of ISU at Holt Arena in the 107th all-time meeting. WSU's Purple Pak will be taking its third annual trip to ISU as well the Wildcat Club will also take a bus of fans as they do occasionally. This is the second Purple Pak bus trip this season and the students are hoping it won't be their last. Last season the Pak had 5 bus trips - NAU, UM, ISU (football and basketball) and San Diego State.

    Overall in the series against the Bengals, WSU is 66-40, 40-9 at home, 26-31 in Pokey. WSU has won the last 2 games played against ISU and the 'Cats have also won 2 of the last 3 in Holt Arena.

    Weber State head coach Randy Rahe is 4-2 against ISU and 67-41 overall as a head coach. Rahe's Big Sky record is 43-15, 26-4 at home and 17-11 on the road. ISU head coach Joe O'Brien in his 4th season with the Bengals is 42-68 overall. In the past 3 seasons he has led ISU to a 6th, 5th and 4th place finish in the Big Sky.

    2008-09 in Ogden
    Last year's 2 seniors in Daviin Davis and Kellen McCoy scored 19 and 18 points respectively to lead WSU to a 75-61 win over ISU at the Dee. Damian Lillard scored 10 points. The win was the 2nd in the same week against ISU. ISU had an early lead but the 'Cats took the lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half and never trailed after that. Matt Stucki led ISU with 15 points, Chron Tatum scored 13 and Amorrow Morgan with 11.

    2008-09 in Pocatello
    Weber beat Idaho St in overtime 76-67. Lillard led WSU with 22 points as the 'Cats overcame a 13-point deficit late in the game. Kyle Bullinger, Steve Panos and Daviin Davis all scored 13 points. ISU led 49-36 with 14 minutes left in the game before WSU mounted its comeback. The Bengals had two chances to end the game but missed a free throw and a field goal attempt in the last 15 seconds of regulation. In OT, WSU outscored ISU 13-4. Matt Stucki had a game high 29 points and Amorrow Morgan scored 11.

    Preseason Polls
    The Big Sky preseason polls had ISU picked 3rd by the coaches and 4th by the media. The Bengals even had one 1st place vote from the coaches poll. Lindy's College Basketball magazine and Athlon Sports magazine both picked ISU to finish in 5th place.

    Lindy's take on ISU: Success for ISU has been extremely difficult to come by. The Bengals have posted just one winning season in the past 11 years, and even that was only 15-14. Their last NCAA Tournament appearance? That was in 1987 - some current players were not even born then. So last year's 13-19 mark wasn't that bad considering ISU finished fourth in the conference and won a game in the Big Sky Tournament, and did so despite losing four overtime games during the season. The Bengals have one of the league's top players returning in talented senior guard Amorrow Morgan, a first-team all-conference pick last season. He might even have enough help to get ISU above the .500 mark this season.

    Athlon Sports on ISU: Fourth-year coach Joe O'Brien, armed with a three-year contract extension, has some holes to fill as he continues trying to build the Bengals into a title contender. But the return of All-Big Sky performer Amorrow Morgan, a guard who averaged a team-high 13.6 points, last winter, should help ease the sting of the graduation loss of Matt Stucki, another All-BSC selection. Chron Tatum, a senior forward, is also back, along with senior guard Donnie Carson and 7'0" center Deividas Busma. The Bengals are getting better, but they're not there yet.

    Probable ISU Starters
    C-21 Demetrius Monroe 6-8 200 Sr San Diego, CA (9.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
    G-23 Austin Kilpatrick 6-6 205 Sr Puyallup, WA (5.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .375 3P%)
    G-1 Amorrow Morgan 6-5 210 Sr Memphis, TN (17.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 spg, .311 3P%)
    G-20 Donnie Carson 6-2 195 Sr Detroit, MI (4.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, .250 3P%)
    G-2 Broderick Gilchrest 6-0 185 Jr Memphis, TN (14.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.1 spg, .311 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (10.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .344 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (8.9, 6.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (10.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .354 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (18.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, .339 3P%)

    Bengal Bio
    Established: 1901
    Students: 13,802
    Location: Pocatello, ID
    Colors: Black & Orange
    Home Court: Holt Arena, capacity 8,000
    Mascot: Benny the Bengal

    Famous Potatoes
    ISU alumni: Jerry Graybeal, former WSU Athletic Director; Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings; Ron Boone, broadcaster for the Utah Jazz; Merril Hoge, ESPN commentator; Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals head coach; William L. Petersen, actor on CSI.

    ISU Schedule
    Nov 13 @ Iowa State L 88-68
    Nov 15 @ Bradley L 74-69
    Nov 17 @ BYU L 87-53
    Nov 21 Colorado Christian W 77-60
    Nov 24 @ Utah State L 77-44
    Nov 28 @ UM-Kansas City W 68-65
    Dec 1 @ Notre Dame L 80-70
    Dec 5 @ Utah L 68-56
    Dec 9 Boise State L 79-67
    Dec 11 @ USC L 59-53
    Dec 19 @ Sac State* L 64-63
    Dec 22 @ Oregon L 77-71
    Dec 28 Montana Tech W 63-55
    Dec 31 Montana* W 67-65
    Jan 3 Montana State* L 70-63
    Jan 7 @ Northern Arizona* L 68-56
    Jan 9 @ Northern Colorado* L 78-66

    The last time ISU won the Big Sky title was in 1994 and they were co-champs with Weber State. ISU has 4 regular season Big Sky titles: 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1994. The Wildcats are the defending conference champions and have won 18 Big Sky titles overall which is the most of any Big Sky school in basketball. Only NAU Cross Country has more conference titles with 19. Montana football also has 18 titles.

    1/10/10
    Potato Week: Fan Bus Trip
    On Saturday, Jan 16, the Weber State men's basketball team and 2 fan busses will travel to Pocatello for the annual game in the Potato Cellar (Holt Arena) between WSU and Idaho State. Tipoff is set for 7 PM.

    The 'Cats are 66-40 all-time vs the Bengals, 40-9 in Ogden and 26-31 in Potatoville. The 'Cats have won 2 out of the last 3 on the other side of the border.

    Student Bus $20
    Saturday will be the Purple Pak's 3rd annual trip to ISU for basketball and fourth overall in the same time including football. After taking 4 bus trips last season, the students are anxious to get back on the road to cheer on the Purple & White. Seats are still available for the trip, anyone interested should contact Bev Rudd (801-626-6468, 801-663-6135, beverlyrudd@weber.ed) for further details. Drinks, snacks and game ticket will be provided by the Purple Pak.

    Wildcat Club Bus $45
    Drinks, snacks and game ticket will be provided the Alumni Association and Wildcat Club. For questions call 801-626-7535 or click here to register online for the trip.

    When/Where
    Both busses will leave at 4 PM from the west parking lot of the Alumni Center behind the Weber State Credit Union.

    The deadline for both trips are this Wednesday, Jan 13. Payment must be received with reservation.

    1/9/10
    Weber St. 87, N. Arizona 62
    Associated Press
    FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Nick Hansen scored 17 points and Damian Lillard added 16 as Weber State beat Northern Arizona 87-62 Saturday night.

    The Wildcats (10-7, 4-1 Big Sky) blew open a close game with a 21-7 run in the second half that put them ahead 71-52 with 5:51 remaining.

    Weber State led 42-31 at halftime after shooting 53.3 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. The Wildcats outscored the Lumberjacks 22-10 in the paint in the first half, and 42-14 overall.

    Northern Arizona (7-9, 1-4) got within 43-41 after opening the second half on a 10-1 run before Weber State pulled away.

    Cameron Jones led the Lumberjacks with 16 points and Gabe Rogers added 13.

    Kyle Bullinger added 13 points, Franklin Session 11 and Trevor Morris 10 for the Wildcats.

    1/9/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 87-62
    Weber State Wildcats NAU
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM | Big Sky Scoreboard
    Northern Colorado 78, Idaho State 66
    Montana 90, Portland State 58
    Sacramento State 80, Seattle 67

    1/8/10
    Friday Night
    Montana State beat Portland State in Bozeman, MT, to give PSU its first loss, 77-71. The Bobcats were up on the Vikings by as many as 14 points in the first half and 11 in the second. PSU came back and tied things up at 59-59 with 7 minutes to play. With 1:25 left in the game the Viks were down 73-71. Phil Nelson missed a 3-pointer at the 1:15 mark and Dominic Waters committed a turnover with 20.8 seconds in the game. Waters had the game-high with 24 points, Melvin Jones 14, Nelson 13 and Jamie Jones had 10 points and 10 boards for PSU. MSU was led by Bobby Howard with 18 and 4 other Bobcats scored in double figures. PSU had 20 turnovers and 8 by Waters.

    Eastern Washington traveled to Missoula and lost to Montana 79-66. Anthony Johnson scored 25 points and Will Cherry, off the bench chipped in with 17. EWU had 22 turnovers.

    1/7/10
    N. Colorado 84, Weber St. 75
    Associated Press
    GREELEY, Colo. -- Devon Beitzel scored 25 points leading Northern Colorado to a 84-75 victory over Weber State Thursday night.

    Taylor Montgomery added a career-high 19 points and Will Figures had 14 for Northern Colorado (14-3, 3-1 Big Sky).

    Figures became just the third player in school history to score 1,000 points in Division I and the 13th overall.The Bears are off to their best start since beginning 17-2 in 1966-67.

    Damian Lillard led Weber State (9-7, 3-1) with 15 points.

    The Wildcats won 15 straight regular-season conference games and 10 straight conference road victories before the loss.

    1/7/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 84-75
    Weber State Wildcats Northern Colorado
    Big Sky TV | KLO 1430 AM | Big Sky Scoreboard
    Northern Arizona 68, Idaho State 56

    1/7/10
    Gameday Articles
    Standard-Examiner: 'Cats hit road vs. surprising Bears
    Deseret News: Wildcats travel to take on surprising Bears' club
    Greeley Tribune: Bears face toughest test yet
    Big Sky: (Jan 5) Let's Talk Men's Hoops

    1/5/10
    Thurs: Weber at Northern Colorado
    This week's matchup in Greeley will be the 7th all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Bears. The 'Cats are 5-1 against the Bears with the only loss being in Greeley in 2007-08.

    2008-09: W 88-84 OT, W 82-76
    2007-08: L 55-52, W 70-54
    2006-07: W 61-60, W 76-65

    WSU's 3-0 start in Big Sky play is the 3rd time that the 'Cats have been as successful in the past 8 seasons. Weber's last 4-0 start was in 2003. WSU also has the chance to win its 11th straight regular season conference road game. UNC is 2-1 in league play with its first Big Sky home game being Weber State. UNC went to the Montanas and lost at MSU by 24 points, 87-63, and then beat the Griz the following night 59-48. Last Saturday the Bears went down to Flagstaff and jacked NAU 75-66.

    Randy Rahe is 5-1 against the Bears. UNC head coach Tad Boyle is 44-61 overall as a head coach with 3 years of experience at UNC. In his 3 years with the Bears he has led his teams to a 5th, 7th and 9th place finish.

    2008-09 In Ogden
    The 'Cats came back from a 16-point hole in the second half to beat UNC 88-84 in OT. Daviin Davis, the 2008-09 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, sunk a 3-pointer to give WSU a 2-point lead (86-84) with 18 ticks left in overtime. Davis forced a turnover and Kellen McCoy hit two free throws with 9 seconds left. McCoy led all scores with 23 points, Damian Lillard had 18, WSU also set a new school record with 15 3's. The previous record of 14 was set in 1993-94. WSU was down 73-66 with 45 seconds left in regulation. Lillard hit a game tying 3-pointer at 74-all and sent the game to OT.

    2008-09 In Greeley
    Last year's Big Sky MVP Kellen McCoy logged 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists as WSU surged past UNC 82-76 for a 6th straight conference win and 9th win out of 10 Big Sky games. Kyle "K-Bull" Bullinger recorded 17 points and 5 boards, Lillard dropped in 15. UNC was led by senior Jabril Banks with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Devon Beitzel scored 15 points, Mike Proctor and Will Figures both scored 10 points.

    Stats
    So far this year Weber State has played 7 home games and 8 away. UNC has only played 4 home games while spending most of the season on the road playing 12 away. The Bears are 4-0 at home and 9-3 away. Team points per game: WSU 73.7, UNC 75.1. Points allowed: WSU 70.6, UNC 65.8. FG%: WSU .426, UNC .462. 3P%: WSU .324, UNC .400. FT%: WSU .721, UNC .736. Rebounds: WSU 36.53, UNC 32.43. Ast: WSU 12.73, UNC 12.56. TOs: WSU 12.33, UNC 13.37. Blk: WSU 3.07, UNC 1.62. Stl: WSU 5.60, UNC 7.78.

    Preseason Polls
    In the Big Sky preseason polls UNC was picked 6th by the coaches and media. Lindy's College Basketball magazine picked UNC to finish 8th. Athlon Sports magazine picked UNC to finish in 6th place.

    Lindy's take on UNC:The Bears have been steadily moving up the ranks in the Big Sky since moving to Division I four years ago. UNC finished fifth in the conference last year, but was quickly bounced in the conference tournament. Steady veteran guard Will Figures - last year's second-leading scorer - is back, as are two other starters in Devon Beitzel and Taylor Montgomery, but the graduation of first-team all-conference player Jabril Banks will sting. It appears the Bears have .500 talent at best and lack the inside presence needed to make a significant move this year.

    Athlon Sports on UNC:The Bears lost Jabril Banks, one of the league's most productive players, to graduation, but fourth-year coach Tad Boyle still has a decent amount of talent coming back. The best of the returnees is Will Figures, a fleet-footed senior guard who matched Banks for team-high scoring honors last winter by averaging 12.1 points. Devon Beitzel, a shooting guard who averaged 11.8 points as a sophomore, is also back, but with Banks gone, the frontline - where junior Taylor Montgomery (3.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg) is the most experienced of the returnees - remains a concern.

    UNC Starters
    C-41 Mike Proctor 6-8 200 So Phoenix, AZ (7.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.8 spg)
    F-44 Taylor Montgomery 6-7 230 Jr Aurora, CO (8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .400 3P%)
    G-32 Devon Beitzel 6-0 170 Jr Lafayette, CO (14.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.2 spg, .436 3P%)
    G-2 Will Figures 5-9 155 Sr Centennial, CO (16.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg, .406 3P%)
    G-20 Yahosh Bonner 6-0 210 Sr Mesa, AZ (7.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg, .444 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (10.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .352 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (8.9, 7.1 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.8 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .343 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, .343 3P%)

    Bears Bio
    Established: 1889
    Undergraduates: 10,799
    Postgraduates: 2,182
    Location: Greeley, Colorado
    Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
    Home Court: Butler-Hancock, capacity 2,941

    UNC Schedule
    Nov 13 vs McNeese State W 101-73
    Nov 15 vs Southern Utah W 73-51
    Nov 17 @ Hawaii W 81-75
    Nov 20 vs Texas Southern W 66-62
    Nov 21 @ Air Force W 70-46
    Nov 27 @ North Dakota W 70-63
    Dec 1 Colorado State W 70-63
    Dec 4 @ Montana State* L 87-63
    Dec 5 @ Montana* W 59-48
    Dec 12 @ Wyoming L 76-70
    Dec 16 Louisiana-Monroe W 95-84
    Dec 19 @ Oklahoma L 80-79
    Dec 21 San Jose State W 93-69
    Dec 28 Denver W 72-57
    Dec 30 @ TCU W 64-53
    Jan 2 @ Northern Arizona* W 75-66
    Jan 7 Weber State*

    Making History
    In 2008-09 the Bears made their first ever Big Sky Conference post season appearance. They also had their first ever All-Big Sky 1st team player in Jabril Banks. UNC has had 4 Big Sky honorable mentions, Devon Beitzel and Will Figures last season and Sean Taibi and Jabril Banks in 2007-08. UNC's first Big Sky season, 2006-07, they finished 2-14 and 4-24 overall. In 2007-08 they finished 6-10 and 11-19 overall and last season the Bears went 8-8 and 14-18. One more win this season will tie last season's win total.

    1/3/10
    Altitude TV Big Sky Schedule
    The Big Sky basketball "Game of the Week" is back on Altitude Sports & Entertainment for the third year in-a-row. The Altitude games start today with Montana State at Idaho State at 2 PM. Each Sunday will feature the game of the week in Big Sky basketball; also, the conference semifinal games will be broadcasted on the Altitude. The championship game will be on ESPN2.

    The games can be viewed on DirecTV, dish Network, and Comcast.

    Altitude is available within a 10-state territory of the Rocky Mountain Region including: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Northern New Mexico, Northeast Nevada and Southwest South Dakota.
    Date
    Games
    Time
    1/3
    Montana State at Idaho State
    2 PM
    1/10
    Eastern Washington at Montana State
    2 PM
    1/17
    Northern Arizona at Portland State
    2 PM
    1/24
    Sacramento State at Northern Arizona
    2 PM
    1/31
    Montana State at Northern Colorado
    2 PM
    2/7
    Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado
    12 PM
    2/14
    Montana at Eastern Washington
    4:30 PM
    2/20
    Sacramento State at Montana
    4 PM
    2/28
    Weber State at Portland State
    2 PM
    3/9
    Big Sky Semifinal
    TBA
    3/9
    Big Sky Semifinal
    TBA

    1/2/10
    Wildcats Off to 3-0 Start!
    Weber St. 64, Montana 56
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored a career-high 30 points as Weber State beat Montana 64-56 on Saturday night.

    Lillard's biggest shot of the game came in the closing minutes when he hit a 3-pointer with 1:40 left to break a 54-54 tie.

    He then gave the Wildcats (9-6, 3-0 Big Sky) a 59-54 lead with a layup with 39 seconds left.

    Will Cherry scored 17 points to lead the Grizzlies (10-6, 1-3), who trailed 33-23 at halftime but opened the second half on an 8-1 run and eventually led 50-42.

    Lillard scored 16 of his points in the first half and at one point had outscored the entire Montana team, 14-13.Steve Panos had 10 points for the Wildcats, including a key layup off an offensive rebound with 14 seconds to play to give Weber State a 62-54 lead.

    Brian Qvale had 14 points for Montana while Anthony Johnson scored 11.

    1/2/10
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 64-56
    TV: On the Internet at Big Sky TV | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Montana Griz
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Northern Colorado 75, Northern Arizona 66
    Portland State 94, Sacramento State 66

    1/2/10
    Tonight: Montana at Weber
    On New Year's Eve Weber State played its first day game since the 90s and beat Montana State. Tonight WSU will conclude the New Year's weekend games by hosting the Montana Griz who last won at the Dee in 2003-04. The game will be Weber's 107th all-time meeting between the 2 schools. The Wildcats have played Montana and Idaho State 106 times each and Montana State the next most at 105 meetings.

    2008-09 In Ogden
    Last year at the Dee, WSU beat UM 71-55. Kellen McCoy and Daviin Davis each scored 18 points. Damian Lillard chipped in with 17. WSU hit 24-of-30 from the charity stripe. In the game UM took an early lead, but WSU went on an early run outscoring UM 16-2 in the first half to take an 18-11 lead. The 'Cats biggest lead, 62-43, came on a layup by Lillard with 5 minutes to go in the game. The Griz then scored 8 in-a-row to get within 11 but it would not be enough at the Dee. For the Griz, Anthony Johnson scored 21 points and Jack McGillis added 16.

    2008-09 In Missoula
    When Weber traveled to Montana, the 'Cats were 6-0 on the road with 2 to go to finish with a perfect 8-0 on the road; a conference record. Lillard scored 16 and Steve Panos added 13 to help WSU beat UM (69-58) for the second straight in Missoula. Daviin Davis added 12 points and seven boards in WSU's clincher for the Big Sky title with a 12-1 record. Lillard's 12 points at halftime put WSU ahead 33-27 at intermission. Davis scored on two consecutive layups to increase WSU's lead to 54-38 with 11 minutes to go. Weber was up by as many as 19 points before winning by 11. Anthony Johnson led the Griz with 17 and was the only player on his team to score in double figures.

    Weber/Montana Stats
    WSU is off to a 2-0 start in conference play for the second time since 2003. The 2003 team went 16-0 and the 2009 team went 15-1. The 'Cats have won 14 straight conference regular season games and 9 straight conference road games. Montana is 1-2 in conference play after hosting NAU and Northern Colorado a few weeks ago, the Griz beat NAU and then lost to UNC. Montana played in Pocatello 2 nights ago and lost to Idaho State on a last second shot by the Bengals for the 67-65 win. The W was just the second against DI opponents so far this year for the struggling Bengals who have 8 seniors on the roster.

    Weber's all-time record against Montana is 63-43 overall, 38-13 in Ogden, and 25-30 at UM. Of all the schools in the Big Sky, Montana has the best record against Weber State.

    Randy Rahe is 11-4 against the Montanas, 6-3 vs MSU and 5-1 vs UM. WSU's last loss to Montana was in January of 2007 in Missoula. Montana's Wayne Tinkle is 58-48 overall has a head coach with 3 years of experience at UM. In his 3 years with the Griz he has led his teams to 3rd, 4th and 2nd place finishes.

    So far this year Weber State has played 6 home games and 8 away. UM has played 9 home games and 6 away. WSU is averaging 74.4 ppg and 67.1 for UM. WSU allows 71.6 ppg and UM allows 58.3. UM is 2-5 away from Missoula while WSU is 3-5 away from Ogden.

    Preseason Polls
    In the Big Sky preseason polls Montana was picked 2nd by the coaches and media. Montana also had 3 out of 8 possible 1st place votes by the coaches while Weber had 4 votes. In the media, UM had 3 votes out of the posssible 28 and WSU had 23 votes. Lindy's College Basketball magazine picked Montana to finish 3rd with Weber in 2nd and Montana State 1st. Lindy's also selected UM's Anthony Johnson as Big Sky MVP and WSU's Franklin Session as Newcomer of the Year. Athlon Sports magazine picked WSU 1st and UM 3rd.

    Lindy's take on UM:The Grizzlies bounded into Big Sky title contention last year following several difficult seasons. They should be back in the hunt this year behind the play of guard Anthony Johnson, last year's Big Sky Newcomer of the Year. Johnson is arguably the Big Sky's top player and has a nice supporting cast with sharp-shooting guard Ryan Staudacher and rugged forward Jack McGillis. Low post is a major concern in Missoula, however. Coach Wayne Tinkle needs junior post Brian Qvale to step up. Expect the Grizzlies to be in the hunt for the conference title in the regular season and postseason tournement.

    Athlon on UM:The Grizzlies have been a bit of an enigma in recent years, looking like perennial title contenders on paper but seldom living up to expectations. This looks like another championship-caliber team that fourth-year coach Wayne Tinkle has assembled. Senior guard Anthony Johnson averaged 17.6 points to lead the Big Sky in scoring last season and finished fifth in assists with an average of 3.1 per game. The 6'6" Johnson is versatile and athletic, and seems to have splended supporting cast that includes returning starters Ryan Staudacher (7.8 ppg), a senior guard and outstanding perimeter shooter, and senior forward Jack McGillis (8.1 ppg), a 6'6" wing who knows how to get to the basket. Mix in several other returning letterwinners and a couple of highly promising players who redshirted last season and the Griz seem ready to contend once again - on paper.

    Probable MSU Starters
    C-41 Brian Qvale 6-11 255 Jr Williston, ND (10.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.9 bpg)
    F-44 Jack McGillis 6-6 215 Sr Missoula, MT (6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, .281 3P%)
    G-2 Raason Young 6-6 175 Jr Washington, DC (5.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, .538 3P%)
    G-3 Ryan Staudacher 6-3 210 Sr Kirkland, WA (8.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, .418 3P%)
    G-23 Anthony Johnson 6-2 210 Sr Tacoma, WA (16.8 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.3 rpg, .366 3P%)

    A newcomer on the Griz squad is freshman Will Cherry. UM fans are very excited about this young player who was rated very high by ESPN recruiting standards. Cherry was rated as an 80 and is a 6'1" guard from Oakland, CA.

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (10.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (10.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .340 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (9.1, 7.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.8 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .344 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (18.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.6 rpg, .326 3P%)

    UM Bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 11,799
    Graduates: 2,059
    Location: Missoula, MT
    Nickname: Grizzlies
    Colors: Maroon & Silver
    Stadium: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)

    UM Schedule
    Nov 13 North Dakote W 61-37
    Nov 14 Boise State W 95-82
    Nov 15 Loyola Marymount W 64-63
    Nov 19 @ Denver L 56-49
    Nov 23 @ Oregon W 68-55
    Nov 29 @ Washington L 63-59
    Dec 4 Northern Arizona* W 71-54
    Dec 5 Northern Colorado* L 59-48
    Dec 10 @ Loyola Marymount W 82-73
    Dec 12 @ Colorado State L 62-61
    Dec 16 Montana St-Northern W 57-43
    Dec 19 UC-Riverside W 67-52
    Dec 21 Fresno State W 59-56
    Dec 23 Great Falls W 100-52
    Dec 31 @ Idaho State* L 67-65
    Jan 2 @ Weber State*

    1/1/10
    Weber State Streaks
    14 straight regular season conference wins
    10 straight regular season conference road wins
    9 straight conference road wins (including conference tournaments)
    5 straight wins against Montana
    5 straight wins against Sac State

    Weber State has the Big Sky record for the most consecutive wins in-a-row overall, in Big Sky play, at home and on the road. The longest win streak is 18 straight games and 24 straight conference games. The longest road winning streak is 13 in-a-row in conference games. The record for consecutive road wins whether it be conference or not is 8 straight which was tied by WSU in 2008-09. The only team in school history to go 8-0 on the road in conference play in one season was WSU last year. Weber's overall road win streak ended at Santa Barbara this season on November 17th.

    WSU also ends 2 streaks. Weber beat Utah to end an 8 game losing streak to the Utes dating back to 2000-01. WSU's 2-of-3 wins at the Basketball Travelers Invitational in Logan ends a 15 year losing streak in the Spectrum. Weber's last win on USU's court was during the 1993-94 season.

    WSU's home opener streak comes to an end. In season openers WSU is 39-9. Weber is 29-3 when opening the season at home. Losing to Utah State 66-60 this season ended a 12 year streak of opening wins at home. The only losses came in 1991-92 against St. Mary's, 1997-98 to Utah, and now USU in 2009-10.

    WSU is 4-8 when opening the season on an opponent's home court.
    WSU is 4-1 in neutral court season openers.

    1/1/10
    WSU Wins 14th Straight Regular Season Big Sky Game
    Weber St. 75, Montana St. 62
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Kyle Bullinger scored 20 points, while Franklin Session added 10 points and 10 rebounds as Weber State defeated Montana State 75-62 on Thursday.

    Nick Hansen scored 15 points for the Wildcats (8-6, 2-0 Big Sky), who shot 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final 1:21. Steve Panos added 14.

    Marquis Navarre led the Bobcats (7-6, 2-1) with 14 points, while Bobby Howard and Danny Piepoli each had 13.MSU went on a 10-2 run late in the first half to take a 36-35 lead with Will Bynum hitting a pair of 3-pointers during the stretch.

    But a pair of free throws with 52 seconds left in the period gave WSU a 37-36 lead at intermission. It was just the second time this season the Wildcats led at halftime.

    12/31/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 75-62
    TV: On the Internet at Big Sky TV | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Montana State Bobcats

    12/29/09
    Thurs: Montana State at Weber, 3 PM
    New Year's Eve at 3 PM Weber State will host Montana State for its first home conference game. The game will be the 104th all-time meeting between the 2 schools.

    Last season, the last week of the year WSU closed out a record setting 15-1 season by going 8-0 on the road. No Big Sky team had ever won 8 road games in one season. WSU notched its 8th road win in Bozeman beating MSU 84-64. Damian Lillard scored a then career-high 27 points. Kellen McCoy, last year's Big Sky MVP dropped in 20 points, "The Real" McCoy scored 15 points in the first 9 minutes to give WSU a double-digit lead just 6 minutes into the first half.

    WSU's lone season loss was a 75-70 decision to MSU in Ogden earlier in the season.

    The next meeting between WSU and MSU was in the semifinal game of the Big Sky Tournament. In the quarterfinal MSU traveled to Missoula and beat Montana 56-54. With MSU coming to Ogden for the Big Sky semifinal WSU had just received 5 votes (35th) in the AP Top 25. BYU was ranked 25th, Utah 29th with 29 votes, Utah State 33rd with 6 votes.

    In the semifinal game after WSU had just won 12 straight games the 'Cats fell to the Bobcats 70-61. It took MSU 46 years to muster up 9 wins in Ogden and then in 2009 the Bobcats beat WSU twice and at the Dee. In the game MSU's Branden Johnson made four 3-pointers scoring 16, Divaldo Mbunga added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kellen McCoy led WSU with 16 points. The Wildcats couldn't get any shots to fall after being such a good shooting team all year. WSU shot 33% in the game and was just 4-of-26 from downtown.

    It's now 2010 and WSU is back and ready for another run for the Big Sky title. WSU is already 1-0 with an early December conference win on the road at Sac State. The 'Cats have won 14 straight conference regular season games and 9 straight conference road games and even 10 straight regular season conference road wins dating back to March 3rd of 2008.

    Weber's all-time record against Montana State is 69-34 overall, 43-11 in Ogden, and 26-23 at MSU. Notable alumni of Montana State include Dennis Erickson, current head football coach at Arizona State, Craig Kilborn the actor and former talk show host played basketball for the Bobcats. Also, the Big Sky's only school to ever win a national championship in men's basketball was MSU in 1929.

    Randy Rahe is 10-4 against the Montanas, 5-3 vs MSU and 5-1 vs UM. WSU hasn't lost to the Montana Griz since January of 2007.

    Preseason Polls
    In the Big Sky preseason polls Montana State was picked to finish 5th by the coaches and media and WSU was picked 1st. Lindy's College Basketball magazine picked Montana State to win the Big Sky with Weber in 2nd.

    Lindy's take on MSU:The Bobcats more than made up for a sub-par regular season in March. After barely garnering the sixth and final berth into the Big Sky Tournament, the Bobcats upset rival Montana on the road and then No. 1 seed Weber State on its home court. In the title game, MSU came oh-so-close before falling to Portland State, 79-77. For his work, coach Brad Huse was awarded a three-year contract extension. More good news in Bozeman: The Bobcats return four starters, led by leading scorer Will Bynum, and fellow double digit scorer Bobby Howard. The loss of first-team all-confernce post Divaldo Mbunga is a huge one, however.

    Probable MSU Starters
    C-42 Branden Johnson 6-9 230 Sr Yakima, WA (10.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, .375 3P%)
    F-15 Bobby Howard 6-7 225 Jr Great Falls, MT (13.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .346 3P%)
    F-23 Erik Rush 6-5 210 Jr San Jose, CA (13.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 spg, .263 3P%)
    G-20 Will Bynum 6-3 180 Sr Almagordo, NM (8.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.0 spg, .200 3P%)
    G-3 Marquis Navarre 5-11 165 Sr Oceanside, CA (10.9 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.4 rpg, 1.7 spg, .500 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (10.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .340 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (9.1, 6.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.8 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .352 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.1 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.6 rpg, .333 3P%)

    Montana State Bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 10,842
    Postgraduates: 1,408
    Location: Bozeman, MT
    Nickname: Bobcats
    Colors: Blue & Gold
    Stadium: Worthington Arena (6,378)

    MSU Schedule
    Nov 14 @ Nevada L 75-61
    Nov 17 Colorad Christian W 68-58
    Nov 21 Southern Miss L 66-62
    Nov 25 @ San Francisco W 70-66
    Nov 28 @ Oregon L 89-66
    Dec 4 Northern Colorado* W 87-63
    Dec 5 Northern Arizona* W 62-50
    Dec 9 @ Memphis L 76-51
    Dec 12 Northern New Mexico W 103-54
    Dec 18 UC-Santa Barbara W 76-64
    Dec 21 @ Cal Poly W 76-72
    Dec 23 @ Boise State L 58-56
    Dec 31 @ Weber State*

    Basketball Travelers Invitational
    Dec 21: Weber beats CS Fullerton 82-71, video clip | Utah State beats Morehead State 79-72
    Dec 22: Weber beats Morehead State 66-64, video clip | Utah State over CS Fullerton 83-60
    Dec 23: Morehead State beats Fullerton 69-62 | Weber loses to Utah State 85-73

    12/23/09
    Utah St. 85, Weber St. 73
    Associated Press
    LOGAN, Utah -- Tai Wesley scored 19 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to lead Utah State to a 85-73 win over Weber State Wednesday night.

    Jared Quayle added 16 points and Modou Niang a career-high 13 for the Aggies (9-4). The win was the final game of the Basketball Travelers Invitational, hosted by Utah State.

    Damian Lillard scored 22 for Weber State (7-6), Kyle Bullinger 21 and Nick Hansen 11. Lillard did not score from the field until the second half.

    The Wildcats got a layup from Trevor Morris with 13:50 to play to bring the score to 55-46, the closest Weber State would get in the second half. Two consecutive tip-ins from Tyler Newbold put the Aggies back in charge.

    Wesley scored the first five points of the game as Utah State burst out to a 14-2 lead. The Aggies held a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the first half and led 46-29 at halftime.

    12/23/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 85-73
    TV: None | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM| Live Stats: Game Tracker
    Weber State Wildcats Utah State Aggies

    12/23/09
    Weber State vs Utah State Part 2
    Weber State started the 2009-10 basketball season off hosting the Utah State Aggies and WSU will now conclude the preseason at Utah State. Tip-off is set for 8:05 PM tonight. The game is the 62nd all-time meeting; the overall series is, WSU with 25 wins and USU with 36.

    Against the Ag's, the 'Cats are 15-14 at home, 2-1 on neutral courts and 8-20 in Logan. WSU is now 10-20 overall in the Spectrum with the 2 wins this week against Fullerton and Morehead. WSU's last win in Logan was in 1994. The first 2 games ever played between WSU & USU was 1971 & 1972, both in Logan and both won by Weber.

    There have been 5 overtime games and WSU has taken 3 of them. The lowest scoring game between the 2 was 1971, WSU won 63-62. The highest scoring game was 1988, USU won 107-93. The series has gone back and forth and WSU has led in wins up until 1988 where the series came to a 17-17 tie. Since '89 the Aggies have led the series and the 'Cats kept within 4 games until USU's recent 6 game win streak that put them 10 ahead.

    Stew Morrill is in his 12th season as USU's head coach, he is 9-4 against Weber. His 1st year was 1999 and his Aggies lost by 20 points to the 'Cats at the Delta Center. Stew would lose 3 of his first 4 competitions to the Purple and White. Stew is the winningest coach in USU history with 267 wins and 10 straight 23 win seasons. This season USU has 18 home games which will help in securing another 20 win season with 8 down thus far.

    Coach Rahe spent 13 seasons as an assistant to Stew at Colorado State & Utah State. Rahe is 1-4 vs Stew (1-1 at home, 0-1 neutral, 0-2 in Logan).

    Injuries
    USU will play tonight's game without starting center Nate Bendall who will be out for heart surgery. When WSU played USU the first time the Aggies had to play without starting small forward Pooh Williams. Williams is now back and playing at 100% but Bendall is now out for the next 7-10 days.

    Salt Lake Tribune: "Bendall's surgery is not considered serious, career, nor life threatening. He had the option of getting the surgery done during or after the season, but decided to get it done over the holidays."

    Probable USU Starters
    C-44 Matt Formisano 6-8 240 Jr Centennial, CO (4.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
    F-42 Tai Wesley 6-7 240 Jr Provo, UT (13.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.3 apg)
    F-5 Pooh Williams 6-3 200 Jr Federal Way, WA (8.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 2.0 rpg, .414 3P%)
    G-24 Tyler Newbold 6-4 210 Jr Payson, UT (8.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, .377 3P%)
    G-21 Jared Quayle 6-1 180 Sr Perry, UT (11.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.7 apg, .413 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (8.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .395 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (9.7, 7.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.8 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, .341 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (18.8 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.4 rpg, .317 3P%)

    USU Schedule
    Nov 13 at Weber State W 66-60
    Nov 18 at Utah L 68-67
    Nov 21 at Northeastern L 64-61
    Nov 24 Idaho State W 77-44
    Nov 28 Southern Utah W 89-49
    Dec 2 Brigham Young W 71-61
    Dec 5 Saint Mary's L 68-63
    Dec 12 Utah Valley W 87-56
    Dec 16 at Cal State Bakersfield W 68-51
    Dec 18 at Long Beach State L 75-62
    Dec 21 Morehead State W 79-72
    Dec 22 Cal State Fullerton W 83-60
    Dec 23 Weber State

    Weber State vs Utah State
    Since 1963*
    WSU
    Utah State
    Overall Wins
    859
    860
    Last Tournament Appearance
    2007
    2009
    Last Tournament Win
    1999
    2001
    Tournament Appearances
    14
    16
    Tournament Wins
    6
    4
    Highest Tournament Seed
    7
    10
    Last 3 Tournament Seeds
    15, 12, 14
    12, 14, 15
    Conference Titles
    18
    9
    20 Win Seasons
    22
    22
    Winning Seasons
    38
    36
    Losing Seasons
    8
    11
    Best Record
    27-3
    30-5
    Worst Record
    7-22
    4-23
    Undefeated in Conference
    2
    1

    *1963 was the first year Weber State competed as an NCAA Division I basketball team.

    12/22/09
    Weber St. 66, Morehead St. 64
    Associated Press
    LOGAN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored 22 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, to push Weber State past Morehead State 66-64 Tuesday night.

    Lindsey Hughey also added 15 for the Wildcats (7-5) and Nick Hansen added 13. The win came in the second day of the Basketball Travelers Invitational hosted by Utah State.

    Morehead State (4-6) was led by Maze Stallworth, who dropped in 21 and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Kenneth Faried scored 16 and Demonte Harper 14 for the Eagles.

    Trailing by as many as 20 points twice in the first half, Weber State took their first lead of the game 50-49 with 5:25 to play in the game when Kyle Bullinger made a breakaway layup following a missed shot by Faried.

    The teams then traded leads or were tied nine times until Lillard made a spinning layup to give the Wildcats a 58-57 advantage with 51 seconds to play.

    12/22/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 66-64
    TV: None | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Morehead State Eagles

    12/22/09
    Tues: WSU vs Morehead State
    Tonight in Logan, WSU will attempt to win its second game in 2 days. The Basketball Travelers Invitational sponsored by Gossner Foods in Logan continues after WSU and USU each get a win on the opening night. Weber will play Morehead State who lost to Utah State 79-72 and USU will take on CS Fullerton who lost to Weber 82-71. Tonight's game will be the first ever between the Wildcats and the Eagles of Morehead State. WSU is 3-0 all-time against current Ohio Valley Conference members - Austin Peay 0-0; Eastern Kentucky 1-0; Eastern Illinois 1-0; Jacksonville State 0-0; Murray State 0-0; SE Missouri State 0-0; Morehead State 0-0; Tennessee-Martin 0-0; Tennessee State 1-0; Tennessee Tech 0-0.

    Preseason Polls
    Last season Morehead made it to the big dance for the first time since 1984 and won the play-in-game against Alabama State and then lost to 1-seed Louisville 74-54. Morehead returns big man Kenneth Faried and three other starters and was picked to finish first in the OVC this year. Athlon Sports picked the Eagles to win the OVC and to make the NCAA Tournament as a 15-seed. Lindy's college basketball magazine has Faried ranked as the 20th best center in the nation.

    Probable Morehead Starters
    C-35 Kenneth Faried 6-8 225 Jr Newark, NJ (16.8 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 1.6 spg)
    F-22 Demonte Harper 6-4 185 Jr Nashville, TN (12.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg, .379 3P%)
    F-1 Maze Stallworth 6-4 215 Sr Elizabethtown, KY (8.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, .305 3P%)
    G-11 Terrance Hill 6-1 170 So Columbus, GA (7.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, .313 3P%)
    G-15 Brandon Shingles 6-3 175 Sr Albany, GA (5.0 ppg, 6.3 apg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 spg, .250 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .342 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (9.8, 6.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.8 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, .324 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (18.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.7 rpg, 0.9 spg, .329 3P%)

    Morehead Bio
    Established: 1887
    Location: Morehead, KY
    Nickname: Eagles
    Colors: Blue & Gold
    Undergraduates: 7,921
    Postgraduates: 1,588
    Arena: Ellis T. Johnson Arena, 6,500
    Conference: Ohio Valley

    morehead Schedule
    Nov 13 at No. 5 Kentucky L 75-59
    Nov 16 Brescia W 86-51
    Nov 21 Louisiana-Monroe L 74-73
    Nov 29 Kent State L 63-57
    Dec 3 at Tennessee-Martin W 74-66
    Dec 5 at Murray State L 86-56
    Dec 15 St. Catharine W 81-53
    Dec 18 East Tennessee State W 60-58
    Dec 21 at Utah State L 79-72
    Dec 22 vs Weber State
    Dec 23 vs Cal State Fullerton

    Notable Morehead State Alumni: Billy Ray Cyrus, famous Country singer and mullet; Phil Simms, former NFL QB and MVP of Super Bowl XXI; Kelly Kulick - pro bowler; Liz Johnson pro bowler.

    12/21/09
    Weber St. 82, Cal St.-Fullerton 71
    Associated Press
    LOGAN, UTAH -- Damian Lillard scored 20 points and joined three other Wildcats in double-figure scoring as Weber State topped Cal State Fullerton 82-71 Monday night.

    Franklin Session and Lindsey Hughey added 14 for Weber State (6-5), while Steve Spanos dropped in 12.

    The win was in the opening round of the three-day Basketball Travelers Invitational, hosted by Utah State.

    Fullerton (4-4) was led by Jacques Streeter with 21, Gerard Anderson 14 and JerVaughn Johnson 13.

    Though trailing at half, the Wildcats pushed to a 63-52 lead with 10:23 to play behind three 3-point shots by Nick Hansen.

    After that, the Titans were never able to draw closer than 79-71, though Streeter scored 14 in the second half.

    12/21/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 82-71
    TV: None | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Cal State Fullerton

    12/19/09
    Mon: WSU vs CS Fullerton @ USU Tournament
    On Monday WSU will head up to Logan for the Basketball Traveler's Invitational sponsored by Gossner Foods. The Wildcats will play 3 games in 3 days before the holiday break and 4 games in 7 days including the UNLV game. The games in Logan will be a 4 team tournament although all 4 teams will play each team once and there will be no champioship game. On the first night WSU will be matched up with California State University, Fullerton at 5:30 pm followed by Morehead vs Utah State at 8 pm. WSU will play Morehead State on Tuesday and then Utah State on Wednesday. Weber State's all-time record vs the Fullerton Titans is 3-1.

    WSU vs Fullerton
    1963 W 86-78 Ogden; L 93-112 Fullerton
    1988 W 81-77 Ogden
    1989 W 88-77 Fullerton

    WSU is 27-20 against current Big West Conference members - Pacific 2-1; UC Riverside 1-1; UC Santa Barbara 2-1; CS Fullerton 3-1;CS Northridge 13-8; Long Beach State 3-8; UC Irvine 1-0; UC Davis 2-0; Cal Poly 0-0.

    Preseason Polls
    Last season Fullerton finished in 7th place out of 9 Big West teams with a 7-9 record and 15-17 overall. The Titans lost the the Big West player of the year (Josh Akognon, 24 ppg) to graduation but they do return 3 starters from last season in Jacques Streeter, guard; Gerard Anderson, forward; Aaron Thompson, forward. Lindy's college basketball magazine picked them to finish 5th; Athlon Sports picked the Titans to finish 6th. Both polls have Long Beach and Santa Barbara as the top 2.

    3 DI Transfers
    Fullerton has added 3 DI transfers to its roster: Orane Chin, South Florida; Jer'Vaughn Johnson, San Diego State; Bryce Webster, Minnesota. Johnson and Webster are starters and Chin, a 6-7 junior forward comes off the bench averaging 8.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 21 minutes per game.

    Probable Fullerton Starters
    C-13 Bryce Webster 6-10 240 Jr Minnesota, MN (7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.9 bpg)
    F-12 Jer'Vaughn Johnson 6-6 240 Sr Compton, CA (11.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 spg, .375 3P%)
    F-5 Gerard Anderson 6-6 205 Sr Los Angeles, CA (5.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
    G-0 Aaron Thompson 6-4 190 Sr Los Angeles, CA (12.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg, .632 3P%)
    G-11 Jacques Streeter 6-0 175 So Los Angeles, CA (10.0 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.4 rpg, .333 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .342 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (9.8, 6.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.8 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, .324 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (18.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.7 rpg, 0.9 spg, .329 3P%)

    Fullerton Bio
    Established: 1957
    Location: Fullerton, CA
    Nickname: Titans
    Colors: Blue & Orange
    Students: 36,262
    Arena: Titan Gym, 4,000
    Conference: Big West

    Fullerton Schedule
    Nov 14 Hope International W 93-57
    Nov 17 at UCLA W 68-65 2OT
    Nov 24 New Mexico State W 84-73
    Dec 4 vs. Central Arkansas L 69-49
    Dec 5 at Stephen F. Austin L 62-61
    Dec 9 at San Diego State L 82-68
    Dec 12 Occidental W 97-59
    Dec 21 vs Weber State
    Dec 22 at Utah State
    Dec 23 vs Morehead State

    CS Fullerton is well known for its baseball. The Titans have 4 NCAA DI national championships - 1979, 1984, 1995, 2004. Notable Fullerton alumni include: Cedric Ceballos, NBA player; Kevin Costner; Jeremy Giambi, MLB; Steve Mariucci, NFL coach.

    12/18/09
    UNLV 72, Weber St. 63
    Associated Press
    LAS VEGAS -- Matt Shaw scored 16 points and Chace Stanback added 15 to lead UNLV over Weber State 72-63 on Thursday night.

    Shaw was 4 of 6 from 3-point range while Stanback had five rebounds and four blocks for UNLV (9-1). Oscar Bellfield scored 10 points along with eight assists.

    Kyle Bullinger scored a game-high 21 points to lead Weber State (5-5). He was 5 of 8 from 3-point range and was 1-point short of tying his career scoring high.

    UNLV shot 25 of 53 (47 percent) from the field, while the Wildcats were 20 of 55 (36 percent). The Rebels were 10 of 23 from 3-point range (44 percent), while Weber State was 10 of 24 (42 percent).UNLV had a season-high nine blocks.

    12/17/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 72-63
    TV: None | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM | Live Stats: Game Tracker


    12/16/09
    Thurs: Weber at #23 UNLV
    Thursday night at 8 pm local time the (5-4) Weber State Wildcats will take on the (8-1) UNLV Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. UNLV is currently ranked No.23 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25. After losing at home to Kansas State last week UNLV dropped from No.17 to just outside the top 25 in the AP poll.

    On Wednesday night UNLV traveled to Cedar City where they struggled in the first half against the SUU Thunderbirds but then finished them off winnning the game by 18 points. UNLV had a 1 point lead at the half and saw 6 ties and 4 lead changes in the game. UNLV won 77-59

    Weber State is 2-1 all-time against UNLV and 1-1 since moving up to Div I. The last meeting between the 2 teams was in 1998-99 (L 82-64). The other game was in 1979-80 against the Tarkanian Rebels, WSU won 79-78 in the championship game at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Weber finished the 1980 season ranked 17th in the AP Top 25.

    Coach Rahe, 62-38 overall as head coach of the Wildcats is 1-8 vs Mountain West teams (0-1 New Mexico, 1-3 Utah, 0-4 BYU). WSU overall is 34-60 against current Mountain West teams (13-25 Utah, 10-25 BYU, 5-1 Colorado State, 2-4 Wyoming, 2-2 New Mexico, 1-1 Air Force, 1-1 UNLV, 0-1 San Diego State, 0-0 TCU).

    UNLV is led by head coach Lon Kruger. The 2009-10 season is Kruger's 24th year as a head coach in the college ranks. He also spent 4 seasons coaching the Atlanta Hawks (2000-03) and 1 season as an assistant with the New York Knicks (2003-04). Kruger's overall coaching record in college is 438-287. With the Rebels he is 120-54. Kruger has taken 4 different teams to a total of 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. He made it to the Elite 8 with Kansas State in 1988 and the Final Four in 1994 with Florida. In 2007 Kruger took UNLV to the Sweet 16 led by his own son as the point-guard.

    Coach Kruger
    1982-86 Texas-Pan American, 52-59
    1986-90 Kansas State, 81-46
    1990-1996 Florida, 104-80
    1996-2000 Illinois, 81-48
    2004-2010 UNLV, 120-54

    UNLV fans have seen different starting lineups every week this season. The probable starters below were the starting 5 against SUU. Also, coming off the bench is UNLV's leading scorer in Tre'Von Willis a 6'4" junior averaging 16.9 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.1 spg, .273 3P%.

    Probable UNLV Starters
    C-34 Matt Shaw 6-8 240 Jr Los Angeles, CA (5.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
    F-22 Chace Stanback 6-8 So Los Angeles, CA (8.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.0 spg, 0.9 bpg)
    G-2 Kendall Wallace 6-4 Jr Mesa, AZ (6.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .371 3P%)
    G-0 Oscar Bellfield 6-2 So Los Angeles, CA (10.9 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 spg, .294 3P%)
    G-5 Derrick Jasper 6-6 Jr Paso Robles, CA (7.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.6 spg, .278 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (8.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .267 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (10.0, 6.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.1 spg, 0.9 bpg)
    G-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Sr Pocatello, ID (9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .328 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.7 rpg, 0.9 spg, .323 3P%)

    UNLV Bio
    Established: 1957
    Location: Paradise, NV
    Nickname: Rebels
    Colors: Scarlet & Gray
    Undergraduates: 22,108
    Postgraduates: 6,263
    Arena: Thomas & Mack Center, 18,000
    Conference: Mountain West

    UNLV Schedule
    Nov 14 Pittsburg State W 91-52
    Nov 18 Nevada W 88-75
    Nov 21 Southern Illinois W 78-69
    Nov 25 Holy Cross W 80-59
    Nov 28 No. 16 Louisville W 76-71
    Dec 2 at Arizona W 74-72 2OT
    Dec 5 at Santa Clara W 66-63
    Dec 12 Kansas State L 95-80
    Dec 15 at Southern Utah W 77-59
    Dec 17 Weber State

    12/13/09
    Weber St. 84, S. Utah 66
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Steve Panos scored 19 points and was one of five Weber State players in double figures as the Wildcats beat Southern Utah 84-66 on Saturday night.

    Nick Hansen had four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes as the Wildcats (5-4) built an early 21-6 lead. Hansen finished with 18 points while Franklin Session also had 18.

    Davis Baker scored 27 points to lead the Thunderbirds (3-7), who have lost five straight games.

    The Thunderbirds cut the Wildcats lead to 66-53 with 8:56 to play following a three-point play by Matt Hodgson, but Weber State answered with 10 straight points.

    Southern Utah ended the first half on a 7-3 run, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Damon Heuir, but still trailed 48-31 at intermission. The 48 points were the most scored by Weber State in a first half this season, and the lead was its first at halftime this season.

    12/12/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 84-66
    TV: Streaming online at BigSkyTV.org | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM


    12/11/09
    Sat: Southern Utah at Weber
    Saturday night at 7pm the (4-4) Weber State Wilcats will host the (3-6) Thunderbirds of Southern Utah. Currently SUU has lost 4 straight while WSU has won 3 straight. The two teams have met on the hardwood 25 times since 1982. Weber leads the series with a record of 19-6. In Ogden, WSU is 14-2 and 5-4 in Cedar City. Tomorrow's game will be Coach Rahe's 4th against the T-Birds and he is 3-1 overall with the loss being the first game of the series back in 2007 in Cedar.

    2007: L 75-63, W 59-57
    2008: W 66-62

    Last year's 66-62 win in Cedar was Weber's first win at the Centrum after having lost 2 in-a-row down South. In 2006-07 WSU lost 75-63 and in 2005-06 WSU lost 68-47.

    The only overtime game in the series was SUU?s first win over the 'Cats, winning 92-90 in 1986-87 in Ogden. Of the last 6 meetings between the 2 teams SUU has won 3 times.

    SUU Starters
    C-44 Matt Hodgson 6-11 225 Fr Booval, Australia (5.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg)
    F-34 Matt Massey 6-9 220 So Brisbane, Australia (10.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, .375 3P%)
    F-4 Jake Nielson 6-3 185 So Aurora, CO (10.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.0 spg, .333 3P%)
    G-25 Davis Baker 6-5 195 Sr Coto de Caza, CA (16.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .143 3P%)
    G-3 Damon Heuir 6-2 200 Townsville, Australia (1.2 ppg, 2.2 apg, 2.1 rpg, .500 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (10.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (9.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, .250 3P%)
    G-12 Franklin Session 6-2 175 Jr Los Angeles, CA (9.0, 6.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.9 spg, 1.0 bpg)
    G-15 Lindsey Hughey 6-3 200 Jr Grand Prairie, TX (6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, .267 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (20.6 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.4 rpg, 1.0 spg, .321 3P%)

    T-Bird Bio
    Established: 1897
    Location: Cedar City, UT
    Nickname: Thunderbirds
    Colors: Red & White
    Undergraduates: 6,490
    Postgraduates: 567
    Conference: Summit League

    SUU Schedule
    Nov 14 at Hawaii L 65-48
    Nov 15 vs. Northern Colorado L 73-51
    Nov 17 vs. McNeese State W 68-59
    Nov 19 Southwest W 111-51
    Nov 21 Wayland Baptist Univ W 79-61
    Nov 25 Tennessee Tech L 72-65
    Nov 28 at Utah State L 89-49
    Dec 3 at Centenary L 93-85
    Dec 5 at Oral Roberts L 68-53
    Dec 12 at Weber State

    12/9/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 73-70
    TV: Streaming online at BigSkyTV.org | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM


    12/8/09
    Lillard, Big Sky POTW Honors
    From the Big Sky Conference's official site by Jon Kasper
    Waters, Lillard Share Weekly Honor
    BigSkyConf.com

    12/7/09
    Wed: Montana Tech at Weber
    Wednesday night the Wildcats and Orediggers of Montana Tech will tipoff at 7pm at the Dee Events Center. With wins against Utah and Sacramento State last week, WSU will try to keep the win streak going before hosting SUU on Saturday. Damian Lillard has been on a scoring rampage this season and as of late he scored 27 against Sac and a career-best 28 against Utah. Lillard, the 16th leading scorer in the nation right now might be too much to handle for the Orediggers.

    Montana Tech is 4-7 overall and competes at the NCAA DII level. The game will be the 5th ever meeting between the schools. Weber leads the series 4-0. All 4 games have been played in Ogden. The first meeting was during the 2002-03 season, the 'Cats won 94-58 (26-6 overall on the season). In 2005-06 the 'Cats won 81-51 (10-18 overall) and two years ago in 2006-07 WSU won 81-53 (20-12 overall). Last season's meeting, the 'Cats won 77-62 (21-10 overall). The Orediggers will also play Idaho State on Dec 28.

    Also, Kelvin Sampson, former Indiana head coach, was the Montana Tech's head coach from 1981-85. According to Wikipedia, despite his storied off-court issues, Sampson had an open invitation to return to Butte to coach again. Montana Tech named it's new basketball court after Sampson. Currently, Sampson is an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.
    Athletic Director Joe McClafferty: "Sampson is a great man who did a tremendous amount for the school."

    Montana Tech Bio
    Nickname: Orediggers
    Location: Butte, MT
    Established: 1889
    Enrollment: 2,320
    Colors: Green & Copper
    NCAA Classification: Division II
    Conference: Frontier

    12/6/09
    Wildcats Win 9th Straight Big Sky Road Game!
    The Weber State Wildcats set a Big Sky record last season for the most conference road wins in one season going 8-0. With the win over Sacramento State last night the streak continues to 9 in-a-row. The Big Sky record for consecutive conference road wins is 13 which was set also by WSU back in 1968-70. Weber's next Big Sky road game is at Northern Colorado on January 7th.

    WSU has now beat Sac 5 straight times and is now 28-4 all-time against the Hornets (15-1 in Ogden, 13-3 in Sac). Coach Rahe notched his 60th win as a head coach and his 40th conference victory in the same night. Rahe and company are an impressive 16-10 on the road against Big Sky opponents. Road games typically are considered hard to win in college basketball which Rahe is starting to make look deceiving.

    RAHE'S OVERALL RECORD
    Overall Record60-38
    Overall Home Record37-8
    Overall Road Record23-30
    Big Sky Record40-14
    Big Sky Home Record24-4
    Big Sky Road Record16-10

    RAHE VS BIG SKY
    Eastern Washington4-2
    Idaho State4-2
    Montana5-1
    Montana State5-3
    Northern Arizona5-3
    Northern Colorado5-1
    Portland State6-1
    Sacramento State6-1

    12/5/09
    Weber St. 80, Sacramento St. 65
    Associated Press
    SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Damian Lillard had 27 points and four assists in Weber State's 80-65 victory over Sacramento State Saturday night.

    Franklin Session had 14 points and 18 rebounds and Nick Hansen added 17 points for the Wildcats (3-4, 1-0), who got their first road win in the Big Sky Conference opener.

    Sultan Toles-Bey had 14 points and Michael Selling added 13 points and six rebounds for the Hornets (4-5, 0-1).

    Before the Hornets ended the first half leading 32-30, Duro Bjegovic's basket at the 2:51 mark gave Sacramento State its biggest lead at 30-25.

    Both teams had trouble finding the basket in the first half. The Hornets made 11 of 31 from the field while the Wildcats hit 10 of 34.

    Six lead changes and two ties were recorded in the second half before the Wildcats went on a 17-3 run to make the score 61-50 with less than five minutes remaining.

    12/5/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 80-65
    Box Score
    TV: Streaming online at BigSkyTV.org | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Idaho State
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Big Sky: Portland State 98, Eastern Washington 75 | Northern Colorado 59, Montana 48
    Montana State 62, Northern Arizona 50
    Out of confernece: Utah 68, Idaho State 56

    12/5/09
    Tonight: WSU at Sac State
    Sacramento State Hornets aka California State University, Sacramento, will be hosting the WSU Wildcats for the 17th ever meeting in Sacramento between the Wildcats and Hornets. Last season when the two teams met, Sac was being outscored by an average of 17.4 points per contest and finished the year with a 2-27 record. This year in just 8 games Sac has doubled its win total from last year to this year with 4 wins and 4 losses.

    The Hornets have only one win in Ogden and just 4 wins overall out of the 31 all-time games. All four of Sac's wins against Weber have come in the last 7 years. In 2005-06 (one of the 8 worst seasons in WSU history) Sac State and Portland State both got their only win in Ogden to date, and after the Hornets won they were so excited they even took the game ball home.

    WSU head coach Randy Rahe is 5-1 overall against the Hornets. Sac State's head coach Brian Katz is 0-2 vs Weber and was a first year DI coach last season. Katz spent 19 seasons in the JC rankings all in the state of California. He spent 15 years prior to Sac at San Joaquin Delta JC in Stockton, CA. At San Joaquin Delta Katz went 348-138 (79%). The 4 years prior to San Joaquin Katz was the coach at Lassen JC where he posted a 87-47 (65%) record. Overall he was 435-185 (70%) at the JUCO level.

    Sac Starters
    C-40 Justin Eller 6-8 235 Sr Yreka, CA (8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
    F-32 Michael Selling 6-8 225 Jr Folsom, CA (8.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
    G-21 Sultan Toles-Bey 5-10 185 Jr Compton, CA (12.3 ppg, 3.9 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 spg, .303 3P%)
    G-14 Mike Marcial 6-1 180 Sr Clovis, CA (2.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.3 rpg, .273 3P%)
    G-22 Antonio Flaggs 6-3 180 Sr Pittsburg, CA (7.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, .375 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (10.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .261 3P%)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .306 3P%)
    G-15 Lindsey Hughey 6-3 200 Jr Grand Prairie, TX (7.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, .364 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (20.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.3 spg, .304 3P%)

    Sac Schedule
    ovember 13 at Rice L 81-51 Nov 14 vs. Houston Baptist W 70-60
    Nov 15 vs. South Alabama L 70-58
    Nov 18 Bethany (CA) W 90-75
    Nov 21 at Oregon State W 65-63
    Nov 24 at Idaho L 75-61
    Nov 28 UC Riverside L 59-58
    Dec 2 at UC Davis W 59-57
    Dec 5 Weber State 8:05 pm

    Hornet bio
    Established: 1947
    Undergraduates: 22,555
    Postgraduates: 5,417
    Location: Sacramento, CA
    Colors: Green & Gold
    Mascot: Herky the Hornet
    Series: WSU is 27-4 all-time vs Sac

    Famous alumni
    Tom Hanks, Creed Bratton from The Office, Lester Holt anchor of the weekend edition of Today, Joan Lunden & Bobby McFerrin.

    12/3/09
    Weber St. 83, Utah 76
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Damian Lillard scored a career-high 28 points to lead Weber State to an 83-76 win over Utah on Wednesday night.

    Steve Panos added 20 points for the Wildcats (2-4).

    Kim Tillie led Utah (3-4) with 20 points while Carlon Brown had 16. David Foster had a school-record 10 blocks but was in foul trouble often and played just 22 minutes.

    Lillard hit a jumper with 2:44 left in the game to give the Wildcats a 71-69 lead. On the next trip down the court, Lillard made his only 3-pointer to finish a 9-0 run.

    The Utes opened the game on a 9-0 run thanks to a 3-pointer from Tillie and then two more 3s from Marshall Henderson. A three-point play by Brown built Utah's lead to 28-14 with 7:32 left in the first half.

    Weber State took its first lead on Lillard's finger-roll that capped a 9-2 run and gave the Wildcats a 53-51 advantage with 13:35 to play.

    12/2/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 83-76
    Box Score
    Weber State Wildcats University of Utah

    11/29/09
    Wed: Utah at Weber
    TV: Streaming online at BigSkyTV.org | RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    The 2009-10 season marks Utah's 102nd season of men's hoops. Wednesday night's matchup between the Utes and Wildcats is the 38th meeting between the 2 schools dating back to the 1970's. WSU Coach Randy Rahe was an assistant coach for the Utes under Ray Giacoletti from 2004-2006. Rahe is 0-3 vs Utah as a head coach. Utah's Coach Boylen is 2-0 all-time vs WSU.

    Weber State is 12-25 all-time against Utah and 9-8 at home. The Utes have won 8 straight meetings dating back to 2002 and is WSU's longest in-state losing streak. Weber's last victory over the Utes (79-77) was in Salt Lake in 2000-01.

    This year's Utes are 3-3 overall and in its last two games beat No. 21 Illinois and lost to Oklahoma State on back-to-back nights at a tournament in Las Vegas. In the Illinois game Utah was down 32-16 at the half before making a furious comeback out scoring the Illini 44-26 to win the game with a buzzer beater.

    Probable Utah Starters
    C-51 David Foster 7-3 255 So Lake Forest, CA (5.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg
    F-14 Kim Tillie 6-11 230 Sr France (9.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
    G-5 Luka Drca 6-5 205 Sr Belgrade (10.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, .286 3P%, 1.8 spg)
    G-15 Carlon Brown 6-5 205 Jr Riverside, CA (13.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 spg, 1.2 apg, .320 3P%)
    G-3 Marshall Henderson 6-2 175 Fr Hurst, TX (8.8 ppg, 0.7 apg, 0.3 spg, .265 3P%)

    Probable WSU Starters
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Sr Salt Lake City, UT (9.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 So Mountain View, WY (11.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, .286 3P%)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .281 3P%)
    G-15 Lindsey Hughey 6-3 200 Jr Grand Prairie, TX (8.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, .500 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 So Oakland, CA (19.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 spg, .325 3P%)

    Utah Bio
    Established: 1850
    Undergraduates: 28,619
    Postgraduates: 6,531
    Nickname: Utes
    Colors: Red & White
    Conference: Mountain West
    10 highest winning % in NCAA Div I history
    1998 NCAA champion runner-up
    1944 NCAA National Champions

    Utes Schedule (3-3)
    November 13 Idaho L 94-87
    November 18 Utah State W 68-67
    November 21 Southern University W 88-48
    November 24 Seattle L 77-74
    November 27 vs. No. 21 Illinois W 60-58
    November 28 vs. Oklahoma State L 77-55

    Common Opponents
    USU @ WSU L 66-60
    USU @ Utah W 68-67
    WSU @ Seattle L 91-87
    Seattle @ Utah L 77-74

    Boylen's Coaching Experience
    Michigan State 1987-92 (under Jud Heathcote), Assistant Coach 2005-07, Assistant Coach Houston Rockets (NBA) 1992-94, Video Coordinator 1994-2003, Assistant Coach Golden State (NBA) 2003-04, Assistant Coach Milwaukee (NBA) 2004-05, Assistant Coach

    Jud Heathcote was the head coach for Montana (1971-76) for 5 seasons, he lead UM to its first ever Big Sky championship in 1975. He became Michigan State's head coach in 1976 and 19 seasons later he would go on to lose the last game he would ever coach to 14-seed Weber State in the first round of the 1995 NCAA Tourney.

    11/27/09
    BYU 87, Weber St. 70
    Associated Press
    PROVO, Utah -- Jimmer Fredette scored 23 points and handed out a game-high seven assists, and Jackson Emery added 15 points to lead BYU past Weber State 87-70 Friday night.

    Fredette and Emery turned a one-point game into a rout with six minutes to play when each hit back-to-back three-pointers. Fredette added two free throws to complete the 14-2 run, after which the Cougars led 72-59.

    BYU (5-0) improved to 18-0 against Weber State all-time at the Marriott Center.

    Damian Lillard led the Wildcats (1-4) with 23 points and Lindsay Hughey scored 16.

    Emery made 4 of 6 three-point attempts and Fredette made 3 of 5.

    The Cougars jumped to an early 18-4 lead with torrid shooting, but Weber State built a comeback around offensive rebounds and drives to the basket by Lillard and Hughey.

    11/27/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 87-70
    Box Score


    11/27/09
    Tonight: Weber State at BYU
    TV:The Mountain
    RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Since 1973, the 'Cats and Cougars have played each other 34 times. WSU is 10-24 overall and 10-7 in Ogden which means 0-17 in Provo. Can Weber get its first ever win in Provo this year? Weber's last win against BYU was 2003 winning the game 75-69 after a 15 point halftime lead. WSU went on to win 16 more in a row that year to have the nation's 2nd longest win streak. The following stats are since 1964 which was the first year WSU competed as a 4-year institution as well as WSU's first year in Division I basketball.

    Weber State vs Brigham Young
    Since 1964
    WSU
    BYU
    Overall Wins
    853
    815
    Last Tournament Appearance
    2007
    2009
    Last Tournament Win
    1999
    1993
    Tournament Appearances
    14
    21
    Tournament Wins
    6
    7
    Highest Tournament Seed
    7
    4
    Conference Titles
    18
    17
    20 Win Seasons
    22
    23
    Winning Seasons
    38
    36
    Losing Seasons
    8
    10
    Best Record
    27-3
    26-6
    Worst Record
    7-22
    1-25
    Undefeated in Conference
    2
    0

    WSU's last appearance in Provo - Dec 5, 2007
    In front of 11,459 fans, No. 22 BYU beat Weber 74-57. The Cougars came out of the gates on a scoring rampage to build up a big first half lead and then WSU came back in the second half out scoring BYU 36-30 was't quite enough after being down by 21 at the half.

    Morris: 12 pts, 5 rebs, blk, 17 min
    McCoy: 9 pts, 6 rebs, 22 min


    Last year's game in Ogden - Dec 3, 2008
    The last matchup between the two schools was the worst loss WSU has had in the series against the Cougars. WSU lost the game 92-62
    after being down 46-39 at halftime.

    Bull: 16 pts, 5 rebs, 3 three's.
    Panos: 12 pts
    Davis: 10 pts, 2 blks, dunk

    BYU's Schedule thus far
    Nov 13 Bradley W 70-60
    Nov 17 Idaho State W 87-53
    Nov 21 at Hawaii W 83-65
    Nov 24 Southern University W 107-51

    11/23/09
    Tues: Western State at Weber
    RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    TV: Streaming live on the Internet free at BigSkyTV.org
    Weber State (0-3) will host Western State College of Colorado on Tuesday night at the Dee Events Center. Western State has played 3 exhibition games again DI schools and went 0-3. They had fairly close scores with Colorado State and Air Force but were blown out by Northern Colorado 111-65. Western is 2-0 in the regular season with wins over DII equals in UC-San Diego and Northern New Mexico.

    WSU will be eager to get its first win of the season against the Western State Mountaineers after starting off the season a bit slow going 0-3 losing to Utah State, UC-Santa Barbara and Seattle U. Against USU and Santa Barbara the 'Cats committed a high number of fouls keeping the games out of reach allowing 47 combined free points while losing both games by a combined margin of 15 points. WSU had 58 3-pt attempts between the 2 games and hit just 9. In the Seattle game the box score looked much better in the FT and 3-pt columns but WSU committed 20 turnovers which is the same amount of TO's between the USU and UCSB games combined.

    Western Schedule vs DI
    11/4 at Northern Colorado L 65-111
    11/7 at Colorado State L 50-64
    11/13 at Air Force L 54-65
    11/24 at Weber State

    Western State Bio
    Nickname: Mountaineers
    Location: Gunnison, CO
    Established: 1901
    Enrollment: 2,400
    Colors: Red
    NCAA Classification: Division II
    Western's basketball media guide

    WSU Football
    For the second year in-a-row the Weber State football team will again be making a playoff appearance. WSU will travel to William & Mary located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Kickoff will be Saturday afternoon.

    11/22/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 91-87
    Box Score
    RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats Seattle U

    11/21/09
    Big Sky Update
    Sac Beats a Pac-10: Ends 39 road game losing streak
    In Corvallis, Oregon, the Hornets of Sac State beat Oregon State 65-63 for its first time in 6 tries. Sac had the nation's longest road losing streak at 39 before beating the Beavers. Sac is now 2-30 against Pac-10 foes.

    The hot shooting Hornets hit 9-of-15 from 3-point range in the first half and went into the locker room with a 22 point lead after going on a 27-4 run. Sac only attempted 1 more 3-point attempt in the final 20 minutes of the game.

    Sac is now 3-2 on the season after only winning 2 games all last year and finishing 9th in the conference with a 1-15 record and 2-27 overall. Sac's other 2 wins thus far were against Houston Baptist and a non DI.

    NAU game suspended due to power outage
    The NAU Lumberjacks were up 45-43 against the University of the Pacific with 8:52 remaining in the game in Flagstaff when an unexpected power outage ended the game. NAU was on a 15-2 run when all the lights powered off.

    Fans waited for about 45 minutes waiting to see what would happen before the game was called.

    "Tonight's game is being suspended due to the power outage," head official Michael Irving said. "It's unsafe to continue playing the game at this point in time. Any decision regarding the future of the game will have to be made by the athletic directors at the participating schools."

    The pending status of whether or not the game will be finished in Flagstaff or Stockton, CA, or any where else will be announced next week by NAU officials. NAU does have a road game at Santa Clara next week which is only 80 miles from Pacific.

    Northern Colorado is 5-0!
    The UNC Bears are off to a great start at 5-0. The Blue & Gold started the year off at the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii beating McNeese State, SUU and Hawaii. UNC then competed in the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic where they took down Texas Southern and Air Force.

    UNC has yet to play a home game and Bears fans will continue to wait until Dec 1 when they host Colorado State.

    In 2006-07 when the Bears moved up from DII to DI and joined the Big Sky they started the year off 0-6. It only took the Bears 3 seasons to qualify for the Big Sky Tournament after finishing 5th last season. This year UNC has been picked in the polls to finish 6th.

    Nov 13 vs. McNeese State W 101-73
    Nov 15 vs. Southern Utah W 73-51
    Nov 17 at Hawaii W 81-75
    Nov 20 vs. Texas Southern W 66-62
    Nov 21 at Air Force W 70-46

    11/20/09
    Sun: WSU @ Seattle
    Seattle University (1-2) will host the Wildcats of WSU (0-2) at Key Arena in Seattle on Sunday. Key Arena is the former home to the now defunct Seattle Sonics. SU moved up to DI in 2008-09 after spending the past 30 years between the NAIA and DII ranks. SU had a DI men's basketball team from 1950 to 1980. From '50 to '71 SU was an Independent; from '71 to 1980 Seattle was a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The 1958 SU team led by Elgin Baylor made it to the Final 4 where they knocked off #1 ranked Kansas State before losing the title game to Kentucky. In 1966 Texas Western's "glory road" to winning the national title was almost perfect. TWU's lone loss on the season was to Seattle U. During the 1960's, SU sent more players to the NBA than any other school.

    SU is reclassifying from Division II to Division I right now and the move will take five years and should be complete in 2012-13. Last season SU hired Cameron Dollar, a former assistant at University of Washington. Dollar was a top candidate a year ago at Sac State before Brian Katz was hired.

    SU's goal is to be reunited as a member of the West Coast Conference, which is made up of small, private, religiously affiliated schools. The WCC is a non-football conference.

    Seattle Bio
    Established: 1891
    Location: Seattle, WA
    Type: Private, Jesuit
    Undergraduates: 7,751
    Nickname: Redhawks
    Colors: Scarlet & White
    Arena: Key Arena, capacity: 17,072
    Class: Division I
    Conference: Independent

    SU Schedule (1-2)
    Nov 14 at Oklahoma State L 86-64
    Nov 17 at Portland L 98-81
    Nov 19 Fresno State W 85-84
    Nov 22 Weber State

    11/17/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 66-57
    Box Score
    RADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State Wildcats UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos

    11/15/09
    Tues: WSU @ UC-Santa Barbara
    Weber State will travel to UC-Santa Barbara on Tuesday, November 17th to take on the Gauchos at 8:05 PM. Currently the Gauchos are 1-0 with a win over (DII) CS-Los Angeles. Last season the Gauchos finished 4th in the Big West Conference after being picked to be one of the top teams. This season the Gauchos have been picked 2nd (six 1st place votes) behind Long Beach State (twenty-three 1st place votes).

    The Tuesday night matchup is just the 3rd ever meeting between the Gauchos and Wildcats. The first meeting was in 2003 at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Weberwon 91-82, WSU went on to finish that season 26-6 overall and undefeated in Big Sky play (16-0). The second meeting was last season at the Dee Events Center where the 'Cats won 70-63. All scores were led by Steve Panos with 21 points and 5 rebounds in just 23 minutes.

    UCSB will be led by a 6'5" guard in Orlando Johnson, a preseason All-Big West selection and also the younger brother of former Weber State basketball player Robbie Johnson. Robbie played for WSU from 1990-94 and is #3 in school history for career steals with 156.

    Johnson is a transfer from Loyola Marymount, he sat out last year as a redshirt and did not play against Weber State.From uscbgauchos.com:
    Johnson's one season at Loyola Marymount was an outstanding one...Set school records for freshman by scoring 383 points and averaging 12.4 points per game...Also tied LMU's record for rebounds by a freshman with 152...Led the Lions in scoring and rebounding, tied for the team-lead in blocked shots with 12, and was second on the team with 40 three-point baskets...Johnson scored in double-figures 20 times in 31 game...Also scored 15 or more 12 times and 20 or more four times...Scored a career-high 26 points against Wagner, 25 against UC Riverside, 23 against Presbyterian, and 21 against Mercer...Had a season-high 11 rebounds three times...Had double-doubles against Boise State (16 points, 11 rebounds), Portland (16 points, 11 rebounds), and Pepperdine (17 points, 11 rebounds)...Made a season-high four three-point baskets against UC Riverside...Hit two or more three-pointers 10 times...Johnson shot 41.2% overall, 32.0% from three-point range, and 64.2% from the free throw line...Averaged 2.1 assists per game and had a season-high of six against Boise State...Earned West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors.

    Gauchos Bio
    Established: 1905
    Location: Santa Barbara, CA
    Undergraduates: 17,726
    Postgraduates: 2,833
    Nickname: Gauchos
    Colors: Blue & Gold
    Arena: The Thunderdome, capacity: 5,600
    Conference: Big West
    vs WSU: 0-2

    UCSB Schedule (1-0)
    Nov 14 Cal State-Los Angeles W 85-57
    Nov 17 Weber State, 8:05 PM

    11/13/09
    Gameday
    Final: L 66-60
    Box Score
    TV:Streaming online free - BigSkyTV.orgRADIO: On the Internet at KLO 1430 AM


    11/12/09
    Rahe Signs 3
    JC guard
    Scott Bamforth, 6'2", 180 lb guard from Albuquerque, New Mexico, will play his soph year for Western Nebraska CC. Rivals.com confirms that Bamforth has committed to sign with Weber State as of Nov 5th.

    Schools of Interest: N/A
    Update: Signed with Weber State, Nov 11

    High school center
    Kyle Tresnak, 6'10", 225 lb forward from Horizon, Arizona, will play his senior year of high school in 2009-10. Rated as a 76 by ESPN.

    Schools of Interest: Pepperdine, Portland, Princeton, UC-Riverside, San Diego, Wichita State, Yale & Weber State.
    Update: Visit, Aug 29; verbal commit to WSU, Aug 30; signed with Weber State, Nov 11

    High school guard
    Jordan Richardson, 6'0", guard from Tracy, CA, will play senior season in 2009-10 at Merrill West High School in Northern California after having moved from Lewisville, Texas. Rated as an 80 by ESPN.

    Schools of Interest: Lehigh, Northern Colorado, Santa Clara, Texas State, Tulsa & Weber State.
    Update: Verbal commit to WSU Sep 1; signed with Weber State, Nov 11

    11/9/09
    The Stats: Weber State vs Utah State
    Weber State will start the 2009-10 basketball season off hosting the Utah State Aggies. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM Friday the 13th of November. This year's game is the 61th all-time meeting; the overall series is, WSU with 25 wins and USU with 35.

    Against the Ag's, the 'Cats are 15-13 at home, 2-1 on neutral courts and 8-20 in Logan. The first 2 games ever played between WSU & USU was 1971 & 1972, both in Logan and both won by Weber.

    There have been 5 overtime games and WSU has taken 3 of them. The lowest scoring game between the 2 was 1971, WSU won 63-62. The highest scoring game was 1988, USU won 107-93. The series has gone back and forth and WSU has led in wins up until 1988 where the series came to a 17-17 tie. Since '89 the Aggies have led the series and the 'Cats kept within 4 games until USU's recent 6 game win streak that put them 10 ahead.

    Stew Morrill is in his 12th season as USU's head coach, he is 8-4 against Weber. His 1st year was 1999 and his Aggies lost by 20 points to the 'Cats at the Delta Center. Stew would lose 3 of his first 4 competitions to the Purple and White. Stew is the winningest coach in USU history with 267 wins and 10 straight 23 win seasons. This season USU has 18 home games which will help in securing another 20 win season.

    Coach Rahe spent 13 seasons as an assistant to Stew at Colorado State & Utah State. Rahe is 1-4 vs Stew.
    Weber State vs Utah State
    Since 1963*
    WSU
    Utah State
    Overall Wins
    852
    852
    Last Tournament Appearance
    2007
    2009
    Last Tournament Win
    1999
    2001
    Tournament Appearances
    14
    16
    Tournament Wins
    6
    4
    Highest Tournament Seed
    7
    10
    Last 3 Tournament Seeds
    15, 12, 14
    12, 14, 15
    Conference Titles
    18
    9
    20 Win Seasons
    22
    22
    Winning Seasons
    38
    36
    Losing Seasons
    8
    11
    Best Record
    27-3
    30-5
    Worst Record
    7-22
    4-23
    Undefeated in Conference
    2
    1

    *1963 was the first year Weber State competed as an NCAA Division I basketball team.

    11/8/09
    CollegeInsider.com's Top 25
    CollegeInsider.com's top 25 poll now in its 11th season of existence is a poll for the 25 best teams from the mid-major conferences. This year's first poll was released in October with no Big Sky teams ranked but 4 currently have votes to be ranked: Weber State 50; Montana State 9; Portland State 9; Montana 4.

    The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.

    The WSU 2009 team finished ranked 20th. The last week of the regular season the Wildcats had 5 votes to be in the AP Top 25 before falling to Montana State in the Big Sky Semifinals. The 2007 team led by David Patton finished ranked 25th. In 2003, WSU finished the season in the top 10 (No. 30 in the AP Poll). The last WSU team to finish in the AP Top 25 was the 1980 team which finished 17th.

    Voting Panel: Mike Adras (Northern Arizona), Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Will Brown (Albany), Dave Calloway (Monmouth), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Steve Donahue (Cornell), James Fox (Davidson), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Brad Holland (UC Santa Barbara), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara), Billy Kennedy (Murray State), Tod Kowalczyk (UW-Green Bay), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Jim Les (Bradley), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Bart Lundy (High Point), Bob Marlin (Sam Houston State), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Ritchie McKay (Liberty), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M), Charles Ramsey (Eastern Michigan), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Gary Stewart (UC Davis), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts), Scott Wagers (East Tennessee State), James Wilhelmi (Howard), Ralph Willard (Holy Cross).

    11/8/09
    WeberStateSports.com
    Weber State Defeats Colorado Christian 75-65 in Final Exhibition Game
    Source: Weber State Athletics
    WeberStateSports.com article

    11/7/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU wins 75-65
    Box Score


    11/6/09
    Sat: Colorado Christian at Weber State
    On Saturday WSU will complete the exhibition portion of the season by hosting Colorado Christian University. Weber beat Colorado Springs last Monday 110-58. The 'Cats were on fire knocking down 19-of-26 from beyond the arc.

    CCU was picked 2nd in the RMAC East Division in the preseason poll. They will be led by 6-11 senior Justin Neuhaus, who was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and the unanimous RMAC Divisional Player of the Year. Last season CCU had 21 wins and advanced to the RMAC semi-finals and the NCCAA National Tournament.

    The last meeting between the Cougars and Wildcats was on November 10, 2006, WSU won 83-57.

    Cougar Bio
    Private School
    Undergraduates: 3,400
    Location: Lakewood, CO
    Conference: Rocky Mtn Athletic Conference
    NCAA Classification: Division II
    Colors: Navy Blue & Gold

    11/2/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU 110, UCCS 58


    11/2/09
    UC-Colorado Springs at Weber
    The Weber State men's basketball team will play its first exhibition game tonight to start the 2009-10 season. The 'Cats will host the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Mountain Lions. This will be the third meeting between the two teams in four years. In 2006-07 WSU won 86-67 and in 2008-09 WSU won 96-81.

    Much like WSU, UCCS is an institution of higher learning with a slightly higher ratio of female students to male students. UCCS - 58% female students, and 42% male students.

    The U.S. News & World Report college and university rankings put UCCS' College of Engineering and Applied Science as ranked fourth-best among public universities and No. 16 overall among bachelor and master's degree engineering schools.

    The Mountain Lion basketball squad finished last season with an overall record of 11-19. UCCS will be traveling to Pocatello to take on Idaho State the next night after playing at WSU.

    Mountain Lion Bio
    Public School
    Undergraduates: 6,150
    Postgraduates: 1,500
    Location: Colorado Springs, CO
    Conference: Rocky Mtn Athletic Conference
    NCAA Classification: Division II
    Colors: Black & Gold

    11/1/09
    Blue Ribbon Preview: Weber State
    The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook for 2009-10 has been released. Blue Ribbon is an annual publication which includes preseason previews of every NCAA Division I men's college basketball team.

    Blue Ribbon Analysis

    BACKCOURT: A
    BENCH/DEPTH: B
    FRONTCOURT: B+
    INTANGIBLES: A+

    "There's plenty of talent, both returning and incoming, at Weber State. The Wildcats could run away with the regular season title again -- last year they won it by four games -- and this time take care of business in the conference tournament.

    Lillard is a sensational player and will contend for conference player of the year honors. Bullinger, Panos and Hansen are proven commodities in the Big Sky, and can play with anyone. Three quality JUCO guards will fortify the Wildcats' backcourt depth.

    There might be some question about front-line depth, as most of the talent is on the perimeter. But Rahe, one of the hot coaching commodities in the West, usually finds a way."

    10/28/09
    Purple & White Game 7 PM Tonight
    The annual Weber State basketball Purple and White game is tonight at 7PM. This will be an opportunity for the fans to meet the 2009-10 men's and women's basketball teams.

    The 2 teams will each have an intra-squad scrimmage after they are introduced to the fans. Each game will have 10 minute halves.

    The WSU men were picked to finish 1st in the coaches and media polls and the women were picked 4th in the coaches and 6th in the media. The women return 5 starters.

    10/21/09
    WSU picked 1st in polls
    Last season WSU went 15-1 in the regular season which was the second best record in conference history and the best ever road record at 8-0. Can you top that or even repeat the year after when losing the conference MVP in Kellen McCoy and the conference defensive player of the year in Daviin Davis? Both of which are now playing professionally in Europe.

    Well...the coaches and media both seem to think WSU can take the 'Sky again. In the coaches poll WSU received 4 of the possible 8 first place votes as a coach can't vote for his own team. In the media poll WSU received 23 of the possible 28 first place votes.

    Coming in at second in both polls is Montana. Just the flip-flop of the football polls this year. If the 'Cats were to win the conference in football and basketball this year, WSU would be the first school in conference history to win back-to-back Big Sky titles in both sports.

    Since the Big Sky Conference started in 1964, 9 times there has been a team win back-to-back regular season titles in basketball. Five of these 9 were the Wildcats.

    In 2007-08 Weber State was picked to finish 1st by the coaches and 2nd by the media and the 'Cats finished 3rd. In 2008-09 WSU was picked 5th and 4th by the 2 polls and they won the regular season Big Sky championship.

    This year's Wildcat team will be led by 3 returning starters. Sophomore guard Damian Lillard was the 2000-09 Freshman of the Year, who was also the first ever true freshman in Big Sky history to be selected as a First Team All-Conference player. Another sophomore starter this year will be forward Kyle Bullinger, a Second Team All-Conference player, and senior center and third year starter Steve Panos.

    WSU fans will have a team in good hands with young upcoming talent combined with senior leadership in Panos and Nick Hansen. Also added to the mix will be some junior college transfers that will make an immediate impact on the program to make 2009-10 an exciting season to be a Wildcat fan.

    Coaches' Poll
    Team - First-place votes
    1. Weber State 4
    2. Montana 3
    3. Idaho State 1
    4. Portland State 1
    5. Montana State
    6. Northern Colorado
    7. Northern Arizona
    8. Eastern Washington
    9. Sacramento State

    Media Poll
    Team - First-place votes
    1. Weber State 23
    2. Montana 3
    3. Portland State 2
    4. Idaho State
    5. Montana State
    6. Northern Colorado
    7. Northern Arizona
    8. Eastern Washington
    9. Sacramento State

    8/31/09
    Basketball Team Looking for Managers
    The Weber State men's basketball program is looking for a couple of new basketball managers for the upcoming season. For those interested, please contact Phil Beckner, Director of Basketball Operations.

    Office: (801) 626-7883
    phillipbeckner@weber.edu

    8/30/09
    High School Center
    Kyle Tresnak, 6'9", 225 lb forward from Horizon, Arizona, will play his senior year of high school in 2009-10. According to Rivals.com, Tresnak has been talking to the below schools of interest and he's been offered a scholarship by Weber State.

    Schools of Interest: Pepperdine, Portland, Princeton, UC-Riverside, San Diego, Wichita State, Yale & Weber State.
    Update: Rivals.com reports Tresnak verbally committed to Weber State

    8/30/09
    New Faces of WSU Basketball
    Rahe's new players fill gaps left from last year
    Chemistry between old and new players helps drive the WSU Basketball Team towards first game of the season
    By Matt Maynes
    WSU Signpost Article

    7/24/09
    Official Basketball Schedule Released
    WSU Athletics has officially released the basketball schedule for the 2009-10 season. The highlights of the schedule are SUU, Utah and Utah State at home. The 'Cats will travel to play BYU, Utah State and UNLV. Similar to the 2007-08 season WSU will start things off with a home game against the Aggies (Nov 13). In December, from the 21st to 23rd, WSU will compete in the Duel in the Desert, a 4 team classic sponsored by Gossner Foods. WSU will play Morehead State on the 21st, CS-Fullerton on the 22nd and USU on the 23rd.

    The first Big Sky game is on Dec 5th at Sac State which seems a bit odd but since UNC joined in 2006 scheduling hasn't been the same. The first conference home game will be against Montana State which the 'Cats will be looking forward to after the way last season ended. It took MSU 46 years to get 9 wins in Ogden and last season they got 2.

    Another oddity about the new schedule is the Big Sky has decided to change the conference format to Friday & Saturday nights and not the usual Thursday/Saturday format fans are used to. This is to help cut costs for the conference overall and all sports will be making adjustments besides football.

    Even with the new format the Wildcats' conference schedule looks fairly favorable in that there is only 1 road trip with games on back-to-back nights (Montanas).

    7/4/09
    More Recruiting
    New players added to the recruiting page. John Hayward-Mayhew, the son of former Weber State fall of famer Stan Mayhew has transferred to SLCC from Missouri State after playing one season as a freshman. WSU most likely will keep an eye on him while he plays for the Bruins.

    Stan Mayhew was inducted into the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. Mayhew holds the school record for the most points scored in a single game with 45 against Utah State in 1977. Back in '77 the Wildcats swept the Aggies 2-0. WSU won in Ogden 89-76 and also won in Logan 72-67.

    6/13/09
    WSU Recruiting 2010-11
    There isn't a whole lot to talk about during the Summer for Weber State basketball and the fans forum has pretty much died. Take a look at the recruiting page, 4 new players have been added to the list that recruiting sites say Weber is interested in.

    Wes Eikmeier, an Iowa State transfer that was reported to be making a visit to Weber ended up signing with Colorado State. Also, 6'10" high school center Ben Mills has now topped 7 feet. Rivals.com shows that Weber has offerred the Wisconsin big man a scholarship but he has been attracting more and more attention lately.

    6/5/09
    2009 Weber State Basketball Camp
    Boys ages 8 through high school seniors are invited to sign up. The camp runs from June 8-25.

    WSU Head Coach Randy Rahe along with his assistants and players will be running the camp at the Dee Events Center.

    Session I: June 8-11, 9AM to 1PM
    Session II: June 22-25, 9AM to 1PM

    For further details and to sign up click here

    5/25/09
    Lance Allred's Book Nominated for Award
    Lance's book has been nominated for the 2010 PNBA (Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association) book of the year.List of nominees:www.pnba.org/images/2010AwardNom.pdf

    Lance Allred launches official website and Twitter page:LanceAllred41.com & Twitter.com/LanceAllred41

    5/24/09
    Lance Allred Book Release - May 26th
    Lance's TV/radio/book signing schedule
    Lance page | Lance pics | Lance Stampede page
    Former WSU basketball star Lance Allred to release book on Tuesday, May 26.
    Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey to the NBA

    Lance Allred graduated from Weber State in 2005 where he was a 2 year starter for the Wildcats. He played his freshman and sophomore year at the University of Utah.

    Where has Lance been since WSU?
    Since playing for Weber, Allred competed at the 2005 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, he played with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2005 Reebok Vegas Summer League, he played overseas in Spain, France and Puerto Rico.

    The Summer of 2007 he played for the Boston Celtics in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In the Fall of '07 before the D-League season started, Lance played for the EA Sports team where they traveled around the U.S. playing colleges. They made a stop at USU where they beat the Aggies 86-81.

    After signing with the Cavs: "It's been a long three years since college. I've been a lot of places that would have made a lot of people quit."

    Allred was born in Montana and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah when he was 15. He attended East High School where he was teammates with Talmadge Eyre. Eyre also played basketball for Weber State (2001-03). The 6-foot-11, 260-pound Ivan Drago look-a-like was up to 275 at WSU where he dominated the Big Sky.

    Lance's red-shirt year WSU won the Big Sky title and went 16-0. His junior year WSU lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion EWU. His senior year, he led WSU to the conference championship game where the 'Cats ended up losing by 2 after a Jamal Jenkins half court shot with no chance with almost 3 seconds remaining on the clock.

    Before spending the last 3 years in the D-League and NBA, Allred played in France, Spain and Puerto Rico. He suffered a knee injury that required surgery. He didn't play much for the Stampede in 2008, but started all 38 games before getting the call from Cleveland in 2008.

    Achievements with the Idaho Stampede
    2009: Lance spent this past season with the Stampede where he was a starter and averaged 15.5 ppg and 9.2 rpg while starting all 45 games. The Stampede lost in the first round of the playoffs at Austin 119-116. Lance was on the All-Star team for the second year in a row.

    2008: Lance started all 38 games. His 16 and 10 helped guide the Stampede to a record-setting 18-game winning streak. He was an All-Star and won the inaugural H.O.R.S.E competition at the D-League?s Dream Factory Friday Night during NBA All-Star Weekend. While Lance was with the Cavs, the Stampede won the D-League title and Lance received a ring.

    Lance's College Stats:
    17.7 ppg, 12 rpg, 51% from the field, and 60% 3-pointers. His senior year for the Wildcats he scored a season high 32 points and his best rebounding game was 21. He was the 3rd leading rebounder in the nation, only Paul Milsap (12.4) and Andrew Bogut (12.3) had more boards.

    Lance made the WSU record books for most rebounds in a season.

    WSU Single Season Rebounds
    1. Willie Sojourner 411 1970
    2. Willie Sojourner 392 1969
    3. Dan Sparks 370 1968
    4. Gene Visscher 358 1965
    5. Lance Allred 348 2005

    5/18/09
    WeberStateSports.com
    Eric Duft Named Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach at Weber State University
    Source: Weber State Athletics
    WeberStateSports.com article

    4/28/09
    BigSkyConf.com
    Weber State Men, NAU WomenLead All-Sports Trophy Races
    by Jon Kasper
    BigSkyConf.com article

    4/16/09
    Mid-Major Top 25 - 'Cats Finish 20th
    The 2009 Wildcat basketball team finished the season ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Portland State finished just outside the top 25 with 19 votes. The last week of the regular season the Wildcats had 5 votes to be in the AP Top 25 before falling to Montana State in the Big Sky Semifinals. The last WSU team to finish in the AP Top 25 was the 1980 team which finished 17th.

    The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 is now in its tenth season of existence. Weber finished the 2007 season ranked 25th. In 2003, WSU finished the season in the top 10 (No. 30 in the AP Poll).

    Voting Panel: Mike Adras (Northern Arizona), Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Will Brown (Albany), Dave Calloway (Monmouth), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Steve Donahue (Cornell), James Fox (Davidson), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Brad Holland (UC Santa Barbara), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara), Billy Kennedy (Murray State), Tod Kowalczyk (UW-Green Bay), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Jim Les (Bradley), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Bart Lundy (High Point), Bob Marlin (Sam Houston State), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Ritchie McKay (Liberty), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M), Charles Ramsey (Eastern Michigan), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Gary Stewart (UC Davis), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts), Scott Wagers (East Tennessee State), James Wilhelmi (Howard), Ralph Willard (Holy Cross).

    The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit League, Sun Belt, West Coast.

    4/6/09
    Lillard named to Freshmen All-America Team
    WSU true freshman Damian Lillard was named to the collegeinsider.com Freshmen Mid-Major All-America team. Twenty-one players were selected for the honors by the collegeinsider.com staff, Division I coaches and NBA scouts.

    Lillard was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year and first ever Big Sky first-team All-Conference player as a true freshman. The 18 year old started 26 of the 31 game season, averaged 11.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, .84 FT% and .374 3P%.

    The collegeinsider.com Freshmen All-America team is one team consisting of 21 players.

    Larry Anderson G 6-6 Long Beach State
    Ivan Aska F 6-7 Murray State
    Keion Bell G 6-3 Pepperdine
    Julian Boyd F 6-6 Long Island
    Jamar Briscoe G 5-10 North Carolina Central
    John Brown G 6-4 The Citadel
    Kevin Dillard G 5-11 Southern Illinois
    Novar Gadson G 6-7 Rider
    Anthony Hitchens G 5-9 Akron
    R.J. Evans G 6-3 Holy Cross
    Samme Givens F 6-5 Drexel
    Jarrod Jones F 6-8 Ball State
    Damian Lillard G 6-2 Weber State
    Shelvin Mack G 6-3 Butler
    Dominique Morrison F 6-5 Oral Roberts
    Harouna Mutombo G 6-4 Western Carolina
    Clifford J. Reed G 6-3 Bethune Cookman
    Kevin Thompson F 6-8 Morgan State
    Julius Wells F 6-5 James Madison
    Eric Wise F 6-5 UC Irvine
    Alex Young F 6-5 IUPUI

    4/4/09
    Kellen McCoy, AP All-American
    Kellen McCoy, 2009 Big Sky MVP and Weber State senior was named to the Associated Press men's basketball All-America Team.

    McCoy is the second WSU player to make all-american in the past 3 seasons and the only Big Sky player named to the list this year. David Patten, the 2007 Big Sky MVP and former Wildcat was also an AP All-American.

    During his 2 year career at Weber, McCoy was part of a Big Sky championship and a 3rd place finish. This season McCoy was named the Big Sky Conference MVP, and was an unanimous selection to the all-league first team. McCoy averaged 14.1 ppg, 2.74 apg and 1.32 spg. He shot 81% from the free-throw line and 44% from 3-point range.

    McCoy and the 'Cats won the regular-season title finishing with a 15-1 league record. No Big Sky team has ever finished the regular season with more than 15 wins. WSU's season ended with a loss to San Diego State in the NIT.

    AP ALL-AMERICA TEAM
    FIRST TEAM
    Blake Griffin, F, Oklahoma
    Tyler Hansbrough, F, North Carolina
    DeJuan Blair, F, Pittsburgh
    James Harden, G, Arizona State
    Stephen Curry, G, Davidson

    SECOND TEAM
    Hasheem Thabeet, C, Connecticut
    Ty Lawson, G, North Carolina
    Luke Harangody, F, Notre Dame
    Jodie Meeks, G, Kentucky
    Jarel McNeal, G, Marquette

    THIRD TEAM
    Terrence Williams, F, Louisville
    Sherron Collins, G, Kansas
    Toney Douglas, G, Florida State
    Sam Young, F, Pittsburgh
    Gerald Henderson, G, Duke

    HONORABLE MENTION
    Jeff Adrien, Connecticut; Josh Akognon, Cal State Fullerton; Cole Aldrich, Kansas; Alex Barnett, Dartmouth; Marqus Blakely, Vermont; Craig Brackins, Iowa State; Michael Bramos, Miami (Ohio); Jon Brockman, Washington; Brandon Brooks, Alabama State; John Bryant, Santa Clara; Chase Budinger, Arizona; DeMarre Carroll, Missouri; Jeremy Chappell, Robert Morris; Dionte Christmas, Temple; Earl Clark, Louisville; Darren Collison, UCLA; Dante Cunningham, Villanova; Devan Downey, South Carolina; Tyreke Evans, Memphis; Levance Fields, Pittsburgh; Jonny Flynn, Syracuse; Kenny Hasbrouck, Siena; Jordan Hill, Arizona; Matt Howard, Butler; Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin; Matt Kingsley, Stephen F. Austin; Kalin Lucas, Michigan State; Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth; Kellen McCoy, Weber State; Tywain McKee, Coppin State; Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Western Kentucky; Derrick Mercer, American; Luke Nevill, Utah; Ahmad Nivins, Saint Joseph's; Artsiom Parakhouski, Radford; A.J. Price, Connecticut; Alex Renfroe, Belmont; Tyrese Rice, Boston College; Kyle Singler, Duke; Jermaine Taylor, Central Florida; Jeff Teague, Wake Forest; Marcus Thornton, LSU; Evan Turner, Ohio State; Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State; Gary Wilkinson, Utah State; Booker Woodfox, Creighton; Ben Woodside, North Dakota State.

    3/24/09
    Stadium in Italy Named After Weber Basketball Star Willie Sojourner
    The Pala Sojourner was built in 1974 and has a capacity of 3,500. It wasupdated in 2007 and is planned to be upgraded to a capacity of 5,800.Pala Sojourner is home to the Nuova Sebastiani Basket Rieti.

    Italian Wikipedia info translated to English: It is named after Willie Sojourner, Rieti icon ofbasketball to the highest levels.

    Pala Sojourner
    it.wikipedia.org/wiki/PalaSojourner

    Pala Sojourner Arena pic
    upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/PalaSojournerRIETI-NSB-MPS0003.jpg

    Sojourner mentioned as Sebastiani notable player (played 6 seasons)
    wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuova_AMG_Sebastiani_Basket_Rieti

    3rd place Sebastiani team pic - 1978 (Sojourner on the right end)
    upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/b/b0/Althea_Rieti.jpg

    Photo of Sojourner playing in Italy in 1980
    upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/f/f9/Una_stoppata_di_Zio_Willie.jpg

    Willie Sojourner page in Italian (more info than English page)
    it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Sojourner

    Translated to English from Italian page: In September of 2005, Sojourner back in Rietiaccepted as a living legend by the fans, but unfortunately, just a monthlater lost his life in a road accident. He has headed the sports hall ofRieti, the Pala Sojourner.

    Trophies & Awards
    1969: Big Sky Championship
    1970: Big Sky Championship
    1971: Big Sky Championship
    1974: ABA Championship
    1976: CBA Playoff MVP
    1980: Korac Cup victory
    1990: Weber State hall of fame

    To this day, Sojourner is #1 in Big Sky history for career reboundsaverage (14.1) and #2 for career rebounds (1,143). He is #2 in Big Skyhistory for single season rebounds (411). In the WSU record books he hastoo many records to even mention. His last season at Weber was 38 years ago. Sojourner was the 6th player in WSU history to go to the NBA and is 1 of 17 overall to make it. He was selected in the second round of the 1971 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls and by the Virginia Squires in the 1971 ABA Draft.

    WSU player records
    weberhoops.com/stats/records.pdf

    3/19/09
    Standard.net
    Rahe tabbed as Coach of the Year
    By Jasen Asay
    standard.net/live/sports/167082
    This marks the second time Coach Rahe has received coach of the year honors in his 3 seasons at Weber State.

    3/18/09
    NIT: San Diego St 65, Weber St 49
    Box Score | NIT Bracket
    Wade's double-double lets San Diego St. win in NIT
    Associated Press
    SAN DIEGO -- Lorrenzo Wade had 20 points and 10 rebounds as San Diego State beat Weber State 65-49 in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday.

    San Diego State (24-9) coasted to the win after a 22-4 run in the first half helped the Aztecs take a 39-17 halftime lead.

    The Aztecs will play the winner of Wednesday's Kansas State-Illinois State game Friday night.

    Wade was 9 of 14 shots from the floor, posting his third double-double of the season and second in his last four games. Kyle Spain scored eight of his 11 points during the Aztecs' key first-half run, including a pair of 3s.

    San Diego State extended its lead to 25 with 5:52 left in the game before the Wildcats finished their season on a 12-1 run.Kellen McCoy scored 14 points for Weber State (21-10), the Big Sky Conference regular season champion.

    San Diego State, which finished second in the Mountain West Conference, matched the school record for most wins in a season. The Aztecs are 14-2 at home this season and 50-8 in their last 58 home contests.

    Weber State was 3-for-21 from beyond the arc, while San Diego State was 5-for-21.

    3/16/09
    NIT: WSU at San Diego St
    NIT Website | NIT Bracket | WSU Fans Forum
    The 2008-09 Weber State men's basketball team has an automatic bid to this year's NIT. The Wildcats will take on the Aztecs of San Diego State at 8 PM in San Diego on Tuesday, March 17th. All games will take place at campus sites through the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals will be hosted at Madison Square Garden in New York.

    Tournament Schedule
    1st Rd: Tues, March 17 and Wed, March 18
    2nd Rd: Thurs, March 19, Fri, March 20, Sat, March, 21 and Mon, March 23
    Quarterfinal Rd: Tues, March 24 and Wed, March 25
    Semifinals: Tues, March 31
    Championship: Thurs, April 2

    Weber State in the Postseason NIT (1-1)
    WSU's NIT record is 1-1 with it's only appearance being 1984. WSU beat Fordham 75-63 and then lost in the 2nd round to SW Louisiana 74-72 in double overtime.

    Weber State in the Preseason NIT (1-2)
    Weber has also competed in the preseason NIT twice. In 1987-88 the 'Cats lost to New Mexico 88-72. In 1995-96 WSU beat Fresno State 102-86 and then lost to Michigan 80-62.

    3/15/09
    Standard.net
    Conference tourneys a big waste
    By Jim Burton
    standard.net/live/sports/167082

    3/13/09
    Standard.net
    Wildcats are more than just one game
    By Jasen Asay
    standard.net/live/sports/166903

    3/11/09
    NIT Bound 'Cats Get Upset In Semifinal
    Montana St. 70, Weber St. 61 Box Score
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Branden Johnson made four 3-pointers while scoring 16 points as Montana State upset top-seeded Weber State 70-61 in the Big Sky Conference tournament semifinals on Tuesday night.

    The Bobcats (14-16) were the only conference team to beat Weber State (21-9) during the regular season and did it again on the Wildcats' home court to advance to the Big Sky championship game for the first time since 1999.

    Montana State plays defending champion Portland State on Wednesday for the conference's automatic NCAA tournament berth.

    Divaldo Mbunga added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, who lost the last five games of the regular season but have won two in a row in the conference tournament.

    Kellen McCoy led Weber State with 16 points. The Wildcats shot 33 percent in the game and were just 4-for-26 from 3-point range.

    3/10/09
    Big Sky Semifinals on the Altitude
    Final: WSU L 70-61
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats University of Northern Colorado

    3/9/09
    Weber State in the AP Top 25
    Weber State receives votes for AP Top 25 and ESPN/USA Today Top 25 for week 17.
    In the AP Poll Weber received 5 votes, 10 spots back from No. 25 BYU. Just ahead of Weber is Utah State and Utah. In the ESPN/USA Today, the 'Cats are 11 spots back from No. 25 Illinois with 1 vote.This marks the first time for the Wildcats to receive ranking votes since 2003. The 2003 WSU team finished with the 5th most votes outside of the AP Top 25 that year. The last season for a Big Sky team to finish in the Top 25 was the No. 8 Idaho Vandals in 1982. Weber State is the only other team in the Big Sky to be in the Top 25 in Big Sky history. WSU in the Top 25: 17th in 1969, 20th in 1971, 19th in 1972, 18th in 1973, 17th in 1980.

    AP & ESPN/USA Today Polls
    AP Top 25
    1. North Carolina (35) 27-3 1,734
    2. Pittsburgh (33) 28-3 1,731
    3. Connecticut 27-3 1,592
    4. Memphis (2) 28-3 1,544
    5. Louisville (1) 25-5 1,513
    6. Oklahoma 27-4 1,399
    7. Michigan State 25-5 1,349
    8. Wake Forest 24-5 1,246
    9. Duke 25-6 1,237
    10. Villanova 25-6 1,108
    11. Kansas 25-6 1,038
    12. Gonzaga 25-5 978
    13. Washington 24-7 910
    14. Missouri 25-6 779
    15. UCLA 24-7 752
    16. Butler 26-4 536
    17. Clemson 23-7 528
    18. Syracuse 23-8 518
    19. Xavier 24-6 465
    20. LSU 25-6 461
    21. Marquette 23-8 453
    22. Florida State 23-8 333
    23. Arizona State 22-8 199
    24. Purdue 22-9 169
    25. Brigham Young 24-6 158
    Others Receiving Votes
    Illinois 131, Texas A&M 63, Saint Mary's 56, Utah 21, West Virginia 17, Auburn 9, Dayton 7, Utah State 6, Virginia Commonwealth 6, Weber State 5, Creighton 4, Northern Iowa 3, Siena 3, Oklahoma State 3, Penn State 2, New Mexico 2, California 2, Texas 2, American University 1, Ohio State 1, Tennessee 1.

    3/8/09
    Weber's Big Sky Tournament History
    Tuesday night's semifinal games will be Idaho State vs Portland State at 5:00 pm and Weber State vs Montana State at 7:30 pm.

    Below are the all-time wins and losses in the Big Sky Tournament which started in 1976. Weber is 13-6 between Montana State, Idaho State, and Portland State. The 'Cats have never lost in the tournament to Portland State.

    Big Sky Tournament Win/Loss Records
    Boise State 11-10
    Cal State Northridge 7-4
    Eastern Washington 7-9
    Gonzaga 0-1
    Idaho 15-13
    Idaho State 16-19
    Montana 25-23
    Montana State 14-21
    Nevada 11-9
    Northern Arizona 13-17
    Northern Colorado 0-1
    Portland State 4-6
    Sacramento State 2-4
    Weber State 34-23

    Weber State's Tournament Record vs Current Members (26-12)
    Eastern Washington 1-3
    Idaho State 5-3
    Montana 5-3
    Montana State 5-2
    Northern Arizona 4-1
    Northern Colorado 0-0
    Portland State 3-0
    Sacramento State 3-0

    Weber State's Tournament Record vs Former Members (8-11)
    Boise State 2-4
    Cal State Northridge 0-2
    Gonzaga 1-0
    Idaho 1-2
    Nevada 4-3

    Big Sky Tournament Championships
    Weber State 7
    Boise State 4
    Idaho 4
    Montana 4
    Idaho State 2
    Montana State 2
    Nevada 2
    Northern Arizona 2
    Cal State Northridge 1
    Eastern Washington 1
    Portland State 1
    Gonzaga 0
    Northern Colorado 0
    Sacramento State 0

    Year-by-Year Results | Year-by-Year Champions

    3/7/09
    Semifinal: WSU vs MSU - PSU vs ISU
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Montana St. 56, Montana 54
    Associated Press
    MISSOULA, Mont. -- Will Bynum scored 15 points, including a decisive three-point play with seven seconds left, to lift Montana State to a 56-54 win over Montana in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Saturday night.

    Divaldo Mbunga added nine points and 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Bobcats (13-16, 6-10 Big Sky), who avenged two losses to the Grizzlies earlier this season and won their first league tournament game since 1999.

    Montana State trailed 30-29 at halftime, but used a 12-0 run in the middle of the second half to take a 50-42 lead. Trailing 53-52 with 22 seconds left, the Grizzlies (17-12, 11-5) held on for the last shot. But Bynum stole an Anthony Johnson pass and converted a three-point play with seven seconds remaining to seal the win.

    Johnson led the Grizzlies with 19 points, followed by Jordan Hasquet with 12.

    The Bobcats shot 38 percent from the field and outrebounded the Grizzlies 40-29, including 18 offensive rebounds.

    Idaho St. 67, N. Colorado 60
    Associated Press
    POCATELLO, Idaho -- Matt Stucki scored 20 points as Idaho State overcame a 6-point halftime deficit and beat Northern Colorado 67-60 in a Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal game on Saturday night.

    Idaho State (13-18, 10-7 Big Sky) goes on to play Portland State in the tournament semifinals on Tuesday at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

    With the game tied at 55 with 2:20 remaining, the Bengals outscored Northern Colorado 12-5, getting all of their points at the foul line. The game featured 10 tie scores and 10 lead changes.

    Donnie Carson added 12 points and six rebounds for the Bengals and forward Austin Kilpatrick had 10 points and seven boards.

    Will Figures and John Pena led Northern Colorado (14-18, 8-9) with 14 points apiece.Northern Colorado led 36-30 at halftime.

    ISU outrebounded Northern Colorado just 36-35, but NCU had 17 turnovers to Idaho State?s 12.

    3/7/09
    Gameday, Big Sky Quarterfinals
    Watch Live (free) | Big Sky Scoreboard
    Tonight at 7:05 PM the quarterfinal games will take place. (5) Nothern Colorado will play at (4) Idaho State and (6) Montana State will play at (3) Montana. (1) Weber State and (2) Portland State will await tonight's games to see who they will play on Tuesday in the Big Sky Semifinals live on the Altitude Sports Network.

    Both of tonight's games can be seen live on Big Sky TV for free. Earlier this season UNC lost by 1 in overtime in Pocatello, MSU lost by 14 in Missoula.

    3/6/09
    Interview With The Big Sky
    WeberHoops.com's Wildcat Wall, is our WSU fan blog with weekly/bi-weekly articles by Rod Eyre and Mark Berger. Under Links in the left pane of this page you will see the link to Wildcat Wall. Mark had the opportunity to do a very interesting interview with the Big Sky's Jon Kasper, Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations.
    Wildcat Wall interview

    3/5/09
    The Big Sky Awards - 4 WSU Players Honored
    Today the Big Sky Conference announced the selections for all-conference awards. From 1963 (the inaugural year of the Big Sky) until 1990, the conference named a 1st & 2nd team. From 1991 to 2006 they only named a 1st team. In 2007 the 2nd team award was re-instated as well as adding the honorable mention list. The panel of voters are the 9 head coaches.

    2008-09 Big Sky All-Conference Selections

    First Team
    Kellen McCoy, Weber State
    Damian Lillard, Weber State
    Jeremiah Dominguez, PSU
    Anthony Johnson, UM
    Amorrow Morgan, ISU
    Jabril Banks, UNC

    Second Team
    Jordan Hasquet, UM
    Cameron Jones, NAU
    Divaldo Mbunga, MSU
    Andre Murray, PSU
    Matt Stucki, ISU
    Benny Valentine, EWU
    Dominic Waters, PSU

    Honorable Mention
    Daviin Davis, Weber State
    Kyle Bullinger, Weber State
    Devon Beitzel, UNC
    Will Bynum, MSU
    Will Figures, UNC
    Loren Leath, Sac
    Lucas Steijn, ISU
    Josh Wilson, NAU

    Individual Awards
    Most Valuable Player - Kellen McCoy, Weber State
    Newcomer of the Year - Anthony Johnson, Montana
    Freshman of the Year - Damian Lillard, Weber State
    Defensive Player of the Year - Daviin Davis, Weber State

    All-Time Big Sky 1st Team Players
    Weber State 70
    Idaho State 44
    Montana 42
    Montana State 37
    Northern Arizona 27
    Eastern Washington 24
    Portland State 17
    Sacramento State 5
    Northern Colorado 1

    All-Time Big Sky 2nd Team Players
    Montana 26
    Weber State 23
    Montana State 23
    Idaho State 20
    Northern Arizona 14
    Portland State 3
    Eastern Washington 2
    Sacramento State 0
    Northern Colorado 0
    3/5/09
    McCoy Named MVP!
    Kellen McCoy was named the 2009 Big Sky MVP. Daviin Davis, Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. Damian Lillard, Big Sky Freshman of the Year. This is the first time is WSU history to have all 3 of these selections in the same season. Also, Davis is Weber's first ever Defensive player award winner.

    WSU First-Team: Kellen, McCoy and Damian Lillard
    WSU Honorable Mention: Daviin Davis and Kyle Bullinger

    The Big Sky will release all the selections later this afternoon.

    3/4/09
    McCoy, 3rd Big Sky POTW Honors
    From the Big Sky Conference's official site by Jon Kasper
    McCoy Named Player of the Week
    BigSkyConf.com

    3/4/09
    BigSkyConf.com: Wildcats Finish Perfect on Road
    Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference
    Wildcats Finish Perfect on Road

    Also, the All-Conference Teams will be announced tomorrow - March 5th. The Big Sky will also announce the winners of: MVP, Freshman of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. The All-Conference team and individual award winners are chosen by the 9 Big Sky head coaches.

    3/3/09
    When It Rains In Bozeman It Pours
    Box Score
    Weber St. 84, Montana St. 64
    Associated Press
    BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Damian Lillard scored a career-high 27 points to help Weber State avenge its only conference loss by beating Montana State 84-64 on Tuesday night.

    Kellen McCoy added 20 points for Weber State (21-8, 15-1 Big Sky), the conference's regular season champion. He scored 15 points in the first nine minutes, and the Wildcats built a double-digit lead with 14:10 to play in the first half.

    Weber State never let the margin slip below 11 the rest of the way, and Lillard helped put the game out of reach by scoring his team's first 12 points of the second half.

    Erik Rush scored 16 points and Will Bynum added 14 for Montana State (12-16, 6-10), which had already secured sixth place and will play in a Big Sky tournament quarterfinal game against archrival Montana on Saturday.

    Weber State, which fell 75-70 to MSU on Jan. 15 in Ogden, Utah, earned a first-round bye and will host the top four teams in the tournament March 10-1

    3/3/09
    Blowout in Bozeman
    Final: WSU W 84-64
    Box Score
    Weber State Wildcats University of Northern Colorado

    3/2/09
    'Cats Get Chance to Avenge Lone Loss
    WSU Fans Forum | MSU Fans Forum
    Weber State takes on the Bobcats of Montana State in Bozeman Tuesday night at 7 PM. Last season WSU went 3-0 vs the Bobcats with a regular season sweep followed up by a quarterfinal win in the Big Sky Tournament. The Wildcats' lone Big Sky loss this season was at home against MSU. Prior to the game Weber hadn't lost at home to MSU since 2004-05. Montana State started the season off pretty hot. They beat Weber in Ogden, and they even took out PSU on Super Bowl Sunday. Since then, either there is a mutiny on the Bobcat ship or a few planks are missing from the hull because the Bobcats have lost 4 in-a-row and 6 of their last 7.

    MSU's game against Weber will have no impact on the conference tournament. No matter what happens WSU is the 1-seed in the semifinals. MSU will travel to Missoula to play Montana this Satuday in the Big Sky Quarterfinals. Montana beat MSU in both regular season games this year.

    MSU Starters
    G-23 Erik Rush 6-5 200 So San Jose, CA (9.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.8 apg, .259 3P%)
    F-42 Branden Johnson 6-8 215 Jr Yakima, WA (5.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .323 3P%)
    C-32 Divaldo Mbunga 6-9 240 Sr Luauda (10.3 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
    G-20 Will Bynum 6-3 185 Jr Almagordo, NM (11.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, .200 3P%)
    G-3 Marquis Navarre 5-11 165 Jr Oceanside, CA (5.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, .195 3P%)
    Bench
    F-15 Bobby Howard 6-7 220 So Great Falls, MT (11 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .317 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .396 3P%)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .410 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (9.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (13.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, .429 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (11.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, .368 3P%)
    Bench
    F-31 Daviin Davis 6-4 190 Sr Midland, TX (10 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 bpg)

    MSU Schedule
    Dec 6 @ Eastern Washington L 61-55
    Jan 3 @ Montana L 73-59
    Jan 8 Sacramento State W 62-41
    Jan 10 Northern Arizona W 74-68
    Jan 15 @ Weber State W 75-70
    Jan 17 @ Idaho State L 64-43
    Jan 22 Northern Colorado L 65-55
    Jan 29 Eastern Washington W 69-65
    Feb 1 Portland State W 85-82
    Feb 7 Montana L 78-63
    Feb 12 @ Northern Arizona L 83-64
    Feb 14 @ Sacramento State W 69-54
    Feb 19 Idaho State L 63-56
    Feb 21 UC-Santa Barbara L 78-71 (non-conference game)
    Feb 25 @ Portland State L 64-58
    Mar 1 Northern Colorado L 77-50

    Bobcat bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 10,842
    Postgraduates: 1,408
    Location: Bozeman, MT
    Stadium: Worthington Arena (6,378)
    Colors: Blue & Gold

    Weber's all-time record against Montana State is 68-33 overall, 43-10 in Ogden, and 25-23 at MSU. Notable alumni of Montana State include Dennis Erickson, current head football coach at Arizona State, Craig Kilborn the actor and former talk show host played basketball for the Bobcats. Also, the Big Sky's only school to ever win a national championship in men's basketball was MSU in 1929.

    Randy Rahe is 9-3 against the Montanas, 4-2 vs MSU and 5-1 vs UM. Last season Weber won at both UM and MSU. With a win against MSU, WSU will have completed a road sweep of the Montanas for the second year in a row.

    3/1/09
    BigSkyConf.com: Conference Tournament Update
    Weber State and Portland State will have the byes. Montana State will play at Montana on Saturday, also, Northern Colorado will be going to Pocatello to play at ISU. The Weber/Montana State game this Tuesday will have no impact on the seedings regardless of the outcome.
    Pairings Set for Men's Championship

    2/28/09
    Win No. 20 - Team Cuts Down Net
    Box Score | Game Pics
    Weber St. 97, Sacramento St. 61
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Nick Hansen came off the bench to score 17 points in leading Weber State to a 97-61 win over Sacramento State on Saturday night.

    Kellen McCoy finished with 16 points, while Damian Lillard added 14 and Steve Panos scored 12 for the Wildcats (20-8, 14-1 Big Sky), who have won 11 straight games.

    With the score tied 10-10 with 16:25 remaining in the first half, the Wildcats erupted on a 37-8 run to take control. The closest the Hornets came after that was following a 7-0 run that cut WSU's lead to 47-25 with two minutes left in the first half. The Wildcats led 54-28 at the break -- marking their season-high for most points in a half.

    Loren Leath led Sacramento State (2-27, 1-15) with 15 points, followed by Justin Eller with 14 and Antonio Flaggs with 10.

    2/28/09
    Gameday
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Final: WSU W 97-61
    Weber State Wildcats Idaho State
    Saturday: Idaho State 72, NAU 49 | Portland State 66, EWU 62 in OT
    Sunday: Northern Colorado at Montana State

    2/26/09
    WSU Outright Big Sky Champs
    Box Score | Game Pics
    Weber St. 70, N. Arizona 51
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Kellen McCoy scored a career-high 27 points as Weber State defeated Northern Arizona 70-51 on Thursday night to claim sole possession of the Big Sky Conference regular-season championship.

    McCoy shot 10-of-12 from the field for the Wildcats (19-8, 13-1 Big Sky), while Nick Hansen added 11 points.

    Shane Jogannsen led Northern Arizona (8-18, 5-10) with 21 points as the Lumberjacks were eliminated from the race to reach the league's postseason tournament, which will be hosted by Weber State.

    McCoy scored Weber State's first seven points and 10 of its first 13 as the Wildcats jumped to a 13-3 lead three minutes into the game. Three minutes later, Kyle Bullinger scored five straight points to give the Wildcats a 21-7 lead.

    Northern Arizona went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 26-20 with nine minutes left in the first half, but that was as close as the Lumberjacks would get.

    The Wildcats led 33-21 at halftime.

    2/26/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 70-51
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats Northern Arizona
    UNC 67, UM 57 | ISU 74, Sac 39

    2/25/09
    Thurs: NAU at Weber
    WSU Fans Forum | NAU Fans Forum
    Weber State has won 9 straight games including a perfect 7-0 on the road. Weber won at NAU earlier in the conference season beating the Lumberjacks 59-54. NAU is one of the tougher venues in the Big Sky to come away with a win at. Weber is 23-20 at NAU and 62-26 overall against the 'Jacks since they joined the Big Sky in 1970. At home Weber is 39-6 vs NAU. Weber will attempt win number 40 Thursday night which the 'Cats couldn't get last year. On January 31st, Weber beat ISU at the Dee to get win number 40 at home against the Bengals.

    Coach Rahe, 54-34 overall as the Weber head coach is 4-3 against the Lumberjacks and they are the only conference team with 3 wins against him. Rahe's Big Sky record is 36-13, his home Big Sky record is 22-3, and he is 33-6 in the Dee overall.

    The 5-9 'Jacks beat Sac (twice), EWU, Northern Colorado and Montana State. NAU is 1-12 on the road this season. At home NAU is 7-5 which includes a 4 overtime loss to Portland State.

    NAU in the Big Sky record books
    Sadly, NAU star point-guard Josh Wilson will not be suiting up for his last game against Weber State. Wilson broke a bone in his foot a few weeks back which ended his college career prematurely. Wilson finishes his career as #3 in Big Sky history for assists with 636. He needed just 7 more to pass up Weber's Mark Mattos for the #2 spot.

    Also, NAU's head coach, Mike Adras is also moving up the list in the record books. Adras is #4 in Big Sky history for conference wins with 82. He needs 13 more wins to pass former Weber coach Neil McCarthy with 94 wins to become #3. The coach with the most wins is Mick Durham (Montana State) with 123 wins, coming in 2nd is Bobby Dye (Boise State) with 102 wins.

    NA-Who?
    NAU is a school located in Flagstaff, AZ, that has been a member of the Big Sky since 1970. They have 5 conference championships - '87, '97, '98, '06, & '07. NAU and Weber were co-champions in 2007 by both finishing 11-5, however, Weber beat NAU in the conference tournament championship and later went on to the NCAA tournament. Even though the 2 finished as co-champs, WSU swept NAU 3-0. NAU has won the conference tournament 2 times of the 5 times they have hosted.

    NAU bio
    Established: 1899
    Undergraduates: 15,569
    Postgraduates: 5,783
    Location Flagstaff, AZ
    Colors: Blue, Sage, & Gold
    Nickname: Lumberjacks
    Mascot: Louie the Lumberjack

    NAU Starters
    F-40 Shane Johannsen 6-6 230 So Phoenix, AZ (9.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
    F-32 Nick Larson 6-8 225 Jr Ventura, CA (3 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
    F-20 Zarko Comagic 6-7 225 Sr Kralejevo (9.7 ppg, 5 rpg, .351 3P%)
    G-2 Jermaine Bishop 6-2 220 Sr Del Rio, TX (5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, .381 3P%)
    G-10 Cameron Jones 6-4 185 So Los Angeles, CA (13.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg .444 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .370 3P%)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .418 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (13.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, .404 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (11.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, .358 3P%)
    WSU Bench
    F-31 Daviin Davis 6-4 190 Sr Midland, TX (10.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .302 3P%)

    NAU Schedule
    Dec 29 at Northern Colorado L 81-79
    Jan 2 Eastern Washington W 72-49
    Jan 4 Portland State L 92-91
    Jan 8 at Montana L 62-61
    Jan 10 at Montana State L 74-68
    Jan 18 at Sacramento State W 89-64
    Jan 22 Idaho State L 60-52
    Jan 24 Weber State L 59-54
    Jan 31 Northern Colorado W 67-64
    Feb 5 at Portland State L 78-66
    Feb 7 at Eastern Washington L 54-50
    Feb 12 Montana State W 83-64
    Feb 14 Montana L 73-54
    Feb 21 Sacramento State W 68-58

    2/23/09
    Big Sky: This Week's Sky Highlights
    This week's action in the Big Sky, game times, latest news around the conference, and stats.
    MBB Notes - Feb 23

    2/21/09
    2009 Big Sky Tournament @ Weber State
    Monday morning at 10:00 AM on February 23rd, tickets can be purchased at the Dee Events Center Ticket office for the Big Sky Tournament. The ticket office at the Dee Events Center is open daily.

    Dee Events Center
    Open: M-F 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-2pm
    Extended hours on event days
    Phone: 801.626.8500
    Online: WeberStateTickets.com

    There will be a $6 processing fee for phone/online orders.
    Big Sky Tournament
    Big Sky Semifinals
    Tues, March 10
    5:00 PM No. 2 seed vs highest remaining seed (Altitude TV)
    7:30 PM No. 1 Weber State vs lowest remaining seed (Altitude TV)

    Big Sky Championship game
    Wed, March 11
    8:00 PM on ESPN2

    Tournament Ticket Pricing
    All-Tournament Pass (all 3 games)
    $40 - rows 1-30
    $20 - rows 31-39

    Single-day tickets
    $24 - rows 1-30
    $10 - rows 31-39

    Weber students
    $5 per day with a valid student ID
    Also, students are allowed 1 guest pass per student ID for $10 per day


    2/20/09
    Weber Students Love Big Sky TV
    Alumni Center Pics
    Weber State's Purple Pak, students and fans gathered on campus to watch Weber State attempt to go 7-0 on the road and earn the right to host the conference tournament by beating the Montana Griz in Missoula on Thursday night. Fortunately for the fans in attendance the 'Cats beat the Griz 69-58. The last half of the conference season the WSU Purple Pak started watching the men's basketball road games live on Big Sky TV hooked up to a projector.

    With a packed Alumni Center full of students/WSU fans, one could sense the excitement and nervousness in the room awaiting tip-off. Many of the students were scarfing down hotdogs like they were at the Coney Island hotdog eating contest on the 4th of July. It appeared they had not received the memo that any remaining food after tip-off would still be available to eat.

    Mark Mandell, a WSU student to graduate this May: "Hey, just like the team stepped up to the challenge in Missoula, I stepped up to the challenge of Chase Saxton who dared me to down 10 hotdogs in 4 minutes..."

    WSU sophomore, Andy "Big Papa" Skillman: "I love Big Sky TV, it has been awesome to be able to meet here and watch the road games live as a group. WSU athletics has made this school year the most fun I've had as a WSU student. Also, I can't wait for the conference tournament now that we have a few more home games on the schedule and beating the Griz today is what it's all about."

    At the end of the game the entire room was chanting: "Big Sky Champs...Big Sky Champs...Big Sky Champs..."

    WSU Signpost
    From Today's Signpost, WSU student newspaper:The Wildcats weren't completely alone on the road in Missoula, as the WSU Purple Pak watched attentively on Big Sky TV. The WSU Alumni Center continually welcomes all Wildcat students to stop by and enjoy the game on a big screen, and students packed the building last night while cheering the team on to victory.

    "Wow," Hansen said. "I didn't even know they did that. That's tight and it's huge for us. Our fans aren't just fans at home, but it's cool that we know they are out there rooting for us, even when they can't be at the game."

    Big Sky TV
    Big Sky TV, which is a free service this season was unveiled in 2006 as a video streaming web site that features all football, men's and women's basketball, and volleyball games held in Big Sky venues. Big Sky TV is one of the most comprehensive of any video streaming site by an NCAA conference.

    2/19/09
    WSU 2009 Big Sky Champions!
    Associated Press
    Weber St. 69, Montana 58
    MISSOULA, Mont. -- Damian Lillard scored 16 points and Steve Panos added 13 to lead Weber State to a 69-58 win over Montana on Thursday night.

    Daviin Davis came off the bench to add 12 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (18-8, 12-1 Big Sky), who clinched the conference title and secured home court advantage for next month's league tournament.

    Lillard scored 12 points before intermission, including nine straight that gave the Wildcats a 31-20 lead with 4:38 remaining. Weber State went into the break ahead 33-27.

    Davis hit two consecutive layups to push the Wildcats' lead to 54-38 with 11:38 remaining in the game. They led by as many as 19 points, as Montana (16-10, 10-4) shot just 36 percent from the field in the second half.

    Anthony Johnson led the Grizzlies with 17 points. He shot only 6-of-16 from the field but made all five of his free throw attempts. No other Grizzly player scored in double figures.

    2/19/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 69-58
    Box Score | Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats Idaho State
    Idaho State 63, Montana State 56
    Portland State 77, Northern Colorado 74

    2/18/09
    Thurs: #1 Weber at #2 Montana
    The Montana Griz, 10-3 (16-9), were picked to finish 2nd place in the coaches and media polls while Weber was picked to finish 4th/5th place. With 2 weeks remaining in the season it is down to Weber and Montana to win the conference regular season title and earn the right to host the tournament. With a WSU win the 'Cats will be at least co-champs and host the tournament. With a Montana win, WSU may need to win all remaining games unless UM can lose one of its final 2 games.

    Montana has the second longest winning streak in the conference with 7 in-a-row. Only WSU has more straight wins with 8. In conference play WSU is 6-0 on the road and UM is 6-0 at home. While playing with its black road shoes Weber is 10-0 and just 1-1 with the white home shoes. Weber will be taking the black sneakers to Missoula!

    Weber's all-time record against Montana is 62-43 overall, 38-13 in Ogden, and 24-30 at Montana. The last time Montana won the Big Sky in basketball was 2000. The Griz's last NCAA Tournament appearance was 2006. As of late the Griz have been conference tournament spoilers. In 2002 when Montana State hosted, UM ended up going to the Big Dance. In 2005, PSU hosted yet Montana went to the Big Dance again, but this time they beat Weber for the conference tournament championship by 2. Weber's Jamal Jenkins threw up a halfcourt shot with 3 seconds remaining in the game and Weber lost. In 2006, NAU hosted yet UM went to the Big Dance as a 12-seed and beat the WAC champion, Nevada Wolf Pack.

    Randy Rahe is 4-1 vs the Griz. Against Weber, UM's last win in Ogden was in 2004 and last win in Missoula was 2007.

    Weber vs Montana last 7 years
    2008-09: WSU won 71-55 (at WSU)
    2007-08: WSU won 68-67 (at UM)
    2007-08: WSU won 76-67 (at WSU)
    2006-07: UM won 90-86 OT (at UM)
    2006-07: WSU won 73-67 (at WSU)
    2005-06: UM won 71-65 (at UM)
    2005-06: WSU won 72-67 (at WSU)
    2004-05: UM won 80-72 (at UM)
    2004-05: WSU won 76-62 (at WSU)
    2003-04: WSU won 74-61 (at UM)
    2003-04: UM won 58-55 (at WSU)
    2002-03: WSU won 97-73 (at WSU)
    2002-03: WSU won 75-72 (at UM)
    2001-02: WSU won 90-71 (at UM)
    2001-02: UM won 80-73 (at WSU)

    Weber's conference tournament record: 34-23 (5-3 vs UM)
    Montana's conference tournament record: 25-23
    WSU and UM are the only current Big Sky members with a winning record in the tournament.
    WSU and UM have the most Big Sky MVP's - tied at 6. Many fans around the conference think this year's MVP award will come down to Kellen McCoy and UM's Anthony Johnson.

    Montana bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 11,799
    Graduates: 2,059
    Location: Missoula, MT
    Stadium: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)
    Colors: Maroon & Silver

    2/16/09
    Mid-Major Top 25 - 'Cats Move Up
    The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 which releases a new poll every Monday has Weber State ranked No. 17. Portland State had previously been ranked No. 13 and in the poll all season long until this week falling out of the rankings. Last week WSU entered the poll at 25th.

    Portland State is sitting outside of the Top 25 with 32 votes. Also from the Big Sky getting a little notice is Montana with 5 votes.

    The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 is now in its tenth season of existence. Weber finished the 2007 season ranked 25th. In 2003, WSU finished the season in the top 10 (No. 30 in the AP Poll).

    Voting Panel: Mike Adras (Northern Arizona), Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Will Brown (Albany), Dave Calloway (Monmouth), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Steve Donahue (Cornell), James Fox (Davidson), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Brad Holland (UC Santa Barbara), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara), Billy Kennedy (Murray State), Tod Kowalczyk (UW-Green Bay), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Jim Les (Bradley), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Bart Lundy (High Point), Bob Marlin (Sam Houston State), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Ritchie McKay (Liberty), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M), Charles Ramsey (Eastern Michigan), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Gary Stewart (UC Davis), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts), Scott Wagers (East Tennessee State), James Wilhelmi (Howard), Ralph Willard (Holy Cross).

    The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit League, Sun Belt, West Coast.

    2/15/09
    WSU Clinches Semifinals Berth
    Box Score | Standard.net Video | WeberHoops Video | Game Pics
    The big snow storm may have kept some Wildcat fans at home and not at the Dee on Saturday night, but the 4,800+ who did make their way through the icy Ogden roads experienced the biggest home win of the season. They also saw the likes of Daviin Davis, Steve Panos & Damian Lillard all throw down crowd pleasing dunks! Weber completed a season sweep of the defending conference champion Portland State Vikings, winning the game 78-68.

    Saturday night's win puts WSU at 11-1 in conference play and the Wildcats can finish no worse than 2nd place earning the squad an automatic spot in the semifinals of the conference tournament on March 10th.

    If the 6-0 "Road 'Cats" can get the W in Missoula next Thursday, they will clinch at least a share of the regular-season title and the right to host the Big Sky tournament.

    WSU earning an 18th Big Sky title this season would be a total no other Big Sky school has ever accomplished. Montana currently has the second most conference championships with 7. With number 18 on its way, Weber State will have won 39% of all titles since the conference started in 1964 (46 seasons), and 1 title ever 2.6 years. The 'Cats are also just 3 wins away from Weber State's 22nd all-time 20 win season.

    Even though Portland State lost, they became the third school to clinch a spot in the conference tournament because of ISU beating EWU.

    Weber State is 24-9 all-time against Portland State and 15-1 at home. Coach Rahe is 6-1 against the Vikings and it's also his best record against any Big Sky school.

    Four Games To Go
    Feb 19 at Montana
    Feb 26 Northern Arizona
    Feb 28 Sacramento State
    Mar 3 at Montana State

    The conference tournament quarterfinals begin on Saturday, March 7th.

    2/14/09
    Weber St. 78, Portland St. 68
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Kellen McCoy scored 16 points, including six free throws in the final 1:11, to lead Weber State to a 78-68 win over Portland State on Saturday night.

    Damian Lillard added 14 points, while Nick Hansen finished with 12 for the Wildcats (17-8, 11-1 Big Sky).

    With the score tied at 17-17 midway through the first half, Weber State used a pair of 8-0 runs to take control and go into the break with a 38-29 lead. But the Vikings (17-9, 8-5) got back into the game with an 8-1 run that started and ended with 3-pointers from Jeremiah Dominguez. That brought the Vikings to within 39-37 three minutes into the second half, but they could get no closer.
    Dominguez led Portland State with a game-high 22 points, followed by Dominic Waters with 12 and Kyle Coston and Julius Thomas with 10 points apiece.

    The win gave the Wildcats a season sweep over the defending Big Sky Conference champions.

    Box Score

    2/14/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 78-68
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats Portland State University
    Montana 73, NAU 54
    Idaho State 75, EWU 70
    Montana State 69, Sac State 54

    2/12/09
    Weber St. 74, E. Washington 57
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Steve Panos scored a career-high 22 points as Weber State defeated Eastern Washington 74-57 on Thursday night, giving the Wildcats their seventh straight Big Sky Conference victory.

    Daviin Davis finished with 19 points and Damian Lillard scored 15 for the Wildcats (16-8 overall, 10-1 Big Sky).
    Adris DeLeon led the Eagles (11-14, 5-8 Big Sky Conference) with 15 points, while teammate Brandon Moore scored 11.

    Panos scored on a three-point play and hit a pair of free throws less than 30 seconds later to give Weber State a 60-41 lead with 8:52 remaining.

    Davis' 3pointer with a minute left gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the game, 72-52. Weber State's Josh Cottle hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left to complete an 8-0 run.

    Milan Stanojevic's 3-pointer 30 seconds into the game gave Eastern Washington a 3-0 lead, its only advantage of the game.

    Box Score

    2/12/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 74-57
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats Eastern Washington University
    Idaho State upsets Portland State 78-69
    NAU beats Montana State 83-64
    Montana 60, Sac State 48

    2/9/09
    McCoy, Big Sky POTW
    From the Big Sky Conference's official site by Jon Casper
    McCoy Named Player of the Week
    BigSkyConf.com

    2/9/09
    This Week: EWU/PSU at Weber
    This week Weber State will be back home after being on the road last week, it seems like the 'Cats only play road games this year. The good news is WSU does get to play at home 4 times out of the remaining 6 games.

    Thursday night (ralley towl night), WSU will host the 5-7 EWU Eagles who are currently fighting for the last spot in the Big Sky tournament which starts March 7th. Prior to Eastern's 2 wins at home this past week against NAU & Sac, the Eagles had lost 6 straight conference games. The Eagles are led by Benny Valentine, a 5'7" guard that doesn't even start. Valentine averages 30.5 minutes per game off the bench and averages 16 ppg, 3.1 apg and 35% shooting from 3-point range. Against WSU in Cheney, he scored 20 and had 5 assists in the 77-69 loss.

    Saturday night (wrist band night), WSU will take on the defending Big Sky Champs, Portland State, who were selected in the coaches and media poll to repeat as conference champs. Last season the Vikings went 14-2 in the Big Sky, this season they lost at home to Weber and recently got swept on the Montanas road trip.

    In the non-conference schedule PSU took down the then No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs 77-70 which was the first win for a Big Sky team against a ranked opponent since UM beat Nevada in the 1st Rd of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. PSU is ranked No. 13 in CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, Weber is ranked No. 25. In the Sagarin Ratings PSU is ranked No. 98 the highest of any Big Sky team and WSU is in second at No. 114.

    PSU Players
    Other than the last year's Big Sky MVP as a junior, Jeremiah Dominguez, who averages 12.3 ppg and shoots nearly 43% from the arc, the Vikings have added the following key players to beef up their roster:

    Dominic Waters (junior, 6'1", 170 lbs), a Portland native transferred from the U of Hawai'i where he played 2 seasons. As a soph, he appeared in 30 games, started 1, averaged 6 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 1.6 assists in 17 minutes per game. Waters had a career-high 18 points & 5 assists against Idaho. He was the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2005-06. He sat out last season and is now eligible. In PSU's quadruple over-time game at NAU, Waters came off the bench and scored 41 points.

    Phil Nelson (sophomore, 6'7", 220 lbs), transferred to PSU from the U of Washington and is also an Oregon native. Nelson played in 31 games, started 9 and averaged 4.7 ppg & 2 rpg.

    Jamie Jones (junior, 6'7" 215 lbs), a U of Portland transfer comes to PSU after playing 2 seasons for the Portland Pilots. As a starter prior to sitting out last season, he was the team's 2nd leading scorer and leading rebounder. He averaged 10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg and blocked a team-high 31 shots. Jones, a current Viking starter, sat out last game due to a strained ligament in his left foot during Thursday's 78-66 victory over Northern Arizona. PSU's Coach Bone his hopeful Jones will be available on Thursday at Idaho State.

    Jones: "This might be something I just have to suck up and play with. It's pretty painful, but I played the whole game on Thursday with it. If I'm out, it leaves Julius by himself, and we don't want that."

    Bone: "We need Jamie back in there as soon as we can get him. I would say at this moment it's 50-50 he'll play Thursday." Bone also said, "Three days ago I felt really good about how we were playing until Jamie went down with his ankle. Any type of injury this time of year can hurt you as far as your progress. But it's also not March. It would be a little more devastating if it was March."

    Earlier this season when Weber traveled to Portland, the Vikings were on a roll with 17 straight Big Sky wins dating back to their last conference loss which was at Weber State the season before. The Viks had also won 15 straight home games dating back to last season. Weber ended that streak and would like to keep a streak of its own alive right now of 6 straight wins.

    The Big Sky record for the most consecutive wins is held by Weber State. Longest Winning streak: 18 straight games and 24 straight conference games. Longest Road winning streak: 13 conference games from 1968-70 & 8 total road wins in 1969. The 2009 Wildcats have 6 straight road wins with 2 road games to go.

    EWU Starters
    F-22 Andy Genao 6-3 205 Sr (7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, .333 3P%)
    F-42 Mark Dunn 6-8 280 Jr Trafalgar, IN (6.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
    C-45 Brandon Moore 6-9 240 Jr Graham, WA (10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
    G-30 Milan Stanojevic 6-2 195 Sr Subotica (9.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, .391 3P%)
    G-14 Gary Gibson 6-1 175 Jr Windsor, ON (3.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, .292 3P%)

    PSU Starters
    F-14 Kyle Coston 6-8 210 Jr Lynden, WA (6.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .253 3P%)
    F-21 Phil Nelson 6-7 220 So Keizer, OR (12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .357 3P%)
    C-44 Jamie Jones (injured: questionable for game) 6-7 215 Jr El Segundo, CA (9 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    G-10 Jeremiah Dominguez 5-6 150 Sr Salem, OR (11.5 ppg, 3 apg, 2.7 rpg, 2 spg, .429 3P%)
    G-3 Andre Murray 6-2 200 Sr Los Angeles, CA (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, .358 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, .378 3P%)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .407 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (9.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (13.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, .414 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (10.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, .348 3P%)

    EWU Schedule
    Dec 6 Montana State* W 61-55
    Jan 2 at Northern Arizona* L 72-49
    Jan 4 at Sacramento State* W 87-74
    Jan 8 Idaho State* W 71-65
    Jan 11 Weber State* L 77-69
    Jan 15 @ Northern Colorado* L 75-68
    Jan 21 Montana* L 63-50
    Jan 24 @ Portland State* L 83-61
    Jan 29 @ Montana State* L 69-65
    Jan 31 @ Montana* L 60-52
    Feb 5 Sacramento State* W 67-46
    Feb 7 Northern Arizona* W 54-50

    EWU Bio
    Established: 1882
    Undergraduates: 8,309
    Postgraduates: 923
    Location Cheney, WA
    Colors: Red & White
    Weber vs EWU in football: 13-14
    Weber vs EWU in basketball: 34-19 (23-3 in Ogden)

    EWU's head coach, Kirk Earlywine spent 7 years at Weber as an assistant during the "Cravens era".

    PSU Schedule
    Dec 20 Montana* W 72-45
    Jan 2 at Sacramento State* W 79-67
    Jan 4 at Northern Arizona* W 92-91 4OT
    Jan 8 Weber State* L 80-66
    Jan 10 Idaho State* W 85-58
    Jan 18 @ Northern Colorado* W 57-43
    Jan 24 Eastern Washington* W 83-61
    Jan 29 @ Montana* L 72-65
    Feb 1 @ Montana State* L 85-82
    Feb 5 Northern Arizona* W 78-66

    Last season WSU and PSU split 1-1, they didn't get the chance to meet in the conference tournament where WSU leads 3-0 all-time. The game in Ogden WSU won 73-68 and PSU won the game in Portland 76-73.

    PSU Bio
    Established: 1946
    Undergraduates: 18,012
    Postgraduates: 6,272
    Location Portland, OR
    Colors: Forest Green & White
    WSU vs PSU, football: 17-12
    WSU vs PSU, basketball: 23-9

    Weber's all-time record against PSU is 23-9. The 'Cats are an unbelievable 14-1 at home and 9-8 in Portland. Coach Randy Rahe is 5-1 all-time vs PSU. Weber is 34-19 overall against EWU all-time, 23-3 in Ogden, and 11-16 in Cheney. Coach Rahe is 3-2 against the Eagles, 33-13 against the Big Sky, and 51-34 overall thus far in his 3rd season.

    2/8/09
    Sat/Sun Big Sky Scores
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Montana 78, Montana State 63
    Northern Colorado 79, Idaho State 74
    Eastern Washington 54, Northern Arizona 50
    Portland State 59, Sacramento State 42

    2/6/09
    6 Straight wins, 6-0 on the Road!
    Box Score
    Kellen McCoy led the Wildcats to its 9th win with a career-high 25 points against the Northern Colorado Bears. WSU is now 6-0 on the road for the first time since the historic 16-0 2002-03 season. The 'Cats have also won 6 straight games for the first time since 2002-03. Coach Rahe's previous win streak was 5 in-a-row last season beating PSU, EWU, @ UM, @ MSU & Sac.

    The UNC game was very typical of this year's team. A close match all the way to the finish being guided by senior leadership for the win. Except since this was a road game its just that much more impressive and significant of a win. As a team the 'Cats had a great night of shooting at 53%, 7 points above the season average of 46%. From the free-throw line they had their worst night of the year shooting just 13-24 (54%). WSU averaged 74% on the season to lead the conference and is now 72%.

    McCoy not only had the game-high 25 points, he also had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and made 4 three-pointers. WSU freshman Kyle Bullinger had a solid night with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 three-pointers. McCoy and Bullinger lead the team in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.4% and 40.7% respectively. WSU true freshman Damian Lillard scored 15 points and had 3 steals.

    Weber had a good inside presence outscoring UNC 38 to 26 in the paint. McCoy & company were not intimidated even though UNC has one of the top big men in the conference in Jabril Banks. WSU bigs off the bench Trevor Morris and Darin Mahoney, with limited minutes contributed in anyway they could. Morris went 3-for-3 from the field scoring 6 points, pulled down 5 rebounds & blocks 2 shots. Morris has the highest field goal percentage on the team at 56.1% and almost 58% in Big Sky games. Darin Mahoney had 4 rebounds and a block.

    Weber State is now 5-1 all-time vs UNC. Weber will have a week off to rest before its next 2 games which will be at home against EWU and PSU, the Wildcats' combined home record vs the 2 schools is 37-4.

    2/5/09
    Weber St. 82, N. Colorado 76
    Associated Press
    GREELEY, Colo. -- Kellen McCoy recorded 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists as Weber State bested Northern Colorado 82-76 on Thursday night.

    Kyle Bullinger tallied 17 points and five rebounds for Weber State (15-8, 9-1 Big Sky Conference), while teammate Damian Lillard scored 15 points and pulled down two rebounds.

    The Wildcats led by one point, 40-39, at the half.

    Northern Colorado (9-15, 5-6) was paced by Jabril Banks with 19 points and eight rebounds.

    Devon Beitzel added 15 points for the Bears, while teammates Mike Proctor and Will Figures tallied 10 points each.

    Weber State made 54 percent of its field goals for the game, compared with Northern Colorado's 44 percent.

    The Wildcats have now won nine out of 10 Big Sky games this season.

    Box Score

    2/5/09
    Gameday
    Box Score
    Final: WSU W 82-76
    Weber State Wildcats University of Northern Colorado

    2/3/09
    Hello Students & Purple Pak members!
    The basketball team will be playing at Northern Colorado on Thursday, February 5th at 7 PM. Purple Pak will be showing the basketball game via Big Sky TV at the Alumni Center. Refreshments will be served.

    Can't make this game? We will again be showing the team playing at Montana on Thursday, February 19th at the Alumni Center.

    The team is very excited about the student fans supporting them. They are an awesome team this year so join us in cheering them on to the Big Sky championship!

    James Miner, President
    Student Alumni/Purple Pak

    2/3/09
    Thurs: Weber at Northern Colorado
    The WSU men's basketball team will make its annual trip to Greeley, Colorado, to take on the 5-5 Northern Colorado Bears. The Wildcats opened up conference play this year at home against Northern Colorado on Jan 3rd. It took until the end of the overtime stanza to get the 88-84 win. In the Big Sky opener, Kellen McCoy had his best 3-point shooting night of the season making 5-of-9 and scoring a season-high 23 points. Damian Lillard also put on a show for the home fans and some might even have considered it his break-out game as a Wildcat scoring a career-high 18 points at the time, career-high 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Lillard also had his first college dunk against the Bears. As a team, Weber made 15-of-26 from beyond the arc which is the new school record for 3-point shots made in a game. Previous to the UNC game the old record was 14 3's in 1994 at Utah State. That game is still the record for attempts at 41. Weber is 4-1 all-time against the Bears, 3-0 in Ogden and 1-1 in Greeley.

    Last season the 'Cats and Bears split 1-1, each won their home game. The game in Greeley was the first conference game of the year and was featured on the Altitude. The 'Cats lost 55-52 in a close battle that came down to the wire but hot UNC shooting from downtown made sure Weber left with its first ever loss to UNC. With a 2nd chance at the Bears later that season and in Ogden, WSU made sure the Bears would remember the WSU senior class of 2008. UNC got blown out 70-54; WSU senior Dez Harris had 21 points and 4 steals, WSU senior Arturas Valeika had 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a steal.

    This season UNC was picked by the coaches/media polls to finish 6th in the Big Sky. If UNC can finish 6th or better it will make its first ever appearance in the Big Sky tournament.

    UNC Starters
    F-22 Jabril Banks 6-7 230 Jr Denver, CO (13.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
    F-44 Taylor Montgomery 6-7 230 So Aurora, CO (3.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
    G-32 Devon Beitzel 6-0 175 So Lafayette, CO (12 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, .417 3P%)
    G-2 Will Figures 5-9 165 Jr Centennial, CO (11.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, .397 3P%)
    G-23 John Pena 5-10 160 Jr Phoenix, AZ (8.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.4 apg)

    WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .405 3P%)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, .380 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (9.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (13.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 Fr Oakland, CA (10.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, .360 3P%)

    UNC Schedule
    Nov 14 at Oregon L 66-64
    Nov 18 at Colorado State L 85-74
    Nov 26 at Denver W 71-66 OT
    Nov 29 Texas State W 105-93
    Dec 3 San Diego State L 73-62
    Dec 6 Air Force L 71-64
    Dec 13 at Creighton L 85-66
    Dec 16 Portland W 76-73
    Dec 18 at Fresno State L 70-65
    Dec 20 at San Jose State L 89-78
    Dec 22 vs Liberty L 75-70
    Dec 23 vs Southern University W 76-68
    - Big Sky Games -
    Dec 29 Northern Arizona W 81-79
    Jan 1 at Idaho State L 62-61 OT
    Jan 3 at Weber State L 88-84 OT
    Jan 6 at Texas State L 82-59
    Jan 13 Sacramento State W 91-73
    Jan 15 Eastern Washington W 75-68
    Jan 18 Portland State L 57-43 7-12
    Jan 22 at Montana State W 65-55
    Jan 25 at Montana L 68-59
    Jan 29 at Sacramento State W 66-59

    Bears Bio
    Established: 1889
    Undergraduates: 10,799
    Postgraduates: 2,182
    Location: Greeley, Colorado
    Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
    Home Court: Butler-Hancock, capacity 2,941

    UNC's Coach
    Tad Boyle, 3rd year, Kansas 1985
    Boyle, a Greeley native, spent 6 years as an assistant at Wichita State before coming to UNC. In 2006 Witchita State while Boyle was on staff they went 26-9 and advanced to the Sweet 16 by taking down Seton Hall (86-66) & Tennessee (80-73). Witchita eventually lost to Final 4 cinderella George Mason.

    UNC Extras
    To date, the Bears have never been to the Big Sky Conference post season or the NCAA Tourament. They haven't had yet an All-Big Sky 1st or 2nd team player. UNC has had 2 Big Sky honorable mentions, both last season - Sean Taibi and Jabril Banks. UNC's 1st Big Sky season, 2006-07 they finished 2-14 and 4-24 overall. Last season they finished 6-10 and 11-19 overall.

    2/1/09
    Wildcats Sweep Bengals
    Box Score | Game Pics
    On Saturday night in front of 7,401 fans, (8-1) Weber State men's basketball team completed a 2-0 sweep of the (4-5) ISU Bengals. The Wildcats had a slow start in the long awaited home game which wasn't much of a surprise to those who have seen most this year's squad's games. The team has played better in the second half all conference season long and they have been playing even better basketball on the road. Even after the game WSU forward Kyle Bullinger said he is looking forward to the game at Northern Colorado next week and ackknowledged that the team has been playing better away from home. They must have taken some notes from this year's football team.

    As soon at the ball tipped off WSU missed 3 shots and turned the ball over 3 times. With 15 minutes to go in the first half, fans were still on their feet clapping, awaiting the first Weber point of the game. Rahe called a timeout and the score was ISU 6-0. ISU again scored making it 8-0, and a sigh of relief came over the student section as they saw Daviin Davis jog over to the scorers table to enter the game. As soon as Davis walked on the court the game completely changed, he scored the teams first point on a free-throw and 4 minutes later he was shooting more free-throws to tie up the game 13 all, afterwhich, WSU would lead most of the game before winning. Davis led all scores with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 dunks, all in just 23 minutes of play. Kellen McCoy also had a big night with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. All 4 steals were in the second half. McCoy almost even had the play of the game; he was attempting his first dunk as a Wildcat but was called for a travel on the way to the rim, he did touch the rim on the play though.

    The game was a good example of how this young team will need the leadership of the 2 seniors to keep on winning throughout the remainder of the schedule. Though the seniors had a big part in the win it really was a team effort, Darin Mahoney, a beast, blocked 4 shots, had a steal and 3 rebounds in only 13 minutes of action. Trevor Morris came off the bench and pulled down 7 rebounds and had a block. TJ Benson, the backup point guard nailed a 3 pointer early in the game. Benson was followed up by a Nick Hansen 3 and WSU never trailed again. Also, Marco Ramos entered the game in the final minute and caught a long pass and went in for the dunk before a hard ISU foul kept him away from the rim. He did make both free-throws

    Idaho State is the tallest team in the conference, the 'Cats were outrebounded by the Bengals on Thursday 35-25. Davis before Saturday night's game: "They outrebounded us, and we knew that was something they were good at. So we're going to try to go out there and try to rebound every basketball." In the rematch game the 'Cats did exactly what Davis wanted to do, they outrebounded the big Bengals 34-25. Davis after the game: "We rebounded better and we defended the drive better, and that's what we wanted to do coming into the game."

    Rahe: "The crowd was absolutely phenomenal, and was probably the best regular-season crowd we've had since I've been here. Our kids loved it and you could see them feeding off the energy constantly. The student section was terrific, the community support was great. If we keep getting those kinds of crowds then this is going to be an awfully tough place for people to play."

    The win was #50 overall for Randy Rahe at Weber State and his 20th home Big Sky win. Coach Rahe is 4-2 against ISU and 50-34 overall, in Big Sky games Rahe is 32-12 & 20-3 at home. Weber State is 66-40 all-time vs the Bengals, 40-9 in Ogden.

    Rahe was asked about Marco Ramos' dunk attempt in the final seconds of the game: "I apologize for that," he said. "The game was over, and we wanted to run out the clock. But the kid who tried to do it, he hasn't been playing much and got excited. He's a wonderful kid, but we never want to do anything to show anyone up."

    ISU's Chron Tatum: "I don't know what happened there. All teams are gonna get a run, but they really got a run and consistently kept it going."

    ISU's Amorrow Morgan: "They drove it down our throat. They were a lot tougher than us tonight. We've got to come out in practice and play a lot harder from now on."

    1/31/09
    Weber St. 75, Idaho St. 61
    Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Daviin Davis scored 19 points and Kellen McCoy added 18 to help Weber State to a 75-61 win over Idaho State on Saturday night.

    Damian Lillard finished with 10 points for the Wildcats (14-8, 8-1 Big Sky), who also beat ISU 76-67 in overtime on Thursday in Pocatello, Idaho.

    The Bengals (7-16, 4-5) took an early lead, but the Wildcats rallied and took a 19-17 advantage with nine minutes remaining in the first half. WSU never trailed after that, although ISU did tie the score at 37-37 six minutes into the second half.

    ISU's Matt Stucki hit a 3-pointer with 3:51 remaining to narrow the margin to 55-52, but McCoy answered with a 3-pointer of his own and the Wildcats kept out of reach until the final buzzer.Stucki led the Bengals with 15 points, followed by Chron Tatum with 13 and Amorrow Morgan with 11.

    Box Score

    1/31/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 75-61
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats Idaho State
    UM 60, EWU 52 | NAU 67, UNC 64

    1/30/09
    'Cats 5-0 On The Road!
    The Wildcats had a huge comeback win against the Bengals of ISU in overtime on Thursday night in Pocatello winning the game 76-67. WSU is now 5-0 on the road for the first time in 6 years. WSU is also off to its best start since 2003 with a 7-1 Big Sky record. With Portland State losing at Montana, the 'Cats are now a full game ahead in first place.

    Freshman point guard Damian Lillard stole the show in the overtime session of the game where he scored 9 of his career high 22 points. Lillard alone out scored ISU in OT, 9-4.

    Before overtime WSU was down by 13 at one point in the second half, the 'Cats played like it was a home game giving the bus of WSU students who made the trip reason after reason to keep on cheering. Weber was down pretty much the entire game and finally caught up after Kellen McCoy drove the lane and made a layup with 1:33 left on the clock. Daviin Davis forced an ISU turnover (1 of 20 in the game), stealing the ball from Amorrow Morgan with barely over a minute remaining. Davis was quickly fouled by Austin Kilpatrick. D-Will knocked in the first FT but missed the second. ISU attempted a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left and missed, McCOY came up with the rebound and finished with 8 on the night. Lillard sunk 4 FT's in the final 40 seconds of the game to put the nail in the coffin, 76-67.

    Friday morning, the day after the game, ISU's website had a press release about making scoring mistakes on both sides during the game and apologized. ISU article

    Weber is now 65-40 all-time vs the Bengals, 39-9 in Ogden & 26-31 in Pocatello. Coach Rahe is 3-2 against ISU and 49-34 overall. Rahe's Big Sky record is 31-13 overall, 19-3 at home and 12-10 on the road.

    Saturday's Games
    Eastern Washington at Montana | Northern Colorado at Northern Arizona | Idaho State at Weber State
    Then on Sunday before the Super Bowl, Portland State will play at Montana State on the Altitude at 2 PM.

    1/30/09
    Weber St. 76, Idaho St. 67
    Associated Press
    POCATELLO, Idaho -- Damian Lillard scored 22 points as Weber State overcame a 13-point second-half deficit and beat Idaho State 76-67 in overtime on Thursday night.

    Kyle Bullinger, Steve Panos and Daviin Davis each added 13 points for the Wildcats.

    Idaho State led 49-36 with 13:42 left in the second half before Weber State (13-8, 7-1 Big Sky) mounted its comeback. The game was tied 63-63 at the end of regulation.

    Idaho State had two chances to end the game in regulation but missed a free throw and a field goal attempt in the last 14 seconds.

    Weber State dominated overtime, outscoring Idaho State 13-4.

    Idaho State (7-15, 4-4) was led by guards Matt Stucki with 29 points and Amorrow Morgan with 11. Stucki scored 20 of his points in the second half and two in overtime.

    The Bengals out-rebounded Weber State 36-30, getting 11 boards from reserve forward Felix Caspari.

    Box Score

    1/29/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 76-67 in overtime
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats Idaho State

    1/26/09
    Potato Week: WSU To Play ISU Twice
    Thurs, WSU fans travel to Pocatello
    Sat, Jazz Bear Night at the Dee Events Center
    This Thursday WSU's Purple Pak will be taking a bus full of students to Pocatello to see the 6-1 Wildcats take on the 4-3 Bengals of Idaho State. This is the 2nd annual Purple Pak bus trip to ISU. After taking 3 bus trips for football games, Wildcat fans are anxious to get back on the road to cheer on the Purple & White.

    Some seats are still available for the bus trip, anyone interest should contact Bev Rudd (801-626-6468, 801-663-6135, beverlyrudd@weber.ed) for further details. The bus will leave at 4 PM this Thursday.

    Saturday's game will also be WSU playing ISU except with a change of venue. The Bengals will head down to Ogden for Jazz Bear Night which tips off at 7 PM. This is the second year in a row that WSU and ISU have played both games in the same week.

    Overall in the series against the Bengals, WSU is 64-40 and 39-9 at home. The last time ISU won the Big Sky title was in 1994, Weber & ISU were co-champions that year. ISU has 4 regular season Big Sky titles: 1974, 1976, 1977, & 1994. Weber State head coach Randy Rahe is 2-2 against ISU and is 48-34 overall. Rahe's Big Sky record is 30-13 overall, 19-3 at home and 11-10 on the road.

    ISU Starters
    G-31 Matt Stucki 6-6 210 Sr Pocatello, ID (11.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, .373 3P%)
    F-25 Chron Tatum 6-8 220 Jr Atlanta, GA (5.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
    C-33 Deividas Busma 7-0 240 Jr Klaipeda, Lithuania (5.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
    G-1 Amorrow Morgan 6-5 210 Jr Memphis, TN (14.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, .333 3P%)
    G-20 Donnie Carson 6-2 195 Jr Detroit, MI (5.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, .278 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, .381 3P%)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .417 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (9.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (13.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, .432 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (9.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, .355 3P%)

    Bengal basketball season
    In the non-conference schedule this season ISU went 3-11 beating 2 DI schools - Utah & Idaho. In league play ISU has a much better record being 4-3 thus far. ISU is 3-1 at home and 1-2 on the road. Overall ISU has a 7-14 record and is just 1-11 on the road. Prior to ISU's road win at NAU on Jan 22 the Bengals were 0-10 away from home. Weber State is 12-8 overall, 5-2 at home, 7-6 on the road, in league play the 'Cats are 6-1 overall and 4-0 away from home. WSU fans may be a little skeptical of this year's Bengal squad after they just lost at Sac St who had the nations longest losing streak of 14 losses. ISU was picked to finish 3rd by the coaches/media poll and they beat 2 teams Weber lost to - Montana State and Utah. ISU has a lot of height and talent so WSU will have to be prepared for a hard fought battle. There are no easy wins this year in the Big Sky.

    Last year in Pocatello Box Score
    ISU won the game 63-59. The Bengals led almost the entire game and were up 29-24 at the half. The 'Cats were down about 10 for most of the second half and never gave up. They chipped away at ISU's comfortable lead and with just over a minute and a half remaining WSU guard Jamaine Nance sank a 3 from the baseline that got the 'Cats within 2 points. ISU inbounded the ball and WSU guard Juan Pablo Silveira stole the ball but was quickly fouled before he could race down and score the easy layup. He made both FT's which tied things up 56-56 with 1:24 to go.

    ISU inbounded the ball; this time they held on to it too long so as the shot clock expired, ISU's Kilpatrick launched a desperation long range 3 that went in; 49 seconds left on the clock. With 31 ticks still on the clock and the score 59-56, Nance again attempted another baseline shot from behind the arc but it didn't fall. WSU center Arturas Valeika quickly fouled Kilpatrick as he came down with the rebound to stop the clock, Kilpatrick didn't like the foul and attempted to elbow the big Lithuanian, Art didn't get hit but he was pushed backwards a few feet with his arms flailing in the air as he caught his balance. Apparently the official assumed Art was fighting back so he called a double technical on both players. That sealed the deal for the Bengals and they won the game.

    Last year in Ogden Box Score
    The game took place on Jan 31st...the exact same day as this year's matchup in Ogden. When the game started it was snowing heavily outside but that didn't stop the 3,227 faithful of WSU to cheer on their team as the 'Cats beat the ISU Bengals 59-57. Arturas Valeika led all scores and rebounds with 13 points and 13 rebounds (On the season the big man from the greatest basketball country in the world (Lithuania) was one of the best rebounders in the nation).

    WSU was down most of the first half and took its first lead of the game with just over 5 minutes remaining and headed to the locker room up 7. However, ISU kept it a close one as they came back in the final few minutes and challenged WSU to either win or lose the game by shooting free-throws. The 'Cats hit 6-of-7 in the final 2 minutes.

    With 38.7 seconds left, Valeika hit 2 free-throws to put Weber ahead 58-57. ISU couldn't get a shot and later fouled Kellen McCoy with 12 seconds left, McCoy hit 1-of-2 free-throws and with 4 ticks to go ISU's Lucas Steijn missed a jumper to send the game to OT, Art pulled down the rebound and the game was over.

    ISU Schedule
    Nov 14 Eastern Oregon W 75-70
    Nov 18 at Hawaii L 67-64
    Nov 22 at Boise State L 92-84
    Nov 25 Long Beach State L 88-82
    Nov 29 Brigham Young L 85-65
    Dec 2 at Washington State L 60-41
    Dec 6 Utah W 72-68
    Dec 9 at Wisconsin L 60-58
    Dec 11 at Wisconsin-Green Bay L 68-53
    Dec 20 Utah State L 67-57
    Dec 23 at No. 17 Arizona State L 90-55
    Dec 27 at Nevada L 68-63
    Dec 29 Idaho W 61-59
    Jan 1 Northern Colorado W 62-61
    Jan 3 at Kansas State L 83-57
    Jan 8 at Eastern Washington L 71-65 4-12
    Jan 10 at Portland State L 85-58 4-13
    Jan 15 Montana W 77-67 5-13
    Jan 17 Montana State W 64-43
    Jan 22 at Northern Arizona W 60-52
    Jan 24 at Sacramento State L 72-69

    Bengal Bio
    Established: 1901
    Students: 13,802
    Location: Pocatello, ID
    Colors: Black & Orange
    Mascot: Benny the Bengal

    Famous Potatoes
    ISU alumni: Jerry Graybeal, WSU Athletic Director; Ron Boone, broadcaster for the Utah Jazz; Merril Hoge, ESPN commentator; Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals head coach; William L. Petersen, actor on CSI.

    1/24/09
    2 Road Trip Sweeps: 1st Time Since 2003
    In 2003 the 'Cats finished 16-0 in conference play. Until this season WSU hadn't swept more than one road trip in the same season in 6 years. WSU also hasn't had this great of a start in conference play since 2003. The 2006-07 and 2007-08 teams both started out 5-2.

    With WSU knocking off NAU 59-54, the 'Cats remain tied with PSU for 1st place. Four Wildcats finished with double figures in scoring. Kellen McCoy had 12 points & 3 steals. Nick Hansen and Damian Lillard both scored 11, Hansen had a game-high 3 3-pointers while Lillard had a game-high 7 rebounds. Lillard's dunk at NAU makes 3 consecutive games with dunks for the freshman point guard. Steve Panos chipped in with 10 points in just 17 minutes of action. Daviin Davis came off of the bench and in 22 minutes of play scored 6 points, blocked 2 shots, had a pair of steals, and 1 dunk.

    The latest Wildcat stats: This year's squad continues to get better and better...the 'Cats set a new school record for the most 3-point shots in a game with 15 against Northern Colorado. As one of the best shooting teams in the Big Sky, WSU is averaging 46% from the field and 38% from 3-pt land. WSU is the best free-throw shooting team (73%) in the conference which is a big part of the team's game especially when they can get to the line a lot as they have been lately, it doesn't give the opponent much of a chance to win. The only other teams in the Big Sky that are shooting over 70% are UNC and UM. NAU is dead last shooting a just 60%.

    Big Sky Breakdown
    Weber and Portland State are in the holeshot with a 6-1 record each. Both teams are undefeated on the road, PSU is 3-0 and WSU is 4-0. The only loss for both was at home oddly. Weber has won 6 of its last 7 games. PSU has won 3 straight which started just after losing at home to Weber. Next week: WSU has a home-and-home with ISU. PSU will travel to the Montanas. Montana has won 4 of its last 6 and will have the next 3 games at home vs UNC, PSU, & EWU. Northern Colorado has won 3 of its last 4 but will have 3 straight road contests starting Sunday at MSU, then at Sac and NAU. Idaho State just lost to Sacramento State to end the nation's longest losing streak. Sac had lost 14 straight before beating the Bengals. Montana State has lost its last 3 games but has a 3 game home stand coming up against EWU, PSU, & UM. Eastern Washington has lost 4 in a row and 6 of its last 8, its next 2 games will be on the road at the Montanas. Northern Arizona has lost 7 of its last 9 games which isn't helping its cause of making the Big Sky Tournament. The last time NAU didn't qualify for the conference tournament was 1996. The top 6 teams in the Big Sky go to the post season, 3 teams will stay home.

    1/24/09
    Weber St. 59, N. Arizona 54
    Associated Press
    FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Kellen McCoy scored four of his 12 points on free throws in the final minute as Weber State beat Northern Arizona 59-54 Saturday night.

    The Wildcats (12-8, 6-1 Big Sky) made 24 of 31 free throws in the game, including 9-of-10 down the stretch, to improve their conference road record to 4-0.

    Northern Arizona (5-14, 2-6) committed 18 turnovers and Weber State scored 22 points of those mistakes.

    McCoy's free throws with 26.7 seconds remaining gave his team a 56-51 lead.

    Josh Wilson's 3-pointer cut the Lumberjacks' deficit to two but McCoy was fouled with 9.4 seconds left and made both foul shots to seal the victory.

    Damian Lillard and Nick Hansen had 11 points apiece for the Wildcats.

    Cameron Jones led Northern Arizona with 21 points and Wilson had 12.

    Box Score

    1/24/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 59-54
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    Weber State Wildcats NAU
    Sac State beats ISU 72-69
    Portland State 83-62 over EWU

    1/23/09
    Weber State's Purple Pak Fans of Big Sky TV
    Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference
    The Big Sky Conference did a piece on the Purple Pak watching games online at the Alumni Center.
    Article | Photos

    1/23/09
    WSU 3-0 On The Road: Next Stop NAU
    With Weber State starting the conference schedule 3-0 on the road, the Wildcat faithful are hopeful the 'Cats can come home with the 'W' and remain undefeated away from home before heading to ISU next Thursday. Coach Rahe is 3-3 against the Lumberjacks and Weber State is 61-26 all-time against the NAU and 39-6 at home.

    The 2-5 Lumberjacks beat Sac State and Eastern and lost to ISU, MSU, UM, PSU (4OT), & UNC. The ISU and PSU losses were both at home.

    NAU in the Big Sky record books
    A couple of Lumberjacks will be breaking WSU records this season and the Wildcats will bring their best game on Saturday to ensure these records can be delayed for another day. NAU guard Josh Wilson (625 assists) needs just 17 assists to become #2 in Big Sky history for career assists. The current record holder is Kevin Soares, Nevada (1988-92), with 716 assists, #2 is Mark Mattos, Weber State (1976-80), with 642 assists.

    Also, NAU coach Mike Adras is tied with former WSU coach Joe Cravens for all-time Big Sky conference wins with 79. After NAU's next win, Adras will pass up Cravens and needs just 7 more wins to catch #4, another WSU coach, Ron Abegglen. The most conference wins ever is former Montana State head coach Mick Durham with 123 wins, #2 is Bobby Dye, Boise State, with 102 wins, #3 is former Weber State coach Neil McCarthy with 94 wins.

    Coach Adras is also #5 all-time for overall wins for a Big Sky coach with 155. The NAU coach needs 5 more wins to pass up WSU coach Joe Cravens. If Adras sticks around a few more years he will have the chance to catch #3 Neil McCarthy with 200 overall wins, #1 is again Mick Durham with 246 wins and #2 is Bobby Dye, Boise State, with 214 wins.

    Who is NAU?
    NAU is a school located in Flagstaff, AZ, that has been a member of the Big Sky since 1970. They have 5 conference championships - '87, '97, '98, '06, & '07. NAU and Weber were co-champions in 2007 by both finishing 11-5, however, Weber beat NAU in the conference tournament championship and later went on to the NCAA tournament. Even though the 2 finished as co-champs, WSU swept NAU 3-0. NAU has won the conference tournament 2 times of the 5 times they have hosted. When WSU is hosting the conference tournament, the 'Cats have won it all 7 times out of 8.

    NAU bio
    Established: 1899
    Undergraduates: 15,569
    Postgraduates: 5,783
    Location Flagstaff, AZ
    Colors: Blue, Sage, & Gold
    Nickname: Lumberjacks
    Mascot: Louie the Lumberjack

    NAU Starters
    G-10 Cameron Jones 6-4 185 So Los Angeles, CA (12.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg .531 3P%)
    F-40 Shane Johannsen 6-6 230 So Phoenix, AZ (9.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
    C-32 Nick Larson 6-8 225 Jr Ventura, CA (2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
    G-2 Jermaine Bishop 6-2 220 Sr Del Rio, TX (4.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, .393 3P%)
    G-21 Josh Wilson 6-2 205 Sr Longview, WA (9.9 ppg, 4.2 apg, .365 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .370 3P%)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .423 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (9.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (13.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, .436 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (9.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, .377 3P%)

    NAU Schedule
    Nov 14 at Utah Valley L 68-62
    Nov 17 Haskell W 95-63
    Nov 20 at UNLV L 87-71
    Nov 22 at UC Riverside L 59-52
    Nov 25 North Dakota State L 89-82
    Nov 30 at Arizona L 74-57
    Dec 6 Utah Valley W 64-63
    Dec 14 Northern New Mexico W 80-39
    Dec 17 at Stanford L 66-57
    Dec 20 at Wichita State L 58-53
    Dec 22 at North Dakota State L 90-68
    Dec 29 at Northern Colorado L 81-79
    Jan 2 Eastern Washington W 72-49
    Jan 4 Portland State L 92-91
    Jan 8 at Montana L 62-61
    Jan 10 at Montana State L 74-68
    Jan 18 at Sacramento State W 89-64
    Jan 22 Idaho State L 60-52

    1/22/09
    Weber St. 67, Sacramento St. 59
    Associated Press
    SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Freshman Kyle Bullinger had 18 points and seven rebounds to lift Weber State 67-59 over Sacramento State on Thursday night.

    Kellen McCoy had 15 points and Damian Lillard had eight points and six assists for the Weber State Wildcats (11-8, 5-1 Big Sky), who have won five of their last six games.

    Loren Leath had 19 points in 35 minutes for the Sacramento State Hornets (1-19, 0-7 Big Sky.)The defeat extends the Hornets' losing streak to 14 games.

    Sacramento led 21-18 on a basket by Alex Ward with 5:11 left in the first half.

    Despite shooting 35.7 percent from the floor (10 of 28), the Wildcats came back to tie the game up 25-25 by halftime. The Hornets shot 36 percent from the field (9 of 25) in the first half.

    After Antonio Flaggs turned a steal into a dunk to tie the game at 47-47 with 6:38 left in the second half, the Wildcats went on a 13-5 run to take command of the rest of the game. Bullinger made nine of the Wildcats' points during the pivotal run.

    Box Score

    1/22/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 67-59
    Weber State Wildcats Sacramento State
    Big Sky Scoreboard
    ISU 60, NAU 52
    UNC 65, MSU 55

    1/21/09
    Thurs: WSU @ Sac St
    Sacramento State Hornets (0-6, 1-18) aka California State University, Sacramento will be hosting the WSU Wildcats for the 16th ever meeting between the 2 schools on Thursday at 8 PM.Sac is being outscored by an average of 17.4 points per contest this season.

    The Hornets have only 1 win in Ogden and just 4 wins overall out of the 29 times the 2 teams have met. All 4 of Sac's wins against Weber have come in the last 6 years. Currently Sac has lost all 11 road games this year and 13 straight losses overall dating back to December 3rd when they beat rival UC-Davis 82-70. Weber would like to contribute to this losing streak on Thursday in Sacramento where the 'Cats are 11-3. For those who have been lucky to forget, the '05-'06 season was one of the worst seasons in WSU history. Sac State and Portland State both got their first ever win in Ogden, and after the Hornets won they were so excited they even took the game ball home.

    Against the Hornets all-time, WSU head coach Randy Rahe is 3-1 and Weber State is 25-4 overall. Sac State first year head coach Brian Katz is 0-0 vs Weber and is a first year DI coach. Katz spent 19 seasons in the JC rankings all in the state of California. He spent the past 15 years at San Joaquin Delta JC in Stockton, CA. At San Joaquin Delta Katz went 348-138. The 4 years prior to San Joaquin Katz was the coach at Lassen JC where he posted a 87-47 record. Overall he is 435-185 before coming to Sac State.

    Sac Starters
    G-22 Antonio Flaggs 6-3 180 Jr Pittsburg, CA (8.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
    F-40 Justin Eller 6-8 235 Jr Yreka, CA (10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
    C-4 Randy Adams 6-8 220 Sr Moreno Valley, CA (6.8 ppg, 4 rpg)
    G-23 Loren Leath 6-2 190 Sr Oakland, CA (15.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .383 3P%)
    G-14 Mike Marcial 6-1 180 Jr Clovis, CA (1.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .200 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, .384 3P%)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .433 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (10.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (13.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, .419 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (9.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, .382 3P%)

    Sac Schedule
    Nov 14 at Fresno State L 77-65
    Nov 18 at UC Riverside L 61-49
    Nov 21 at Washington State L 76-55
    Nov 25 at Cal State Bakersfield L 72-62
    Dec 1 Idaho L 72-58
    Dec 3 UC Davis W 82-70
    Dec 6 at Santa Clara L 51-32
    Dec 9 Utah Valley L 64-44
    Dec 11 at New Mexico State L 76-65
    Dec 20 at Wyoming L 93-70
    Dec 23 George Washington L 59-47
    Dec 27 at Southern Utah L 76-51
    Dec 30 Pacific L 70-51
    Jan 2 Portland State L 79-67
    Jan 4 Eastern Washington L 87-74
    Jan 8 at Montana State L 61-42
    Jan 10 at Montana L 80-63
    Jan 13 at Northern Colorado L 91-73
    Jan 18 Northern Arizona L 89-64

    Hornet bio
    Established: 1947
    Undergraduates: 22,555
    Postgraduates: 5,417
    Location: Sacramento, CA
    Colors: Green & Gold
    Mascot: Herky the Hornet
    Series: WSU is 25-4 all-time vs Sac

    Famous alumni
    Tom Hanks, Creed Bratton from The Office, Lester Holt anchor of the weekend edition of Today, Joan Lunden & Bobby McFerrin.

    1/18/09
    WSU - 5th Straight Home Win Against UM
    Box Score
    With the 71-55 win at home against the UM Griz in front of 5,022 in attendance, the 'Cats move to 4-1 on the season.

    Weber dominated UM in every aspect of the game. Rebounds: WSU 41, UM 31, Points off turnovers: WSU 13, UM 8. Points in the paint: WSU 24, UM 10. Bench points: WSU 26, UM 5. Second chance points: WSU 9, UM 4. Fast break points: WSU 6, UM 2. FG%: WSU 39.2%, UM 31.5%. 3P%: WSU 44%, UM 27%. FT Line: WSU 24-30 (80%), UM 15-21 (71.4%).

    To keep the crowd in the game even though the 'Cats had a comfortable lead most of the way, Daviin Davis threw down 2 dunks and even the freshman point guard Damian Lillard slammed one home for the fans for the second time in the last 3 home games.

    Randy Rahe is now 4-1 all-time against Montana and has an overall 46-34 record at Weber State. Rahe's Big Sky record is 28-13 and 19-3 in Big Sky home games with an overall home record of 30-6.

    Weber State overall in its 46th season as a Div I basketball school is 842-493 all-time and 525-112 at home. Against the Griz, Weber is now 62-43 and 38-13 in Ogden.

    Weber will leave for a 2 game road swing next week at Sacramento State and Northern Arizona.

    1/18/09
    Wildcats defeat Grizzlies 71-55
    Source: Montana Athletics
    Box Score
    The Weber State Wildcats had three players score in double figures en route to a 71-55 win over the visiting University of Montana Grizzlies Saturday evening in a Big Sky Conference game in WSU?s Dee Events Center (attendance: 5,022).

    Montana (3-3/9-9) jumped to an early 9-2 lead on a pair of free throws byu junior guard Anthony Johnson with 15:08 left until intermission. However, WSU (4-1/10-8) battled back, and took a 12-11 lead on a pair of free throws by senior forward Daviin Davis with 10:39 left until halftime, and the Wildcats led the rest of the way. Weber State had a 32-23 lead at the half.

    The Wildcats took a double-digit lead (34-23) in the opening seconds of the second half on a couple of free throws by freshman forward Kyle Bullinger, and WSU maintained a lead of 10 points or more throughout the rest of the contest.

    Johnson continued his torrid scoring pace with a game-high 21 points. UM junior forward Jack McGillis added 16 points, while senior forward Jordan Hasquet struggled from the field with just 5 points, but he did have a team-high 8 rebounds. Johnson is now averaging 22.8 points per game in conference.

    Davis and senior guard Kellen McCoy scored 18 points each for the Wildcats, while freshman guard Damian Lillard added 17.

    The Grizzlies made just 17-of-54 field goal attempts (31.5%) and were 6-of-22 (27.3%) from three-point range. The Wildcats were 20-of-51 (39.2%) from the field and made 7-of-16 (43.8%) treys.

    WSU was 24-of-30 from the line for 80.0%, while UM made 15-of-21 (71.4%) charity attempts. The Wildcats had a 41 to 34 advantage on the boards.

    Montana is at Eastern Washington next Wednesday, Jan. 21 and hosts Northern Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 25. WSU is at Sacramento State and Northern Arizona next week.

    1/17/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 71-55
    Box Score
    Weber State Wildcats University of Montana
    Saturday: ISU 64, MSU 43
    Sunday: PSU @ UNC | NAU @ Sac

    1/15/09
    Refs/Bobcats Duo Beat 'Cats
    Box Score
    It was a game too close to call...literally. Not only did the 'Cats have to beat the Bobcats they were also up against the Big Sky refs. The game went back and forth on the scoreboard all night with 14 lead changes. Twenty-two WSU fouls resulting in 19-of-25 FT's for MSU courtesy of the Big Sky refs didn't allow the game to be physical at all. It looked like they were officiating a Junior Jazz league.

    WSU leader and senior, Daviin Davis, was a non-factor with 3 quick first half fouls and picking up an early first half 4th foul kept him out of most of the game. He finished the game only playing 15 minutes while he averages over 26 minutes per game.

    The MSU Bobcats played a solid game and just kept making shots. They shot 49% on the game and 40% from the 3 PT line. The 19 freebies from the line was killer to the 'Cats.

    With 1:47 remaining in the game WSU was down 72-60 and got within 2 points with a McCoy 3 point play with 46 seconds remaining. Twenty-two seconds to go Darin Mahoney fouled MSU's Erik Rush who made both free-throws to make the score 74-70. With the ball back in play and WSU needing to make something happen quick the ref called Bullinger for stepping out-of-bounds with 12 ticks left to end WSU's chances of 2 straight last minute comebacks at home. Bobcats won 75-70.

    WSU shot 47% overall, 40% from the arc, and (12-15) 80% from the line. MSU won the rebounding battle 28-27, on the whole the box score looks very even in each column minus free-throw attempts.

    Two WSU players finished in double figures. McCoy had 22 points & Kyle Bullinger finished with 11 points going 3-4 from the 3-point line.

    1/15/09

    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 75-70
    Box Score
    Weber State Wildcats Montana State University

    1/14/09
    Thurs: Montana State @ Weber
    Weber State takes on the Bobcats of Montana State at 7 PM Thursday night at the Dee Events Center. Last season WSU went 3-0 vs the Bobcats with a regular season sweep followed up by a quarterfinal win in the Big Sky Tournament. Weber hasn't lost at home to MSU since 2004-05.

    Weber State is 68-32 all-time against Montana State and 43-9 in Ogden. Tomorrow's game will be the 101st meeting between the 2 teams.

    MSU Stats
    MSU is #2 in the conference in scoring overall and 7th in conference games only (WSU #1 & #5 respectively). MSU has allowed the least amount of points in the conference overall and in Big Sky games (WSU #7 & #3). The Bobcats are #1 in 3 pt scoring defense .344 (WSU #2 .346), #1 in rebounding 36.6 (WSU #5 32.1), #2 in rebounding margin +2.9 (WSU #6 -0.4), #1 turnover margin with + 0.40 (WSU #9 -3.38).

    WSU stats worth noting, the 'Cats are #1 in home attendance average, ppg average in conference, FT%, FG% defense, defensive rebounds. Weber is #2 in FG%, 3 pt FG% defense, 3 pt FG's made.

    MSU Starters
    G-23 Erik Rush 6-5 200 So San Jose, CA (9.9 ppg, 4 rpg, .400 3P%)
    F-15 Bobby Howard 6-7 220 So Great Falls, MT (12.4 ppg, 6 rpg, .364 3P%)
    C-32 Divaldo Mbunga 6-9 240 Sr Luauda (10.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.6 bpg)
    G-20 Will Bynum 6-3 185 Jr Almagordo, NM (11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, .100 3P%)G-3 Marquis Navarre 5-11 165 Jr Oceanside, CA (6.1 ppg, 2.7 apg, .273 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (9.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .386 3P%)
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .417 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (11.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, .422 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (9.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, .383 3P%)

    MSU Schedule
    Nov 15 Nevada L 72-63
    Nov 18 at Colorado W 85-82
    Nov 24 at Boise State L 74-61
    Nov 26 at Oregon State W 82-79
    Dec 1 University of Great Falls W 78-66
    Dec 6 at Eastern Washington L 61-55
    Dec 9 Cal State Fullerton W 74-60
    Dec 13 vs. Washington State* L 70-51
    Dec 20 at Long Beach State W 75-61
    Dec 22 at Cal State Fullerton L 88-80
    Dec 28 Lethbridge W 89-60
    Dec 29 Utah Valley W 70-67
    Jan 3 at Montana L 73-59
    Jan 8 Sacramento State W 61-42
    Jan 10 Northern Arizona W 74-68

    1/14/09
    Beanie Night & Hat Night
    Thursday night's game against Montana State the first 2,000 fans will receive a free WSU beanie.

    Then on Saturday night's game against Montana the first 2,000 fans will receive a free WSU hat. Weber State will also have the "Quick Change" halftime show, a popular entertainment act seen around the country.

    According to Weber State Athletics: "Quick Change is a nationally renowned act that has performed at hundreds of NBA games and has appeared on the television show America's Got Talent. It promises to be one of the best and most exciting halftimes in Weber State basketball history."

    In addition, fans can receive five tickets, five hot dogs, and five drinks for $30.00.

    Quick Change video clip

    1/13/09
    Montanas Week
    This week WSU will be hosting Montana State and Montana in basketball. Thursday night's game against the Montana State Bobcats will be free beanie night (1st 2,000 fans). Then, Saturday night's game vs the Montana Griz will be free hat night (1st 2,000 fans).

    The Griz, 3-1 (9-7), were picked to finish 2nd place in the coaches and media polls, the Bobcats 2-2 (9-6), were picked 7th in the media and 8th in the coaches. However, MSU has proven to be a team that likely will be giving everybody trouble in the conference this year after having beaten Colorado, Oregon State, and Long Beach. All 3 games were on the road. The Griz have had an interesting schedule this season. They beat Fresno State on the road which looks impressive but looking at their win/loss column, it shows 2 wins in a row, then 3 straight losses, then 4 wins, then 3 losses, and most recently 3 more wins in a row. The longest current winning streak in the conference is 3 straight by Weber and Montana. MSU is next with 2 straight wins.

    Montana bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 11,799
    Graduates: 2,059
    Location: Missoula, MT
    Stadium: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)
    Colors: Maroon & Silver

    Grizzly scraps
    Weber's all-time record against Montana is 61-43 overall, 37-13 in Ogden, and 24-30 at Montana. The last time Montana won the Big Sky in basketball was 2000. The Griz's last NCAA Tournament appearance was 2006. As of late the Griz have been conference tournament spoilers. In 2002 when Montana State hosted, UM ended up going to the Big Dance. In 2005, PSU hosted yet Montana went to the Big Dance again, but this time they beat Weber for the conference tournament championship by 2. Weber's Jamal Jenkins threw up a halfcourt shot with 3 seconds remaining in the game and Weber lost. In 2006, NAU hosted yet UM went to the Big Dance as a 12-seed and beat the WAC champion, Nevada Wolf Pack.

    Montana State bio
    Established: 1893
    Undergraduates: 10,842
    Postgraduates: 1,408
    Location: Bozeman, MT
    Stadium: Worthington Arena (6,378)
    Colors: Blue & Gold

    Bobcat tid bits
    Weber's all-time record against Montana State is 68-32 overall, 43-9 in Ogden, and 25-23 at MSU. Notable alumni of Montana State include Dennis Erickson, current head football coach at Arizona State, Craig Kilborn the actor and former talk show host played basketball for the Bobcats. Also, the Big Sky's only school to ever win a national championship in men's basketball was MSU in 1929.

    *Randy Rahe is 7-2 against the Montanas, 4-1 vs MSU and 3-1 vs UM. MSU's last win in Ogden was in 2005, UM's last win in Ogden was in 2004.

    1/12/09
    McCoy, Big Sky POTW
    From the Big Sky Conference's official site by Jon Casper
    UM's Johnson, WSU's McCoy Share Weekly Award
    http://www.bigskyconf.com/Pdfs/mbball/2009/1/12/POTW1-12.pdf

    OGDEN, Utah (Jan. 12, 2009) - Montana's Anthony Johnson and Weber State's Kellen McCoy have been selectedas the Co-Big Sky Conference men's basketball Players of the Week after both players led their teams to twovictories last weekend.

    Johnson, a 6-foot-2 junior guard from Tacoma, Wash., averaged 25 points and three assists per game. He shot53.6 percent from the field and 95.2 percent (20-of-21) from the free-throw line in leading Montana to home victoriesover Northern Arizona and Sacramento State.

    Johnson scored a career-high 32 points as Montana rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit for a 62-61 winover Northern Arizona on Thursday. Johnson made 18-of-19 free throws, made 7-of-14 field goals, and dished outtwo assists with two steals and a rebound. It was Johnson's second straight 30-point game, as he scored 31 in awin over Montana State on Jan. 3. Johnson netted 18 points with four assists, two rebounds and a steal in Montana's80-63 win over Sacramento State on Saturday. Johnson has scored in double figures in 11 of his last 12games.

    McCoy, a 5-6 senior guard from Norman, Okla., led Weber State to road victories over Portland State and EasternWashington. McCoy averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and one steal per game and shot 85 percentfrom the free-throw line.

    McCoy scored 10 points with five rebounds and five assists in Weber State's 80-66 upset of Portland State onThursday. The victory snapped Portland State's 17-game winning streak against conference teams, as well as theVikings' 15-game home court winning streak. McCoy went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. McCoy scored 21points with a career-high 12 rebounds with four assists and a steal in Weber State's 77-69 win over Eastern Washingtonon Sunday. McCoy hit 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, including four in the final minute. He played 71 of80 total minutes during road sweep.

    This is the first Player of the Week honor for both.

    Others Nominated For Weekly Honor

    Chron Tatum, F, Idaho State: Averaged 12.5 points and 10 rebounds in two losses.
    Will Bynum, G, Montana State: Averaged 14.5 points per game in two wins.
    Cameron Jones, G, Northern Arizona: Averaged 19.5 points per game in two losses.
    Mike Procter, F, Northern Colorado: Scored 13 points with eight rebounds in a loss.
    Phil Nelson, F, Portland State: Averaged 15.5 points per game in a win and a loss.

    1/12/09
    Talk is Cheap
    Before Thursday night's game in Portland where the Wildcats beat the Big Sky's #1 team 80-66, there was an article in The Oregonian with quotes from the Portland State players commenting about how they would be beating everybody and no one would have much of a chance. It is understandable that they should be a confident team, they did after all beat the #7 team in the nation on December 23rd, upsetting Gonzaga in Spokane 77-70, also, the Vikings had won 17 straight Big Sky games until Weber came to town this past Thursday.

    Jeremiah Dominguez, PSU Point Guard
    "We feel like we can't be beat," Dominguez said. "We have to play a certain way, but I think our guys are learning what we need to do to win, and that's the biggest part of our game."

    "We can win anywhere," said Dominguez, the senior point guard and last season's Big Sky MVP. "It really doesn't matter where we go. I think we know what we need to do.

    "The only way we could lose is if we beat ourselves because we have the talent and we shouldn't get beat. I think everyone on the team feels that way."

    Dominic Waters, PSU bench player
    "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, though," said Waters, who was named the Big Sky's player of the week after hitting the game-winning free throws with 6.5 seconds left and finishing with 41 points Sunday. "We want to stay confident in what we do, work hard and continue to do what we've been doing, and the games will take care of themselves.

    "It's just like 'Miah said, if we start playing selfishly, stop moving the ball and stop playing defense, we'll lose. I don't see it happening because we're playing well, and you can't help but play together when you're winning."

    http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2009/01/psu_vikings_lead_big_sky_in_sc.html

    After Weber beat Portland State on their own court to end their long winning streak, the talking didn't stop; below are more quotes from Waters just after the game.

    In the article it mentions how Waters felt sick that the Vikings lost to Weber. It said he was adamant that what happened was out of character and he practically guaranteed the Viks would get the win in Ogden in February.

    "I still can't believe it," Waters said. "I'm disappointed in myself and our team for not pulling this out."

    "I told them, we're going to be ready when we go up there and we will win when we go up there," Waters said. "We won't lose any more. Not any games. The rest of the season, we will not lose again."

    http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2009/01/vikings_win_at_home.html

    FYI, there isn't a single player on the PSU roster that has been part of a win in Ogden. PSU has 2 Big Sky Championships - 2004-05 and 2007-08, neither championship team won in Ogden. Portland State is 9-23 all-time against Weber State, they are also just 1-14 in Ogden. PSU's lone win was in the 2005-06 season.

    1/11/09
    Gameday - on the Altitude
    Final: WSU W 77-69
    Box Score
    Weber State Wildcats Eastern Washington University

    1/9/09
    Sun: WSU @ EWU on the Altitude
    Watch Live | Listen Live
    Sunday afternoon Weber State will take on (3-1) Eastern Washington Eagles in Cheney, Washington. Cheney is located just 15 minutes from Spokane. The game will be live on the Altitude Sports Network (Dish 410, DirecTV 644, Comcast 65) at 2 PM MST. EWU's head coach, Kirk Earlywine spent 7 years at Weber as an assistant during the "Cravens era". Weber is 33-19 overall against EWU all-time, 23-3 in Ogden, and 10-16 in Cheney. No player on the current Wildcat roster has been part of a win at EWU, their luck may change on Sunday. Coach Rahe is 2-2 against the Eagles, 26-12 against the Big Sky, and 44-33 overall thus far in his 3rd season.

    EWU Starters
    G-30 Milan Stanojevic 6-2 195 Sr Subotica (9.9 ppg, 1.5 apg, .451 3P%)
    F-42 Mark Dunn 6-8 280 Jr Trafalgar, IN (5.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
    C-45 Brandon Moore 6-9 240 Jr Graham, WA (11.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
    G-10 Adris DeLeon 5-11 Sr Bronx, NY (5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg)
    G-14 Gary Gibson 6-1 175 Jr Windsor, ON (3 ppg, 1.3 apg, .286 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .446 3P%)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, .383 3P%)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, .403 3P%)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (9.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, .383 3P%)

    EWU Schedule
    Nov 14 at Illinois L 66-50
    Nov 19 at UC Irvine W 74-69
    Nov 22 Texas-Arlington W 73-70
    Nov 24 Idaho W 69-59
    Nov 26 at Minnesota L 88-67
    Nov 30 UC Irvine W 78-64
    Dec 3 at Portland W 63-58
    Dec 6 Montana State W 61-55
    Dec 14 at Hawaii L 75-55
    Dec 18 UMKC L 68-61
    Dec 20 at Washington L 83-50
    Dec 22 Evergreen State W 90-87
    Dec 29 at Boise State L 57-48
    Jan 2 at Northern Arizona L 72-49
    Jan 4 at Sacramento State W 87-74
    Jan 8 Idaho State W 71-65

    EWU Bio
    Established: 1882
    Undergraduates: 8,309
    Postgraduates: 923
    Location Cheney, WA
    Colors: Red & White
    Weber vs EWU in football: 13-14
    Weber vs EWU in basketball: 33-19 (23-3 in Ogden)

    1/9/09
    Freshmen & Seniors Help Send Vikings to Valhalla
    The Wildcats showed the WSU faithful that watched last night's game on BigSkyTv.org what they are capable of when they play a full 40 minutes. What they are capable of is...anything...and beating the defending Big Sky champion Portland State Vikings who have been picked to win it all again this year made a statement to the rest of the conference.

    WSU could do no wrong and played a great game. If the game had been against maybe any other team in the Big Sky it might have been a 30 point win. As a team WSU shot 46% from the field, 48% from the arc knocking in 11-of-23, more impressive than that was the 19-of-21 from the free-throw line. The 2 seniors alone combined for 12-12 from the line. WSU led in rebounds 30-29, turned the ball over just 9 times to PSU's 16 which was an important stat as WSU averages about 16 TO's per game.

    For the 'Cats to do some damage in league this year it will not only take great basketball from the 2 seniors but also from the WSU freshman class. The 2 starting freshman looked like seniors out there last night, most of the PSU fans at the game probably didn't know Lillard was just 18 and Bullinger 19 years of age.

    Kyle Bullinger aka "K-Bull" looked to be having an average game in the first half. He had 1 3-pointer and a total of 5 points, not bad then again he's a frosh. When the second half started both teams came out shooting 3's and were dropping them like they were 10-foot jumpers. Bullinger alone it 4 in a row which not only kept WSU in the game but gave the team a lead that would make things difficult for the Vikings to keep pace. K-Bull finished the night with a career-high 22 points, game-high 8 rebounds, career-high 5-5 from beyond the arc, 8-10 free-throws, and a steal.

    Damian Lillard also had a great game and its hard to believe he was playing high school basketball just last season. Lillard only played 26 minutes and scored 14 points, had a career-high 6 assists, and 2 steals.

    Making key plays toward the end of the game and forcing turnovers was the 2 WSU seniors in Kellen McCoy and Daviin Davis. McCoy finished with 10 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal, and 8-of-8 FT's. Davis, off the bench, chipped in with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, a big block, a huge fast-break dunk, and 4-for-4 from the FT line.

    WSU moves to 23-9 all-time against PSU - 14-1 in Ogden and 9-8 in Portland. Coach Randy Rahe is now 5-1 against the Vikings.

    1/8/09
    Weber St. 80, Portland St. 66
    Box Score
    Associated Press
    PORTLAND, Ore. -- Kyle Bullinger scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half, lifting Weber State to an 80-66 win over Portland State on Thursday.

    Damian Lillard added 14 points for Weber State (8-7, 2-1 Big Sky Conference), which snapped Portland State's 18-game conference winning streak.

    Andre Murray and Dominic Waters had 16 points apiece for Portland State (12-5, 3-1). Jeremiah Dominguez added 11, but shot just 4-of-14 from the field.

    Weber State broke open a close game with a 6-0 run that put the Wildcats ahead 65-57 with 6:45 left. The Wildcats stifled the Portland offense down the stretch, limiting the Vikings to one field goal in the final 4:37.

    Bullinger went 5-for-5 from 3-point range and the Wildcats as a team shot 11-of-23 from that distance. Weber State also connected on 19-of-21 free throws and committed only nine turnovers.

    1/8/09
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 80-66
    Weber State Wildcats Portland State University

    1/5/09
    Thurs: WSU @ Portland State
    Watch Live | Listen Live
    This Thursday night WSU will take on the defending Big Sky Champs in Portland, Oregon. PSU won the regular season title and the conference tournament to get the automatic bid to the NCAA tourament. The Vikings went on to lose in the 1st Rd to the national champion Kansas Jayhawks.

    Since the Big Sky Conference started in 1964, 9 times there has been a team win back-to-back regular season titles. Five of these 9 were Weber State. PSU was selected to repeat as champs by the coaches and media polls this season.

    In the non-conference schedule PSU took down the then No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs 77-70 which was the first win for a Big Sky team against a ranked opponent since UM beat Nevada in the 1st Rd of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. PSU is ranked No. 10 in CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Poll. In the Sagarin Ratings PSU is ranked No. 89 the highest of any Big Sky team and WSU is in second at No. 145. Regarding SOS, WSU is No. 50 and PSU is No. 225 of the 340+ Div I schools.
    Currently the Vikings are 3-0 and 12-4 overall. They beat UM back in December 72-45, then within the past 4 days they handled Sac 79-67 and nearly lost to NAU 4 times in one game yesterday (4 over-times) in Flagstaff, final 92-91. Meanwhile WSU is just 1-0 having only played 1 conference game thus far.

    Other than the last year's Big Sky MVP as a junior, Jeremiah Dominguez, who averages 12.3 ppg and shoots nearly 43% from the arc, the Vikings have added the following key players to beef up their roster:

    Dominic Waters (junior, 6'1", 170 lbs), a Portland native transferred from the U of Hawai'i where he played 2 seasons. As a soph, he appeared in 30 games, started 1, averaged 6 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 1.6 assists in 17 minutes per game. Waters had a career-high 18 points & 5 assists against Idaho. He was the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2005-06. He sat out last season and is now eligible. In PSU's quadruple over-time game at NAU, Waters came off the bench and scored 41 points.

    Phil Nelson (sophomore, 6'7", 220 lbs), transferred to PSU from the U of Washington and is also an Oregon native. Nelson played in 31 games, started 9 and averaged 4.7 ppg & 2 rpg. Currently not practicing due to health reasons but expected to be back on the court soon. He sat out last season and is now eligible.

    Jamie Jones (junior, 6'7" 215 lbs), a U of Portland transfer comes to PSU after playing 2 seasons for the Portland Pilots. As a starter prior to sitting out last season, he was the team?s 2nd leading scorer and leading rebounder. He averaged 10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg and blocked a team-high 31 shots. Currently also not practicing due to health reasons but expected to be back on the court soon and is eligible for this season after sitting out last year.

    Weber's all-time record against PSU is 22-9. The 'Cats are an unbelievable 14-1 at home and 8-8 in Portland. The Wildcats hope to improve this record to 9-8 this week before heading to EWU on Saturday. Coach Randy Rahe is 4-1 all-time vs PSU.

    The PSU Vikings are on a roll right now with 17 straight Big Sky wins dating back to their last conference loss which was at Weber State last January 10th. The Viks have also won 15 straight home games dating back to last season. They have won 14 straight Big Sky home games and need just one more to tie that record on Jan 8th against Weber.

    The Big Sky record for the most straight wins is held by Weber State. Longest Winning streak: 18 straight games and 24 straight conference games. Longest Road winning streak: 13 conference games 1968-70 & 8 total road wins 1969.

    PSU Starters
    F-14 Kyle Coston 6-8 210 Jr Lynden, WA (6.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.8 apg)
    F-21 Phil Nelson 6-7 220 So Keizer, OR (12 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .325 3P%)
    C-44 Jamie Jones 6-7 215 Jr El Segundo, CA (10.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
    G-10 Jeremiah Dominguez 5-6 150 Sr Salem, OR (12.3 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.3 rpg, 2 spg, .429 3P%)
    G-3 Andre Murray 6-2 200 Sr Los Angeles, CA (10.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, .389 3P%)

    WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (8.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3P% .392)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3P% .368)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 3P% .424)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 True Fr Oakland, CA (9.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 3P% .382)

    PSU Schedule
    Nov 15 at Rice W 78-74
    Nov 18 Portland W 81-76
    Nov 23 CS-Fullerton W 76-75
    Nov 27 vs Northern Illinois W 79-58
    Nov 28 vs Hampton L 77-71 OT
    Nov 29 vs Seattle W 81-67
    Dec 6 Seattle W 73-68
    Dec 9 Lewis & Clark W 77-66
    Dec 14 at Washington L 84-83
    Dec 17 at Cal Poly L 65-62
    Dec 20 Montana W 72-45 8-3 (1-0)
    Dec 23 at No. 7 Gonzaga W 77-70
    Dec 27 at Texas Southern W 63-55
    Dec 29 at No. 20 Baylor L 79-66
    Jan 2 at Sacramento State W 79-67 (2-0)
    Jan 4 at Northern Arizona W 92-91 4OT (3-0)

    Last season WSU and PSU split 1-1, they didn't get the chance to meet in the conference tournament where WSU leads 3-0 all-time. The game in Ogden WSU won 73-68 and PSU won the game in Portland 76-73. The Vikings went 14-2 in the regular season.

    PSU Bio
    Established: 1946
    Undergraduates: 18,012
    Postgraduates: 6,272
    Location Portland, OR
    Colors: Forest Green & White
    WSU vs PSU, football: 17-12
    WSU vs PSU, basketball: 22-9

    1/3/09
    Weber St. 88, N. Colorado 84
    Box Score
    Courtesy: Associated Press
    OGDEN, Utah -- Weber State rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat Northern Colorado 88-84 in overtime Saturday night.

    Daviin Davis' 3-pointer gave WSU (7-7, 1-0 Big Sky) an 86-84 lead with 18 seconds left in overtime. Davis forced UNC to turn the ball over and Kellen McCoy sealed it with two free throws with 9.3 seconds left.

    McCoy scored 23 points and Damian Lillard had 18 for WSU, which set a school record with 15 3-pointers.

    The Bears (5-10, 1-2) opened the second half with a 11-0 run, including two 3-pointers from Will Figures. That gave Northern Colorado a 50-34 lead, its biggest advantage of the game, less than two minutes into the second half.

    WSU trailed 73-66 with 45 seconds left in regulation but Lillard's 3-pointer with 3 seconds left tied the score at 74 and sent it to overtime.Figures and Jabril Banks each scored 20 for UNC.

    1/3/09
    Gameday - Mascot Night
    Final: WSU W 88-84 in OT
    Weber State Wildcats University of Northern Colorado

    1/1/09
    Big Sky Play Begins: UNC @ WSU
    Watch Live | Listen Live
    Weber State men's hoops will open up conference play this year at home against Northern Colorado this Saturday, Jan 3rd at 7 PM. The game will also be the annual mascot night. On New Year's Day UNC lost at Idaho State 62-61 in over-time.

    The Bears and Wildcats have met on the court only 4 times in the history of both schools. Weber is 3-1 and Rahe has been the coach for each game. The first 2 meetings were during the 2006-07 season, the 'Cats won both games (61-60 & 76-65), also it was UNC's first year in the Big Sky. Overall as the head coach of Weber State, Randy Rahe is 42-33, 28-5 at home, 24-12 in Big Sky play, 17-2 at home in Big Sky games. Weber State is 2-0 all-time at home vs UNC and 1-1 at UNC. In fact, WSU is 30-2 at home all-time vs UNC, PSU, and Sac St combined.

    Last season the 'Cats and Bears split 1-1, each won their home game. The game in Greeley was the first conference game of the year and was featured on the Altitude. The 'Cats lost 55-52 in a close battle that came down to the wire but hot UNC shooting from downtown made sure Weber left with its first ever loss to UNC. With a 2nd chance at the Bears later that season and in Ogden, WSU made sure the Bears would remember the WSU senior class of 2008. UNC got blown out 70-54; WSU senior Dez Harris had 21 points and 4 steals, WSU senior Arturas Valeika had 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a steal.

    This season UNC was picked by the coaches/media polls to finish 6th in the Big Sky. So far the Bears are 5-9 overall and 1-1 in conference by having beat NAU at home this past Monday in an impressive come-from-behind 81-79 win after being down by 10 at the half and then lost at ISU on Thursday.

    UNC Starters
    F-22 Jabril Banks 6-7 230 Jr Denver, CO (13.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
    F-33 Neal Kingman 6-6 200 Jr Greeley, CO (6.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .512 3P%)
    G-32 Devon Beitzel 6-0 175 So Lafayette, CO (15.2 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.3 apg, .508 3P%)
    G-2 Will Figures 5-9 165 Jr Centennial, CO (10.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, .414 3P%)
    G-23 John Pena 5-10 160 Jr Phoenix, AZ (8.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.1 TO-pg)

    WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (7.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (8.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (11.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apg)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 Fr Oakland, CA (8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg)

    UNC Schedule
    Nov 14 at Oregon L 66-64
    Nov 18 at Colorado State L 85-74
    Nov 26 at Denver W 71-66 OT
    Nov 29 Texas State W 105-93
    Dec 3 San Diego State L 73-62
    Dec 6 Air Force L 71-64
    Dec 13 at Creighton L 85-66
    Dec 16 Portland W 76-73
    Dec 18 at Fresno State L 70-65
    Dec 20 at San Jose State L 89-78
    Dec 22 vs Liberty L 75-70
    Dec 23 vs Southern University W 76-68
    Dec 29 Northern Arizona W 81-79
    Jan 1 at Idaho State L 62-61 OT
    Jan 3 at Weber State 7:05 PM

    Bears Bio
    Established: 1889
    Undergraduates: 10,799
    Postgraduates: 2,182
    Location: Greeley, Colorado
    Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
    Home Court: Butler-Hancock, capacity 2,941

    UNC's Coach
    Tad Boyle, 3rd year, Kansas 1985
    Boyle, a Greeley native, spent 6 years as an assistant at Wichita State before coming to UNC. In 2006 Witchita State while Boyle was on staff they went 26-9 and advanced to the Sweet 16 by taking down Seton Hall (86-66) & Tennessee (80-73). Witchita eventually lost to Final 4 cinderella George Mason.

    UNC Extras
    To date, the Bears have never been to the Big Sky Conference post season or the NCAA Tourament. They haven't had yet an All-Big Sky 1st or 2nd team player. UNC has had 2 Big Sky honorable mentions, both last season - Sean Taibi and Jabril Banks. UNC's 1st Big Sky season, 2006-07 they finished 2-14 and 4-24 overall. Last season they finished 6-10 and 11-19 overall.

    12/30/08
    Arizona Rallies to Defeat Weber State 71-65
    Courtesy: Arizona Athletics
    TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Nic Wise scored a career-high 23 points as Arizona overcame a slow start and the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Jordan Hill to beat Weber State 71-65 Monday night.

    Hill sat out with a lower left leg injury sustained in practice a few days ago but should be ready when Arizona (9-3) plays its Pac-10 Conference opener Jan. 2 at California.

    Kellen McCoy had 16 points to lead Weber State (6-7) in the battle of the Wildcats.

    Chase Budinger finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for Arizona, which trailed 36-33 early in the second half.

    Budinger had only one field goal before dunking a half-court lob pass from Wise to give Arizona a 58-49 lead with 9:30 remaining.

    McCoy's 3-pointer and his short follow-up with 25 seconds brought Weber State within 69-65 before Jamelle Horne hit two free throws to seal Arizona's win.
    Box Score

    12/29/08
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 71-65
    Weber State Wildcats Arizona Wildcats

    12/28/08
    Mon: WSU @ Arizona
    Listen Live
    After playing a brutal 3 road games in just 4 days (Utah, UT-Pan American, Southern Miss), the 'Cats have had about a week off to recover. Now, WSU will be traveling down to Tucson, AZ, to take on the Arizona Wildcats on Monday, Dec 29th at 7 PM. Currently the AZ Wildcats are in the nation's top 50 and #38 in the Sagarin Ratings.Weber is currently 2-14 against the Pac 10 having played all but Stanford and USC, and the last time they played Arizona was in 1969-70. WSU Pac 10 wins: 59-57 at Arizona State in 1969-70 and a 61-49 win against Oregon State in 1976-77 in Portland in the Old Far West Classic.

    Monday's matchup is the 4th ever meeting between the Wildcats and Wildcats. U of A leads 3-0 and all 3 games have been played in Tucson: 1966-67, L 62-57; 1967-68, L 73-67; 1969-70, L 72-68.

    Arizona Basketball Success
    U of A's basketball team has been one of the nation's most successful programs since the legendary Lute Olson was hired as head coach (1983-2007). Last season the Wildcats finshed 19-15, prior to that they had had 20 consecutive 20-win seasons, and reached the NCAA Tournament 23 straight years.

    With Olson they went to the Final Four in '88, '94, '97, & '01. In '97, Arizona beat Kentucky to win the national title. They were also the 1st and only team in NCAA history to beat 3 #1 seeds to win a national title (Kansas, North Carolina, & Kentucky).

    Arizona Starters
    F-34 Chase Budinger 6-7 218 Jr Encinitas, CA (17.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.9 apg)
    F-43 Jordan Hill 6-10 235 Jr Atlanta, GA (18.9 ppg, 11.8 rpg)
    G-2 Zane Johnson 6-5 204 So Phoenix, AZ (3.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.2 apg)
    G-13 Nic Wise 5-10 177 Jr Houston, TX (13.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.5 apg)
    G-21 Kyle Fogg 6-2 175 Fr Brea, CA (5.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg)

    WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (8.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 Fr Oakland, CA (7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg)

    U of A Schedule
    Nov 17 Florida Atlantic W 75-62
    Nov 18 UAB L 72-71
    Nov 24 Mississippi Valley State W 86-52
    Nov 25 Santa Clara W 69-66
    Nov 30 Northern Arizona W 74-57
    Dec 2 Loyola Marymount W 84-57
    Dec 5 at Texas A&M L 67-66
    Dec 10 San Diego State W 69-56
    Dec 14 No. 4 Gonzaga W 69-64
    Dec 20 at UNLV L 79-64
    Dec 23 Kansas W 84-67

    Arizona Bio
    Location: Tucson, AZ
    Established: 1885
    Undergraduates: 29,070
    Graduates: 6,870
    Nickname: Wildcats
    Colors: Cardinal Red & Navy Blue
    Conference: PAC 10

    Arizona Wildcats in the NBA
    Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Sean Elliott, Damon Stoudamire, Luke Walton, Hassan Adams, Salim Stoudamire, Andre Iguodala, Channing Frye, Brian Williams, Sean Rooks, Jud Buechler, Michael Dickerson and Steve Kerr.

    12/23/08
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 68-49
    Box Score
    Weber State Wildcats Southern Miss

    12/22/08
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 61-54
    Box Score
    Weber State Wildcats Texas Pan-American Broncs

    12/21/08
    Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic
    Watch Live | Listen Live
    On Monday (4:30 PM) and Tuesday (6:30 PM) Weber State will be competing in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic. The games will take place at Gulfport High School (2,500). Teams in the Tournament are Spring Hill, Southern Miss, Texas-Pan American, and Weber State. On Monday, Weber will play its 2nd ever game against the Texas-Pan American Broncs, then the following evening the 'Cats will take on the host Golden Eagles of Southern Miss.

    The last time Weber played UTPA the price of gas was 34 cents per gallon and minimum wage was $1.60. The year was 1968, it was the first year Weber made it to the NCAA Tournament. That season the 'Cats won the Big Sky and finished the season 21-6 and 12-3 in conference play. In a non-conference game Weber beat UTPA 85-79 in Ogden. At the time UTPA was led by 6'11" All-American Otto Moore who was later drafted in the 1st round of the NBA draft to the Detroit Pistons. Moore spent 8 years in the NBA and even played 2 seasons ('75-'77) for the New Orleans Jazz. Also, Roger Reid, SUU head coach was on that Weber '68 team.

    Southern Miss is led by head coach Larry Eustachy the former Idaho and Utah State basketball coach. With Idaho from 1990-93 back when they were in the Big Sky, Eustachy went 3-4 against Weber and 61-33 overall. At USU from 1993-98 he went 2-2 against WSU and 98-53 overall. He left "the land where the sagebrush grows" in '98 for Iowa State where he compiled a record of 101-59 before becoming the USM coach. At USM he is 66-67.

    Weber's game vs USM will be the first ever meeting between the 2 schools.

    Probable UT-Pan American Starters
    F-10 Emmanuel Jones 6-7 215 Sr Washington DC (18.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg)
    F-2 Nathan Hawkins 6-6 250 Jr San Antonio, TX (9.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
    G-11 Jared Maree 6-2 185 Fr Houston, TX (3.7 ppg 2.1 rpg, 1.1 apg)
    G-33 Ben Smith 6-3 175 Jr Pharr, TX (8.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg)
    G-12 Nick Weiermiller 6-1 185 So Elmira, NY (10.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 6.5 apg)

    Probable Southern Miss Starters
    F-32 Andre Stephens 6-8 235 Jr Paulding, MS (6.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
    F-1 Courtne Beasley 6-3 210 Sr Huntsville, AL (12.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
    G-3 Jeremy Wise 6-2 165 Jr Jackson, MS (19.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.5 apg)
    G-15 RL Horton 6-0 175 So Jackson, MS (11.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 apg)
    G-23 Craig Craft 6-3 190 Sr Raleigh, MS (8.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.7 apg)

    Probable WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (8.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 Fr Oakland, CA (7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg)

    UTPA Bio
    Location: Edinburg, TX
    Established: 1927
    Students: 17,048
    Nickname: Broncs
    Colors: Burnt Orange & Green
    Conference: Independent

    USM Bio
    Location: Hattiesburg, MS
    Established: 1910
    Students: 16,050
    Nickname: Golden Eagles
    Colors: Black & Gold
    Conference: Conference USA

    UTPA Schedule
    Nov 15 Sul Ross W 84-59
    Nov 18 at UNLV L 73-48
    Nov 20 at California L 85-58
    Nov 22 vs Wofford L 75-70
    Nov 23 vs UCCS W 87-78
    Nov 28 vs North Carolina A&T L 67-60
    Nov 29 vs Western Illinois L 62-60
    Dec 5 at Drake L 59-57
    Dec 7 vs, North Carolina Central W 56-50
    Dec 13 at Air Force L 71-50
    Dec 18 Texas-San Antonio W 74-72

    USM Schedule
    Nov 15 Loyola NO W 75-51
    Nov 18 Alabama State W 74-61
    Nov 21 vs No. 16 Miami FL L 70-60
    Nov 22 vs La Salle W 76-72
    Nov 24 vs Iona W 64-63
    Dec 2 South Alabama L 76-73
    Dec 6 at New Mexico L 60-58
    Dec 11 at Kansas State L 74-55
    Dec 15 William Carey W 69-44
    Dec 18 McNeese State W 69-50

    12/21/08
    Utah 74, Weber State 64
    Associated Press:
    SALT LAKE CITY -- Tyler Kepkay scored 21 points, including 10 in a row late in the game, to lift Utah to a 74-64 victory over Weber State.

    The Utes snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's win.

    Carlon Brown added a career-high 19 points and season-high 10 rebounds for the Utes (6-4), who beat the Wildcats (5-5) for the eighth straight time.

    The Utes had blown a 14-point lead in the second half when Kepkay began his game-breaking streak with barely five minutes left. He scored back-to-back 3-pointers and then hit two free throws and scored a scooping layup, giving the Utes a 68-59 lead that Weber State never recovered from.

    Damian Lillard and Steve Panos led four Wildcats in double-figures with 13 points each, but WSU committed 17 turnovers and scored only eight points in the final seven minutes.

    Box Score

    12/20/08
    Gameday
    Final: WSU L 74-64
    Weber State Wildcats University of Utah

    12/18/08
    Sat: WSU @ Utah
    Weber State is 12-24 all-time against Utah and 9-8 at home. The Utes have won 7 straight meetings against Weber which is the 'Cats longest in-state losing streak. WSU's last victory over the Utes (79-77) was in Salt Lake in 2000-01.

    This year's Utes are 5-4 overall (8th in the Mtn West) and are on a 3 game losing streak. The 3 losses were to Idaho State, Cal, & Oklahoma. In the Oklahoma game Utah junior Luka Drca tripped an opposing player which resulted in Utah suspending him for 2 games (Weber State & USU). Drca is averaging almost 9 points per game and has started every game but 1 due to an injury.

    Probable Utah Starters
    F-14 Kim Tillie 6-10 215 Jr France (4.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg
    C-50 Luke Nevill 7-2 265 Sr Perth, Australia (17.2 ppg, 8 rpg)
    G-11 Lawrence Borha 6-3 205 Sr Staten Island, NY (10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
    G-15 Carlon Brown 6-5 205 So Riverside, CA (8.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.6 apg)
    G-2 Jace Tavita 6-4 190 Fr Brighton, UT (0.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.9 apg)

    Probable WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (8.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (10.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (11.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 Fr Oakland, CA (6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg)

    Utes Bio
    Established: 1850
    Undergraduates: 28,619
    Postgraduates: 6,531
    Nickname: Utes
    Colors: Red & White
    Conference: Mountain West

    Utes Schedule (5-4)
    Nov 15 Southwest Baptist L 80-79
    Nov 18 Wisconsin-Green Bay W 79-60
    Nov 21 vs Mississippi W 83-72
    Nov 22 vs Morgan State W 66-37
    Nov 28 at Missouri State W 71-58
    Dec 3 Oregon W 95-81
    Dec 6 at Idaho State L 72-68
    Dec 10 California L 72-69
    Dec 13 at No. 5 Oklahoma L 70-52

    12/17/08
    Gauchos Drop Road Contest to Weber State, 70-63
    Courtesy: UCSB Athletics
    OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- Steve Panos scored a career-high 21 points to help Weber State defeat UC Santa Barbara 70-63 on Wednesday night.

    Panos was 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line as the Wildcats (5-4) won their third straight game. Daviin Davis and Nick Hansen added 13 points apiece, while Kellen McCoy finished with 12.

    Weber State went on an 11-1 run near the end of the first half and went into the break with a 37-29 lead.

    Chris Devine hit back-to-back jumpers for the Gauchos (5-5) to cut the Wildcats' lead to 65-60 with 1:34 remaining, and then converted on a three-point play to bring Santa Barbara to within 67-63 with 34 seconds left.

    But McCoy made three free throws in the final 32 seconds to seal the win.

    Jesse Byrd scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Gauchos.

    Box Score
    Davis: 13 pts, 5 asts, 2 stls
    Hansen: 13 pts, 4 rebs, 3 3's, stl
    Panos: 21 pts, 8-11 FG's, 5 rebs, blk
    McCoy: 12 pts, 3 asts, stl


    12/17/08
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 70-63
    Weber State Wildcats UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos

    12/16/08
    Wed: UC-Santa Barbara @ WSU
    Listen live on the Internet at KLO 1430 AM
    Weber State will host the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos on Wednesday, December 17th at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. Tipoff will be at 7:05 PM and the game will also be "Ball Night". Currently the Gauchos are 5-4 overall and in 3rd place in the Big West Conference.

    The Wednesday night matchup is just the 2nd ever meeting between the Gauchos and Wildcats. The first meeting was in 2003 at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Weberwon 91-82, WSU went on to finish that season 26-6 overall and undefeated in Big Sky play (16-0). Weber will head to UCSB next season to complete the home-and-home deal.

    This season's UCSB team has had issues with turnovers which is good news for WSU. In the first 6 games of the year, UCSB averaged over 19 turnovers per game. Since then they have turned things around averaging 13.3 per game (last 3 games). Overall they are averaging 17.3 TO's per game. In those first 6 games they had 4 games with 20+ TO's.

    Probable UCSB Starters
    G-1 D.J. Posley - 5.3 ppg, 3.2 apg
    G-20 Will Brew, Jr. - 2 career starts (last 2 games)
    G-42 James Powell - 12.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg
    F-10 Chris Devine - 12.9 ppg, 6 rpg; 10th in school history with 1,246 career points
    F-44 Jesse Byrd - 8.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg

    Probable WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (9.9 ppg)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.0 apg)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 Fr Oakland, CA (7.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg)

    Gauchos Bio
    Established: 1905
    Location: Santa Barbara, CA
    Undergraduates: 17,726
    Postgraduates: 2,833
    Nickname: Gauchos
    Colors: Blue & Gold
    Conference: Big West

    UCSB Schedule (5-4)
    November 14 Cal State-Los Angeles W 64-55
    November 17 Utah State L 61-59
    November 21 #1 North Carolina L 84-67
    November 24 at San Francisco L 73-72
    November 28 vs, Winston-Salem W 71-58
    November 29 vs. Nicholls State W 57-38
    November 30 at Illinois State L 87-59
    December 4 at Utah Valley W 62-57
    December 13 Loyola Marymount W 81-61

    12/16/08
    Davis - Big Sky POTW
    Daviin Davis was selected as Player of the Week by the Big Sky Conference for leading WSU to 2 victories last week against SUU and Long Beach St. Davis doesn't even start for the Wildcats yet he still ends up being POTW. Davis, the WSU senior says he is more comfortable coming off the bench and is more effective that way. He can get a good look at the opposing team and watch the flow of the game.

    Last week Davis averaged 15.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. He shot 53.8 percent from the field, and 80 percent from the line.

    Long Beach
    In just 24 minutes of play, Davis scored 14 points, pulled down 5 rebs, and blocked a shot. Two rough LBSU fouls kept Davis dunkless in the game. Davis' lone block in the game was on a fast break to stop what would have been the game's only dunk.

    SUU
    He scored a team-high 17 points, 4 blocks, a steal and one assist, 5-of-8 field goals, 7-of-9 from the free-throw line (5-of-6 free throws in the final 40 seconds).

    Wildcats Cool Off Thunderbirds, 66-62
    (Dec 13)
    Courtesy: Southern Utah Athletics
    CEDAR CITY, Utah, Dec. 13 - Weber State got double-figure scoring performances from four players and held Southern Utah to a season-low 38.6 percent shooting night Saturday in claiming a 66-62 win over the Thunderbirds in non-conference men's basketball action.

    Daviin Davis came off the bench to score 17 points and block four shots while Nick Hansesn added 13 points, Damian Lillard scored 11 and Steve Panos finished with 10 for the Wildcats to offset a 28 point performance by Davis Baker and 18 from Tyler Quinney.

    Southern Utah led 26-24 at halftime despite shooting just 31.8 percent in the opening frame but the Wildcats opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Hansen and never trailed again. Panos scored on a layup after a missed Southern Utah shot to push the WSU margin to three, then after the teams exchanged baskets Weber State went on an 11-2 run to push its advantage to 42-32.

    Southern Utah went on a run of its own in the final three minutes, cutting a 59-49 deficit to 59-54 on a Baker 3-pointer and a Quinney layup with 1:43 to play. Quinney had an opportunity to cut further into the lead after being fouled on the shot but missed his free throw. Both teams misfired on their subsequent possessions, then Baker brought the Thunderbirds within 59-56 with a pair of free throws.

    After Davis hit two free throws to extend the Wildcat advantage to 61-56 Dave Marek hit a three to pull SUU within two but the Wildcats hit five of six free throws the rest of the way to hold off the Thunderbird comeback. "Weber State outplayed us tonight," SUU Coach Roger Reid said. "It's about that simple. They defended better than we did, they shot the ball better than we did, they rebounded better than we did and they took advantage of opportunities better than we did.

    "It's a disappointing loss because we had been playing so well the last couple of weeks, but we can learn from this game and move on," he added. "We've got another big in-state game next week against Utah State and we'll go to work on that one."

    Weber State out-rebounded SUU 32-to-25, marking the first time the Thunderbirds have come up short on the glass since the Florida game back on Nov. 20 and only the second time all season. Weber State also shot an even 50 percent from the floor, including .583 in the second half.

    SUU held a significant advantage at the free throw line, where the Thunderbirds hit 25-of-31 attempts (.806), while the Wildcats connected on 17-of-23 (.739). WSU had four players foul out of the game while SUU lost one to fouls and had two more with four when the game ended.

    SUU saw its record dip to 3-6 with the loss while Weber State evened its mark at 4-4.

    -- SUU --

    Box Score
    Davis: 17 pts, 4 blks, stl
    Hansen: 13 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts, 3 3's
    Lillard: 11 pts
    Panos: 10 pts, 5 rebs, blk, stl
    Mahoney: 6 pts, 7 rebs, 2 blks


    12/13/08
    Gameday
    Final: WSU W 66-62


    12/12/08
    Sat: Weber @ SUU
    The Weber State Wilcats and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds have met on the court 24 times since 1982. Weber leads the series with a record of 18-6. In Ogden WSU is 14-2 and just 4-4 in Cedar. Tomorrow's game will be the first meeting since 2006-07.

    Weber will get the chance for a win at the Centrum after having lost the last 2 down South. In 2006-07 WSU lost 75-63 and in 2005-06 WSU lost 68-47, in '06 WSU won just 10 games all year.

    The only overtime game in the series was also SUU?s first ever 'W' over the 'Cats, winning 92-90 in 1986-87 in Ogden. Of the last 5 meetings between the 2 teams SUU has won 3 of them.

    Probable SUU Starters
    F-50 Tyler Quinney 6-7 210 Sr Sandy, UT (14 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
    C-44 John Clifford 6-10 210 Sr South Jordan, UT (10.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
    G-10 Dave Marek 6-2 180 Sr Benesov, CZECH (7.3 ppg, 3.5 apg)
    G-12 Mike Josserand 5-11 165 So Las Vegas, NV (4.1 ppg, 4.3 apg)
    G-25 Davis Baker 6-4 195 Jr Coto de Caza, CA (17.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

    Probable WSU Starters
    F-3 Kyle Bullinger 6-6 210 Fr Mountain View, WY (10.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
    F-12 Nick Hansen 6-4 200 Jr Pocatello, ID (9.4 ppg)
    C-40 Steve Panos 6-8 240 Jr Salt Lake City, UT (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
    G-33 Kellen McCoy 5-6 180 Sr Norman, OK (12.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.2 apg)
    G-1 Damian Lillard 6-2 180 Fr Oakland, CA (6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 apg)

    T-Bird Bio
    Established: 1897
    Location: Cedar City, UT
    Nickname: Thunderbirds
    Colors: Red & White
    Undergraduates: 6,490
    Postgraduates: 567
    Conference: Summit League

    SUU Schedule
    Nov 15 Mesa College W 85-73
    Nov 20 at No. 19 Florida L 64-50
    Nov 22 at Tennessee Tech L 69-68
    Nov 25 Seattle Pacific L 75-65
    Nov 29 at Boise State L 62-59
    Dec 2 Oakland W 82-66 2-4
    Dec 4 IPFW W 78-62 3-4
    Dec 6 at UC Riverside L 67-63

    12/11/08
    The Davis Show Continues! 'Cats beat Beach
    On Thursday night the Wildcats beat the Long Beach State 49ers 72-63. Five WSU players scored in double figures most noticeably was Daviin Davis. Davis scored 14 points, 5 rebounds, and a monster block near the end of the game to stop what would have been the game's only dunk. Davis had at least 3 opportunities for his usual big-time crowd pleasing dunks but the 49ers stopped him no matter how borderline flagrant the fouls appeared to be.

    The night was also the break out game for true freshman Damien Lillard, the 18 year-old from Oakland finished the game with multiple career highes - 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 three-pointers (2 of which were from way back behind the arc), 2 steals, and a block. WSU fans should be excited to see him for the next 3 years to come.

    Unlike what Wildcat fans had seen lately...the 'Cats were able to continue playing consistently after the half-time break. The score was 27-27 but as soon as the ball was inbounded for the final 20 minutes of play the Purple & White pounced on the 49ers early on building up a comfy lead. In the first 7 minutes McCoy made a layup and Panos knocked in a 2 point jumper, then it began to rain. The 'Cats made five 3-pointers: 3 by Hansen and one a piece from Bullinger and Lillard. With 12:32 left in the game WSU was up by 14 which was the biggest lead of the game.

    With a minute and a half left Beach got back within 5 and looked like they maybe had a chance, but the best WSU free throw shooting of the year for the 'Cats put the nail in the coffin for the win.

    Weber shot (24-52) 46% from the field, (11-24) 46% from beyond the arc, and (13-15) 87% from the line.

    Box Score
    Lillard: 15 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts, 2 stls, 3 3's, blk
    McCoy: 15 pts, 2 stls
    Davis: 14 pts, 5 rebs, blk
    Hansen: 12 pts, 4 rebs, 4 3's
    Bullinger: 10 pts, 8 rebs


    Gameday
    (Dec 11)
    Final: WSU W 72-63


    Thurs: Long Beach @ Weber
    (Dec 10)
    Long Beach State is 4-3 so far with its first win of the season being against Weber State. The game was at Long Beach and Weber lost in overtime. The 'Cats were up 32-21 at the half and it looked like the 49ers weren't gonna be much of a challenge.

    Even in the 2nd half Weber got up to a 23 point lead. The 49ers slowly were catching up and finally took the lead with a few minutes remaining in the game. WSU went 10 minutes without a FG. With 1 second left in the game, McCoy made a half court shot to tie it up 63 all to send the game in OT.

    In the 2nd half Long Beach outscored WSU 42-31. Too many 2nd half turnovers made it too difficult for WSU to win. In the 1st half Weber scored 14 points off of TO's, Beach scored 0. Then in the 2nd half Long Beach scored 18 to WSU's 9 off of TO's. Weber outrebounded the 49ers 38-36, out shot them 44% to 41%, FT's 64% to 50%, but the scoring drought was too devistating to the 'Cats.

    In overtime Weber was outscored 10-6 for the loss.

    LBSU Schedule
    Nov 14 at Brigham Young L 75-65
    Nov 16 at No. 21 Wisconsin L 68-61
    Nov 22 Weber State W 73-69
    Nov 25 at Idaho State W 88-82
    Nov 30 New Mexico State W 82-77
    Dec 3 Pepperdine W 80-61
    Dec 6 at San Francisco L 78-74

    Weber and Long Beach have a little history together in basketball.Long Beach was the first ever opponent at the Dee Events Center in 1977 which WSU won in overtime.

    The 2 schools have also met in the NCAA post season. Weber has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, the 'Cats have 6 all-time wins and 15 all-time losses. Three of the 15 losses were to Long Beach State. In 1970, WSU lost to the 49ers 92-73; in 1971 WSU lost 77-66; in 1973 WSU lost 88-75. The early 70's 49ers were coached by Jerry Tarkanian aka Tark the Shark.

    49ers Bio
    Established: 1949
    Location: Long Beach, CA
    Undergraduates: 30,607
    Graduates: 6,263
    Conference: Big West
    Nickname: 49ers, Dirtbags, The Beach
    Mascot: Prospector Pete
    Colors: Black & Gold

    'Cats Lose to Other Cats
    (Dec 3)
    Final: WSU L 92-62

    Box Score
    Bullinger: 16 pts, 5 rebs, 3 three's.
    Panos: 12 pts
    Davis: 10 pts, 2 blks, dunk


    'Cats Beat 'Diggers
    (Nov 29)
    Final: WSU W 77-62

    Box Score
    Panos: 12 pts, 8 rebs
    Davis: 11 pts, 4 blks, 4 asts, 2 stls
    McCoy: 11 pts, 4 asts
    Lillard: 10 pts, 3 stls
    Hansen: 10 pts


    Sat: Montana Tech @ Weber - Magnet Night
    (Nov 28)
    Tip off 7 PM
    There will be no radio coverage for Saturday's game with Montana Tech. The football game at Cal Poly will be carried live on KLO 1430 instead.

    The football game can also be viewed online at cbssports.com:
    http://all-access.cbssports.com...html

    Montana Tech Bio
    Nickname: Orediggers
    Location: Butte, MT
    Established: 1889
    Enrollment: 2,320
    Colors: Green & Copper
    NCAA Classification: Division II

    Saturday's basketball game will be the 4th ever meeting between the Wildcats and Orediggers. Weber leads the series 3-0. All three games have been played in Ogden. The first meeting was during the 2002-03 season, the 'Cats won 94-58 (26-6 overall on the season). In 2005-06 the 'Cats won 81-51 (10-18 overall) and two years ago in 2006-07 WSU won 81-53 (20-12 overall).

    The Orediggers have faced one Div I opponent so far this year. They lost at Idaho State 73-55 earlier this month. Dirk Anderson, Tech's leading scorer, led the team with 10 points in the game. They had 11 steals and shot 9-19 (47%) from 3-point range.
    Box Score - MT Tech / ISU

    Also, Kelvin Sampson, former Indiana head coach, was the Montana Tech coach from 1981-85. According to Wikipedia, despite his storied off-court issues, Sampson has an open invitation to return to Butte to coach again. Montana Tech named it's new basketball court after Sampson.
    Athletic Director Joe McClafferty: "Sampson is a great man who did a tremendous amount for the school."

    Recap: Weber @ Utah State
    (Nov 26)
    Box Score
    On Tuesday, Weber made its 28th appearance at the Smith Spectrum in Logan and it was also the 60th overall meeting between the 2 schools. Knowing the 'Cats hadn't had a win in Logan since 1993, the fans new it would be a battle.

    From the tipoff, the Wildcats played the Aggies tough and five minutes into the game the Purple & White took the lead. With 7:22 remaining in the first half, Nick Hansen stole the ball and made a quick layup that put Weber up 24-13. Then a trey by Kellen McCoy made it 27-15, 6 minutes to go. Finally at the half the score was 35-28 with WSU in the lead. The refs made sure to call as many ticky-tack fouls as possible since the game after all was in Logan.

    USU was 14-18 from the line at half time keeping them in the game, otherwise the game could have gotten out of hand with a lopsided score. Weber had 14 fouls to USU's 7.

    Utah State shot just 7-21 from the field and 0-6 from downtown. Weber shot near 50% (13-27) from the field, (4-7) 57% from the arc, and 5-5 from the line. The 'Cats also had just 4 TO's, with the first one not happening until 8 minutes into the game. It was the best half of basketball Weber had played all year. At the same time it was the worst half of Aggie basketball all year.

    As soon as the 2nd half started Weber began to struggle to keep the lead. In the first 4 minutes WSU scored 3 buckets which would be the only FG's they would make in the entire 20 minute half. In the final 16:20 the only points were from FT's. Ten 2nd half turnovers didn't make things any easier for Weber. Meanwhile USU was on fire, in the last 16 minutes of the game the Aggies played their best half of basketball all year and Weber played their worst half of the year.

    Weber couldn't get anything going, in the 2nd half WSU's shooting percentage had dropped to 38% by shooting 3-15, 0-4 from 3's, 8-11 from FT's. USU shot 65% to improve its shooting percentage to 52% on the game, they even starting making 3's, hitting 5 of 7, they could do no wrong.

    The final score of 75-49 was the biggest loss to USU in the history of the series. The 49 points was the lowest point total ever by a Weber team against USU. USU's 5 turnovers in the game was a school record (program is over 100 years old). Weber's 14 2nd half points was the 2nd lowest scoring half in school history. The lowest was last year at New Mexico, Weber scored 12 points in the first half at The Pit.

    Weber had its best TO game with just 14, and best night of FT shooting 13-16 (81.3%) thus far in the 2008-09 season.

    Next game: Montana Tech @ Weber State, November 29th, 7 PM.

    'Cats lose to Aggies in 60th All-Time Meeting
    (Nov 25)
    Final: WSU L 75-49

    Box Score
    Panos: 17 pts, 8 rebs
    McCoy: 16 pts
    Hansen: 10 pts

    Tues: Weber State @ Utah State
    (Nov 24)
    Tip-off: 7 PM Nov 25
    Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan. Currently the 'Cats have a 1 game winning streak vs USU and look attempt to win 2 in a row for the first time since 2002. The overall series is, WSU 25 wins & USU 34 wins, this year's game is the 60th all-time meeting.

    Against the Ag's, the 'Cats are 15-13 at home and 2-1 on neutral courts, and 8-19 in Logan.

    The first 2 games ever played between WSU & USU was 1971 & 1972, both in Logan and both won by Weber.

    There has been 5 overtime games and WSU has taken 3 of them. The lowest scoring game between the 2 was 1971, WSU won 63-62. The highest scoring game was 1988, USU won 107-93. The series has gone back and forth and WSU has led in wins up until 1988 where the series came to a 17-17 tie. Since '89 the Aggies have led the series and the 'Cats kept within 4 games until USU's recent 6 game win streak that put them 10 ahead until and currently 9 ahead.

    Stew Morrill is in his 11th season as USU's head coach, he is 7-4 against Weber. His 1st year was 1999 and his Aggies lost by 20 points to the 'Cats at the Delta Center. Stew would lose 3 of his first 4 competitions. Stew Morrill is the winningest coach in USU history with 200+ wins and 9 straight 20 win seasons. This season USU has 18 home games and a possible home ESPN Bracket Buster game which will help in securing another 20 win season.

    Coach Rahe spent 13 seasons as an assistant to Stew Morrill (Colorado State & Utah State). Rahe is 1-2 vs Stew.

    Long Beach Wins in Overtime
    (Nov 22)
    Final: WSU L 73-69

    Box Score
    Panos: 15 pts, 10 rebs
    McCoy: 13 pts, 6 stls
    Davis: 12 pts, 2 stls, blk

    Signing Day Commitments
    (Nov 21)
    Two high school seniors just signed their national letters of intent to play for the 'Cats in 2009-10 along with one junior college transfer.

    Byron Fulton, 6'7", 230 lb forward/center from (Saint Mary's High) Phoenix, AZ, has signed letter of intent to come to Weber State. Fulton is rated as a 74 on espn.com. Many of last years new recruits to the Big Sky Conference were rated as 40's.
    AZcentral.com article

    Blake Davis, 6'5", 205 lb small forward also from (Saint Mary's High) Phoenix, AZ, has signed letter of intent to come to Weber State. Davis is rated as a 73 on espn.com. Davis plays on the same high school team as Fulton and maintains a 3.62 GPA.
    AZcentral.com article

    Lindsey Hughey, 6'3", 194 lb shooting guard has signed letter of intent to come to Weber State. This season he will play his sophomore season for Seminol State College in Oklahoma. Last season as a 2nd team JUCO All-American he averaged 12.8 ppg, 51.3% from the field, & 40.7% from beyond the arc. He played his high school ball at South Grand Prairie in Grand Prairie, TX. At Grand Prairie, Lindsey was a McDonald All American nominee, District 6-5 MVP, 2005-2006 Offensive Player of the Year, first team All District.

    Coach Rahe's comments:
    "Blake is a tough, hard-nosed, competitive kid. He plays extremely hard everyday and just knows how to play on both ends of the court. Byron is a 240 pound post player who is really skilled, has great hands plus he has the arm span of a 7'1" player, so he plays much bigger in the post."

    "Lindsey has a high skill level. He competes every single possession whether in a game or in practice. He was just what we were looking for at the two guard spot."

    "We are really excited about have these three players coming into our program. First off, they are each good students and work hard in the classroom. They are all high character individuals, good citizens and will be good teammates. Each of them has a bright future ahead of them here at Weber State."

    Recap of UCLA Tournament
    (Nov 15)
    Nov 12: Miami OH 70, WSU 66
    Box Score

    Nov 12: UCLA 82, Prairie View 58
    Box Score

    Nov 13: WSU 78, Prairie View 68
    Box Score

    Nov 13: UCLA 64, Miami OH 59
    Box Score

    Game 1 - Miami/WSU
    Weber State was in a tied ball game with 1.7 ticks left and hoping to be on its way to playing UCLA until Kenny Hayes knocked in a game winning shot for the Redhawks. A foul was also called on the shot and the 'Cats ended up losing by 4. Hayes finished the game an amazing 7-7 from beyond the arc, and a game-high 24 points. The Redhawk win was also career no. 300 for head coach Charlie Coles. WSU played a typical Rahe style physical game with Miami and even outrebounded them, shot a higher FG percentage, but turnovers kept Miami in the game from start to finish. Miami scored 20 points off of WSU's 21 TO's. Weber also shot just 65% (13-20) from the FT line.

    Game 2 - UCLA/Prairie View
    As expected UCLA blewout the competition in the first round of the tournament. The nationally 4th ranked Bruins didn't let up against the Panthers all game, the half-time score was 38-19 with the Panthers shooting just 23%. UCLA had 37 points from its freshman and even one true freshman in the starting lineup. The Bruins didn't question whether or not they would play the winner from the earlier game that night.

    Game 3 - WSU/Prairie View
    With the high number for turnovers from the Miami game, the 'Cats new they'd have to work for a W over Prairie View even though they didn't look like much of a team the way they got punished by UCLA.

    As WSU's 2nd game began the Wildcats were already turning the ball over much like against Miami and even ended the first half with 15 TO's. WSU trailed 36-29. Even 3 minutes into the 2nd half more turnovers plagued the Purple & White and they were down by 14 points. Weber never gave up, the 'Cats played tough and completed the game outrebounding the Panthers 36-26, shot 57.4% FG's, kept the Panthers shooting percentage under 40%, and improved FT shooting to 71%. Minus the 23 WSU TO's at the end of this consolation game and it may not have been much of a game similar to the night before.

    Prairie View made 17 points off of TO's

    Game 4 - UCLA/Miami
    Miami gave UCLA a scare, the Redhawks were in it the entire game and were only down 2 at the half. The Bruins couldn't seal the deal until Darren Collison made two free throws with 21 seconds remaining. Ben Howland teams typically are very defense focused, the game was either a good test for them or a wake up call. Miami's Michael Bramos scored the game high 22 points. Bramos became the 33rd player in Miami history to amass 1,000 career points.

    UCLA coach Ben Howland: "That was a very hard-fought win, we knew they'd be very patient. They really grind it out and make it tough. They also have senior, veteran guys."

    Miami coach Charlie Coles: "We played a good team on their home floor. Of course, I would have liked to have won this game, but if you lose, I want to make sure what carryover we have. I hope this is a good carryover and we take away what we did right and not the emotions of the game."

    Overall Weber's season looks very optimistic, they are a very young team with 3 freshman getting lots of minutes and a total of 5 players who have never played Div I basketball before. Also note that Kellen McCoy scored 28 points and shot 7-8 from the line in the tournament games and his status was questionable whether or not he would even play due to the ankle injury from the UCCS game.

    UCLA (2-0) will advanced to next week's semifinals against Michigan at Madison Square Garden. Duke (#8) meets Southern Illinois in the other game.

    'Cats beat Panthers
    (Nov 12)
    Final: WSU W 78-68
    vs

    'Cats lose to Redhawks
    (Nov 12)
    Final: WSU L 70-66
    vs

    Box Score
    McCoy: 16 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts
    Bullinger: 13 pts

    Wed: WSU vs Miami (OH)
    2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer
    (Nov 11)
    Nov 10-13 | Regional Rounds at campus sites
    Nov 20-21 | Championship Rounds | Madison Square Garden
    Bracket
    Tournament Game Schedule

    Los Angeles Regional
    11/12/08 Miami (Ohio) vs. Weber State 5:15 pm
    11/12/08 Prairie View A&M vs. UCLA 8:00 pm (ESPNU)
    11/13/08 Consolation Game 6:15 pm
    11/13/08 Championship Game 9:00 pm

    Wednesday, Nov 12, WSU Wildcats vs Miami (OH) RedHawks. The winner will face either UCLA or Prairie View A&M on Thursday and the losers will play in the consolation game. The winner of the Thursday night championship game on ESPNU will go on and advance to Madison Square Garden in NYC on Nov 20-21 for the championship rounds.

    Miami of Ohio
    Undergraduates: 18,863
    Postgraduates: 1,642
    Location: Oxford, OH
    Conference: Mid-American Conference
    Colors: Red & White

    Wednesday night's game will be the season opener for both the Widlcats and RedHawks. Weber has played Miami just once and the 'Cats posted an 86-83 overtime loss in Ogden during the 1986-87 season. Steve Panos played with one of the Miami Redhawks this past summer. Miami senior forward Michael Bramos along with Panos spent 10 days in Greece on a trip sponsored by the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.

    UCLA is ranked #4 in the preseason AP Poll. The Bruins bring back 2 starters from last year's team which posted a 35-4 record and won the PAC-10 regular-season and tournament titles, and a Final Four appearance. UCLA looks to make it to a 4th straight Final Four appearance this season. Weber is 0-2 all-time vs UCLA and both games were in the NCAA Tournament (1971 & 2007). UCLA's head coach, Ben Howland, played basketball for Weber State and graduated in 1981.

    Video of Ben Howland's Monday news conference:
    http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ucla&media=89085

    Prairie View A&M is located in Prairie View, Texas, and is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Last season A&M posted an 8-22 overall record (6-12 in conference).

    WSU Wins Final Exhibition Game
    (Nov 8)
    Final: WSU W 96-81
    vs

    Davis: 19 pts, 6 asts, 3 dunks
    Morris: 13 pts
    Bullinger: 14 pts
    Lillard: 13 pts
    Carson: 12 pts

    Standard-Examiner: Rahe likes way WSU shares

    Mid-Major Top 25
    (Nov 5)
    CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 released its first weekly poll of the new basketball season. No Big Sky teams are in the top 25 but 3 of our schools have received points. Portland State is on the verge of being ranked, the Vikings have 91 points. The 25th ranked school is CS-Northridge (former Big Sky member 1995-2001) with 118 points.

    Also from the Big Sky getting a little notice is Northern Arizona and Montana. NAU has 20 points and UM is near the bottom with 4 points.

    The only non Big Sky school in the rankings or receiving points to be ranked that WSU will play this season is UC-Santa Barbara with 23 points. Weber will host Santa Barbara in Ogden on Dec 17th.

    The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 is now in its tenth season of existence. Weber finished the 2007 season ranked 25th. In 2003, WSU finished the season in the top 10 (and #30 in the AP Poll).

    Voting Panel: Mike Adras (Northern Arizona), Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Will Brown (Albany), Dave Calloway (Monmouth), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Steve Donahue (Cornell), James Fox (Davidson), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Brad Holland (UC Santa Barbara), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara), Billy Kennedy (Murray State), Tod Kowalczyk (UW-Green Bay), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Jim Les (Bradley), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Bart Lundy (High Point), Bob Marlin (Sam Houston State), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Ritchie McKay (Liberty), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M), Charles Ramsey (Eastern Michigan), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Gary Stewart (UC Davis), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts), Scott Wagers (East Tennessee State), James Wilhelmi (Howard), Ralph Willard (Holy Cross).

    The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit League, Sun Belt, West Coast.

    Sat: UCCS @ WSU 5 PM
    (Nov 4)
    The Weber State men's basketball team will complete its exhibition schedule this Saturday with another home game at the Dee. The 'Cats will host the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Mountain Lions. The last time the 2 teams met was also at the Dee 2 years ago and the 'Cats were victorious winning with the final score of 86-67.

    Much like WSU, UCCS is an institution of higher learning with a slightly higher ratio of female students to male students. UCCS - 58% female students, and 42% male students.

    The U.S. News & World Report college and university rankings put UCCS' College of Engineering and Applied Science as ranked fourth-best among public universities and No. 16 overall among bachelor and master's degree engineering schools. UCCS recently hosted 2008 Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama, and now currently President Elect Barack Obama.

    The Mtn Lion bball squad finished last season with an overall record of 10-19, it is noteworthy that 1 of these 10 wins was against SUU. The T-Birds lost at home in Cedar 79-78. Currently the Lions are 1-0 with a win against Johnson & Wales. UCCS will get the opportunity to play against 3 Div I opponents this year (WSU, Air Force & Texas-Pan American).

    Mountain Lion Bio
    Public School
    Undergraduates: 6,150
    Postgraduates: 1,500
    Location: Colorado Springs, CO
    Conference: Rocky Mtn Athletic Conference
    NCAA Classification: Division II
    Colors: Black & Gold

    WSU Gobbles Up Guelph
    (Nov3)
    Final: WSU W 81-36
    vs

    Box Score
    Davis: 17 pts, 9 rebs, dunk
    Bullinger: 17 pts, 15 min
    Hansen: 10 pts
    Lillard: 10 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts

    Mon: Guelph @ WSU 8 PM
    (Nov 2)
    Weber State men's basketball team will play its first exhibition game of the 2008-09 season Monday night at 8 PM at the Dee Events Center. The 'Cats will take on the U of Guelph Gryphons. This will be the first ever meeting between the 2 teams.

    Who and where is Guelph?

    The University of Guelph is a university located in Eastern Canada - Guelph, Ontario. The U of G was established in 1964 and is well known in Canada as a university which focuses on life sciences, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Fine Art and Music. Overall it is known as the 4th best university in Canada. Guelph is also home to the only veterinary school in the country of Canada, Ontario Veterinary College.

    Currently the Gryphon basketball squad is 3-5 with 3 of the games being against schools from the United States and all resulted in losses. On Aug 30th Guelph lost to East Tennesse State 88-60. On Aug 31st they lost to North Carolina State 87-47. The last game Guelph played was Nov 1st at Boise State where they lost 87-42.

    Gryphon Bio
    Public School
    Undergraduates: 17,332
    Postgraduates: 2,076
    Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
    Conference: West Coast Conference
    Colors: Red, Gold & Black

    For info about how the Purple and White game went last Wednesday, see the below link.
    http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml...

    Purple and White Box Score

    Purple & White Game 7 PM
    (Oct 29)
    The annual WSU Purple and White game is tonight at 7pm. This will be an opportunity for the fans to meet the 2008-09 men's and women's basketball teams.

    The 2 teams will each have an intra-squad scrimmage after they are introduced to the fans. Each game will have 10 minute halves.

    Preseason Polls Released
    (Oct 22)
    Tuesday, October 22nd, official announcement of the Big Sky Coaches and Media Poll.

    Men's Basketball Coaches/Media Poll

    Last season's regular season and Big Sky Tournament champion, Portland State (who by the way was picked to finish 3rd in both polls) has been picked to repeat this season as Big Sky Champs. In the coaches poll the PSU Vikings received 7 of the 9 votes (no coach can vote for his own team). In the media poll the Vikings also received most of the first place votes with 23 of the 26 votes. PSU joined the Big Sky in 1996-97 and this is the first time they have ever been picked to finish first. They will feature the 2007-08 Big Sky MVP, Jeremiah Dominguez. He was also the only Big Sky 1st teamer that didn't graduate. PSU has tranfers from Hawaii, Washington, and Portland that are expected to produce immediately and make up for the graduation of Deonte Huff and Scott Morrison.

    Montana was picked 2nd in both polls because of forward Jordan Hasquet (2007-08 honorable mention), and junior guard Ryan Staudacher, Oregon State transfer Jack McGillis, and Michael Taylor from Eastern Washington. They are expected to make a big impact on this year's Griz team. Last year's UM team was picked 1st in the media and 2nd in the coaches yet they finished with a losing season.

    Many people might be surprised to see Idaho State picked third, but those that remember last season knew they would have a chance to contend this year bringing back 4 starters. ISU will also have 6 players on the roster standing 6'8" and taller. The Bengals were picked 3rd in both polls and even had one 1st place vote from the media. Back in the Bengal lineup will be Matt Stucki (2007-08 Big SKy 2nd Team), and Amorrow Morgan (2007-08 Honorable Mention).

    Weber State was picked last season to finish 1st by the coaches and 2nd by the media but the 'Cats finished 3rd. This year WSU was picked 5th and 4th by the 2 polls. WSU has a new young team this year but will be lead by 2 seniors with lots of experience and leadership to guide the 'Cats to another successful season - Daviin Davis & Kellen McCoy.

    Opposite of Weber's 2 picks is NAU also picked to finish 4th in one poll and 5th in the other. Never count out the Lumberjacks, they've played in 3 consecutive Big Sky Tournament Championship games. The 'Jacks will be lead by potential first team player Josh Wilson. The senior point guard Wilson will be 1 of 5 seniors on the NAU roster that could do some damage in the Big Sky regular season once again.

    Picked to finish in bottom four spots are UNC, EWU, MSU, and Sac State. Only 3 schools won't qualify for the Big Sky Tournament in March. Who will they be this year?

    Purple & White Game - Oct 29
    (Oct 21)


    PSU Vikings #1?
    (Oct 20)
    Since the Big Sky Conference started in 1964, 9 times there has been a team win back-to-back regular season titles. Five of these 9 were Weber State. Can Portland State beef up their roster for a repeat run at another conference title & a 2nd straight trip to the NCAA Tournament? What have the Vikings done to fill holes in the lineup to replace the likes of 6'11" Scott Morrision and shooting guard Deonte Huff?

    Notable additions
    Dominic Waters (junior, 6'1", 170 lbs), a Portland native transferred from the U of Hawai'i where he played 2 seasons. As a soph, he appeared in 30 games, started 1, averaged 6 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 1.6 assists in 17 minutes per game. Waters had a career-high 18 points & 5 assists against Idaho. He was the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2005-06. He sat out last season and is now eligible.

    Phil Nelson (sophomore, 6'7", 220 lbs), transferred to PSU from the U of Washington and is also an Oregon native. Nelson played in 31 games, started 9 and averaged 4.7 ppg & 2 rpg. Currently not practicing due to health reasons but expected to be back on the court soon.He sat out last season and is now eligible.

    Jamie Jones (junior, 6'7" 215 lbs), a U of Portland transfer comes to PSU after playing 2 seasons for the Portland Pilots. As a starter prior to sitting out last season, he was the team?s 2nd leading scorer and leading rebounder. He averaged 10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg and blocked a team-high 31 shots. Currently also not practicing due to health reasons but expected to be back on the court soon and is eligible for this season after sitting out last year.

    Paul Guede (sophomore, 6'5", 205 lbs), redshirted his freshman year at Valparaiso before transferring to Tallahassee CC last season. At Tallahassee he started 20 of 27 games and averaged 8.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and shot 39.7% from three-point range. Guede had a stress fracture during the first week of practice and is expected to be ready in a week.

    Donatas Visockis (junior, 6'10" 235lbs), transfers from Southern Miss where he played one season after transferring from Butte JC. He is a native of Siauliai, Lithuania.

    Wendell Wright, (freshman, 6'5" 180 lbs) a small forward from Lakewood, CA, was rated as a 76 by ESPN's recruiting scale. Wright is a promising young player who could see playing time as a frosh. They even say he's still growing. He's a good slasher to the basket and can convert on a regular basis.

    Outlook of New Basketball Squad
    (Oct 15)
    The Weber State basketball team begins official practice sessions this week. Outlook of the new team: http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=99544&SPID=3470&temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=1604480

    Walk-on Tryouts Today
    (Oct 15)
    Today, the WSU coaching staff held a tryout for walk-on's for this year's squad. The tryouts took place at 2:00 p.m. in the Stromberg HPHP Complex. Students that qualified for the tryout needed proof of health insurance, a physical and the necessary paperwork to accompany it, and of course be enrolled with 12 credit hours.

    2008 2K Sports Classic
    benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer
    (Oct 15)
    Nov 10-13 | Regional Rounds at campus sites
    Nov 20-21 | Championship Rounds | Madison Square Garden
    Bracket
    Tournament Game Schedule

    Los Angeles Regional
    11/12/08 Miami (Ohio) vs. Weber State 7:15 p.m. ET
    11/12/08 Prairie View A&M vs. UCLA 10:00 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
    11/13/08 Consolation Game 8:15 p.m. ET
    11/13/08 Championship Game 11:00 p.m. ET

    2K Sports Classic outlook on teams
    Weber State Wildcats ? Head Coach: Randy Rahe - Big SkyThe Wildcats of Weber State have a lot to look forward to this season with three starters returning to the team. After a fantastic showing and experience in Greece, Steve Panos looks to hone his skills and show his ability to score as he did over the summer in Greece. Coach Rahe recruited PG Damian Lillard who some consider ?the steal of the year.? Lillard will add much needed depth to this Wildcats and will most likely have a chance to start throughout the season.

    UCLA Bruins ? Head Coach: Ben Howland - Pacific 10Although UCLA will only be returning two starters, no one from their frontcourt, and only four with more than 15 minutes per game logged, the Bruins have little to worry about. Seniors Darren Collison and Josh Shipp chose to back out of the NBA draft and return to LA for their final year and one last chance at a National Championship. Joining the team will be an incredible freshman class that includes Jrue Holiday (#2 SG), Drew Gordon (#9 PF), J?Mison Morgan (#4 C), Malcolm Lee (#4 PG) and Jerime Anderson (#5 PG) (according to scout.com). Ben Howland will add a brand new frontcourt, implement the incoming freshman and once again be a major contender for the NCAA National Championship.

    Miami (Oh.) Redhawks ? Head Coach: Charlie Coles - Mid-American ConferenceWhile Miami will have big shoes to fill with the graduation of Tim Pollitz, a three-time all-MAC honoree and one of the most prolific players in program history, the RedHawks return a wealth of talent and nearly all their starters from 2007-08. The RedHawks return four starters in senior forward Michael Bramos, senior guard Kenny Hayes, senior center/forward Tyler Dierkers and senior guard/forward Eric Pollitz. Bramos was the RedHawks' top scorer a season ago, averaging 16.3 ppg, and has big-game potential, amassing 30 or more points four times last season.

    Prairie View A&M Panthers ? Head Coach: Bryon Rimm II - Southwestern Athletic ConferenceWith only one regular starter returning this season, PVAMU will depend on its backcourt to lead this team. Senior Derek Johnson, who led the team in average minutes last season will welcome JUCO transfer Chris Jones to the starting line-up in effort to move up the ranks in the SWAC. According to Coach Rimm, ?with [Chris] and Derek in our backcourt [this] season we fell like we will have one of the stronger guard tandems in the SWAC.?

    ESPN: If I were the Big Sky commish
    (Oct 15)
    By Andy Katz
    ESPN.com
    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/notebook?page=notebook/shootaround/bigsky
    According to Montana coach Wayne Tinkle, the Big Sky has a $10,000 fine for member teams if they play nonconference opponents with an RPI worse than 160. The Big Sky isn't going to get multiple teams in the NCAA tournament, so the harsh penalty might be excessive. I'm not sure how that will help the situation, as Big Sky teams have trouble scheduling quality nonconference games. Some of the better rivalries in the league -- notably the Montana-Montana Stat