Even with 19 wins, if the 'Bows
don't win the WAC tournament,
they probably won't get into
the NCAA Tournament.
This could be their ...
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID SWANN / DSWANN@STARBULLETIN.COM
FRESNO, Calif. >> The stakes have been raised. The intensity is peaking. The margin for error has evaporated.
WAC tournament
Who: Hawaii vs. Rice
When: Thursday, 12:30 p.m.
Where: Fresno, Calif.
TV: Live, KFVE (Ch. 5)
Radio: Live, KKEA (1420-AM)
It must be tournament time.
For the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, the critical final stage of the season known as the Western Athletic Conference tournament began with a rigorous three-hour practice yesterday at Fresno City College.
During a break in the workout, UH coach Riley Wallace turned up the heat with a spare-no-feelings speech in which he challenged the team to pick up its intensity with the conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
"We need to get a fire under us and really get after it," UH guard Michael Kuebler said. "You can't do it when it's too late, because if you lose then it's over."
After an unpredictable regular-season race, all 10 Western Athletic Conference teams are back at the starting line for a four-day sprint at Fresno's sparkling Save Mart Center to determine the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The McCaffrey WAC Tournament opens with two first-round games today. The winners join the top six seeds in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The semifinals are Friday and the championship game is set for 4 p.m. Saturday.
Hawaii's quest for a third title in four years begins Thursday against Rice, the tournament's fourth seed.
The Rainbows and Owls were key players in a congested conference race in which three games separated first place and sixth place.
"We're all pretty evenly matched, it depends on what team brings their best game," UH forward Julian Sensley said. "We just have to come out and play each game like it's our last. ... Now it's one-and-done. We have to come out ready to play."
The cramped race was evidenced in Hawaii's slide in the seedings. The Rainbows entered their final road trip last week jockeying with the WAC leaders for a share of the regular-season championship. Two road losses later, they had been shoved back to fifth place.
"We know even though we're a low seed, we're right up there with all the other teams," Kuebler said.
The Rainbows also have precedent on their side. Hawaii was the fifth seed in the 2001 tournament, which the Rainbows eventually won.
Nevada, the preseason favorite to win the WAC title, and Texas-El Paso, the turnaround team of the year, finished in a tie for first place, with the Wolf Pack claiming the top seed thanks to a tiebreaker.
Boise State's finishing kick resulted in a third-place finish, with Rice and Hawaii a step behind.
No team lower than fifth has claimed the championship, but sixth-seeded Fresno State has the advantage of playing on its home court.
"Like the other teams I'm sure, we're going to look forward to the WAC tournament as another seawson for us," Fresno State coach Ray Lopes said as his team prepared to host the conference tourney for the first time since 2000. "Another season that can make our season."
Louisiana Tech, Southern Methodist, Tulsa and San Jose State will have to clear today's first-round games before joining the top seeds in the quarterfinals.
On the tube: Hawaii's tournament games will be televised live on KFVE, starting with Thursday's game against Rice at 12:30 p.m. (Hawaii time). The championship game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. Saturday.
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SCORING G Pts. Avg. Kuebler 29 524 18.1 Sensley 29 351 12.1 Martin 29 293 10.1 Shimonovich 27 189 7.0 Blackett 29 202 6.9 Lee 29 129 4.5 Peciukas 19 83 4.4 Carter 28 106 3.8 Sottos 16 41 2.6 Jesinskis 24 57 2.4 Nash 21 39 1.9 Zivanovic 13 11 0.8 Gantt 4 0 0 REBOUNDS Off Def Total Avg. Sensley 60 153 213 7.3 Shimonovich 68 117 185 6.9 Martin 55 75 130 4.5 Kuebler 30 68 98 3.4 Blackett 39 53 92 3.2 Lee 3 48 51 1.8 Zivanovic 9 12 21 1.6 Jesinskis 14 15 29 1.2 Carter 7 25 32 1.1 Nash 5 16 21 1.0 Peciukas 10 9 19 1.0 Sottos 2 12 14 0.9 Gantt 0 0 0 0 ASSISTS G A Avg. Lee 29 106 3.7 Sensley 29 100 3.5 Carter 28 57 2.0 Shimonovich 27 51 1.9 Kuebler 29 51 1.6 Martin 29 27 0.9 Peciukas 19 17 0.9 Blackett 29 24 0.8 Sottos 16 12 0.8 Jesinskis 24 10 0.4 Nash 21 7 0.3 Zivanovic 13 2 0.2 Gantt 4 1 0.25 BLOCKS G B Avg. Shimonovich 27 35 1.30 Sensley 29 27 0.93 Martin 29 10 0.35 Kuebler 29 8 0.28 Blackett 29 7 0.24 Carter 28 3 0.11 Nash 21 2 0.10 Jesinskis 24 2 0.08 Lee 29 1 0.03 Peciukas 19 0 0.00 Sottos 16 0 0.00 Zivanovic 13 0 0.00 Gantt 4 0 0
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1. Nevada Wolf Pack (20-8, 13-5)
Coach: Trent Johnson
Tournament record (titles): 3-3 (none)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Kirk Snyder (18.8 ppg)/Nick Fazekas (7.6 rpg)
Outlook: Last year's tournament runner-up and the preseason favorite to win the conference title came through with 11 wins in its last 13 games to claim the top seed. Snyder, the WAC Player of the Year, is the most skilled player in the league. He's an explosive leaper who can demoralize opponents with monster dunks or from 3-point range. He has support around him in veteran guards Todd Okeson, and Garry Hill-Thomas rangy forward Kevinn Pinkney. Freshman Nick Fazekas figures to be one of the league's top big men for years to come.2. UTEP Miners (22-6, 13-5)
Coach: Billy Gillispie
Tournament record (titles): 22-14 (1984, '86, '89, '90)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Omar Thomas (15.2 ppg)/Jason Williams (5.8 rpg)
Outlook: In his second season, Gillispie has restored a proud UTEP program to its former glory. Following a 6-24 season last season, the Miners have tied the NCAA record for biggest turnaround since 1974. Point guard Filiberto Rivera was named to the All-WAC first team as well as the All-Newcomer and Defensive teams. The Miners can put points up in a hurry with an up-tempo attack, but were held to a season-low 45 points in a loss to Boise State on Saturday.3. Boise State Broncos (20-8, 12-6)
Coach: Greg Graham
Tournament record (titles): 1-2 (none)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Jermaine Blackburn (15.1 ppg)/Jason Ellis (9.1 rpg)
Outlook: The Broncos ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak and posted their highest finish since joining the WAC in 2001 despite missing Blackburn since Feb. 7 due to a shoulder injury. He returned to action on Saturday and could give the talented Broncos a boost. Aaron Haynes (14.4 ppg, six rpg) was a first-team All-WAC pick and combines with Ellis to form an athletic front-court duo. Senior guard Bryan Defares provides stability in the back court.4. Rice Owls (21-9, 12-6)
Coach: Willis Wilson
Tournament record (titles): 2-6 (none)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Michael Harris (17.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg)
Outlook: The Owls reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 1991-92 season with talent inside and outside. Harris, who shot a WAC-best 61 percent from the field, and Yamar Diene can be close to unstoppable when they catch the ball on the block. Guard Jason McKrieth (15.9 ppg) is a solid all-around player who can hurt teams that devote too much attention to the post. Point guard Rashid Smith ranks second in the league in both assists and steals.5. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (19-10, 11-7)
Coach: Riley Wallace
Tournament record (titles): 20-16 (1994, 2001, '02)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Michael Kuebler (18.1 ppg)/Julian Sensley (7.3 rpg)
Outlook: Other than Fresno State, the Rainbows might be considered an unofficial home team since they've been in town since Friday. To make a run at their third title in four years, they will need to reverse a trend of slow starts that plagued them in five straight road losses. Kuebler is the top 3-point shooter in the WAC and needs five more to tie Carl English's school record of 89. Sensley is coming off the best game of his career, a 24-point performance against Fresno State.6. Fresno State Bulldogs (14-14, 10-8)
Coach: Ray Lopes
Tournament record (titles): 9-9 (2000, vacated)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Shantay Legans (15.2 ppg)/Mustafa Al-Sayyad (7.4 rpg)
Outlook: The last time Fresno State hosted the tournament, the Bulldogs captured the 2000 championship, but later vacated the title to the use of an ineligible player. With three starters suspended, this year's squad struggled during the WAC season, but has found its rhythm at the right time of the year. Few guards orchestrate a team better than Legans, who leads the WAC in assists (5.6 per game) and has played the last 403 minutes. Al-Sayyad is averaging 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in the last four games.7. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (14-14, 8-10)
Coach: Keith Richard
Tournament record (titles): 0-2 (none)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Paul Millsap (15.5 ppg, 12.3 rpg)
Outlook: Millsap established himself as one of the top freshmen in the country by leading the nation in rebounding and posting 18 double-doubles this season. Millsap (6-foot-8) possesses keen instincts in the paint, evidenced by his 15 rebounds and six blocked shots against Rice last week. The key for the Bulldogs will be to find enough production from those around him. Guard Corey Dean (13 ppg) and forward Wayne Powell are capable of providing that boost.8. SMU Mustangs (11-17, 5-13)
Coach: Robert Lineburg (interim)
Tournament record (titles): 5-7 (none)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Bryan Hopkins (17.1 ppg)/Patrick Simpson (6.0 rpg)
Outlook: Lineburg took over late in the season when Mike Dement was dismissed following a 39-point loss to Rice. The Mustangs are 1-2 since the firing and have lost five of their last six entering the tournament. Although SMU was one of two schools that didn't place a player on any of the All-WAC teams, the Mustangs feature one of the league's top talents in Hopkins. The point guard ranks fourth in the WAC in scoring and second in 3-pointers (75).9. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-19, 5-13)
Coach: John Phillips
Tournament record (titles): 12-6 (2003)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Jason Parker (17 ppg)/Jarius Glenn (6.1 rpg)
Outlook: The defending WAC tournament champion struggled through a transition season following the departure of three senior starters. Parker is the only senior on this year's club and has shouldered the scoring load. Glenn is a steady contributor at forward and sophomore Anthony Price has shown signs that he's developing into a formidable center. But the Golden Hurricane's youth heightens the difficulty of sustaining a run in the tournament.10. San Jose State Spartans (6-22, 1-17)
Coach: Phil Johnson
Tournament record (titles): 1-6 (none)
Leading scorer/rebounder: Eric Walton (12 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
Outlook: The Spartans don't have the horses to run with a lot of teams, so they must control the pace of the game to stay close. However, slowing the tempo also limits scoring opportunities on the offensive end, thus Walton is the only Spartan averaging double figures in points. SJSU's only WAC win came against Louisiana Tech, its first-round opponent today.
