Powerhouse Wolf Pack to pose problems
Coming off a tough five-game win streak in the thick of conference play, the men’s basketball team will meet their match against Nevada on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Reno, Nev.
“With the five-game stretch we just completed, it’s nice to have won five and be going on this trip with a little momentum,” Head Coach Stew Morrill said. “Momentum can be short lived, but it’s a lot better than going on this trip after tough losses. Those two one-point games could have went the other way real easily, so we’re happy we got the wins.”
The Aggies will face Nevada on Saturday and turn around to take on Hawaii on Monday, Jan. 29 in Hawaii. Not only are these two games against talented WAC teams, they are on the road, where the Aggies are 5 and 11.
Nevada is currently ranked first in the WAC and 18th in the AP poll with a record of 17-2, sustaining a recent loss on the road to New Mexico State. Nevada has only lost one game at home this season to UNLV in early December.
The Wolf Pack is led by forward Nick Fazekas, who averages 20.4 points per game and pulls down an average of 11.6 rebounds.
Commenting on Fazekas, Morrill said, “Everything I hear, he went from a second round [NBA] pick to a first round pick without much question. He can face up and shoot. He’s seven feet tall and dominating the boards. We had a guy that had a chance to guard him last year in Cass Matheus. It’s going to be a whole different challenge with the size of our guys [this year]. They better understand how physical they’re going to have to get to even have a chance to compete.”
While Fazekas keeps a constant threat in the key, Marcelus Kemp provides a threat from the perimeter as he averages 19.l points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Add to this the 13.8 points per game by Ramon Sessions, and Nevada is easily the toughest conference team the Aggies will face this season.
Last year the Aggies pulled an upset in Reno, beating the Wolf Pack 59-53. Nevada responded with a vengeance in the next meeting at the Spectrum pounding the Aggies 75-57. The Aggies also squared off against the Wolf Pack in the WAC championship game last year, where the Wolf Pack pulled off a 70-63 win in overtime.
“When you talk about us beating them last year, we were a NCAA [Tournament] team,” Morrill said. “We were a pretty good team, and they’re better than they were last year, because they’ve got experience.”
After Nevada, the Aggies travel to Hawaii to battle the last-place team in the WAC. Although the Rainbow Warriors post a 1-5 WAC record on the season, the game will be played in Hawaii, giving them an imposing home court advantage.
“Obviously, it’s a very difficult road trip when you’re playing a top-20 team and a team across the ocean that’s always unbelievably tough to beat in Hawaii, tough to beat anywhere, but certainly tough to beat in Hawaii,” Morrill said. “It’s a challenge, and fortunately we’ve got a chance to get a couple days of rest and start our preparation. The key for our team is can we match up physically, and size-wise and strength-wise with these two teams? We’re going to have to dig down deep and compete hard to have a chance to be in these two ballgames.”
Hawaii is led in scoring by Matt Lajeskli, who averages 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Senior forward Ahmet Gueye joins him in the double digits as he averages 12.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
The Aggies will rely on consistent play from junior guard Jaycee Carroll and a balanced effort from the team to win on the road. Carroll leads the team in scoring with 21.1 points per game, making him the leading scorer in the WAC and fifth in the nation. He also leads the Aggies in rebounds with 5.9 per game.
Another key for the Aggies will be senior forward Chaz Spicer, who has become a clutch player, winning two last-minute contests this season. Spicer averages 14.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting a 51.5 percent field goal percentage. Spicer has stepped up his presence since WAC play began, making him the biggest threat in the post for the Aggies.
“That has been huge,” Morrill said about Spicer’s improvement. “Having him as a go-to guy offensively has really helped our team. And I think he’s trying to play hard on the boards and defense.”
After the two road contests, the Aggies will return to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, Feb. 3 to take on San Jose State.
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu