ESPN Men's Basketball

Staying undefeated in the WAC certainly didn't come easily for Boise State, not by a long shot.

The Broncos gave up a double-digit lead in regulation. La'Shard Anderson hit what appeared a step-back game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in the third overtime, only to see referees review the play and wave it off.

And they ultimately needed four overtimes to beat San Jose State 102-101 on Thursday in front of 1,684 in San Jose, marking the first time the program had gone to such great lengths. Afterward, first-year coach Leon Rice could still feel a sense of pride that his players had kept fighting on the road while also chuckling about being nearly as tired as they were.

"When you're coaching, you lose track of how many overtimes," Rice said by phone. "It seemed like it went on forever."

Anderson hit two go-ahead free throws and then came away with the game-deciding steal to cap his career-best 31-point performance. Fellow seniors Paul Noonan and Robert Arnold played 57 and 53 minutes, respectively.

The Broncos fouled out San Jose State scoring star Adrian Oliver in regulation after he scored 21 points and then survived a gutsy game from Spartans point guard Justin Graham, who scored 29 points and played all 60 minutes of the game.

"To be honest, I didn't feel that tired playing," Graham said afterward. "The adrenaline flowing and just being in the moment of the game and the excitement, you just keep going. Now that the game's over, I'm ready to go to bed."

Said Rice: "It was a tremendous win. It's never easy to put someone away easily on the road, especially those guys. It's a credit to our guys."

Boise State is now 10-5 and 3-0 in the WAC after Rice left his job as associate head coach at Gonzaga to take over a program that last season finished second-to-last in the conference.

Now the Broncos are atop the standings along with Fresno State, with perennial favorite Utah State at 2-0. Boise State hosts Utah State next week, but Rice indicated there was no way his team was looking past its upcoming game in Hawaii on Saturday.

"We preach the ability to recover," Rice said. "We have to recover from good things. We have to recover from bad things. We're getting good at it.

"We had to recover about three times."

Utah State is 13-2 and undefeated in the WAC, but coach Stew Morrill is not a happy camper right now. During Friday's 80-71 win at home against San Jose State, Morrill ripped into his team at halftime and then again to reporters after the game.

The halftime session that involved a lot of yelling and kicking things, according to forward Tai Wesley, was necessary in Morrill's mind.

From the Deseret News:

"It would be a crying shame if I acted like a complete idiot in here and they didn't respond," Morrill said. "I shouldn't have to do that."

The ugly performance by the Aggies reaffirms what Morrill has been trying to say all season, that the Aggies are not yet the dominant team that fans want them to be.

"Someone is going to believe me when I say we are not a good team," Morrill said. "We are a very average WAC team right now. We better get better or else we will finish in the middle of the WAC or lower."

The thing is, even if Utah State is average this season, the Aggies are likely still the best of the average teams in the conference.

Injury-plagued New Mexico State, last year's conference tournament champ, announced Tuesday that top rebounder and consistent double-double threat Wendell McKines would redshirt the season following preseason surgery on a broken foot.

Boise State has already beaten New Mexico State, and Fresno State is 2-0 as well. But with Hawaii and Nevada inexperience and San Jose State finding out that it will take more than Adrian Oliver's scoring to get them wins in the WAC, the path to another regular-season title appears to be clear for Utah State.

Wesley shoots 65.5 percent from the field, Brian Green shoots it well from beyond the arc, Brockeith Pane brings athleticism and Pooh Williams is a top on-ball defender. Nate Bendall is playing through chronic foot injuries.

Somehow, it seems Utah State will be a dangerous team like it usually is no matter how much the Aggies are currently struggling and drawing Morrill's ire.

San Jose State guard Adrian Oliver set school records with 42 points in a game and 30 points in a half, as the Spartans won 95-62 against Puget Sound.

"Told my family I'd score 40-plus for Christmas for them ... so merry Christmas fam," Oliver tweeted.

Yes, games like these have become somewhat predictable for the former Washington transfer who's now the nation's third-leading scorer at 25.8 points per game.

The 42-point outburst was his 13th game of at least 30 points for San Jose State, and he did it by going 12-of-15 from the field while at one point hitting seven 3-pointers in a row.

"Every spot on the floor was a good spot the way I was feeling it," Oliver said after the game. "The guys recognized that and put a little more emphasis on getting me open. I was just connecting on my shots."

More importantly for the Spartans, they're 8-3. The program hasn't recorded a winning season since 1994, but is now looking to be a factor in the WAC.

San Jose State has another senior in the backcourt, with point guard Justin Graham averaging 16.1 points. The Spartans added another member to their rotation when junior college transfer Brylle Kamen, a forward, returned to the lineup after the NCAA had ruled him ineligible for the first eight games.

So there's plenty of reason for good cheer heading into the WAC opener next week.

A San Jose State player has declared for the NBA draft and is expected to forgo his senior season, according to a team spokesman, and it's not Adrian Oliver.

Forward C.J. Webster, who averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds and at 6-foot-9, 255 pounds has been a load in the pant, is set to pursue a pro career. That he missed a game in February while his fiancee gave birth to a baby girl was apparently a factor in the decision.

Webster follows Nevada's Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, Fresno State's Paul George and New Mexico State's Jahmar Young as the WAC players who have decided to stay in the draft.

Fresno State forward Paul George is staying in the draft after hiring an agent, according to the Fresno Bee. It's no surprise given that when George tweeted his initial decision to declare, he indicated that ending his college career was a likely scenario.

But the final decision does mean that even before the deadline to test the waters has passed, all four players -- George, Nevada's Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, and New Mexico State's Jahmar Young (forcibly?) -- have hired or announced their intentions to hire agents.

And for the conference? That means a tremendous loss of talent that certainly won't help in getting the league two NCAA tournament bids once again.

Yes, steady-as-ever Utah State could dominate once again, but beat writer Tony Jones also sees a lack of star power:

There's (Troy) Gillenwater, San Jose's Adrian Oliver, Tai Wesley, and who else? The league was brimming with next level talent this past season. Not so much in the year to come.

Adrian Oliver, who finished tied for fourth in the nation in scoring, announced that he will return to San Jose State for his senior season on his blog on the team's website.

From the blog entry at Adrian Oliver Live:

I believe that this is the best decision for me and my career. I only have two classes to finish up next year in order to get my degree and that is something very important to me and, also, my mother, Brenda.

Basketball-wise, I believe I can get so much better as a player this summer and use my last year to develop into the player I want to be. I want to be the best player in the WAC hands down and one of the best in the country by leading my team to places this school has never gone.

The Spartans haven't recorded a winning season since 1994, but having their star guard around should give them a chance to improve on a 14-17 record.

Back-to-back 35-point games have vaulted San Jose State's Adrian Oliver up to third in the nation in scoring at 23.3 points per game.

NBA scouts are definitely taking notice because it just so happens that during those two games, they've been out in full force at the Event Center checking out Seattle's Charles Garcia on Monday and Nevada's Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson last night. Even Suns general manager Steve Kerr was watching.

Oliver told me Monday that the presence of scouts hasn't affected him much, but you have to believe there's a part of the junior guard that's thinking, "I'll show you."

Also in San Jose, another player who (kind of) got noticed by scouts on Monday was Seattle's Taylor Olson.

Who?

The 5-foot-10 guard, after hitting the game-winning 3-pointer, runs down to the other end of the floor to give a flying chest bump to Spencer Hawes, a former Seattle-area high school rival who plays for the Sacramento Kings.

Hawes attended the game in part to catch up with his former Washington teammate Oliver, but after celebrating with Olson, he smiles broadly and flashes Olson's jersey number to the NBA officials sitting at the press table.

Check him out.

Scouts, who have the toiling in anonymity thing down, surely got a kick out of that one.

Shortly after a stunning WAC-opening win against defending champion Utah State, New Mexico State forward Wendell McKines went on his blog and called out the team's fans for being "frontrunners" and failing to pack the house.

McKines eventually apologized for that and his arrest on a warrant for unpaid fines, but also wrote, "I really feel like something special is going to happen this year."

Lo and behold, attendance is up in Las Cruces as the Aggies have won seven of eight following McKines' online meltdown, are sitting only a game behind Utah State in the standings and could be the sleeper of the conference tournament.

The Aggies' high-powered offense features five players who average double figures, led by guard Jahmar Young (20.9 ppg). McKines (11.7 ppg) and forward Troy Gillenwater (15 ppg) both began the season academically ineligible, and their returns have sparked the team.

Louisiana Tech started 5-0 in conference play, but eventually fell back when New Mexico State completed the season sweep last week at home in front of 5,549 on an unlikely play -- Hernst Laroche's game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds left.

That leaves perennial postseason team Utah State at the top and gives New Mexico State at least a shot to make itself heard down the stretch.

Top Players


Paul George, G/F, Fresno State, So. -- How good he George? After missing four games with a severely sprained ankle, he dropped 30 on New Mexico State in his first game back last week.

Luke Babbitt, F, Nevada, So. -- The 6-foot-9 lefty leads the WAC with 9.6 rebounds per game and can score from all over the court, averaging 21.6 points per game.

Armon Johnson, G, Nevada, Jr. -- Johnson is the reigning WAC player of the week after scoring 23, including the game-winning bucket against Idaho, and leads the conference in assists.

Who's Hot

Adrian Oliver, G, San Jose State, Jr. -- The transfer from Washington poured in 28 points on Saturday against Utah State, the most by an Aggies opponent this season.

Mac Hopson, G, Idaho, Sr. -- In the three games since being suspended for a curfew violation, he's scored in double figures and had 20 in Saturday's win at Fresno State.

Magnum Rolle, C/F, Louisiana Tech, Sr. -- The 6-foot-11 transfer from LSU by way of the Bahamas has been especially dominant on the offensive glass.

Who's not

Hawaii -- Second-leading scorer Dwain Williams has been suspended indefinitely, and fourth-leading scorer Jeremy Lay is set to undergo season-ending hernia surgery, as the Warriors have lost seven straight.

Boise State -- The Broncos haven't won this month, but hope they can have better luck with upcoming nonconference opponents Cal State Bakersfield and UC Davis.

Idaho -- The Vandals' one-point loss to Nevada last week left coach Don Verlin declaring his team was no "doormat," complaining about the officiating and earning a reprimand from WAC conference commissioner Karl Benson.

Key games to watch

Feb. 20 -- Louisiana Tech at Northeastern: Utah State lost in Boston in November, so it'll be interesting to see if the Bulldogs can steal a BracketBuster win there.

Feb. 25 -- Nevada at San Jose State: Oliver and Babbitt, the conference's top two scorers, square off in what could be a high-scoring affair three nights after Oliver goes up against Seattle's Charles Garcia.

March 6 -- New Mexico State at Utah State: This could be the deciding game for the regular-season championship, but Utah State is riding a 21-game conference winning streak at the Spectrum.

San Jose State is home to Adrian Oliver, the nation’s sixth-leading scorer who garnered the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s national player of the week honor last month.

That Oliver would reach those heights seemed unlikely as of two seasons ago when he abruptly transferred from Washington. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior guard showed signs of stardom last year, but was bothered by foot and knee injuries.

This year, Oliver has burned defenses for 22.5 points per game to lead the WAC in scoring and has the Spartans (12-12) in position to record their first winning season since 1994.

DL: Last month you scored a career-high 39 points against Louisiana Tech. What does being in the zone feel like?

AO: It’s really hard to explain. It’s something you start feeling. The rim gets really big, and no one on the court can really guard you. You try to make the most of it. It’s kind of special.

I don’t like how it shows at our gym; it shows players points. People know you’re one point away (from 40). I’d much rather have the win.

DL: You chose to transfer to San Jose State from Washington, but what did you know about the school coming out of high school?

AO: Absolutely nothing. I knew nothing about the school. When I came back home, I thought about my friend, Justin Graham, and how he came here. It’s a school right next to my home (in Modesto). I just knew San Jose was the capital of the Silicon Valley. It’s what I call the other half of the Bay Area. I just found out a couple days ago it’s one of the biggest cities in the state.

DL: When you arrived at San Jose State, was there a culture on the team that needed to be changed?

AO: It was obvious. That’s all about Coach (George) Nessman. He knows the big picture. He knew it wasn’t going to change overnight. He had to bring his guys in. There’s no riff-raff on the team. We all have the same goal.

The biggest thing he’s taught me is to be patient. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had to watch more film, find ways to get open. He just teaches me the small things, the angles, and cutting hard. Small things that may make all the difference.

DL: How bad did the Dawg Pack get on you when San Jose State went to play Washington earlier this season?

AO: I expected worse. I figured a lot of them didn’t really know me. A lot of the Dawg Pack probably graduated and moved on. It’s still the Dawg Pack. I remember when it was a little bit louder. Nothing against these ones. I was hoping for worse. I respected the crowd for giving me a standing ovation after the game.

DL: I understand you still keep in touch with Lorenzo Romar. How often do you talk?

AO: Even though he’s not my coach anymore, he’s still one of my friends. He was my mentor right out of high school. He’s the person I went to to learn how to learn how to be a man. We shoot text messages to each other. Last year, he came to one of my games when he was in the Bay Area.

DL: Your recruiting class at Washington included Spencer Hawes and Quincy Pondexter. Do you ever wonder what if you all had stayed together?

AO: Sometimes you wonder, but not much. It feels like so long ago. People ask me that all the time, but it’s like what if any good recruiting class had stayed together? That’s highly unlikely. Yeah, I came in with all those guys. We could have done some great things.

DL: Is it possible you’ll put your name in the draft after the season?

AO: I’m not really trying to think about it. I’m just really trying to worry about getting the team to a place it hasn’t gotten to before. No matter what you hear, what the media is saying, it’s about us. Any award I get goes to you guys.

I mentioned Quincy Pondexter's heralded recruiting class of 2006 that broke up in yesterday's feature on Quincy and his dad.

Spencer Hawes, who was a one-and-done player, starts for the Sacramento Kings, but what became of Adrian Oliver and Phil Nelson, who transferred out of UW and are now juniors?

Oliver, a 6-foot-4 guard, is the WAC's scoring leader averaging 22.3 points per game for San Jose State. He earned a national player of the week honor last month from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and has a blog called AOL. You can read more about his decision to transfer in this Seattle Post-Intelligencer story.

Nelson, a 6-foot-7 forward, is out for the season for Portland State after breaking a bone in his left foot last week during a practice. He had been averaging 12.9 points per game and spoke with The Oregonian last season about his decision to transfer.

"I wish those guys were still here," Pondexter said. "Look how I've grown. Imagine if were to have grown individually and collectively over the four years, we would be really well off right now."

Pondexter immediately qualified the statement by saying it was nothing against the current team, but you have to wonder, "What if?"

Five things to know from Thursday's games:

1. Adrian Oliver had a career-high 39 points as San Jose State upset Louisiana Tech 87-76. The loss snapped a 10-game win streak for Louisiana Tech, which came in 5-0 in the WAC and 17-2 overall. Oliver, a former Washington Husky, was 12-for-12 from the free throw line for the second time in three games. He’s scored at least 20 points in 10 of the Spartans' last 11 games. Now leading the WAC in scoring, Oliver is averaging 30.7 ppg over the last three games.

2. Matt Bouldin’s career-high 32 points led three Gonzaga players with at least 20 points in a 91-84 win over Pepperdine. Despite a loss, the best performance of the night came from Pepperdine’s Keion Bell. At halftime, Bell was 1-for-4 with 3 points. Then he exploded, scoring 22 points in the first eight and a half minutes of the second half. In all, he was 13-for-17 with 34 points in the second half on his way to a career-high 37. No Waves player has scored more in a game since Brandon Armstrong’s 40 in 2001. At 20.1 ppg, Bell is the fourth-highest scoring sophomore in the nation.

3. It’s to the point that any statistical achievement that occurs against VMI requires an asterisk. That said, Radford’s entire frontline posted double-doubles on Thursday. Artsiom Parakhouski (30 points, 11 rebounds), Lazar Trifunovic (career-high 27 points, 14 rebounds) and Joey Lynch-Flohr (17 points, 10 rebounds) combined for 74 points and 35 rebounds. Of the 114 teams that played on Thursday, the Radford frontline outscored 84 of them and outrebounded 59 of them. Amazingly, this is the second straight time that three Radford players recorded double-doubles against VMI.

4. Wagner snapped an eight-game losing streak and picked up its third win of the season. The Seahawks held Long Island to 28.6 percent shooting in a 65-59 OT win. Long Island’s leading scorer Jaytornah Wisseh was 3-of-21 from the field, the worst shooting performance for a player with 20 attempts this season. Even worse, he was just 1-of-17 from 2-point range, an astoundingly low 5.7 percent.

5. Oregon State only managed 35 points in Thursday’s loss to Stanford. That is the fewest points by a power six conference team this season, and the fewest by a Pac-10 team since Oregon State scored 35 against UCLA in 2007. Stanford held a 31-13 scoring edge in the second half. The Beavers committed 19 turnovers while dishing out only 3 assists. The last time Stanford held a team to so few points was in December 2005, when the Cardinal beat Princeton 58-34.