WAC gears for Bracket Buster

Nevada will face a familiar foe on Feb. 19 at Lawlor Events Center in the third annual ESPN Bracket Buster.

The Wolf Pack (14-5) learned Monday it will host Vermont (15-3), a team it beat handily, 69-49, in the first round of last year's Preseason NIT, as part of the 22-team event. The game time will be announced on Feb. 8 and it will be televised either on a national or regional basis by ESPN.

Nevada is one of five WAC teams that will host games on Feb. 19. Fresno State (12-6) hosts Buffalo (13-5), Hawai'i (12-5) hosts Wisconsin-Milwaukee (15-5), Rice (10-7) hosts Murray State (11-7) and UTEP (17-4) travels to UOP (15-2).

The other five WAC teams will play nonconference games that day. Boise State hosts Weber State, New Orleans visits Louisiana Tech, San Jose State visits Drake, SMU is at Toledo and Northern Arizona visits Tulsa.

"This is by far the strongest pool of teams that have been in the Bracket Buster group," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. "The WAC is very fortunate to have five teams in the field of 22. The pairings will give all five schools an opportunity to improve their postseason chances."

Mark Fox, Nevada's first-year head coach, knows his team is in for a tough fight.

"We'll have our hands full with Vermont," Fox said during Monday's WAC teleconference. "They're an excellent team.

"We saw (Taylor) Coppenrath and (T.J.) Sorretine last year. They are a very experienced and good-shooting team, so I think we got a tough draw."

Fazekas and Coppenrath were teammates this past summer on the NIT all-star team that toured China. Fazekas (20.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks) and Coppenrath (23.7, 8.7 and 0.8) lead their respective teams in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

The only negative about the matchup is that the Wolf Pack will have to play at Vermont next year.

Benson admitted that the people who make the decisions don't really worry about the following season.

"They don't look at it as far as the 11 games that are paired," Benson said. "Hopefully, they can make it part of a two-game road trip."

Benson said the other games (the nonconference matchups) will have more of a regional flavor.

One of the problems, especially for WAC teams, is the lack of other West Coast teams that are participating. No West Coast Athletic Conference schools are in the field.

"The WCAC was invited," Benson said. "They chose not to participate."

Benson said invitations will certainly be forthcoming in the future to the WCAC.

n It's no secret that Boise State, Rice and San Jose State could be at an advantage because they play at 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It creates a lot of havoc for teams that have quite a distance to travel from its Thursday night game.

Hawaii's Riley Wallace is one coach who isn't thrilled with that arrangement.

"I've been thinking about switching just to get back at people," Wallace said. "It's just not fair. The times should be the same. There should be 48 hours (between start times). Kids go to bed late after a game and then you've got to catch a flight... We have played Boise State at night and in the afternoon. I think there were more people at the night game."

Benson said that the WAC leaves it up to member institutions when they want to start the games, and indicated that the league office wouldn't get involved.

n The WAC coaches were asked about a mid-year MVP, and many mentioned Fazekas. Other names mentioned were UTEP's duo of Fili Rivera and Omar Thomas, Fresno State's Ja'Vance Coleman and Rice's Michael Harris.

"Fazekas," Louisiana Tech's Keith Richard said. "Look at his stats. He's having a tremendous year. He's all over the place."

"Right now, it's the big kid at Nevada," SMU's Jimmy Tubbs said, referring to Fazekas. "He's really playing well. There is also the point guard at UTEP (Rivera). At this point, I'd take those two kids."

Said Fresno State's Ray Lopes, "Three guys jump out at you. Nick Fazekas at Nevada, Michael Harris and Omar Thomas. Those three are having tremendous years."

San Jose State's Phil Johnson said he would go with Harris, who torched the Spartans for 24 points and 17 rebounds last weekend.

"Michael Harris," Johnson said. "He was my preseason pick. I thought we did a decent job defensively until I looked at the stat sheet."

• Despite getting swept last weekend at Hawai'i and San Jose State, coach Willis Wilson said losses at this time of the season aren't devastating.

"We're fortunate enough to be only two games back," he said of his 5-4 squad. "We've played good basketball."

The loss to Hawai'i was in overtime, as Bobby Nash converted a four-point play late in the game. Wilson said Rice ran out of energy against San Jose State in the second half, giving up 54 points.

• San Jose State had the top men's and women's players this week, as Marquin Chandler and Lamisha Augustine were honored.

Chandler, who has turned in five straight double-doubles, averaged 26.5 points and 12.5 rebounds as San Jose State beat Tulsa and Rice. The senior hit 58 percent of his field-goal attempts. It was the first time the Spartans had won back-to-back conference games since the 2002 season.

Chandler beat out Fresno State's Mustafa Al-Sayyad, Hawai'i forward Julian Sensley, Louisiana Tech's Wayne Powell, SMU's Devon Pearson and UTEP's Omar Thomas.

Augustine, a senior, averaged 23 points and 9.5 rebounds to lead the Spartans to hard-fought road wins over Tulsa and Rice.

She has scored 20 or more points in three straight games.

Augustine beat out Boise State's Cassidy Blaine, Louisiana Tech's Tasha Crain, Rice's Lauren Neaves, SMU's Katie Gross and Tulsa's Megan Moody for the award.

Darrell Moody can be reached at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281