Fazekas expected to play on Thursday

RENO - Nevada All-American forward Nick Fazekas practiced on Tuesday, and the Wolf Pack coaching staff is anticipating that he will play Thursday night against Fresno State at Lawlor Events Center.

The Pack (16-1, 4-0), ranked 13th in the USA Today/ESPN poll and 15th in the Associated Press poll, enters the game (7:05 p.m.) at Lawlor Events Center tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference with New Mexico State, which is on a 13-game win streak. The teams meet Saturday in Las Cruces.

Fazekas suffered a sprained left ankle in the final minute of the first half against Boise State on Jan. 8, a game that Nevada came from behind to win after blowing a nine-point halftime deficit. He sat out road wins over San Jose State and Hawai'i.

Fazekas, who is averaging 20.3 points and 12.1 rebounds a game, had a streak of 114 straight games before missing the San Jose State game.

Fazekas also was informed Tuesday that he is one of 30 candidates up for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, the nation's premier tribute to senior men's basketball players.

The award was started during the 2001-02 season, and it honors the attributes of senior basketball players who stayed in school and pursued the many rewards that a senior season can bring. It honors players for the achievements both on and off the court.

The areas of excellence being judged are classroom, character and community, and the candidate's performance and team loyalty on the court.

The 10 finalists for both men and women will be announced in February. A nationwide vote will be conducted during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan voting, coupled with votes from coaches and the media, will determine the winners.

Previous winners on the men's side were Maryland's Juan Dixon (2002), Xavier's David West (2003), St. Joe's Jameer Nelson (2004), Kansas' Wayne Simien (2005) and Duke's J.J. Reddick (2006).

Fazekas, who is the top scorer in school history (2,117 points), second in rebounding (1,081) and first in field goals made (775), also is on the watch lists for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.

The 6-11 senior is chasing two big milestones this season.

He's attempting to become the second three-time WAC Player of the Year, joining ex-Utah great Keith Van Horn, who played from 1993-97.

The other record Fazekas is chasing would put him in the same class with some of the elite players in the history of college basketball.

Fazekas is attempting to become just the sixth player in history to score 2,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds, shoot 50 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line.

Currently, Fazekas is at 2,117 (points), 1,081 (rebounds), 52.9 (FG percentage) and 81.1 (free throw percentage).

The other five to do it are Rick Barry (1962-65) at the University of Miami, Larry Bird of Indiana State (1976-79), Princeton's Bill Bradley (1962-65), Duke's Christian Laettner (1988-92) and Van Horn (1993-97).