Pack surprises with share of WAC title

This was supposed to be the year the rest of the Western Athletic Conference paid back UNR's basketball team.

The Wolf Pack was expected to rebuild this season, with its run of four straight conference titles expected to come to an end. But when the regular season ended Saturday, there was UNR sitting at 12-4 -- sharing the WAC championship with Utah State, New Mexico State and Boise State.

Wolf Pack coach Mark Fox said Monday it was a matter of his young team coming together at the right time and learning from its mistakes.

"We've improved each week," Fox said. "I don't know if we've played our best basketball yet. But I think our guys understand their roles and if we can get everyone to do what they're supposed to at the same time, I think we can be pretty good."

Still, despite a 20-10 overall record and a share of the WAC regular-season title, the Wolf Pack's NCAA Tournament hopes rest with it winning this week's conference tournament in Las Cruces, N.M.

UNR, the No. 2 seed, meets seventh-seeded Fresno State, a team it defeated twice this season, at 5 p.m. Thursday. Should the Wolf Pack win its quarterfinal opener, it will play the winner of the Idaho-New Mexico State quarterfinal at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the tournament semifinals. The championship game is set for 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.

"It probably helps us since we just played them and don't have to prep as much," Cox said of playing Fresno State less than a week after the Wolf Pack beat the Bulldogs 76-63 Saturday in Fresno, Calif.

"Fresno is the best seventh seed I've seen, so we need to keep a daily focus and not look past anyone."

• ALL-WAC PICKS -- Senior guard Marcelus Kemp was chosen to the all-WAC first team, and sophomore forward JaVale McGee was a second-team selection. McGee and Lyndale Burleson also were selected to the WAC's all-defensive team.

• FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR -- For the first time, a UNR player was named the WAC's Freshman of the Year as guard Armon Johnson beat out Herb Pope of New Mexico State for the honor. Johnson averaged 11.4 points per game and led the Wolf Pack in assists with 3.4 per game.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.