Weber State University Athletics
Weber State heads to 15th NCAA Tournament
3/18/2014 10:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
2014 NCAA Tournament Second Round
No. 1 Arizona (30-4, 15-3 Pac 12) vs.
No. 16 Weber State (19-11, 14-6)
Friday, March 21, 2014 • 11:10 a.m. (PDT)
San Diego, Calif. • Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl (11,564)
TV: TNT (Andrew Catalon, Mike Gminski, Otis Livingston)
WSU Radio: KLO 1430 AM/103.1 FM
National Radio: Westwood One Radio
Live stats: WeberStateSports.com
Series: Arizona leads 4-0
Last meeting: 12/29/08 - Tucson - Arizona 71, WSU 65
TIPOFF
• Weber State heads to its 15th NCAA Tournament and its first since 2007 when the Wildcats meet the Arizona Wildcats Friday in San Diego.
• The two teams will meet Friday at 11:10 a.m. PT (12:10 p.m. MT) from Viejas Arena in San Diego. WSU is a 16 seed against No. 1 seed Arizona.
• Weber State is 19-11 overall this season. Arizona is 30-4.
• Weber State won its 21st Big Sky Conference regular season title by finishing 14-6 in conference play, winning the league by two games.
• WSU has now won 21 Big Sky titles in the 51 years of the conference. Randy Rahe has won four conference titles in his eight seasons as head coach of the Wildcats.
• The Wildcats won the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the first time since 2007
• Weber State head coach Randy Rahe was named Big Sky Coach of the Year, the first coach in conference history to win the award four times.
• Senior Davion Berry was named Big Sky MVP and Big Sky Tournament MVP.
• This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools. Arizona is 4-0 all-time against Weber State with the last meeting in 2008.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Friday's game will tipoff at 11:10 a.m. Pacific time (12:10 p.m. Mountain) from Viejas Arena in San Diego. The game will be televised live nationally on TNT with Andrew Catalon, Mike Gminski and Otis Livingston calling the action.
The game will be broadcast live on KLO 1430 AM and 103.1 FM with Carl Arky and Dutch Belnap calling the action. It will also be heard on Westwood One Radio.
WILDCATS PUNCH TICKET WITH BIG SKY TOURNAMENT TITLE
Weber State hosted the 2014 Big Sky Conference Tournament and clinched a berth into the NCAA Tournament with an 88-67 win over North Dakota Saturday night. The Wildcats beat Northern Colorado 66-63 in the semifinals.
Senior Davion Berry was named Big Sky Tournament MVP after averaging 17 points a game in the two tournament games. Senior Kyle Tresnak had a career-high 27 points in Saturday's win and was named to the All-Tournament team, along with senior guard Jordan Richardson.
WEBER STATE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Wildcats are making their 15th trip to the NCAA Tournament, the most in Big Sky Conference history. It is Weber State's first tournament appearance since the 2007 season. WSU 6-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The wins include first round upsets in 1995 (Michigan State) and 1999 (North Carolina).
WSU has competed at the NCAA Tournament in 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007.
More on WSU's NCAA Tournament history on the next page.
WILDCATS CLINCH 21ST BIG SKY TITLE
Weber State finished the 20-game conference season with a 14-6 overall record, winning the conference by two games over North Dakota, Northern Arizona and Montana.
It marks Weber State's 21st Big Sky Conference regular season title, the most of any member in conference history. WSU has won 21 titles in 51 years of Big Sky basketball. It is WSU's first title since 2010. Head coach Randy Rahe has guided the Wildcats to four titles in eight years as head coach.
The Wildcats have won 10 or more conference games for eight straight years under Rahe, the longest streak in Big Sky history.
WSU AGAINST NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS IN 2014
Weber State has played just two teams (BYU and UCLA) that are in this year's NCAA Tournament field. The Wildcats opened the season with an 81-72 loss at BYU and also lost 83-60 at UCLA.
WEBER STATE HEAD COACH RANDY RAHE
Weber State is coached by Randy Rahe who is in his eighth season as head coach at Weber State. This week Rahe was honored as the Big Sky Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach in Big Sky history to claim the honor four times. Rahe previously won the honor following the 2006-07, 2008-09, and 2009-10 seasons.
Rahe ranks second on the all-time list for Big Sky Conference wins. He has posted career record of 169-86 (.663) overall and is 106-30 (.779) in Big Sky regular season games. He and is just the third coach in conference history to reach 100 career Big Sky victories. Former Montana State coach Mick Durham is the all-time leader with 123 Big Sky wins. Rahe's Big Sky winning percentage also ranks third all-time behind Weber State's Phil Johnson (.886) and Idaho's Kermit Davis (.813). He is currently fifth in league history in overall wins.
Rahe has led WSU to four Big Sky Championships in his eight years at the helm and has guided the Wildcats to six post-season tournament appearances. He has also been named Big Sky Coach of the Year four times and has coached four Big Sky MVP's, including All-American Damian Lillard, the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year and current All-Star with the Portland Trail Blazers. Rahe has led the Wildcats to 20 or more wins in five of seven seasons with the team and has won 25 or more games in each of the past two seasons, including a Big Sky record 30 wins in 2012-13.
Coach Rahe was hired as the ninth coach in Weber State history in March 2006. In his first season as head coach, with just three returning players from the previous season, Rahe put together a squad of newcomers and began the process of restoring the winning tradition of Wildcat basketball. That season he surpassed all expectations, leading the Wildcats to a 20-12 record and a tie for the Big Sky Conference regular-season title. The Wildcats then won the postseason conference tournament and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Bancroft, Iowa, Rahe was a two-sport athlete at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa as a point guard on the men's basketball team and a shortstop on the baseball team. He earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1982. He began his coaching career on the high school level in Colorado. During his tenure as the head coach at Stratton High School (1985-88) he was twice named District Coach of the Year leading his teams to district and league championships in 1986, 1987 and 1988. His teams posted an overall mark of 54-17, earning two third-place finishes in state tournaments.
Rahe got his first taste of coaching on the collegiate level in 1988-89, when he joined the staff at Colorado College as an assistant. He went on to serve as an assistant at the University of Colorado (1989-90) and the University of Denver (1990-91) before beginning his long association with Stew Morrill at Colorado State and Utah State.
Following Morrill to Utah State, Rahe was part of an Aggie staff which, in six seasons, helped the team compile a 143-48 record, winning five Big West Conference championships, earn three appearances in the NCAA Tournament with a first round win over Ohio State and two NIT berths. In his last season (2003-04) at USU, the Aggies were ranked as high as 19th in the nation. From Utah State Rahe went to the University of Utah in 2004-05 where he would spend the next two seasons as an assistant coach under Ray Giacoletti. In his first season with the Utes, Utah finished 29-6, won the Mountain West Championship, and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. They were led that season by Andrew Bogut who earned National Player of the Year honors and went on to become the first pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Randy and his wife Laura are the parents of two sons, Luke and Kade. Laura is a women's basketball official in the Mountain West and West Coast Conferences.
Returning with Rahe on the coaching staff this season are associate head coach Eric Duft, and assistant coach Phil Beckner. New to the staff this season is assistant coach Kellen McCoy. McCoy is a former standout player at Weber State and was named the 2009 Big Sky MVP.
Garrett Lever is the Director of Basketball Operations.
BIG SKY MVP DAVION BERRY LEADS WILDCATS
Weber State has been led this season by senior Davion Berry who was named the Big Sky MVP, the eighth player in school history to receive the honor. Berry was also named to the Big Sky All-Conference First Team and earned All-District honors for the second straight season. He was also named the Big Sky Tournament MVP after averaging 17 points per game in two tournament games.
Berry, a native of Oakland, Calif., has been WSU's top player all season. He has led the Wildcats in scoring 20 times during the season, including 16 of the last 18 games. He ranks third in the Big Sky in scoring at 19.1 points per game and was second in scoring in Big Sky games at 20.2 per game. He has scored in double figures in 28 of WSU's 30 games and scored 20 or more 18 times. He has scored 572 points this season, the 13th most in a season in WSU history.
Berry also ranks fifth in the league in assists at 4.0 per game and is eighth in free throw percentage. He also leads the Wildcats in steals and assist to turnover ratio. He has played in 67 career games in his two seasons at Weber State and currently ranks 16th in scoring in WSU history with 1,136 career points. He has a career scoring average of 17.0 points per game.
KYLE TRESNAK SCORES CAREER-HIGH IN TOURNAMENT TITLE GAME
Kyle Tresnak earned Big Sky All-Tournament honors after scoring a career-high 27 points in Saturday's 88-67 win over North Dakota. The senior was 11 of 15 from the field in the game and grabbed five rebounds and had three assists.
Tresnak, a native of Scottsdale, Ariz., earned second team All-Conference honors for the second straight season. He ranks second on the Wildcat team in scoring at 11.8 points per game. He has scored in double figures 16 times and reached 20 or more points five times. He leads the Big Sky in blocked shots at 1.9 per game and is second in the conference in field goal percentage at 60.5 percent. He has recorded 55 blocks this season, the fifth most ever in a season.
Tresnak has played in 130 career games and started 98 career games. He is the only player in Weber State history to reach 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 100 career blocked shots. He currently ranks second in WSU history in career blocks with 125 and is 13th in career scoring and 22nd in career rebounding.
JORDAN RICHARDSON EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
WSU senior Jordan Richardson was also named to the All-Tournament team after his play in helping the Wildcats to the tournament title. Richardson knocked down six 3-pointers in the two tournament games. This season Weber State is 7-0 when Richardson scores in double figures. The Wildcats are 12-11 when he does not reach double figures.
Richardson, a native of Lewisville, Texas, is averaging 7.1 points and 2.5 assists this season and shooting 35 percent from 3-point land. He has played in 131 career games, the most of any player in Big Sky history. He has never missed a game in his career with the Wildcats and has started in 78 career games.
JEREMY SENGLIN NAMED BSC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jeremy Senglin was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year, becoming the fifth player in Weber State history to earn the honor. WSU has earned the award in three of the last six years.
The Arlington, Texas native leads all freshmen in the conference in scoring at 11.2 points per game, after scoring 12 points in the tournament title game. He has started all 30 games for the Wildcats this season and became the first true Wildcat freshman to start the season opener since 1976.
Senglin has scored in double figures 20 times during the season, the second most of any Wildcat. He also leads the Wildcats and is eighth in the Big Sky in 3-point field goal percentage (.404) and 3-pointers per game at 2.0.
JOEL BOLOMBOY NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Joel Bolomboy is just the second Wildcat ever to be named Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He also earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors for the first time in his career. The sophomore out of Fort Worth, Texas leads the Big Sky and currently ranks fifth in the nation in rebounding at 10.8 per game. He averaged 11.7 rebounds per game in Big Sky Conference games. Bolomboy reached double figures in rebounding 21 times this season, including all but three Big Sky games. He had 11 rebounds in Saturday's Big Sky Tournament title win over North Dakota.
Bolomboy also recorded a Big Sky-best 10 double-doubles during the season with nine double-doubles coming in conference games. He is averaging 8.6 points per game and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. He also ranks eighth in the conference in blocked shots.
In two years with the Wildcats, Bolomboy has recorded 564 rebounds in 65 career games, good for a career rebounding average of 8.7 per game, 10th best in Weber State history. He currently ranks 15th in Weber State history in career rebounds. His 313 rebounds this year rank as the eighth most in a season in WSU history and is the most in a season since nine years.
SEASON TRENDS
This season Weber State is 18-2 when leading at halftime and just 1-9 when trailing at halftime. The Wildcats are 19-2 when leading with 5:00 to play and 0-9 when trailing with 5:00 remaining.
The Wildcats are also 15-5 when scoring 70 or more points and 6-0 when scoring 80. In eight years under head coach Randy Rahe the Wildcats are 68-3 when scoring 80 or more points.
The 'Cats are 17-3 this season when holding opponents under 70 points but are 2-8 when allowing opponents to score 70 or more.
WSU is 17-1 when leading in field goal percentage and 2-10 when trailing. The 'Cats are 14-2 this season and 123-21 under coach Rahe when leading their opponent in rebounding. Weber State is also 17-0 this season when leading in assists.
ABOUT ARIZONA
The Arizona Wildcats enter the NCAA Tournament as one of the top teams in the country. Arizona is 304 on the season and ranked fourth in the latest AP poll. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 with a 15-3 record. UA opened the season winning its first 21 games. The Wildcats lost in the Pac-12 Tournament championship to UCLA.
WSU and Arizona have faced two common opponents this season. Arizona defeated Big Sky member Northern Arizona 77-44 in December in Tucson. WSU was 1-1 against NAU this year. Arizona was 1-1 against UCLA this season, while Weber State lost 83-60 at UCLA in December.
Arizona is 13-3 this season against teams in this year's NCAA Tournament, the best record of any team in the field.
The Wildcats rank fifth in the nation in defense, allowing just 58.1 points per game and are fifth in the country in scoring margin at +14.9. UA is also fourth in the country in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 8.4 rebounds per game. Arizona is also seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 38.1 percent shooting.
The Wildcats are led by junior guard Nick Johnson who earned First Team All-American honors and was named Pac 12 Player of the Year. He averages 16.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Freshman Aaron Gordon earned Third Team All-American honors and was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, averaging 12.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
HEAD COACH SEAN MILLER
The Wildcats of Arizona are coached by Sean Miller who is in his fifth season as head coach. Miller has a record of 126-47 (.728) at Arizona and is 63-27 in Pac-12 games. He was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year and the District IX Coach of the Year this season. He has led UA to three trips to the NCAA Tournament during his five seasons.
Prior to becoming head coach at Arizona, Miller spent five seasons as head coach at Xavier where he won 120 games and went to four NCAA Tournaments, including two Sweet 16 appearances.
Miller is 246-94 (.723) overall in his 10 seasons as head coach.
ALL-TIME SERIES
This will be the fifth game ever between the two Wildcats. Arizona holds a 4-0 all-time record with all four games taking place in Tucson. UA has won all four games by an average margin of 5.3 points.
The two teams first met in the 1966-67 season with Arizona winning 62-57. They also played in the 1967-68 season and the 1969-70 season.
The last meeting came in December 2008 with Arizona winning 71-65. The Wildcats were led by current WSU assistant coach Kellen McCoy in that game as he finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Damian Lillard had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.
BIG SKY RANKINGS
Weber State is first in the Big Sky in several categories. The Wildcats lead the conference in scoring defense (66.4), scoring margin (+6.7), field goal percentage defense (.424), 3-point field goal percentage (.392), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.326) and rebounding margin (+3.4). WSU is also second in the league in free throw percentage, field goal percentage and blocks and third in rebounding and 3-pointers per game.
WSU is last in the conference in steals and turnover margin. WSU is averaging 12.4 turnovers per game, second most in the conference. WSU has had at least 10 turnovers in 19 of the last 20 games.
A LOOK BACK ON WSU'S RECORD-SETTING 2012-13 SEASON
Weber State posted a record setting 30-7 record during the 2012-13 season, setting a school and conference record for wins in a season. They advanced to the championship game of the Collegeinsider.com Tournament. WSU finished second in the Big Sky, posting an 18-2 record in league play, and advanced to the Big Sky Championship game for the third time in the last four years. WSU finished the season first in the country in field goal percentage and first in three-point field goal percentage and were second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense.
WEBER STATE BASKETBALL HISTORY
Weber State is in its 52nd season as a Division I and four-year program. The school is a charter member of the Big Sky Conference, joining the league in 1963.
WSU entered the 2013-14 season with the 23rd best winning percentage in NCAA history. WSU is now 963-545 (.639) all-time and this year became the first program in Big Sky history to win 500 conference games.
The school has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 14 times with the most recent appearance coming in 2007. WSU has won 21 Big Sky titles in 51 years of conference basketball.
WSU has won six games in the NCAA Tournament, including first round wins in 1995 over Michigan State and 1999 over North Carolina.
Several legendary coaches have coached at Weber State. The first coach in the Division I era was Dick Motta who led WSU to three titles in six seasons before going on to have a long career in the NBA. Phil Johnson coached Weber State for three seasons and won three titles before his long career in the NBA. Both Motta and Johnson were NBA Coaches of the Year.
Gene Visscher, Neil McCarthy, Larry Farmer, Denny Huston, Ron Abegglen and Joe Cravens also coached Weber State, prior to current head coach Randy Rahe.
WSU has had 15 players drafted in the NBA Draft, the most of any Big Sky school. Legendary players like Willie Sojourner, Bruce Collins, Rico Washington, Harold Arceneaux and Jermaine Boyette and many others have led the Wildcats to its success.
Weber State has become prominent in recent years thanks to Damian Lillard, who earned All-American honors for Weber State in 2012, the first player from the Big Sky Conference to be named to an All-American team. Lillard is the second leading scorer in WSU history and was selected with the sixth pick of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He went on to be named the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year and was named to the NBA All-Star team in 2014.
In 2012, Weber State was ranked as the 39th top program in the country over the last 50 years by ESPN.com.
LOOKING AHEAD
The winner of Friday's game will face the winner of Oklahoma State and Gonzaga on Sunday.
