Weber State Wildcats
Big Sky (24-6, 14-2)
Weber State only lost two conference games, and five regular season games total, but they did not win the Big Sky title. That honor went to Montana, who knocked off the Wildcats in the last day of the regular season to earn the top spot in the conference. But even though they did not win their conference title, Weber State rarely lost to inferior competition. Their non-conference losses came at Saint Mary’s, at BYU and at California.
Big Wins: 11/15 Utah State (73-63), 1/14 Montana (80-64), 2/18 Texas-Arlington (72-70)
Bad Losses: 12/7 at BYU (66-94), 1/28 at Idaho State (62-64), 2/27 at Montana (51-66)
Coach: Randy Rahe (6 seasons at Weber State)
Why They Can Surprise:
If you have not seen Damian Lillard, you are missing out on one of the best small conference school players in the nation. Lillard, a 6-3 junior, can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. Despite the opposition focusing on Lillard, he is a superb outside shooter who knocks down 42.5 percent of his attempts from long range. He is also averaging 24.5 points, 4.0 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Lillard will be playing in the NBA sooner or later, but first he will lead Weber State through March. The Wildcats are one of the most consistent and prolific three-point shooting teams because of Lillard, but this team has a couple more shooters. Scott Bamforth often gets lost among the Lillard hype, but he can knock down a ton of long balls. Bamforth is not as dynamic of a scorer as Lillard, but he can take advantage of the opposition worrying about Lillard too much. Reserve forward Byron Fulton provides a nice offensive spark from the bench and stretches out the defense.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Weber State offense is prolific. This is a group that can outscore anybody. They take great care of the basketball and take smart shots. Every possession will be important in the tournament and Weber State has a history of making the most out of every possession. It will come down to defense. Center Kyle Tresnak is a good scorer, but he is not a great rebounder or a big shot blocking threat. Darin Mahoney is the team’s best rebounder and interior defender, but he is not much of a scorer. That has worked out just fine for the Wildcats this season, but the 6-8, 225 pound Mahoney has not been matched up with many quality big men throughout this season. Mahoney will be tested defensively and the entire team needs to step up on the defensive end of the floor if this is a team that is going to make any noise in March.
Probable Starters:
Damian Lillard, Junior, Guard, 24.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 5.1 rpg
Scott Bamforth, Junior, Guard, 14.5 ppg, 2.3 apg
Kyle Bullinger, Senior, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Darin Mahoney, Senior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Kyle Tresnak, Sophomore, Center, 10.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Byron Fulton, Sophomore, Forward, 7.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Jordan Richardson, Sophomore, Guard, 4.1 ppg, 2.1 apg
Gelaun Wheelwright, Freshman, Guard, 5.0 ppg, 1.1 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.1 (16th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.2 (210, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (74, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.1 (124, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.1 (4, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.6 (14, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 81.0 (1, 1)
Rebound Margin: 1.8 (122, 3)
Assists Per Game: 13.4 (129, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.8 (16, 1)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Weber State 2011 CBI First Round loss to Oregon
Weber State 2010 NIT First Round loss to Cincinnati
Weber State 2009 NIT First Round loss to San Diego State
Weber State 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to UCLA
Weber State 2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Wisconsin
Weber State 1999 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Carolina
Weber State 1999 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
