Weber State 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Weber State Wildcats - Big Sky (20-11, 11-5)

Seed: #15 - West Region

Big Wins: 12/30 at Northern Arizona (81-73), 1/25 at Idaho State (71-58), 1/27 Eastern Washington (93-84)

Bad Losses: 1/18 at Montana State (48-63), 1/20 at Montana (86-90), 2/26 at Sacramento State (83-105)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2003, First Round loss to Wisconsin

Coach: Randy Rahe (First NCAA appearance)

Probable Weber State Starters:

• Juan Pablo Silveira, Sophomore, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 3.3 apg

• Dezmon Harris, Junior, Guard, 10.9 ppg, 2.5 apg

• Dan Henry, Senior, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg

• David Patten, Senior, Forward, 14.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.1 bpg

• Arturas Valeika, Junior, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg

Key Roleplayers for Weber State:

• Brody Van Brocklin, Junior, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 1.7 apg

• Daviin Davis, Sophomore, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg

• Tyler Billings, Junior, Forward, 8.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
Weber State has had a history of great NCAA tournaments. In 1995, as a 14 seed, they beat Michigan State and only lost the following game to Georgetown by two points. In 1999 they did exactly the same thing, beating North Carolina and falling in overtime to Florida. It is a whole new group obviously, but these guys run an efficient offense through their forwards and are looking to make more history this time around. Starters Dezmon Harris, David Patten and Arturas Valeika, along with roleplayer Tyler Billings, all shoot over 50% from the floor. Patten leads Weber State’s balanced scoring attack with 14.4 points per game and will do some work on the glass as well.

Valeika shoots nearly 60% from the floor, and would be among the nation’s leaders in that category if he would take enough shots to qualify. The 6-9 junior is a scoring threat when he does become involved in the offense and can put up 20 points on any given night, yet most of his accolades come from his ability to rebound. Billings has developed into a solid option off the bench and is an invaluable resource when the starters need a rest or run into foul trouble.

Why Weber State Can Disappoint:
Point guard Juan Pablo Silveira and roleplayer Brody Van Brocklin are the only two players that dish out more assists than turnovers. The team turns it over 16.1 times per game and for a group that does not have an extremely high paced offense and wants to play through the post, that is way too many.

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Who To Watch:
While the Wildcats are not dependent on the three-ball, Silveira and his backcourt mate Dezmon Harris knock them down with consistency. Silveira is a smart guard and a good scorer, but he tends to hang around the perimeter too much instead of driving to the basket looking to score. Harris’ numbers on the season do not do him justice. After becoming a full-time starter in January, the 6-1 junior has become more involved in the offense and provides another big scoring threat for the Wildcats.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 71.7 (115th in nation, 6th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 69.2 (186, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 49.3 (11, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.8 (162, 3)

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.1 (215, 4)

Rebound Margin: 1.2 (137, 5)

Assists Per Game: 13.8 (137, 6)

Turnovers Per Game: 16.1 (259, 7)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to UCLA

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