UPCOMING — The short-handed Pepperdine men’s basketball team begins the West Coast Conference Tournament with a first-round game against Portland in San Diego on Friday. The sixth-seeded Waves are down to nine healthy players, of which only seven are on scholarship. It’s the rubber match between the Waves and the seventh-seeded Pilots, who each won on the other’s home floor.

GAME #31 — Friday (March 7) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego: Pepperdine (10-20, 4-10) vs. Portland (9-21, 3-11) at approximately 8 p.m. The game will be preceded by the Loyola Marymount-San Francisco contest at 6 p.m.

GAME #32? — If the Waves win, they’ll move on to the quarterfinals on Saturday (March 8) against third-seeded San Diego (18-13, 11-3) at approximately 8 p.m.

ON THE WEB — Fans can catch all Pepperdine men’s basketball games on the internet at www.pepperdinesports.com. Veteran play-by-play man Al Epstein, now in his 23rd season with the Waves, is behind the microphone. Home games will have live audio and video, while road games will be audio only. Go to the Pepperdine Athletics website and look for the WaveCasts button. Live statistics are also available for home games. All online services are currently free.

TICKETS — Tickets must be purchased through the San Diego ticket office at this point. An all-session pass costs $100. Single-session passes are $30 for a reserved ticket, and $10 for children or WCC students.

PORTLAND — Pepperdine is 51-25 all-time against Portland. Before the Waves’ win in Portland on Feb. 11, the Pilots had won five straight in the series. Portland has won six of the last eight meetings, but before that, Pepperdine had won 12 straight. The Waves are 4-1 against the Pilots in the WCC Tournament. The last meeting (a 77-64 Pepperdine win)was in the 2002 first round, which also was held at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

FIRST PORTLAND GAME — Back on Jan. 12 ... The Waves rallied back from a double-digit deficit against Portland in the schools’ WCC opener at Firestone Fieldhouse, but the visiting Pilots held on for an 82-78 victory. Tyrone Shelley scored a game-high 23 points. The Pilots built a 10-point lead in the first half and were up by 11 early in the second half. But Pepperdine put together runs of 14-4 and 11-0 in the second half and took a 55-52 lead with 10:35 to go. Pepperdine’s last lead came at 64-63 with 6:20 to go after two Shelley free throws. But Portland went on a 10-2 run, making it 73-66 with 2:51 to play, and Pepperdine got no closer than the final margin after that.

SECOND PORTLAND GAME — Back on Feb. 11 ... In what was perhaps one of the biggest — and certainly one of the unlikeliest — comebacks in Pepperdine history, the Waves pulled together and rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to win 71-66 at the Chiles Center in Portland. Pepperdine’s top scorer, Tyrone Shelley, fouled out with 12:27 left and the Pilots held a 51-33 lead with nine minutes to go. But out of nowhere, the Waves hit five three-pointers and went on a 17-1 run over two-plus minutes, making it a two-point game at 52-50 with 6:45 to play. Portland still led by five at 66-61 with 2:15 left, but Rico Tucker took over and led the Waves on a game-ending 10-0 run. He converted a lay-up and the ensuing free throw with 2:09 left, then scored on another lay-up with 1:22 left to tie the game. Malcolm Thomas’ post move and basket gave the Waves their first lead since early in the game at 68-66 with 28 seconds left. Tucker finished with a team-high 17 points, all of which came in the second half.

WCC HONORS — Malcolm Thomas earned All-WCC honorable mention honors and a spot on the WCC All-Freshman team.

INJURY UPDATE — The Waves’ already thin bench suffered another blow when junior guard Rico Tucker suffered a right knee injury late in the game at San Diego on Saturday (March 1). He did not play on Monday at San Francisco and is not expected to be available for the WCC Tournament.

WCC TOURNAMENT HISTORY — In 21 WCC Tournaments, the Waves are 25-17 all-time and have won the event three times (1991, ‘92 and ‘94). Pepperdine lost in the first round each of the last two years and has been knocked out of the tournament by San Diego in three consecutive years. The last time Pepperdine went into the WCC Tournament with an interim coach, Marty Wilson led the Waves to a first-round upset of a Steve Nash-led Santa Clara team in 1996.

POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE — The sum total of Pepperdine’s existing WCC Tournament experience consists of seven minutes and two points by Tyler Carr in last year’s first-round game against San Diego. The only other available player with Division I postseason experience is Ryan Holmes (two minutes, zero points at the 2005 Big Sky Tournament). The injured Rico Tucker played in four Big Ten Tournament games and also took part in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and the 2006 NIT. Mike Hornbuckle played extensively in both the Golden State Athletic Conference and NAIA Tournaments.

GAME #30 RECAP — The regular season came to an end with an 88-63 defeat at San Francisco on Monday night (March 3). Tyrone Shelley scored a game-high 28 points, his second-highest total of the season and his most in a WCC game. Mike Hornbuckle continued his strong play with 15 points. Foul trouble and free throws helped USF to a 51-32 halftime lead, and Pepperdine got no closer than 73-60 with five minutes left.

RECORDS WATCH — Malcolm Thomas has 55 blocked shots, which is a Pepperdine freshman record and is seventh on Pepperdine’s single-season records list ... Rico Tucker has 65 steals, which is fifth on the Waves’ single-season records list.

EXPERIENCE (OR LACK THEREOF) — Of the 11 players that remain with the Waves, only eight are scholarship players and only one saw any action for Pepperdine in 2006-07 (walk-on Tyler Carr). Three other players were on the roster last year: two of whom redshirted due to NCAA transfer rules, and a walk-on who did not appear in any games. Seven other players are new to the team this year: one junior college transfer, five true freshmen and a sophomore walk-on.

FRESHMEN — Freshmen are providing most of the Waves’ scoring, with 62.7 percent of the points thus far. The youngsters have scored at least half of the Waves’ points in 27 of 30 games, including the first 15 of the season (a streak that ended when reserves played most of Pepperdine’s rout of Hope International) and the first eight WCC contests. When upperclassmen score a majority of the points, the Waves are 3-0. Freshmen contributed the most with 85.9% of the 92 points against Long Beach State. See the chart on page five for game-by-game figures. Pepperdine’s top two scorers are freshmen (Tyrone Shelley at 14.8 ppg and Malcolm Thomas at 12.6 ppg) while Mychel Thompson chips in with 8.1 ppg.

THOMAS & SHELLEY — Pepperdine boasts two of the league’s most talented freshmen in Malcolm Thomas and Tyrone Shelley ... Thomas leads all WCC freshmen in rebounding (8.8, third overall), blocked shots (1.83, second overall) and field goal percentage (.524, fourth overall) and he’s also 11th overall in the WCC in scoring (12.6). He has six double-doubles and has had team bests of 21 double-figure scoring games and 11 double-figure rebounding games ... Based on available records, Shelley’s 34 points vs. Cal State Northridge set a new single-game scoring mark by a Pepperdine freshman. He is first among freshmen and fourth in the WCC in scoring (14.8 ppg), as well as seventh in steals (1.53) and ninth in rebounding (5.9). He has four double-doubles and has been in double-figures in points 20 times.

ASBURY RETURNS — It was announced on Feb. 19 that the architect of one of the best stretches in Pepperdine history, Tom Asbury, is returning to Malibu and will become the Waves’ head coach again. He will take over on the bench next season. Asbury was at Pepperdine for 15 seasons, the first nine as an assistant coach (1980-88) and then the next six as the head coach (1989-94). He then served as head coach at Kansas State from 1995-2000 and was most recently an assistant coach at Alabama from 2004-07. Asbury went 125-59 (.679) in his six seasons with the Waves. The Waves went to the postseason five times in six years with three NCAA Tournament appearances (1991, ’92, ’94) and two in the NIT (1989, ’93). Pepperdine won three regular-season West Coast Conference titles, finished no worse than second in any of his six seasons and compiled a league record of 66-18 (.786). Pepperdine’s only three WCC Tournament championships came under Asbury. It’s already been announced that former Pepperdine player and assistant Marty Wilson will return as his associate head coach, and former Waves player Damin Lopez will be an assistant coach.

WALBERG RESIGNS — On the morning of Thursday, Jan. 18, head coach Vance Walberg unexpectedly resigned, citing personal and family reasons. In his 1 1/2 seasons with the Waves after leaving Fresno City College, Walberg’s teams went 14-35 overall. Pepperdine was 6-12 overall and 0-2 in the WCC at the time of his resignation.

BRIDGELAND ELEVATED — Eric Bridgeland, in his second season as an assistant coach, was elevated to interim head coach and will remain in that position through the end of the season. He previously was a head coach for seven seasons at the Division III level and posted an overall record of 115-65 (.639). In five seasons at Puget Sound (2002-06), Bridgeland’s teams captured three consecutive Northwest Conference championsips (2004-06), advanced to the Division III NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16" in 2004 and 2005 and the "Elite Eight" in 2006. Bridgeland was tabbed the Northwest Conference’s Coach of the Year following the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons. He also coached at NCAA Division III UC Santa Cruz for two seasons (1999-2000 and 2000-01).

ROSTER CHANGES — Freshman center Daniel Johnson left Pepperdine the week of Jan. 28, citing homesickness, to return to his native Australia. He intends to turn professional. He was averaging 9.4 points in 21 games ... Seldom-used freshman walk-on Gus Clardy, who came to Pepperdine on an academic scholarship, left the team at the same time to focus on his studies. He was averaging 1.3 points in 16 games ... Senior center Jarrad Henry did not return to the team following Vance Walberg’s resignation. Henry, fifth all-time at Pepperdine in blocked shots, missed the first 11 games of the season with a broken thumb. He reinjured the thumb in early January, though he continued to attempt to play. He appeared in only seven games this season and averaged 2.7 points ... Senior guard Jason Walberg, who transferred to Pepperdine from Saint Mary’s prior to the 2006-07 season in order to play for his father, left the program following his father’s resignation. He was averaging 8.5 points in 17 games.

CLOSE LOSSES — Sometimes it takes young teams a while to learn how to win close games and Pepperdine has been no exception. In 11 losses this season, the Waves were within five points of the opponent at some time during the final five minutes. Eight of the losses were by five points or fewer and 11 of the losses were by nine points or less.

FIRST HALF/SECOND HALF — The Waves have trailed at halftime in 23 of 30 games and have won six times after being behind at the break. Pepperdine is also 4-3 in the games they’ve led at halftime. Pepperdine trailed at the half in the first eight games of the season. Pepperdine lost the first four but came back to win the next four. Pepperdine’s first halftime lead of the season came in the ninth contest at Montana State (though the Waves ended up losing). Pepperdine then trailed at halftime the next six games before taking a 42-point lead at halftime vs. Hope International. In 14 WCC games, Pepperdine led at halftime five times (both wins against LMU, a loss vs. USF, a win vs. Santa Clara and a loss at USD). On the positive side, the Waves have either outscored or matched the opponent in the second half in 16 of 30 games.

POINTS — Pepperdine is third in the WCC in scoring (75.3 ppg). In Pepperdine’s victories, the average score has been 85.6 to 72.4. In losses, the average is 70.2 to 85.3. The Waves are 4-0 when scoring 90 points or more. In Pepperdine’s first seven wins of the season, its fewest points in a victory was 83 at Pacific, but the last three wins saw totals of 71 at Portland, 64 vs. Santa Clara and 72 at Loyola Marymount.

STEALS — The Waves lead the WCC in steals (9.90 per game). The next-closest school in that category is Gonzaga at 7.73. Rico Tucker is second in the conference at 2.2 steals per contest.

REBOUNDS — Although Pepperdine’s rebound margin is a negative 3.5, that’s a vast improvement over 2006-07, when it was a negative 12.3. The Waves lead the WCC in offensive rebounds at 13.17 per game. At his current pace, Malcolm Thomas (8.8 rpg) could finish as the Waves’ best rebounder since 1993-94 (Dana Jones, 9.7 rpg).

NOTABLES — Pepperdine has reached double-digit victories for the first time since 2004-05 ... The 23-point win over Loyola Marymount on Jan. 26 was the Waves’ largest in a WCC game since also beating LMU by 23 points in 2002-03 ... Pepperdine’s modest four-game winning streak in November provided a few highlights. It was the first time that the Waves had won as many as three in a row since January 2005. The final three wins in the streak came away from home, the first time Pepperdine had won three straight road or neutral-site games since November 2004.

2007-08 HONORS — Malcolm Thomas was named to the all-tournament team at the Oregon World Vision Invitational after averaging 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds ... Tyrone Shelley and Rico Tucker were named to the all-tournament team at the Montana State GranTree Inn Classic. Shelley averaged 19.5 ppg and Tucker averaged 16.5 ppg.

LAST-SECOND HEROICS — Tyrone Shelley hit a three-pointer with 4.2 seconds left to send the Nov. 28 game at Northern Arizona into overtime, and the Waves ended up winning 93-87 ... On Nov. 30 vs. Texas-Pan American, Jason Walberg drove down the lane and dished off to Malcolm Thomas, who laid it in with six seconds left for the game-winning points in an 86-84 victory ... The Waves have hit three-pointers right before the halftime buzzer four times: Jon Reed vs. Long Beach State on Nov. 21, Rico Tucker at Northern Arizona on Nov. 28, Shelley vs. Hope International on Jan. 8 and Mychel Thompson vs. San Diego on Feb. 4 ... Shelley hit a three-pointer at the final buzzer at Manhattan, but unfortunately the Waves trailed by four points prior to his basket.

ROAD TRIP — Pepperdine’s 10-game road trip (which featured nine away games and one neutral-site contest) appears to have been the longest stretch without a home game in school history. The Waves went 47 days without a home game (Nov. 21 to Jan. 8). During this stretch, Pepperdine played the two schools with the longest active home winning streaks in the country, Memphis and BYU.

SCHEDULE — The non-conference schedule was daunting, as the Waves played 13 of their 16 non-conference games away from home. The Waves took on three ranked teams on the road, losing at #12 Oregon, #25 BYU and #2 Memphis. Pepperdine won four of the 13 games away from Malibu. One oddity had Pepperdine playing Pacific twice. The Tigers won on a neutral court in Oregon but the Waves returned the favor on Pacific’s home floor in Stockton a month later. The three non-conference home games came against a trio of local schools: Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State and Hope International.

WAVES IN THE PROS — Several former Pepperdine players have gone on to play in the NBA, most notably Dennis Johnson (the 1979 NBA Finals MVP) and Doug Christie (a 15-year NBA veteran who last played with the Clippers in 2006-07). Currently in the NBA is Yakhouba Diawara, now in his second season with the Denver Nuggets. Diawara, who played at Pepperdine in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and was an all-conference honoree, was the Nuggets’ starting shooting guard on opening night of the 2007-08 NBA season. Some recent players have been playing overseas, including Alex Acker (Spain), Brandon Armstrong (Poland), Tashaan Forehan-Kelly (New Zealand), Jelani Gardner (Russia), Kelvin Gibbs (Greece), Geoff Lear (France) and Glen McGowan (Belgium). Robert "Hollywood" Turner is a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.

PEPPERDINE HISTORY — This is the 70th season of Pepperdine basketball, and the Waves opened 2007-08 with an all-time record of 1,092-857 (.560). Pepperdine has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002), and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994).

FIRESTONE FIELDHOUSE — When Pepperdine moved its campus from South-Central Los Angeles to Malibu, Firestone Fieldhouse was built and opened in November 1973. Entering the 2007-08 season, the Waves compiled a cumulative record of 335-128 (.724) in 35 seasons and won a school-record 30 consecutive games from 1984-87.