Nevada Wolf Pack
Mountain West (28-6, 14-4)
Nevada was hoping to build on their successful 2015-2016 campaign when first year coach, Eric Musselman, led the Wolf Pack to a CBI championship. And they did just that. Nevada took the next step and won the outright Mountain West regular season title and followed it up by cruising through the conference tournament and earning their first trip to the NCAA trip in a decade.
Big Wins: 11/24 vs Oakland (82-78), 1/7 at New Mexico (105-104), 1/25 at Boise State (76-57)
Bad Losses: 11/27 vs Iona (73-75), 2/1 at Utah State (57-74), 2/12 at San Diego State (56-70)
Coach: Eric Musselman
Why They Can Surprise:
Nevada has four extremely dangerous scorers. Marcus Marshall leads the way with 19.8 points per game and the 6-3 senior can put up points in a hurry. He is a superb three-point shooter and connected on 38.6 percent of his 293 attempts. Marshall may be prolific from outside, but he is just as dangerous attacking the basket. Fellow guard D.J. Fenner is another consistent three-point shooter who can also attack the basket. Jordan Caroline transferred in from Southern Illinois after his freshman campaign and the 6-7 wing has made an immediate impact. He is a superb all-around player who will use his athleticism to finish above the rim and grab plenty of rebounds. He is also an occasional threat to stretch the defense with his outside shooting, but it Cameron Oliver who does more of that. Oliver, a 6-8 sophomore, is averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. He is a beast in the paint and nearly impossible for most opponents to defend because of his shooting ability.
Why They Can Disappoint:
With those four scoring and sophomore Lindsey Drew setting them up, Nevada has the firepower to beat anybody. The defense though has been troublesome at times. This is not a team that is going to create turnovers and despite having Oliver in the paint blocking shots, the opposition shoots pretty well from the floor. The one place the defense really shines though is on the perimeter. Nevada rarely gives the opposition an open look from beyond the arc and the length of their guards has made it difficult for anybody to shoot well from beyond the arc. If Nevada can get out in front and force their opponents to start looking for more three-pointers, they can win a game in the tournament.
Probable Starters:
Lindsey Drew, Sophomore, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 4.8 apg, 5.0 rpg
Marcus Marshall, Senior, Guard, 19.8 ppg, 3.6 apg
D.J. Fenner, Senior, Guard, 14.1 ppg, 1.7 apg
Jordan Caroline, Sophomore, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 1.9 apg, 9.2 rpg
Cameron Oliver, Sophomore, Forward, 15.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Key Role Players:
Leland King, Junior, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Josh Hall, Freshman, Guard, 3.6 ppg, 1.1 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 79.8 (40th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.0 (144, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.8 (149, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.6 (115, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.2 (32, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.6 (36, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.0 (177, 7)
Rebound Margin: 3.4 (78, 1)
Assists Per Game: 16.4 (26, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.2 (28, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 CBI First Round win over Montana
2016 CBI Quarterfinal win over Eastern Washington
2016 CBI Semifinal win over Vermont
2016 CBI Championship win over Morehead State
2012 NIT First Round win over Oral Roberts
2012 NIT Second Round win over Bucknell
2012 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Stanford
2010 NIT First Round win over Wichita State
2010 NIT Second Round loss to Rhode Island
2009 CBI First Round loss to UTEP
2008 CBI First Round loss to Houston
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Creighton
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Memphis
2006 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Montana
*all team stats through 3/5
