They don't call it March Madness for nothing, and the Nevada Wolf Pack has captured more than its share of the madness, earning eight consecutive postseason appearances, including four NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004-07.
Nevada has made a total of six NCAA Tournament appearances in its history and holds a 4-6 record in those appearances.
After advancing past the first round in three of its last four NCAA Tournament appearances, including an amazing run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2004, the Wolf Pack has shown fans around the country that the team has what it takes to succeed in the "Big Dance."
1984 – First Time AroundNevada earned the first NCAA Tournament berth in school history in dramatic fashion. Guard Dannie Jones got a steal, raced the length of the court and made a layup at the buzzer to give Nevada a 71-69 win over Montana in the Big Sky Tournament championship game and send the Wolf Pack to the “Big Dance” for the first time. Nevada met Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and lost to the Huskies – led by future NBA first-round draft picks Detlef Schrempf and Christian Welp – 64-54.
1985 – Play it Again, SonnyHead coach Sonny Allen and the Wolf Pack didn’t wait long to make their second NCAA Tournament appearance, downing Idaho State in the 1985 Big Sky Tournament. The Wolf Pack ran into legendary coach Jim Valvano and the nation’s other Wolfpack, North Carolina State, in the first round of the 1985 NCAA Tournament, falling in the first round 65-56.
2004 - One Sweet SeasonNevada earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 after defeating UTEP in the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. It marked the team's first NCAA invitation since 1985.
The NCAA committee made the Wolf Pack the No. 10 seed in the St. Louis Regional, and the team traveled to Seattle, Wash., for an opening-round match-up with seventh-seeded Michigan State. Nevada started slow against the Spartans and trailed by as many as 16 points in the game. In the second half, however, led by Kirk Snyder and Todd Okeson, the Pack rallied to turn in a 72-66 victory over Michigan State.
Next up was a second-round contest with second-seeded Gonzaga, a team not unfamiliar with being a NCAA Cinderella story itself. Nevada dominated the Bulldogs with long three-point shots, devastating dunks off inbounds passes and timely takeaways and came away with a 91-72 victory and the first trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in school history. A crowd of 400 Wolf Pack faithful greeted the team the next day at the airport as fans and media across the country were paying attention to the University of Nevada.
After a raucous campus pep rally, the Wolf Pack traveled to St. Louis for a regional semifinal game against Georgia Tech. Nevada fell one step short of the regional final, falling to the eventual national runner-up Yellow Jackets 72-67.
2005 - Back-to-Back Berths
In 2005, Nevada capped off another outstanding season with a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After capturing the team's second consecutive WAC regular-season title, the Wolf Pack earned the school's first ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Nevada earned a No. 9 seed in the tournament and headed to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind., to take on eighth-seeded Texas. Led by Kevinn Pinkney, the Wolf Pack picked up where the team left off the previous season and turned in a 61-57 victory over the Longhorns. The victory set up a meeting with the top-seeded and top-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round.
Pinkney turned in another outstanding game with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Illinois, but it wasn't enough as the Wolf Pack saw their season come to an end in a 71-59 loss to the eventual NCAA runner-up for the second consecutive season.
2006 - The Three-PeatThe Wolf Pack captured its second automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament in three years in 2006. Nevada won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and then turned in a thrilling run to win the WAC Tournament Championship and earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA selection committee rewarded the Wolf Pack with a No. 5 seed, the highest in school history, and Nevada headed to Salt Lake City, Utah, to take on 12th-seeded Montana.
Marcelus Kemp turned in a career-high 34 points and Nick Fazekas added 24 points and 12 rebounds, but the upstart Grizzlies ended the Wolf Pack’s stellar season with a 87-79 victory.
2007 - Fourth Time AroundAfter climbing into the top 10 in the national rankings for the first time in school history, Nevada earned an at-large bid and a No. 6 seed, its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament invitation. The Wolf Pack headed to New Orleans to take on the 24th-ranked Creighton Bluejays. Led by Marcelus Kemp’s game-high 27 points, including nine in the extra session, the Wolf Pack slipped past the Bluejays 77-71 in overtime to advance past the first round for the third time in four years.
Next up was fifth-ranked and second-seeded Memphis. The Wolf Pack kept it close all game, but despite cutting it to two points late in the second half, the team saw its tournament run end with a 78-62 loss to the Tigers. Nick Fazekas turned in 20 points and Kemp had 18 for Nevada.
