University of Nevada Athletics

ABOUT THE UNLV REBELS  — UNLV is off to a fast start this season posting a 7-0 mark and are ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll.  The Rebels swept through the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. winning all three games.  In their first true road contest of the season UNLV won 82-51 at Illinois State on Wednesday. 
    In his seventh season at UNLV head coach Lon Kruger has posted a 144-53 record with the Rebels and is 462-295 overall in his 25th season of coaching.  The Rebels were picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll.
    The Rebels boast two players averaging in double figures led by 6-8 swingman Chace Stanback’s 16.4 points per game.  Oscar Bellfield, a 6-2 guard, averages 11.4 points per contest.  Anthony Marshall, a 6-3 guard, is third on the team at 9.9 points per game.  Derek Jasper, a 6-6 guard, tops the team in rebounding averaging 6.3 per game.
    UNLV is shooting 54 percent from the field and 37 from behind the 3-point line.  On the season the Rebels average 35.9 rebounds per game, 4.6 more than their opponents. 

SLOW START  — Nevada is off to a slow start posting a 1-5 record to begin the 2010-11 season.  The Pack has lost five in a row since starting the season with a 81-66 home victory over Montana on Nov. 13.  The longest losing streak last year was three games and the most recent five game skid was during the 2000-01 season when the team suffered eight consecutive setbacks. 
    The last Wolf Pack men’s basketball team to begin the season 1-5 was the 1999-2000 squad that started the year 1-6 under first-year head coach Trent Johnson.  The 1999-2000 squad went 9-20 on the year.  

YOUNG GUNS— Nevada has used two different lineups the first six games of the season but it is still dominated by young players.  Three freshmen have started in each of the six games along with a sophomore and a junior.  Freshman point guard Deonte Burton has started all six games as has sophomore transfer Malik Story and returner Dario Hunt.  Freshmen Devonte Elliott and Jerry Evans Jr. were starters the first three games of the season but two other freshmen Kevin Panzer and Jordan Burris have started the last three games. 
    Newcomers have scored 299-of-387 points on the season which equates to 77 percent.  After Hunt’s 12.5 points per game the next eight players in scoring average are new to the team this year and nine-of-10 are new players.

BURTON ON POINT— Freshman point guard Deonte Burton produced his first double-double in a Nevada uniform and the first of the season for a Pack player with 10 points and 11 assists in Nevada’s 76-75 loss to Pepperdine.  The 11 assists are the high by any player in the WAC this season.  The last Pack double-double by a guard also came in a one-point loss when Armon Johnson totaled 13 points and 10 assists in an 80-79 setback at home to New Mexico State on Mar. 12, 2010 in the first game of the WAC Tournament. 
    Last season Luke Babbitt led the Pack with 16 double-doubles and Johnson totaled two while Dario Hunt and Joey Shaw had one each.
    Burton scored in double figures in the first three games of his Pack career.  Something that was not accomplished by six former Pack players that went on to NBA careers; Johnson, Luke Babbitt, Nick Fazekas, Ramon Sessions, JaVale McGee or Kirk Snyder.  Burton scored 17 in the season opening 81-66 victory over Montana then finished with 10 versus Pacific and Pepperdine.
    He struggled in the two games in Washington, D.C. scoring two points versus George Washington and six against Boston University going a combined 1-for-18 from the field.  The only game in which he did not dish out an assist this season was versus BU.  In the last game at South Dakota State he just missed double figures scoring nine points making 3-of-7 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws.
    The 6-1 guard is third on the squad averaging 9.0 points per game and tops the team with 4.2 assists per outing. 

RAINING THREES  — Nevada has made 36-of-100 (36%), 3-point field goals on the season with seven different players connecting on a shot from behind the arc.  Sophomore Malik Story leads the way making 15-of-26 (57%) on the season.  Twice Story has made four, 3-pointers in game going 4-of-7 vs. Montana and 4-of-5 vs. Pepperdine.  Derrell Conner (5-for-10), Jordan Burris (5-for-13), Kevin Panzer (5-for-14), Deonte Burton (4-for-23), Jerry Evans, Jr. (1-for-8) and Jordan Finn (1-of-4) have connected from behind the arc.  Last season, senior Brandon Fields made 6-of-10, 3-pointers at SJSU on Feb. 25 which was the high for 3-pointers made in a game by an individual.
    The Pack made 10-of-19 (53%) in the Montana game, went 3-of-13 (34%) vs. Pacific and made 9-of-19 (47%) vs. Pepperdine.  In Washington, D.C. Nevada went a combined 8-of-34 (24%) making 4-of-16 at George Washington and 4-of-18 versus Boston University.  At South Dakota State the team was 6-for-15 (40%) from behind the arc.

ON THE HUNT  — Junior forward Dario Hunt moved past Matt Williams (1987-91) into third place on Nevada’s career blocks list with the 136th of his career that came in the Pepperdine game.  Hunt accomplished the feat in just 71 games while Williams’ total of 135 came in 113 contests. He picked up his 137th in the Boston University game on Nov. 23 leaving him five back of Edgar Jones’ (1975-79) 142 blocks that was accomplished in 101 games.  Nick Fazekas (2004-07) tops the chart with 192 in 131 games.  Hunt has two of the top four block seasons in school history with 67 during 2008-09 season ranking third and his 66 last year is fourth.  The 67 is the freshman record at Nevada.

HUNT LEADING THE WAY  — Junior forward Dario Hunt led the Pack in scoring the first four games of the season and led the team in rebounding in the first three games and four of six games on the year.  It marked the first time in Hunt’s career that he has led the team in scoring in any contest.  Hunt started the year with 18 points and seven rebounds in the 81-66 Montana victory.  In the Pacific game he totaled 12 points and eight rebounds then scored 16 points and hauled down eight rebounds vs. Pepperdine.  At George Washington he totaled 16 points and his seven rebounds were second to Devonte Elliott’s 14.  In the Boston University contest he posted his second career double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.  At South Dakota State he struggled scoring two points but did grab five rebounds which was second to Jerry Evans’ seven.  On the season he tops the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game and rebounding at 7.5 per contest.

7,782 AND COUNTING — Nevada will travel 7,782 miles to play five games after opening the season with an 81-66 home victory over Montana on Nov. 13.  The Wolf Pack flew 388 miles each way to Los Angeles for a total of 776 miles to play Pacific and Pepperdine at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. 
    Next up was a road trip east of 2,275 miles to Washington, D.C. to take on George Washington and Boston University in the consolation bracket of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off.  Returning to Reno was another 2,275 for a total of 4,550 miles.  The fifth game was a road trip to Brookings, S.D. to play South Dakota State which is a flight of 1,228 miles, times two to account for the return home so add 2,456 miles for the total trip.  The team will travel a combined 7,782 miles before playing a second game at Lawlor Events Center on Dec. 4 with UNLV.  After the UNLV game is a 3,080 mile round trip to Houston to play the Cougars.  This all before Western Athletic play gets underway with trips to Hawai`i (5,130 miles round trip) and Louisiana Tech (3,180 miles round trip) in the future.
    The last Nevada team to start the season with so many road games was the 1963-64 team that began the season with six road games to start the year and went 1-5 away from Reno.  Three of those contests were played in Alaska and one was at Montana.  The 2005-06 team played four-of-five games to start the season on the road and won all four on the way to a 25-9 record.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES — Deonte Burton and Dario Hunt have posted double-doubles this season.  Burton’s came versus Pepperdine on Nov. 16 when he totaled 10 points and 11 assists.  It was the first double-double of his career.
    Hunt’s second career double-double was a 10 point, 11 rebound outing versus Boston University on Nov. 23.  His first double-double at Nevada came at VCU on Nov. 27, 2009 when he had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

NEVADA 0-4 IN 2010 DICK’S SPORTING GOODS NIT SEASON TIP-OFF  — Nevada went 0-4 in the 2010 Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off.  The Wolf Pack lost 64-53 to Pacific and 76-75 to Pepperdine in the two games played at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, Nov. 15-16.  The next week the Pack lost at George Washington 58-56 and 66-57 to Boston University in the two games played at GW’s Smith Center in Washington, D.C.  Overall Nevada is 1-5 in the preseason NIT going 1-1 in the 2003 event defeating Vermont 69-49 at home then falling 93-79 at #1 Connecticut.

SIX ESPN TV GAMES IN 2010-11 — University of Nevada men’s basketball games will air on ESPN’s family of networks six times this season.  The Wolf Pack will make three appearances on ESPNU, two games will air on ESPN2 and one will be a regional ESPN telecast.
    Home games on Dec. 17 with Arizona State, Dec. 31 versus Hawai`i and Jan. 8 with Utah State will be shown on ESPNU.  Road games at Idaho on Jan. 12 and at Utah State Feb. 2 can be seen on ESPN2.  The Feb. 24 Idaho at Nevada game will be a regional ESPN telecast.

WINNING AT LAWLOR  — The Wolf Pack has won 74 of its last 89 contests at Lawlor Events Center, dating back to the start of the 2005-06 season. The Pack went 15-2 last year and has won eight of its last nine home contests which includes the season opening win over Montana.  The Wolf Pack has turned in a 102-19 record at Lawlor Events Center since the start of the 2003-04 season (.843 winning percentage).
    Nevada has also captured 33 of its last 39 WAC regular-season home games (.846) and 39 of its last 47 home games against WAC opponents (.830) counting the 2006, 2009 and 2010 WAC Tournaments (dating back to the 2005-06 season).
    In addition to its 15-2 home mark, Nevada put up some gaudy offensive numbers at Lawlor Events Center last season. The Wolf Pack averaged 82.9 points per game and shot 50.6 percent from the field in its 17 home games. Sophomore Luke Babbitt averaged 22.6 points per home game, while junior Armon Johnson and senior Brandon Fields added 15.5 and 14.5 ppg, respectively. Johnson shot the ball particularly well at home, making 55.7 percent of his shots at Lawlor (107-192). He also dished out 6.8 assists per home game. Senior Ray Kraemer knocked down 52.2 percent of his three-point attempts at home (35-67), including a perfect 4-of-4 outing Jan. 13 vs. Utah State.

RECORD AT LAWLOR EVENTS CENTER (since 2003-04)
Year         Overall  WAC Play
2003-04    15-0    9-0
2004-05    13-4    7-2 (also 0-1 in WAC Tournament)
2005-06    17-1    7-1 (also 3-0 in WAC Tournament)
2006-07    15-1    8-0
2007-08    13-3    7-1
2008-09    13-8    5-3 (also 2-1 in WAC Tournament)
2009-10    15-2    7-1 (also 1-1 in WAC Tournament)
2010-11      1-0       0-0
Totals       102-19   51-8 (54-11 with WAC Tournament)

BREAKING DOWN THE PACK  — The Nevada bench has scored 154 points this season compared to 90 for its opponents.  The Wolf Pack hold a 47-37 advantage on fast break opportunities and has outscored opponents 178-144 in the paint through six games. Unfortunately the Pack has turned the ball over 94 times which has led to 99 (16.5 ppg) opponent points while 68 turnovers for the opponents has resulted in 59 (9.8 ppg) points for Nevada.

NEVADA ONE OF TOP WAC TEAMS OVER LAST SEVEN PLUS SEASONS
Over the last seven plus seasons dating back to 2003-04, Nevada has turned in a 170-70 record, the second-most wins of any WAC team during that time (.708 winning percentage). In conference games, Nevada has won 90 games, the most in that same time period. The top three teams in wins (both overall and WAC) over the last seven plus seasons:

Overall Record (Pct.)                         WAC Record (Pct.)
1.  Utah State 181-57 (.761)           1.  Nevada 90-26 (.776)
2.  Nevada 170-70 (.708)             2.  Utah State 60-20 (.750)
3.  Boise State 134-96 (.583)          3.  Boise State 64-69 (.481)

WOLF PACK PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN WAC  — Nevada has been picked to finish third in the Western Athletic Conference by both the league’s coaches and media.  The Wolf Pack received 47 points in the coaches’ polls to finish behind Utah State and New Mexico State.  In the media poll the Pack totaled 190 points to again rank behind Utah State and New Mexico State.

NOTES  —

Second-year head coach David Carter is 22-18 at Nevada which is his first collegiate head coaching job.

Dario Hunt ranks fifth in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and is tied for 10th in scoring (12.5 ppg) in the WAC.

Malik Story’s 57.7, 3-point percentage is fourth in the WAC and his 2.5 made per game is tied for third.

Deonte Burton’s 4.17 assists per game is third in the conference and his 1.17 steals per game is 12th while his assist to turnover ratio of 1.79 ranks fourth.

Deonte Burton’s 11 assists vs. Pepperdine is the top mark in the WAC this season.

Nevada’s 1-5 record is last in the WAC.

The 82-65, 17-point loss at South Dakota State was the largest setback of the season. 

Derrell Conner’s 15 points at South Dakota State marked the first time this season Nevada’s leading scorer came off the bench and was his career-high.

Senior Adam Carp’s six points at South Dakota State established a new career-high.  Freshmen Jerry Evans, Jr. (6 pts) and Devonte Elliott (8 pts) also had career-highs at SD St.

Devonte Elliott’s 14 rebound performance at George Washington (11/22) is tied for the second best total in WAC this season.

Nevada is shooting 42.4 percent compared to 39.8 for its opponents.  From the behind the 3-point line the Pack are shooting 36 percent while opponents are shooting 34 percent.

Pack opponents have attempted 152 free throws connecting on 106 (69.7 %) while Nevada has attempted 110, making 71 (64.5 %).

Nevada has had nine or more players score in every game this season.  A season-high 11 scored in the 81-66 victory over Montana.  Three times 10 players have scored in a game and twice nine scored points. 

Seven or more newcomers have scored in every contest this season with nine new players scoring in the Pacific contest.  Four times eight new players have scored in a contest.

Duke transfer Olek Czyz will be eligible to play for the Pack versus Arizona State on Dec. 17 after sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules.