NEVADA VS. FORDHAM PREVIEW

SAINT THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – The University of Nevada (2-3) men's basketball team continues its 10-day road swing with the first of three games in the Paradise Jam on Friday versus Fordham (3-0) at 12:15 p.m. PT.  The four-day event is being played at the University of the Virgin Islands' Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.  The 2019 Paradise Jam is the second trip for the Wolf Pack to event.  In 2014 the Pack went 0-3.

After winning three in a row at home undefeated Fordham (3-0) will be playing away from home for the first time this season on Friday.  The Rams will be looking to go 4-0 for the first time since 1972.  Chuba Omahs tops the Rams averaging 14.3 points per game.  Onyi Eyisi is averaging a double-double scoring 11.5 points and grabs 10.5 rebounds per game.

Nevada has four players averaging double figures led by senior Jazz Johnson's 18.2 points per game that ranks fourth in the Mountain West.  Another of the Pack's seniors Lindsey Drew is scoring 17.4 points per game followed by junior Jalen Harris and his 11.5 points per contest.  Senior Nizre Zouzoua is scoring 10 points per outing.

Newcomer Robby Robinson tops the team averaging 6.6 rebounds per game.  Harris (6.3 rpg) and Drew (6.2 rpg) are also averaging over six rebounds per game.

First-year Nevada head coach Steve Alford led his then New Mexico squad to the 2014 Paradise Jam title knocking of No. 21/23 UConn 66-60 in the championship game.

THE SERIES
Friday's game with Fordham will be the first meeting of the two teams on the basketball court.

ON THE AIR

HOW TO FOLLOW NEVADA AT THE PARADISE JAM

All games of the Paradise Jam will be streamed by FLOHOOPS.  The cost is $29.99 per month as there are no single game options.  Pack fans will need to sign up for a one month subscription and decide whether to continue with the subscription at the end of the Paradise Jam.  A yearly subscription is $150 which averages $12.50 per month.

The games will be available on 94.5 FM in northern Nevada with Alex Margulies calling the action.  Online audio is available at TuneIn.com or with the TuneIn App.  

Live stats will be available for all three Wolf Pack games in the Paradise Jam. 

Important links to follow the Wolf Pack:
Paradise Jam Online audio:
Paradise Jam online video stream:
Paradise Jam online live stats:
Paradise Jam website:

JOHNSON STARTING SENIOR SEASON WITH EXPLOSIVE OFFENSIVE NUMBERS

Wolf Pack senior Jazz Johnson is starting his senior season with explosive offensive numbers averaging a team-high 19.5 points per game.  The 19.5 points per game ranks second in the Mountain West and 76th nationally.

Johnson is the only Pack player to score in double figures in all four game this season and has two 20-point games.  The first 20-point contest was in the win over LMU and the second was a game-high 26 points in the USC game.  The 26 points is one shy of his career-high of 27 points set last season at Air Force.  In the other two games he scored 16 points.  He made six 3-pointers against the Trojans, one off his career-high of seven that he had in the Air Force game.

He ranks 11th in NCAA I having made 16 3-pointers and is 14th with 38 3-point attempts and four 3-pointers made per game.  The senior guard tops the Mountain West in all three categories.

From behind the arc he is shooting 42.1 percent which ranks third in the MW.  Overall he is connecting on 43.1 percent of his field goals.

A 1,000 point scorer, he is 20 points from 1,200 in his career.  He scored 740 points in his two years at Portland.


MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE

Utah State (15/16) is ranked in the top 20 and tops the Mountain West with a 5-0 record.  San Diego State is the other undefeated MW team at 4-0.  New Mexico (4-1) has suffered one loss on the season.  
    
Colorado State and SJSU both have winning records at 3-2.  Air Force and Boise State are 2-2 after four games.  Nevada, Wyoming and Fresno State have identical 2-3 records.  UNLV is 2-4 on the season.
    
MW play will begin a week earlier this season on Dec. 4 but with an odd number of 11 schools in the conference Nevada will begin the season with a bye.  The Pack will host Santa Clara at 7 p.m. on Dec. 4 in a nonconference matchup.  The Wolf Pack's first MW game is Dec. 7 at Air Force and first home MW game is set for Jan. 1 when Colorado State is at Lawlor Events Center.

LAST TIME OUT

NEVADA FALLS AT DAVIDSON IN FIRST ROAD GAME OF THE SEASON
    
DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) Kellan Grady had 24 points as Davidson defeated Nevada 91-71 on Tuesday night.
    
Luka Brajkovic had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Davidson (2-2). Jon Axel Gudmundsson added 18 points. Luke Frampton had 12 points for the home team.
    
Lindsey Drew had 14 points for the Wolf Pack (2-3). Jalen Harris added 13 points and nine rebounds. Nisre Zouzoua also had 13 points.

Davidson Game Notes:
    
Nevada shot a season-high 56 percent from the field and outrebounded the Wildcats 30-24.
    
For the first time this season the Pack had four players score in double figures with Lindsey Drew leading the way with 14 points. It was the third time in five games that Drew topped the Pack in scoring.
    
Jazz Johnson, Jalen Harris and Nizré Zouzoua all netted 13 points in the game.
    
Harris was a rebound shy of his first double-double grabbing a team-high nine boards to go along with his 13 points.
    
Tuesday marked the first game that Nevada did not have the leading scorer in the game as Davidson's Kellan Grady scored a game-high 24 points.
    
Eight of the nine players that saw action for the Pack scored.
  
 Nevada committed a season-high 21 turnovers that led to 34 points for the Wildcats.


UP NEXT: SECOND GAME OF THE PARADISE JAM – FLOHOOPS.COM

The Pack's second opponent in the Paradise Jam is either Grand Canyon (2-3) or Valparaiso (3-1) on Saturday or Sunday. The day and time of the second game is determined by the results of Friday's games.  The two Friday night games in the other half of the bracket are Cincinnati versus Illinois State and Western Kentucky versus Bowling Green.