Nevada (8-3, 3-1 MW) at San Diego State (7-2, 1-1 MW)
Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 - 7 p.m.
San Diego, Calif. - Viejas Arena
TV: CBS Sports Network (PxP: John Sadak, Analyst: Steve Lappas)
Radio: ESPN Radio 94.5 FM (PxP: John Ramey)
Game Notes | Watch | Listen | Live Stats

RENO, Nev. - Nevada (8-3, 3-1 MW) hits the road for the second-straight week, this time heading to San Diego State for a two-game series against the Aztecs.

Both contests will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, beginning with Thursday's 7 p.m. opener. The series will also be broadcast in Reno on ESPN Radio 94.5 FM with John Ramey on the call.

LAST TIME OUT
Nevada nabbed its first sweep of a two-game Mountain West series as it took both games against New Mexico last weekend.

The Pack captured the opener, 68-54, Thursday night, before using a late rally to finish the sweep with an 84-74 victory Saturday. The series was played at Lubbock Christian University in Texas.

Sophomore point guard Grant Sherfield averaged 24.0 points, 5.00 assists, and 4.0 rebounds over the series, posting FG/3FG/FT percentages of 46.4/54.5/88.9. He scored a career-high 28 points in Saturday's win, while redshirt junior guard Desmond Cambridge scored 24 in Thursday;'s victory.

SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State (7-2, 1-1 MW) salvaged a split of its conference-opening series against Colorado State with Monday night's 78-65 win.

The Aztecs, which have split their last four after opening the season 5-0, are led by the play of Matt Mitchell (14.9 ppg, 44.7 FG pct.) and Jordan Schakel (14.6 ppg, 45.9 3FG pct.).

MAKING IT WORK
Nevada's 8-3 overall mark, and 3-1 start to Mountain West play, has been impressive especially considering how much production the Pack had to replace from 2019-20.

With the loss of four starters, three of whom earned postseason All-Mountain West honors (Jalen Harris - Mountain West Newcomer of the Year and All-MW First Team, Jazz Johnson - All-MW Second Team, Lindsay Drew - All-MW Honorable Mention and All-Defensive Team), Nevada faced an uphill battle in 2020-21. In 2020-21 the Pack returned just 20.0 percent of its offensive production (480 of 2,391 points scored!) and 20.8 percent of its total field goals (175 of 840).

Through 11 games this season, Pack newcomers account for 70.8 of the team's scoring (563 of 795 points), led by Grant Sherfield (17.2 ppg) and Desmond Cambridge, Jr. (15.4 ppg). Of the returners from a season ago, only sophomore forward Zane Meeks (10.1 ppg) is scoring in double figures.

"NEXT YEAR" IS "THIS YEAR"
There's no "wait 'til next year" in the Pack's 2020-21 mentality despite the youth on the roster. Nevada, without a single scholarship senior this season, has picked up true road wins at Nebraska and San Diego so far, and has won three of its first four Mountain West contests.

Three of the Pack's top four scorers this season are sophomores, eligibility-wise, with point guard Grant Sherfield leading the way at 17.2 points per game. Fellow true sophomore Zane Meeks is third on the team at 10.1 points per game, while redshirt sophomore center Warren Washington is fourth at 8.9 points per game. Redshirt junior guard Desmond Cambridge, Jr., is second with 15.4 points per game and leads the team with 30 3-pointers.

NEW LOOK PACK
Head coach Steve Alford is transitioning in nearly a whole new starting five in 2020-21, as the Pack returned just one starter from a season ago, junior forward Robby Robinson.

Robinson started all 31 games last year, finishing third on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game and scoring 2.7 points per game.

Eligible transfers have played a significant role in the Pack's fortunes in 2020-21, with a trio of such players quickly stepping in. This trio features redshirt junior guard Desmond Cambridge, Jr., the 2017-18 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Brown's leading scorer that season (17.3 ppg) and in 2018-19 (15.7 ppg), and redshirt sophomore forward Warren Washington (1.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg in 27 games at Oregon State in 2018-19), both of whom sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Rounding out this group is sophomore point guard Grant Sherfield, who averaged 8.1 points and 2.9 assists over 30 games (12 starts) at Wichita State in 2019-20. Sherfield transferred to Nevada following the campaign, and in September was granted immediate eligibility for 2020-21, allowing to him jump right into the Pack's rotation.

Adding depth to the Pack this season will be returners in sophomore forward Zane Meeks (6.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 43.1 FG pct. in 2019-20), redshirt sophomore forward K.J. Hymes (2019-20 Mountain West Preseason Freshman of the Year, 31 blocks over 31 games last season), and guard Kane Millings (2.3 ppg in 31 games last year).

STRONG TRANSFER CONTRIBUTION
The Pack has been bolstered this season by the contributions of a trio of transfers, as sophomore guard Grant Sherfield (previously of Wichita State), redshirt junior guard Desmond Cambridge, Jr. (Brown), and redshirt sophomore forward Warren Washington (Oregon State) are three of the team's top four scorers.

The trio's contribution to Nevada's success so far in 2020-21 was evident again in the series sweep of New Mexico, as it combined to score 107 of the Pack's 152 points (70.4 percent) over the two games.

All three players have started every game this season for the Pack, with Sherfield leading the way at 17.2 points per game, Cambridge, Jr., at 15.4 per game, and Washington scoring 8.9 per game to go with 5.7 rebounds.

Sherfield, who transferred to Nevada from Wichita State and was granted immediate eligibility ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, needed just two games to create a memorable moment for Wolf Pack fans, pulling up and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer from the top of the arc with six seconds remaining in Nov. 26's 69-66 win at Nebraska.

SEVEN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES WAS KEY
The 2020-21 non-conference campaign had a number of cancellations and postponements across the nation due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, forcing teams to adjust and schedule on the fly, in many cases.

Nevada was able to get seven non-conference games played, with only one being canceled (Dec. 6 at San Francisco). That contest was not canceled due to COVID issues with either team, but due to safety measures put in place by the local health department, barring athletic events.

The Pack went 5-2 in non-conference play, including a key road win at Nebraska Nov. 26. For a team that was breaking in four new starters, and with only one senior on the roster, being able to play seven games gave the Pack the chance to gel and find its identity ahead of the start of Mountain West play Dec. 18 and 20 against Air Force. 

SHERFIELD SHINES
Sophomore point guard Grant Sherfield starred in last weekend's series sweep of New Mexico, averaging 24.0 points and scoring a career-best 28 points in Saturday's win.

This season, Sherfield has been the mainstay of the Pack offense, scoring in double figures in 10 of 11 games, with four 20-point performances. He's also the offense;s main facilitator, passing out a team-high 59 assists (5.36 per game), with six games of at least six assists.