Nevada (4-0) vs. Tulane (3-0)

Monday, Nov. 21 - 2 p.m. PT

George Town, Grand Cayman - John Gray Gymnasium

TV: FloSports // (Scott Warmann & Jess Settles)

Radio: ESPN 94.5 FM ( John Ramey) // The Varsity Network app

Live Stream: https://bit.ly/3URlG1G

Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2PDBhEw

RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada Men's Basketball team will initiate tournament play at the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday afternoon, as they will take on Tulane seeking to remain undefeated and win their fifth consecutive game to begin the season.

Preview

Coming off of a dominant victory over UT Arlington on the road, Nevada will begin competition at the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic in a loaded field consisting of the Pack, Tulane, Kansas State, Rhode Island, LSU, Illinois State, Western Kentucky, and Akron. 

The Wolf Pack continued their defensive brilliance Friday night, holding UT Arlington to just 10 field goals in the entire game, which is the lowest number of field goals the Mavericks have made in a single game in the history of their program. 

Nevada also limited UT Arlington to just 43 points, marking the Mavericks lowest offensive output in 29 games, as well as the least amount of points Nevada has allowed against a Division I opponent since 2003.

K.J. Hymes has been sensational in protecting the paint this season. The senior matched a career-high set earlier this season with five blocks in the game against UT Arlington, and he now ranks first in the entire Mountain West Conference in blocks per game (3.0). 

Tre Coleman has also been phenomenal on the defensive end of the floor this year. Coleman limited UT Arlington's second leading scorer, Marion Humphrey, to just seven points on 1-7 shooting from the field.

As a team, Nevada has been one of the best in the country on defense throughout their first four games.

The Pack are holding their opponents to a dreadful 29.7 percent shooting from the field which ranks as third best in the nation. The Pack are also limiting their opponents to an abysmal 53.5 points per contest, which is good for 16th best in the country.

Nevada leads the Mountain West Conference in an abundance of defensive statistical categories, including opponent FG percentage (29.7%), opponent points per game (53.5), opponent 3-point FG percentage (23.8%), and blocked shots (6.0), while ranking second in defensive rebounds (33.3).

Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear have continued to maintain Nevada's offensive pace this season. 

After scoring a game-high 18 points against UT Arlington, Lucas ranks first on the team and ninth in the conference in scoring at 15.8 points per game. 

Blackshear has done it all for Nevada this season, as he is currently first on the team in assists per game (6.5), steals (2.0), and second in scoring (12.0) and rebounding (6.8). Blackshear's 6.5 assists also rank first in the Mountain West.

Darrion Williams has continued his exceptional play on both ends of the court this year. The freshman scored 10 points and collected a team-high eight rebounds against UT Arlington, and he is now averaging 9.5 points per game on 60.9 percent shooting from the field and 55.6 percent from three, in addition to pulling down a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game this season.

The Wolf Pack will need to sustain their unprecedented defensive prowess on Monday and lock down a high-powered and fast-paced Tulane offense that is averaging an impressive 87.7 points per game.

Scouting Tulane

Tulane also enters Monday's contest with an unblemished record this season at 3-0. The Green Wave have picked up wins over UMBC, McNeese State, and Charleston Southern to begin the season.

Tulane prefers to play at a fast pace and push the tempo of the game whenever they can. The Green Wave's offense is led by 2022 First Team All-AAC honoree Jalen Cook. Cook missed the first two games of the season, but scored 23 points in Tulane's win over Charleston Southern. 

Tulane has three other players averaging at least 15 points per game, as Collin Holloway (21.5 ppg), Kevin Cross (19.7 ppg), and Jaylen Forbes have had impressive seasons on the offensive end of the floor thus far.

Nevada will look to slow down Tulane's offense and control the tempo of the game like the Wolf Pack have done in each of their first four contests.

Series History

Monday's game will mark the first time throughout history that the Wolf Pack has faced Tulane on the court.

Single-Game Tickets on Sale Now 

Single-game tickets for future Nevada men's basketball home contests are available at www.mynevadatickets.com. Fans may also purchase single-game tickets for the season by phone at 775-348-PACK (7225). Those who have questions or need assistance may also contact the ticket office by phone or by emailing wolfpackticketinfo@unr.edu. 

Follow The Pack 

Follow Nevada Men's Basketball on social media at @NevadaHoops (Twitter), @nevadahoops (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaMBB