Nevada (1-0) vs. Washington (2-0)

Sunday, Nov. 12 - 7 p.m.

Seattle, Wash. - Alaska Airlines Arena

TV: Pac-12 Network

Radio: KNEV 95.5 FM // The Varsity Network App (PxP: John Ramey)

Live Stream: https://shorturl.at/koZ15

Live Stats: https://shorturl.at/yHIP2

RENO, Nev. - Following a successful season-opener in which the Nevada Men's Basketball team earned a 14-point victory over Sacramento State, the Pack will travel to Seattle, Washington to take on Pac-12 foe Washington, in what will be a significant early-season test. 

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be available for viewing on the Pac-12 Network. Fans can listen over the radio beginning with a pregame show 30 minutes prior to tip-off on KNEV 95.5 FM or through The Varsity Network app.

Nevada will aim to begin the year with two consecutive victories for the second consecutive season; however, it will be a challenging feat, as they face an experienced and athletic Washington team led by 2022-23 Second Team All-Pac 12 and 2023-24 Preseason First Team All-Pac 12 player, Keion Brooks. 

The Pack started out the season in strong fashion, putting on a stellar display of defense in their season-opening win over Sacramento State, as Nevada limited the Hornets to just 63 points on a paltry 37.1 percent shooting from the field. 

Nevada forced Sacramento State into 13 turnovers, which they converted into 16 points on the other end of the court. 

Offensively, the Pack did an exceptional job of distributing the ball, as they recorded 17 assists throughout the contest. The Pack's 17.0 assists per game are good for 82nd best in the nation. In addition to facilitating at a high level, Nevada was also exceptional in taking care of the ball, as they completed their season-opening contest with just seven turnovers. The Pack's assist/turnover ratio of +2.4 ranks 18th best in the country.

Nevada was also immaculate at getting to the free throw line, earning 27 free throw attempts throughout the game, while knocking down 21 of them for a clip of 77.8 percent. Nevada ranks 57th in the country in free throw attempts per game (27), 35th in made free throws per game, and 54th in free throw percentage. 

Nevada struggled from behind the arc against Sacramento State, making just four of their 15 3-point field goal attempts; however, the Pack dominated the paint on both ends of the floor, scoring 32 of their 77 points in the lane, while limiting the Hornets to just 20 total points in the paint.

Individually, Jarod Lucas scored a game-high 18 points for the Pack, while knocking down a perfect 9-9 shots from the free throw line. In addition to the 18 points scored, Lucas also matched a career-high with four assists and pulled down four rebounds. 

After a difficult first half in which he scored zero points, Kenan Blackshear dominated the final 20 minutes against Sacramento State, scoring 14 points on 6-8 shooting from the field. Blackshear also pulled down seven rebounds, dished out three assists, tallied two steals, and recorded one block in the game.

Nevada received a tremendous boost from their bench in the win over Sacramento State, led by graduate student Hunter McIntosh, who had his best game in a Nevada uniform. McIntosh provided a huge offensive spark off the bench for the Pack, scoring 12 points on 5-8 shooting from the field and 2-3 from behind the arc. 

Freshman Jazz Gardner was also outstanding on the offensive end of the court for Nevada, scoring seven points and pulling down eighth rebounds off the bench in his collegiate debut. 

Senior guard Daniel Foster, known as an elite defender, came off the bench to score six points on a highly efficient 3-4 shooting in the win over Sacramento State.

The Pack received solid performances from their starting frontcourt, as Nick Davidson and K.J. Hymes combined for 14 points on 4-8 shooting and 10 rebounds. 

Senior forward Tre Coleman picked up right where he left off on the defensive end of the court last season, as he tallied three steals; and, as the primary defender, he limited Brandon Betsonto to just five points on 1-10 shooting. Coleman also tallied four assists in the game. 

Nevada will seek to have a similar defensive performance against the Huskies and continue to receive contributions from numerous players on the offensive end of the court on Sunday.

Scouting Washington

Washington has had an impressive start to their season, earning a 91-57 victory over Bellarmine in their season-opener before picking up a 75-67 win over Northern Kentucky this past Thursday.

The Huskies have been particularly impressive on the offensive end of the court, as they are averaging 83.0 points per game on 54.0 percent shooting from the field, 35.1 percent from behind the arc, and 77.5 percent from the free throw line. 

Individually, graduate student Keion Brooks has been sensational for Washington this season, as the Kentucky transfer is averaging 27.0 points per game on 64.5 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc, in addition to grabbing 6.5 boards per contest in his second season with the Huskies.

After missing Washington's season-opener, fellow graduate student and Kentucky transfer, Sahvir Wheeler, returned to the lineup for the Huskies in their win over Northern Kentucky, posting a stat line of 18 points and seven assists, while hitting 6-12 shots from the field. 

Reno native and former UNLV and Portland player, Moses Wood, has been solid for the Huskies through two games, as he is putting up 7.0 points, 4.5 boards, and 2.0 assists per contest. 

The Huskies play at an incredibly fast pace, as they rank 68th in the country in fastbreak points per game (17.0).

The Pack will aim to slow down Washington's high-powered offense and turn in a superb defensive performance to pick up a key road win early in the season.

Series History

Nevada and Washington have faced off three times throughout history, with the Pack owning a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams most recently faced off in Seattle in December 2016, with Nevada earning an 87-85 victory. 

Follow The Pack

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