Nevada (3-0) vs. Portland (3-1)

Saturday, Nov. 18 - 7 p.m.

Reno, Nev. - Lawlor Events Center

TV: NSN // Mountain West Network

Radio: KNEV 95.5 // The Varsity Network App (Josh Suchon // Len Stevens)

Live Stream: https://themw.com/watch/

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

RENO, Nev. - After a dominant performance against Pacific, in which the Nevada Men's Basketball team limited the Tigers to the fewest points that the Pack has allowed to a Division I opponent in the shot clock era, the Pack will host Portland Saturday Evening at 7 p.m., aiming to remain undefeated this season.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be available for viewing on Nevada Sports Net, as well as the Mountain West Network. Fans can listen over the radio on KNEV 95.5 FM or through the Varsity Network app.

Saturday night's contest will serve as Native American Heritage Night, and there will be a pregame acknowledgement and flag song, as well as a halftime dance with in-game recognitions. The Sacramento Mandarins will have a pregame show and will also perform during the game.

The Pack will seek to earn their fourth consecutive victory to begin the season against an experienced and high-powered Portland squad. 

Nevada has been immaculate on their homecourt since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, as the Pack own a record of 16-1 at Lawlor Events Center throughout their past 17 home contests.

Nevada is coming off one of its most impressive performances in program history, as Nevada thrashed Pacific this past Wednesday, 88-39. 

The 39 points scored by Pacific is the fewest points that Nevada has allowed to a Division I opponent since the shot clock was introduced at the college level. 

The Pack put on a dominant display of basketball this past Wednesday, particularly on the defensive end of the court. Nevada limited Pacific to just 24.6 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent from behind the arc, while holding the Tigers to just 14 made field goals throughout the game. 

The Pack heads into Saturday's contest ranked second in the Mountain West and tied for 33rd in the nation in scoring defense, limiting their opponents to just 59.3 points per game this season. Nevada also leads the Mountain West and is tied for 57th in the country in opponent field goal percentage (37.0%). 

Nevada was exceptional on the offensive end of the court against Pacific, scoring 88 points on 50.7 percent shooting from the field. The Pack scored 44 points in the paint; and, Nevada's bench was outstanding, pouring in 39 points in the contest.

The Pack had 12 different players score at least two points, including nine different players putting up at least five points. 

The reigning Mountain West Player of the Week, Kenan Blackshear, picked up right where he left off last week, scoring 12 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, in addition to dishing out a game-high five assists, pulling down three rebounds, tallying three steals, and recording one block. Blackshear finished the game with an incredible plus/minus of +38 in just 21 minutes of action.

Blackshear is currently fifth in the Mountain West in scoring (19.0 PPG), tied for third in steals per game (2.0 SPG), eighth in assists per game (4.3 APG), and 11th in field goal percentage (54.5%). 

Freshman guard Tyler Rolison had the best performance of his young career, scoring 12 points, pulling down five rebounds, and dishing out three assists. Roison also tallied one steal and drained his lone 3-point field goal attempt.

Jarod Lucas matched Blackshear and Rolison with 12 points of his own, while drilling two 3-pointers in the game and pulling down five rebounds. Lucas has now reached double figures in scoring in 31 of 36 contests with Nevada, including all three games this season. The fifth-year senior is averaging 14.3 points per game entering the matchup with Portland. 

Nick Davidson had another tremendous outing against Pacific, scoring 11 points, pulling down nine rebounds, and recording a career-high three blocks. Davidson leads the team and is tied for eighth in the Mountain West in rebounding this season, pulling down 7.7 per contest. 

Tre Coleman had another outstanding outing on the defensive end of the court, recording one steal and one block, while limiting Pacific's leading-scorer to just one point as the primary defender. Coleman also scored eight points and dished out two assists in the game. The senior forward is tied for ninth in the Mountain West in steals per game, averaging 1.7 per contest.

Jazz Gardner and Jeriah Coleman each had their best performances of the season against Pacific off the bench for the Pack. Gardner scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass. Coleman had a stat-stuffing night; he scored five points, pulled down seven rebounds, and recorded three blocks in just 10 minutes of action.

Seniors Daniel Foster and K.J. Hymes also had arguably their best outings of the year, as Hymes scored six points, grabbed four rebounds, and tallied one block; meanwhile,  Foster scored six points and pulled down four boards. 

Nevada maintained their sensational shooting at the free throw line, knocking down 14-18 free throws against Pacific. The Pack ranks second in the conference and 42nd in the country in free throw percentage at 78.9 percent. 

Nevada has aspirations of a 4-0 start; however, the team will face a Portland squad that has been highly impressive on offense this season and is led by a trio of high-scoring guards.

Scouting Portland

Portland won three straight contests to start the year, before falling to Tennessee State this past Wednesday, as they enter Saturday's contest with a record of 3-1.

The Pilots are led by fifth-year senior guard Tyler Robertson, freshman guard Tyler Harris, and redshirt-sophomore guard Vuaksin Masic. 

Robertson ranks first on the team in assists (5.0 APG) and second in scoring (17.3 PPG), and was a 2022-23 All-WCC Honorable Mention honoree. The fifth-year senior is putting 17.3 PPG on an efficient 46.3 percent shooting from the field this season.

Harris, a freshman from Hayward,California, has been outstanding for Portland this season, as he is leading the team in scoring and 17.5 points per game on incredible clips of 61.1 percent shooting from the field and 53.8 percent from behind the arc. Harris is also first on the team in rebounding, averaging 9.5 boards per contest. He was recently named the WCC Freshman of the Week for his stellar play throughout the first week of the season.

Masic, a transfer from Hofstra, completes what is an impressive trio of guards for the Pilots, as he is averaging 15.5 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. Masic scored a career-high 25 points in the Pilots' win over Long Beach State earlier this season.

Senior guard Chris Austin is back in the lineup for Portland after missing the entire 2022-23 season with an injury. He is putting up 6.0 points per game, and the Pilots rely heavily on offensive production from him and the rest of their guards.

Portland plays at a fast pace, and the team relies strongly on 3-pointers for offensive production, as they have shot 99 3-pointers through four games this season.

The Pilots have been great at moving the ball, entering Saturday's game with 64 assists on 104 made field goals this year.

The Pack will need to slow down Portland's trio of Robertson, Harris, and Masic, as well as prioritize dominating the paint once again, in order to pick up their fourth consecutive victory and remain unbeaten. 

Series History

Nevada and Portland have faced off 44 times throughout history, with the Pilots owning a 24-20 advantage in the all-time series. The Pack won the most recent matchup between the two squads, a 78-60 victory over the Pilots in 2011.

Follow The Pack   

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