Nevada (5-0) vs. LMU (5-3)
Saturday, Dec. 2 - 7 p.m.
Reno, Nev. - Lawlor Events Center
TV: NSN // Mountain West Network
Radio: KNEV 95.5 FM // The Varsity Network App (John Ramey)
Live Stream: https://shorturl.at/mNTX4
Live Stats: https://shorturl.at/izCY3
RENO, Nev. - After earning their fifth consecutive victory to begin the season Wednesday night, the Nevada Men's Basketball team will return to the court Saturday evening to host LMU, as the Pack seeks to remain undefeated this season.
Saturday night's game will serve as Redfield Night, and Pizzava samples will be available for students. Nevada Basketball full-season posters will be passed out on the concourse before the game.
As of Friday morning, Nevada is one of 20 remaining unbeaten teams in the nation, and a win on Saturday would ensure that they remain one of the few undefeated teams left through the first four weeks of the season. In addition to earning five consecutive victories to begin the year, Nevada has impressively only trailed for 3:52 of game time throughout the season, as the Pack has consistently dominated games from start to finish.
Nevada is coming off another impressive victory: a 77-66 win over Montana, in which the Pack limited the Grizzlies to an abysmal 34.8 percent shooting from the field, including a mark of 18.5 percent from behind the arc.
10 different players scored at least two points for the Pack, and three different players reached double figures in scoring.
As they have done all season, Nevada dominated the paint, scoring 28 points in the lane throughout the contest. Nevada also did an exceptional job of taking care of the ball, as they had only 10 turnovers throughout the game.
After the 11-point victory over Montana, the Pack's offense continues to rank atop the Mountain West and within the top-50 nationally.
Nevada currently leads the Mountain West and ranks 20th in the country in scoring offense, as they are averaging an impressive 86.6 points per game. The Pack's field goal percentage of 48.8 percent ranks third in the conference and 46th in the nation.
Nevada is also 46th in the country in assists per game; and, after hitting 30 of their 38 total free throw attempts, the Pack is 40th in the country in free throw percentage at 76.8 percent.
Defensively, Nevada is also at the forefront for the Mountain West and top-50 in the country in a multitude of statistical categories. The Pack is second in the Mountain West in rebounding and 30th in the nation (41.6 RPG), as well as 35th in the country in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (38.6%), and 46th nationally in opponent field goal percentage.
Nevada has continued to be one of the country's premier teams with regards to taking care of the ball, as the team ranks fifth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.93) and seventh in fewest turnovers per game (8.6).
Individually, Kenan Blackshear leads the Pack in scoring after turning in another sensational outing against Montana, during which he scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to record his second consecutive double-double. Blackshear not only leads Nevada in scoring (18.6 PPG), but also ranks fourth overall in the Mountain West. In the conference, Blackshear also ranks sixth in assists per game (5.2 APG), 11th in rebounds per game (6.6 RPG), and 11th in field goal percentage. The fifth-year senior has scored at least 14 points, pulled down at least three rebounds, and dished out at least two assists in all five games for the Pack this season.
Fellow fifth-year senior Jarod Lucas had another strong offensive outing against Montana, in which he scored 16 points and knocked down 9-10 shots at the free throw line. Lucas ranks eighth in the Mountain West in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game. Lucas has scored at least 12 points and knocked down at least one 3-pointer in all five games for Nevada this season.
K.J. Hymes had his best outing of the season in the win over Montana, scoring a season-high 13 points, in addition to pulling down five rebounds in a career-high 25 minutes of action. Hymes, despite not producing eye-popping numbers, has been instrumental in the Pack's early-season success, starting all five games for Nevada and providing a strong presence down low on both ends of the court.
Senior forward Tre Coleman had another stellar all-around outing for Nevada in the win over the Grizzlies, in which he scored seven points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out five assists, and recorded one steal and one block. Coleman is second on the team in assists (16), second in steals (6), tied for second in blocks (3), fourth in points per game, (8.4) and tied for fourth in rebounds per game (3.6).
Nevada fell on the road to LMU almost exactly one year ago, and the Pack will need to have another stout defensive outing on Saturday in order to avoid back-to-back losses to the Lions and remain undefeated this season, as they will face a high-powered LMU team.
Scouting LMU
LMU enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 5-3 on the season.
The Lions are one of the most experienced teams in all of college basketball, as all 10 players for LMU that average at least eight minutes per game are juniors or older. The Lions also boast an incredibly deep lineup, with seven different players averaging at least 7.4 points per game.
Redshirt-junior and Gonzaga transfer Dominick Harris leads the way offensively for LMU, as he is averaging a team-high 14.0 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting from the field, including an exceptional mark of 50 percent from behind the arc. Harris is coming off a career-high 31-point outing in LMU's victory over Central Arkansas this past Wednesday.
Senior guard and North Carolina Central transfer Justin Wright has also had an impressive season thus far. Wright ranks second on the team in scoring, putting up 12.6 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent from behind the arc.
Fifth-year senior guard and LSU transfer Justice Hill has done a great job of running the Lions' offense and facilitating the ball this season, as he is averaging a team-high 8.9 assists per game, in addition to scoring 11.5 points per contest this season.
Senior forward Alex Merkviladze is the fourth LMU player averaging double figures in scoring, as he is putting up 11.3 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting from the field this year.
Forwards Lars Thiemann and Keli Leaupepe have also provided significant contributions for LMU this season on both ends of the court. Thiemann ranks fifth on the team in scoring (9.4 PPG) and first in rebounding (5.6 RPG), while Leaupepe is sixth in scoring (7.4 PPG) and second in rebounding (5.0 RPG)
The Lions play at a fast pace and shoot the ball well from behind the arc, as they are making 37.1 percent of their 3-point field goal attempts this season.
Nevada will need to protect the 3-point line and continue to take care of the ball on offense in order to earn their sixth consecutive victory and remain undefeated.
Series History
Nevada and LMU have faced off 30 times as Division I opponents, with the Lions owning a 17-13 advantage over the Pack in the series.
Follow The Pack
Follow Nevada Men's Basketball on social media at @NevadaHoops (X), @nevadahoops (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaMBB
