Nevada (8-1) vs. Hawaii (7-1)

Sunday, Dec. 17 - 7 p.m. (PT)

Honolulu, Hawaii - SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center

TV: ESPN+ (Kanoa Leahey // Artie Wilson)

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

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

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

RENO, Nev. – After bouncing back from their first loss of the season in exceptional fashion, earning a dominant 72-55 victory over Weber State, the Nevada Men's Basketball team will face another difficult test, as they are set to take on Hawai'i in Honolulu at 7 p.m. Sunday evening (PT).

Nevada and Hawai'i each enter the contest with just one loss on the season, as both teams have had a tremendous start to the year.

Following a 19-point defeat at the hands of Drake last Saturday (Dec. 9), marking Nevada's first loss of the season, the Pack returned to Lawlor Events Center, where they throttled Weber State this past Wednesday to get back in the win column and improve to 8-1 on the season and 7-0 on their home court. The Victory also marked Head Coach Steve Alford's 665th career victory, as he ranks 11th among all active Division I head coaches in career wins.

Nevada was outstanding on both ends of the court, as they completed the contest with clips of 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent shooting from behind the arc, while in turn limiting Weber State to 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the arc.

Nevada tallied 21 assists on 28 made field goals, and the Pack scored 16 points off 15 Weber State turnovers. Nevada also outscored Weber State in the paint 28-22, and the Pack recorded eight steals and five blocks defensively.

Kenan Blackshear was sensational for Nevada, scoring 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, 1-3 from behind the arc, and 2-2 at the free throw line. Blackshear also pulled down five rebounds, dished out five assists, recorded two blocks, and tallied one steal in the game.

Blackshear's tremendous outing against Weber State is just the latest in what has been a superb season thus far for the fifth-year guard. Blackshear has scored 12 or more points in seven of nine games for the Pack, including scoring 22+ points in three different games. He has also dished out five or more assists in five games this season, as well as pulling down at least four rebounds in all but two contests for the Pack.

Blackshear enters Sunday's contest ranked within the top-20 in the Mountain West in numerous individual statistical categories. He is currently seventh in the conference in assists per game (4.6 APG), ninth in points per game (16.2 PPG), 14th in field goal percentage (55.9%), and 14th in rebounds per game (5.8 RPG).

Jarod Lucas had a highly efficient night in the Pack's win over Weber State, scoring 13 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc, in addition to grabbing two boards, dishing out two assists, and recording two steals. Lucas has now reached double figures in scoring in each of Nevada's nine games this season, and he has hit the mark in 37 of 42 games since the beginning of the 2022-23 season.

Lucas ranks tenth in the Mountain West in points per game this season (16.1 PPG), as well as ranking fifth in free throw percentage (89.7%), and 11th in made 3-pointers per game (1.9 3PM).

Nick Davidson turned in another stellar outing against Weber State, as the redshirt-sophomore scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting, pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists, and matched a career-high by rejecting three shots. Davidson is sixth in the Mountain West in blocks per game (1.2 BPG), and he also ranks 12th in rebounds per game (6.4 RPG), 16th in free throw percentage (83.3%), and 21st in field goal percentage (52.5%).

Like Davidson, K.J. Hymes also had another strong performance, scoring 10 points on 4-4 shooting, as Nevada's starting frontcourt duo has been outstanding as of late. Hymes is tenth in the Mountain West in field goal percentage (58.1%); and, over the Pack's past five games, Hymes is averaging 9.6 points and 3.6 boards per game.

Senior forward Tre Coleman had a great bounce back game against Weber State, scoring 10 points, dishing out four assists, and recording a season-high four steals, as he once again made a significant impact on the defensive end of the court.

Freshman guard Tyler Rolison had one of the best performances of his young career against Weber State, scoring five points, dishing out a career-high five assists, and pulling down three rebounds, providing an immense spark off the bench for the Pack. Rolison is shooting 54.5 percent from behind the arc this season (6-11), and the freshman is third on the team in assists (18) and tied for third on the team in steals (5).

Graduate student Hunter McIntosh also provided a strong offensive boost off the bench for the Pack against Weber State, scoring six points on 2-3 shooting from behind the arc. McIntosh is knocking down an exceptional 40.7 percent of his 3-pointers this season.

After limiting Weber State to just 55 points, Nevada has continued to sustain one of the premier defenses in the nation. The Pack currently ranks first in the Mountain West and 39th overall in the country in opponent field goal percentage, as they are currently limiting their opponents to just 39.4 percent shooting from the field this season. Nevada's stifling defense is also holding their opponents to 64.6 points per game, ranking second best in the conference and 41st in the country.

The Pack has also continued to dominate the glass at an elite level this season, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, as they are 16th in the country in defensive rebounding (29.7 RPG). Nevada also ranks second in the Mountain West and is tied for 97th in the nation in total rebounds per game (38.6 RPG).

Offensively, Nevada has been one of the most prominent teams in the country at taking care of the ball, as the Pack rank 23rd in the country in fewest turnovers per game (9.8), 24th in assist/turnover ratio (1.6), and is tied for 55th in turnover margin (3.0). 

Nevada has dominated teams in the paint all season, as they are currently scoring an impressive 32.7 points in the paint per game, while limiting their opposition to just 24.4 points in the paint per contest. Nevada has only been outscored in the paint by an opponent once this season.

Nevada is 1-0 in true road games this season, while Hawai'i is 5-0 on their home court. The Pack will need to slow down a fast paced Hawai'i offense and continue to dominate the paint in order to earn their second road win of the season. 

Scouting Hawai'i

Hawai'i is off to its best start since the 2015-16 season, as the team enters Sunday night's matchup with an overall record of 8-1, with their only loss coming on the road to Utah. 

The Rainbow Warriors play at a fast pace and shoot the ball from behind the arc at a high level. Hawai'i currently ranks third in the Big West and 89th in the country in scoring offense, as they are putting up 79.5 points per game. The Rainbow Warriors also rank 32nd in the country in 3-point field goal percentage with a clip of 38.7 percent, and they are making an average of nine 3-pointers per game, which ranks 64th best in the nation.

Hawai'i has also been getting it done at a high level on the defensive end of the court, as they rank first in the Big West Conference and 74th in the country in opponent points per game, limiting opposing teams to just 66.4 points per contest. 

Individually, 2022-23 All-Big West Honorable Mention honoree Noel Coleman leads the way for Hawai'i, as the senior guard is averaging 16.9 points per game on impressive clips of 52.8 percent shooting from the field, 44.2 percent from behind the arc, and 73.3 percent from the free throw line. Coleman has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, and he has scored 20+ points in three different games. Coleman has also knocked down multiple 3-pointers in seven of eight contests for Hawai'i, including hitting three or more in four games.

Justin McKoy, a 6-foot-8 forward in his first year with Hawai'i after transferring from UNC, has been stellar for the Rainbow Warriors this season. McKoy is averaging 11.5 points per game and a team-high 6.9 boards per contest. He has the ability to score from all three levels, as he has made 14 3-pointers this season at a 42.4 percent clip and is shooting 48.5 percent from the field overall. 

Graduate student and eighth year senior Juan Munoz has been exceptional off the bench for Hawai'i. Muno is one of two Division I basketball players this season that is shooting at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc, and 90 percent from the free throw line. Munoz is averaging 10.3 points per game and is draining an incredible 48.6 percent of his 3-pointers.

In total, Hawai'i has five different players averaging at least 9.0 points per game, as well as five different players that are shooting 41.7 percent or better from behind the arc.

In order to earn another impressive, non-conference road victory, Nevada will have to protect the 3-point line and prevent the Rainbow Warriors from getting easy buckets in transition.

Series History

Nevada and Hawai'i have faced off 33 times throughout history, with the Pack owning a 21-12 advantage over UH in the series. Nevada won the most recent matchup between the two squads, a 67-54 victory in 2017.

Follow The Pack    

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