Nevada (9-1) vs. Temple (6-4)

Thursday, Dec. 21 - 12 p.m. (PT)

Honolulu, Hawaii - SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center

TV: ESPNU (Kanoa Leahey // Noah Savage)

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

Live Stream: https://www.espn.com/watch/

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

RENO, Nev. - After opening up their 10-day trip to Hawaii with an impressive six-point road victory over the University of Hawaii, the Nevada Men's Basketball team will return to the court on Thursday, Dec. 21, as they are slated to face Temple in the opening round of the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

Thursday's contest is scheduled to tip-off at Noon (PT) and will be available for viewing on ESPNU. The game will be aired over the radio on KNEV 95.5 FM and through the Varsity Network app.

Nevada is coming off a gritty 72-66 victory over Hawaii this past Sunday, as the Pack improved to 2-0 in true road games this season. Hawaii entered the contest as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, as their clip of 38.7 percent ranked 32nd in the nation and their average of nine made 3-pointers was 64th in the country. The Pack completely shut down the Rainbow Warriors from behind the arc, limiting Hawaii to just three made 3-pointers on 17 attempts (17.6%), including zero made triples in the second half.

The Pack outscored Hawaii in the paint, 34-30, and Nevada was exceptional at the free throw line, knocking down 19 of 23 attempts (82.6%).

Nevada was +4 in turnover margin, and the team scored 14 points off 12 Hawaii turnovers. 

All five Wolf Pack starters reached double figures in scoring for the second consecutive game, and Jarod Lucas led the way, scoring a team-high 16 points. Lucas has now reached double figures in scoring in all 10 games for Nevada this season, and in 38 of 43 games with the Pack since the beginning of the 2022-23 season. 

Lucas continues to lead the team and rank within the top-10 of the conference in scoring, as he is currently ninth in the Mountain West in points per game, putting up 16.1 per contest. Lucas also ranks fourth in the Mountain West in free throw percentage (90.5%) and 13th in made 3-pointers per game (1.8). 

Kenan Blackshear did not have his best night shooting; however, he still managed to score 12 points, in addition to tallying four assists and pulling down four rebounds. Blackshear has scored at least 12 points in eight of 10 games this season, dished out at least three assists in nine games, and grabbed 4+ rebounds in eight contests. 

Blackshear ranks within the top-25 of the Mountain West in numerous individual statistical categories, including ranking seventh in assists per game (4.5 APG), 11th in points per game (15.8 PPG), 16th in rebounds per game (5.6 RPG), 22nd in blocks per game (0.6 BPG), and 24th in field goal percentage (51.7%).

Nick Davidson had another tremendous outing for the Pack against Hawaii, scoring 11 points on 4-7 shooting from the field, including seven points in the second half alone on 3-4 shooting. Davidson also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, matched a career-high with four assists, and recorded a team-high two blocks. 

Davidson has been outstanding and incredibly consistent in the front court for the Pack this season. The redshirt-sophomore leads the team and ranks 11th in the Mountain West in rebounds per game, pulling down 6.5 per contest. Davidson also ranks fifth in the conference in blocks per game (1.3 BPG), 14th in free throw percentage (84.8%), and 20th in field goal percentage (52.8%). 

K.J. Hymes had another dominant outing in the paint for the Pack, scoring 10 points on 2-3 shooting, pulling down five rebounds, and drawing an incredible eight fouls in just 18 minutes of action. Hymes also knocked down 6-9 free throws and recorded one block in the game. The graduate student has continued to enhance his game as the season has progressed. Over the Pack's past six games, Hymes has averaged 9.7 points and 3.9 boards per game on 59.3 percent shooting from the field (16-27) and 63.4 percent from the free throw line (26-41).

Tre Coleman scored 10 points against Hawaii on 4-10 shooting, while also pulling down five rebounds, tallying two steals, and recording one block, as the senior forward had another impressive all-around outing. Coleman is currently 13th in the Mountain West in steals per game (1.5 SPG).

Freshman guard Tyler Rolison had an impactful performance off the bench for Nevada against Hawaii, scoring seven points on 3-4 shooting. Rolison earned a plus/minus of +9 in 16 minutes of action. Rolison ranks first on the team and fifth overall in the Mountain West in 3-point field goal percentage, as the freshman is shooting an exceptional 53.8 percent from behind the arc (7-13). Rolison also ranks third on the team in assists (18) and is tied for third in steals (6). 

Senior guard Daniel Foster had another effective performance off the bench for Nevada in the victory over Hawaii, scoring four points on a perfect 2-2 shooting from the field, while also finishing tied for second on the team with five rebounds. 

After another exceptional defensive outing against Hawaii, the Pack continues to rank as one of the premier defensive teams in the nation. 

Nevada currently ranks second in the Mountain West and 40th in the nation in opponent field goal percentage (39.5%), while also ranking 43rd in the country in opponent points per game (64.7 PPG) and 79th in the nation in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (30.3%).

The Pack has also maintained their status as an elite rebounding team, particularly on the defensive end of the court, as Nevada is 19th in the country in defensive rebounding (29.5). 

Nevada has been exceptional in multi-team events under Head Coach Steve Alford, as they own a record of 9-2 in MTE's in five seasons under Alford. 

The Pack will aim to commence the 2023 Diamond Head Classic with a victory on Thursday; however, they will face an athletic and physical Temple team in what will be the earliest tip-off this season for Nevada.

Scouting Temple

Temple enters Thursday's matchup with an overall record of 6-4, most recently falling to VCU this past Saturday by a final score of 87-78.

Temple has been one of the most prolific rebounding teams in the country this season, particularly on the offensive glass, as they rank 54th in the nation in rebounds per game (40.1 RPG) and 35th in the country in offensive boards per contest, as the Owls are pulling down 13.4 offensive rebounds per game. 

The Owls have dealt with injuries throughout the season; in turn, they have played a wide variety of lineups. 

Temple currently has five different players averaging 10.9 points per game or more, as well as having six different players averaging at least 4.1 rebounds per game. 

The Owls are led by junior guard Hysier Miller, who has played in and started all 10 games for Temple this season. Miller is a high-volume scorer, as he is third in the American Athletic Conference and first on the team in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game on 33.5 percent shooting from the field and 25.6 percent from behind the arc. 

Miller has reached double figures in scoring in nine of 10 games this season for the Owls, including scoring 20+ points in four different games. The junior guard has also been stellar at distributing the ball this season, as he ranks first on the team and fifth in the AAC in assists per game at 4.8 per contest. 

Joining Miller in the backcourt is Jahlil White, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound junior guard. Miller missed nearly a month of action with an injury; but, he returned to competition for the Owls in their most recent contest against VCU. White is second on the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the field. Miller also ranks first on the team in rebounding, as the junior is pulling down an impressive 8.6 boards per contest. Miller prefers to drive and score at the rim, as he has only attempted seven shots from behind the arc this season.

Jordan Riley, a transfer from Georgetown, has also had a strong start for the Owls, as the junior guard is averaging 11.8 points per game and 5.0 boards per contest. Riley has continued to improve his game as the season has gone on; and, over the past four games, he is averaging 17.8 points per game on 54.1 percent shooting from the field (20-37).

Matteo Picarelli, a senior guard who transferred in from UMBC this past offseason, provides elite outside shooting for a Temple team that strongly prefers to score inside the arc, as Picarelli is  knocking down 2.7 made 3-pointers per contest on an exceptional clip of 40.3 percent from behind the arc. Picarelli is a true 3-point sniper, as 67 of his 78 field goal attempts this season have been 3-pointers. Picarelli has made multiple 3-pointers in eight of 10 games, including draining three or more shots from behind the arc in six contests. 

6-5, 195-pound freshman guard Zion Stanford is the fifth Temple player averaging double figures in scoring, as he is putting up 10.9 points per game off the bench for the Owls. Stanford has had an impressive start to his collegiate career, and the freshman has scored 14+ points in six games this season.

Temple prefers to play at a fast pace, and Nevada will need to have another stellar defensive outing and keep the Owls off the offensive glass if they hope to commence the Diamond Head Classic with a first round victory.

Series History

Thursday's matchup will be the first in history between Nevada and Temple. 

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