RENO, Nev. - After earning another double-digit victory, their sixth straight to commence the season, the Nevada Men's Basketball team will close out a five-game home stretch Wednesday evening against UC Davis at 6 p.m., aiming to maintain their status as one of 14 remaining undefeated teams in the country.
Wednesday evening's game will be sponsored by St. Mary's Health Network, and Nevada Basketball full-season posters will be passed out in the concourse prior to tip-off. Nevada Basketball's annual baby races are slated to take place at halftime, and the Pack's new Head Football Coach, Jeff Choate, will be signing autographs above section 22 at the halftime break as well.
MMA fighter and Reno native Peton Talbot will lead the air raid siren, and Nevada themed yeti cups will be available for purchase.
Nevada has dominated contests from start to finish this season, as they have only trailed for 3:52 across six games this season and the largest deficit they have faced is two points. The Pack has held a lead for 231 minutes and 22 seconds of a possible 240 minutes this season.
Nevada is coming off a 73-59 victory over LMU this past Saturday, in which they put on a sensational defensive display, limiting LMU to just 33.9 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc.
Three different Wolf Pack players reached double figures in scoring, led by Jarod Lucas who poured in a game-high 20 points on a highly efficient 7-10 shooting from the field. Lucas continues to rank as one of the top scorers in the Mountain West, as the fifth-year senior is currently fifth in the conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game. Lucas is also fifth in the league in free throw percentage, as he is shooting an exceptional 94.9 percent from the free throw line this season.
An elite scorer, Lucas has reached double figures in scoring in all six games this season for Nevada, and in 34 of 39 contests since joining the Pack ahead of the last season. He has also made at least one 3-pointer in 38 of 39 games during his Nevada career.
Redshirt-sophomore Nick Davidson finished second on the team in scoring in the victory over LMU, putting up 12 points on 3-6 shooting from the field. Davidson also recorded two blocks on defense, and he finished the game with a plus/minus of +17 in 22 minutes of action.
Davidson has been outstanding for the Pack this season, and he continues to rank within the top-15 in the Mountain West in both rebounding (11th) and free throw percentage (1st), as he is a perfect 17-17 at the free throw line this season.
Tre Coleman was the third Nevada player to reach double figures in scoring against LMU, dropping 10 points on 5-8 shooting from the field, in addition to pulling down six rebounds and tallying two blocks. Coleman enters Wednesday's contest against UC Davis ranked second on the team in steals (7), second in blocks (5), second in assists (18), and fourth in both rebounding (4.0 RPG) and scoring (8.7 PPG).
Daniel Foster had one of his best performances of the season against LMU, scoring eight points, pulling down six rebounds, dishing out three assists, and tallying two steals and one block. Foster is currently seventh in the Mountain West in field goal percentage, as he is shooting a sensational 62.5 percent from the field for Nevada.
Fifth-year senior point guard Kenan Blackshear did not have his usual scoring output against LMU, posting five points in the game, however, he still managed to make a significant impact on the contest, dishing out a game-high five assists, pulling down three rebounds, and recording two steals.
Blackshear continues to rank within the top-20 of the Mountain West in a multitude of different individual statistical categories, including ranking seventh in assists per game (5.0 APG), ninth in points per game (16.3 PPG), 12th in rebounds per game (6.0 RPG), and 17th in both field goal percentage (54.4%) and steals per game (1.3 SPG).
Graduate student K.J. Hymes has continued to elevate his play throughout the season, and after scoring eight points and pulling down five rebounds against LMU, Hymes is averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game over the Pack's past two contests.
Just as they have done all season, Nevada did an outstanding job at taking care of the ball against LMU, as they had just five turnovers throughout the game. The Pack ranks second in the entire country in fewest turnovers per game entering Wednesday's contest, as they are averaging just 8.0 turnovers per game this season. Nevada also ranks fourth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.08).
Nevada's defense has been superb this season, and they currently rank first in the Mountain West and 21st in the country in opponent field goal percentage (37.8%), and 47th in the nation in opponent points per game (64.3 PPG).
The Pack's offense has nearly matched their defense, as Nevada is 33rd in the country in points per game (84.6 PPG) and tied for 36th in free throw percentage (76.9%).
Nevada has done the majority of its work on offense in the paint this season, as they are dominating their opposition in that area, outscoring their opponents by an average of 11.3 points per game in the paint. The Pack is scoring an incredible 37 points in the paint per game, and they are yet to be outscored by an opponent in the paint this season.
Nevada faces a scrappy UC Davis team on Wednesday night and will need to continue to do an exceptional job of taking care of the ball and dominating the paint in order to beat the Aggies.
Scouting UC Davis
UC Davis enters Wednesday's game coming off a 12-point loss at Oregon State last Thursday.
The Aggies have been one of the best teams in the entire country at forcing turnovers this season, as they rank third in the nation in that category, forcing an average of 19.7 turnovers per contest. UC Davis has forced at least 16 turnovers in all six contests that they have played this season.
Individually, UC Davis relies on a variety of players for offensive contributions, as eight different players average at least 4.2 points per game.
Senior guard and 2022-23 All-Big West First Team honoree Elijah Pepper leads the way for the Aggies, as he has had an excellent season thus far. Pepper leads the team and ranks third in the Big West Conference in points per game, putting up 20.5 points per contest on 39.4 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc, and 90.6 percent at the free throw line. Pepper also ranks first in the conference in steals per game, recording 2.3 per contest. The senior has scored 21+ points in five of six games for the Aggies this season.
Pepper is joined in the UC Davis back court by junior Ty Johnson who has also had an impressive season, as the duo has proven to be one of the most formidable back courts in the Big West Conference. Johnson is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game, and he is shooting 50.8 percent from the field this season.
Forwards Ade Adebayo and Niko Rocak have each started all six games in the front court for UC Davis, and they are tied for first in rebounding, pulling down 5.0 boards per contest. Adebayo has also been solid on the offensive end of the court, as he is putting up 5.8 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent from behind the arc.
Nevada will aim to dominate UC Davis in the paint and limit turnovers to prevent the Aggies from getting easy buckets in transition, as the Pack searches for its seventh consecutive win to begin the season.
Series History
Nevada and UC Davis have faced off six times, with the Pack owning a 6-0 advantage over the Aggies. The two teams most recently played in 2017, with Nevada earning an 88-73 win over UC Davis.
Season and Single Game Tickets on Sale
Season tickets, mini plans, and single game tickets are on sale now. Season tickets for Nevada Men's Basketball start at just $149. Student admission for regular season games is free on a first come first served basis on Gameday.
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Follow The Pack
Follow Nevada Men's Basketball on social media at @NevadaHoops (X), @nevadahoops (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaMBB
