Nevada (22-9) vs. San José State (19-12)
Thursday, March 9 - 2:30 PM – Thomas & Mack Center
TV: CBSSN (Andrew Catalon // Steve Lappas)
Radio: 94.5 FM/The Varsity Network (John Ramey)
Listen: https://bit.ly/3Lb5N4e
Live Stream: https://bit.ly/3ZUBuCU
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3ynXdHy
RENO, Nev. – After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season, the Nevada Men's Basketball team will aim to rebound Thursday afternoon, as they are set to face San José State for the third time this season in their opening contest of the Mountain West Tournament.
Nevada swept the regular-season series against the Spartans, earning a 67-40 road win over SJSU on January 7, before securing a 66-51 home win on February 21.
In both contests, Nevada was sensational on the defensive end of the floor, limiting the Spartans to a combined 35 percent shooting from the field and just 28.1 percent from behind the arc across the two meetings.
First Meeting
In the Pack's dominant 67-40 road win at San José State, the Pack held SJSU to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from behind the arc.
Nevada had eight different players score at least three points, led by a 15-point outing from redshirt freshman Nick Davidson. Davidson was tremendous throughout the game, reaching 15 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc, while also pulling down nine rebounds, dishing out two assists, and recording two steals. Davidson earned a game-high plus/minus of +36 in 27 minutes of playing time.
Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear also reached double figures in scoring for the Pack in the first tilt against the Spartans. Lucas put up 12 points while draining two 3-pointers and grabbing three boards. Blackshear scored 11 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists, and tallied three steals.
Freshman Darrion Williams also had a stellar outing, scoring nine points, pulling down a team-high 10 boards, dishing out a team-high four assists, and recording two steals in the contest.
After falling behind 15-7 just over nine minutes into the game, Nevada responded in a massive way, reeling off a 25-0 over the remainder of the first half to build a 17-point halftime lead, as they locked down on defense and found their rhythm on the offensive end of the floor.
Nevada forced San José State into 20 turnovers throughout the contest.
Second Meeting
In the second regular-season matchup against the Spartans, Nevada once again used an outstanding defensive performance to earn the victory, limiting San José State to just 36.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.3 percent from behind the arc.
Will Baker led the way offensively for Nevada, dropping a game-high 18 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and 6-6 at the free throw line, while pulling down five rebounds.
Darrion Williams had another impressive performance in the second contest against SJSU, scoring 14 points, all of which came in the second half, pulling down five boards, dishing out two assists, and tallying two steals.
Kenan Blackshear scored 12 points, grabbed a team-high seven boards, dished out three assists, and recorded one block.
After trailing by four at halftime, Nevada turned up the pressure and intensity on the defensive end of the court, as they held SJSU to an abysmal 32.1 percent shooting from the field and outscored the Spartans by 19 points over the final 20 minutes to earn the 15-point victory.
Last Time Out
The Pack sustained a difficult loss in overtime at the hands of UNLV in the regular-season finale, falling to the Rebels by two points.
Jarod Lucas had a tremendous individual performance in the game, pouring in 23 points on 6-11 shooting from the field and 10-12 at the free throw line, while matching a career-high by pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists.
The 23-point outing marked the 27th game this season that Lucas has reached double figures in scoring for the Pack and the ninth time he has scored 20+ points.
Lucas was named the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year in addition to earning All-Mountain West second team honors on Tuesday for his sensational play this season. Lucas completed the regular-season ranked second in the Mountain West in made 3-pointers, second in free throw percentage (86.1%), fourth in minutes per game (34.3 MPG), and fifth in scoring (16.9 PPG).
Kenan Blackshear also had a strong performance against UNLV, scoring 18 points, pulling down five rebounds, and earning two steals. Blackshear's 18 points also marked the 27th game this season that he has surpassed double figures in scoring.
Blackshear joined Lucas on the All-Mountain West second team while also being named to the Mountain West All-Defensive team earlier this week.
As he has done for the majority of the season, Blackshear completed the regular-season ranked in the top-15 of the conference in a multitude of individual statistical categories. Blackshear enters postseason play ranked fifth in the Mountain West in assists per game (4.6 APG), sixth in steals per game (1.6 SPG), 12th in points per game (14.4 PPG), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.5), 12th in minutes per game (32.7 MPG), and 13th in free throw percentage (77.3%).
Darrion Williams scored six points, dished out a game-high five assists, and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds in the regular-season finale. It was the 18th time this season that Williams has led the Pack in rebounding and the 10th time that he has eclipsed double figures in rebounding.
Williams became the first player in program history to be named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year on Tuesday. He finished the regular season ranked second overall in the Mountain West in rebounds per game (7.4 RPG), while also ranking eighth in steals per game (1.5 SPG).
Among other freshmen, Williams completed the season ranked first in the conference in rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game, and assist/turnover ratio, while ranking second in points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and free throw percentage.
Junior forward Tré Coleman did not have his best outing in the regular-season finale; but, he will be a key factor in Tuesday's game. In the two previous matchups against San José State this season, Coleman limited Omari Moore, the Mountain West Player of the Year, to a combined 23 points on 39.1 percent shooting from the field and 27.3 percent from behind the arc as Moore's primary defender.
Coleman was recognized as a member of the Mountain West All-Defensive team this past week for his exceptional play on that end of the court this season. Coleman completed the regular season ranked ninth in the conference in blocked shots (28) and 11th in steals (33). He has tallied at least one block in ten of Nevada's past 12 games and at least one steal in nine of the Pack's past 11 games.
Redshirt junior Center Will Baker also struggled in the regular-season finale; but, like Coleman, he will be a key factor if the Pack hope to take down the Spartans and advance to the semifinals. Baker has been outstanding offensively this year, and he earned All-Mountain West third team honors this past Tuesday. He completed the regular season ranked second in the conference in field goal percentage (56.3%), fifth in free throw percentage (84.3%), and 15th in points per game (13.9 PPG).
Nevada will face a difficult challenge Tuesday in their opening game of the Mountain West tournament, taking on an athletic and talented San José State team that concluded the regular season by winning three straight games and five of their final seven games.
Scouting San José State
San José State enters Thursday's matchup with an overall record of 19-12 this season, including a record of 10-8 in Mountain West play.
The Spartans are led by the 2023 Mountain West Coach of the Year, Tim Miles, as well as the 2023 Mountain West Player of the Year, Omari Moore.
San José State closed out the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the Mountain West, winning six of their final nine games, including ending the season on a three-game winning streak.
The Spartans have been one of the better best defensive teams in the Mountain West this season, as they rank fourth in the league in opponent points per game (66.4 PPG), fourth in opponent field goal percentage (42.3 %), and sixth in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (32.5%).
San José State has been an exceptional rebounding team this season, as they rank first in the conference in rebounds per game (38.0 RPG), and first in offensive rebounding (12.0 per game).
Individually Moore has been phenomenal for San José State this season, as he completed the regular season ranked fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting from the field, 34.1 percent from behind the arc, and 77.4 percent at the free throw line. He is also averaging a team-high 4.7 assists per game while grabbing 4.6 boards per game.
Outside of Moore, San José State has an incredibly balanced scoring attack, as seven different Spartans average at least 5.6 points per game this season.
Robert Vaihola and Ibrahima Diallo have combined to form one of the best frontcourt duos in the conference this year for SJSU.
Sage Tolbert III and Ibrahima Diallo have combined to form one of the best frontcourt duos in the conference this season.
Tolbert III, a 6-8 forward, ranks first on the team in rebounding (7.3 RPG) and third in scoring, as he is putting up 7.9 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. Diallo leads the team and the Mountain West in blocks this season, tallying 57 over 31 games for the Spartans, as he has done an excellent job of protecting the rim. Diallo also ranks third on the team in rebounding (6.3 RPG) and fifth in scoring (6.5 PPG).
Sophomore guard Alvaro Cardenas has improved throughout the season and has been a formidable running mate alongside Moore in the backcourt. He ranks second on the team in both scoring (9.9 PPG) and assists (3.3 APG), and he is knocking down 36.1 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts.
Nevada will need to have another outstanding defensive performance while keeping the Spartans off the offensive glass and limiting second chance opportunities throughout the game in order to earn their third victory of the season over San José State and advance to the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament.
Series History
Nevada and San José State have met 66 times throughout history, with the Pack owning a 51-15 advantage over the Spartans. Nevada enters Tuesday's matchup on a five-game winning streak against SJSU.
Follow The Pack
Follow Nevada Men's Basketball on social media at @NevadaHoops (Twitter), @nevadahoops (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaMBB.
