Nevada (15-3, 2-2) vs. Wyoming (9-8, 2-2)
Saturday, Jan. 20 - 4:30 p.m. (PT) - Arena-Auditorium
TV: Mountain West Network/Nevada Sports Net
Live Stream: https://shorturl.at/acEOY
Live Stats: https://shorturl.at/hkrU5
Radio: KNEV 95.5 FM/The Varsity Network app (John Ramey)
RENO, Nev. - After suffering back-to-back defeats to Boise State at home and against San Diego State on the road, the Nevada Men's Basketball team will seek to bounce back Saturday afternoon and get back in the win column, as they will face another challenging test in the form of a road contest at Wyoming.
Saturday's game is slated to tip off at 4:30 p.m. and will be available for viewing on Nevada Sports Net and the Mountain West Network. The contest will air over the radio on KNEV 95.5 FM and through the Varsity Network app, beginning with a pregame show 30 minutes prior to tip.
The Pack is in the midst of a rigorous stretch of games, and Saturday's contest could be critical for Nevada, as the Pack looks to avoid a three-game skid.
Despite falling to San Diego State 71-59 at Viejas Arena this past Wednesday evening, Nevada has still been highly impressive in road/neutral contests this season, as they own a record of 6-2 in such games.
The Pack struggled during the first half in the loss to SDSU, as they found themselves down 14 points at the half; but, Nevada refused to give in and battled back, tying up the contest multiple times down the stretch. The Aztecs proved to be too much in the end, as Nevada was outrebounded 44-25, and the Pack made just 7-17 free throws, compared to a mark of 22-34 from the line by San Diego State.
Nevada was impressive on the defensive end of the court throughout the game, limiting the Aztecs to just 41.5 percent shooting from the field, including a mark of 23.8 percent from behind the arc. The Pack also recorded eight steals and three blocks throughout the game.
Individually, Tre Coleman had arguably his best performance of the season, as he scored a team-high 16 points, while matching a career high by draining four 3-pointers on seven attempts. The senior forward also grabbed four rebounds and recorded one steal and one block. Coleman has truly been a swiss army knife for the Pack this season, as he ranks second on the team in assists (38), second in steals (22), fourth in scoring (8.2 PPG), and fourth in rebounding (3.4 RPG).
Lately, Coleman has been playing his best basketball of the season. Since beginning Mountain West play, Coleman is averaging 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, while holding clips of 60.9 percent shooting from the field, and 58.3 percent from behind the arc.
Kenan Blackshear had an all-around superb performance for the Pack against San Diego State, scoring 14 points on 6-12 shooting, in addition to dishing out a game-high seven assists, grabbing a team-high five rebounds, and recording a team-high three steals. Blackshear was particularly impressive during the second period, fueling the Pack's comeback attempt by scoring eight points and dishing out five assists over the final 20 minutes of the game.
This season, Blackshear continues to rank within the top-20 of the Mountain West in a plethora of individual statistical categories. He currently ranks seventh in the conference in scoring (16.3 PPG), seventh in assists (4.7 APG), 12th in steals (1.5 SPG), and 18th in rebounding (4.7 RPG). Blackshear is the only player in the conference to rank within the top-18 of the league in points per game, assists per game, rebounds per game, and steals per game.
Blackshear has been sensational in road/neutral contests this year, as he is averaging 17.9 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting from the field, in addition to pulling down 5.6 rebounds, dishing out 4.8 assists, and recording 1.6 steals per game across eight contests away from home this season. Blackshear tallied his two highest scoring outputs of the season in road/netural contests, dropping a career-high 31 points in the Pack's victory at Washington before pouring in 30 points in Nevada's win over Georgia Tech in the Diamond Head Classic Championship game.
Jarod Lucas unfortunately ended his incredible streak of scoring double figures in every game this season, as he completed the contest against SDSU with nine points. Lucas did manage to pull down four rebounds and record two steals in addition to his nine points against the Aztecs.
The fifth-year senior continues to rank as one of the premier scorers in the Mountain West this season. Lucas currently ranks third in the conference in free throw percentage, sixth in points per game (16.9 PPG), eighth in average made 3-pointers per game, and 25th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.5%).
In Nevada's 15 wins this season, Lucas is averaging 18.1 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting from behind the arc, and he is making an average of 2.3 3-pointers per game. In the Pack's three losses, Lucas is averaging just 11.0 points per game on 20 percent shooting from behind the arc. He will be a key factor for the Pack if they hope to earn their second Mountain West road win of the season.
In the Pack's lone matchup against Wyoming last season, Lucas was exceptional, scoring 24 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, 3-6 from behind the arc, and 9-10 at the free throw line.
As a team, Nevada continues to rank as one of the most prolific defensive squads in the country this season. The Pack is currently ranked 19th in the nation in opponent points per game (63.7 PPG), 21st in the country in opponent field goal percentage (39.3%), and 77th in the nation in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (31.1%). Nevada has held all 18 of their opponents to less than 50 percent shooting from the field this season, and the Pack has limited 12 of 18 opponents to less than 70 points, including holding seven different teams below 60 points.
Nevada has also been one of the most elite teams in the country with taking care of the ball this season, as they rank 14th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (9.4), 33rd in the country in turnover margin (+3.7), and 37th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
Despite only attempting 17 free throws against San Diego State, Nevada has been sensational at getting to the free throw line this season, as they currently rank 11th in the country in free throw attempts per game (25.2), while also ranking 13th in the nation in made free throws per contest (18.1).
A difficult matchup awaits the Pack on Saturday afternoon, as they are set to face a dangerous Wyoming team that leads the Mountain West in 3-point shooting and holds an impressive record of 6-1 on their home court.
Scouting Wyoming
Wyoming enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 9-8, including a mark of 2-2 in Mountain West play; however, the Cowboys are 6-1 at Arena-Auditorium this season, with an average scoring margin of +11.6.
The Cowboys are an exceptional 3-point shooting team, as they rank first in the Mountain West and 18th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage this season with a superb clip of 38.6 percent from behind the arc.
Wyoming has also been excellent from the free throw line, as they enter Saturday's matchup ranked second in the conference in free throw percentage (75.3%).
Although Wyoming has been solid offensively this season, they have struggled at times on the defensive end of the court. The Cowboys currently rank 11th in the Mountain West in opponent points per game (73.5 PPG), in addition to ranking ninth in opponent field goal percentage (44.7%); however, the Cowboys have done a quality job of defending the 3-point line, as they are holding their opponents to 31.9 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Wyoming has also done a sufficient job on the glass this season, as they rank fifth in the conference in rebounding margin (+1.29).
Individually, the Cowboys are led by Tulsa transfer Sam Griffin. Griffin, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, ranks first on the team and third in the Mountain West in scoring this season, as he is averaging 17.8 points per game. Griffin has been lethal from behind the arc, as he is knocking down 41.8 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts. Griffin also holds clips of 81.6 percent from the free throw line and 45.5 percent from the field. Griffin not only leads Wyoming in scoring, but he is also averaging a team-high 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. The senior is fourth on the team in rebounding, averaging 3.7 boards per contest.
Griffin has reached double figures in scoring in 15 of 17 games this season, including surpassing 20 points in seven separate contests. Griffin is averaging 19.4 points per game in Wyoming's nine wins this season, while averaging just 15.9 points in their eight losses.
Akuel Kot, a transfer from Fort Lewis College (DII), has been highly impressive during his first season with the Cowboys. The 2022-23 Division II First Team All-American is averaging 14.8 points per game, while shooting a stellar 40.3 percent from behind the arc. Kot has scored in double figures in all but one game this season for the Cowboys, and he has made at least one 3-pointer in every single contest this year.
6-foot-9 graduate student Mason Walters, a transfer from Jamestown, is third on the team in scoring, putting up 11.7 points per contest. The 2022-23 NAIA National Player of the Year has been limited to just seven games for the Cowboys this season after missing the first 10 games of the year; however, he has scored in double figures in five of the seven games he has played, including dropping a season-high 17 points against Utah State.
Outside of the trio of Griffin, Kot, and Walters, the Cowboys have six different players averaging between 5.3 points and 8.3 points per game, possessing a plethora of players that can contribute on any given night.
Nevada must limit the production of Griffin, defend the 3-point line at a high level, and score in transition if they hope to earn a victory against the Cowboys on Saturday.
Series History
Nevada and Wyoming have faced off 29 times throughout history dating back to 1938. The Cowboys own a 20-9 advantage over the Pack in the all-time series, and Wyoming won the most recent matchup.
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