Nevada (23-6, 10-5) vs. Fresno State (11-17, 4-11)

Friday, March 1 - 7:30 p.m. - Lawlor Events Center

TV: CBSSN (Dave Ryan // Steve Wolf)

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

Live Stream: https://shorturl.at/cvzQ8

Live Stats: https://shorturl.at/lqxB4

RENO, Nev. - Coming off a thrilling 77-74 road victory over Colorado State, courtesy of a Jarod Lucas game-winning half-court shot as time expired, the Nevada Men's Basketball team will return to Lawlor Events Center Friday night to host Fresno State, as the Pack aims to extend their current win streak to five games with a victory over the Bulldogs.

Friday night's contest is slated to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. and will be available for viewing on CBS Sports 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. 

Friday's game is the Pack's 150th anniversary game and will be sponsored by Great Clips. Rally towels will be given out to all students in attendance. 

Nevada is coming off one of the most exhilarating victories in program history, a 77-74 victory at Colorado State. After the Pack led for nearly the entire game, the Rams managed to tie up the contest at 74 points apiece with 2.5 seconds on the clock. Inbounding from underneath their own basket, Lucas caught a pass on the run, took two dribbles, and hoisted up a shot from beyond half court, right before the buzzer went off. Lucas' shot soared through the air before going off glass and finding the bottom of the net, as Nevada pulled out the remarkable victory. The Pack's victory over the Rams marks their seventh true road victory this season, as well as Nevada's 10th overall victory away from Lawlor Events Center. 

The win capped off what was a sensational month for the Pack, as Nevada compiled a record of 7-1 throughout February, with two of those victories coming over ranked opponents and four of the wins coming on the road. Nevada was exceptional on both ends of the court throughout February. Offensively, the Pack averaged 78.1 points per game, with clips of 48.1 percent shooting from the field, 40.5 percent from behind the arc, and 71.4 percent at the free throw line.

On the defensive end of the court, Nevada limited their opponents to 66.6 points per game throughout February on 42.7 percent shooting from the field and 29.8 percent from behind the arc. 

In addition to hitting one of the most memorable shots in Nevada Basketball history, Lucas had a stellar outing in the win over Colorado State. The fifth-year senior scored a team-high 23 points, while burying 3-5 shots from behind the arc. Lucas also pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in the contest.

One of the most prolific scorers on the entire West Coast, Lucas has reached double figures in scoring in 26 of 29 games for the Pack this season, including scoring 20+ points in 11 contests. 

Lucas continues to rank within the top-10 of the Mountain West in a multitude of individual statistical categories this season. Lucas is currently second in the conference in free throw percentage (90.1%), third in made free throws (136), third in scoring (17.4 PPG), fifth in made 3-pointers (66), and tenth in 3-point field goal percentage (40.5%). Lucas is playing arguably the best basketball of his career, as he has scored at least 15 points in each of Nevada's past six games. 

Lucas has taken his game to a different level at Lawlor Events Center this season. In the Pack's 15 home games, he is averaging 18.2 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting from behind the arc. Lucas has been vital to Nevada's success this season, as he is averaging 18.4 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting from the field and 90.9 percent at the free throw line, while averaging 5.2 made free throws per contest and 2.4 3-pointers per game in the Pack's 23 victories this season. In Nevada's six defeats, Lucas is averaging just 13.5 points per game on 29.7 percent shooting from behind the arc and 84.2 percent at the free throw line, while making 2.7 free throws and 1.8 3-pointers per contest.

Senior forward Tre Coleman also had a tremendous performance against Colorado State. Coleman scored 16 points on a highly efficient 6-8 shooting from the field and 3-4 from behind the arc, in addition to grabbing four rebounds and recording two blocks. Coleman has been outstanding for the Pack since the commencing of Mountain West play. In Nevada's 15 conference games this season, Coleman is averaging 10.2 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from behind the arc, while also pulling down 4.1 rebounds, dishing out 3.5 assists, and recording 1.6 steals per contest. During the non-conference portion of the season, Coleman averaged just 7.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 20.6 percent from behind the arc. 

Coleman has been particularly impressive over Nevada's past three games. The senior is averaging 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, while holding clips of 62.1 percent shooting from the field (18-29) and 60 percent from behind the arc (9-15). 

Nick Davidson did not have his best offensive performance in the win at Colorado State; however, the redshirt sophomore pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass. Davidson was incredible throughout February, as he averaged 16.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.2 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from behind the arc, and 73.5 percent at the free throw line. Davidson recorded four double-doubles in the Pack's eight games in February. 

Davidson continues to rank within the top-25 of the Mountain West in a multitude of statistical categories. He is currently sixth in the conference in rebounding (7.4 RPG), 14th in field goal percentage (55.2%), and 24th in points per game (12.2 PPG). 

With star point guard Kenan Blackshear sidelined for the Colorado State game due to a minor injury, Nevada received exceptional performances from Daniel Foster, Hunter McIntosh, and Tyler Rolison. 

Foster scored 13 points, his second highest total of the season, while knocking down 4-6 shots from the field, including 2-3 shots from behind the arc. Foster also pulled down three rebounds and recorded a team-high two steals in the contest. Foster has been rebounding at a high level as of late for Nevada; and, over the Pack's past six games, he is averaging 5.8 boards per contest.

McIntosh has had the best two-game stretch of his Nevada career in the Pack's victories over San Jose State and Colorado State. After dropping 18 points against the Spartans, McIntosh scored 14 points while splashing two shots from behind the arc in Nevada's win over Colorado State. The graduate student played a season-high 31 minutes and completed the game with zero turnovers, while also serving as the Pack's primary ball handler. 

Rolison came off the bench and provided Nevada with an instrumental 11 minutes of action. Rolison scored six points and knocked  down a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line. Rolison tied Coleman with a game-high plus/minus of +7. 

Blackshear was forced to miss the game against Colorado State after sustaining a minor injury in Nevada's win at San José State; but, the fifth-year senior continues to rank as one of the premier players in the Mountain West. Blackshear is currently seventh in the conference in assists per game (4.9 APG), tenth in scoring (15.2 PPG), 11th in steals per game (1.4 SPG), 18th in rebounds per game (5.0 RPG), and 24th in field goal percentage (49.7%). 

Similar to Lucas, Blackshear has been instrumental to Nevada's success this season. In the 22 victories that Blackshear has suited up for, he is averaging 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. In the Pack's six losses, Blackshear is averaging just 12.0 points per game on 38.8 percent shooting from the field.

As a team, Nevada continues to rank as one of the premier defensive squads in the country. The Pack is currently 42nd in the nation in scoring defense (66.6 PPG) and 58th in the country in opponent field goal percentage (41.5%). 

Offensively, the Pack has maintained its status as one of the most prolific teams in the nation at taking care of the ball. Nevada is currently 24th in the country in fewest turnovers per game (9.8), as well as ranking 25th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and 49th in the country in turnover margin (+2.3). Nevada's offense has continually improved throughout the season, and the Pack currently ranks 46th in the country in field goal percentage (47.2%), 94th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (35.6%), and 95th in the nation in points per game (76.5 PPG).

The Pack's offense has been immaculate throughout Mountain West play. During conference play thus far, Nevada ranks first in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (37.9%), second in overall field goal percentage (46.4%), and fourth in points per game (73.6 PPG). 

Nevada has been sensational at Lawlor Events Center since the start of the 2022-23 season, compiling an immaculate record of 27-3. This season, the Pack is 13-2 at home with an average scoring margin of +16.3. Nevada has been particularly exceptional on the defensive end of the court at Lawlor Events Center, as they are limiting their opponents to just 62.7 points per game on 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 31.8 percent from behind the arc. Nevada has limited 14 of their 15 opponents to less than 50 percent shooting from the field this season.

Nevada and Fresno State faced off in the Pack's first conference game of the season, with Nevada earning a 72-57 road win over the Bulldogs. 

Blackshear and Lucas propelled the Pack to the victory in the first contest against Fresno State, combining to score 35 points in the game. McInotsh chipped in 11 points and Coleman added 10, as the Pack shot 42.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from behind the arc on their way to the 13-point victory. 

Nevada has already surpassed the program win total from last season; and, the Pack will seek to earn their 24th victory of the season Friday night, as they host a dangerous Fresno State team. 

Scouting Fresno State

Fresno State enters Friday night's contest with an overall record of 11-17, including a mark of 4-11 in Mountain West play. 

The Bulldogs have lost four consecutive games; however, they took Utah State to overtime in their most recent contest this past Tuesday before suffering a four-point defeat against the Aggies. 

In Mountain West play, the Bulldogs have shot the ball well from behind the arc, as they are hitting 34.0 percent of their 3-point field goal attempts in 15 conference games. 

Individually, Fresno State is led by senior guard Isaiah Hill, one of the premier guards in the conference this season. Hill leads the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game on 40.1 percent shooting from the field and 31.6 percent from behind the arc. Hill also leads the team and ranks third overall in the Mountain West in assists per game (6.2 APG), in addition to averaging a team-high 1.3 steals per contest. 

Xavier DuSell, a transfer from Wyoming and a 3-point sharpshooter, has proven to be a formidable back court mate alongside Hill. DuSell ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game on impressive clips of 44.2 percent shooting from the field, 40.5 percent from behind the arc, and 81.6 percent at the free throw line. 

Outside of Hill and DuSell, the Bulldogs have six different players averaging between 6.4 and 8.4 points per game, as they have a variety of players that contribute to their offense. 

Nevada will need to limit the production of Hill and protect the 3-point line in order to defeat the Bulldogs and improve to 24-6 on the season. 

Series History

Nevada and Fresno State have faced off 60 times throughout history, with the Pack holding a 38-22 advantage in the all-time series. 

Follow The Pack

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