RENO, Nev. – Following an impressive start to Mountain West play, the University of Nevada Men’s Basketball team is set to host Colorado State at the Lawlor Events Center Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. The Pack will seek to win their fifth consecutive game and move to 3-0 in conference play.
Wednesday night’s game will be sponsored by the Swift Institute. It will also serve as the College of Engineering night, and Nevada’s Salute to Service night.
The Pack had an impressive offensive performance in their first Mountain West road game this past weekend, scoring the most points that Air Force has allowed in a game this season, earning a 75-69 victory over the Falcons.
Nevada started off incredibly strong, beginning the game on a 17-3 run. Air Force attempted to make multiple runs to get back in the game; but, the Pack had an answer on offense each time.
Jarod Lucas was sensational throughout the game, turning in one of the best performances of his collegiate career. Lucas scored a career-high 28 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, 3-5 from behind the arc, and 11-12 from the free throw line. After the career outing, Lucas now ranks first in the Mountain West in both total points (261) and points per game (17.4 PPG), in addition to ranking second in 3-point field goals per game (2.9), second in free throw percentage (87.8%), and third in 3-point field goal percentage (39.4%).
Lucas has scored in double figures in 14 out of 15 games for the Pack, including 13 straight contests, and he has made at least three 3-pointers in nine of Nevada’s games.
After earning Mountain West Player of the Week honors, Will Baker had another exceptional outing against Air Force, scoring 16 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, in addition to matching a season-high by pulling down eight rebounds in the game.
Over Nevada’s past three games, Baker is now averaging 17.3 points per game on 69 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent from behind the arc, and 92 percent at the free throw line. Baker is also pulling down 6.0 rebounds per game over that stretch.
Kenan Blackshear continued his offensive brilliance against Air Force by scoring 14 points, pulling down four rebounds, dishing out a game-high four assists, and recording two steals. Blackshear has been immaculate over the Pack’s past six games, averaging 17.8 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent from behind the arc, and 85.4 percent from the free throw line, while also tallying 3.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
Blackshear currently ranks in the top-15 of the conference in an abundance of categories. Blackshear is first in the Mountain West in total assists (75), second in assists per game (5.0), seventh in free throw percentage (80.9%), 11th in scoring (14.3 PPG), and 12th in steals (1.3 SPG).
Freshman forward Darrion Williams had a solid all-around performance against Air Force, scoring six points on 3-6 shooting, while grabbing six boards, dishing out three assists, and tallying one steal. Williams continues to lead Nevada in rebounding and ranks sixth overall in the Mountain West in rebounds per game, as the freshman is averaging an impressive 7.1 boards per contest. Williams also ranks ninth in the league in steals per game, averaging 1.5 per contest.
As a team, Nevada continues to boast one of the best free throw percentages in the nation, as the Pack is shooting an exceptional clip of 79.2 percent at the line, good for ninth best in the country. Nevada also ranks 13th in the country in total free throw attempts (356) and third in free throws made this season (282).
The Pack has maintained one of the best defenses in the conference, as the team continues to rank in the top-five of the Mountain West in a multitude of categories, including opponent field goal percentage (2nd), assist/turnover ratio (4th), opponent 3-point field goal percentage (5th), and defensive rebounding (5th).
Nevada is off to their best overall start under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Alford, as well as the program’s best start to conference play since the 2019-20 season. They will look to extend their current four game winning streak as well as remain undefeated at home and in conference play Wednesday; but, they face a difficult challenge against an experienced, high-powered Colorado State team.
Scouting Colorado State
Colorado State owns an overall record of 8-7 this season with marquee victories over South Carolina, LMU, and Saint Mary’s.
The Rams are off to an 0-2 start to Mountain West play, falling on the road to New Mexico and at home to San Jose State.
Colorado State has had one of the strongest and most efficient offenses in the conference this season, as they currently rank first in the Mountain West in field goal percentage (49.5%) and fourth in points per game (75.3 PPG). They have also shot well from behind the arc, as they are currently knocking down 36.7 percent of their 3-point attempts this season, good for second-best in the conference.
Individually, Isaiah Stevens has led the way for the Rams, as the senior guard is averaging 18.0 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the field and 40.5 percent from three.
Fellow senior guard John Tonje has made a formidable running mate for Stevens in the backcourt, as he is currently second on the team in scoring (14.0 PPG) and first in rebounding (5.0 RPG).
Graduate student Patrick Cartier is also scoring in double figures for the Rams this year, averaging 12.2 points per game on 62.7 percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from three.
Junior guard Isaiah Rivera is the fourth Ram that is averaging double figures in scoring, putting up 10.9 points per contest, in addition to averaging 3.5 rebounds per game. Rivera has been lethal from behind the arc this season, as the junior is knocking down 45.5 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Nevada will look to slow down the pace of the game, protect the 3-point line, and win the rebounding battle in order to secure their
fifth consecutive victory and 13th overall this season.
Series History
Nevada owns a 12-8 record against Colorado State throughout history; however, the Pack dropped its most recent contest between the two squads, suffering a 72-82 defeat last February.
