The Nevada Sagebrush

After picking up a pair of wins last week coupled with Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State both losing, Nevada suddenly finds itself in the thick of the race for the second seed.

The Wolf Pack faces Fresno State on Wednesday, which defeated Nevada 87-77 earlier this season and Missouri State for the BracketBusters game this weekend. In a very close race with one game separating fourth place from second, Nevada is living life on the cusp between staying competitive and falling into the bottom half of the conference.

Facing the Bulldogs again

The Bulldogs embarrassed the Wolf Pack 87-77 in the team’s first meeting Jan. 23. All five Fresno State starters scored 10 points or more and center Greg Smith controlled the post, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Nevada has had trouble stopping other teams’ big men as of late. Boise State forward Ike Okoye scored 32 points against the Wolf Pack Saturday night. For a team known in large part for its forwards (Babbitt, Shaw and Hunt), Nevada can’t afford to surrender the paint so easily.

Nevada will need a much more inspired defensive effort to beat the Bulldogs. Fresno State had a 44-28 advantage in the paint last time around and the Bulldogs will have leading scorer Paul George back.

George was out with a sprained ankle in the teams’ first meeting and presents a whole new set of challenges for the Pack. George averages 17.4 points per game but is also one of the conference’s best rebounders, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. With George back in the lineup, Fresno State’s offense is much more formidable than when the teams first met this season. A win against the Bulldogs all but clinches that Nevada will be at least the No. 4 seed in the WAC Tournament (they’d have to lose four of their last five and Fresno State would have to win out) and it would keep them in the running for the No. 2 seed.

Slowing it down

The Wolf Pack’s BracketBusters matchup against Missouri State on Saturday provides Nevada with a unique challenge. It will be the team’s last televised regular season game against a fairly predictable Missouri State team.

The Bears are 7-8 in Missouri Valley Conference play but boast a 10-1 non-conference record. The biggest strength for the Bears is their defense, holding opponents to 66 points per game while scoring 72.1 points per game. With the Wolf Pack averaging 80 points per game, it’s a battle of strength vs. strength.

Missouri State will try to slow the pace down, feeding forwards Kyle Weems and Jermaine Mallett, who combine for 24.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. The Bears do not want an up-tempo game, preferring to set up their half-court offense.

However, Weems can also hit the outside shot, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc, meaning Nevada can’t simply collapse whenever the Bears go inside. If the Wolf Pack can’t speed up the pace, Nevada could be left in the cold on national television.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at leggen@nevadasagebrush.com

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