The Nevada Sagebrush

The Wolf Pack won its first road game of the season, defeating Boise State on Saturday night 69-67. The win improved Nevada to 5-13 overall and 2-3 in conference standings. But Nevada’s next opponent is one of the Western Athletic Conference’s premier teams — New Mexico State.

The Aggies defeated the Wolf Pack in the WAC Tournament last year, when New Mexico State ended up winning and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. With WAC play well under way, the Wolf Pack is in a critical stretch of its season as it begins the fight for seeding within the conference standings.

Nevada will open a three-game homestand this week against New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and Fresno State. A win against New Mexico State could prove that the Wolf Pack is a legitimate contender in the WAC. A loss could show Nevada has a long way to go to catch up to the top teams in the conference.

Repeat performance?

New Mexico State is looking to duplicate its success from last season. Yet, early in the season, it looked as though the Aggies were in trouble.

New Mexico State went on a seven-game losing streak from Nov. 18 to Dec. 11, dropping the Aggies’ record to 3-7. But, any doubt that the Aggies wouldn’t be able to compete was quickly erased. Since then, New Mexico State has gone 8-2 and 4-1 in conference play.

During the losing streak, New Mexico State averaged 63 points per game. Since then, the Aggies’ offense, led by forward Troy Gillenwater, has returned to form, averaging 75 points per game.

The Aggies’ defense has also stepped up, holding conference points to 68 points or fewer in four of its first five WAC games.

Offense

With the Aggies finding their groove, the team’s offense could cause major problems for the Wolf Pack. For the season, New Mexico State averages 73.0 points per game, giving them the third-highest scoring offense per game in the WAC. Nevada gives up 72.4 points per game, the second-highest average in the conference. On Jan. 12, the Wolf Pack gave up 72 points to Idaho, the WAC’s lowest scoring team.

It’s no secret that New Mexico State’s offense runs through Gillenwater. Despite missing five games because of an injury, Gillenwater leads the team in points (18.7) and rebounds (7.4) per game.

Though Gillenwater is the focal point of the Aggies’ offense, New Mexico State also has a pair of shooters who can change the momentum of the game.

Guards Hernst Laroche and Gordo Castillo both shoot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc and provide the Aggies with players capable of turning the tide of a game. Laroche is also the team leader in assists, averaging 4.6 per game, and will look to spread the ball across the floor.

The Wolf Pack’s defense will be tested, as New Mexico State’s high-scoring offense will look to attack Nevada from numerous angles.

The Wolf Pack may have its hands full defensively, but the game could come down to which team can limit the number of turnovers the best.

The Aggies have the third-most turnovers (285) in the WAC, including a team-high 56 by starter guard Christian Kabongo. Nevada is not far behind at fourth in the conference with 266 turnovers. With two of the conference’s worst teams in terms of turnovers, the team that gets the most points off turnovers could decide the game.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at leggen@nevadasagebrush.com.

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