Wolf Pack looks to clinch first in WAC
Nevada (22-5, 10-1 WAC) has three Western Athletic Conference games left. But with New Mexico State lurking just two games back in second place, the Wolf Pack still has some work to do to make sure it has the top seed for the WAC tournament. The final stretch of this exciting season is coming up and no games should be taken lightly, especially Saturday’s battle with Fresno State. If Nevada beats the Bulldogs, it will clinch the WAC’s top record.
AN IMPORTANT REMATCH
What better way to get back into the win column than to take on one of the worst teams in the Western Athletic Conference? The Wolf Pack will have had a week to stew and prepare before it takes on Fresno State (12-16, 3-8 WAC) Saturday. The last time these two teams met Jan. 21 in Reno, sophomore Nevada point guard Deonte Burton led the team with 18 points in a comfortable 74-61 win. It was the 13th win of the team’s 16-game win streak. In that meeting, the Wolf Pack dominated every aspect of the game. It outrebounded, had more assists, shot better from the floor, made more free throws and blocked more shots than the Bulldogs. In fact, the only statistical category Fresno State bested Nevada was in total turnovers. The Bulldogs turned the ball over just 11 times compared to Nevada’s 14.
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
This game was played during a time when Nevada had confidence that was sky-high. It will be a little different this time around as the Wolf Pack has lost twice in its last five games, including Iona. Fresno State will still have the confidence from its 62-49 win against California State University, Northridge Saturday. But with the win, the Bulldogs are still second to last in the Western Athletic Conference standings with only San Jose State below them.
Despite the importance of this game, it won’t be as much of a challenge as Iona was. This is because the point guard of the Bulldogs, Steven Shepp, averages less than five assists per game and about as many points. Fresno State doesn’t have a playmaker like Iona’s Scott Machado (nation leader in assists per game) to give the Nevada defense problems.
Michael Lingberg can be reached at mlingberg@nevadasagebrush.com.
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