Apparently, after five years of (usually) going to class, stumbling around downtown Reno at obscene hours of the morning and staying up all night to write papers and make sure this rag comes out on time, I’ve endured enough punishment to merit a piece of paper and the right to never sit in a classroom again.

The Nevada men’s basketball program may have escaped the first major threat of the annual “Mark Fox is leaving the Wolf Pack and the world is over” scare with its head coach still in place, but that doesn’t mean the madness won’t soon win out.

Sure, it’s disappointing that one of the most gifted big men in the country will be training for the NBA Draft instead of an NCAA Tournament run in the next couple months, but McGee did the right thing in heading to the NBA.

With less than 2 seconds on the clock and the Nevada men’s basketball team trailing Houston 80-79, freshman guard Armon Johnson rose up for a 3-pointer to win the game.

The 4,000-plus fans in attendance let out a gasp as the shot flew through the air as time expired, hoping that somehow the shot would fall and the Wolf Pack’s season would continue.

Yeah, the Nevada men’s basketball team’s spot in the College Basketball Invitational is a little disappointing.

The most interesting aspect of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament bracket is how the four co-champs split according to experience and talent. No. 1 Utah State and No. 4 Boise State are on the same side of the bracket while No. 2 Nevada and No. 3 New Mexico State are on the other side.

The banner means five straight Western Athletic Conference championships. It means continuity and recruiting points, and it means that Nevada coach Mark Fox managed to bring a young team together that wasn’t supposed to win.

Senior Editor Garrett Hylton reviews the top WAC men’s teams.

Last year’s No. 2 man showed he could hold his own. Back in November, Nevada guard Marcelus Kemp was the only returning starter from the most decorated team in school history. He was the sublime scoring No. 2 option who came back from the brink of the NBA for a chance to be the man.

The four Nevada men’s basketball seniors weren’t the only ones celebrating their final home game on Saturday night.

Unless the Wolf Pack hosts a National Invitation Tournament game, it was also the last time Reno Gazette-Journal beat reporter Steve Sneddon will grace press row at Lawlor Events Center.

Nevada senior Curry Lynch spent most of his career watching games from the end of the bench.

On Saturday, for his last game at Lawlor Event’s Center, Lynch finally made his first start alongside fellow seniors Marcelus Kemp, David Ellis and Demarshay Johnson.

Curry Lynch made his first career start, coach Mark Fox’s temper finally the better of him and JaVale McGee exploded for a career-high 26 points on 12 of 14 shooting as the Nevada men’s basketball team beat Louisiana Tech 87-57 at Lawlor Events Center on Senior Night.
The Wolf Pack’s four seniors were honored with a […]

I knew something was wrong as soon as my cell phone rang Thursday morning – partly because my parents know better than to call me at 6:24 a.m., but mostly I just felt a twisting feeling in my stomach.

Marcelus Kemp didn’t have to come back for another season.

In basketball years, he’d already been at Nevada for an eternity. Robbed of two whole seasons because of injury, Kemp’s tenure on campus started when the National Invitation Tournament was still a big deal to the Nevada men’s basketball team.

Combine that with the painful prospect of helping break two sophomores and a freshman into the starting lineup and the Wolf Pack’s winning tradition, and Kemp had every reason to try his luck in the NBA or overseas.

But now, almost six seasons later, Kemp prepares to take the floor at Lawlor Events Center for the final time on Saturday when the Wolf Pack takes on Louisiana Tech. The game will cap a senior season where Kemp did as much to help the success of Wolf Pack basketball as any player ever has, even though he won’t be around to enjoy it.

The trial of endurance is done and the Nevada men’s basketball team remains in contention for the Western Athletic Conference regular season championship.

With five games in 10 days, and a team full of freshmen and sophomores, the Wolf Pack managed to overcome fatigue and injuries to pull off four wins.