Now
35
Thu
73
Fri
71
by Chris Murray
The Nevada men's basketball team will play its final exhibition game Wednesday night before the start of the regular season.
The Wolf Pack hosts Stanislaus State, a Division II team from Turlock, Calif. Tipoff at Lawlor Events Center is set for 7 p.m. Tickets start at $5 with Nevada expecting a crowd in excess of 6,000 fans.
Nevada played Oregon in an exhibition earlier this fall. The game was originally scheduled to be a private scrimmage but was opened to the public as part of a fundraiser for the Red Cross. While stats from the game were not released, Nevada beat Oregon, 72-63, with the teams playing five 10-minute periods.
The Wolf Pack is looking to build off last year's 22-11 record, which included a 12-6 mark in Mountain West play. Nevada finished fourth in conference and was projected for that same spot in the preseason MW poll. The Wolf Pack made its first NCAA Tournament under Steve Alford last season, losing to Arizona State, 98-73, in a First Four game in Dayton.
Alford said Nevada gained a lot of experience last year that can be applied to this season.
"None of our guys had been in that stretch run, and that's what we were trying to help them with," Alford said. " Now they've been in it. They've been in a stretch run and saw what San Diego State was able to do with an old, experienced team. That doesn't mean we're going to be in the national title game (like SDSU). It'd be nice. I hope that's what happens. But that's hard. That's not easy to do. But we were that close. We split with San Diego State last year. We were basically (three) games removed from tying them for a championship. The guys have to learn that you're that close but you can be that far. You can actually be further than what you think. I don't think we are, and I think these guys have had a great mindset all summer."
Nevada returns All-MW guards Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear, its top-two scorers from a season ago. Also back is starting wing Tré Coleman. Rotation players Nick Davidson, Tyler Powell and Daniel Foster return while Hunter McIntosh and K.J. Hymes, who were both limited last year due to injury, are back. The Wolf Pack added three freshmen (Amire Robinson, Tyler Rolison, Jazz Gardner) and two transfers (Tylan Pope, Jeriah Coleman).
Wednesday's game will not be broadcast, streamed or be available via the radio, so the only way to see the action is to attend in person. The Wolf Pack opens the regular season next Tuesday at home against Sacramento State.
You can see our NSN Tonight preview of the Wolf Pack's exhibition game below.
