Breaking Unbelievable News Now, The Mexico Lobos former head coach and two players have announced their return to the team.
Amazing Breaking News Right now, two players and the former head coach of the Mexico Lobos have declared their intention to rejoin the team.
RENO, Nevada: Nevada Men’s Basketball will host New Mexico on Tuesday night at Lawlor Events Center after a historic week in which the team defeated then-No. 22 Utah State on the road and No. 24 San Diego State at home, making program history by defeating ranked opponents in back-to-back games.
The game is scheduled to go off at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. The game will start with a pregame show 30 minutes before tip on KNEV 95.5 FM and be streamed via the Varsity Network app.
Nevada is coming off a spectacular week in which the Pack won two games in a row over nationally ranked opponents. This season, Nevada is now 19-5 overall, with a 6-4 record in Mountain West play.
Due to their outstanding performance over the last week, Nevada was voted the National Team of the Week by ESPN on Monday. Renowned pundit and former coach Dick Vitale named Steve Alford the National Coach of the Week.
This past Friday, the Pack defeated San Diego State 70-66 in overtime after senior forward Tre Coleman made the game-winning basket with 12 seconds left and Nevada came up with a huge defensive stop. Coleman then made two free throws to seal the four-point victory over the Aztecs.
For the Pack, Kenan Blackshear was outstanding throughout the game, especially in overtime and the second half. Eighteen of Blackshear’s 22 points during the contest came after the first half. Blackshear was outstanding in the extra stanza, contributing to eight of Nevada’s ten points with three-point shooting and dishing up an assist on Coleman’s game-winning basket.
In the Pack’s two wins last week, Blackshear was exceptional, and he remains one of the best players in the Mountain West this year. Blackshear is ranked eighth in steals per game (1.5 SPG), 20th in rebounds per game (4.8 RPG), 22nd in field goal percentage (50.7%), and seventh in the conference in scoring (15.9 PPG) going into Tuesday night’s matchup.
The fifth-year senior has scored in double figures in 19 of his 24 games played, and he has contributed at least three assists in 21 of the Pack’s games. Blackshear had 1,416 points as of Tuesday’s game, which puts him close to 1,500 points for his career.
In Nevada’s 19 wins this season, Blackshear has been a key component of the team’s success, averaging 17.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field. Blackshear is averaging just 11.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 38.9 percent from the field in the Pack’s five losses.
One of the West Coast’s most prolific scorers, the fifth-year senior is still among the top-15 players in the Mountain West in a number of offensive statistical categories.
Lucas ranks ninth in the conference in made 3-pointers (51), 13th in 3-point field goal percentage (39.2%), fourth in free throw percentage (90.8%), and fourth in scoring (16.9 points per game). Lucas is just 54 points away from achieving 2,000 career points. He has scored in double figures in 21 of the 24 games he has played for the Pack this season.
Similar to Blackshear, Lucas has been a key component of Nevada’s success this season, scoring 18.1 points per game on 44.3 percent field goal shooting, 42.9 percent three-point shooting, and 92.4 percent free throw shooting in the Pack’s 19 victories. Lucas is averaging a meager 12.4 points per game on 34.4 percent field goal shooting, 28.1 percent three-point shooting, and 78.6 percent free throw shooting in Nevada’s five losses. Lucas shoots 2.2 3-pointers and 5.1 free throws per game when his team wins, but only 1.8 3-pointers and 2.2 free throws per game when they lose.
This season, Nevada is unbeaten when Lucas and Blackshear combine for more than thirty points.
In the win over San Diego State, redshirt sophomore Nick Davidson continued to play brilliantly, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds. For the first time in his career, Davidson was selected as the Mountain West Player of the Week on Monday morning. He finished the previous week with averages of 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc and 66.7 percent from the field. Following some early difficulties in Mountain West play, Davidson has dominated Nevada’s last three games. Davidson is averaging 20.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game during the Pack’s current three-game winning run. They are also shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
Coleman scored seven points in the victory over San Diego State, including the game’s most important basket, despite not having his finest offensive effort. In addition, he grabbed three rebounds, two steals, and four assists.
This season, Coleman has been outstanding for the Pack in conference play. He is averaging 9.4 points per game on 42.1 percent shooting from outside the arc, along with 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Coleman has greatly improved his game since the start of Mountain West play, averaging 7.6 points per game on just 20.6 percent shooting from outside the arc in non-conference play.
In Nevada’s victory over SDSU, senior guard Daniel Foster excelled, coming off the bench for the second straight game. Foster finished the game with four assists and a team-high six boards, four of which came on the offensive glass.
In addition to playing a crucial role off the bench for Nevada against the Pack on Friday, rookie guard Tyler Rolison scored four points, grabbed two boards, provided two assists, and committed two steals.
Nevada remains one of the nation’s most effective defensive units. The Pack is presently 45th in the country in opponent field goal percentage (41%), and 41st in the country in scoring defense (66.1 PPG).
Nevada is still among the best offensive teams in the nation when it comes to ball control. Nevada is 31st in the country for assist/turnover ratio (1.5), 17th in the country for fewest turnovers per game (9.7), and 36th in the country for turnover margin (+3.0).
Since the 2022–23 season began, Nevada has been amazing at Lawlor Events Center. The Pack has a 26-2 record in their previous 28 home games. Nevada has defeated two ranked opponents at home this season, going 12-1 with an average score margin of +17.5 at home. At the Lawlor Events Center, Nevada’s defense has been outstanding. This season, they have limited their opponents to just 61.5 points per game on 38.6 percent shooting from the field and 31.2 percent from behind the arc.
This Tuesday’s game will be Nevada’s second Mountain West rematch of the season after they lost to the Lobos 89-55 earlier this season, their worst loss under Alford.
But with Alford leading the program, Nevada has been outstanding versus New Mexico, going 8-1 against the Rebels.
For the Pack, getting off to a quick start could be crucial because this season, Nevada is a perfect 18-0 when leading at halftime and just 1-5 when trailing.
On Tuesday night, Nevada will try to win their 20th game of the season and their fourth straight, but an explosive, star-studded New Mexico squad will stand in their way.
Investigating New Mexico
Under the direction of third-year head coach Richard Pitino, New Mexico has a 19-5 overall record going into the game on Tuesday, including a 7-4 conference record.
The Lobos recently suffered a tough defeat at home against UNLV on Saturday.
This season, New Mexico has performed admirably away from home, going 4-3 in actual road games and 7-3 in road/neutral games.
With an offense that ranks first in the Mountain West and 16th in the nation this season (84.1 points per game), New Mexico has one of the most productive units in the nation. With a field goal percentage of 47.2%, New Mexico is also fourth in the league and 55th in the US.
The Lobos have shown incredible skill at forcing errors and generating offensive opportunities from them. With an astounding 16.9 points scored per game in transition, New Mexico is fourth in the nation for fast break points per game while ranking 22nd in the country for turnovers caused per game (15.3).
The Lobos are second in the Mountain West in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (30.4%) and third in opponent field goal percentage (42.1%), demonstrating their excellent defensive play. In addition, UNM leads the Mountain West in shots blocked (5.0 BPG) and steals per game (9.5 SPG).
The 2022–23 Second Team All-Mountain West honoree and MW All-Defensive Team honoree Jaelen House, the 2022–23 First Team All-Mountain West laureate Jamal Mashburn, Jr., and sophomore guard Donovan Dent make up one of the best backcourts in the nation for the Lobos.
House, a senior in his fifth year, has been excellent for New Mexico on both sides of the court. In addition to leading the conference and ranking seventh in the nation in steals per game (2.6 SPG), he is ninth in the Mountain West in terms of scoring (15.7 PPG).
With 15.2 points per game for the Lobos this season, Mashburn Jr. is tenth in the conference and second on the team in scoring. For New Mexico this season, Mashburn has scored in double figures in all but one game.
With 15.9 points per game on 52.7 percent shooting from the field and 38.2 percent from outside the arc, Dent leads the Lobos and is eighth in the conference in scoring this season. He has had an incredible sophomore campaign. Dent is also 28th in the US and sixth in the Mountain West in terms of assists per game, dishing out 5.7 assists per game. As of Tuesday night’s game, the sophomore is fourth in the league in steals per game (1.6 SPG), demonstrating his proficiency on the defensive end of the court as well.
The Lobos have a powerful frontcourt as well, led by JT Toppin and Nelly Joseph, who have emerged as one of the conference’s most potent tandems this year. Toppin, a seven-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week recipient, leads the Mountain West in blocks per game (2.0) and boards per game (8.8 RPG) while averaging 12.5 points per game on 62.9 percent shooting from the field.
Joseph, on the other hand, averages 8.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and is fourth in the Mountain West in blocks per game (1.5 BPG).
To secure yet another huge win on Tuesday night, Nevada will need to contain the trip of House, Mashburn, Jr., and Dent while also reducing turnovers and keeping the Lobos from getting out in transition.
