The Nevada men’s basketball team will play Sunday at Heck Edmundson Pavilion in Washington. Nevada Sportsnet’s Chris Murray breaks down the game with his three keys to victory and predictions. This feature is brought to you by Bradley, Drendel, and Jeney.
Nevada (1-0) vs. Washington (2-0)
when: Sunday, 7 p.m.
where: Heck Edmundson Pavilion (10,000 capacity)
TV/Radio: Pac-12 Network/94.5 FM
online: none
Betting line: Washington is 4.5 times more. Total 150.5
3 keys for Nevada to win
1. Hit some threes. Nevada’s formula for success this season has been making more free throw attempts than 3-pointers, and in the season opener they made 27 free throws and 15 3-point attempts. But Nevada still needs to hit some threes this season. The Wolfpack went 4-of-15 from the field in the season opener against Sacramento State and 6-of-16 in the exhibition game against Stanislaus State. That’s a total of 10 of his 31, or 32.3 percent for him. That’s unlikely to be an advantage against Washington. The Wolfpack will need to hit seven or eight threes to loosen up the Huskies’ famous 2-3 zone defense, which coach Mike Hopkins inherited from his time at Syracuse. Avoiding turnovers is also key against that scheme, but Nevada needs to get some open looks and need to break them down.
2. Lockdown Keion Brooks Jr.: Brooks, Washington’s leading scorer who scored 17.7 points per game last season, is back. He has 27 ppg so far this season. The former Kentucky standout (who averaged double digits in his two seasons with the Wildcats) does a great job of putting pressure on the defense. His 160 free throw attempts last season were second-most in the Pac-12. Washington is not a long-range shooting team, so keeping Brooks out of the lane is a top priority for the Wolfpack defense. Tre Coleman is Nevada’s lockdown defender, holding Sacramento State’s Brandon Betson to 1-of-10 (1-of-3) shooting in the season opener. The Wolfpack would certainly give Brooks a variety of looks, but it would be surprising if Coleman didn’t draw this challenge. Things will have to get tougher for Brooks, who scored a career-high 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the Huskies’ last game.
3. Handle length. One of the biggest issues mid-major teams battle when playing against power conference opponents is dealing with the length of their rosters. Washington has long wings and excellent shot blocking in the post. Specifically, Frank Kepnan, a 6-foot-11 center transferred from Oregon State, had 77 blocks in 62 games. Washington has 13 blocks through two games, including eight in Friday’s win over Northern Kentucky. That’s not a concern, since Nevada is comparable in size to Washington state. However, the Huskies’ athleticism could change the Wolfpack’s shot-making ability. Nevada had 15 blocked shots in two games against Pac-12 teams last season, so how will a team overcome that stretch after going 0-3 against powerhouse schools a season ago? is a potential cause for concern.
prediction
Nevada 73, Washington 70: This is an even matchup as the Wolf Pack and Huskies are ranked 69th and 70th in the KenPom rankings. Nevada has won four straight games in this series and five of nine games against the Huskies, including a 19-point win in November 2021. These are an old guard-heavy team, no matter who makes the shots. You should be able to win from a distance. Nevada needs strong games from super senior guards Jarrod Lucas and Keenan Blackshear. I was leaning toward Washington until the Huskies had a close matchup with Northern Kentucky, which isn’t a very good team. So, we stand with the Wolfpack as they extend their winning streak in this series to five. Season record: 1-0
Columnist Chris Murray provides insight into Northern Nevada sports. Contact crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow @ByChrisMurray on Twitter.