Nevada vs. Rhode Island: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
In a match-up of two of the best mid-major teams in the country, both Rhode Island basketball and Nevada basketball have a ton on the line. A possible top-50 win would be huge for either resume.
TV schedule: Monday, Nov. 13, 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Arena: Lawler Event Center, Reno, Nevada
With the power conferences starting to expand the number of games in their respective leagues to as high as 20, mid-majors are struggling to get top-50 and top-100 games scheduled. That leaves some to start setting up series against each other. This game between the Rams and the Wolf Pack is a prime example, with a return game coming next year as well.
Rhode Island comes into this game coming off an 84-60 win against UNC Ashville. Even though he’s been dealing with some off the court issues, guard Stanford Robinson led the team with 18 points. Though he had a quiet game with ten points, EC Matthews is the best overall player on the team.
The best development from the opening game may have been the emergence of Andre Berry in the frontcourt, who had 15. The biggest question coming into this season for the Rams was how were they going to replace the lost production from Hassan Martin and Kuran Iverson. Berry, along with freshman Cyril Langevine, will be key to preserve the balance for Dan Hurley’s team.
Nevada has a reloaded roster, with a bunch of transfers eligible to play this season. Two of the best, Cody and Caleb Martin, were huge in the Wolf Pack’s 88-64 win over Idaho. Cody got the start, and the forward showed off his play-making skills with 15 points and more impressively seven assists. Caleb came off the bench due to a nagging turf toe injury but still ended up with a career-high 26 points and seven rebounds.
Related Story: Will Nevada repeat as Mountain West champions?
This is an important match-up for both teams, as the Mountain West is coming off back-to-back seasons just sending only one team to the NCAA tournament. After a rough start in the opening weekend, the Atlantic-10 may be going towards that direction. Both teams were picked by their leagues to finish first, but they each may have to rely on their non-conference wins to take them back dancing.
Next: Mountain West 2017-18 rankings
The key for this game will be the match-up on the wing between Rhode Island’s Matthews and Nevada’s Jordan Caroline, who was also relatively quiet with 11 points. With the game being played late in Nevada, the Wolf Pack has the edge, but whoever wins that individual match-up will likely prevail.
Prediction: Nevada 84 – Rhode Island 79