Nevada Basketball: Wolf Pack is a Final Four contender next season

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 18: Caleb Martin #10 celebrates with Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack after defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second round of the 2018 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 18, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Nevada had a heartbreaking exit from the NCAA Tournament this year. But could the Sweet Sixteen be the floor, rather than their ceiling?

After losing their top scorers from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, there was some uncertainty about the 2017-18 Nevada squad. Especially considering that they’re mainly composed of transfers.

But the performances of NC State transfer Cody and Caleb Martin early on and throughout the season alleviated any concerns and made the Wolf Pack the frontrunner in the Mountain West Conference.

They had a resume that was good enough to not need an automatic bid and gave them a seven seed in the South Region. There was a question whether their lack of size or depth would haunt them against power conference teams, but instead, Nevada turned the tables on both Texas and Cincinnati with their own matchup advantages.

Nevada’s last-second loss to Loyola-Chicago will hurt Wolf Pack fans for a bit, as the Final Four was certainly in grasps, with Kansas State shocking Kentucky. But if you take a step back and look at this team, it really was a transition season.

More from Busting Brackets

Right now, the Wolf Pack has four players who had to sit out thanks to transferring rules in Corey Henson, Jazz Johnson, Tre’Shawn Thurman and Nisre Zouzoua. Each of them was double-digit scorers with their previous schools and will replace departing seniors Kendall Stephens and Hallice Cooke. This team was down to just six players at the end of the season and will have plenty of depth next year.

With the assumption that both the Martin brothers and Jordan Caroline all return, the Wolf Pack will arguably have the three best players from the Mountain West on their team. They’re already an elite offensive unit, proving they could score just fine on three outstanding defensive teams.

If I could make a recommendation for Coach Eric Musselman, I would go hard in the grad transfer market for a grad transfer big. He doesn’t have to be a scorer, just a big body that can man the paint and take pressure off of the undersized Martins.

Next: Elite 8 being invaded by lower seeds

This team already has the pieces to be top-25 all year for the 2018-19 season. But in my opinion, one good 6’10-6’11 impact forward/center will make them a darkhorse Final Four contender next year. Many teams will get worse, but Nevada won’t. Watch out for the Wolf Pack next year.