NCAA Basketball: Top 25 mid-major teams through non-conference play

2. Nevada Wolf Pack (12-0)

*Received five of 12 1st place votes

Having three All-Conference players, five eligible transfers, and a McDonald’s All-American high school recruit brought Nevada a preseason top-10 ranking and the high expectations in school history. And up to this point, they’ve shown why that was the case.

The Wolf Pack is the lone mid-major unbeaten team in the country with wins over Arizona State and USC on the schedule. Now not many of the wins are blowouts, with the team continuing to have first-half shooting struggles. Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin look to be fighting it out for Mountain West Player of the Year rankings, each averaging 18.8 ppg.

Cody Martin leads the team in assists in 5.8 apg, with Jazz Johnson shooting 55% from three-point range while being one of the best big men in the country. Trey Porter and Tre’Shawn Thurman provide great frontcourt depth, with transfer guards Corey Henson and Nisre Zouzoua still having a role on the team.

Even with Utah State and Fresno State showing signs that they can be threats, the Mountain West clearly runs through Reno. Whether they go unbeaten in conference play is another question, with the answer likely to decide what seed and region the Wolf Pack will be in on Selection Sunday. But one thing’s for certain, Nevada needs to stop allowing inferior teams to hang around before it really bites them in the end.