Nevada Basketball: Why Wolf Pack are legit title contenders in 2019

By Bryan Mauro | Feb 8, 2019

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 29: Caleb Martin #10 and Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack talk on the court during their game against the UNLV Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 29, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wolf Pack defeated the Rebels 87-70. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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RENO, NV – JANUARY 09: Ashton Chastain #41 of the San Jose State Spartans tries to block Jazz Johnson #22 of the Nevada Wolf Pack from taking a shot at Lawlor Events Center on January 9, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

3. Battle Tested

This could mean a few different things when it comes to describing a team or player. In Nevada’s case, this is used to describe how they have already overcome a few things that would be devastating to many other teams this year. Overcoming these things has made Nevada one of the most confident teams in the country, and they believe they can win every time they step on the floor.

The schedule the Wolf Pack have played is not great. They do have a win over Arizona State, which up until recently looked like a great win. Nevada also has a glaring loss on their resume getting destroyed by a less than mediocre New Mexico team. Any time a team can go 22-1 through 23 games regardless of the conference has been battle tested. Nevada has had off shooting nights in which they have had to pull off wins. They have also been playing at less than full strength for the entire season. When determining if Nevada has the chops to make a deep run into March, look further beyond the schedule.

The Wolf Pack like every other team has their flaws. They are not a great shooting team from deep at all. However, it always seems that with the game on the line one of the Martin Twins or Jordan Caroline will make a huge shot. Portland transfer Jazz Johnson is the player who fills the role of shooter. He can make threes well enough to have to account for him. Nevada thrives on defense, protecting the rim, rebounding and getting into the paint. Teams that want to beat them are going to have to make a ton of shots and keep Nevada off the glass. So far, these have been tough tasks for every team they have played.

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It should be noted that the NCAA tournament is going to see a huge uptick in competition for Nevada, but the way they play, how they are coached and the mental makeup and experience of this team are going to carry them to a deep run. A potential National Championship caliber team should not be ruled out, especially is some top seeds get bounced early.