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RENO - All season long, Rice coach Willis Wilson has given Nevada some major props.
And, after Nevada (19-5, 12-2) shot 58 percent from the field to demolish the Owls 73-58 before a crowd of 7,964 at Lawlor Events Center, he was even more generous with his praise.
"They are vastly underrated," said Wilson, who said all the Pack should have to do is finish strong to earn an NCAA bid. "I don't know why they aren't getting talked about more at the national level.
"The numbers they put on this team or that team are ludicrous. If Nevada isn't in the tournament, there shouldn't be an NCAA tournament. They just have to finish strong."
When Nevada coach Mark Fox was asked if he was surprised that his team is 19-5, he hesitated a bit before answering.
"I thought we could be good," he said. "I know the kids felt they would be good. We keep that in-house. We still have games to play."
Besides Saturday's 11 a.m. Bracket Buster game against Vermont, Nevada has Tulsa (home), Fresno State (away), Hawaii (away) and San Jose State (away). With a two-game bulge, and three road games left, nothing is certain.
However, if Nevada moves the ball and shoots the ball like it did against Rice, teams will be hard-pressed to beat the Pack.
Nevada shot 50 percent in the first half (13 for 26), and was even better in the second half (17 for 26) at 65.4 percent. The Pack was able to exploit their height advantage all night, as Nick Fazekas went 8 for 12 en route to a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kevinn Pinkney went 7 for 8 and scored 17 points and Chad Bell went 5 for 5 and scored a career-high 12 points.
"We played much better in the second half offensively," Fox said. "We're getting better offensively. We're starting to get more consistent."
Nevada started fast, building a 19-7 lead 6 1/2 minutes into the game, as Fazekas scored seven points, and Mo Charlo (16 points) and Kyle Shiloh each hit a three-pointer.
"That (fast start) is what we've been trying to do the last couple of games," Pinkney said. "We had a lot of energy and intensity."
Rice fought back with a 12-4 run of its own, cutting the lead to 23-19 with 8:45 remaining. Michael Harris (15 points) had a dunk in transition and a short jump shot from the baseline.
The Pack, thanks to Bell, went on a 9-2 tear. Fazekas started with a tip-in and Bell followed with a three-point play thanks to a putback and foul shot. After Jason McKrieth (14 points) scored in the lane, Bell scored on another putback and Pinkney scored in the paint to get the lead back to double digits, 32-21.
Rice scored two quick buckets, but another three-pointer by Charlo gave Nevada a 10-point halftime lead, 35-25.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half, but Nevada went on what turned out to be a game-clinching 13-4 run to take a 54-36 lead with 11:58 remaining.
Pinkney started the surge with a three-point play and layup after a Rice turnover. After Harris scored on a fadeaway from the baseline, Fazekas knocked down a runner and Ramon Sessions scored on a layup. J.R. Harrison backed Fazekas down in the paint for an easy layup, and Pinkney scored twice in a 45-second span to complete the surge.
"We knew we had to make some stops; hunker down," said Wilson, who admitted that's when the game got out of hand. "Little things went against us, and Nevada capitalized. We did some good things tonight, but we couldn't sustain anything. When we let down, Nevada took advantage."
Rice did cut Nevada's lead to 12 with six straight points, but Bell scored another three-point play off another Bell putback, sank a jump shot from near the foul line and Charlo finished the surge with a hoop.
Rice got as close to 11 with 3:45 left on two Harris foul shots. Rice failed to score from the floor in the final 4 minutes 12 seconds.
Almost lost in the wake of Nevada's strong offensive performance was the job Bell and Pinkney did against Harris, who scored five less than his average and grabbed six less rebounds.
"We have an advantage (height)," Fox said. "We have a lot of big people, and we can lay a fresh big body on him all the time."
"I thought they did a good job (on Michael)," Wilson said. "I think he played into their hands a little. I think their game plan was to make him shoot over the top. He didn't do a good job of making them move around and using his athleticism and quickness."
And, after Nevada (19-5, 12-2) shot 58 percent from the field to demolish the Owls 73-58 before a crowd of 7,964 at Lawlor Events Center, he was even more generous with his praise.
"They are vastly underrated," said Wilson, who said all the Pack should have to do is finish strong to earn an NCAA bid. "I don't know why they aren't getting talked about more at the national level.
"The numbers they put on this team or that team are ludicrous. If Nevada isn't in the tournament, there shouldn't be an NCAA tournament. They just have to finish strong."
When Nevada coach Mark Fox was asked if he was surprised that his team is 19-5, he hesitated a bit before answering.
"I thought we could be good," he said. "I know the kids felt they would be good. We keep that in-house. We still have games to play."
Besides Saturday's 11 a.m. Bracket Buster game against Vermont, Nevada has Tulsa (home), Fresno State (away), Hawaii (away) and San Jose State (away). With a two-game bulge, and three road games left, nothing is certain.
However, if Nevada moves the ball and shoots the ball like it did against Rice, teams will be hard-pressed to beat the Pack.
Nevada shot 50 percent in the first half (13 for 26), and was even better in the second half (17 for 26) at 65.4 percent. The Pack was able to exploit their height advantage all night, as Nick Fazekas went 8 for 12 en route to a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kevinn Pinkney went 7 for 8 and scored 17 points and Chad Bell went 5 for 5 and scored a career-high 12 points.
"We played much better in the second half offensively," Fox said. "We're getting better offensively. We're starting to get more consistent."
Nevada started fast, building a 19-7 lead 6 1/2 minutes into the game, as Fazekas scored seven points, and Mo Charlo (16 points) and Kyle Shiloh each hit a three-pointer.
"That (fast start) is what we've been trying to do the last couple of games," Pinkney said. "We had a lot of energy and intensity."
Rice fought back with a 12-4 run of its own, cutting the lead to 23-19 with 8:45 remaining. Michael Harris (15 points) had a dunk in transition and a short jump shot from the baseline.
The Pack, thanks to Bell, went on a 9-2 tear. Fazekas started with a tip-in and Bell followed with a three-point play thanks to a putback and foul shot. After Jason McKrieth (14 points) scored in the lane, Bell scored on another putback and Pinkney scored in the paint to get the lead back to double digits, 32-21.
Rice scored two quick buckets, but another three-pointer by Charlo gave Nevada a 10-point halftime lead, 35-25.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half, but Nevada went on what turned out to be a game-clinching 13-4 run to take a 54-36 lead with 11:58 remaining.
Pinkney started the surge with a three-point play and layup after a Rice turnover. After Harris scored on a fadeaway from the baseline, Fazekas knocked down a runner and Ramon Sessions scored on a layup. J.R. Harrison backed Fazekas down in the paint for an easy layup, and Pinkney scored twice in a 45-second span to complete the surge.
"We knew we had to make some stops; hunker down," said Wilson, who admitted that's when the game got out of hand. "Little things went against us, and Nevada capitalized. We did some good things tonight, but we couldn't sustain anything. When we let down, Nevada took advantage."
Rice did cut Nevada's lead to 12 with six straight points, but Bell scored another three-point play off another Bell putback, sank a jump shot from near the foul line and Charlo finished the surge with a hoop.
Rice got as close to 11 with 3:45 left on two Harris foul shots. Rice failed to score from the floor in the final 4 minutes 12 seconds.
Almost lost in the wake of Nevada's strong offensive performance was the job Bell and Pinkney did against Harris, who scored five less than his average and grabbed six less rebounds.
"We have an advantage (height)," Fox said. "We have a lot of big people, and we can lay a fresh big body on him all the time."
"I thought they did a good job (on Michael)," Wilson said. "I think he played into their hands a little. I think their game plan was to make him shoot over the top. He didn't do a good job of making them move around and using his athleticism and quickness."
