Nevada Wolf Pack: 29-4, 15-3 in the Mountain West
Head coach: Eric Musselman (4th season)
Players to watch: Caleb Martin (19.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG); Cody Martin (11.7 PPG, 5.1 APG); Jordan Caroline (17.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG)
Season recap: Once considered a major threat for a national title after winning 20 of their fist 21 games, the Wolfpack are just 5-3 over their last eight games, and looking for any sort of stability. One of the big criticisms of Nevada is their lack of games against Top 25 teams, as their only game in that category was a win over then-No. 20 Arizona State. Another impressive win came in an Elite 8 rematch from last year with a win over Loyola-Chicago.
A big question mark for the Wolfpack is the health of Jordan Carolina, who sat out the conference tournament with an achilles injury. His status is up in the air, but his presence as a scoring threat in the post can’t be understated for Nevada. It ranks ninth in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio, as its veteran backcourt of the Martin twins can be trusted to keep their team relaxed and under control.
How they make a run: Their star trifecta score at will and keep the Wolfpack in every ballgame.
How they falter: Carolina never gets back to full strength and they cannot score without shooters or an interior post presence.
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