Nevada completes journey back to NCAA tournament with swift 1-year turnaroud
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Amidst the vast wave of early mid-major conference victories and automatic bids, Nevada found itself cruising to a Mountain West conference tournament victory that is more significant for the program than most fans may realize.
When the Wolf Pack captured their first conference tournament victory since 2006, when they were a member of the Western Athletic Conference, they also earned their first taste of March Madness since 2007 and the days of Mark Fox. Ending a 10-year tournament drought is noteworthy, but the lengths Nevada had to go to in order to get there is down right impressive.
At tournament time one year ago, Eric Musselman and the Wolf Pack found themselves in a much different place than they do now. They were not playing in the NCAA tournament, and weren't even playing in the National Invitation Tournament. They were slated all the way down in the College Basketball Invitational, where 16 teams who fail to qualify for both superior tournaments play out their season in an event that acts as little more than a last resort for teams to find some semblance of productivity from the past year.
In one season, Nevada was able to go from CBI champions to the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament.
Record vs. major conference opponents: 2-0
Nevada's competition from major conference opponents was not extensive this season, but the Wolf Pack managed to take care of both games the way they needed to. Both Washington and Oregon State were taken down by the Wolf Pack, giving the team a nice cushion for its non-conference schedule.
Season Summary
Nevada's conference tournament winning season saw the Wolf Pack finish with an overall record of 28-6 and an impressive 14-4 in conference. Nevada ranked an impressive 29th in the nation in offensive efficiency, along a rebounding effort that placed them 35th in the country.
Musselman primarily used a strict rotation throughout the season, which saw six players average over 30 minutes per game. The leader of the Wolf Pack was unquestionably Marcus Marshall, who averaged 19.8 points and 3.6 assists per game. Cameron Oliver provided support down low in the frontcourt, averaging 15.8 points along with 8.7 rebounds.
NBA Pipeline
Let's call a spade a spade, Nevada is by no means a hotbed for NBA prospects, but there are a few players who have worn the blue and white and moved on to higher ground in the NBA. Former all-time leading scorer for Nevada, Edgar Jones, had an NBA career that spanned from 1980-1986. More recently, the likes of Ramon Sessions, Javale McGee, and Luke Babbitt have all given the Wolf Pack some notable professional alumni.