Nevada Basketball: What Has Gone So Right For The Wolf Pack?

Nevada Basketball: What Has Gone So Right? The Wolf Pack are tied for second with one more regular season game this weekend, how will it end? Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Nevada is poised for a top 3 finish on Saturday, We are nearing the …

Of course, Jalen Harris

The Wolf Packs current standing and overall success should really be attributed to their performances in the month of February where they went 6-1 and won by double-digits in seven games (14.3 PPG).

During that time multiple players have stepped up their level of play, but Harris has been tremendous and went on to average 28.5 PPG in seven games played in February and has scored thirty points or more on six separate occasions this season.

On top of all of that he’s only failed to score in double figures twice this entire season, once against USC where he managed only nine points and against Utah in Nevada’s home opener. That same game his future with the team looked to be in jeopardy as a first half foot injury kept him out of action the rest of that game and the following one. But lucky for the fans and coaching staff alike, it wasn’t serious and the rest of Harris’ season is in the record books.

Aside from lifting his team up to a possible second place finish, Harris has propelled himself into the conference’s Player of the Year race. And after consistent a performance all-year long paired with the best February possibly in the entire country let alone the Mountain West. He finds himself in a tight and exciting player of the year and possibly newcomer of the year race that will likely be decided come Saturday. Regardless of the accolades he receives at the end of the year, Jalen Harris stayed the course after the coach that recruited him to Reno moved on and certainly will go down as one of the best Wolf Pack scorers of the past decade.

A great supportive cast, 

Aside from the star power Jalen Harris has brought to the court this season, there are notable jumps in production and confidence among other members of the Wolf Pack compared to last season.

I began the season calling the Wolf Pack’s attack the big three, which featured Jalen Harris, Jazz Johnson and Lindsey Drew. But as the season went on it was more of a four horsemen scenario, with the addition of Nisre Zouzoua as a credible scoring threat.

Johnson was destined for a bigger role and higher scoring average this season. After excepting a role as a major support player behind the Martin twins and Jordan Caroline averaging 11.0 PPG in thirty-three games played but only one start. That earned the junior the 2019 Mountain West Sixth man of the year award, but a roster depleted by graduation and transferring players presented an opportunity for the clutch guard. And even though he’s shared the spotlight with Jalen Harris this season he’s seen a bump in production this year averaging 16.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 2.0 APG in 27 starts so far.

This development is apparent in senior Lindsey Drew as well who decided to stay after the coaching change and has seen his numbers increase from his last campaign with the Wolf Pack back in 2017-18. Those numbers are up to 11.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.4 SPG this year compared to 8.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.3 APG and 1.0 SPG two years ago in as many starts (29). That season ending injury hasn’t taken a toll on his play, and at the end of February it looks like Drew’s gotten some of his bounce back.

Back to Zouzoua, the former Bryant Bulldog came to Nevada under Eric Musselman and came with a reputation as a scorer. In his last season at Bryant he averaged 20.3 PPG in 31 games with 26 starts. In an era where transfers can be the life blood or death of a program it’s very easy to get too excited about a players potential based on their numbers.

A further click on the Bulldogs stats from that 2016-2017 season would show those stats logged on a 12-20 Bryant team that finished 5th in the NEC at 9-9. It would also tell you that their head coach was fired the next season after leading the Bulldogs to a 3-28 season. And a last click would expose that Bryant team as a group looking to outscore their opponent with little defense in mind. That team ranked 224th in turnovers forced, 315th in blocks and 292nd in opponents scoring average at 77.4 PPG.

On an NCAA tournament caliber team Zouzoua’s weaknesses were exposed as he saw action in 21 games and averaged 6.0 MPG last year, averaging 1.3 PPG and just 2.4 field goal attempts a game (compared to 7.8 this year). Point being Zouzoua has developed into a great three-point shooter this year and dangerous when left open on either corner on the court. He rounds out Nevada’s top four scorers and compliments the emergence of Jalen Harris as a top player in the conference.

Looking back on this team in October, I wasn’t sold on the Wolf Pack and I stand by that prediction. Even though I can admit I didn’t really take the track record of success and player development that Steve Alford had in the Mountain West into account.

Although he failed to ever establish that same dominance at UCLA, he is now back in the conference where he remade a name for himself and with some familiar faces around him could make a home in the Mountain West again. I mean after all, the allure of a blue blood program coming to call him away could happen once again. But maybe Steve Alford’s got that out of his system and could make the Wolf Pack a regular tournament attendee.

With every point of weakness so far addressed over the course of the season Nevada has at a win at home on Saturday against the number five ranked team in the nation, a seven-game win streak and a top-3 finish in conference play for fourth straight year.

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