Shiloh is Nevada's unsung hero

INDIANAPOLIS - Kyle Shiloh has been the forgotten man during Nevada's run to the WAC regular-season title and the NCAA Tournament.

His defensive work against Texas freshman sensation Daniel Gibson won't be forgotten for a long time.

Shiloh, with some help at times from Mo Charlo, held Gibson to eight points on 3 for 11 shooting in the Pack's 61-57 win over Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night at the RCA Dome.

"He's a heck of a player," Shiloh said. "He pulled up on me and hit a couple of threes, but I thought we did a good job on him. I tried to get over the top of the screens. We tried to deny him the ball.

"You don't have any choice (whether you want the assignment or not). It's an unbelievable feeling when everybody is looking for you to get a stop at the defensive end. It's incredible."

Gibson's first three-pointer came with 11:55 left in the first half. He didn't score again until 4:45 was left in the game when he nailed a three-pointer to give Texas a 53-51 lead. Gibson scored from the free throw line with 2:22 left to give the Longhorns a 57-53 lead, but that was the last points Texas would produce.

Gibson had to be a tad frustrated. He threw up a long three-pointer with plenty of time on the shot clock in the final minute, which Nevada turned into a point and a 59-57 lead when Ramon Sessions knocked down a free throw on the ensuing possession.

"They were very aggressive," Gibson said. "On the ball screens they showed pretty hard. Overall they were aggressive."

TOUGH DECISION FOR FOX

Nevada sophomore Nick Fazekas had a tough time defensively against Texas' Jason Klotz, and played sparingly in the final four minutes of the game.

Klotz scored 10 of Texas' 12 points late in the game propelling the Longhorns to a 55-51 lead. Fox subbed Chad Bell in on defense, and the 7-foot junior was matched against Klotz or Brad Buckman most of the time in the final minutes.

"We just needed a little better post defense," Fox said. "If we were going to win, we had to shut them down in the post."

Fazekas, who scored a season-low 10 points and had 13 rebounds, said he understood Fox's decision.

"They did it without me tonight," Fazekas said. "They needed defense and I wasn't playing well defensively. I'm not mad at coach Fox or anything like that. It's all about strategy, and he did it, and we came out with a win. That's all that matters."

SIXTY IS MAGIC

Nevada improved to 18-0 when holding an opponent under 60 points.

Texas' 57 points was the worst of the season. The previous Texas low was 58 against Oklahoma State on Feb. 28. Texas lost both games.

TOUGH ON BOARDS

Nevada out-rebounded Texas 49-40, giving the Wolf Pack a 21-4 mark when it out-rebounds the opponent. The 49 boards marks the second-highest total of the season, one shy of the team's 50-rebound effort against Hawai'i on Jan. 1.

BARNES DENIES RUMORS

Texas coach Rick Barnes denied rumors that he's interested in the Virginia job which recently became available when Pete Gillen was fired.

"I don't get caught up into it," Barnes said on Wednesday. "There's nothing to it really. I intend to be at Texas for a long time. None of the rumors have been a problem because I don't take them seriously."

How many times have you heard that from a coach, only to see him leave the following week?

Barnes previously coached at Clemson, so he knows what it's like to coach in the ACC.

A DAY TO REMEMBER

Eastern Kentucky forward Michael Haney, who grew up in nearby Madisonville, Kentucky, said this was a day to be remembered.

"It's a great honor," he said. "It's a dream story. It's what you look for and dream as a kid. I'll never forget this. Whenever I have grandkids or kids, I'll have the tape from this game and I'm sure I'll be watching it. This was a great experience and I can't imagine a last game being any better than this."

QUICK HITS

This is the 14th straight year Kentucky has won a first-round game ... Kentucky is 9-0 when shooting 50 percent or better ... Kentucky is 19-1 when scoring 70 points or more in a game. The only loss was 91-78 to North Carolina ... Kentucky is 5-0 following losses ... Eastern Kentucky is 0-6 in NCAA games ... Alonzo Hird put up his fifth double-double of the season ... Iowa's 33.9 percent effort from the floor was the second-worst shooting performance of the season, only beating a 28.8 effort against Michigan State on Feb. 16...Nevada shot 37.1 from the floor, the team's fourth-lowest percentage of the season ... Nevada only had eight turnovers, the second-lowest output of the season. Nevada only had seven turnovers in a road win at Hawai'i on March 3.