INDIANAPOLIS - Mo Charlo came to Nevada with a lot of notoriety, and during the last month he's lived up to all the hoopla.
Charlo, the 6-7 junior transfer from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif., scored five points and had a key assist in the final 1:28 to lead ninth-seed Nevada to a 61-57 come-from-behind win over eighth-seed Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night at the RCA Dome.
The Pack's reward? A date with top-ranked Illinois Saturday at 2:40 p.m. The winner earns a trip to the Sweet 16 next week in Chicago. The last time Nevada (25-6) played a No. 1 team it lost 131-81 to UNLV back in 1991.
Texas' Jason Klotz, who led Texas with 20 points, scored 10 of those in a 4 1/2-minute span to give the Longhorns a 55-51 lead with 4:12 left in the game.
Ramon Sessions scored on a coast-to-coast layup to cut the lead to 55-53 only to see Texas freshman Daniel Gibson score on a free-throw line jump shot to make it 57-53 with 2:22 left.
Enter Charlo, whose athletic ability has impressed many coaches in the WAC.
After a steal by Chad Bell, the Pack came down with a chance to tie the game or go ahead by one. Charlo missed a jump shot, but got the offensive rebound. Sessions missed and Charlo got another offensive rebound and scored. His ensuing foul shot made it 57-56 with 1:28 left.
Texas' Kenton Paulino missed a reverse layup, and following a timeout by Nevada, Charlo (12 points) threaded a pass to Pinkney, who made a layup to give Nevada a 58-57 lead with 44.3 left.
"It wasn't a specific play that we were going to run," said Pinkney, who led Nevada with 15 points. "I just got open and Mo (Charlo) found me and luckily I made that shot. I missed the free throw, but I'd rather take the two than the one."
Texas still had some fight left. Gibson, however, took a long three-pointer with plenty of time on the shot clock, and Sessions (11 points) was fouled on the ensuing possession. He hit one of two for a 59-57 lead.
Texas had two shots on its next possession, but both Klotz and Brad Buckman missed from close-in. Charlo got the rebound and was fouled. He sank both foul shots, closing out the Longhorns for good.
"I'm very excited," Charlo said in the jubilant Nevada locker room. "It feels great to get that first win. This is big for me; the biggest thing of my career.
"I wasn't really nervous (on the free throws). That's why I love to play basketball. I was up to the challenge."
Indeed. On a night when top scorer Nick Fazekas struggled from the floor (3 for 14), the Pack needed people to step up and they did. Charlo, Sessions and Pinkney picked up their struggling teammate.
"He (Charlo) was terrific," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "He's a very gifted offensive player. He can score a lot of ways. Over the past few weeks, he's become more comfortable with our system. He made the plays.
"It was an extremely hard-fought game. Texas is an outstanding team. This tournament can break your heart. There are tears of joy and pain after each game. I really feel for the Texas kids right now because we've been there."
Fox was referring to Nevada's heart-breaking 72-67 loss to Georgia Tech last year in the Sweet 16 in St. Louis.
It was a tough loss to swallow for Texas.
"It came down to a few possessions in the second half," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. " I do think our guys played hard. When they needed to make a play they did. When we needed to make a play, we didn't. "
Those are the things Nevada was unable to do in the first half, according to Fox.
"We got it done late in the game," Fox said. "We haven't been beaten by a zone team yet this year. We play well against a zone. We win ugly, but we win."
The first half was anything but a work of art. Nevada shot 38.5 from the floor and Texas was even worse at 9 for 33. Despite being saddled with early foul problems to Bell and Pinkney, each of whom picked up two early in the first half. And, with Fazekas going 1 for 6, it was a minor miracle that the Pack had a 25-24 lead.
The game was tied at 33 and 38. Fazekas knocked down two three-pointers for a 44-42 lead, and Kyle Shiloh, who held Gibson to eight points, added a free throw to make it 45-42 with 9:36 left.
That set the stage for some late-game heroics by Klotz. The 6-9 senior, who missed some shots from close range in the opening half, led a 13-6 run to give the Longhorns a 55-51 lead with 4:12 left. Texas scored only two points the rest of the way.
"The second half I got it going and felt really good, hitting some shots," Klotz said. "The last one kind of got me. That's how it goes sometime.
"It's crazy how things work out. because we're so close to winning the game and things turn the way they did. Three-point plays and rebounds, that kind of stuff can shoot you down."
And, if you are Nevada, it can boost you up.