Nevada Wolf Pack causes concern against UNLV

Grading the Nevada Wolf Pack’s 89-60 and 72-62 victories over the UNLV Rebels this past Sunday, Tuesday at Lawlor Events Center:

STARTERS

Grant Sherfield: B

All of the minutes, responsibility and attention he’s getting from opponents might finally be wearing on the Wolf Pack’s 6-foot-2 leader. Sherfield was solid against UNLV but he continued to struggle with his shot, making just 12-of-26. He’s also now just 6-of-27 (22 percent) on threes over his last five games after starting the season 27-of-64 (42 percent) Sherfield also went to the free throw line just six times in the two UNLV games combined. He scored 15 points on Sunday with an eye-opening 11 assists in 33 minutes and then went 6-of-15 from the floor on Tuesday, scoring 18 points with four assists in 39 minutes. Sherfield, though, rarely leaves the floor because he is the team’s stabilizing force, even when he’s not pouring in points. He has turned the ball over just four times over his last four games combined.

Desmond Cambridge: C+

Cambridge scored 17 points and was an efficient 6-of-9 from the floor, 3-of-5 on threes and had three rebounds and a couple assists in 31 minutes on Sunday. But on Tuesday he was 2-of-9 from the floor, 1-of-5 on threes for seven points in 29 minutes. Cambridge had scored in double figures for nine straight games and 12 of his last 13 before Tuesday. The two field goals he had Tuesday are the fewest he’s had in a Wolf Pack uniform. Cambridge had 20-plus points in four of five games from Dec. 12-31 but has not topped 17 points in any of his last nine games.

Warren Washington: B

Washington had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and six rebounds in 24 minutes on Tuesday and was a big reason why the Pack avoided the upset. Washington, though, struggled on Sunday, scoring just 5 points on 2-of-8 shooting with two turnovers in 22 minutes). He had 10 rebounds, three blocks in the two games over 46 minutes. Washington’s production has risen lately because he seems to have finally learned how to avoid foul trouble. He had just three fouls in the two games combined against UNLV and has just six fouls over his last four games. The sky is the limit for this 7-footer as long as he stays on the court.

Tre Coleman: C

Coleman had 10 points in 47 minutes over the two games, shooting 4-of-8. He was solid on Sunday with two threes, five rebounds, an assist and a steal for eight points in 23 minutes. Two days later, though, he missed all three of his threes, was called for three fouls and scored just two points in 24 minutes. The 6-7 freshman from coach Steve Alford’s home state of Indiana, though, did have nine rebounds over the two games. He now rarely ventures inside the 3-point circle. Just 15 of his last 52 shots have come inside the arc since the middle of December. He has missed 29 of his last 37 threes.

Daniel Foster: C-

Coach Steve Alford obviously expects big things in the future out of this 6-6 freshman. Foster, who injured his ankle before the season started, only made his Pack debut Jan. 22 at Wyoming and he’s already in the starting lineup. Foster played 42 minutes over the two games against UNLV and was 3-of-7 from the floor (1-of-3 on threes) and scored seven points with four rebounds. He was also whistled for five fouls and now has 15 fouls in his first 75 minutes this season. On a deeper team he isn’t anywhere near the starting lineup. But this season for the Pack is really about developing a team for the next three seasons. Foster scored eight points in his second game against Wyoming on Jan 24 and his point totals have decreased in his next two games, to five on Sunday and two on Tuesday.

BENCH

K.J. Hymes: A

The 6-10 sophomore had the best game of his Wolf Pack career on Sunday, setting career highs for points (16) and 3-pointers (two). He also had five rebounds, a block and two steals in just 15 minutes. He also played well on Tuesday, doing most of his damage on defense with four blocks, five rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes while scoring four points. Alford seems to like the combination of Washington starting and Hymes coming off the bench. Hymes would be starting for most every other team in the Mountain West but a reserve role is where he contributes the most on this team.

Zane Meeks: A+

Meeks returned to the floor after missing the previous two weeks and, well, simply won Tuesday’s game for the Pack. The 6-9 sophomore was brilliant down the stretch, scoring 11 points in the final 3:19 and finishing with 19 points in 21 minutes. The Pack doesn’t win on Tuesday without Meeks. He was 5-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the line and made two of his five threes with eight rebounds. He started 10 games in a row before getting hurt but the Pack just might have finally stumbled upon its instant offense off the bench, a spark that has been absent all year. Meeks also played well on Sunday with 11 points and six rebounds in just 18 minutes. He was a very efficient 9-of-15 from the floor in 39 minutes over the two games for 30 points, four threes, 14 rebounds and was 8-of-8 from the line.

Kane Milling: C-

Milling played 41 minutes in the two games combined and scored six points (all in Sunday’s blowout win). All four of his shots came from beyond the arc, becoming one dimensional on offense. The 6-4 sophomore, however, did have five rebounds in the two games and three assists.

DeAndre Henry: Incomplete

Henry played three minutes on Sunday and didn’t play on Tuesday. He made the most of those three minutes with four points and a foul.

Alem Huseinovic: Incomplete

Huseinovic played three minutes on Sunday and four on Tuesday and connected on a 3-pointer.

Khristion Courseault: Incomplete

The 6-2 Courseault made his first appearance since Dec. 20 (against Air Force) with a two-minute performance on Sunday. He was 2-of-2 from the line and also had an assist and a steal and then did not play on Tuesday. He’s played in six games this year and has seen just 27 total minutes, though he is a perfect 2-of-2 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line with three steals and two assists.

Robby Robinson: Incomplete

Robinson, who started in Meeks’ absence the past two weeks, barely came off the bench against UNLV. The 6-8 junior played just 10 minutes in the two games and had two points and three rebounds.

COACHING: A

This is obviously a rebuilding year for the Wolf Pack with five new starters, especially now that Meeks is on the bench. But Alford isn’t throwing away this season and is squeezing as many victories as possible out of this young bunch. His decision to start Foster and use Meeks off the bench in the two games against UNLV might just be a two-game experiment. But it paid off as Alford finally found some offensive firepower off his bench. Meeks flourished in the role and just might stay there the rest of the season.

OVERALL: B

Beating UNLV, a mediocre team that was missing its best player (Bryce Hamilton), at home is not an accomplishment that warrants a parade down Virginia Street. UNLV was simply awful in the two games, settling for jump shots with a roster that, for the most part, cannot shoot. The Rebels were 17-of-54 on threes in the two games combined and only went to the free throw line 20 times. Sunday’s game was a glorified scrimmage as the Pack led by 10-plus points over the final 31 minutes and 20 or more over the final 18. The concerning part of the two games for the Pack, however, was on Tuesday. The Pack, with Sherfield and Cambridge struggling with their shots, found itself in a disturbing 58-58 tie with just over three minutes to play. Meeks, fortunately, then got hot and saved the day. That only works against mediocre teams that are playing without their best player.