Grades: Pack returns to its winning ways against Spartans

Grading the Nevada Wolf Pack’s 90-60 men’s basketball victory over the San Jose State Spartans at Lawlor Events Center on Friday:

STARTERS

JAROD LUCAS: A+

Lucas, like most of his teammates, was in a groove from the opening tip. The 6-3 shooting guard scored 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting (3-of-5 threes). He also, as a welcome change, contributed in other areas with four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

He only missed as many as two shots in a row twice and that was likely just due to fatigue and rust. He missed his last shot before being sent to the bench and his first after returning to the floor in both the first and second half.

Lucas’ two threes and first nine points in the first six minutes set the tone as the Pack took an 18-8 lead. His second three was part of a four-point play so, yes, he had 20 percent of his 20 points on one play.

Lucas played just 28 minutes giving him at least 20 points in under 30 minutes for just the second time this season (he had 22 in 22 minutes against Fresno Pacific on Dec. 30). Last year, his first at Nevada, he never had 20 points in under 30 minutes.

KENAN BLACKSHEAR: B

Blackshear played his fewest minutes (17) of the season due to four fouls. The last time he played just 17 minutes, against Arizona State in last year’s First Four NCAA Tournament game, he also had four fouls.

The Pack needed Blackshear against Arizona State in a 98-73 loss. But they didn’t need him on Friday when everything the Pack touched turned to gold. Blackshear, though, was efficient against San Jose State just the same with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and six assists.

Pack fans knew Friday was going to be special right from the start when Blackshear hit a 3-pointer just 54 seconds into the game for a 3-0 lead. It was just his fifth 3-pointer of the year in 20 tries.

A cause for concern: Blackshear continues to battle through the worst free throw shooting season of his career. He missed 3-of-4 and is now shooting just .627 this year. He was a 78 percent shooter from the line last year.

NICK DAVIDSON: A+

The 6-8 sophomore was the best player on the floor Friday and it wasn’t even close. He had 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds, three assists and three 3-pointers, all in just 26 minutes.

San Jose State brings out the best in Davidson and basically every other player that makes his living in the paint. He had seven offensive rebounds, equaling his career high set against (you guessed it) San Jose State a year ago.

His 22 points (he had three layups and a dunk) on Friday are his career high and his three 3-pointers tied his high (he had three against Sam Houston on Nov. 28, 2022).

TRE COLEMAN: B-

Coleman, unlike most of his teammates, did not pad his stats against the welcoming San Jose State defense, missing 6-of-7 shots and scoring just three points in 26 minutes.

The 6-7 Pack forward was determined to get a 3-pointer on Friday and, by golly, he got one. Yes, it didn’t come until his fifth and final try but there it was just the same, two minutes into the second half after four straight misses in the first half.

Coleman, it seems, fashions himself a 3-point marksman now after making four in each of back-to-back games two weeks ago against San Diego State and Wyoming but he is still just a 32 percent shooter from that range this year.

Coleman was just 1-of-7 from the floor on Friday but he did find enough time for five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in his 26 minutes.

K.J. HYMES: D+

Hymes was nearly missing in action Friday in his 19 minutes with three points, two rebounds and an assist, block and a steal. Most of his numbers, such as they are, came midway through the second half when the Pack was already up by nearly 40 points.

Hymes had just one point and a steal over his first 12 minutes on the floor. Yes, Davidson was hogging all of the fun in the paint Friday, but the 6-10 Hymes just simply didn’t even seem interested. He didn’t even take a shot the entire game.

BENCH

HUNTER McINTOSH: B

McIntosh is still looking for his jumpshot. The 6-3 guard missed both of his shots Friday and is 1-of-15 from the floor (1-of-10 on threes) over his last six games.

But McIntosh shared in all the fun just the same with five assists and four rebounds in his 15 minutes. The assists and rebounds equaled his high for the season.

McIntosh might not be scoring himself lately (just one point on Friday and 11 over his last seven games) but his five assists did lead to 11 points.

DANIEL FOSTER: C+

Foster played 22 minutes, more than two starters, and contributed four points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. He got a little wild when he took two threes just under five minutes apart midway through the second half (he missed both). But, hey, everybody thinks he’s a 3-point shooter against San Jose State.

Foster fed Davidson for a dunk with 3:38 left in the first half and Davidson fed Foster for a dunk with just 4:30 to go in the second half. Why Davidson and Foster were even in the game with 4:30 to play (the dunk made it 85-51) is a bit confusing but when Foster can get open for a dunk, I guess you take it. He’s earned it.

TYLAN POPE: A

Pope was instrumental during a stretch of seven-plus minutes when the Pack turned an 18-8 lead with just under 14 minutes to go in the first half into a 36-15 with 6:35 left.

The 6-6, 240-pounder had six points, a rebound and an assist during that stretch. He made his first free throw, missed the second, took a feed from Nick Davidson and jammed it home for a dunk with just over eight minutes to go in the first half for a 33-13 lead.

His 3-pointer gave the Pack a 36-15 lead with 6:35 to go. He also had a pair of layups a minute apart in the second half and finished with a season-high 10 points, three rebounds and an assist in just 15 minutes.

Pope didn’t even play his first game this year until Dec. 21 because of a preseason injury and is now the Pack’s most consistent and productive player off the bench. Over his last four games he’s scored 30 points with 13 rebounds in just 50 total minutes.

TYLER ROLISON: B+

Rolison played 18 minutes and led the bench with a dozen points (equaling his season high). The 6-foot freshman from Los Angeles was a ball of energy, taking six shots (2-of-3 on threes) and getting to the line for a team-high eight free throws (making six).

There’s ample evidence now that Rolison just might be the Pack’s second-best 3-point shooter (behind Lucas). He’s 13-of-30 from distance (43 percent). His two threes on Friday came just two-plus minutes apart down the stretch in the first half.

Rolison played eight consecutive minutes in the first half and was instrumental in turning a 24-11 lead into a 44-17 blowout.

AMIRE ROBINSON, JAZZ GARDNER, JERIAH COLEMAN: Incomplete

Robinson, seeing just his second action since Dec. 30, played seven minutes with a rebound. The 7-foot Gardner played like a freshman with something to prove. He jacked up four shots in just five minutes (he missed them all) and also went to the free throw line for four shots, making three. He also had three offensive rebounds and three points. The 7-1 Coleman made his only shot for two points. Those were his first points since Dec. 6.

COACHING: A+

There’s not a whole lot of coaching to do when your team makes nearly half its shots (29-of-60 overall and 11-of-23 threes). Alford, therefore, did all of his coaching this week leading up to the game, keeping the Pack focused, energized and determined and reminding what got their first 16 wins in the first place after losing four of the previous five games.

The game was basically over after the Pack went on a 32-9 run over a 12-minute stretch in the first half that saw a 14-8 lead turn into 46-17 laugher. But that’s when game plan, energy, focus and sense of urgency all come together perfectly. The best coaches always do their best work leading up to a game.

OVERALL: A+

This game, of course, says more about San Jose State than it does the Wolf Pack. The Spartans didn’t even bother to put up a fight. It’s easy to put up fancy numbers when you are, for all intents and purposes, the only team on the floor breaking a sweat.

San Jose State is one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation. They are 334th (out of 351) in rebounds per game and 307th in rebounding margin. So nobody should be surprised the Pack had a 45-31 edge on the glass.

The Pack (now 17-5, 4-4) only missed 31 shots all night and had 18 offensive rebounds. That left just 13 misses without a second chance at points. The Pack took those 18 valuable second chances at points and turned them into a 21-5 edge in second-chance points.

San Jose State, in case you are wondering, is the worst defensive team in the Mountain West, allowing 75 points a game. The Pack hit 75 with 10-plus minutes left in the game.

We saw a return to old-school Pack basketball on Friday. And when we say old school, we mean November and December.

The Pack was 21-of-33 on free throws while San Jose State was just 4-of-9. San Jose State’s four successful free throws are the fewest against the Pack since the timid Spartans had just one on Feb. 21, 2023 and just four on Jan. 7, 2023.

Yes, this one says more about San Jose State than it does Nevada.