Pack grades: Great teams win in tough environments

Grading the Nevada Wolf Pack’s 77-74 men’s basketball victory over the Colorado State Rams at Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday:

STARTERS

JAROD LUCAS: A

Lucas hit the shot heard ’round the Mountain West world, banking in a 3-pointer at the buzzer from half court to salvage the Pack victory. It is, of course, one of the most dramatic shots in Wolf Pack history, stunning the Moby Arena crowd of 7,070 and keeping the Pack in the race for the conference’s regular-season championship.

Lucas, in his final college season after three years at Oregon State and two at Nevada, finished with 23 points and a career-high seven rebounds (he’s had six in a game 11 times). And it all came on a night when the Pack needed him the most with starting point guard Kenan Blackshear out with an ankle injury.

It wasn’t always pretty for the 6-3 shooting guard. He had missed 11-of-12 shots leading up to his 3-point bank shot just in front of the half court line near the right sideline. He also missed three-of-four free throws in the final 18 seconds that would have eliminated the need for his last-second heroics.

But all’s well that ends well for the Pack, a hard-working group that now, more than ever, seems like a team of destiny this year.

HUNTER McINTOSH: B

The 6-2 McIntosh stepped into the starting lineup for Blackshear on Tuesday and kept the wheels from flying off the Pack cart.

McIntosh, making his first start in his two-year (35 games) Pack career, played 31 minutes and contributed 14 important points. The 31 minutes are his most since he played 37 in his final game of his third and final season for the Elon Phoenix on March 3, 2022.

McIntosh came out of the gate and smacked Colorado State in the mouth before the Rams likely even knew who was playing point guard for the Pack. He made his first two threes in the first three minutes of the game and had eight points in the first 11-plus minutes. But he then missed his final five 3-pointers of the game and seven of his last nine shots overall.

McIntosh, who rediscovered his jump shot in the Pack’s win at San Jose State last Friday with 18 points on six threes, still found a way to contribute offensively down the stretch against Colorado State. He had four big free throws midway through the second half and connected on a jumper for a 65-61 lead with three minutes to play.

The Pack, make no mistake, could have used Blackshear’s physicality and his play-making skills (McIntosh had just one assist). But don’t be surprised if McIntosh sees an increased role (he was averaging just 16 minutes a game before Tuesday) the rest of the season.

NICK DAVIDSON: C

The Colorado State Rams were determined not to allow Nick Davidson to beat them. Davidson experienced one of the more frustrating offensive games of his two-year Pack career, contributing just two points in his 36 minutes and missing all six of his shots from the floor.

Davidson’s two points are the fewest by a Pack player in 35 or more minutes in a game since Kenan Blackshear went scoreless in 36 minutes (0-for-7 from the floor) against UNLV on Feb. 22, 2022. It was the first time Davidson did not make a single shot from the floor since going 0-for-4 against Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Davidson didn’t score on Tuesday until he made two free throws for a 67-61 lead with two minutes to play. He only took one shot the entire second half.

The 6-8 sophomore, though, never stopped working and competing. He did justify his 36 minutes on the floor with a game-high 12 rebounds, four on the offensive end. He also had an assist, a block and a steal.

TRE COLEMAN: A

If you don’t enjoy watching Tre Coleman play, well, you don’t like watching basketball. Coleman gave the Pack an efficient 16 points in 30 minutes on 6-of-8 shooting (3-of-4 threes) to go along with four rebounds, two blocks and two assists. And he did it all before fouling out with 35 seconds to go in regulation.

Coleman, without question, is one of the most versatile and well-rounded players in the country, let alone the Mountain West. And all of his skills were on display against the Rams.

He had eight points in the first half, including a four-point play for a 34-26 lead two minutes before halftime. And the Pack doesn’t win this game without his clutch 3-pointer for a 70-63 lead which should have been the dagger in the hearts of the Rams with 68 seconds to play.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Colorado State outscored the Pack 6-0 when Coleman went to the bench for a mere two minutes with his fourth foul with 5:35 to play. He then fouled out with 35 seconds to go and Colorado State promptly outscored the Pack 7-3 until Lucas’ last-second Hail Mary prayer was answered.

Coleman, more than any player on the roster, is the heartbeat of this team.

K.J. HYMES: D +

Hymes gave the Pack his typical foul-filled, one-step-forward, two-steps-back performance with three points, two rebounds, one turnover, 1-of-4 from the free throw line and four fouls in 19 minutes.

His dunk, off a feed from Coleman, gave the Pack a 14-11 lead eight minutes into the game. Hymes also gave the Pack a 53-45 lead with 11 minutes to play with a free throw.

After the dunk, though, Hymes had four fouls and missed a layup and three free throws in his final 13 minutes on the floor.

BENCH

DANIEL FOSTER: A

If Coleman is the Pack’s heartbeat, then Foster is their security blanket. Foster, who just might be the most valuable sixth man in the Mountain West, scored 13 points with three rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block in 27 minutes. He was 4-of-6 from the floor and made 2-of-3 threes and 3-of-4 free throws.

The 6-6 senior, the Pack’s best defender in the paint by far, had seven points in the first half, including a 3-pointer with 76 seconds left for a 37-26 lead. He also hit a three for a 45-37 lead with just under 14 minutes to play.

It was also Foster who made the all-important in-bounds pass from under the Colorado State basket with 2.5 seconds to play to a streaking Lucas on the game-winning shot.

TYLER ROLISON: B

Rolison had six points, a steal, an assist and a rebound in his dozen minutes to help offset the loss of Blackshear. The 6-foot freshman fed Foster for a 3-pointer and took a pass from Foster and hit a jumper in the final 76 seconds of the first half as the Pack took a 39-28 lead at the break.

Rolison only played 4:47 of the second half but his two free throws gave the Pack a 73-67 lead with just 29 seconds to play. His steal led to a pair of Lucas free throws and a 47-37 lead with just over 13 minutes to play.

TYLAN POPE: D +

Pope played just eight minutes and somehow managed to pick up three fouls. He missed his only shot and didn’t score and grabbed a rebound.

The 6-6, 240-pound Pope has played just 26 minutes and scored four points with six fouls and four rebounds over his last four games combined since coming back from an ankle injury. In the four games before his injury, he scored 30 points with 13 rebounds over 50 minutes.

COACHING: A +

Steve Alford took his team into Fort Collins on Tuesday night without his starting point guard and somehow squeezed out a crucial Mountain West victory.

Hunter McIntosh and Tyler Rolison, who combined to play 43 minutes at the point in place of Blackshear, also didn’t turn the ball over once between them. That’s all you need to know about how much Alford and his staff coach their entire roster. But if you need more proof of how well this entire roster is coached, don’t forget Foster scoring 13 points to make up for Davidson’s two-point showing.

How did the Pack win on the road against a 20-win team without its starting point guard and just two points from its top scorer (Davidson) over the last month? Well, Alford grabbed them by the neck and shook it out of them.

This game, more than any other this year, is why Alford told this team to check its egos at the front door this year and play like five fingers together in one glove with an emphasis on defense, taking care of the ball and taking good shots.

OVERALL: A +

The basketball gods clearly smiled down upon the Wolf Pack on Tuesday. That goes without saying when you bank in a shot from about 50 feet out at the buzzer to win.

We’re not saying the Pack (now 23-6, 10-5) had no chance to win in overtime had Lucas’ shot not gone in. But we are saying just be thankful you didn’t have to find out. The short-handed and exhausted Wolf Pack, after all, was running on fumes the final five minutes of the game as a nine-point (63-54) lead with under six minutes to play turned into a 74-74 tie with two seconds left. Even Lucas was missing free throws down the stretch.

Lucas also had missed 11 of his last 12 shots from the floor before throwing up that rainbow from the parking lot. Coleman had already fouled out and the Pack clearly had nobody to cover Rams’ point guard Isaiah Stevens (23 points overall and nine in the last 3:23). Davidson couldn’t sniff a basket and all of the momentum was dressed in ugly Colorado State green and white.

But this is how great teams win games down the stretch in tough environments in late February and throughout March. They do things nobody, maybe not even the basketball gods, thought were possible.