Grades: Pack an identity theft victim for 3rd time

Grading the Nevada Wolf Pack’s 98-93 men’s basketball loss to the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie, Wyo., on Saturday:

STARTERS

JAROD LUCAS: B-

Lucas finished with 20 points but most of that (13) took place in the first half when things were going well for the Pack. When the Pack needed Lucas the most, in the second half as they fell behind by as much as 15, he vanished.

Lucas scored just two points in the first 18 minutes of the second half, taking just two shots. When Lucas isn’t shooting the ball he isn’t doing much of anything else. On Saturday he finished with no rebounds, no assists, no blocks and one steal.

Lucas was the player the Pack needs him to be in the first half, scoring 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. It was his 3-pointer that produced a 15-5 lead four-plus minutes into the game.

The Pack also needs Lucas to get to the free throw line more often than he did against Wyoming (3-of-4). Lucas is one of the best free throw shooters in the nation, making 91-of-99 this year. But Saturday was the seventh consecutive game in which he’s gotten five or fewer free throws.

He was 13-of-13 against TCU on Dec. 22 but since then he’s gone just 18-of-20 over seven games. He got six or more free throws in six of the Pack’s first seven games this year but that’s happened in just 1-of-12 games since.

KENAN BLACKSHEAR: C-

Blackshear played out of character against the Cowboys, throwing up four 3-pointers and taking just one shot in the final 12 minutes of the game. The fifth-year senior was just 3-of-12 from the floor for eight points.

He did have eight assists but none of them came during a stretch of about 21 consecutive minutes when the Pack saw its 24-17 lead with nine minutes left in the first half turn into a 76-61 deficit with roughly eight minutes left in the game.

Blackshear seemed to lose his focus when he lofted four 3-point shots (he made one) in the first eight minutes of the second half. Those four 3-point attempts are the most he’s had in an entire game since the middle (Jan. 10, 2023) of last season against San Diego State (when he went 0-for-6). He had taken just 14 3-point shots this entire season before Saturday night, making just three.

After missing a 3-pointer with 12:13 to play Blackshear took just one more shot, after an offensive rebound near the basket (he missed). Blackshear also continued to struggle at the free throw line on Saturday, missing 3-of-5. He’s just 23-of-40 (58 percent) from the line over his last six games).

NICK DAVIDSON: B+

Davidson kept the Wolf Pack’s slim comeback hopes alive down the stretch on Saturday, scoring eight points in the final five minutes. The 6-8 sophomore finished the game with 19 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

Davidson scored 11 points in the final 11 minutes of the game and finished an efficient 7-of-11 from the floor. He also was able to stay on the floor for 28 minutes despite picking up four fouls.

Davidson, like most of his teammates, also struggled at the free throw line, going 3-of-6. All of his free throws came in the second half.

TRE COLEMAN: A+

Coleman caught fire in the final dozen minutes, scoring 18 points and keeping the Pack in the game. The 6-7 forward finished with a team-high 23 points on four 3-pointers.

Coleman has now scored 39 points on eight 3-pointers over the Pack’s last two games, losses to San Diego State and Wyoming on the road. He had just 10 threes all season going into the San Diego State game.

Three of Coleman’s four 3-pointers on Saturday came in a stretch of five minutes midway through the second half when the Pack was down by double digits. He also had a three-point play (layup and free throw) that cut Wyoming’s lead to 82-75 with 5:27 to play.

Coleman was perfect from the free throw line (3-of-3) and also had four assists and four steals, though he did have four turnovers. Three of his four assists came in the first half when he also missed 3-of-4 threes.

K.J. HYMES: C

Hymes was solid when he was on the floor, scoring seven points with six rebounds and two blocks. But while Wyoming could not control him, the officials certainly did.

The 6-foot-10 center was able to stay on the floor for a mere nine minutes before fouling out midway through the second half.

Hymes, however, clearly controlled the paint and the glass for his nine minutes. He scored five points in the first seven-plus minutes of the game, helping the Pack take an 18-12 lead.

Hymes has now fouled out of the Pack’s last two games (both losses), surviving long enough to play just 24 minutes, though he did score 15 points with nine boards.

BENCH

HUNTER McINTOSH: D

McIntosh played 10 minutes, picked up three fouls, handed out one assist and did not score. The 6-3 veteran guard has scored just four points over his last four games combined over 63 minutes. He had more fouls (eight) than points (four), assists (two) and successful field goals (one) combined over those four games.

DANIEL FOSTER: C

Foster was able to stay on the court for 16 minutes before fouling out with under a minute to play. The 6-foot-6 utility man gave the Pack just two points (he missed two 3-pointers) but did contribute five rebounds, three assists and a block.

He fed Tyler Rolison for a layup to tie the game at 29-29 and Rolison again for a 3-pointer for a 32-31 lead with 4:21 to go before the half. He also assisted on a Kenan Blackshear 3-pointer with just under 16 minutes to go in the second half to cut Wyoming’s lead to 55-47.

TYLER ROLISON: C+

Rolison had a solid dozen minutes, scoring five points with two assists and a steal. He fed Tre Coleman for a pair of threes slightly less than two minutes apart to pull the Pack to within 69-58 with 10:23 to play.

Rolison scored five points on a layup and 3-pointer just over a minute apart in the final five minutes of the first half.

TYLAN POPE: B+

Pope was productive in his 11 minutes, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting with three rebounds, a block and a steal. It was the first time Pope has scored in five Mountain West games, though he was given just 22 minutes combined over the first four.

Pope had three layups in a span of just 1:49 late in the second half to help cut Wyoming’s lead to 79-72 with six minutes to play. He also had a block and a rebound during that stretch.

His layup gave the Pack a 26-20 lead with 7:41 left in the first half.

JAZZ GARDNER, JERIAH COLEMAN: Incomplete

Gardner, a 7-foot freshman center, played just four minutes with a rebound and a foul. Coleman, a 7-foot junior forward, played three minutes and had a rebound in his first Mountain West appearance for the Pack.

COACHING: C-

Make no mistake, the Wolf Pack arrived in Laramie ready to play. The Pack, coming off a 71-59 loss at San Diego State three nights earlier, jumped out to a 15-5 lead just four minutes into the game and still led 24-17 eight minutes later.

But then the Pack turned sluggish on offense and a bit lackadaisical on defense and simply never rejuvenated itself. Down seven at the half, the Pack came out in the second half and had Blackshear shooting threes and Lucas barely shooting at all. Before the Pack woke up it was down 76-61 with just eight minutes to play.

The Pack walked into the toughest part of its schedule (a home game against Boise State followed by road games at San Diego State and Wyoming) with a 15-1 overall record and 2-0 in league play and is now 15-4 and 2-3 and the owner of a three-game losing streak.

Alford’s team has seemingly run out of gas mentally and physically and is unable to stop the bleeding right now. He needs to find answers quickly or maybe simply remind his team how they got to 15-1 in the first place.

OVERALL: C-

The Wolf Pack went 12-of-22 from the line at Wyoming. That’s not Alford’s fault. That’s a focus problem. Wyoming, 25-of-35 from the line, basically won the game at the free throw, a formula the Pack perfected when it won 15 of its first 16 games.

The Pack allowed Boise State, San Diego State and Wyoming steal its identity the last three games. The Pack couldn’t rebound against Boise State and San Diego State, also couldn’t shoot free throws against San Diego State (7-of-17), allowed Boise State to come to Lawlor and punch them in the throat on their own home floor and simply stopped playing defense at Wyoming.

Defense, free throws, home court advantage and rebounding, not to mention a relentless focus at both ends of the court, is how the Pack became 15-1 two weeks ago.