Wolf Pack’s offense again goes missing


Michael McGarvey

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A look at the key moments, players and plays from the Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team's 66-56 loss to the Boise State Broncos on Wednesday in Boise:


KEY NEVADA RUN

There was no significant Wolf Pack run the entire game. The most unanswered points the Pack scored was six, cutting an 8-1 deficit to 8-7 with 12-plus minutes left in the first half. That Wolf Pack offensive explosion lasted all of 30 seconds and consisted of 3-pointers by Nick Davidson and Justin McBride. The Wolf Pack, which scored one point in the game's first 6:58 and had just nine points in the first 10 minutes, 24 at halftime and didn't hit 40 until there was just six minutes to play, simply did not put any pressure on Boise State offensively the whole game.


KEY BOISE STATE RUN

Boise State, too, seemed to be stuck in the mud offensively for much of the game. The Broncos, though, took an eight-point (41-33) lead with 14 minutes to play and doubled it to 16 (55-39) with six minutes left to basically put the game away. Four Broncos (Javan Buchanan, Tyson Degenhart, Andrew Meadow and Alvaro Cardenas) shared the scoring in the 14-6 extended run. The Wolf Pack wouldn't cut the deficit under double digits (nine) until there was just 55 seconds to play.


KEY HIDDEN RUN

It was hidden because it overlapped the first and second half, wasn't all that prolific and didn't last all that long. But it was effective just the same in giving Boise State a lead it would never relinquish. Two Nick Davidson free throws tied the game at 22-22 for the Pack with 2:37 to play in the first half. Boise State, though, went on a 9-2 run over the final two minutes of the first half and first 83 seconds of the second half to take a 31-24 lead. The Pack would never cut the lead under five points the rest of the game and trailed by 10 or more points for all but 29 seconds of the final 12:48.


KEY PACK PLAYER

Nick Davidson was the only Pack player in double digits with 18 points. Davidson, though, didn't score (or even take a shot) in the first seven minutes and was just 2-of-3 in the first half from the floor when the rest of the roster was a combined 3-of-17. Davidson also had four turnovers and three fouls to go along with just four rebounds and no assists, blocks or steals. But, nevertheless, he was the best the Pack could offer on Wednesday.


KEY PACK SETBACK

Tre Coleman didn't start for the first time since the fifth game of the 2023-24 season and was limited to just seven minutes. Coleman, according to coach Steve Alford (talking with Nevada Sports Net after the game), suffered a leg injury in the 69-50 loss to San Diego State last Saturday (he played 31 minutes). Coleman missed both his shots and turned the ball over once in his seven minutes against Boise State and never saw the floor after halftime.


KEY PACK CHANGES

Alford made two lineup changes, inserting Xavier DuSell and Brandon Love back into the starting lineup. Love replaced center K.J. Hymes and responded with three points, three rebounds, three fouls, two turnovers and a block in 16 minutes. Hymes, by comparison, had four fouls, three turnovers and missed his only shot in his seven minutes off the bench. DuSell, starting for an injured Tre Coleman, played 22 minutes and produced six points, two rebounds and two steals despite missing all four of his 3-point shots. It was his worst 3-point shooting performance since he went 0-for-6 as a member of the Fresno State Bulldogs on Nov. 27, 2023, against UC Santa Barbara.


KEY HISTORICAL NOTE

History, unfortunately, has repeated itself for the Pack. The Wolf Pack has failed to score at least 60 points in two consecutive games, losing at home to San Diego State (69-50) this past Saturday and 66-56 at Boise State on Wednesday. The last time the Pack scored under 60 points in consecutive games was almost exactly a year ago against the same two teams. Boise State came to Reno on Jan. 12, 2024, while San Diego State came to Lawlor on Jan. 17, 2024, as the Pack lost twice (64-56 to Boise and 71-59 to San Diego State).


KEY HIDDEN PACK CONCERN

The Wolf Pack continues to be mediocre from the free-throw line. The Pack was just 16-of-24 (.667) from the line at Boise State. It is the sixth time over the last seven games the Pack has failed to make at least 75 percent of its free throws. The Wolf Pack shot 72 percent from the line and made 17.4 free throws per game last season when it won 26 games and went to the NCAA Tournament. Jarod Lucas led the way a year ago by making 161-of-179 (90 percent) of his free throws. This year the Wolf Pack is shooting 69 percent from the line and has made just 14.3 per game. The Pack is also getting to the line less this year (24.2 free throws a game a year ago compared to 20.8 a game this year).


KEY HIDDEN PACK PLAYER

The Wolf Pack outscored Boise State 39-36 in Tyler Rolison's 23 minutes. Rolison scored seven of the 39 points and had an assist leading to a Nick Davidson 3-pointer. Davidson scored 13 of his 18 points while Rolison was on the floor. Kobe Sanders had all nine of his points and Justin McBride had all eight of his points with Rolison directing traffic. The Pack scored just 17 points in the 17 minutes Rolison was on the bench.


UP NEXT

The Wolf Pack (11-10, 3-7) will host the UNLV Rebels on Saturday (7 p.m.) at Lawlor Events Center. UNLV is also 11-10 overall (5-5 in the Mountain West) after a 76-71 loss at Utah State on Wednesday. The Rebels outscored Utah State 47-43 in the second half in Logan, Utah, and even pulled into a 56-56 tie with 5:50 to play after trailing 33-24 at the half. UNLV, like the Pack, has lost three games in a row.