Nevada vs. San Jose State: Preview, How To Stream, Odds, More
Spartans still trying for a league win
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Nevada looking to move up the standings
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Nevada looks to extend their win streak to three, as the Wolf Pack travel to face the San Jose Spartans, who are still searching for the first conference win.
WHO: Nevada Wolf Pack (11-13, 5-8 in the MW) vs. San Jose State Spartans (7-18, 0-13 in the MW)
WHEN: Thursday, February 16, 9:00 PM PST
WHERE: Provident Credit Union Events Center: San Jose, CA
TV: CBS Sports
STREAM: FuboTV – get a free trial
Line: KenPom, Wolf Pack 6-point favorites
Both teams come into this conference with a big win hanging in the balance. Nevada is hoping to continue to climb in the Mountain West standings and desperately needs the winning streak to continue. The Spartans on the other hand, are looking to get a moral victory in what would be San Jose State’s first conference win in front of a home crowd. While it won’t be easy, it can be done as the Spartans led most of the contest against this Nevada team Tuesday night.
San Jose State may struggle to defend the ball, but when hot, the Spartans can make teams pay from beyond the arc. San Jose ranks an impressive 55th in the nation in three-point percentage with 35% from deep. This Spartan team is also a much-improved squad with Majok Kuath in the rotation. The 6’8 big man was been sidelined most of the season and has just three games under his belt. During Tuesday’s contest, Kuath had nine points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes as the forward builds his stamina. The added height down low helped in the contest against Nevada, the Spartans more than doubled the Wolf Pack’s rebounds at halftime.
The main key to this San Jose State team is Omari Moore who averages nearly 13 points a game and led the Spartans with 22 against the Wolf Pack. Moore truly does it all for San Jose State leading the Spartans in points (13.2), rebounds (5.3), assists (4.6), blocks (1), and steals (1). The next leading scorer for the Spartans is 6’7 forward Trey Anderson who averages nearly 10 points a contest. However, if San Jose State wants to continue to compete with Mountain West competition, the Spartans will need role players such as Myron Amey Jr., Tibet Gorener, and Majok Kuath to continue scoring the ball at a high rate. It is worth noting that the Spartan’s third-leading scorer, Trey Anderson, was absent at Tuesday night’s game against the Wolf Pack.
Nevada has a rollercoaster of a season and hopes to continue its hot run. The Wolf Pack are still with Warren Washington at the moment but saw the return of its leading scorer in Grant Sherfield. Sherfield finished with 19 points and eight assists in their last contest and gave his usual boost in the backcourt. Desmond Cambridge Jr. is also looking to continue his hot play as of late. The 6’4 guard has averaged 24 points a game in the Wolf Pack’s last four contests. Other Nevada players to watch for are Will Baker and Kenan Blackshear, who average 12 and eight points respectively, and can explode on the offensive end.
The Wolf Pack has proved to be a very streaky team this season. When Nevada is hot, they can take down the best in the Mountain West in Colorado State and Utah State. But when the Wolf Pack struggle, it gets ugly fast. Nevada ranks top-50 in the nation tempo and average possession and will look to get their shots off early if they get even a sliver of a look. While Nevada may struggle to show it at times, this is an elite group at protecting the rim. The Wolf Pack rank third in the Mountain West in shots blocked per game and unique in the fact that their best shot blocker is 6’4 Desmond Cambridge Jr.
Keys for Nevada
The Wolf Pack needs to limit the three. If the Spartans will win this game it will be due to the relentless shooting Nevada saw Tuesday night. The Wolf Pack also needs to continue to feed Will Baker down low. Nevada has been desperate to find a source of offense on the block to take some sort of pressure off of the Wolf Pack’s backcourt. Nevada may have found it in Will Back who has shown flashes of potential throughout the entire season. If Baker can prove to score the ball consistently, then Nevada will be able to continue the win streak heading into a rivalry matchup against UNLV.
Keys for San Jose State
The Spartans need to push Nevada off the three-point line. While Will Baker can hurt you down low, it is the Wolf Pack’s guard play that is most dangerous. The Spartans will need timely double teams and hard closeouts on open shooters, which will limit Nevada on the offensive end. San Jose State did an excellent job at crashing the boards in the first contest. This led to second-chance points and limited Nevada’s ability to get a rhythm. The Spartans need to rebound the ball with the same ferocity if San Jose State wants to pull off the upset.
Prediction
Nevada looks as if they have fallen into a rhythm as of late and won’t skip a beat Thursday night. Just like on Tuesday, Nevada’s offense will be too much for San Jose State as the Wolf Pack takes the win on the road, 77-68.
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