Nevada looks to avoid letdown in key game

11:15 a.m. PT Feb. 24, 2017 NEVADA  All eyes in the Mountain West are on March 4, a day in which Nevada will host Colorado State in the regular-season finale at Lawlor Events Center in what could be a winner-take-all title matchup.

But for that to come to pass, both Nevada and Colorado State will have to take care of business in its two games preceding that year-end matchup. The Wolf Pack’s path appears easier than Colorado State’s, but Nevada must win road games at UNLV and San Jose State before taking on the Rams.

“Our approach to the next two road games can’t change,” coach Eric Musselman said just minutes after Nevada beat Boise State on Wednesday to move into a first-place tie with Colorado State. “We have to be ready to play. Every road game is difficult. We have to play with a desperation on both ends of the floor on the road.”

Nevada playing at UNLV typically has not ended with a good result for the Wolf Pack, which is 8-34 all-time on its rival’s home court. But this UNLV team is far from "typical." A strong case could be made this is the worst Rebels basketball team since the storied program was founded in 1958.

UNLV (10-18, 3-12) has already set the program record for single-season losses – the previous high was 16 in 1994-95 and 1995-96 – and if it loses to Nevada when the teams face off at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Rebels would tie the longest losing streak in program history at nine. UNLV hasn’t lost nine straight games since its first season of existence when the team went 5-13.

Given the state of the two programs – the Wolf Pack whipped UNLV, 104-77, earlier this month in its most lopsided win in the rivalry’s 82 games – Nevada (22-6, 11-4) could be tempted to sleep-walk past the Rebels. Musselman has tried to guard against that this week to ensure it is playing for the big prize March 4.

“For us, we have to worry about doing what we do, which is try to play hard every night,” Musselman said. “Our emotional win against Boise State is in the rear-view mirror. We have to worry about going to Vegas and trying to figure out a way to win that game. We can’t look forward. We can’t look backwards. They’re a team that’s perfectly capable of beating anybody, especially on their home floor.”

UNLV probably wouldn’t mind looking forward to next season. The Rebels are coming off an 81-58 loss at Air Force on Wednesday in a battle of the MW’s two worst teams. UNLV could have moved out of the league cellar with a win but instead went almost 10 minutes with a field goal and lost by 23 points.

“The collective effort was not there,” UNLV coach Marvin Menzies said after the game. “I don’t think trying to find a silver lining in individual play is fair to them or to our fans. It’s not about who played well tonight. It’s about getting drilled by 23 to a team that was 3-11 in conference.”

Air Force snapped its six-game skid with the win over UNLV, which was sent to its eighth straight loss. The Rebels haven’t won a game in more than a month, an 87-85 double-overtime home win over Air Force on Jan. 21. Despite UNLV's issues, Musselman said the Wolf Pack’s approach can’t change leading into Saturday’s game.

“I’m worried about every game,“In the Mountain West, it’s hard to win on the road. Every team plays desperate. Teams are trying to get momentum heading into the Mountain West Tournament. We still have a lot of basketball games. Three games is an eternity in this league. That’s the case with any league down the stretch. We’re going to prepare like we always do.”

He said his concerns when it comes to play UNLV are the Rebels’ ability to offensive rebound, win 50-50 balls and guard Jovan Mooring, who leads the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and 3-pointers made (48) and posted 20 points in the first game against the Wolf Pack.

“They’re a really good offensive rebounding team, Mooring can really score the ball and create his own shot and they react really well to loose balls, so those are concerns for us,” Musselman said.

After the loss to Air Force, Menzies said his players have mentally and physically hit a wall and “some soul-searching” was in the order. He said UNLV must bounce back. In a season with no feel-good moments, a win over Nevada, which would spoil the Wolf Pack’s slim NCAA Tournament at-large hopes and damage its MW championship aspirations, would at least offer one bright spot.

It’s up to Nevada to avoid a letdown in a game in which it is heavily favored.

“We have to figure out a way to beat UNLV,” Musselman said. “Our sole focus is, ‘How do we win our next game?’ That’s the only thing we really need to be thinking about and worried about.”

WOLF PACK BASKETBALL

Nevada (22-6, 11-4 MW) at UNLV (10-18, 3-12)  Saturday, 3 p.m.

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