Coming Up This Week:
Idaho will play in its third nationally-televised basketball game of the year, as the Vandals host Nevada on Wednesday on ESPN2 at 8:05 p.m. (PST). Idaho will try to even the season series after falling by eight, 76-68, in the first meeting of the year on Jan. 16 at Reno. Idaho comes into the game after securing its biggest road win in 10 years, a 79-55 win at Boise State, while Nevada is looking to right the ship after dropping two of its last three. Idaho finishes up its week with a trip to Fresno State on Saturday to try for a season sweep of the Bulldogs.
Nevada
The Series:
Idaho and Nevada meet for the 58th time on Wednesday. The Wolf Pack holds a 34-23 edge in the series, including wins in 11 of the last 12 games. The teams will meet for the second time this year, as Nevada pulled out a 76-68 home win at the Lawlor Events Center on Jan. 16. Idaho hasn't beaten Nevada at the Cowan Spectrum since an 82-74 overtime win on Jan. 27, 2000.
The Wolf Pack:
Nevada is coached by David Carter, who is in his first season as head coach after spending 10 years as an assistant with the program. The Wolf Pack is 13-9 overall and 5-4 in WAC play. Nevada is 10-1 this season at home, but just 3-8 in games played away from their home arena. The team's most recent game was a 76-65 road loss at Utah State on Saturday.
The Wolf Pack leads the WAC with a 48.6 percent field goal clip and 80.3 points per game. They are third in the WAC with a +3.3 rebounding margin and lead the conference with 4.59 blocks per game. They also commit the second-fewest turnovers in the league, with just 11.9 per game.
Sophomore Luke Babbitt is a strong WAC Player of the Year candidate, as he averages 21.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game on 52.8 percent shooting. Junior Armon Johnson leads the league in assists with 5.45 per game, while also scoring 15.9 points per contest. Sophomore Dario Hunt is second in the WAC with 49 blocked shots and ninth in the conference with 7.2 rebounds per game.
Fun Facts:
Nevada's starting five has scored 86.0 percent of the team's points this year and has taken 85.8 percent of the team's shots. In WAC play, the Wolf Pack bench is averaging 9.6 points per game.
Live Coverage:
Wednesday's game is Idaho's second of three ESPN2 games on the year and its third of five total games on the ESPN network. The game will also be available for viewing online through ESPN360. Evan Ellis will be calling the play-by-play, as the game will be broadcast through the Vandal Radio Network, as well as online through VandalXtra. Fans looking for an interactive experience should log on to Joe Vandal's Live Game Blog, where they can find play-by-play updates and ask Joe questions throughout the game. Click Here to view the blog.
