Nevada Remains Scorching at Home, Manages No. 24 Colorado State

Nevada Men's Basketball vs Colorado State

Jarod Lucas put up 28 points with a 10-of-14 shooting to assist Nevada in securing a 77-64 triumph over No. 24 Colorado State on Wednesday night in Mountain West Conference action at Reno, Nev.

Kenan Blackshear contributed 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting as Nevada (16-4, 3-3 MWC) put an end to a three-game losing streak. Nick Davidson added 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Wolf Pack.

Jalen Lake scored 13 points and Josiah Strong contributed 12 for Colorado State (15-4, 3-3). Joel Scott also chipped in 10 points for the Rams.

Colorado State’s standout Isaiah Stevens made 10 assists but only scored eight points with a shaky 4-of-16 shooting, including four misses from beyond the arc.

The Rams shot just 39.3 percent from the field, with 6 of 23 from 3-point range. Nevada enhanced their home record to 10-1 for the season. Additionally, the Wolf Pack secured their 11th victory in the last 14 encounters against Colorado State.

Nevada shot 53.7 percent from the field and made 4 of 10 from beyond the arc. Blackshear made consecutive jumpers at the beginning of the second half as the Wolf Pack gained a 39-27 advantage.

Colorado State later reduced the gap to 49-44 with Nique Clifford‘s 3-pointer with 12:24 remaining before Lucas completed a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer to extend Nevada’s lead to nine points with 11:38 left.

Javonte Johnson netted a 3-pointer as the Rams closed in at 65-60 with 5:45 remaining. However, Blackshear responded with three consecutive baskets, the last one being when he secured an offensive rebound and made a layup to give the Wolf Pack an 11-point lead with 2:35 to play.

Lucas converted two free throws with 36 seconds left, extending the margin to 15 points as Nevada sealed the victory. Lucas contributed 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting as Nevada held a 35-27 halftime lead.

Lake scored nine points with three 3-pointers in the first half for the Rams. Colorado State shot only 28.6 percent (8 of 28) in the first half, with Stevens missing all four of his shots in a scoreless half.

The Rams led 15-12 after Lake’s 3-pointer with 11:17 left in the half before the Wolf Pack launched a 9-1 run. Pope completed a three-point play to conclude the surge and make it 21-16 with 6:27 remaining.

Nevada later led 31-22 with Tre Coleman’s basket with 1:48 to go.

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    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

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    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

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    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

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    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

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    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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