RENO - Nevada coach Mark Fox believes his team has plateaued a bit.
"We need to improve some things if we're going to have any chance of finishing strong," Fox said earlier this week. "Defense has been a disaster at times during games. Fresno State shot 61 percent in the second half. You can't win when you play defense like that. You can't win when you miss free throws and we're turning the ball over way too much."
Fox hopes to see vast improvement tonight when the Wolf Pack (14-5, 7-2) hosts SMU (9-8, 4-5) in a Western Athletic Conference basketball game tonight at Lawlor Events Center. Tip-off is 7:05 p.m.
Nevada could very well see a different SMU team than it did on Jan. 8 in Dallas. The Mustangs' standout point guard Bryan Hopkins (16 points a game) has missed the last two games with a badly sprained left wrist, and coach Jimmy Tubbs said he doesn't expect him to play tonight.
"He missed the Hawaii game and was 0 for 6 against Louisiana Tech before he came out," Tubbs said. "He probably shouldn't have played. He's missed the last two games, and I doubt he'll play. We're going to let him heal up."
It certainly changes things for the underachieving Mustangs.
"The guy is tough," Fox said. "He's a tremendous guard. (Devon) Pearson has improved his numbers (9.5 per game) since Hopkins has been out. It's tough when you lose one of your best players, but SMU seems to be dealing with it well.
"SMU is a team that is as dangerous as anybody. We were fortunate to win down there. We shot about 80 percent from the line and had a nice defensive game. They are playing well. They are shooting a good percentage and they are going to get better and better."
Pearson came off the bench against Nevada in the first meeting, playing 27 minutes and scoring nine points.
Without Hopkins, 6-8 forward Patrick Simpson (12.8) and 6-8, 250-pound Eric Castro (14.6) would get more touches. Castro started fast against Nevada the last time and finished with 13. He is a load to handle inside, according to Fox. Simpson, hampered by early foul trouble, scored nine.
Tubbs, whose team lost 73-66, was unable to contain either Nick Fazekas (20 points, 7 rebounds) and Kevinn Pinckney (15 points, 10 rebounds) last time around, so no doubt he needs Simpson to stay out of foul trouble this time around to help Castro defend inside.
"I'll tell you what, they are a very talented team," Tubbs said. "The thing that makes them so good is their size. They (Nevada) are very good. They are a very talented team. They do a great job of getting the ball inside."
Tubbs compares the 6-11 Fazekas to former University of Utah star Keith Van Horn.
"It's a good comparison, think about it," the SMU coach said. "He can go out and pop that 18-foot jump shot. He's a quiet assassin; he's a tough kid."
Tubbs calls Pinckney a combination player, one capable of doing the dirty work inside but with more than enough skill to knock down a ball consistently from 15 feet.
Freshman Ramon Sessions has quietly raised his average to nearly 9 points a game overall, and he's averaging 10 a game in nine conference games. The Wolf Pack need a little more balance offensively, which means that Sessions and 6-7 swingman Mo Charlo (8.4 overall, 8.2 in conference) must score more.
Notes: The Wolf Pack, which has outrebounded their last 12 opponents, lead the WAC in rebounding with a plus 8.7 edge per game over their foes. Nevada is ranked seventh in the nation in rebounding... Nevada has four players shooting more than 50 percent from the floor - Fazekas (52.5), Pinckney (55.8), Seth Taylor (54.8) and Jermaine Washington (53.8)... Sessions now has 102 assists, 54 shy of Nevada's freshman record of 156 set by Kevin Soares... Chad Bell has made 15 of his last 16 foul shots... Pinkney and Fazekas have scored 633 of Nevada's 1,334 points this year (47.5 of the team's total). The duo has grabbed 40 percent of the team's rebounds.
