RENO - If you look closely at Nevada and Vermont, you see two similar teams.
Consider the following:
• Both have two talented players that grab the lion's share of attention. Nevada has 6-11 forward Nick Fazekas (20.4) and 6-9 center Kevinn Pinkney (13.2), and Vermont has 6-9 forward Taylor Coppenrath (24.1) and 6-0 point guard T.J. Sorretine (18.5).
• Both are incredibly hot right now. Nevada, 19-5, has won 17 of its last 19, including five in a row. Vermont, 19-4, has won 16 of its last 17, and had a 15-game win streak snapped at Boston University on Feb. 12.
• Both teams are striving to prove they belong in the NCAA Tournament. Vermont is looking to win its third straight America East title, and Nevada is zooming in on a second straight Western Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Taking those things into consideration, it should be a whale of a game when the Pack hosts Vermont in the third annual ESPN Bracket Buster today at 11 a.m. at Lawlor Events Center and in front of a national television audience (ESPN2).
"They are a terrific team," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "They are the highest rated team in the Bracket Buster. They have the highest RPI in the field and deservedly so.
"It should be a good game. They are the second highest ranked team that we've played this year behind Kansas."
Vermont has played two Top 25 teams - Kansas (81-68 loss) and North Carolina (93-65 loss). Nevada lost to Kansas 85-52 back on Nov. 29. In the latest AP poll, Nevada garnered 10 more points than Vermont.
Catamount coach Tom Brennan - known for his sense of humor - joked about having to make the 3,000-mile trip.
"It was foolish to have to come all the way out here," he said. "I don't understand this for a minute."
Actually, while Brennan said most Bracket Buster games don't mean much, "this one does."
Brennan said his team has a chance to pick up a solid win on the road against a team with a high RPI rating, saying the game "is a little more important for us" than it is for Nevada.
Coppenrath is second in D-1 scoring, and he and Sorrentine are the most prolific scoring tandem in the country. Coppenrath and Fazekas played on an NIT all-star team that played in the Far East over the summer.
"He's a bull," Fox said of the 6-9 Coppenrath, who averages 24 a game and has gone over 37 points six times in his career. "He's a great player. He's strong and has great hands. He's just a workhorse. He can shoot the ball."
Most likely the assignment of defending Coppenrath will start with Pinkney, though you could see Fazekas and Chad Bell on him at times.
"I look forward to it," Pinkney said. "He's a great player."
Sorrentine didn't enjoy much success against the Pack last year, scoring seven points on 1 for 4 shooting in the 69-49 Preseason NIT loss. He is a prolific three-point shooter, hitting 38 percent from beyond the arc. In a 45-point explosion against Northeastern, he hit 11 of 16 three-point attempts.
"It was his first game back from an injury (he redshirted a year because of the injury), and we had our best defensive guy on him," Fox said. "We don't have Garry Hill-Thomas out there playing this year."
Fox said he hadn't decided on a match-up, or if he has, he isn't talking. Most likely it would be Kyle Shiloh or Mo Charlo or Jermaine Washington depending on who starts at small forward.
Brennan said today's game will give his team a chance at redemption. "They made us play poorly," said Brennan about last season's game. "It's a chance to come out and validate yourself."
Even though Vermont is coming off an emotional conference win at Albany on Wednesday and has another important conference game against New Hampshire on Monday, Brennan said his players didn't lament having to make the long trip.
"Our kids have not taken that approach, not one bit," Brennan said. "Our kids are really excited."
He said he's even more concerned about Pinkney and Fazekas this time around. "He really caused us problems," said Brennan about last year's matchup with Pinkney.
"Fazekas was just a puppy last year. He was just finding his way. They're long and athletic."
One thing that has to please Fox is that role players like Chad Bell, Charlo and Seth Taylor are playing some of their best basketball. Charlo has scored 10 or more points in three of his last four games, Bell is coming off a career-best 12 points against Rice and Taylor scored eight first-half points against UTEP.
"My confidence hasn't changed," Fox said. "I had confidence in them even when they were not putting up numbers. We're improving, and we have confidence (as a team) right now."
Despite the importance of the game, Brennan did said the best thing about today is afterward "we'll be heading back East where the hell we belong."
Darrell Moody can be reached at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281
