Nevada set to take on Louisiana Tech

RUSTON, La. - Nevada basketball coach Mark Fox knows all about Louisiana Tech's Paul Millsap, and quite frankly he may fear him more than any other player in the Western Athletic Conference.

The 6-8 240-pound Millsap, who led the nation in rebounding last season, had a 21-point, 21-rebound game on Jan. 8, 2004 at Lawlor Events Center, and he followed that up with a 20-point and 20-rebound performance in Ruston later in the year.

So, it's no surprise that containing Millsap will be uppermost in Fox's thoughts as the Wolf Pack visit Louisiana Tech today (4:30 p.m., ESPN Radio 630AM) at the Thomas Assembly Center.

"Last year we had a nice team and Paul Millsap had 20 points and 20 rebounds on two occasions," Fox said. "He's a great player. Obviously, it's something we have to figure out.

"When you think great rejoinders, the guy that comes to mind is Dennis Rodman. Millsap is a lot classier kid. I don't know how he got so many offensive and we had a great team. I've never seen a guy like him in college basketball."

Millsap is currently averaging 20.3 points and 12 rebounds per contest thus far which means Wolf Pack big men Kevinn Pinkney, Nick Fazekas, Chad Bell and David Ellis will have their hands full tonight.

"Paul does have the unique ability to offensive rebound," Louisiana Tech coach Keith Richard said. "He has the knack for getting to the right spot, he has long arms and he's a fast jumper in traffic. It's the very best thing he does. He gets the free throw rebounds and the loose ball rebounds."

Richard, except for the game against Rice, has been pleased with his team's defense, ability to take care of the ball and rebounding.

"Turnovers were a problem last year," Richard said. "We've made strides the last three or four weeks. Turnovers have been going down and staying down, and then we played Rice and had 23. We've got to defend and keep the turnovers down."

Daevon Haskins, a JC transfer, is a major reason why Louisiana Tech is turning the ball over less. Haskins, the ultra-quick 6-3 point guard, is averaging 5 1/2 assists per game. His ability to handle the ball made it possible to move Donell Allick to shooting guard, his natural position.

While Fox worried about how to contain Millsap, Richard has plenty to worry about, too.

"They (Nevada) probably has the best inside package in the league," Richard said, referring to Pinkney and Fazekas. "They are tall and long; good offensive players.

"No. 2 is they are difficult to play. They are really, really a tough team. They have tough players on the perimeter, not necessarily the same type of players they had last year. They have some real tough guys who don't mind mixing it up off the dribble and on the glass. They don't shoot the three-pointer like they did last year, but they still shoot it. They find ways to get things done on the perimeter. It's a different team, but a hard-nosed team."

Indeed. Defensively, the Wolf Pack have held their last five opponents under 39 percent from the floor, and that's a big reason why Nevada has a five-game winning streak.

Nevada has won the battle of the boards during its five-game win streak, and Fox was thrilled with the 50-26 bulge over Hawaii. Nevada had a 22-11 edge on the offensive glass, which probably won't happen tonight because of Millsap. Fox, however, still expects Fazekas and Pinkney to get their share of second-chance opportunities.

Nevada could see the same type of perimeter defense Hawaii employed last week. It led to 23 Nevada turnovers. No doubt Fox has been stressing better decision-making by his squad this week in practice.

Notes: Nevada has a five-game regular-season WAC winning streak dating back to the final three games of last season. Boise State had its six-game streak snapped by UTEP on New Year's Day... Wayne Powell, who teams with Millsap inside, had 15 points and 10 rebounds against Tulsa... Louisiana Tech has six players from Louisiana on its roster and Nevada has just one in-state player... The Wolf Pack game against UTEP has been changed. It will be played on Jan. 12 instead of Jan. 13 because ESPN2 is showing the game nationally.

Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1281.