Wolf Pack grows into role as WAC contender

It's premature to pencil in UNR into the NCAA Tournament's field of 65. But with the way the young team is maturing, the idea of the Wolf Pack winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament next month in Las Cruces, N.M., doesn't seem as farfetched as it did a few weeks ago.

UNR withstood a comeback by Utah State for an 85-80 victory Monday in Reno, lifting the Wolf Pack to 8-3 in the WAC and 16-8 overall.

Utah State, after trailing by 18 midway through the second half, closed to within 78-74 with 46 seconds left. But UNR senior guard Marcelus Kemp slammed the door at the foul line (he made 13 of 14 overall) and finished with a career-high 35 points.

UNR coach Mark Fox said he was proud of the way the Wolf Pack met the challenge.

"We showed no signs of panic, which is a sign of maturity," he said Tuesday. "The negative is we got comfortable with a big lead and didn't handle it as well as we should have."

Though learning to put away opponents is an important part of a young team's maturation, the toughness to recover after blowing a big lead is more vital. Fox said the Wolf Pack is starting to understand the concept of playing all 40 minutes.

"Consistency is something we've been searching for," he said. "We're getting a balance of guys playing better over longer periods, and we're not relying on any one person to carry us every night."

UNR will play three critical road games in the next 10 days, starting Thursday at Boise State. UNR travels to Idaho on Saturday, followed by a Feb. 23 date at Southern Illinois.

If the Wolf Pack wins two of the three or sweeps the trip, its NCAA Tournament résumé would improve dramatically. As of Tuesday, UNR had a Ratings Percentage Index of 67, according to CBSSports.com, the highest in the WAC. But conference commissioner Karl Benson repeatedly has said the WAC probably will receive only one NCAA berth, the automatic bid given to the winner of the WAC tournament.

Fox agrees, which is why he's reluctant to talk about the postseason.

"I think (our players) have to understand why we've been successful and build on that," Fox said. "We're playing better each week, and we have great team chemistry. As long as we keep moving forward and improving, we have a chance to keep playing in late March."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.