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Pack has nine NCAA/NIT teams on schedule

Tribune News Service report

The toughest thing Mark Fox has had to do since he took over the University of Nevada basketball program was to put together a non-league schedule.

“It’s been an extremely difficult process,” Fox said, announcing the Wolf Pack’s upcoming schedule Tuesday afternoon. “We’re excited about the opportunity to play teams from Conference USA, Big 12, Mountain West and the Southeastern Conference.



“We will find out early what it takes to succeed at a high level. Our success at home (15-0 last year) and great fan support has made it difficult to convince teams at Lawlor Events Center.”

The Wolf Pack, coming off a 25-9 season under Trent Johnson, who resigned to take the Stanford job, will play nine teams that made it either to the NCAA or NIT.



Nevada will host two tournaments – the Jim Thorpe Classic Nov. 20-21 and the Dodge Holiday Classic Dec. 17-18.

The Thorpe tourney has Georgia State, Southern Mississippi and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The Dodge tourney includes Florida Atlantic, Idaho State and Eastern Illinois. Stanford was originally supposed to play in the Dodge Holiday Classic but bailed out because Johnson didn’t want to play Nevada.

Nevada will play at Georgia on Nov. 26 and at Kansas on Nov. 29. The Wolf Pack shocked the Jayhawks at the Dodge Holiday Classic last year. On Dec. 7, Nevada visits Toledo, the same team that Nevada beat on a Garry Hill-Thomas buzzer beater last year in the ESPN Bracket Buster game.

Besides the two tournaments, the Wolf Pack will host UNLV (Dec. 4), Pacific (Dec. 11) and the Bracket Buster on Feb. 19.

Nevada opens WAC play on Dec. 30 at home against San Jose State, and then hosts Hawai’i on New Year’s at 9 p.m.


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