Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball
Sports team of the University of Nevada at Reno
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The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball program is a college basketball team that represents the University of Nevada, Reno. The team is currently a member of the Mountain West Conference, which is a Division I conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The program began in 1913 and has won 23 regular season conference championships and five conference tournament championships. Nevada won a CBI title in 2016 vs. Morehead State, two games to one.
UniversityUniversity of Nevada, Reno
Head coachSteve Alford (7th season)
LocationReno, Nevada
ArenaLawlor Events Center
(capacity: 13,678)
(capacity: 13,678)
| Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
 | ||||
| University | University of Nevada, Reno | |||
| Head coach | Steve Alford (7th season) | |||
| Location | Reno, Nevada | |||
| Arena | Lawlor Events Center (capacity: 13,678) | |||
| Conference | Mountain West | |||
| Nickname | Wolf Pack | |||
| Colors | Navy blue and silver[1] | |||
| NCAA Division I tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2004, 2018 | ||||
| NCAA Division I tournament appearances | ||||
| 1957*, 1961*, 1964*, 1966*, 1984, 1985, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| Conference tournament champions | ||||
| 1984, 1985, 2004, 2006, 2017 | ||||
| Conference regular-season champions | ||||
| 1920, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1938, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1984, 1985, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019 | ||||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
* at Division II level | ||||
Background information
- Year founded: 1913
- Location: Reno, Nevada
- School Colors: Navy and Silver
- School Founded: October 12, 1874
- Nickname: Wolf Pack
- Conference: Mountain West Conference
- Arena: Lawlor Events Center (11,536)
- Head Coach: Steve Alford
Conference affiliations
- No affiliation (1913, 1921–1924, 1940–1953)
- Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) (1914–1920)
- Far Western Conference (FWC) (1925–1939, 1954–1969)
- West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC) (1970–1979)
- Big Sky Conference (BSC) (1980–1992)
- Big West Conference (BWC) (1993–2000)
- Western Athletic Conference (WAC) (2001–2011)
- Mountain West Conference (MW) (2012–present)
Team history
- All-Time D-1 Record: 1,028–793 (.564%) as of November 26, 2023
- NAIA Tournament Appearances: (1) – 1946
- NAIA Tournament Record: 2–1
- NCAA tournament Record: 6–11
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: (11) – 1984, 1985, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024
- NIT Record: 4–4
- NIT Appearances: (5) – 1979, 1997, 2003, 2010, 2012
- CBI Record: 5–3
- CBI Appearances: (3) – 2008, 2009, 2016
- Highest National Ranking[2]
- No. 5 (Coaches Poll), December 31, 2018
- No. 5 (Associated Press Poll), November 26, 2018
Regular Season Conference Championships (23)
- PCAA: (1) – 1920
- FWC: (10) – 1927, 1928, 1932, 1938, 1956, 1957, 1958,1959, 1961, 1964, 1966
- BSC: (2) – 1984, 1985
- WAC: (6) – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012
- MW: (3) – 2017,[3] 2018, 2019
Conference tournament championships (5)
- BSC: (2) – 1984, 1985
- WAC: (2) – 2004, 2006
- MW: (1) – 2017
Venue history
- University Gymnasium – built 1896, capacity unknown; located northwest of the Mackay School of Mines between the current Ansari Building and the Pennington Student Achievement Center[4]
- Virginia Street Gymnasium – built 1945, capacity 3,500; located on Virginia Street opposite College Drive; currently used as a study and training center for Nevada athletes.[5]
- Lawlor Events Center – built 1983, capacity 11,536; located at the corner of North Virginia Street and East 15th Street; current home of Wolf Pack basketball.
- Grand Sierra Resort Arena – Announced on September 27, 2023 as the centerpiece of a 10-year, $1 billion expansion of the casino resort. The new facility, planned with a capacity of at least 10,000 and originally scheduled for completion in 2026, will be exclusive to men's basketball; Lawlor Events Center will remain home to Wolf Pack women's basketball. Initial plans were for the Wolf Pack to start play in the new arena in 2026 or 2027;[6][7] the tentative opening date has now been set for 2027.[8]
Head coaches
| Name | Seasons | Record | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| C.E. Holway | 1913–1913 | 3–1 | .750 |
| Silas Ross | 1914–1919 | 33–21 | .611 |
| Ray Courtright | 1920–1921 | 17–5 | .773 |
| Jake Lawlor | 1943–1948 | 70–38 | .648 |
| Jim Aiken | 1945 | 8–9 | .471 |
| Jackson Spencer | 1970–1972 | 10–64 | .135 |
| Jim Padgett | 1973–1976 | 43–61 | .413 |
| Jim Carey | 1977–1980 | 65–46 | .586 |
| Sonny Allen | 1981–1987 | 114–89 | .562 |
| Len Stevens | 1988–1993 | 91–79 | .535 |
| Pat Foster | 1994–1999 | 90–81 | .526 |
| Trent Johnson | 2000–2004 | 79–74 | .516 |
| Mark Fox | 2005–2009 | 123–43 | .741 |
| David Carter | 2010–2015 | 98–97 | .503 |
| Eric Musselman | 2016–2019 | 100–30 | .769 |
| Steve Alford | 2019– | 137-88 | .609 |
Postseason results
NCAA Division I tournament results
The Wolf Pack have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament eleven times, with a combined record of 6–11.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 11 W | First round | (6) #15 Washington | L 54–64 |
| 1985 | 14 W | First round | (3) #16 NC State | L 56–65 |
| 2004 | 10 M | First round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | (7) Michigan State (2) #3 Gonzaga (3) #14 Georgia Tech | W 72–66 W 91–72 L 67–72 |
| 2005 | 9 M | First round Second Round | (8) Texas (1) #1 Illinois | W 61–57 L 59–71 |
| 2006 | 5 M | First round | (12) Montana | L 79–87 |
| 2007 | 7 S | First round Second Round | (10) Creighton (2) #5 Memphis | W 77–71OT L 62–78 |
| 2017 | 12 M | First round | (5) #16 Iowa State | L 73–84 |
| 2018 | 7 S | First round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | (10) Texas (2) #6 Cincinnati (11) Loyola–Chicago | W 87–83OT W 75–73 L 68–69 |
| 2019 | 7 W | First round | (10) Florida | L 61–70 |
| 2023 | 11 W | First Four | (11) Arizona State | L 73–98 |
| 2024 | 10 W | First round | (7) Dayton | L 60–63 |
NCAA Division II Tournament results
The Wolf Pack have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament four times. Their combined record is 1–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Regional semifinals | Cal State Los Angeles | L 69–75 |
| 1961 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | UC Santa Barbara Chapman | L 57–78 L 63–68 |
| 1964 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Cal Poly Pomona Seattle Pacific | L 71–99 L 74–76 |
| 1966 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Fresno State San Diego | L 78–127 W 74–71 |
NAIA Division I Tournament results
The Wolf Pack have appeared in the NAIA Division I Tournament one time. Their combined record is 2–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Morningside West Texas State Southern Illinois | W 56–40 W 60–46 L 58–66 |
NIT results
The Wolf Pack have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) six times. Their combined record is 7-6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | First round Second Round | Oregon State Texas A&M | W 62–61 L 64–67 |
| 1997 | First round Second Round | Fresno State Nebraska | W 97–86 L 68–78 |
| 2003 | First round | Texas Tech | L 54–66 |
| 2010 | First round Second Round | Wichita State Rhode Island | W 74–70 L 83–85 |
| 2012 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Oral Roberts Bucknell Stanford | W 68–59 W 75–67 L 56–84 |
| 2026 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Murray State Liberty Auburn | W 89–75 W 73–63 L 69–75 |
CBI results
The Wolf Pack have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) three times. Their combined record is 5–3. They were CBI champions in 2016.
Player honors
Retired numbers
The Wolf Pack have two number officially retired, Edgar Jones' number 32, and Nick Fazekas's number 22.
| Nevada Wolf Pack retired numbers | ||||
| No. | Player | Tenure | No. ret. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Nick Fazekas | 2003–2007 | 2019 | [9] |
| 32 | Edgar Jones | 1975–1979 | 1979 | [10] |
Conference player of the year
- Kevin Soares, 1992 (Big Sky)
- Kirk Snyder, 2004 (WAC)
- Nick Fazekas, 2005, 2006, 2007 (WAC)
- Luke Babbitt, 2010 (WAC)
- Deonte Burton, 2012 (WAC)
- Caleb Martin, 2018 (Mountain West)
NBA players
International players
- Dario Hunt (born 1989), basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Cameron Oliver, basketball power forward/center in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Grant Sherfield (born 1999), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
