Nevada Basketball: Ranked Or Not?

is nevada basketball ranked

The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team has a rich history, with 12 conference championships and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. While they have yet to reach the Final Fours or win a championship, their performance has landed them in the AP Poll multiple times. As of 2024, they ranked just outside the top 25 in the AP men's basketball poll and were 30th in the NET rankings. The NET rankings take into account various factors, including the opponent's ranking and the location of the game. Nevada's performance in different Quads also plays a role in their ranking.

shunwild

Nevada Wolf Pack's performance in 2025

As of September 2024, the Nevada Wolf Pack had announced their 2024-25 schedule, with non-conference dates set and conference dates subject to change. The Wolf Pack had a strong 2023-24 season, finishing with an overall record of 26-8 and making their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

The team has brought in new talent in the offseason and is aiming to compete for the Mountain West Championship and secure their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolf Pack has been exceptional in multi-team events under head coach Steve Alford, winning four championships in such events under his watch.

The 2024-25 schedule includes 11 non-conference games, seven of which will be played at home. Notable opponents include Washington, Santa Clara, and Washington State. The Wolf Pack will also travel to South Carolina to participate in the 2024 Shriners Children's Charleston Classic. The team will begin its conference schedule on December 21, hosting Colorado State. They will play twice more before the New Year, visiting Wyoming and then hosting Utah State on New Year's Eve.

The Wolf Pack's performance in 2025 remains to be seen, but with a strong previous season and new talent on the roster, they are poised to compete for the Mountain West Championship and another NCAA Tournament appearance.

shunwild

Mountain West Conference

The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States, which began operations on January 4, 1999. The conference covers a broad expanse of the Western United States, with member schools located in California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Hawaii.

The MW's charter members included the United States Air Force Academy, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, San Diego State University, the University of New Mexico, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), the University of Utah, and the University of Wyoming. Before the formation of the MW, seven of these eight charter members were longtime members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

In 2010, the University of Utah and BYU left the MW, with the former joining the Pac-12 Conference and the latter going independent in football and joining the West Coast Conference (WCC) in other sports. TCU also announced its departure from the MW to join the Big East Conference in 2012, but later joined the Big 12 instead. In 2022, the MW invited California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) and the University of Nevada, Reno to join the conference, bringing the total number of members to eleven.

The MW's football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and have had some success in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and its successor, the College Football Playoff (CFP). The conference's men's and women's basketball teams have also achieved notable results, with five MW schools ranked in the top 70 of the initial 2024 college basketball NET rankings. The Nevada men's basketball team was voted ninth out of eleven teams in the MW's 2022-2023 preseason poll, while the Nevada women's team ranked tenth out of eleven MW teams in the initial 2024 NET rankings.

shunwild

Nevada's NCAA Tournament record

The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team has had a total of 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, with a record of 6-11. The team has never made it to the Final Four or won a championship.

The Wolf Pack have had more success in other tournaments, such as the NAIA Division I Tournament, where they have a record of 2-1, and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), where they were champions in 2016 and have a record of 5-3.

The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball program represents the University of Nevada, Reno, and plays in the Mountain West Conference, a Division I conference in the NCAA. The team has won 23 regular-season conference championships and five conference tournament championships.

The Wolf Pack has also appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament four times with a combined record of 1-6, and in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) five times, with a record of 5-5.

shunwild

NET rankings

The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team was ranked 21st in the first NCAA NET rankings of the 2023-24 season. The rankings, which include all 362 NCAA Division 1 men's basketball teams, are updated daily. The NET rankings use a quadrant system to determine a team's quality of wins and losses. All of Division I is divided into four quadrants, with Quad 1 recognised as the highest value. Both the game's location and the opponent's NET ranking are given the most weight. Nevada's 6-0 start included five Quadrant 4 victories and one Quadrant 1 victory against Washington, which was ranked 28th in the NCAA NET rankings.

Nevada is in the Mountain West Conference and has a 1-7 Quad I record, a 2-6 Quad II record, a 4-3 Quad III record, and a 10-0 Quad IV record. Beating a Top-30 Team at home is considered equally difficult as beating a Top-75 Team away. Quadrant 1 includes home games 1-30, neutral games 1-50, and away games 1-75. Quadrant 2 includes home games 31-75, neutral games 51-100, and away games 76-135. Quadrant 3 includes home games 76-160, neutral games 101-200, and away games 135-240.

The Wolf Pack's next game was scheduled to be against UC Davis, ranked 257th in the NCAA NET rankings. They were also set to play Drake, ranked 56th, and Weber State, ranked 139th.

shunwild

AP Poll History

The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team has a rich history in college basketball, with 70 seasons of competition under their belt. While they have not won any NCAA Championships, the team has had some success in their conference and has been ranked in the AP Poll a few times.

In terms of their AP Poll History, the Nevada men's basketball team has had some close calls but has not quite broken into the top 25 rankings. In January 2024, the team moved up in the rankings but remained just outside the top 25 in the AP men's basketball poll. At that time, they were also ranked 30th in the NET rankings, which take into account game results, opponents' rankings, and whether games took place at home, on the road, or on a neutral court.

The NET rankings are based on a quadrant system that evaluates the quality of wins and losses. Nevada's performance in the different quadrants as of 2025 has varied. They have a 1-7 record in Quad I, 2-6 in Quad II, 4-3 in Quad III, and an impressive 10-0 in Quad IV. This system plays a crucial role in determining the teams selected for the NCAA Tournament during March Madness.

While Nevada has not made it to the Final Four or won any NCAA Championships, they have had some success in their conference. They have won the Mountain West Conference regular season title and secured the number one seed for the league tournament. Additionally, they have been conference champions 12 times during the regular season and five times during the tournament.

The Nevada men's basketball team continues to strive for improvement and a higher ranking in the AP Poll. With their dedication and hard work, they aim to break into the top 25 and make their mark in college basketball.

Frequently asked questions

Nevada is ranked 30th in the NET rankings, which take into account the team's opponents' rankings and whether the game was played at home, on the road, or in a neutral location.

The quadrant system is used to determine the quality of wins and losses for NCAA Division 1 men's basketball teams. It divides all Division I teams into four quadrants, with Quad 1 being the highest-value opportunities.

Nevada lost to New Mexico with a score of 71-67, and they also host teams like Air Force and Boise State.

Nevada is in the Mountain West Conference.

Written by
Reviewed by
Share this post
Print
Did this article help you?

Leave a comment