Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball

Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball
Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball
	2024–25 Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team
University	University of Nevada, Reno
Head coach	Steve Alford (6th season)
Conference	Mountain West
Location	Reno, Nevada
Arena	Lawlor Events Center ; (capacity: 13,678)
Nickname	Wolf Pack
Colors	Navy blue and silver;
Uniforms
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
	2004, 2018
NCAA 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
	* at Division II level

Last updated August 13, 2025

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 2–1 in the series.

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 (MWC) (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
MWC: (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–	96-58	.623

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 77–71^OT 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 87–83^OT 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) five times. Their combined record is 5–5.

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

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.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2008	First round	Houston	L 79–80
2009	First round	UTEP	L 77–79
2016	First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals–Game 1 Finals–Game 2 Finals–Game 3	Montana Eastern Washington Vermont Morehead State Morehead State Morehead State	W 79–75 W 85–70 W 86–72 L 83–86 W 77–68 W 85–82^OT

Player honors

Retired numbers

The Wolf Pack have two number officially retired, Edgar Jones' number 32, and Nick Fazekas's number 22.

No.	Player	Tenure	No. ret.	Ref.
Nevada Wolf Pack retired numbers
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
Grant Sherfield (born 1999), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

References

↑ "Visual Identity – The Block N Logo" . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
↑ "2021–22 Nevada Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Nevada. 2021. p. 18. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
↑ "Mountain West Announces 2017 MW Men's Basketball Championship". Archived from the original on 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
↑ "Campus Images: Cadet Battalion". University of Nevada, Reno. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
↑ Buell, Amanda. "Virginia Street Gymnasium". Reno Historical. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
↑ Sonner, Scott (September 27, 2023s). "University of Nevada basketball could have a new home in 3 years under a major casino expansion plan". Associated Press. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
↑ "Historic $1 Billion Private Capital Investment Announced for the Grand Sierra Resort" (Press release). Nevada Wolf Pack. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
↑ Krqjewski, Jim (July 25, 2024). "Grand Sierra Resort arena, future home of Nevada men's basketball, now set to open in 2027". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
↑ Murray, Chris (February 13, 2019). "Nevada basketball to retire number of former star Nick Fazekas". nevadasportsnet.com. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
↑ Jones bio at Wolfpack site

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[1] "Visual Identity – The Block N Logo" . Retrieved September 11, 2022.

[2] "2021–22 Nevada Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Nevada. 2021. p. 18. Retrieved May 11, 2022.

[3] "Mountain West Announces 2017 MW Men's Basketball Championship". Archived from the original on 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2017-03-05.

[4] "Campus Images: Cadet Battalion". University of Nevada, Reno. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.

[5] Buell, Amanda. "Virginia Street Gymnasium". Reno Historical. Retrieved February 24, 2015.

[6] Sonner, Scott (September 27, 2023s). "University of Nevada basketball could have a new home in 3 years under a major casino expansion plan". Associated Press. Retrieved September 27, 2023.

[7] "Historic $1 Billion Private Capital Investment Announced for the Grand Sierra Resort" (Press release). Nevada Wolf Pack. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.

[8] Krqjewski, Jim (July 25, 2024). "Grand Sierra Resort arena, future home of Nevada men's basketball, now set to open in 2027". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

[9] Murray, Chris (February 13, 2019). "Nevada basketball to retire number of former star Nick Fazekas". nevadasportsnet.com. Retrieved February 16, 2019.

[10] Jones bio at Wolfpack site

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v t e Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball
Venues	University Gymnasium (1912–1945) Virginia Street Gymnasium (1945–1983) Lawlor Events Center (1983–2027) Grand Sierra Resort Arena (planned for 2027)
Culture & lore	Alphie and Wolfie Jr.
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e University of Nevada, Reno
Located in: Reno, Nevada
Academics	College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources College of Business College of Education College of Engineering College of Liberal Arts College of Science Graduate School National Judicial College School of the Arts School of Community Health Sciences School of Earth Sciences and Engineering School of Journalism School of Medicine School of Nursing School of Social Research and Justice Studies School of Social Work University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Athletics	Football Mackay Stadium Battle for Nevada Boise State–Nevada football rivalry Lawlor Events Center Men's basketball Women's basketball William Peccole Park Baseball Mountain West Conference
Campus	Arboretum Fleischmann Planetarium Historic district Morrill Hall
Student life	People Black Rock Press Insight Magazine The Nevada Sagebrush Wolf Pack Radio
Traditions	Hail to our Sturdy Team History
Founded: 1874 Students: 21,353 Endowment: 306.6 million

v t e Mountain West Conference men's basketball
Current teams	Air Force Falcons Boise State Broncos (leaving in 2026) Colorado State Rams (leaving in 2026) Fresno State Bulldogs (leaving in 2026) Grand Canyon Antelopes Nevada Wolf Pack New Mexico Lobos San Diego State Aztecs (leaving in 2026) San Jose State Spartans UNLV Runnin' Rebels Utah State Aggies (leaving in 2026) Wyoming Cowboys
Future teams	Hawaii Rainbow Warriors UC Davis Aggies UTEP Miners (all joining in 2026)
Championships & awards	Conference tournament Player of the Year
Seasons	1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25