Nevada @ UNLV preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 8, 2018 ) UNLV 74, Nevada 79

Seventh-ranked Nevada holds a one-game lead in the Mountain West heading into Tuesday night's contest at UNLV. But even though the in-state north versus south rivalry can get quite heated at times, Nevada coach Eric Musselman told reporters he won't change his team's approach heading into the game against the Runnin' Rebels.

"I know it's not just another game because it's in state," Musselman told reporters. "I understand how our alumni feel. I understand how our boosters feel. I understand how our former players feel. I understand how our community feels. We want to win the game too. But, for me, every game is the Super Bowl. Every game is the seventh game of the World Championship." The Wolf Pack have won four of the last five meetings with UNLV, including a 79-74 victory in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament last March, and are winners of three straight matchups at the Thomas & Mack Center. They will be facing a UNLV team that enters the contest in a three-way tie for second place with Utah State and Fresno State, and hopes to rebound from a 94-77 loss at San Diego State on Saturday. "We have a dynamic Reno team coming in that's top 10 in the country," Rebels coach Marvin Menzies told reporters. "It's another opportunity to grow and get better and get one in the win column."

TV: 11 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT NEVADA (19-1, 6-1 Mountain West): The Wolf Pack come in off arguably their finest performance of the season, a 100-60 blowout of Colorado State that saw Nevada outscore the Rams 58-25 in the second half, shoot 56.1 percent from the floor overall - including 13-of-27 from 3-point range - and finish with a 35-5 edge in points off turnovers. "It feels real good," senior swingman Caleb Martin, who finished with 18 points and was 6-of-12 beyond the arc last time out, told reporters. "We've been feeling like we've needed a game like this for a long time. We knew we were capable of playing a game like this." Senior forward Jordan Caroline leads the team in scoring (18.7) and rebounding (9.7) followed by Caleb Martin (18.1), junior guard Jazz Johnson (11.0) and senior point guard Cody Martin (10.9) - twin brother of Caleb who also leads the league in assists (5.2).

ABOUT UNLV (11-8, 5-2): The Rebels are tied with Fresno State and Utah State for second place and a win would go a long ways to calming some of the natives around the program who have gotten restless thanks to home losses to Loyola Marymount (61-50) and Valparaiso (72-64) and an embarrassing 106-88 road loss at Air Force. Senior guard Kris Clyburn leads a balanced offense (13.1 points), but is shooting just 42.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. Joel Ntambwe, a smooth-shooting, athletic 6-8 freshman forward, has been the team's best player averaging 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while also shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range, and sophomore guard Amauri Hardy is also averaging in double figures (12.4).

TIP-INS

1. Caroline has 41 career double-doubles, including 11 this season.

2. Caleb Martin, the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year, has scored 20 or more points in the second half of a game five times this season.

3. Nevada's 40-point victory over Colorado State was its largest margin of victory under Musselman, who is now 100-30 in four seasons in Reno.

PREDICTION: Nevada 92, UNLV 72