Nevada @ Colorado St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 23, 2019 ) Colorado St. 60, Nevada 100

Two-time defending Mountain West champion Nevada, winner of seven consecutive games, continues to climb up the national rankings and enters Wednesday night's game at Colorado State at No. 6, just one spot below the highest mark in school history. Next up is a Rams team that the Wolf Pack beat by 40 points just two weeks ago in Reno.

That 100-60 victory was the 100th in coach Eric Musselman's four seasons at Nevada and also marked the school's largest margin of victory in a Mountain West game since moving into the conference in 2012. The Wolf Pack started the contest by making 10 of their first 12 shots, including all five 3-pointers, and finished shooting 56.1 percent from the field, including 13-of-27 from 3-point range, to go along with an 40-18 edge in points in the paint. "It was on auto pilot," Musselman joked afterward. "I could have gone out in the student section ... and had fun. When guys are playing like that, they don't really need us." Colorado State, which enters the week in seventh place four games behind the first place Wolf Pack, has bounced back to win two of three games since its shellacking in Reno, including an 85-53 victory at Air Force on Saturday.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT NEVADA (21-1, 8-1 MW): The Wolf Pack, trying for the first outright regular season three-peat in conference history, hold a one-game lead over both Utah State and Fresno State and will be trying for their seventh straight victory over the Rams. Top scorers Caleb Martin (19.0 points per game) and Jordan Caroline (18.4) were both named to the Wooden Award late-season top-20 Watch List this week while Caleb's 6-7 twin brother, Cody, who leads the conference in assists (5.4) and assist/turnover ratio (3.0), made the top-10 Bob Cousy Award list. Cody Martin, who is averaging 11.3 points, had 21 points, seven assists and four steals in the team's 93-73 victory over Boise State on Saturday while guard Jazz Johnson, who also is averaging in double figures (11.0), added 12 points.

ABOUT COLORADO STATE (9-13, 4-5): The Rams led from start to finish in completing their sweep of Air Force with 6-11 redshirt junior center Nico Carvacho leading the way with game highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season. Carvacho, who had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting with the Wolf Pack, leads the nation in rebounds per game (12.7) and is just the fourth player in conference history to eclipse the 800-rebound mark, entering Wednesday night's contest with 815. Senior guard J.D. Paige (14.9) and junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner (12.4) are also is averaging in double digits.

TIP-INS

1. Caroline, who has 13 double-doubles this season, has 43 doubles-doubles in his career, which began at Southern Illinois, including 40 at Nevada which is tied with Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State, 2009-11) and Andrew Bogut (Utah, 2003-05) for the most in a Mountain West career.

2. Nevada has made 38 more free throws (383) than its opponents have attempted (345) this season.

3. The Wolf Pack have won 16 of their 21 games this season by double figures and eight by 20 or more points.

PREDICTION: Nevada 88, Colorado State 76