The Nevada Wolf Pack challenge the Vermont Catamounts in the third round of the CBI tournament at Lawlor Events Center. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 23.
The Wolf Pack played well in their last game, topping Eastern Washington 85-70 in the 2. Cameron Oliver played a pivotal role, recording his ninth double-double of the season with 28 points and 14 rebounds. The Catamounts, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-54 win against Seattle in the 2. Kurt Steidl led the game in scoring by accounting for 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Oliver and Tyron Criswell have been better than usual over the last five games for the Wolf Pack. During that stretch, Oliver has averaged 21.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steal, 3.0 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer, while Criswell has recorded 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 three-pointer a game.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Nevada ranks 11th in the nation, allowing just 98.5 points per 100 possessions, while Vermont is 24th (102.8). Also, the upper-echelon offense of the Catamounts ranks 24th in eFG% at 54.6%, while the Wolf Pack are sixth-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (45.5%).
Notes
The Vermont Catamounts have a defensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 24th), while the Nevada Wolf Pack have an offensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 236th).
Nevada averages 72.8 possessions per game, scoring 1.028 points on each possession. While Vermont averages fewer possessions per game with 68.6, they score more points per possession with 1.094.
The Vermont Catamounts have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 24th in the country with an eFG% of 54.6%. When their opponents have a similar or higher eFG%, the Nevada Wolf Pack are 2-3.
On average, Nevada attempts 17.0 three pointers and Vermont attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Nevada Wolf Pack are 5-7 while the Vermont Catamounts have a winning 8-5 record.
The Nevada Wolf Pack are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 40.7 per game (ranked 15th). The Vermont Catamounts are outside the top 100 with 35.7 rebounds per game (ranked 205th).
Vermont ranks 292nd in offensive rebounds, while Nevada ranks at 19th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Nevada forces a turnover rate of 18.1%, ranked 19th in the nation. When Vermont turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 13-8 record.
