A crucial Mountain West showdown looms at Lawlor Events Center. Nevada and New Mexico clash with both teams still fighting for the Mountain West championship. Two teams led by star transfer talent tip at 11 pm ET Tuesday night.
Revenge sits at the front of the minds of the Wolfpack following an 89-55 loss to UNM. A pair of transfer guards have led Nevada to a 19-5 start. First, Oregon State legend Jarod Lucas. Lucas starred for the Beavers in their magical 2021 NCAA Tournament run.
After an unbelievable run to the Pac-12 tournament championship, he exploded in the first two rounds of The Big Dance, scoring 29 points total and snagging six boards per contest. The senior has been incredibly consistent for Nevada, averaging 17 per night in his two seasons with the team.
In addition, Kenan Blackshear has been putting it all together in his senior season. Blackshear decided to transfer from FAU after two seasons with the Owls and has steadily improved with the Wolfpack. The 6-6 Orlando native is having a career year averaging just under 16 per game along with career highs in assists and rebounds.
The visiting New Mexico Lobos boast a similar back court. Led by transfer stars Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr., they find themselves 19-5 and second in the Mountain West. House, an Arizona State transfer, dropped 21 on Nevada in the New Mexico victory. The senior is averaging just under 16 points and four dimes per game.
On top of that, Mashburn Jr. averages 15 per night for New Mexico this season. Mashburn Jr. transferred from Minnesota after just one season. He’s started every game for New Mexico since. Jamal is averaging 17.5 ppg in his Lobos career, with a career-high 19.1 last season. Mashburn Jr. scored 29 and 27 in back-to-back games at the Ball Dawgs Classic in mid-November.
Finally, New Mexico gets consistent minutes from three transfers from this year’s class. Nelly Junior Joseph leads the group with 25 mpg. The Iona transfer averaged double figures in each of his three seasons with the Gaels, and scores 8.7 per night for UNM this year. Mustapha Amzil (Dayton) and Jemari Baker (Fresno State) record just under 18 minutes per night for the Lobos. Look for one of the three new guys to be a X-factor if New Mexico can snag a road win.
It all goes down tomorrow night, 11 pm ET on CBBSN. With March looming, huge implications await this Mountain West showdown.
