Top five Nevada Wolf Pack NCAA tournament players

Marcelus Kemp helped lead the Nevada Wolf Pack to the NCAA Tournament in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Kemp played in six tournament games and ranks second in career scoring (87 points), second in rebounding (287) fourth in assists (11) and first in 3-pointers (nine). He averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 threes in the tournament. He came off the bench in his first three tournament games in 2004 and averaged 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 13 minutes a game. In the first tournament game he ever started, though, he set a Pack record with 34 points in an 87-79 loss to Montana. Kemp did all he could to help the Pack against Montana, draining 14-of-22 shots with five rebounds in 36 minutes. He was just as good in his second tournament game a year later in 2007, scoring 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting with 12 rebounds and four assists in a 77-71 overtime win over Creighton. Two days later against Memphis, Kemp had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists before fouling out. In three games as a starter in the NCAA Tournament, Kemp averaged 26.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.Kevinn Pinkney is third in Nevada Wolf Pack history career scoring (78 points) and second in career rebounds (36) in NCAA tournament games. The hard-working forward always took a back seat to his more famous teammates but nobody did more to help his team win. Pinkney played in five tournament games with a 3-2 record and averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. He had 13 points in a 72-66 win over Michigan State and a game-high 20 points in a 91-72 win over Gonzaga to send the Pack to the Sweet 16 in 2004. He had 15 points and seven boards in a 61-57 win over Texas in 2005 and was outstanding against No. 1 Illinois in 2005 with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the last game he ever played for Nevada. Pinkney was the Wolf Pack's high scorer in three of the five tournament games in which he played.Kirk Snyder was the biggest reason why the Nevada Wolf Pack advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2004. The junior had 19 points in a 72-66 upset of Michigan state and followed that up two days later with 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a stunning upset over Gonzaga, 91-72, to get to the Sweet 16. Five days later against Georgia Tech Snyder had 21 points, five rebounds and three assists as the Pack's dream season ended with a 72-67 loss. In his three career tournament games, Snyder averaged 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. His 58 career points are fourth in Pack history and his 12 assists are tied for second. Snyder also had eight 3-pointers (8-for-22) in the three games, ranking him second in school history. Snyder is the only Pack player in history to score 18 or more points in all of his tournament games.View the list »
Ramon Sessions played three seasons for the Nevada Wolf Pack and went to three NCAA Tournaments. The steady point guard averaged 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his five tournament games. As a freshman he had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes in his first NCAA game, a 61-57 win over Texas in Indianapolis. Just two nights later he had to go up against Deron Williams and the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Illinois, and had seven assists in a 71-59 loss. In 2007 Sessions scored 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and five assists in a 77-71 overtime win over Creighton. Sessions' 23 career assists in the NCAA tournament are a Wolf Pack record and his 19 rebounds are the fourth most in school history.

College Sports newsletter

The Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team has played in 10 NCAA tournament games in its 100-year history.

Related topics

Advertisement

The Wolf Pack has a record of 4-6 in the 10 games and has advanced as far as the Sweet Sixteen in 2004. The Pack qualified for the tournament in six different seasons (1984, 1985, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) and went out with a first-round loss three times (1984, 1985, 2006).

Just three coaches -- Sonny Allen, Trent Johnson and Mark Fox -- have ever led the Wolf Pack to the NCAA Tournament. Allen went 0-2, Johnson, 2-1 and Fox 2-3. Johnson, in 2004, is the only one to win more than one game in any one tournament.

The Wolf Pack's victims in the NCAA Tournament have been Michigan State and Gonzaga in 2004, Texas in 2005, and Creighton in 2007.

The Wolf Pack went to the tournament four years in a row from 2004-07 and played in eight games during those four years. They won their first two tournament games during that era and lost four of their last six.

A total of 34 different Wolf Pack players have participated in a NCAA tournament game with 21 of them playing from 2004-07.

Here are the top five Wolf Pack players in the NCAA tournament . . .

View the list
  • Ramon Sessions played three seasons for the Nevada Wolf Pack and went to three NCAA Tournaments. The steady point guard averaged 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his five tournament games. As a freshman he had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes in his first NCAA game, a 61-57 win over Texas in Indianapolis. Just two nights later he had to go up against Deron Williams and the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Illinois, and had seven assists in a 71-59 loss. In 2007 Sessions scored 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and five assists in a 77-71 overtime win over Creighton. Sessions' 23 career assists in the NCAA tournament are a Wolf Pack record and his 19 rebounds are the fourth most in school history.
  • Kirk Snyder was the biggest reason why the Nevada Wolf Pack advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2004. The junior had 19 points in a 72-66 upset of Michigan state and followed that up two days later with 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a stunning upset over Gonzaga, 91-72, to get to the Sweet 16. Five days later against Georgia Tech Snyder had 21 points, five rebounds and three assists as the Pack's dream season ended with a 72-67 loss. In his three career tournament games, Snyder averaged 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. His 58 career points are fourth in Pack history and his 12 assists are tied for second. Snyder also had eight 3-pointers (8-for-22) in the three games, ranking him second in school history. Snyder is the only Pack player in history to score 18 or more points in all of his tournament games.
  • Kevinn Pinkney is third in Nevada Wolf Pack history career scoring (78 points) and second in career rebounds (36) in NCAA tournament games. The hard-working forward always took a back seat to his more famous teammates but nobody did more to help his team win. Pinkney played in five tournament games with a 3-2 record and averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. He had 13 points in a 72-66 win over Michigan State and a game-high 20 points in a 91-72 win over Gonzaga to send the Pack to the Sweet 16 in 2004. He had 15 points and seven boards in a 61-57 win over Texas in 2005 and was outstanding against No. 1 Illinois in 2005 with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the last game he ever played for Nevada. Pinkney was the Wolf Pack's high scorer in three of the five tournament games in which he played.
  • Marcelus Kemp helped lead the Nevada Wolf Pack to the NCAA Tournament in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Kemp played in six tournament games and ranks second in career scoring (87 points), second in rebounding (287) fourth in assists (11) and first in 3-pointers (nine). He averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 threes in the tournament. He came off the bench in his first three tournament games in 2004 and averaged 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 13 minutes a game. In the first tournament game he ever started, though, he set a Pack record with 34 points in an 87-79 loss to Montana. Kemp did all he could to help the Pack against Montana, draining 14-of-22 shots with five rebounds in 36 minutes. He was just as good in his second tournament game a year later in 2007, scoring 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting with 12 rebounds and four assists in a 77-71 overtime win over Creighton. Two days later against Memphis, Kemp had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists before fouling out. In three games as a starter in the NCAA Tournament, Kemp averaged 26.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
  • Nick Fazekas led the Nevada Wolf Pack to four NCAA Tournament appearances in his four seasons. Fazekas owns the school record for tournament games played (eight), tournament points (116) and tournament rebounds (71). It wasn't always pretty -- he was just 5-of-30 from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament -- but he usually got the job done. Fazekas averaged 14.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in the big dance. He had 10 or more rebounds in four games and scored 20 or more points twice. He had four of the Wolf Pack's seven double-doubles in the tournament (Kevinn Pinkney, Marcelus Kemp and Todd Okeson had the other three). Fazekas had 16 points and 10 rebounds against Gonzaga, 10 points and 13 rebounds against Texas, 24 points and 12 boards against Montana, 17 points and 11 rebounds against Creighton before fouling out and in his Wolf Pack farewell, he scored 20 against Memphis.
View the list

, Nevada Wolf Pack Examiner

Joe Santoro is an award-winning sportswriter with over three decades of experience. Joe is the dean of Northern Nevada sports reporters and has covered University of Nevada Wolf Pack sports as a beat reporter and columnist for more than two decades. His "Friday Fodder" column is the longest...

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...