Nevada basketball wins twice, but drops to No. 7 in major polls

Duke Ritenhouse
Reno Gazette-Journal
Nevada huddles up under the direction of head coach Eric Musselman during the first half of Sunday's game against Grand Canyon.

Man, talk about a tough room.

The Nevada basketball team won twice more last week — both away from home — including a win over a ranked team, yet still managed to fall in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday.

The Wolf Pack dropped one spot to seventh, getting passed by Tennessee, which upset No. 1 Gonzaga on Sunday and moved up four spots to No. 3. That off-set Nevada’s comeback win over No. 20 Arizona State on Friday night.

Ironically, Nevada actually witnessed Tennessee’s big win. The Vols and Bulldogs played in the opening game of the Jerry Colangelo Classic on Sunday in Phoenix; Nevada beat Grand Canyon in the nightcap.

The Wolf Pack also came in at No. 7 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, released later in the day Monday. Nevada and Gonzaga were the only teams in the top 17 of that poll to drop any spots.

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Nevada’s 10-0 start is the program’s best in its Division I era, which began with the 1969-70 season. The last six of those wins have come away from Lawlor Events Center.

Nevada is one of the nation’s last nine remaining unbeaten teams.

Kansas (8-0) regained the No. 1 spot in the poll, coming away with 57 of the 65 first-place votes. Duke (9-1) is No. 2, the Vols are third, and Gonzaga (9-1) fell to fourth.

Nevada received 1,283 points in the AP Top 25 poll, coming in firmly behind Virginia for the sixth spot, but solidly in front of Auburn at No. 7.

The Wolf Pack returns home for a Saturday game against South Dakota State, the Pack’s first home game since beating California Baptist on Nov. 19.