Football
Associated Press 19y

Nevada gets chance to repeat Sweet Sixteen run in NCAA Tournament

RENO, Nev. -- Nevada will get a chance to duplicate last
year's run to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen after all. But
the road to it will have to go through top-rated Illinois.

Despite a first-round exit from the Western Athletic Conference
tournament, 24th-ranked Nevada (24-6) opens play against the Big
12's Texas on Thursday in Indianapolis.

The Wolf Pack -- the WAC's regular season champion -- had been on
the bubble since eighth-seeded Boise State bounced them from the
tourney with a 73-72 win Thursday night.

But the suspense ended Sunday when the Wolf Pack landed an
at-large berth in the "Big Dance." Nevada enters the Chicago
Regional as a No. 9 seed -- the highest in school history -- and
Texas (20-10) as No. 8.

Nevada's Nick Fazekas, the WAC's Player of the Year and leading
scorer averaging 21 points per game, said he and his teammates were
relieved upon hearing the news.

"We were very nervous. It was a big relief for me to make it,"
Fazekas said. "That (Boise State) loss is over and done with, and
we're looking forward to Texas."

Star forward Kevinn Pinkney agreed: "We worked hard and deserve
to be in the tournament."

Until last week's loss, the Wolf Pack had won 20 of their last
22 overall. Nevada went a perfect 9-0 in WAC road games this year.

Mark Fox, in his first year as head coach after serving last
year as Nevada's top assistant under now-Stanford coach Trent
Johnson, said he thought the team's record was good enough to
qualify it for the tourney.

"Everybody was disappointed after we lost in the WAC," Fox
said. "But that disappointment should be in the rearview mirror
... They (Wolf Pack players) are sitting where they wanted to be."

Nevada will make its fourth NCAA tournament appearance and face
Texas for the first time ever.

Fox said he watched Texas a couple of times on television this
season and came away impressed with the Longhorns.

Like Nevada, Texas made a quick exit from its conference tourney
as No. 11 seed Colorado upset the sixth-seeded Longhorns, 81-69.

"I know enough to know they're going to be a great team," Fox
said. "They're going to be tough defensively. They're going to be
physical. It'll be a challenge."

Fazekas said he's hoping the Boise State loss would prove a
blessing in disguise by giving the Wolf Pack additional motivation
and rest. Nevada had one of its best practices of the year on
Saturday, he said.

"It still eats away at you, but you have to put it behind
you," Fazekas said. "We were winning but not playing well. We
needed a wakeup call because we became too comfortable."

Either Nevada or Texas will face the winner of the
Illinois-Fairleigh Dickinson game. Illinois heads into the NCAA
tournament with one loss and the overall No. 1 seed.

Fox refused to look beyond Thursday's game to a possible
showdown against Illinois.

"We'll worry about Texas. You can only take them one game at a
time," he said.

Fazekas doesn't think the Wolf Pack's success in the 2004
tournament will make it tougher for this year's team. Nevada beat
Michigan State and Gonzaga before losing to Georgia Tech.

"There's no added pressure. Everybody is playing for all the
marbles now," the 6-foot-11 forward said.

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