When Nevada’s chartered plane took off for Milwaukee from the Reno-Tahoe International airport on Tuesday morning, 12 Wolf Pack players were aboard the flight headed for the team’s first-round NCAA Tournament site.
None of those 12 players have ever played on an NCAA Tournament team before.
The Wolf Pack’s opponent, Iowa State, has five players who have appeared in a combined 24 NCAA Tournament games. Three of them have reached the Sweet 16 two times. So, if experience counts for anything – and coaches on both side said it does – Iowa State has a big advantage there.