Fifth. Ninth. Eighth. Fifth again. A couple more eighths. And even a fourth.
That’s just a sample of the national preseason rankings being bestowed upon the Nevada basketball team, and those numbers explain why the expectations surrounding the team have never been so high.
Nevada (coming off a 29-8 season) has fielded basketball teams since 1913, but no prior team has received the sort of national acclaim the Wolf Pack is currently receiving. Not even close.
In the past, competing for conference titles and having a chance to be mentioned in the NCAA Tournament’s selection show was as high as the bar went for Nevada fans.