Sacramento State vs Nevada Prediction - College Basketball Picks 11/7/23
The Sacramento State Hornets and Nevada Wolf Pack face off on Tuesday in a college basketball showdown at the Lawlor Events Center.
Can Sacramento State Build on Last Season?
For the first time in its history, Sacramento State had a first-round bye in the Big Sky tournament, and although that might not be a big deal to some programs, it is a huge deal for the Hornets. Akol Mawein started his college days for the Oklahoma Sooners, but last year with the Hornets he averaged 9.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. Austin Patterson looks like he could move into the starting lineup after 7.4 points last season. Duncan Powell transferred in from North Carolina A&T after averaging 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. One issue this Sacramento State team might run into is they don’t actually have a star player that they can lean on.
Nevada Won the Offseason
After making the NCAA tournament last season, Nevada won the offseason. Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear could have basically had their choice of where they would want to go in the transfer portal, but both players decided they want to stay with Nevada, and those were two huge offseason victories. Last season Lucas averaged 17 points while shooting 37.8 percent from the field and he should be in line for an even bigger season. On the defensive end, Nevada has Tyler Powell who is a physical defender and he’s going to need to have a big season if this team wants to take the next step forward. In the exhibition game, Nevada beat Stanislaus State 84-80.
Shane’s Free Pick
I do think Sacramento State is going to take the next step forward this season, and Nevada didn’t look exactly dominant in the exhibition game. Even though Sacramento State doesn’t have the star, they have a lot of good players, and they are going to find success scoring in this game. Look for Sacramento State to find enough success here to keep this game close and they are going to cover the spread.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
