Jarod Lucas is Nevada’s leading scorer as the Wolf Pack are in line for an NCAA tournament berth this season. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Nevada’s Jarod Lucas hit one of the buzzer-beaters of the season against Colorado State late Tuesday night.
Lucas hit a half-court shot as time expired to give the Wolf Pack a 77-74 road win over the Rams. Take a look at how it unfolded after Nevada inbounded the ball with 2.5 seconds left.
Lucas finished the game with 23 points but was just 5-of-17 from the field before that incredible shot.
The win was huge for Nevada in what’s an incredibly crowded Mountain West this season. The Wolf Pack are now 10-5 in the conference and tied for fourth with UNLV. But Nevada is just a game back of conference leaders Utah State and Boise State and a game ahead of sixth-place New Mexico.
With games against Boise State and UNLV among its final three regular-season games, Nevada still has a real shot in the conference title race. And Tuesday night’s win was significant for the Wolf Pack’s chances of making the NCAA tournament. According to Bracket Matrix, a site that compiles NCAA tournament projections from myriad prognosticators, Nevada is a projected No. 10 seed in the tournament and would get an at-large berth if it doesn’t win the MWC tournament.
Colorado State, meanwhile, is officially eliminated from regular season title contention. The loss drops the Rams to 8-8 in conference play and 3.5 games back of the lead with two regular-season games to play.
