NCAA Tournament Dark Horse: Nevada Wolf Pack on the Attack

(Photo : (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)) LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 28: Darrion Williams #5 of the Nevada Wolf Pack runs onto the court for a game against the UNLV Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 28, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rebels defeated the Wolf Pack 68-62.

Don't turn your back on the Wolf Pack!

No.10 seed Nevada Wolf Pack is back in the NCAA Tournament for the second time after making it last season and are set to face No.7 Dayton Flyers in the first round in the West Region.

Nevada has earned back-to-back tournament berths under head coach Steve Alford, who led the Wolf Pack to a 26-7 and 13-5 record during the season.

They lost in the first four of March Madness last year against Arizona State after being picked during Selection Sunday, breaking a four-year streak without a NCAA Tournament berth.

Now they are back in the big dance looking to make some magic happen.

Matching Up to the Dayton Flyers

Nevada came up short losing 85-78 to the No.7 seed Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference quarterfinals. The Rams snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Wolf Pack.

During the season, Alford's club did secure wins against Mountain West foes in New Mexico, San Jose State, and Colorado State.

The Dayton Flyers made the tournament for the first time since 2017 under head coach Anthony Grant, who is in his seventh season coaching Dayton.

Dayton had a strong showing in the Atlantic 10 Tournament this year despite coming up short against Duquesne.

They finished the season with a 24-7 record and 14-4 in the conference. The Flyers have pulled in tons of big wins, including some over St. Johns and Cincinnati.

Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Dayton Flyers

Like any No.7 and No.10 seed matchup, this game could go either way. History has favored No.7 seeds, who hold a 92-59 historic record advantage; however, a No.10 seed has won more than any other lower seed throughout the NCAA Tournament.

This matchup could be decided upon by whoever wins the 3-point battle.

Dayton ranked third in the nation in three-point percentage at 40.2. While Nevada is also a team that could bomb threes too, shooting a respectable 36.5 from three-point territory.

The Nevada Wolf Pack do have a chance to come up victorious against the Dayton Flyers, as Nevada's hot offense could be too much to overcome for Dayton.

Alford's career experience may be what sets Nevada apart from Dayton. He became the fourth coach in NCAA history to take five different Division I schools to the dance, and a win would make him only the second coach to win a tournament game at five different programs.