Nevada men’s basketball 2021-22 conference schedule released

The 2021-22 Nevada men’s basketball conference schedule was released by the Mountain West Friday.

It consists of an 18-game format, where it will play nine home games and nine road games. It will match-up against each Mountain West foe: Eight of them twice and two teams — Air Force (road) and New Mexico (home) — just once. Since Nevada will only square off against New Mexico at home this year — head coach Steve Alford won’t visit his old stomping grounds at “The Pit” in 2021-22.

The Wolf Pack’s first conference game is scheduled to be on the road against San Jose State on Dec. 28, the very first day of Mountain West play. Their first game at Lawlor Events Center will be on New Years Day against the Lobos.

Each of the 18 conference games will determine seeding for the Mountain West Tournament, which begins March 9 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

Every conference game will air on Fox Sports or CBS Sports, though none of the specific outlets or TV times have been announced yet.

Steve Alford enters his third season with the Wolf Pack. They return eight players, including Mountain West Newcomer of the Year Grant Sherfield and All-Mountain West honoree Desmond Cambridge Jr. — arguably the conference’s best backcourt.

It also fetched wing transfers Kenan Blackshear (Florida Atlantic, three years of eligibility left) and forward AJ Bramah (Robert Morris, one year of eligibility). Former five-star recruit and Texas transfer Will Baker enters his first year with the Wolf Pack after sitting last season due to NCAA’s transfer policy.

Nevada went 16-10 (10-7 MW) last season and reached the Mountain West Tournament semifinals before falling to top-seeded San Diego State, 77-70. The Wolf Pack did not appear in a postseason tournament.

Here’s the full 2021-22 schedule: