The set-up: Loyola-Marymount opened with a 99-51 home win but it came over a NAIA school in Vanguard. The Lions will now visit Reno to take on Nevada, which is coming off a season-opening 81-63 road loss. However, the Wolf Pack's loss came at No. 17-ranked St. Mary's

Loyola Marymount: The Lions lost last year's leading scorer in Jacko (16.6) but return plenty of players who saw time last season. PG Brandon Brown had a 2.24 assist-to-turnover rate last year, while averaging 12.6 PPG. Another returning guard is Haney (11.7) but he scored a modest eight points with Brown adding six points and five assists. The surprises were guards Tuach (3.7) and McClendon (2.3), who 20 and 15 points. The 6-11 Stefan Jovanovic is a Hawaii transfer and he had 13 & 7. Shamar Johnson (255 pounds) is a returning JUCO transfer who averaged 5.5 & 4.2 last year.

Nevada: Coleman (15.1) was the team's leading scorer last year but he's gone, as is guard Criswell (13.4 & 6.2). However, Marcus Marshall, who sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules after joining the Wolf Pack from Missouri State, scored 25 points against St. Mary's. Guard Fenner (13.7 & 4.6 last year) and 6-8 forward Oliver (13.4 & 9.1 last year) are both back and scored 12 and 13 points, respectively.

Nevada is thin on scholarship players (nine) this season but head coach Eric Musselman has a group he can work with. Remember, Loyola had only one win over a top-150 RPI team last season, a double-overtime victory over Pepperdine (No. 130), and while Nevada is no power, Loyola will find the going much tougher than the NAIA opponent the Lions opened the season against. Nevada is a 10* play.