Next, Nevada (12-1) hosts the Coby Karl-led Boise State Broncos Monday at 7 p.m. On two days rest, it will play at San Jose State Thursday night and then travels to Hawaii for game next Saturday night.

"It's not ideal," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "It is what it is. It's not like we have a choice in this matter."

Nevada was the only WAC team not to play its conference opener Thursday night. Louisiana Tech (3-10) beat San Jose State (1-12), New Mexico State (11-3) won at home against Hawaii (9-5), Fresno State (12-2) beat Idaho (2-11) and Boise State (7-5) knocked off Utah State (10-4) in Boise.

The past two years, Nevada has played at Hawaii on a Thursday night and then returned to San Jose for a Saturday afternoon game. This year it's reversed.

"The only difference is that we're not having to come back to San Jose for an afternoon tip," Fox told the Nevada Appeal. "It's still the fourth game in eight days. I worry about winning the first one in that stretch."

Nick Fazekas, the Wolf Pack's 6-foot-11 forward, said he's looking forward to the start of the conference season.

"It's exciting," Fazekas said. "WAC play to me is the most fun part of the season. It seems like it's more competitive; tough games night in and night out.

"It definitely will be a good race. I don't think we take a different approach (than we have). It (preseason) still counts in your win-loss record."

Fox said this is as strong as a conference as he's seen in recent years.

"I don't know if I've seen the WAC as strong since I've been here," Fox said. "Three or four teams are going to compete for post-season play."

Fresno State, Utah State and New Mexico State have been the most-prolific teams in non-conference play thus far, but with travel being what it is in the WAC, every team is dangerous on its home floor once conference starts.

Nevada's record includes neutral-court wins over Cal and Gonzaga plus road wins at Akron, Oregon State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Santa Clara.

"It was pretty good," Fazekas said. "Definitely with Gonzaga, Oregon State and the road win at Akron."

In 2005-06, Nevada finished non-conference at 10-2 with road wins at Pacific, Kansas, UNLV and Vermont plus big home wins over Georgia and Akron.

The only thing that stands between Nevada and a 13-0 start is a home loss to UNLV (58-49), a team that has beaten Hawaii twice and prevented Bobby Knight from winning his record-setting game.

"I think about that one loss a lot," Fox said. "We allowed it to only be one. We didn't allow it to turn into a second one."

After the loss to UNLV, the Pack defeated Saint Mary's, Pacific, Akron, Maine and Gonzaga. The Gonzaga game was critical for both teams, Fox said.

"It was an important game for the NCAA resume," he said. "Both teams competed at a very high level. It doesn't get much better than that."

Fox said there's still plenty of room for improvement.

"We're not as consistent offensively as I'd like," he said. Offensively, we're still adding things."

Nevada still doesn't have a set rotation off the bench past guard Lyndale Burleson and forward David Ellis. JaVale McGee has logged the most minutes of the freshmen followed by Brandon Fields, Tyrone Hanson and Matt LaGrone.