A little more than a week after its football team appeared in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl as Western Athletic Conference co-champion, here comes the University of Nevada men's basketball team to open defense of its regular season championship Thursday.

Suddenly, at each turn, it seems, the Wolf Pack has the WAC under full attack.

From its "Pistol" offense in a 9-3 football season to its so-far 10-2 success in basketball, Nevada has become a double-barreled threat in the conference, shaking up the once-established order in the WAC.

Who knew — or would have guessed — as much even a couple of years ago?

Indeed, five years after it joined the conference on its second try, the 'Pack is positioned to go after a rare conference double, regular season football and men's basketball titles in the same school year.

To put the challenge in perspective, no WAC member has managed to lead or share the lead in the regular season standings in both sports since Utah in 1995.

When you think WAC powers, the instinctive response is often Fresno State, Boise State or perhaps UH. But here's Nevada — passed over for San Jose State in an earlier WAC expansion — coming out of the Sierras to elbow its way atop the heap in the conference's most visible and competitive sports.

Here's a school that used to be in the considerable shadow of its in-state rival, Nevada-Las Vegas, establishing its own identity in the WAC and beyond. Remarkable, really, for the amount of time it has spent in the league and where it has come from.

Yet, here is the Wolf Pack less than 15 years removed from Division I-AA in football and the Big Sky Conference in basketball as the WAC's dominant hoops program of the moment and an emerging force in football as well.

In hoops, Nevada has won the past two regular season titles and a tournament crown, taking 29 of its past 36 conference games.

Although Nevada comes into the Stan Sheriff Center without a national ranking for the first time this year, the Wolf Pack was the runaway preseason pick in the coaches' and media polls and remains the favorite today.

A program that entered the WAC in 2000-01 initially struggled. After a last-place finish in its inaugural season, Nevada has steadily moved up to the top — finishing fifth, fourth and first twice and throwing in a Sweet 16 NCAA showing in 2004 for good measure.

Despite a change in coaches along the way, Nevada has succeeded to the point where it has an overall conference winning percentage of 59 percent (52-36) for its five seasons. Among current conference members, only Fresno State (.628) has a better one.

Yes, not long after its Hawai'i Bowl championship celebration, Nevada is back in town again and that means UH and the WAC figure to have their hands full.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.