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Fazekas leads Nevada into matchup with Creighton

Mar 16, 2007 - 1:48 PM Creighton (22-10) at Nevada (28-4) 3:00 pm EDT

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- Western Athletic Conference player of the year Nick Fazekas leads Nevada into its fourth straight NCAA Tournament.

The seventh-seeded Wolf Pack will take on 10th-seeded Creighton in the first round of the South Region on Friday.

Four-time WAC champion Nevada (28-4) is making its fourth consecutive NCAA appearance and the sixth in school history. Nevada holds a 3-5 overall record in NCAA play and has earned an at-large invitation for the second time in history.

A 6-11 senior, Fazekas averaging 20.5 points and 11.2 rebounds in conference play, helping the Wolf Pack win at least 25 games for the fourth straight year.

Nevada enters the NCAAs having won 11 of its last 13 games, losing twice to Utah State by identical 79-77 scores. The team also remembers a surprising first-round loss to Montana last season.

Creighton (22-10) returns to the NCAAs for the seventh time in the past nine years, earning an automatic bid after winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

Leading the way for the Blue Jays has been Nate Funk, who averages a league-best 17.6 points and also tops the club with 97 assists and 39 steals. Funk was named Most Outstanding Player of the MVC Tournament after averaging 22.0 points in three wins.

Anthony Tolliver, also a first-team All-MVC pick, gives Creighton inside muscle with 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He also tops the team with 57 blocked shots. Tolliver will most likely draw the defensive assignment on Fazekas.

The Blue Jays are 9-16 all-time in 15 NCAA appearances, including a 6-9 record in first-round play. They fell to West Virginia in the first round in 2005 on a breakaway dunk with 2.4 left to play.

The winner will likely face second-seeded Memphis in Sunday's second round.