Nevada vs South Carolina Beaufort prediction: Steve Alford's farewell season starts with a rebuilt Nevada backcourt
Nevada brings back barely a third of last season's minutes, so a trip to a Division II home floor is a first look at new guards around two returning anchors.
- Nevada should control a slow game against a Division II host, with the newcomers' fit around Price and Weems the real story.
- Watch transfer Styles Phipps running the offense; he averaged 5.2 assists at Pepperdine last season.
- No line is posted yet; last season Nevada played at the 312th-fastest pace, a style that keeps scores modest.
The last lap for Alford
Steve Alford announced in September that he will retire when the 2026-27 season ends, making this his eighth and final year at Nevada. He carries a 724-386 career record into it. The Mountain West media poll picked the Wolf Pack third with 148 points, and Elijah Price and Vaughn Weems drew preseason all-conference honors.
The early schedule is a chance to build the team that has to deliver on that ranking. Nevada went 24-13 last season.
Mostly new faces
Last season's team numbers are a weak guide. Players on this roster logged just 36.1% of last season's minutes, and leading scorer Corey Camper Jr. (16.6 points per game) is gone.
Price is the anchor: 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as a full-time starter last season. Weems was the most efficient returner, with a 60.4% effective field goal percentage (a shooting mark where threes count 1.5 times). The new backcourt comes from the transfer market. Phipps ran Pepperdine's offense, and Peter Bandelj made 58 threes at Cal Poly.
How Nevada plays
Last season's Nevada team ground it out. Last season Nevada ranked 312th in pace and 5th nationally in free throw rate (free throw attempts per shot attempt), living at the line rather than the arc. It shot only 48.2% inside the arc, 329th in the country, so getting fouled covered for a weak interior finishing touch.
USC Beaufort is not a Division I team we hold data for, so there is nothing to measure it against. Ron Fudala's team added six newcomers, including junior point guard Tyson Wilson from Eastern Florida State College. Its season opener, against UNC Pembroke at the Cove, is set for Nov. 10, the night before Nevada arrives.
Key players
- Elijah Price (Nevada): Started all 37 games last season, averaging 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
- Vaughn Weems (Nevada): Posted a 60.4% effective field goal percentage last season, the best among Nevada's returners.
- Styles Phipps (Nevada): Averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 assists at Pepperdine last season.
- Peter Bandelj (Nevada): Made 58 threes and shot 85.2% from the line at Cal Poly last season.
Numbers that matter
| Returning minutes | 36.1% | Nevada's share of last season's minutes still on the roster, so last year's team stats only partly apply. |
|---|---|---|
| Free throw rate, last season | 44.8% | Fifth in the nation, the core of how Alford's offense scored. |
| Pace rank, last season | 312th | Nevada played one of the slowest tempos in Division I. |
| 2-point %, last season | 48.2% | Ranked 329th, the weakness the free throw volume papered over. |
Nevada vs South Carolina Beaufort: quick answers
When is Nevada vs South Carolina Beaufort?
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 12:00 AM ET.