The Nevada men’s basketball team plays at San Jose State on Tuesday night. Nevada Sports Net’s Chris Murray breaks down the game with his three keys to victory and prediction. This feature is presented in partnership with Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney.

Nevada (17-8, 9-5 MW) at San Jose State (6-19, 1-13)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Provident Credit Union Event Center (5,000 capacity)

TV/Radio: Nevada Sports Net/95.5 FM

Online: NevadaSportsNet.com

Betting line: Nevada by 11; total of 140.5

Three keys for Nevada to win

1. Don’t look forward or back: Nevada’s game against SJSU was sandwiched between huge contests against MW leaders San Diego State and Utah State. So, if ever there was a trap game, this would be it as the Spartans have won just one of 14 MW games, and that came against Air Force, which is winless in league. On paper, Nevada should blow past SJSU, which has lost by an average of -14.3 points per conference game. The Spartans have lost eight consecutive games and are coming off a 15-point home loss to Grand Canyon. If the Wolf Pack is focused on this game, it should be a rout, especially with two of SJSU’s top-three scorers – Yaphet Moundi and Ben Roseborough – out with injuries.

2. Spread the scoring wealth: Nevada’s bench has been up and down in MW play with some great games and some no-shows. The great games have tended to happen against Nevada’s lesser competition while the no-shows coming versus the league’s better teams. SJSU is one of those lesser opponents, so the Wolf Pack should be able to share the wealth on offense. In the first matchup between these teams, Nevada’s bench tallied 34 points on 10-of-22 shooting, adding 10 free throw makes in 12 attempts. Given SJSU’s injury issues – the Spartans’ No. 4 scorer, Jermaine Washington, is also questionable – the team doesn’t have much of a bench. The Wolf Pack should have a big advantage in points from reserves, with this being a good chance to get those Nevada players some confidence against an SJSU defense ranks a MW-worst 307th in KenPom.

3. Defend the 3-point line: SJSU has zero inside scoring with the Spartans shooting just 42.6 percent inside the arc in MW games, which is last in the league. SJSU has some shooters, although its best shooter (Roseborough) is out. Still, the Spartans’ path to success in this game is to simply outshoot the Wolf Pack, which has been an inconsistent 3-point shooting team despite its strong percentages (a league-best 38.7 percent from three in MW games). SJSU is capable distance shooting team, attempting 23 3-pointers per game and making 35.3 percent of those. The Spartans have made double-digit 3-pointers seven times this season and will need a performance like that to hang with Nevada given the state of SJSU’s defense. The Wolf Pack must make the Spartans put the ball on the floor to score.

Prediction

Nevada 82, San Jose State 70: Nevada has won 30 of its last 33 games against SJSU dating to 2008, so a leap year happens more often than a Spartans win over the Wolf Pack in men’s basketball. And this isn’t a particularly dangerous SJSU team. In league play, the Spartans rank bottom two in the league in scoring offense, scoring defense, offensive shooting percentage, defensive shooting percentage, rebounding margin, free throw attempts per game, assists per game, blocks per game, fouls created per game and we could continue but that feels like piling on. Nevada should not be challenged in this one. Season record: 18-7

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter at @ByChrisMurray.