Like some of the other top teams in the Western Athletic Conference, assessing the 2007-08 season for the Nevada Wolf Pack is a difficult task.

On the one hand, the team had its fifth-consecutive 20-win season and finished in a regular season tie for the league title, meaning they've shared or owned the WAC crown each of the past five seasons.

On the other hand, while Nevada often looked liked the WAC's best program, winning at one point 14 of 18 games, the Pack saw its streak of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances come to an end with a semifinal loss to the New Mexico State Aggies in the WAC Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M. What's worse, they didn't even get an invite to the NIT and lost a home game in the new College Basketball Invitational to end its season.

For a program that touts itself as one of the nation's best mid-major programs, failing to even get an NIT bid can only be viewed as a disappointment.

Some top-tier recruits, including McDonalds All-American Luke Babbitt, will be asked to step in and fill the star void left by graduating senior Marcelus Kemp and the possible early entry into the NBA draft of 7-foot sophomore center JaVale McGee.

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