Florida is set to open up its NCAA tournament campaign against Nevada basketball on Thursday.

“This team has a lot of experience as far as a lot of seniors and transfers and it will be interesting to go up against them," said Florida senior forward Kevarrius Hayes. "I know they're talented players from the perimeter down to the post. I feel like it will be a good way to test our strengths and some of our weaknesses right now and just kind of give it all we got. The Martin twins are very good and they've got a lot of three-point shooters. We're going to stick to what we do, play our principles.”

"Defensive transition is important against these guys," said Florida head coach Mike White. "A lot of things are important against these guys. Live ball turnovers and floor balance, it's all the same category.

"These guys defensively are very, very efficient," added White. "We've got to value the ball at a high level and those are just a few keys, a few factors. This is a team that is as old as anybody in the country. They've done a great job with balancing that and managing that roster. They are as big as anybody in the country, an incredibly long lineup. They've got a good mix of shooters and handlers. They seem to have a bunch of guys that can pass, dribble and shoot it."

In order to have a better idea on who the Wolf Pack are, we go behind enemy lines with Nevada Sports Net's Alex Marguiles

JF: How did this team use last year's one-point loss in the NCAA tournament as a stepping stone/motivation for this year?

AM: They went into this year expecting to make a fun to the Final Four with all the pieces coming back and how experienced they are. A few of the players had a chance to play professionally, the Martin twins and Jordan Carolina, three of them decided to come back for their senior season, really with the mindset to do something that has never been done. At least get to an Elite 8 or a Final Four. After the run last year, it was certainly a possibility. I's been a really hard season in the sense that they have had a target on their back since the beginning. Every single game has been the opposition's biggest game. Even when they went and played Arizona State or USC or Utah in the non-conference, those games were the highest attended games those schools had. And in conference it was like the Super Bowl for every team that they played. Every game that Nevada lost in the regular season, the opposing teams stormed the court, which really never happened for Nevada.

JF: Jordan Caroline is expected to be back against Florida. What does he bring to Nevada? How big is his return?

AM: It's huge. If you go back to since Jordan Caroline has been at Nevada, the have lost only three games that they have recorded a double-double. If he has a good game, Nevada is hard to beat. For the last month he has been dealing with an achilles injury.

He was at practice yesterday and he looked great - moving fine, so he is back into playing shape. He is a game changer for Nevada. He is the heart and soul of this Nevada team. He is a firy guy, who dives for balls and he brings an identity of a lot of toughness, so when he is on the floor he is really is a difference maker.

JF: The Martin twins and Caroline decided to stay one more year. What type of progress have you seen from them? Whats changed in their game in the last year?

AM: I think it's definitely helped their development. Caleb Martin for example, he is a great scorer and he was a preseason All-American, mostly for his scoring ability and then his twin brother, Cody, is known as the guy that kind of does everything else that blocks shots, steals and is known as being the best defensive player. From coming back to school, for Caleb in particular, he has worked on his defense a lot and I think he is at a point that he is as good as his brother at committing to playing defense. You see him flying down the court blocking shots, getting steals.

For Jordan Carolina, he has become a much better three-point shooter. He is often times one of the last people to leave practice. He will stay there and make 300 shots after the rest of the team has left. His three-point game has become an emphasis as he tries to get to the next level.

And for Cody, I think for him it was just getting better reps at point guard. Last year Nevada had Lyndsey Drew until the very end of the season and Cody was thrusted into the point guard role, and that wasn't something that he was used to. But this year he had a chance to play point guard the entire season. I think he has learned to play that position better, in addition to being a great forward.

Ultimately all three players have made their games more versatile by coming back and playing again this year.

JF: Looking at the matchup, Florida and Nevada are two opposites. UF's offense has been inconsistent, they are young, and because the Gators' defense is stronger they are hoping to want to slow down the pace. How would you see his matchup? What does Nevada see as the biggest challenge?

AM: It is no secret, Florida wants to play slow but the Nevada is going to want to play fast. Ultimately, Coach Muss, the keys he threw out yesterday (Tuesday), was take care of the basketball. When they don't turn over the ball on offense, they are hard to beat. Last year when they came back and beat Cincinnati in the second round and upset them when they were down 22 points, the key to that comeback was that in that entire game they only turned over the ball twice. When Nevada doesn't turn over the ball, they are very difficult. I think coach Muss feels like because Florida is not a great offensive team, Nevada really has to own the defensive glass and not give Florida second chance opportunities. And I think he is concerned over the senior guards, with [Kevaughn] Allen and with [Jalen] Hudson, being guards that can get hot and they're not great offensive weapons all the time, but if those guys get going that is not going to be good for Nevada. I think containing those two guards and not letting them get hot from three, and not turning the ball over, and being able to move the ball offensively. Nevada can get a little stagnant and it's going to be an emphasis on moving the ball and moving it quickly and passing it a lot.

JF: Finally, do you think Nevada avoids the upset?

AM: Ultimately I think Nevada is going to win. I think Florida seems to be getting hot at the right time.

I think Nevada feels like they have put so much work into this since they were knocked out last year. This has been, everything they have talked about, frankly that Northern Nevada community has been talking about...It's been the most hyped up season in Wolk Pack basketball history.

I think the fact that Nevada has so many seniors and the fact they go seven fifth-year seniors, may be that tips the scales.