UNLV ANOTHER road loss after blowing a late game lead

The Rebels (24-7, 8-5) fell a game behind New Mexico and San Diego State in the Mountain West standings. They got 17 points from Oscar Bellfield, but he had just one basket in the second half, a 3-pointer that put UNLV ahead 47-31.

From that point, the Rams outscored the Rebels 35-12.

The Rebels’ leading scorers, Mike Moser and Chace Stanback, who average a combined 28 points, managed just half that with Moser scoring five points, nine below his average, and Stanback getting nine.

The Rebels raced to a 20-6 lead behind three 3s by Bellfield, including two straight to cap an 11-2 spurt.

It began to look like the Rebels were just toying with the Rams when Justin Hawkins scored on a layup after a spectacular steal and behind-the-back pass from near midcourt made it 22-10.

After the Rams cut their deficit to 26-22 with a 10-0 spurt sparked by Wes Eikmier’s five points, the Runnin’ Rebels closed out the first half with a crowd-quieting 15-2 run to take a 41-26 lead.

UNLV’s last nine points of the first half came from behind the arc, where Kendall Wallace, Bellfield and Stanback all swished 3-pointers from the right corner, just in front of the dejected Rams’ bench.  Bellfield’s 3-pointer with Pierce Hornung all over him gave the Rebels a 37-31 lead early in the second half.

Then, astonishingly, it was all Rams.

Wardo from viewing:  UNLV not great at free throws.  They kind of “goof off” if that is the right word on the court.  Like they seem to not be serious during off-clock time.  This seems to be a symptom of the way they end games.  Like they are serious in the beginning of the game, take a lead, then they start to just coast.  I love how good they play at home, but I hate how the blow it on the road.  I also saw a comment that the guards on UNLV outrebound the Bigs, and I saw some of this in this game.  The Bigs dont stick to the board like they should and give up rebounds in weak fashion.  And if you cant rebound, but you are up by double digits, stop launching 3s.  Sure they make a lot of 3s’ but they take a lot of 3s and they dont need to once they are up by that much.  Eat some clock and draw some fouls by going to the hoop! 

I smell a really good second half bet AGAINST UNLV, and possibly an OVER for the first half.

UNLV

“I told the team that for about 35 of the 40 minutes we were sensational,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “We had about 5 minutes where our effort and execution lacked. But overall, I knew that today we would play well. We are always confident going into games. We were locked into what we were trying to do.”

2/29 ESPN Who is coming in cold UNLV: The Runnin’ Rebels, who defeated North Carolina back in November, may have ruined their chance to win the Mountain West Conference outright, thanks to a pair of ugly losses to Wyoming and TCU. UNLV, which also lost to New Mexico, is in a three-way tie for first place and can clinch at least a share of the conference crown by defeating Colorado State and Wyoming in its last two games.

2/25 vs Air Force… This team has such good guard play. Bellfield never turns the ball over and leads the league in assists. Moser is a starting guard on any team in the country and can really beat you off the dribble. Add in Marshall and a G-F Stanback and their solid. They are not a good foul shooting team (rank in the 200′s) especially their big guys (55,57,60%).. ugh…

 

Sat, Feb	Wyoming	L 68-66
Sat, Feb 11	vs #14 San Diego State	W 65-63
Tue, Feb 14	@ TCU	L 102-97 OT
Sat, Feb 18	@ New Mexico	L 65-45
Wed, Feb 22	vs Boise State	W 75-58
Sat, Feb 25	vs Air Force	W 68-58
Wed, Feb 29	@ Colorado State	L 66-59

But the announcers said.. they cant seem to get it going away from home. He said this BEFORE they went and lost to Colorado State.

UNLV after loss to TCU article

TCU (15-10, 5-4 Mountain West) trailed by 18 points with about 15 minutes left and had cut that deficit by only three points 5 minutes later.

UNLV (22-5, 6-3) had won 13 of 15, the losses by a combined four points. The Rebels were coming off a 65-63 win over No. 13 San Diego Stateto avenge a two-point road loss against the Aztecs last month.

Just four weeks ago against TCU in Las Vegas, the Runnin’ Rebels opened the game with an 18-2 run. They led by at least 13 points the rest of the way and won 101-78.

“One of the things we’re not very good at right now is keeping our foot on the pedal on both ends of the floor,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “For us to be a very good team, for us to advance to being a very good team we have to have almost that killer instinct where if we’re up six, get up eight; if we’re up 18, try to get up 22, 24.”

Mike Moser had 22 points and all five starters scored in double figures for UNLV. Anthony Marshall and Chace Stanback had 17 points, while Bellfield had 16 and Brice Massamba 12.

Given the way the Rebels have played on the road, that they squandered a late lead is no surprise.? But more times than not, UNLV had previously found a way to win tight games.? Not on Valentine’s Day.  In what has become a disturbing pattern – one that cannot be blamed on tough travel, poor officiating or having a number besides the name – the Rebels on the road are a mere shell of the team that they are in Las Vegas.  Consider that the Rebels blew a 10 point lead with under two minutes left in regulation at Santa Barbara before Chace Stanback’s prayer three pointer saved the day to force overtime in an eventual Rebel victory.  Also consider the difficulty in putting away far less talented teams such has Hawaii and Air Force.? There was also the overtime win at Boise, who only has one conference victory in MWC play.

And those are some of the highlights.

Nevermind the thrashing at the hands of Wichita State and Wisconsin.? The Rebels were whipped in nearly every phase of those games.  Then there were the close losses at San Diego State and Wyoming where the Rebels failed to execute down the stretch.

Rebels are simply collapsing after building large leads  The Rebels are two overtime wins over league bottom-feeders Air Force (65-63) and Boise State (77-72) from being winless on the road in league play. Overall, UNLV is now 6-4 away from the Thomas & Mack Center this season, with three of the victories coming in overtime.

UNLV coach Dave Rice has stressed  that his biggest concern for his squad was defensive rebounding.  The Horned Frogs finished with a huge 46-31 rebounding edge, including 19 offensive boards that led to a 19-8 advantage in second-chance points

The Rebels lost despite shooting 53 percent from the floor and a blistering 48 percent (12-for-25) from 3-point range. But in the end, poor rebounding and too-much Hank Thorns (career-high 32 points, eight 3-pointers) did them in.

Wardo note:  The matchup won’t be as important as where the game is played.  If they play far from LV, and/or against a team that has more of a “homer” presence in the stands (think vs Seton Hall in Pittsburgh or vs OSU in Louisville) they will probably underperform due to it being so much like a “road game”. 

Also, possible bet for in first half and against in second half?

Early Cindy picks article UNLV Jan 29

19-3 with a resounding win over North Carolina at the Dean Dome. That’s good enough already to ensure an NCAA bid, but the Rebels could definitely throw a kink or two in the plans of top seeded teams. Mike Moser is an absolute beast, averaging a double-double per game (14.2 points and 11.7 rebounds, respectively), and has to be contained for opposing teams to have any chance against UNLV. If you’re a fan of the assist to turnover ratio, you’ll really like the Rebels, as they average 4.2 more assists than turnovers each game.

Wardo note:  As always, Vegas money usually weighs down the line on this team, but this year, they are damn good.

UNLV 2012

Over Cal State Bakersfield 89-57. Second half was 51-30.  Had 16-2 run in first 4 mins of 2nd half.  The lead never dropped below 30 points over the final 10 minutes.Play all their guys, good depth.  Just wore down CSB in that 2nd half. The Rebels shot 48.5 percent from the field for the game (32 of 66) and were 9 of 32 from 3-point range (28.1 percent).

From Bilas in Jan:  The Rebels are the highest rated non-BCS team in the Bilas Index, which is the planet’s most reliable measure of quality. UNLV has some good shooters in Chace Stanback, Oscar Bellfield, Anthony Marshall andKendall Wallace, and interchangeable defenders in Marshall, Bellfield andJustin Hawkins (the Rebels’ best on-ball defender). UCLA transfer Mike Moseris an outstanding rebounder and a versatile scorer

Article on surprises and disappointments this year (surprises)

Major Surprises

1. Notre Dame — A team projected to finish in the bottom half of the Big East is now poised to earn a No. 2 seed in the tournament. But the road will be tough for the Fighting Irish to a top spot in the Big Dance with games against Villanova, whom they’ve not played yet, and at Connecticut, a team they beat by only three at home earlier. Regardless, Notre Dame should be “dancing” come March, especially if they finish high in the conference tournament.

2. Vanderbilt — Also a team projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC is now in place for a potential No. 5 seed. But with conference powers Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida left on the schedule, the Commodores’ stock could drop a little, although not enough to knock them out of the tournament. And a good showing in the SEC tournament wouldn’t hurt.

3. St. John’s — Steve Lavin’s return to the bench has been a successful one, to say the least. The Red Storm were predicted to finish behind Notre Dame in the Big East, but are now projected as a No. 6 seed in the Tournament. With only Villanova as the remaining challenge on the schedule, St. John’s could take some momentum into the Big East Tournament and earn an even higher seed.

4. St. Mary’s — Projected to finish just behind Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference, but be passed over for tournament consideration, the Gaels are now looking at a possible No. 7 seed. St. Mary’s can sew up the conference title with a win over the Zags this week and then look to have a head of steam going into the conference tournament. If they win both the regular season and tourney titles, they could oust Gonzaga from March Madness.

5. UNLV — Predicted to finish fourth in the Mountain West, the Runnin’ Rebels have gone from Tournament hopefuls to a potential seventh seed. All that’s left for the Rebs on the schedule are bubble team New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah. Then it’s on to the MWC tournament where they’ll try to wreak some havoc against two other surprising teams from the conference.

Mild Surprises

1. San Diego State — Projected to win the MWC but only be a No. 7 tournament seed at the beginning of the year, now a potential No. 1 seed. However, they’ll have a tough road to No. 1 the rest of the way with BYU, Wyoming (not so tough), and Colorado State to end the regular season. If they can win out they’ll probably earn a top seed somewhere, even if they don’t win the Mountain West tournament.

2. Texas — Also projected to be a No. 7 seed preseason and in position to be a No. 1. They also have a seemingly difficult schedule with Colorado, Kansas State, and Baylor left, but two of those teams have been big disappointments this year. Barring a major disaster, the Longhorns will be a top seed somewhere, and maybe even No. 1 overall.

3. BYU — Predicted to finish just behind San Diego State in the MWC and earn a No. 8 seed into the tournament, the Cougars have played well enough to be a possible No. 2 in March. But they’re schedule the rest of the way is also tough, with the aforementioned matchup with the Aztecs, plus games against Colorado State and New Mexico. The conference tournament should be the tell-all of just how high BYU can go in the March Madness seeding.

4. UConn — Projected to finish eighth in the Big East and be just a No. 12 seed into the tournament, the Huskies are looking at a possible No. 3 seed. While they sit in the middle of the pack in the conference standings, an upset win over Notre Dame and a good finish in the conference tournament could solidify UConn as a legitimate No. 3.

5. Old Dominion — Predicted to finish second in the Colonial, but miss the tournament, the Monarchs are now a possible No. 8 seed and potentially one of three teams to earn a tournament berth. It will be the conference tournament that will decide where they ultimately end up in the March bracket.

The best of the rest — George Mason, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Louisville

Festival of Fouls BYU over UNLV

With plenty of help from his teammates, Fredette and the No. 9 Cougars shut up TreVon Willis and UNLV with a 78-64 victory Saturday that gave BYU the regular-season sweep.

 Fredette became the Mountain West Conference career scoring leader, breaking the mark of 2,189 points set by San Diego State’s Brandon Heath in 2007. Fredette now has 2,194.

Despite battling a head cold that left him struggling to breathe, and double- and triple-teams that forced him to give up the ball and turn it over five times, Fredette still scored 29 points. He was a team-record 16 of 16 from the foul line, but just 6 of 14 from the field.

“He earned his points,” BYU coach Dave Rose said of Fredette, who also had seven assists.

BYU (22-2, 8-1) halted a three-game winning streak by UNLV (17-6, 5-4), which got 16 points from Anthony Marshall and 15 from Willis.

Jackson Emery added 15 points, including a pair of late 3-pointers, while Stephen Rogers came up big off the bench with 12 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes for the Cougars. Charles Abouo added 10 points, while Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsoch each had three blocks.

“The bench was huge and in my opinion the key to the game,” Fredette said.

The game between fierce rivals was scrappy from the beginning, with two technicals assessed in the first half and a big pile up on the floor that had tempers flaring and fists flying.

There were 36 personal fouls called overall.

Forward Carlos Lopez was assessed the first technical during the scrum for a loose ball with 13:50 left in the first half, and forward Quintrell Thomas picked up UNLV’s second about a minute later after protesting a foul against Collinsworth while going for an offensive rebound.

“Early on we started to pay a little too much attention to the calls being made,” UNLV coach Lon Kruger said of the calls during an 11-0 BYU run. “I think it distracted us a bit and after the technicals it took us a bit to get our head back in the game.”

BYU lost two players to injury—starter Kyle Collinsworth sustained a mild concussion after going down hard trying to grab a rebound, and James Anderson mildly separated his shoulder.

The Rebels pulled within 20-17 on three 3-pointers, including two by Willis, only to have BYU go on another run. Emery started it with a 3-pointer, Rogers added a steal and fastbreak layup, and Abouo’s reverse layup made it 27-17 with 6:10 left in the half. A 3-pointer by Rogers increased BYU’s lead to 30-19 with 4:10 remaining in the half.

The Rebels shot just 25.8 percent in the first half (8 of 31) but stayed within striking distance with a 24-16 edge on the boards, including 11-4 on the offensive end.

“We were getting after the shooters,” Emery said. “We didn’t finish. We got them to miss but they had (11) offensive rebounds at halftime. It doesn’t matter if you play good defense for 30 seconds if you don’t finish.”

BYU led 38-27 at halftime and pushed the lead to 66-51 after Emery’s 3-pointer. Chace Stanback’s 3 pulled UNLV within 69-57 with 4:52 left, but that’s as close as UNLV got.

“What people don’t realize is he don’t want to pass the ball. He don’t want to get no assists,” Willis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He wants to shoot the ball every single time. If you think he wants to pass it, then you’re wrong.”

Fredette, with so many hands in his face and bodies around him, was forced to pass plenty.

“Every screen we set for Jimmer, they doubled it, then they cover space really well,” Rose said.

Fredette, who has been getting lots of national media attention lately, knows it will be this way the rest of the season.

“They’re going to come after him, say stuff, try to get in his head,” Emry said. “When you can’t stop a guy as good as Jimmer, you’re going to get in his head. He’s so good at finding his teammates. That’s what makes us a tough team. Jimmer is a huge part of that, but the reason we’ll go far in the nation is the rest of the guys.”

Willis, who somewhat downplayed his animosity toward Fredette by saying he prefers not to shake anyone’s hand before a game, was just hopeful at getting one more shot at Fredette in the conference tournament.

“That would be great,” Willis said. “We lost two. It’d be great to get a third one, get another chance.”

UNLV

Game Note: I saw them beat Wisconsin at home. Nice point guard rotation with PG bellfield, and athletic guards Trevon Willis, Derrick Jasper, and shooter Chace Stanback. They were a really good guard set. Down low, they have several solid bigs in Massamba and a high energy Lopez. I think their entire season will hinge on health. They played great defense and had plenty of scoring options. Barring a really solid matchup, this is a real possibility for a tough out.

Game Note: Virginia:  The Rebels’ backcourt pressure resulted in 11 points off turnovers during the surge, which Stanback led with nine points. Kruger said. “We’ve done a good job of taking teams out of what they run.” UNLV forced 18 turnovers, scored 24 points off of them and outscored the Hokies 34-14 in the lane. Chace Stanback had 17 points and eight rebounds and was voted the tournament’s most outstanding player.

Gottlieb: 12/6/2010:  Be cautious Rebels fans. UNLV is good and it will embarrass teams if they do not handle the Rebels press or switching defense well, but the Rebels are not strong inside and if teams have a point guard, they can beat UNLV off the dribble and destroy its press. Keep in mind Wisconsin and Tech, two teams the Rebels beat, look more like NIT teams than NCAA teams.

Louisville: They actually looked like the better team all game in Louisville. They pressed to speed up pace and sometimes trap at half court off that press. Despite Louisville’s defense, they found ways to score. they shared the ball well found the open shot and rebounded well. A very solid team.

ESPN: Interesting… The UNLV all-transfer frontcourt experiment is half-effective. Former UCLA Bruin Chace Stanback has been very effective as an inside-out threat at one forward spot. Quintrell Thomas, who left Kansas due to a lack of playing time, was expected to be more of an enforcer at 245 lbs., but he hasn’t proved equal to the task. Thomas scored just 4 points in a close loss to the UCSB Gauchos last night. His 8 boards were a season high, but they didn’t really offset the fact that he and Stanback couldn’t get the job done defensively: the Gaucho forwards combined for 35 points and consistently beat the Rebs on the defensive glass. Thomas might not be the answer, which is a problem. Lon Kruger’s bench doesn’t provide many options, with Swedish junior Brice Massamba bringing very little to the table as well. It may be time to see what freshman Carlos Lopez can do, before a promising season gets out of hand.

Interesting… It was a rare first-round loss for the program, which fell to 13-3 in its NCAA openers. Coach Lon Kruger also had his personal streak of five straight first-round wins snapped. He had won his last three openers at Illinois and his first two at UNLV.  “Losing in the first round is a little disappointing,” Willis said. “But overall, we had a good season. We’re definitely going to have our good days ahead of us.”

Vs BYU: I would say this is a team I will most likely bet against this year. It’s odd to see Krugers teams struggle like they are, but verse BYU they got zoned into shooting nothing but long jumpers and feeding .. over and over.. BYU’s fast break. They showed very little heart, several times not getting back.. and they refused to pound the ball inside to exploit an advantage they had over BYU. They did have a lot of offensive rebounds. My take on this group after this game is that this is a very unlikable team. Willis just talks so much trash and does little to back it up in the game that its discrediting and also insight into the fraud that is UNLV. The guards shoot and shoot and I felt like they were a little “Get mine” thinkers. Down low, I am shocked that their bigs have not developed more since I last watched them. I thought they had talent in the post, but they seem to have regressed not gotten better. So this team is good defensively, but offensively I think they are challenged and wont get better since it seems to be a personnel thing.