UNLV2001 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 https://lasvegassun.com/news/2025/mar/13/game-day-no-rest-for-unlv-with-utah-state-up-next/ Game day: No rest for UNLV with Utah State up next in MWC tourney How to watch UNLV basketball What: Mountain West tournament Who: No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 3 Utah State When: Thursday, 8:30 p.m. Where: Thomas and Mack Center TV: CBS Sports Network Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM Welcome to the Mountain West tournament, UNLV. Toppling Air Force in the play-in round was nice, but now the real games begin as Kevin Kruger leads his squad into a quarterfinal showdown against No. 3 seed Utah State (Thursday, 8:30 p.m., Thomas & Mack Center). A loss would end UNLV’s season, so expect the shorthanded Scarlet and Gray to throw everything they have at this matchup — including another potential 40-minute ironman performance from senior Jalen Hill. Three keys to watch: Pace picks up UNLV is down to six healthy rotation players, and the word “healthy” is doing a lot of work in that statement. Against Air Force, Hill needed to go wire-to-wire and the team needed contributions from seldom-used pieces such as junior center Isaiah Cottrell and freshman walk-on DeMarion Yap. Kruger could get away with running a skeleton crew against Air Force, which plays at an incredibly slow pace (No. 325 in adjusted tempo). Utah State doesn’t operate at breakneck speed in terms of racing up and down the court, but the Aggies do zip the ball around in halfcourt sets, and they will apply pressure on defense, so this game is going to be much more strenuous for UNLV’s thin rotation. Kruger will use all the usual tricks to keep his players from getting too fatigued, including saving timeouts for rest, but Utah State is going to make it hurt. “We've got to expect with the minutes the guys have been playing the last two weeks that we're going to see some pressure, and we're going to see some quick rotations from their side,” Kruger said. Shooting must rebound UNLV has been in a team-wide shooting slump of late, and Wednesday’s showing against Air Force may have been rock bottom. The Scarlet and Gray hit just 2-of-13 from 3-point range in the first half (with Cottrell and Yap astoundingly accounting for the two makes) and the second half wasn’t much better — Jailen Bedford made 3-of-3, but the rest of the squad was 1-of-5 from deep. Shooting like that against Utah State will likely result in a blowout loss and the end of the season. Junior wing Jaden Henley is going to have to step up. He and Bedford are the only volume shooters left, and Henley went 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Look for him to bounce back, especially considering he was UNLV’s most accurate 3-point shooter this season at 40.2%. Semis calling? Everyone knows UNLV hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2013, but the more mind-blowing drought is their decade-long run of early exits in the Mountain West tourney. The last time UNLV advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament was 2014. That’s a real fact. The 10 seasons since then have seen the Scarlet and Gray knocked out in the quarters or the play-in round, including last year’s overtime loss to San Diego State in the round of eight. Is this the year they finally score a big win in March and make it to Friday? UNLV split with Utah State in the regular season, so it’s not as if the Aggies are unbeatable. A lot of things will have to break just right — some outside shots going in, some favorable whistles, a couple timely stoppages to allow for rest — but a win today would certainly mean a lot to the program. Quote
UNLV2001 Posted March 13 Author Posted March 13 https://lasvegassun.com/news/2025/mar/12/hill-goes-the-distance-to-lead-unlv-past-air-force/ Hill goes the distance to lead UNLV past Air Force in Mountain West tourney By the time you’re reading this story, Jalen Hill will already be submerged in a tub of ice. Heck, he may even be reading along with you as the freezing temps work to repair the wear and tear the senior forward accumulated during his 40-minute ironman performance today. UNLV’s injury situation isn’t getting any better, and with just over 24 hours to prep for Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup against Utah State, Hill said he wasn’t going to waste any time getting into his rehab routine. “My legs are good,” Hill said in his postgame press conference. “Just got to get ready for our next game. I’m going to go get in the ice bath, and that’s pretty much it.” Before departing the press conference, Kruger let Hill know that he’s likely going the distance on Thursday as well. “The ball is going to be in his hands and he’s going to keep making decisions,” Kruger said. “Tomorrow is not going to be any different. So his cold bath probably needs to be a little bit longer, because I told the guys we have to be as fresh as we possibly can be tomorrow.” So if you are reading, Jalen, stop scrolling and stay focused on the healing properties of that subzero ice bath. Tip-off will be here before you know it. “I’ll probably be in there on my phone listening to music,” Hill said of his date with the tub. “Personally, I don’t like it. I hate it. But it’s definitely something that we’ve got to do just to keep ready.” Quote
4UNLV Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Wow, 2 quick calls on Cherry? We were going to lose anyway, no need for that, lol. Quote
4rowsup Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Calhoun looks like the goofy kid from We are the Millers. 1 1 Quote
Soupslam Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Good effort by the Rebels. Hanging tough in the first half. Quote
B_Lootz Posted March 14 Posted March 14 USU ends the half on a 17-7 run in the last 6 min of the half. Quote
B_Lootz Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Big stupid strikes again. Picks up his 3rd foul just 20 seconds into the 2nd half. KK decides to leave him in. If USU doesn’t try every possession to take it right at Cherry it’s a mistake. Quote
B_Lootz Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Falling apart now. A lot of frustration, lot of guys just standing around. Emotions are getting high. KK arguing with refs and his assistants. End is in sight. Quote
Soupslam Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Tough when you’re playing five guys virtually the whole game. The Rebels always play with great effort, just too much one on one street ball and lack of discipline when it matters. Quote
mundyc3 Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Feels like the post Dave Rice firing conference tournament. Quote
4rowsup Posted March 14 Posted March 14 Unlv injuries just too much to overcome. Losing Rishwain was the last straw. Could have used his shooting against the zone. Still think unlv was better without Thomas. 1 Quote
Qwelish Posted March 14 Posted March 14 On 3/14/2025 at 6:03 AM, 4rowsup said: Unlv injuries just too much to overcome. Losing Rishwain was the last straw. Could have used his shooting against the zone. Still think unlv was better without Thomas. UNLV was just a tad over a .500 ball club with Dj and Rishwain. Quote
Qwelish Posted March 14 Posted March 14 KK never spoke about the Whaley "injury" til a couple weeks left in the season. Not even sure it was announced right away. KK barely used him when available. The team was whole for the majority of the season. Still stunk. 1 Quote
Spaztecs Posted March 14 Posted March 14 NWC Tourney ? Is the MW renaming itself to the Not western Conference ? Quote
Spaztecs Posted March 14 Posted March 14 On 3/13/2025 at 9:57 PM, B_Lootz said: Getting run out of our own building. Embarrassing. Your building ? roflmao Quote
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