With some really bad loses this season, I am amazed UNLV is currently in third place overall. This has been such an up and down season that at least half of us on this site don't know if we want to replace coach Kruger or bring him back for another year? What is really interesting is that UNLV mostly sucked in the out of conference games, while they have mostly played well in conference (Air Force is a huge exception).
While UNLV has really bad blowout loses to Southern and Air Force, they also lost really close games to Saint Mary (currently in first in WCC) in double OT and a game by 1 to Utah State (first in MWC) due to really poor officiating, and beat Creighton and New Mexico twice.
I have said this entire season that I feel like a ping pong ball in regards to keeping Kruger, I think his team can play him back into another year if they finish the season by going 5-2 during the regular season with a 12-6 in conference record and a 19-11 overall record. Win the first tournament game and they get to 20 wins. This would show an improvement in the team record each of the last 3 years under Kruger.
The following is the UNLV record in conference and out of conference:
2023-2024 7-4 (3rd) 14-9 Kruger
2022-2023 7-11 (7th) 19-13 Kruger
2021-2022 10-8 (5th) 18-14 Kruger
2020-2021 8-10 (6th) 12-15 TJ Otzelberger
2019-2020 12-6 (2nd) 17-15 TJ Otzelberger
2018-2019 11-7 (4th) 17-14 Menzies
2017-2018 8-10 (7th) 20-13 Menzies
2016-2017 4-14 (10th) 11-21 Menzies
2015-2016 8-10 (6th) 18-15 Rice/Simon
2014-2015 8-10 (7th) 18-15 Rice
2013-2014 10-8 (4th) 20-13 Rice
While UNLV has really bad blowout loses to Southern and Air Force, they also lost really close games to Saint Mary (currently in first in WCC) in double OT and a game by 1 to Utah State (first in MWC) due to really poor officiating, and beat Creighton and New Mexico twice.
I have said this entire season that I feel like a ping pong ball in regards to keeping Kruger, I think his team can play him back into another year if they finish the season by going 5-2 during the regular season with a 12-6 in conference record and a 19-11 overall record. Win the first tournament game and they get to 20 wins. This would show an improvement in the team record each of the last 3 years under Kruger.
The following is the UNLV record in conference and out of conference:
2023-2024 7-4 (3rd) 14-9 Kruger
2022-2023 7-11 (7th) 19-13 Kruger
2021-2022 10-8 (5th) 18-14 Kruger
2020-2021 8-10 (6th) 12-15 TJ Otzelberger
2019-2020 12-6 (2nd) 17-15 TJ Otzelberger
2018-2019 11-7 (4th) 17-14 Menzies
2017-2018 8-10 (7th) 20-13 Menzies
2016-2017 4-14 (10th) 11-21 Menzies
2015-2016 8-10 (6th) 18-15 Rice/Simon
2014-2015 8-10 (7th) 18-15 Rice
2013-2014 10-8 (4th) 20-13 Rice