Game Day:CSU-UNLV

[TarkisGod]

The Rams of Colorado St come to the T&M today. They carry a record of 14-9, 6-4 in the MW Conference. The books have the Rams as a 1-point favorite with a total of 141. CSU is coming off a narrow loss at home to league-leader Boise St, 76-79. Prior to that they were playing well on the road. They picked up a win on Jan 21 at Utah St. Last Saturday they accomplished a feat that has been beyond the grasp of The Rebels for several years. They beat San Diego St. On the road, as well.


CSU comes in with only seven scholarship players, and one walk-on, due to academic issues. They have been playing under those conditions for a few weeks, and it hasn’t affected them negatively, yet. The Rebels will start the same line-up as it has, since Zion Morgan has taken Jaylen Poyser’s spot. JP continues to struggle to find the form that saw him lead the team early on. If Tyrell Green can duplicate his performance vs New Mexico, it will add a valuable presence off the bench.


If I were betting this game (I’m not) I’d take the visitors. The Rebels are in a bit of a tailspin, dropping the last three games by a total of eight points. The Rams trail conference co-leaders Boise St and UNR by just one game, so they’re in the hunt. The Rebels at 10-13 and 3-7 are clearly not. CSU beat UNLV 91-77 at home on Dec 28th in the conference opener for both teams. But these are very different teams from the ones that took the floor back then.

While The Rebels are still struggling to close-out games, the players on the floor have improved by leaps and bounds. The ongoing development of Cheikna Dembele is exciting to watch. In December JoJo Mooring was a back-up guard. He has taken over as the starting point-guard. And as the team leader. Coach Menzies likes to rely on his big men, Dembele and Christian Jones, to work in the paint. And Mooring is liable to launch one from literally anywhere on the court. And he often makes the shot.

The Rams are led by senior guard Gian Clavell. The Puerto Rican native was named MW Player-of-the-Week for games ending Jan 29th. He had 24 points and 12 rebounds vs San Jose St . He followed that up with a spectacular performance vs SDSU. Against the Aztecs, Clavell scored a career-high 37 points, including the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds to play for the 78-77 CSU victory.The Rams are 4-4 away from home.

In addition to Clavell, CSU has Emmanuel Omogbo. The 6’8” senior forward is averaging a double-double of 13.8 points and 10.7 rebounds. You might remember his name connected to the tragedy that took the lives of his parents, and I believe siblings as well, in a house-fire in Maryland last year. The third option offensively is Prentiss Nixon. The 6’1” sophomore guard averages 12.6 ppg.


The Rebels will be looking to Green to supply much-needed offense off the bench. If Poyser can pull himself out of the funk that has seen him drop from leading scorer and team leader, to little-used sub, it would give UNLV an added dimension for opposing teams to deal with. Starters Mooring, Morgan, Ofoegbu, Jones and Dembele will carry most of the load.


Today’s game tips-off at 3 pm @ the Thomas & Mack arena. Let’s give our Rebels the support they need. Let the Rams know they're in our house now.

Go Rebels!

 

[TarkisGod]

I see there have been no responses to this thread. If we’re lucky that meant that nobody saw the game.

Unlike some on this board, I was not embarrassed by The Rebels 49-point massacre by Duke. It was perfectly understandable, given the various factors that led up to it. Same goes for the Oregon and Kansas defeats. We were clearly over-matched, and those results were entirely predictable.

Today was actually the first game this season that I found shameful. Losing to San Jose St was pretty bad, but at least we were competitive, and it was at their house. I knew we were a work-in-progress, but I honestly had no idea we were this bad. A display like this, vs Colorado St., a middle-of-the-pack member of a weak conference, on our home floor, has left me discouraged. If anything positive happened in the final ten minutes, you’ll have to fill me in, as I could take no more at that point. And I wasted, not even a minute, getting it off my DVR. Destroying the evidence, so to speak.

The endless stream of shots clanking off the rim (those that actually drew iron) and the missed assignments on the defensive end, were a bit too much to take. I assume that the Coach will be addressing these issues in practice over the next few days. Next up is a trip to Reno. They’ re playing well, and we’re…not. If we play this badly up there, I may have to stop watching in the first half.

Bad day…not much else to say.

Post-Script: I just saw MM's post-game presser. He was less-discouraged than I. He thought they played hard in the first half. That they couldn't maintain their intensity through the second 20 minutes. I guess he put some little-used subs in to try and get something going, but Larry Bush and the others didn't help.

Go Rebels!

Baseball...puhleez!

 

[ThailandReb]

3-8 now.... We're in dead-last place in possibly the weakest-ever inception of the Mountain West Conference.

Honest question: has UNLV basketball ever finished last in their respective conference in the history of the program?

To think how far we have fallen in less than 6 years. It's downright staggering.

 

[Rebel1986]

I think I will take a rest from my donations to UNLV, my alumni association membership, and my RAF for now.

I can no longer handle:

Jessup rewarding TKM with a nice cushy job in the UNLV foundation for all of her hard work at destroying the athletic department.
Jessup having no control over the athletic department.
Jessup and his politics

For now I will just buy tickets for the games I want to see until both of them are a distant memory!

 

[Pistol Pete 1]

Wow! Just wow! We don't have one guy on the team that we can rely on to score. 4 streak shooters and all of them have gone cold. Poyser could stand on the end of the Santa Monica Pier and miss the ocean. Jojo is the only one that has been half way consistent but I think he is overly concerned with passing and not turning the ball over. Might be better if he just became a total offensive threat and dish off when he is double or triple teamed. Coach might need to turn him loose and let him play.

Jones had 3 or 4 guys on him one time tonight and couldn't figure out to pass the ball.

Zion played some good D tonight and is also looking a little more confident on the offensive end. Made some nice passes for assists and drew some fouls.

Bottom line is that if MM can't bring in a couple studs this year the program is in serious trouble if we languish in last place for a couple years. I still think we have a few good pieces but really need a couple horses to ride. The way it's going he might have trouble trying to convince somebody to come and play here.

Does the last place team get to play in the tourney?

When does spring football practice start? I need something to take my mind off this bball season.

 

[Rebel Chi-girl]

Perspective: We could be the Oklahoma Sooners. So far this year they are 8 & 14, 2 & 8 in conference and they didn't have TKM.

 

[bcvegaspt]

Perspective: We could be the Oklahoma Sooners. So far this year they are 8 & 14, 2 & 8 in conference and they didn't have TKM.

Coming off a FF season to boot.

 

[j. spilotro]

Coming off a FF season to boot.

They kinda play in a decent conference, too. Not this eyesore of bad teams.

 

[MonsterJam]

I'm not sure I recall a year that has been this bad. We've thrown around the phrase 'rock-bottom'; in the past, but this (last place) is literally rock-bottom. So in a sense, it can only get better, right?

How the mighty have fallen. I knew it would be a tough year, but damn.

That said, if UNLV ever needed fan support, the time is .... well, next year. TKM will be gone, Coach will have a better shot at recruiting his guys, and we'll have a fresh start.

 

[TarkisGod]

Here’s something. I’ve always considered myself a “glass half-full” kind of guy. Our team is obviously at a low point in Rebel history. And correspondingly traffic at Rebel-Net is equally low. But those of us that are here, know who we are. The time will come when we will rise like a phoenix, from the ashes, and be a respectable program again.

When that time comes, we’ll remember who was here, through this current ordeal. We are true Rebels. Others will hop back on, and probably lay claim to their loyalty, but we will know. So, take a moment to pat yourselves on the back. “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” Oops…wrong movie. How about “You're gonna need a bigger boat.“

Anyway, you get the idea. We’re die-hard Rebel fans (DieHard:”Yippee-ki-yay, motherf-*/#@8-er”) and we will have proven ourselves when the team needed us the most.

Happy Super Bowl everyone. Pay me no mind. I’m just spouting movie quotes, waiting for kick-off…

Go Rebels!

 

[UNLVAlumni]

It truly was a bad game. I have seen two games this year that really showed how far away we are; Boise St and Colorado St.

I will say though that as strange as Eustachey is he really is a good coach who gets the most out of his players.

I still think that Menzies and this staff is very good and they deserve to get through this season with minimal criticism but some is warranted. Half time changes, and in game situations don't seem to be very good and I don't know if it's the staff or the players who aren't executing properly.

By the way I know a couple people who didn't want to give up their RAF seats but had to move and contacted the RAF about what to do and get this.... they were told that if they stop paying the yearly RAF then if they want to buy tickets in our section again it will cost them a $25,000 fee just to buy tickets!!! Not including the yearly RAF fee and ticket costs.

What he hell are they thinking!

 

[j. spilotro]

It truly was a bad game. I have seen two games this year that really showed how far away we are; Boise St and Colorado St.

I will say though that as strange as Eustachey is he really is a good coach who gets the most out of his players.

I still think that Menzies and this staff is very good and they deserve to get through this season with minimal criticism but some is warranted. Half time changes, and in game situations don't seem to be very good and I don't know if it's the staff or the players who aren't executing properly.

By the way I know a couple people who didn't want to give up their RAF seats but had to move and contacted the RAF about what to do and get this.... they were told that if they stop paying the yearly RAF then if they want to buy tickets in our section again it will cost them a $25,000 fee just to buy tickets!!! Not including the yearly RAF fee and ticket costs.

What he hell are they thinking!

I've heard that RAF thing before so I'm assuming it's true. If so, they're really dropping the ball. Attendence is way down, tickets aren't worth face value (you can get less than face from what would be termed "scalpers" but since they are parting ways for less than face, they aren't scalping).... 1 of every 3 concession stands are open and even many of those are closing in the second half. Mack staffing is way down. UNLV is getting hit hard with restricted cash flow. And the product that we see right now isn't going to grab anybody outside of the die hard fan base.

The penalty you posted probably serves in part as a scare tactic but can double as a "gouging the fair weather" fee. Leave when it's tough and we are going to pop you good when things get better... that's all fine and dandy, but the people that are still here are the loyalists. Who else would sit through this??? So in the end you turn off people that have been very loyal to the program. I don't think it's smart, myself. I think UNLV needs to learn to flex with the current situation, better understand the laws of supply and demand. I'm no economist, but it doesn't seem like a hot commodity so acting as if it's gold is ignorant.

But it's rough. They have to stop hemorrhaging cash. They can't keep this up. There's going to have to be some creative financing. I think the university itself is going to have to find some wiggle room in their budget to help bail out athletics. These huge gifts for football that we've seen are earmarked for projects, not bail out.

 

[MonsterJam]

.... they were told that if they stop paying the yearly RAF then if they want to buy tickets in our section again it will cost them a $25,000 fee just to buy tickets!!! Not including the yearly RAF fee and ticket costs.

What he hell are they thinking!

They were advertising those new prices ($25k) two or three years ago. As I think I understand it, it affects only new season ticket holders in certain lower bowl areas, and then the $25k (per seat by the way) can be spread over 3 years.

Still, its outrageous and no one in their right mind would pay that kind of money. If they told me that this is the new pricing model for my seats, I would drop my donation in a heartbeat and would simply buy tickets upstairs....and then move downstairs and sit anywhere I wanted in an empty T&M.

 

[bcvegaspt]

I think this started during TKM's tenure. It's a horrible idea since PSL's only work in the NFL. Well, since we aren't the NFL, this needs to be rescinded immediately. I wouldn't pay this stupid fee over 3 years with or without having to pay for the tickets and RAF donation.

Besides what happened with the hiring process recently this has been my biggest beef with her tenure. Yes, even worse than extending coaches and then firing them shortly after the extensions.

 

[JTthe2nd]

I'm not sure I recall a year that has been this bad. We've thrown around the phrase 'rock-bottom'; in the past, but this (last place) is literally rock-bottom. So in a sense, it can only get better, right?

How the mighty have fallen. I knew it would be a tough year, but damn.

That said, if UNLV ever needed fan support, the time is .... well, next year. TKM will be gone, Coach will have a better shot at recruiting his guys, and we'll have a fresh start.

The years that come closest are probably 93'-94' 12-16(Grg/Landa/Edwards) and 94'-95' 10-16(Bayno). We played in the Big West so the level of competition was about equal with the MWC today. Bayno was left with at least a few seasoned guards(Reggie Manuel, Sunshine Smith, and Damian Smith) and a very capable player in Clayton Johnson. MM was left with a player who didn't log any minutes(Green), a young shooting guard forced to play point(Poyser), and a talented but hugely underachieving forward(DM). The blowout losses are discouraging but if MM can keep the team from falling apart and build on for next year I think we'll be in good shape to rebound. If the players start treating him with indifference like the team did last year with Coach Rice we're in big trouble.

 

[j. spilotro]

The years that come closest are probably 93'-94' 12-16(Grg/Landa/Edwards) and 94'-95' 10-16(Bayno). We played in the Big West so the level of competition was about equal with the MWC today. Bayno was left with at least a few seasoned guards(Reggie Manuel, Sunshine Smith, and Damian Smith) and a very capable player in Clayton Johnson. MM was left with a player who didn't log any minutes(Green), a young shooting guard forced to play point(Poyser), and a talented but hugely underachieving forward(DM). The blowout losses are discouraging but if MM can keep the team from falling apart and build on for next year I think we'll be in good shape to rebound. If the players start treating him with indifference like the team did last year with Coach Rice we're in big trouble.

I don't know how you define falling apart. We are on a 4 game losing skid. Have lost 9 of last 12. Throw out the ultra-sweet creampuffy November where UNLV went 5-2 and they are 5-12. And that's in a conference that's the worst it's ever been.

I mean, it can get worse here on out, but I don't know what would be considered falling apart at this point.

Whatever his plan is, he needs to stick to his guns though.

 

[UNLVAlumni]

I have been told we are grandfathered in so as long as we keep paying our RAF fee we're good. It's tough though let me tell you. We pay over $3 K a year. I have considered actually moving to the corners to reduce the $ but it's tough to pull the trigger on it. We sit center court and down very low. Moved my seats from the corners in Krugers first year. I think then the total price for two seats was only $1800.

 

[YellowSpinE]

I have been told we are grandfathered in so as long as we keep paying our RAF fee we're good. It's tough though let me tell you. We pay over $3 K a year. I have considered actually moving to the corners to reduce the $ but it's tough to pull the trigger on it. We sit center court and down very low. Moved my seats from the corners in Krugers first year. I think then the total price for two seats was only $1800.

$3k for.... 15 games? maybe 20? for 2 seats... about $75-100 per game then per? ..... just thinking math. Seems 4-5 years ago when I was in Vegas frequently I was able to get seats around $35 a seat. Granted I was wherever and it was just me so easy to grab a single seat. But I always had good seats in the lower bowl. And lower usually packed back then. Anyway, that just seems like a lot of money. Thought the goal for season tickets was to save $$ per seat over the course of the season. Guess it's seat placement though in college? (shrug). Or UNLV way overpriced.

 

[YellowSpinE]

Ok, so maybe I'm smoking something. Just looked at tickets for SJSU. Honestly I don't remember them being that expensive 5 years ago. Guess $100 a ticket for center lower bowl about what they running then. Bit hard to swallow. Even upper portion of the lower bowl are $60-90.

 

[j. spilotro]

Ok, so maybe I'm smoking something. Just looked at tickets for SJSU. Honestly I don't remember them being that expensive 5 years ago. Guess $100 a ticket for center lower bowl about what they running then. Bit hard to swallow. Even upper portion of the lower bowl are $60-90.

Walk out front, go to what used to be known as a scalper - buy those lower centers for less than 20.

 

[Rebel1986]

As long as they allow coaches in college basketball and football to make millions, they will need to find the money from somewhere to pay the bills. Now the next step seems to be that college athletes think they should get extra money on top of a full ride for all the money they bring into athletic programs (the next step is that they want part of the profits - wonder if they are willing to also take part of the debt). Funny, considering almost every athletic department is heavily subsidized with taxes, donations, and inflated ticket prices by alumni and boosters willing to help the school out, that is why tickets cost so much. The coaches and student athletes ultimately are going to kill the golden goose that provides a free education to many students who may never even have been able to go to college without athletics.

On the other side are a large number of students who borrow money, hold down full time jobs, and don't have any extra spending money after they get home at midnight from their jobs.

 

[GiantKiller0]

My stance has always been that I will reserve any judgment on Menzies, his staff and the team until after this season, and really next season, is over.

If you look at the process from when CDR was fired through the eventual hiring of Menzies, its clear that this team never had a chance. I thought the absolute ceiling on this team this year was 14-15 wins. We're (likely) not going to get there. Maybe if Morgan had stayed healthy, we'd have a few more wins... who knows.

Menzies had to throw this roster together at the last minute. There was very little opportunity for building any continuity and he obviously had to reach on a few players that probably would never have sniffed a UNLV uniform if Menzies didn't inherit a roster with 3 guys on it. The roster is just flawed and Menzies has no chance to realistically address any of it... he had to worry about getting enough guys to put on the floor.

That being said, there are some pieces for Menzies to build on. Mooring has turned out better than I think any of us thought he could/would. Dembele looks like he could be a real force inside, even as early as next year. I really like what Zion brings to the floor, and I still for the life of me can't figure out why Baxter doesn't see the floor more because he looks like he might have more potential than anyone on the team. I don't know what happened to Poyser; almost seems like he has checked out.

I really hope Menzies has a plan that is going to work out and turn this program around. I wasn't a fan of the hire when it happened, and I still don't know how much faith I really have that he will turn it around. That being said, I will continue to renew my season, I will continue to go to games and I will continue to support the team because the players and coaches that still chose to come here with the program in shambles and TKM running us into the ground deserve that much.

 

[Rod_the_Rebel]

When the initial canning of Dave Rice was going on mixed with Cronin and BIRD, it was briefly mentioned by disgruntled twitter fans how those few months of chaos combined with the raw talent of our team going to waste (at least 3 NBA players on that team) could have been a great 30 for 30 episode. Anyone remember seeing those tweets surface for a brief time? As I think back on it, they may actually have a case....thoughts?