"UNLV could be dangerous, or maybe not, come conference tourney time"

[BleedRebelRed90]

Interesting article that ran in today's Fresno Bee.

An excerpt:

"The average margin in those losses is just 3.7 points, which has to
aggravate to no end. The only Mountain West teams that suffered their
defeats by a smaller margin than UNLV's 3.7 had just three losses. New
Mexico in 2014 lost by three, one and three points; Utah in 2003 lost by
two, seven and one.


The smallest average margin for a team in their conference losses:
• 2.3: New Mexico in 2014, three losses by seven points
• 3.3: Utah in 2003, three losses by 10 points
• 3.7: UNLV in 2015, seven losses by 26 points (ongoing)
• 4.8: New Mexico in 2009, four losses by 19 points
• 4.8: Utah in 2002, four losses by 19 points"

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/17/4383643/mountain-west-review-unlv-could.html#storylink=cpy

UNLV could be dangerous

 

[GucciBro]

Great post.

 

[Rebel Swagger]

Good article. The link didn't work for me, I think because it had a "v" at the end of "html", so I'm putting the link below which hopefully works..

http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/17/4383643_mountain-west-review-unlv-could.html?rh=1

 

[the Florian Trout]

it's so irritating that Vaughn got hurt because without a doubt, we would be a team that no one would want to face.

 

[Masked_rebel]

thats the frustrating part..We were finally starting to put it together as too who should be doing what offensively.. Yes Defense was still a work in progress but Vaughn outside and Wood inside was killing teams...

 

[GoRebs!]

This team has very little chance to win the MWC, with or without Vaughn . Even with Vaughn, it was unlikely UNLV woul finish in the Top 6. So, this means having to win 4 games in 4 days. Even if they did finish in the top 6, it means having to win 3 games in 3 days. Also, look at the history for UNLV in the MWC Tournament under Rice. And, look at the record for New Mexico in the Thomas & Mack over the past 4 seasons.

Injuries are part of basketball. Boise State lost one of, if not their best player due to injury after 7 games. Anthony Drmic, a Senior was was 2nd team MWC each of the previous 2 seasons. Was averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds at the time he got injured. Has scored 1,528 points. Even with this loss, Boise is 18-7/8-4, 3rd in the MWC, and clinging to life as a "bubble team" for the NCAA Tournament.

Larry Nance, Jr has missed 4 straight games for Wyoming. The Cowboys are 2-2 in that stretch. Wyoming beat UNLV when both Vaughn and Nance were healthy.


Boise State's 2nd and 3rd leading scorers among the active players are each Sophomore's. James Webb III is 3rd in scoring(2nd among active players) at 11.0 per game, and leads team in rebounding 7.4 .... Nick Duncan, another soph averages 9.3ppg and 3.1 rebounds..he is also 2nd on the team in 3pt shots made at 51.. Two of their top 5 players are SOPH's, so it's not like this is a senior laden team. Their 3rd best player , Mikey Thompson is a Junior from Las Vegas.

As far as UNLV having been showing signs of life, they won 3 in a row... Utah State(14-10/7-5 was a nice win). The other 2 wins were @ Nevada(8-17/4-9) and home against Air Force(12-13/5-9). Not exactly marquee wins.... And, with or without Vaughn, nobody is going to convince me UNLV is not vastly superior to Air Force in terms of talent and athleticism.

I find it hard to believe SDSU or New Mexico is afraid of playing UNLV in the MWC Tournament, especially given the success these teams have had in the MWC Tournament, and the success New Mexico has had at T&M no matter who they play.

This post was edited on 2/18 12:24 PM by GoRebs!

 

[LetsRun]

Don't think teams are Scared to play UNLV but, do realize UNLV has the talent to beat them if they put it together. No doubt UNLV has the talent to win any of the MWC teams. Lacking experience and discipline.

 

[the Florian Trout]

what has happened in other seasons doesn't mean jack.

UNLV with Vaughn was getting much better. regardless of what you think, any of the top 4 teams would rather play against Utah St or Fresno instead of UNLV (before Vaughn injury).

 

[GoRebs!]

What happened in other seasons matters, because there is one thing the same. DAVE RICE as Head Coach. Notice that I only mentioned UNLV's performance under Rice, and New Mexico's success at T&M the past 4 years. And, that includes their win over UNLV this year at T&M.

Yes, this team has talent. But, that talent is not playing consistently, and against MWC teams they find ways to lose close games rather than win. I see know reason to believe UNLV will be a threat in the MWC Tournament even if Vaugh returns.

I HOPE I'M WRONG. But, I doubt I will be, as Rice has not given any reason to believe he can mold this team into an NCAA Tournament team or an MWC Champion.

 

[Masked_rebel]

... and Boom goes the Dave Rice haters.....

 

[karaoke_jesus]

Originally posted by Masked_rebel:
... and Boom goes the Dave Rice haters.....

Right on cue

 

[GoRebs!]

What has Dave Rice done in his 4 years to show he can be successful at UNLV?

He said he was going to bring back the running style and also the trapping, pressure defense. That it was going to be like the Tark era. This is nothing close to Tark era, and the team rarely runs and rarely traps. Now, I'd imagine the response is going to be about lack of depth. To me, that falls on Rice, as it means he has not recruited enough kids that can play an up temp style of play.

UNLV won 26 games in year 1, when all but 1 of the best players were holdovers from the Lon Kruger days
UNLV won 25 games in year 2 .... In each of these seasons, UNLV fails to win the MWC regular season title or MWC Tournament... In both of these seasons, UNLV was 1 and done in the NCAA Tournament. Each of those seasons, UNLV was the higher seeded team.

Last year, UNLV finished 20-13/10-8, and did not even get an invitation to play in the NIT.

Right now, UNLV is 14-11/5-7 and in 8th place in the MWC.

Each year, the record get's worse. Each year, we get excuses about the team being young and all the new players.

The best UNLV has done in the MWC is 3rd place,

The record against New Mexico is 3-6
The record against SDSU is 2-7
The record against CSU is 3-4
That is a combined 8-17 against the 4 best programs in the MWC, and 5-13 against the 3 highest profile programs in the MWC.
4-3 against Boise, but only 2-3 the past 3+ seasons since Boise has drastically improved their program, from their 13-17/3-11 last place finish in 2011-12

The past 2 seasons the record against UNR is 1-3, overall under Rice 4-3 against Reno

Basketball is the marquee sport at UNLV. I'm originally from Youngstown, OH, but have lived in Las Vegas for 3 years now. I used to watch The Runnin Rebels on TV back in Ohio in the 80's. I would not have even known there was a college in Las Vegas if not for UNLV basketball. Every time UNLV was on TV, I cheered for them to win. I loved Tark. I loved the way the teams played, the atmosphere at T&M, the stuffed animal sharks, the Jaws music, the towel, the empty chair next to Tark, the amoeba defense. And even games I remember watching from the Convo Center had a great atmosphere.

UNLV is 15-15 the past 2 seasons in the MWC and 34-24 overall. How is that acceptable? How would a second consecutive season without going to the NCAA Tournament be acceptable. Wait, forget the NCAA Tournament, UNLV may not even get an invitation to the NIT for a 2nd year in a row. How is 8-17 in 3+ years against New Mexico, SDSU and CSU acceptable?

 

[the Florian Trout]

Originally posted by GoRebs!:
What happened in other seasons matters, because there is one thing the same. DAVE RICE as Head Coach.

touche'

 

[Runnin_Reb222]

I really liked this article and I felt the same way before RV got hurt. We were definitely getting better down the stretch. The Arizona win was so interesting, because it was more than just an ace up our sleeve that would have helped us get into the tournament if we were better this year. It was a head trip. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It gave us credibility despite our lackluster record, and I think it kind of "shook" teams knowing that we have a lot of talent (now and in the future) but just need to put everything together. In fact, I don't think we used that psychological edge enough against our opponents. The truth is the Rebels played up or down to their opponents all throughout the season. We needed OT to squeak by Portland at home but we can lead KU at the half in Allen Fieldhouse? It's like mind-numbingly crazy.

Obviously, I feel less optimistic now that RV is injured. However, I was thinking about Chris Wood and his ability to have a great conference tournament and finish the season out strong. My philosophy on CW is that... there isn't any situation I would rather be in if I was in that kid's shoes. It's awesome when you are a player on NBA mock drafts that fluctuate like stocks because that would be the best kind of motivation. It would make me want to beast out and play so hard. I would love seeing that getting 30 points and 20 rebounds in a crucial game moves me up from the 15th pick to the 11th pick in a mock draft. It's like boom, you just made an extra 500K a year by moving up a couple spots because you played harder. I hope CW will bring that type of tenacity when the MW tournament starts. It's a long shot to win 4 games in a row, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to root for that to happen.

 

[tarkaniancourt...nm]

If we can win some games we won't have to play 4.

 

[rebelluver]

I see us finishing up 2-2 so we would need Frenso St to fold.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[tarkaniancourt...nm]

You might be right. Big game at Utah State.

This conference sucks, so if we can get 3 days we'll have a chance.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

Does anyone know what the tiebreaker is? Due to MWC uneven scheduling we only face Fresno once this year, which UNLV won.

Fresno's remaining schedule include tough road games at Wyoming and Boise State, along with two softer opponents at home, UNM and Air Force.

UNLV has Wyoming and SDSU at home, along with road trips to Utah State and San Jose State.

 

[GoRebs!]

Fresno beating Wyoming tonight combined with UNLV losing at Utah State last night has made getting the 6 seed more difficult.

Each team has 3 games left.... Fresno is 8-7 and UNLV 6-9.... I am not certain, but imagine UNLV would get the #6 seed if the teams finished tied, as they played once with UNLV winning.

Fresno State remaining games:
Sat - NEW MEXICO (6-10/14-14)
March 4th - AIR FORCE (6-10/13-14)
March 7th - @ Boise State (11-4/21-7)

At worst Fresno likely goes 1-2.... but, with the way New Mexico has been playing, not hard to see Fresno winning both home games then losing at Boise

UNLV remaining games:
Sat - WYOMING (10-5/21-7)
March 4th - SDSU (12-3/22-6)
March 7th - @ San Jose State (0-15/2-25)

Ought to win at SJSU. ...Wyoming has Nance back, but lost tonight at Fresno. Not sure what this means for Saturday? ... Hard to see a win against SDSU.... I see best case for UNLV as 2-1 the last 3 games to finish 8-10. That would mean 1 win in the last 3 games by Fresno, and they finish as the 6 seed.

 

[YellowSpinE]

Unfortunately it is very possible could get swept the remaining games.

Going to go watch UFC Saturday, blood pressure can't handle much more UNLV games

.

 

[vegasgolds]

Originally posted by YellowSpinE:
Unfortunately it is very possible could get swept the remaining games.

Going to go watch UFC Saturday, blood pressure can't handle much more UNLV games

.

If UNLV loses to San Jose State the last game of the season, I think Dave should just walk away.... cause either way, UNLV and him will be parting ways!

 

[unlv91]

Source?

 

[RebelScrub]

Originally posted by the Florian Trout:
it's so irritating that Walker got hurt because without a doubt, we would be a team that no one would want to face.

Fixed

 

[GoRebs!]

Fresno State won on Saturday, so the worst they can finish is 9-9 and best UNLV can finish is 9-9

1 win in final 2 games for Fresno, or 1 loss for UNLV, and Fresno earns the 6 seed. If UNLV wants the 6 seed, they need to beat both SDSU and SJSU, and hope Fresno looses their final 2 games.

And, all that will do is enable UNLV to be face with winning 3 games in 3 days, at least 2 in which they would likely be the lower seed instead of 4 games in 4 days.

Also, looks as if Boise State has put themselves in good position for an at-large bid after winning at SDSU. Still 2 regular season games left plus the MWC Tourney, but it's looking like the MWC will get at least 3 teams in the NCAA Tournament, and possibly a 4th if a team other than SDSU, CSU or Boise wins the MWC Tournament. Not bad for a year in which the MWC is down top-to-bottom, and 2 of the typically better teams, UNLV and New Mexico are below .500 in the MWC, and New Mexico is now sub .500 overall.

 

[sandracer250]

4 teams will never happen. If someone else won the tourney they would bump either csu or Boise especially if one of those two lost their first game.

 

[GoRebs!]

I agree 4 is a stretch, but trying to be positive. And, I think 3 teams making the tournament is very realistic. For this being a down year in the conference, 3 teams in the tournament would not be bad. Alot of the non top 6 conferences (power 5 football + Big East) would like to get 3 teams into the Tournament in a "down year"