Month: January 2014

by Jake Runyon

Remember how against Utah State, our perimeter defense was really good. Utah State is the best 3-point shooting team in the MWC, and we locked them down to just 2/17 from beyond the arc?

Yeah.

The Fresno State game was a lot different.

UNLV was able to stave off a feisty Fresno State team to walk away with a 75-73 OT win.

The bulldogs got off to hot start from deep and went into halftime with a 6 point lead.

UNLV played more assertively in the second half, and were able to takeover, but those dang Bulldogs just wouldn’t go away. Sometime after Alex Davis’ hundredth tenth offensive rebound, the game went into OT.

Now I love Bryce Dejean Jones, but he wasn’t on his game tonight. I blame it on the staples in his head.

 

(Photo Credit: Steve Guiremand)

He couldn’t get anything going all night. After a 3 point attempt that failed to even hit rim on a wide-open 3, I think just about everyone had given up on him.

Then, redemption occurred.

Down 72-70, Bryce knocked down a deep 3 to give UNLV the lead for good, and just like that, he became the hero.

With a 74-72 lead, Khem Kong lept up  from the Empire State Building and swatted a plane from the sky swatted a Cesar Guerrero layup attempt to seal the game.

(Photo Credit: The Rebellion)

UNLV picked up the sweep against Fresno State this year and moved to 13-7 (4-3).

Notes:

-Deville Smith is half man, half animal. A manimal.
-Khem Birch showed no mercy. He finished the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
-UNLV only committed  6 turnovers in 45 minutes of basketball.
-Tyler Johnson tried to take the title of worst/best dunk title away from Adam Waddell, but nothing will ever beat this:

by Jake Runyon

1. San Diego State: They are the best team in the conference and a top ten team in the country. Every time they win, a part of my soul dies. Steve Fisher has to suck out the soul of UNLV fans to stay alive. Steve Fisher is a dementor.

2. New Mexico: Three road games, three wins. That is a recipe for success in conference play. UNLV exposed some weaknesses, but the Lobos have the most experience of all the teams in the conference. Also, I am putting out an APB for last year’s MWC POY, Kendall Williams. Where you at?

3. Boise State: One and two is easy. It starts getting dicey from here on out. I put the Broncos here because of Derrick Marks and Anthony Drmic. By the way, anyone else think that Anthony Drmic looks like a member of boy band?

4. UNR: Who are these guys? They lose Cal State Bakersfield, but then smashed UNLV in vegas? And does anyone else feel like Deonte Burton has been at UNR for like 6 years now?

5. UNLV: The Runnin Rebels are at crossroads again. They can roll over and die, and let the calendar slip into February and March, or they can go down swinging.
Are we sure that Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins don’t have another year of eligibility?

6. Colorado State: People are not talking about how good a job Larry Eustachy has done. They lost nearly all their production from last season but they still are a very competitive team. I honestly thought CSU would be one of the worst teams in the conference this year. Easy on the diet pepsi though, Larry.

http://youtu.be/g1oLfqTnDWc

7. Utah State: The jury is still out with Utah State. Until I see them against UNM or SDSU, I am playing it safe and putting them in the middle of the pack. Also, I think everybody has a family member that looks like Stew Morrill (See below).

(Photo Credit: LA Times)

8. Air Force: Ugh. The Falcons. Nobody looks at their schedule and says “Oh sweet! We got Air Force tonight.” because everybody knows that Air Force are a bunch of nerds who play smart, play physical, and love ‘Merica.

9. Wyoming: There is not a team that I know less about than Wyoming. All I know is that no team has a worse name for their venue. Arena-Auditorium? Really, there aren’t any businesses that want to buy the naming rights?

10. Fresno State: Someday the Bulldogs will be relevant in hoops. This year is not that year.

11. San Jose State: I am throwing this idea out there: Rashad Muhammedcould have a longer NBA career than his older brother.

 

by Jake Runyon

NOTE: After big games, I like to give out grades for UNLV. These are my opinions, and I love all the players as if they were in my own family (THAT MEANS I’LL DEFEND ALL OF THEM WITH MY LIFE!) Also note that I am not an expert. My basketball experience is limited to the occasional game of church ball, where I am usually the Brian Scalabrine of the team.

Roscoe Smith, B: Roscoe was the only rebel capable of knocking down shots early on in the first half. He also recorded his 12th double-double of the season. I wish I could have seen the ball in his hands more.

Khem Birch, B-: Another SDSU game, another game with 5 blocks. Khem made a huge impact on the defensive end. Couldn’t get much going on offense. Everytime he got the ball down low, SDSU would double him. He got into a little foul trouble that kept him off the floor midway in the 2nd half.

Deville Smith, C-: He made some big shots in the second half, but he missed a few shots that were gimmes. He did a good job defending the much bigger guards of SDSU.

Kevin Olekaibe, Incomplete: Simply put, KO was invisible out there on the floor. Credit that to the SDSU defense that never let KO find space. He just didn’t do enough to warrant discussion.

Bryce Dejean-Jones: C: BDJ left it all out on the floor. I don’t think a player for either team worked harder than Bryce. In fact, sometimes Bryce was going too hard. There were moments when it felt like Bryce was about to snatch the game back from SDSU, but the Aztec’s would stop the bleeding, and extend the lead again.

Carlos Lopez-Sosa, D-: Carlos only got two minutes to work with, and unfortunately for him, they two ugly minutes. 3 fouls. But I still carry the flag in the Carlos fan club!

Christian Wood, C+: Every time Khem came off the floor I worried. But Christian did a pretty good job as a reserve. I don’t think his stat-line really indicates his impact. Can’t wait to see Christian Wood’s career. He has such a high ceiling.

Jelan Kendrick, C-: Jelan has always had a very understated game. To appreciate how good a player he is, you have to actually look for it, because it doesn’t jump out at you. He didn’t shoot well tonight, no way around that, but I felt comfortable with him on the floor.

Coaching Staff, B-:  I felt the team was well prepared. I liked the way we approached things offensively, we just missed too many shots. What was good? Defense, gameplan, composure. What was bad? Poor adjustments for Josh Davis.

by Jake Runyon

I had predicted a UNLV victory. I was wrong. Very wrong. I ain’t mad though. Someone left the AC on in UNLV’s locker room, and the Rebels came out cold to start the game. UNLV could not overcome going 21/70 from the field (2/18 from beyond the arc) and dropped to 11-7 (2-3) with a 63-52.

The game was essentially won when SDSU broke open a 9-9 tie with 19-2 run midway through the first half. Even though UNLV improved throughout the game, the margin was just too much to overcome against the nations #1 defense.

Josh Davis led the Aztec’s with 14 points, and 14 rebounds (6 offensive). He clearly was causing headaches all day for UNLV down low. This caught me off guard. It was the first time all year that anybody had been able to push Roscoe and Khem around.

(Photo Credit: Kent C. Horner/Getty Images)

Deville Smith and Bryce Dejean Jones had their moments, but a combined 12/44 won’t get the job done. Ever.

(Photo Credit: Kent C. Horner/Getty Images)

Next up for UNLV is the return of former rival, Utah State, January 22nd at the Thomas and Mack Center.

 

(Photo cred: my smokin hot wife)

 What you smiling about Dave?

(Photo Cred: talkaboutvegas.com)