UNLV Rebels guard Bryce Hamilton (13) shoots during a game against the Utah State Aggies at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.
Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 | 2 a.m.
The hobbled version of Bryce Hamilton who took the floor in UNLV’s 83-74 loss to Utah State on Wednesday wasn’t the same guy who scored 20.9 points in conference games last year and earned a spot on the preseason All-Mountain West first team. That much was obvious.
And if that loss demonstrated anything, it’s that UNLV needs the real Hamilton to return to full strength in order to compete with the conference’s top teams, but that might not happen in time for the upcoming series at UNR.
Hamilton, who is battling an ankle sprain, is questionable for Sunday’s game at UNR, according to the team. If he’s unable to go it would put UNLV in a very precarious position considering the way the offense has underperformed to this point in the season.
Hamilton injured his ankle late in UNLV’s win over New Mexico on Jan. 18 and had to sit out the following contest against Benedictine Mesa on Jan. 21. He returned for the first game against Utah State on Jan. 25 and appeared to be limited by the injury; though he logged 35 minutes and scored 14 points, he managed to make just 4-of-16 shots from the field.
His level of play deteriorated in the return game against Utah State, as he shot 1-of-12 from the field and tallied a season-low two points. Hamilton, whose game is built around slashing into the paint and rising up for short jumpers, only attempted two shots from inside the paint, and none from within the restricted area.
After that game, Otzelberger was convinced that the ankle was the source of Hamilton’s struggles.
“I’d like to think when Bryce is at his best, [Wednesday] was a very uncharacteristic game, so I think his ankle was certainly a major factor,” Otzelberger said. “That wasn’t Bryce. When he’s 100 percent that’s not how it looks; that’s not how he cuts and how he moves.”
UNLV could really use “the real Bryce” against UNR on Sunday. The scarlet and gray currently rank No. 181 nationally in points per possession and No. 102 in KenPom.com’s adjusted offense. Hamilton was averaging 20.3 points per game before the injury.
Junior guard David Jenkins picked up some of the offensive slack on Wednesday as he scored a season-high 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting, so look for him to step into an expanded role if Hamilton can’t play against UNR.
This series could go a long way toward determining UNLV’s final spot in the league standings; the scarlet and gray enter with a 6-7 overall mark and a 3-3 record in the Mountain West; UNR is 10-7 overall and 5-5 in the MWC.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
