The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels gather for a quick huddle during their game against Utah State at the Thomas & Mack Center Monday Jan. 25, 2021. UNLV beat Utah State 59 to 56.
Published Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 | 10:56 a.m.
Updated 9 minutes ago
UNLV leading scorer Bryce Hamilton is back in uniform after sitting out the last two games due to an ankle injury, so T.J. Otzelberger had to make room for him in the starting lineup. He did it by moving junior guard David Jenkins to the bench, just days after criticizing Jenkins’ defense following a loss at UNR on Tuesday.
Expect Jenkins to see significant playing time in a sixth-man role, and expect him to have the green light to fire away when he enters the game. Coming into today, Jenkins is UNLV’s top 3-point shooter in both accuracy (42.0 percent) and volume (6.7 attempts, 2.8 makes per game).
The reconfigured starting lineup featured Hamilton and freshman Nick Blake in a three-guard backcourt with sophomore Caleb Grill. Moses Wood and Mbacke Diong started at forward and center, respectively. That group got off to a shaky start, allowing three wide-open 3-pointers by Air Force, but Hamilton has two early assists. Jenkins checked before the first media timeout; he has yet to attempt a shot but just drew a foul on a drive from the corner.
Air Force is 4-of-7 from 3-point range overall and has an early 12-6 lead.
Three keys for UNLV vs. Air Force
Coming off a disheartening sweep in Reno, the scarlet and gray return home to for what they hope are a couple of get-well games against Air Force, starting with Saturday’s afternoon contest (1 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
Three keys to watch as UNLV (6-9, 3-5 Mountain West) looks to get back in the win column:
Defend as a team
Junior guard David Jenkins took most of the flak for UNLV’s defensive issues against UNR on Tuesday, but the epic collapse — and that’s what it was — was a team-wide failure.
Two home games against Air Force should provide a chance to get the team defense back on the same page. The Falcons are a slow, deliberate offense, possessing the fourth-lowest adjusted tempo according to KenPom.com, and most of their efforts are focused on working the ball inside. That means UNLV will have to play focused defense for upwards of 30 seconds on every possession, but if T.J. Otzelberger can get Jenkins and his teammates to buy in on the defensive end, they should be able to stifle Air Force.
Rebound against bigs
One reason UNLV was able to win with small lineups last year was because they still rebounded well, despite their size disadvantage. This year’s squad is still figuring out how to do that; they got smashed on the boards in both games at UNR, giving up offensive rebounds and putbacks in key moments.
That shouldn’t be an issue against Air Force, which ranks 345th out of 347 Division I teams in rebounding percentage. When it comes to offensive rebounding, the Falcons are dead last (13.2 percent rebounding rate). UNLV should be able to go small with impunity and dictate the pace of play without worrying about getting beat by second-chance points.
Hamilton’s status
Leading scorer Bryce Hamilton is once again expected to be a game-time decision. His sprained ankle kept him out of both games at UNR, and quite frankly, UNLV should be able to take care of Air Force without him, so it might not make a lot of sense to bring him back for this series unless he is absolutely 100 percent recovered.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
