UNLV Rebels forward Rob Whaley Jr. (5) celebrates after making a basket and drawing a foul against the Southern University Jaguars during the second half of an NCAA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 | 2 a.m.
- What:
UNLV vs. Air Force - When:
Tuesday, 8 p.m. - Where:
Thomas and Mack Center - TV:
CBS Sports Network - Radio:
1100AM, 100.9FM
After splitting last week’s road trip to Boise State and Colorado State — two teams in the top 50 of the NCAA NET rankings — UNLV returns home to host Air Force on Tuesday (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
Though Air Force doesn’t boast a tournament-caliber résumé, Kevin Kruger wants his team to guard against a letdown as they seek to get back to .500 in Mountain West play.
Three keys to watch:
Tempo test
When it comes to playing slow basketball, Air Force does it as well as anyone. The Falcons currently rank No. 358 in KenPom’s adjusted tempo rating, and there are only 362 teams in Division I, so that says a lot.
UNLV is not exactly in a hurry, either — the Scarlet and Gray are No. 301 — but AFA’s extreme pace can present a real challenge, especially for a young point guard like D.J. Thomas.
Now, Thomas has aced just about every test he’s faced this season, so he’ll probably handle the Air Force zone once he gets used to it. But watch out for early kinks as UNLV adjusts.
Rotation rounds out
Kevin Kruger really tightened his lineup usage in Friday’s matchup at Colorado State, sticking to a seven-man rotation for almost the entire contest. Some of that is due to injuries — Jalen Hill is out for the year, and Isaiah Cottrell is battling a foot issue — but some of it is just roles coalescing as the season goes on.
If UNLV can open a comfortable lead against Air Force, it might give Kruger an opportunity to play reserves like Brooklyn Hicks and Shane Nowell for longer stretches, and rest his core rotation players as we approach the dog days of the season.
Schedule ramps down
After opening the Mountain West portion of the schedule with a five-game gauntlet against potential NCAA Tournament teams, the schedule eases up for the Scarlet and Gray over the next two weeks.
After hosting Air Force, they’ll travel to San Jose State, then return home for games against Fresno State and Wyoming. The combined conference record of those teams: 5-15.
If UNLV can run off a 4-0 streak — not an easy task, but not improbable, either — it would put Kruger’s squad at 6-3 in MWC play and likely in the top half of the standings. Not bad for the midway point of the conference season, if they can pull it off.
Who: UNLV (9-8, 2-3 MWC) vs. Air Force (7-10, 0-5 MWC)
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM
UNLV leaders
Scoring
Kalib Boone: 13.3 points
Rebounds
Luis Rodriguez: 7.0 rebounds
Assists
D.J. Thomas: 6.4 assists
Air Force leaders
Scoring
Rytis Petraitis: 17.3 points
Rebounds
Kellan Boylan: 6.4 rebounds
Assists
Rytis Petraitis: 3.3 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
