UNLV Rebels guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (11) puts a up shot against Utah State Aggies forward Kalifa Sakho (34) as time runs out in the second half of a NCAA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 | 2 a.m.
- What:
UNLV vs. Fresno State - When:
Tuesday, 8 p.m. - Where:
Thomas and Mack Center - TV:
FS1 - Radio:
1100AM, 100.9FM
Getting on a roll has been difficult for UNLV this season. The Scarlet and Gray’s longest winning streak (over Division-I opponents) is just two games, and that happened way back on Nov. 11 and Nov. 17 when they beat Stetson and Pepperdine.
Since then, UNLV’s only consecutive victories came by beating Hofstra (Dec. 21), Carroll College (Dec. 31) and Bethesda (Jan. 2), and the latter two aren’t even DI squads.
Can Kevin Kruger finally get his team to string something together? After downing San Jose State on Saturday, UNLV hosts Fresno State on Tuesday (8 p.m., FS1) in its quest for a bona fide win streak.
Three keys to watch:
The new streak
UNLV is well known for its 3-pointer streak, as the team has at least one made triple in all 1,212 games it has played since the introduction of the 3-point line. That’s the longest such streak in the country. But the Scarlet and Gray are currently riding an even more improbable stretch of hot shooting.
UNLV closed out its win at San Jose State by making its final 14 field-goal attempts, a run the likes of which Kruger said he couldn’t remember seeing.
How long can they keep it going? Fans may expect their favorite team to make every shot, but after practice on Monday, Kruger seemed resigned to the fact that UNLV will miss one, eventually.
When asked how long he thinks the streak can go, Kruger was realistic.
“Law of averages usually wins out,” Kruger said with a laugh, “so we’ll see.”
Experiment in progress
With injuries pruning UNLV’s roster to the bones, Kruger has been thrust into the position of having to come up with new lineups and a new rotation at a relatively late point in the season.
At San Jose State, Kruger was forced to start a lineup of five players who had only logged 26 seconds of court time together all season. That quintet didn’t do so well, as SJSU outscored them, 25-16, in 13 minutes, but there were bright spots.
An unlikely lineup of Jackie Johnson, Brooklyn Hicks, Luis Rodriguez, Rob Whaley and Keylan Boone outscored SJSU, 17-9, in seven minutes. And that same grouping with Isaiah Cottrell subbed in for Whaley was even more effective, outscoring the Spartans 13-4 in just three minutes. Hicks finished with a plus/minus of +19 in his 18 minutes off the bench.
Now, those are small sample sizes, so don’t expect Kruger to start leaning on lineups that don’t include D.J. Thomas. But it shows that, with some experimentation, Kruger can find ways to make the roster work.
King of the Hill
Fresno State swept UNLV last year, and point guard Isaiah Hill was a driving force. He scored 28 and 22 points in the two matchups while shooting 15-of-25 from the field. In short, UNLV had no one who could stay with him on defense.
That assignment will likely fall to Thomas on Tuesday. The freshman will not only have to hold up against Hill in man-to-man situations, but he’ll have to navigate screens and play good team defense, lest UNLV get destroyed by Hill for the third time.
Thomas said he’s looking forward to the matchup.
“I watched the game last year. He can play,” Thomas said. “He’s quick, shifty, he controls the pace of the game, he leads his team. So I’m excited to go against him.”
Who: UNLV (10-9, 3-4 MWC) vs. Fresno State (9-11, 2-5 MWC)
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: FS1
Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM
UNLV leaders
Scoring
Kalib Boone: 12.6 points
Rebounds
Luis Rodriguez: 7.1 rebounds
Assists
D.J. Thomas: 6.3 assists
Fresno State leaders
Scoring
Isaiah Hill: 12.5 points
Rebounds
Enoch Boakye: 8.2 rebounds
Assists
Isaiah Hill: 6.1 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
