Tag: UNLV basketball

UNLV Takes Care Of Business At Home in 76-66 Win Over Boise State

Game Recap: UNLV 76, Boise State 66 Amauri Hardy and Bryce Hamilton combine for over half of UNLV’s offense in Wednesday night’s win. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Rebel duo leads UNLV over Boise State in late night win at home. Las Vegas, …

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Game Recap: UNLV 76, Boise State 66

Amauri Hardy and Bryce Hamilton combine for over half of UNLV’s offense in Wednesday night’s win.

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Rebel duo leads UNLV over Boise State in late night win at home. 

Las Vegas, NV–The Runnin’ Rebels played host to the Boise State Broncos in a late Wednesday night game in the Thomas and Mack Center. And in preparation for the Mountain West Conference tournament, they started a home winning streak last night (2 strong) that they hope to continue into next week, with a ten-point win over Boise State.

The Bronco’s struggled to knock down shots early on and found themselves with a twelve point deficit going into the half down 24-34. Senior Justinian Jessup continued his strong shooting from deep and led the team in scoring with 19 points, but even he himself finished the night 5-12 from the field. The rest of the team combined to shoot 5-17 (29.4%) from deep and 15-52 (28.8%) from the field. Even leading scorer Derrick Alston Jr. had a poor night shooting but still finished the night with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Rounding it out was senior RJ Williams got his tenth double-double of the season on Wednesday night as he finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

UNLV looked like a methodical bunch all night, as the ball movement and player cuts were there in abundance from multiple players. Sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton had a great night shooting the ball, going 7-12 from the field and from a little bit of everywhere. And though the Runnin’ Rebels as a whole shot poorly from the free throw line (14-27 for 51.9%) Hamilton was able to convert on 6-10 FTs after effectively driving the lane and getting to the line continuously.

If we were giving out a Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde award to a Mountain West team this season, UNLV would sure be a nominee. They’re back to playing some of their best basketball of the season with a deadly quartet of guards ready to make an impact in the conference tournament. Alongside Hamilton was junior guard Amauri Hardy who scored a team-high 24 points while grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists. The duo created a dangerous scoring attack all night that drew defensive attention while freeing up space for others to score.

Elijah Mitrou-Long contributed 16 points on 1-6 shooting from three but knocked down 7-14 from the field overall. And the last guard of that previously mentioned quartet is Marvin Coleman, who had Nick Blair start in his place on senior night, but managed to chip in five points and grab a team high 11 rebounds in his 29 minutes of play (he’s a 6-2 guard).

When head coach TJ Otzelberger has his guards playing smart basketball by penetrating and distributing the ball, they can win. Don’t let them settle for threes or jump shots because that is not their strength, take last night for example. The team as a whole finished 6-24 (25.0%) from deep and luckily realized early on that they weren’t going to fall and just continued to drive. Like most of the middle of the pack in the Mountain West, UNLV is dangerous.

And it looks like they have found a winning formula with missing starter Donnie Tillman out with what may be a season ending knee injury.

Up Next:

Boise State Broncos:

That’s a regular season wrap for the Broncos. Tonight’s loss was the last regular season game on Boise State’s schedule. For now, Leon Rice and company will take the weekend off, watch some conference match ups and see where they end for tournament seeding come March. 

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels:

Unlike the Broncos the Runnin’ Rebels have one more game on their slate this Saturday as the they head to the Provident Credit Union Event Center to take San Jose State. UNLV should leave with a win, and if they do they would solidify their lead over the Broncos in the final standings.

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Boise State vs. UNLV: Fight For Second Place Continues

Second place and a bye are on the line when the Rebels take on the Broncos.

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Boise State vs. UNLV: Fight For Second Place Continues

Rebels host the Broncos in a key Mountain West game

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UNLV is back after its upset win.

UNLV (15-14, 10-6) host Boise State (19-10, 11-6) in the second to last game of conference play for the Rebels and the last game for the Broncos in conference play as a first-round bye in the Mountain West tournament may be on the line. This is also the first time the Rebels are back on the court after upsetting previously undefeated San Diego State.

The last time these two teams faced off Boise State picked up the win over UNLV (73-66).

A win for Boise tonight would give the Broncos a two-game lead over UNLV and Colorado State in conference wins.

The last time out Boise State shot 42 percent from the three-point line, Derrick Alston Jr’s 29 points. Coach Leon Rice should look to put the ball in Alston and Justinian Jessup’s hands. The wing combo combined for 44 points in their last game against UNLV.

WHERE: Thomas & Mack; Las Vegas, Nevada

WHEN: 11 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

STREAMING: FuboTV – Get a free trial

RADIO: UNLV | Boise State

Coach T.J. Otzelberger’s team should be coming into tonight’s matchup with a huge wave of momentum following their win over conference leader San Diego State. Although the season is winding down, Otzelberger is not afraid to switch up his lineups. The Rebels are going smaller and still tinkering with their starting lineups and the adjustments have the Rebels on a three-game winning streak.

Look for the Runnin Rebels to get Sophomore Bryce Hamilton going early. Hamilton has been one of the Rebel’s best players in conference play.

UNLV’s guard-heavy lineups of Hamilton, Amauri Hardy, Elijah Mitrou-Long, and Marvin Coleman have shown that UNLV may be better when the team is going smaller and pushing the pace.

For both teams making outside shots will be critical. If either team struggles from 3 that may be the determining factor for who wins this matchup.

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2020 Mountain West Basketball Tournament Schedule

Get ready for the Mountain West tournament which gets going one week earlier.

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2020 Mountain West Basketball Tournament Schedule

Mountain West’s tournament is a week earlier.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Change of dates.

The 2020 Mountain West basketball tournament has a new date this year with game starting a week earlier running from March 4 – March 7, a full eight days before Selection Sunday. The reason for the move is due to the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 conference which is a construction trade show.

This is a one-year deal and going forward the final game will be the day before the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed.

So far, the only seed locked down is San Diego State which is the top seed. The rest are up for grabs with just one week left in the regular season. The No. 2 seed is particularly wild with five teams in the mix.

Below is the daily schedule for the Mountain West tournament that will be here in just over a week.

March 4

Game 1: No. 8 seed vs No. 9 seed, 3 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network
Game 2: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed, 5 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network
Game 3: No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 seed, 8 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network

March 5

Quarterfinal 1: No. 1 seed vs. Game 1 winner, 2:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Quarterfinal 2: No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed, 5 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Quarterfinal 3: No. 2 seed vs. Game 2 winner, 9 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Quarterfinal 4: No. 3 seed vs. Game 3 winner, 11:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network

March 6

Semifinal 1: QF1 winner vs. QF2 winner, 9 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Semifinal 2: QF3 winner vs. QF4 winner, 11:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network

March 7

Championship: SF1 winner vs. SF2 winner, 5:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS

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San Diego State Recap: Aztecs run out of gas to UNLV, 66-63

San Diego State fails at home to UNLV, 66-63.

San Diego State Recap: Aztecs lose first regular-season game to UNLV, 63-66

Aztecs lose in an upset to Rebels.

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– Contact/Follow @ErwinSports and @MWCwire.

Well, well, well…

NC State, Duke.

Kansas, Baylor.

BYU, Gonzaga.

UNLV, San Diego State.

Of the AP Top 6, four took losses this week, with the exception of Kansas. Somebody had to lose that Big 12 matchup.

The upsets started this week with N.C. State handing Duke a 22-point loss this week and the upsets ended with a 13-point Gonzaga loss at BYU.

The Aztecs entered the game knowing the fates of the top two teams east of the Colorado River and knew what was at stake at the Marriot Center in Provo, Utah. Brian Dutcher’s team came in with high hopes at running the table for the West bracket.

Unfortunately for the Aztecs, the UNLV Rebels did the running. Despite a 3-point loss on paper, the Aztecs looked sloppy and the Rebels’ Elijah Mitrou-Long off the bench worked wonders. Mitrou-Long shot 5 of 12 and led the Rebels with 19 total points.

The Rebels came out the gate slinging the rock, shooting 6 of 13 from beyond the arc in the first half and shot 57.7% from the field.

Desperation 3-pointers might be burying the lede of what went wrong in the second half for the Aztecs– the Rebels had ample opportunities at the free-throw line. During the Aztecs climb erase a second-half 14-point deficit, the Rebels went 12 of 17 from the charity stripe, while the Aztecs went 6 of 9 in the second half.

The Aztecs were 2 of 12 from the arc and shot 33% in the first half, and ended the game with an FG percentage under 40%.

It just wasn’t their night.

Something else not to ignore, which might trigger deeper analysis from the Aztecs’ staff, is that the bench only scored 4 points. From one player. Aguek Arop. Malachi Flynn led the Aztecs in scoring and recorded 38 minutes, but not getting support from the bench is not optimal for a deep tournament run.

There was bound to be nights where the Aztecs weren’t going to shoot it well. Sometimes the defense would account for the struggles, it just happened on a night that UNLV found some extra adrenaline to upset the 4th ranked team in the country.

When one factors in the Upset-pocalypse at the top, there is a slight possibility a Q3 loss might have dropped them to the two-seed in the West. There just also happens to be enough evidence around that stayed the course for a 1-seed.

We won’t know until the dust settles on Monday or how everything turns out on selection Sunday.

Granted the Quad 3 loss, Brian Dutcher and company can breathe a bit easier and take the edge off. The loss wasn’t in March, and the loss might get them the seed drop they have been secretly pining for.

Based again on the outcomes of the top 5, It depends on how the Aztecs react to the rest of the way. Get hungrier and clean up the next 2 games and go 3-0 in the MW tournament? Or drop another one in before the tournament final?

Only March will tell.

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Utah State Leads The Race for #2 Seed in MW Tournament

The Mountain West title has already been won, but a battle is brewing for 2nd place – and a spot on the other side of the bracket from SDSU.

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Utah State Leads Six Teams Vying for #2 Seed in MW Tourney

Aggies have the inside track, but any slip-ups could cause chaos

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

SDSU has already clinched the top spot, but how will things play out beneath them?

With the Mountain West regular season title already locked up by San Diego State—and with the Aztecs focusing on bigger things, like a potential #1 seed and a chance to cut down the nets in Atlanta—the major storyline in the league has shifted to who will finish in second place.

Currently, there are five teams leading the fight for the Mountain West’s silver medal: Utah State, Colorado State, Nevada, Boise State, and UNLV. The Aggies currently hold a half-game edge over the Rams and Wolf Pack, with the Broncos a full game back. UNLV is in sixth place, but their 8-6 record is only one and half games off Utah State’s pace.

Why is the race for second place so important?

Because with undefeated San Diego State on the other side of the bracket, the teams that finish in second and third will have a few extra games before they have to play the Aztecs. The teams that earn the #4 and #5 seed will face the difficult task of playing an above-average team in their first game and SDSU in the next.

With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, each game holds massive sway over seeding for the Mountain West Tournament. To give you an idea of just how contentious these next few weeks will be, take a look at some of the big matchups remaining on the schedule:

  • 2/18 – Nevada @ New Mexico
  • 2/18 – Colorado State @ UNLV
  • 2/22 – UNLV @ San Diego State
  • 2/23 – New Mexico @ Boise State
  • 2/25 – Colorado State @ San Diego State
  • 2/26 – Boise State @ UNLV
  • 2/29 – San Diego State @ Nevada
  • 2/29 – Utah State @ New Mexico

With so many important games remaining, there are myriad scenarios of how the standings will look on March 1. Here’s a quick investigation into how each team can find their way to second place in the Mountain West.

NEW MEXICO (17-10, 6-8 MW)

Remaining Schedule: 2/18 vs. Nevada, 2/23 @ Boise State, 2/26 @ Air Force, 2/29 vs. Utah State

Yes, that’s right. The Lobos are still in it.

New Mexico is currently in seventh place and below .500 in league play, but they have just enough rope that if everything goes right—and it really is almost everything—they could end up finishing in second place.

Here’s how: Wyoming would need to beat Utah State and Nevada. San Jose State would need to beat Colorado State, Utah State, and UNLV. Air Force would need to beat the Rams in Fort Collins. If all of that happens, and New Mexico takes care of its own business against the Wolf Pack, Broncos, and Falcons, it would set up a spectacular season finale in The Pit.

If the Lobos could win that game, then New Mexico, Utah State, Nevada, Boise State, and Colorado State would all finish with a league record of 10-8. Tiebreaking procedures dictate that the team with the best record against these opponents will receive the highest seed. The Lobos and Aggies would move into a two-way tiebreaker by virtue each having gone 4-2 against these opponents.

The tiebreaker then moves to head-to-head record, which would give New Mexico the advantage—the final game of the season would be the only regular-season meeting of the two teams.

There is virtually no chance that all of that would happen. But the mere fact that it is even still a possibility is amazing, considering how quickly the Lobos have fallen off the map after their 15-3 start to the season.

UNLV (13-14, 8-6 MW)

Remaining Schedule: 2/18 vs. Colorado State, 2/22 @ San Diego State, 2/26 vs. Boise State, 2/29 @ San Jose State

It would still take some major chaos in the Mountain West for the Rebels to finish in second place, but it’s not as far-fetched as New Mexico’s bid. UNLV has plenty of roads into second place—even without a win over San Diego State.

Like New Mexico, the Rebels would really need Utah State to fall apart down the stretch, with the other three teams currently ahead of them stumbling as well. But UNLV could lose to the Aztecs and still finish 11-7. A handful of scenarios could see the Rebels sitting clear of everyone else in the #2 position.

Interestingly, if the Rebels can’t land in the #2 or #3 spot, they may actually have better luck down as the #6 or #7 team. They could stay away from San Diego State and will still have the benefit of playing at home for the Mountain West Tournament.

These scenarios are much, much more likely than the Rebels finishing second. But even more likely is that one of the next four teams will take home the silver. [CONTINUED]

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Free Throws Win It Late For UNLV Over New Mexico, 78-73

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels defeated the New Mexico Lobos 78-73 on Feb. 15, 2020 in Albuquerque New Mexico at Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit.

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Free Throws Win it For UNLV Over New Mexico, 78-73

The sixth and seventh place teams went toe-to-to, but it was the Rebels that saw free throws falling late.

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UNLV completed a sweep of New Mexico.

A balanced UNLV attack saw the Runnin’ Rebels overcome New Mexico late in the second half behind steady free throw shooting. Two Rebels (Bryce Hamilton and Elijah Mitrou-Long) scored 17, and another pair of Rebels (Amauri Hardy and Marvin Coleman) finished with 16. The four players accounted for 66 of UNLV’s 78 points.

For New Mexico, it was Makuach Maluach and Corey Manigault doing most of the scoring with 19 and 17 points respectively.

Unlike the last contest (a blowout win in favor of UNLV), the two teams went toe-to-toe for the duration of the game. In the first half it was New Mexico that came out ahead, largely because of free-throw shooting.

With just 46 seconds remaining, the score was 74-73 and Amauri Hardy missed a short jumper, leaving 27 seconds on the clock. But New Mexico, which took care of the ball reasonably well, turned the ball over with just 18 second left.

An called timeout, an exchange of words between Mitrou-Long and New Mexico’s Zane Martin and a double technical later, the ball stayed in UNLV’s possesion and a subsequent foul with 12 seconds left put Hardy at the line, where he sunk two free throws. A missed three for New Mexico, and the game was all but over.

Both teams were shooting well from three early, but New Mexico couldn’t sink free throws consistently late, going just 5-11 in the last 4:27.

Conversely UNLV hit four of its last six free throws to close out the game, virtually cancelling out the free throws New Mexico made in the closing minutes of the game.

The win maintains conference positioning for both teams, but gives UNLV a greater chance at finishing in a top five position (thereby avoiding a play-in game in the conference tournament) as only 1 game separates sixth place from second place.

UP Next: 

UNLV will host one of the 4 teams currently tied for second place in Colorado State, giving the Rebels an opportunity to rise back up the conference standings.

New Mexico will host Nevada in Steve Alford and Craig Neal’s first return to The Pit since leaving the program. Both games are on Tuesday.

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Nevada Tops Rival UNLV In Overtime

Nevada Tops Rival UNLV In Overtime Wolf Pack top Rebels, 82-79 Contact/Follow @MWCwire UNLV continues to struggle Nevada(16-10, 9-5 MW) faced off with in-state rival UNLV(12-14, 7-6 MW) in a back and forth overtime battle that saw Nevada secure the …

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Nevada Tops Rival UNLV In Overtime

Wolf Pack top Rebels, 82-79

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UNLV continues to struggle

Nevada(16-10, 9-5 MW) faced off with in-state rival UNLV(12-14, 7-6 MW) in a back and forth overtime battle that saw Nevada secure the victory 82-79. The win moves Nevada into a tie for second place in the conference. The loss keeps the Rebels at sixth in the conference.

The Wolf Pack had a great showing from Junior Jalen Harris who put up 29 points. Senior guard Jazz Johnson also provided 19 points. Harris is the leading scorer in the Mountain West and this was another impressive showing for him.

Sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton who is second in the conference in scoring only to Jalen Harris had 23 points for UNLV. Amari Hardy and Jonah Antonio each scored 14 points.

The team that makes the most shots is usually going to win the game. That is the takeaway from this matchup. Coach Otzelberger’s team did not shoot the ball well. The team shot 48 percent from the free throw line (12-25).

It was not just free throws UNLV could not convert on the Rebels only shot 23 percent from 3 (9-39) and that is after the team made three 3’s in the first three minutes of the game. In a game that was decided by three points UNLV left too many points on the board.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well, Nevada did just enough to pull away. Coach Steve Alford’s club only shot 24 percent from 3 compared to UNLV’S 23 percent. The Wolf Pack finished shooting 44.6 percent from the field. The saving grace for the Wolf Pack is that Nevada made more free throws. Nevada made 6 more free throws than UNLV.

In Overtime, UNLV could not convert on free throws. It was Jalen Harris who hit a big shot for Nevada to give the team a 81-79 lead with 1:21 to go in the game. Harris made 1 of his 2 free throws for the Wolf Pack. Elijah Mitrou-Long launched a near half-court shot for the Rebels that sealed win for the Wolf Pack.

Up Next: UNLV is headed to New Mexico on February 15th. New Mexico is coming off of an 82-59 loss to conference leader San Diego State. 

For Nevada they will take the rest of the week off. Their next game back will be New Mexico on February 18th.

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UNLV Squeaks Past Fresno State, 68-67

UNLV Squeaks Past Fresno State, 68-67 A lot of second half points. Contact/Follow @MWCwire UNLV gets a needed MW win UNLV (11-13,7-6 MW) went to battle with Fresno State (8-15, 4-8 MW) in a rematch of both teams’ first conference game way back in …

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UNLV Squeaks Past Fresno State, 68-67

A lot of second half points.

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UNLV gets a needed MW win

UNLV (11-13,7-6 MW) went to battle with Fresno State (8-15, 4-8 MW) in a rematch of both teams’ first conference game way back in December. In that double-overtime thriller UNLV picked up the victory 81-80. 

The Rebels broke their losing streak picking up their 7th conference win of the season. Winning against Fresno State 68-67.

The second time around Fresno State got out to a hot start thanks in part to Orlando Robinson who scored 10 of the bulldogs first 12 points. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-2 lead over the Rebels. UNLV went 1-10 from the field to open the game.

When Coach Otzelberger made a few substitutions that’s when the tide started to turn for the Rebels. Jonah Antonio came off the bench and knocked down a three that got the score to 16-8. Donnie Tillman, Elijah Mitrou-Long, and Vitaliy Shibel also contributed off the bench. UNLV stepped up on the defensive end and held Fresno State scoreless for five minutes and got back into the game.

The first half for both teams was an offensive struggle and ended 23-22 in favor of Fresno State.

The second half saw UNLV continue to be aggressive on defense forcing three turnovers to start the half. The Rebels took the lead early in the half but from there the action was back and forth with 10 lead changes in the half.

Coach T.J. Otzelberger got his first technical foul as the Rebels head coach. The call in question was a charge called on Donnie Tillman. Coach Otzelberger used this moment to voice his frustrations and the crowd seeing his fire got the hometown fans behind the team.

Noah Blackwell hit a three with 54 seconds to go in the game to give the bulldogs a 67-64 lead. The Runnin’ Rebels came right back with Amauri Hardy making a layup at the rim cutting the lead down to one.

After a missed three by New Williams UNLV had a chance to win the game and it was the hometown kid Marvin Williams who made his first basket of the game by banking in a jump shot fading away while driving towards the baseline. That shot gave the Rebels a 68-67 lead with 0.05 left on the clock.

Amauri Hardy led the way for the Rebels with 18 points. Bryce Hamilton was right behind him with 17 of his own.

UP Next: For UNLV their next game is against in-state rival Nevada (15-10) or as they like to call them UNR. Nevada is coming off a win against SJSU 95-77. That game will be held inside the Thomas&Mack Arena.

For Fresno State, their next matchup is against SJSU (7-17). Fresno has a one game lead on SJSU in conference play. That game will take place in San Jose.

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Colorado State Tops UNLV, 95-77

Colorado State Tops UNLV, 95-77 Rebels drop another league game. Contact/Follow @MWCwire CSU cruises to victory. The Colorado State Rams picked up an impressive home 95-77(16-8) victory over UNLV Runnin Rebels, following this win CSU moves into a …

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Colorado State Tops UNLV, 95-77

Rebels drop another league game.

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CSU cruises to victory.

The Colorado State Rams picked up an impressive home 95-77(16-8) victory over UNLV Runnin Rebels, following this win CSU moves into a tie for second place with Boise State. The Rams are now (7-4) in conference play.

Nico Carvacho tallied up 16 points and 11 rebounds. The CSU senior center caused problems for the Rebels. Coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the game “ that Carvacho was hard to guard one on one”. 

It was not just Carvacho that gave Unlv trouble. Freshman guard Isaiah Stevens dropped 21 points shooting 5-of-5 from 3. He only missed one shot from the field finishing the game 7-of-8 from the field.

For UNLV Bryce Hamilton finished with 28 points. Hamilton has been on a roll lately offensively. Donnie Tillman was the only other Rebel in double figures with 15 points 

UNLV now falls to (11-12) 6-4 in the Mountain West this loss makes it three in a row for the Rebels. 

UNLV got off to a slow start only scoring 10 points in the first 8 minutes. The team found a way to get back into the game. The officiating was tight early on and Bryce Hamilton took advantage driving to the hoop.

Combine Hamilton’s aggressiveness with Donnie Tillman knocking down 3-pointers and the Rebels managed to get a 33-25 lead with under four minutes to go in the first half. For the remainder of the half UNLV went 1-of-6 from behind the arc. All those misses coincided with a 16-3 run for the Rams. The Rams finished the half on top 41-36.

In the second half The rams picked up right were the left off before the break, knocking down more 3-pointers. The rams are at their best when they move the ball around.

The team got hot and were almost unstoppable. They finished the game shooting 64 percent from 3. By comparison UNLV shot 15 more 3-pointers than the Rams and still could not out shoot CSU. The Rams got to the line often as well. Coach Medved’s team could do no wrong.

UP NEXT:

The CSU Rams take on the Fresno State Bulldogs in Fresno at the Save Mart Center. Fresno is coming off an impressive win against New Mexico.

For UNLV the Rebels road trip continues as they travel to Logan to take on Utah State. In their last Matchup the Rebels scored an upset victory over the Aggies. 

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UNLV vs Colorado State: Game Preview, Livestream, Odds, & More

The Rams host the Rebels in CSU’s annual Orange Out game. Which team can get a firmer grasp on second place in the Mountain West?

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UNLV vs Colorado State: Game Preview, Livestream, Odds, & More

The Rams host the Rebels in the annual Orange Out

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

With second place up for grabs, who can grab the momentum?

WHO: UNLV Rebels (11-11, 6-3 Mountain West) vs. CSU Rams (15-8, 6-4 Mountain West)

WHEN: Saturday, February 1 — 2:00 PM MT/1:00 PM PT

WHERE: Moby Arena; Fort Collins, Colorado (8,083)

Livestream: ESPN3

SERIES RECORD: UNLV leads the series 40-16

ODDS: Rams -6.5 per VegasInsider.com

The Colorado State Rams host the UNLV Rebels in the Rams annual Orange Out game that celebrates the history of CSU with throwback pumpkin and alfalfa colored uniforms. This will be the third Orange Out matchup between the Rebels and Rams. The teams have split the previous two games.

The fabulous freshman are leading this Rams team this season. Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy have been the big contributors, but Dischon Thomas and John Tonje have each played their part. Roddy has really stepped into his starting role and Stevens is coming off a buzzer beater shot to beat Nevada.

Don’t forget about the seniors. While they’ve stayed in the shadows of the freshman at times, they can be just as dangerous. Hyron Edwards is a tenacious defender. Kris Martin can hurt you from deep. And Nico Carvacho will punish you on the boards.

The UNLV Rebels were called the biggest overachievers in the Mountain West this season by ESPN. They were predicted to finish ninth in the conference. Yet, new coach T.J. Otzelberger has this team competing at a high level after a slow start. They even took San Diego State to the limit, only losing by four points in the Rebels last game.

The Rebels are led by guards Amauri Hardy and Bryce Hamilton with both of them averaging over 14 points per game. The Rebels also get significant contributions from Elijah Mitrou-Long, Donnie Tillman, and Cheikh Mbacke Diong. Everyone will need to be on their game against the Rams.

Prediction

This is going to be a dogfight. Both teams don’t shoot it that well from deep, but neither are they afraid to keep shooting it from deep. They also like to battle on the boards. With the Rams having momentum coming into this game, expect them to pull it out in the end.

Rams 76-67 Rebels

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