UNLV goes cold, UCLA stays hot

Well, this one was never in danger of going to overtime.

It was another rough night for the Runnin’ Rebels on Friday, as the team fell to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, 71-54. The Bruins jumped out to an early lead and never truly looked back as they moved to 6-0 in the all-time series between the two schools.

The Bruins (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) were paced by junior Chris Smith, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half and helped UCLA put their opponents at arm’s reach. Smith also finished with eight rebounds, which tied for the team lead with Jalen Hill. Touted Bruins freshmen Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez combined to score 23 points. Prince Ali had ten points in the second half and finished with 14.

For the second consecutive game, Donnie Tillman, Amauri Hardy, and Elijah Mitrou-Long all scored in double figures. Tillman led the charge with a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds. Hardy and Mitrou-Long each added 13, with Bryce Hamilton scoring ten.

And that’s it for UNLV. Only four players scored for the Rebels.

Chiekh Mbacke Diong found other ways to contribute, pulling down seven rebounds and recording UNLV’s only two blocked shots. But Jonah Antonio was ineffective in the first half and didn’t play during the second. Nick Blair and Cheickna Dembele combined for 25 minutes off the bench but registered a grand total of zero points (on zero shots), one rebound, two turnovers, and three fouls.

Suffice it to say that TJ Otzelberger still hasn’t found the recipe for top-tier success—though the Rebels (1-3, 0-0 MWC) have shown some signs of promise even in their losses. Hardy is a volume shooter and will be among the top scorers in the Mountain West, but he hasn’t been very efficient. Tillman has shown flashes of brilliance, but he’s also had some frustrating turnovers and foul problems.

This game brought two of the Rebels’ biggest issues to light: a lack of depth and poor execution. Having four players score in double figures is nice, but having zero points from the rest of the team is less than ideal. And the Rebels again shot under 40% from the field for the second time this season.

Both are problems that they need to fix quickly.

UCLA, on the other hand, looked like a team starting to gel under first-year head coach Mick Cronin. The Bruins remain undefeated and have improved in each game of the early season. If Tyger Campbell continues his star rise while the team’s veterans pour in solid performances night in and night out, they could easily hear their name called on Selection Sunday.

UP NEXT FOR UNLV: The Rebels will host the Wildcats of Abilene Christian (1-1, 0-0 Southland) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game is part of the Southwestern Showdown presented by Engage Telehealth. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 P.M. Mountain Time.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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UNLV at UCLA: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Streaming, Odds, More

Runnin’ Rebels looking for first-ever win against UCLA

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

UNLV is coming off two straight OT losses

WHO: UNLV (1-2, 0-0 MWC) at UCLA (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12)

WHEN: Friday, November 15th — 9:00 P.M. MT / 8:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA

TV: Pac-12 Network

STREAM: Pac-12 Network (cable subscription required); Get a free one-week trial of FuboTV.

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads, 5-0

ODDS: UCLA -7, per KenPom

PREVIEW: TJ Otzelberger’s first three games have been a pretty mixed bag, as UNLV sits at 1-2 after Tuesday night’s overtime loss to California. It was the second time in as many games that the Rebels fell in extra time.

But though the results are the same, there were far more positives for UNLV in the Cal game than there were against Kansas State.

For starters, Amauri Hardy didn’t have to do all the scoring. He still ended up with 15 points, but Donnie Tillman and Eli Mitrou-Long both topped him, scoring 17 and 16, respectively.

Tillman’s big game was exactly what UNLV needed. The transfer had a nice debut, but his 16 points against Purdue-Fort Wayne were propped up by a lot of trips to the line. Against the Golden Bears, Tillman was able to score from the field, hitting 5-of-10 from inside the arc and burying his first three-pointer in a Rebels uniform.

Also encouraging is that Tillman played 41 minutes against Cal, compared to a combined 42 minutes against Purdue-Fort Wayne and Kansas State. If UNLV is going to rise above their station, Tillman needs to build off of Tuesday’s performance.

But the Rebels face a difficult task in heading to one of college basketball’s most hallowed halls, Pauley Pavilion.

In their third consecutive game against a Power 5 opponent, UNLV heads to Westwood to take on UCLA and their new head coach, Mick Cronin. The Rebels have never beaten the Bruins in five tries. Their last meeting, a 77-75 thriller, took place in 2015.

This year’s UCLA team comes in with a 2-0 record, but they aren’t without their question marks, either. Their opener was a struggle against Long Beach State. The Bruins eked out a four-point victory over the Beach, but didn’t shoot particularly well.

Sunday’s tilt with UCSB started out looking like it would be another long game for the Bruins, but UCLA took over in the second half. Sophomores Jalen Hill and Jules Bernard both hit the 20-point mark. Hill was dominant inside, finishing with 22 points, ten rebounds, and three blocks.

Prince Ali and Chris Smith both scored in double figures, but shot a combined 4-for-18 from the floor. Freshman Tyger Campbell was held to just two points after scoring 15 against Long Beach State. Campbell did add six assists, proving his worth as a distributor in Mick Cronin’s offense.

UCLA could find themselves in the hunt for a top-half finish and a potential trip to the NCAA Tournament this March, but they will need to start playing the full 40 minutes if they are going to reach their potential.

UNLV needs to contain Hill inside and make the Bruins prove that they can hit the long ball effectively. But if UCLA is making their shots, it’s going to be difficult for the Rebels to hang.

They would also probably prefer to avoid another overtime.

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Tag: unlv ucla basketball

UCLA runs past cold-shooting Rebels, 71-54

UNLV goes cold, UCLA stays hot