Carps Keys: Breakdown of the matchup between UNLV vs Princeton

Thursday, March 12, 1998 | 12:02 p.m.

SUN basketball writer Steve Carp breaks down tonight's NCAA Tournament first-round matchup between UNLV and Princeton:

For UNLV to win:

* CLOSE THE DOOR: Close the door. Princeton shoots 50 percent from the field for a reason -- the Tigers get easy shots, mainly back-door layups. The Rebels must make Princeton work for its points and keep the easy buckets to a minimum.

* PATIENCE, PATIENCE: The Rebels must play disciplined basketball and not take crazy shots or try to force things. They showed they can do that against New Mexico, playing at a controlled tempo. The same applies here, where the speed limit is 35 mph, not 70 like in Nevada.

* DON'T CHANGE: Too often, a team will forget what got them to this point. UNLV needs to continue to play well in its matchup zone defense, block out and rebound at both ends and make shots, both in the paint and on the perimeter. It has worked the last six games and it can work again tonight.

For Princeton to win:

* HIT THOSE TREYS: The Tigers have shot 40 percent from long distance. If they're making their 3-pointers, everything else opens up. They'll get good looks. It's just a matter of converting them.

* ONE AND DONE: One and done. Don't let UNLV get second- or third-chance shots. Keep Kaspars Kambala and Kevin Simmons from scoring on putbacks. Princeton's not real big, so it has to negate UNLV's size and quickness advantages.

* PLAY LIKE THEY BELONG: Confidence shouldn't be a problem. But overconfidence could be. Don't forget, the Tigers lost their first- round game to Cal a year ago. And they're no longer the nation's giant- killers. They're considered a Goliath. And every year, a Goliath goes down for the count. Just ask Kansas.

* NOTES: This is UNLV's first trip out of the West Region in 13 NCAA appearances. However, it is the team's third trip this year to the Eastern Time Zone, having played at Michigan and Rhode Island. ... For the third straight year, Princeton opens the NCAA Tournament with a school from the Pacific Time Zone. In 1996, the Tigers faced UCLA and last year, Princeton met California in the opening round. ... Not one UNLV player has NCAA Tournament experience. Seven Princeton players have been to the Big Dance and between them have 17 games of experience. ... UNLV is 11-1 in its opening-round NCAA games, the lone loss coming in 1983 when after a first-round bye, the Rebels fell to North Carolina State, 71-70, in the second round at Corvallis, Ore. N.C. State went on to win the national championship that year.