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UNLV’s poise to be tested in first road game of season
Trip to take on Arizona will be a new experience for freshmen Hawkins, Marshall
Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
UNLV guard Justin Hawkins glides in for a basket against Holy Cross during the second half of the team’s Nov. 25 game at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV won, 80-59, as Hawkins tallied 12 points.
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.
UNLV vs. Arizona
No. 24 UNLV Rebels (5-0) at Arizona Wildcats (3-2)
Where: McKale Center
When: 6 p.m.
Coaches: Lon Kruger is 117-53 in six seasons at UNLV and 435-286 in 24 overall seasons; Sean Miller is 3-2 in his first season at Arizona and 123-45 in six overall seasons.
Series: UNLV leads, 10-6
Last time: The Rebels won, 79-64, in Las Vegas on Dec. 20, 2008
Line: Arizona by 3.5
TV/Radio: FSN AZ (Cox 332)/ESPN Radio 1100-AM
THE REBELS
G Tre’Von Willis (6-4, 195) 16 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.2 apg
G Oscar Bellfield (6-2, 180) 11 ppg, 3.8 apg
G Derrick Jasper (6-6, 215) 7.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.2 rpg
F Chace Stanback (6-8, 210) 6.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg
C Brice Massamba (6-10, 240) 6.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Bench: G Kendall Wallace (6-4, 190) 6.4 ppg; F Darris Santee (6-8, 225) 7.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg; G Justin Hawkins (6-3, 190) 7.8 ppg; G Anthony Marshall (6-3, 200) 5.6 ppg; C Matt Shaw (6-8, 240) 5.6 ppg; G Steve Jones (6-1, 220) 2.6 ppg.
What to watch: UNLV’s RPI has eked up to No. 5. Arizona is at 60, for what that’s worth. Massamba has shooting a scorching 76.9%. Santee has made 10 of his last 14 shots, over three games. Wallace is 1-for-6 from 3-point land in his past two games.
THE WILDCATS
G Nic Wise (5-10, 180) 16.4 ppg, 4.8 apg
G Brendon Lavender (6-5, 205) 6.2 ppg
F Solomon Hill (6-6, 230) 12 ppg, 5.2 rpg
F Jamelle Horne (6-7, 215) 11.4 ppg, 9 rpg
F Derrick Williams (6-8, 235) 12.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Bench: G Kyle Fogg (6-3, 185) 6.2 ppg; G Lamont Jones (6-0, 200) 5.8 ppg; C Kyryl Natyazhko (6-10, 255) 4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg.
What to watch: Arizona is 10-1 against Mountain West Conference foes over the past six seasons. The one defeat, of course, was at UNLV last season. At the Maui Invitational, Wise tallied 30 in an OT win over Colorado. Hill is shooting 55.6% from the field.
UNLV freshman guard Justin Hawkins can easily recall the toughest, most hostile road environment atmosphere he's ever encountered.
"When I was 13, it was AAU nationals, playing in Memphis against a Memphis team in a national championship game," he recalled vividly. "Now we're going to Arizona, and I know that's going to be even crazier."
Wednesday brings a trip to the McKale Center in Tucson — which holds 14,545 fans as opposed to the 5,000 Hawkins said were jammed into that Memphis high school gym — for what will be the first road test this season for the No. 24 Rebels.
Of course, heading into what could be a hostile road environment is nothing new for members of UNLV's starting five.
The wild cards will be the freshmen — Hawkins and fellow guard Anthony Marshall — who embark on their first road trip as collegians.
Both have worked their way into Lon Kruger's regular rotation right off the bat, and have had significant contributions to UNLV's 5-0 start.
Hawkins is fourth on the team in minutes per game (17.6), averaging 7.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in the process. As for Marshall, the Mojave High product is averaging 5.6 points, 2.2 boards, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
But it's all come in the cozy confines of the Thomas & Mack Center.
"I told them it's much like Louisville coming into our place on Saturday," Kruger said. "They came in and all of a sudden they're down 19, then they played better, we missed some shots, but let's learn from that and not go in here and be surprised initially and have to be fighting back all night."
Added Marshall: "I'm looking at this as another game. We're preparing for each game the same. I really don't feel too much pressure. We've gotta go out and execute like we would at home."
The Rebels actually head south to face the Wildcats as slight underdogs, which suggests that getting over the hump that is the first road game of the season might be tougher than overcoming a pesky Louisville squad last Saturday.
Arizona will be playing its first game on the mainland since Nov. 19, when the Wildcats handled Rice, 66-49, to cap off back-to-back home wins to begin the Sean Miller era.
Miller came to Arizona this offseason following a successful run at Xavier. Kruger said he has never coached against Miller as a coach, but did coach against him as a player, as Miller played guard at Pitt while Kruger was in charge at Florida.
However, a trip to the Maui Invitational brought a hefty dose of reality to Arizona, which is still adjusting to life under a first-year coach and with a revamped roster.
After falling to Wisconsin to open up the trip to Hawaii, 61-56, the Wildcats escaped Colorado, 91-87 in overtime, and ended the trip with an 84-72 setback against Vanderbilt.
With a thinned-out bench made up of freshmen and sophomores, it's do-or-die for the Cats when it comes to their starting five.
Freshmen Derrick Williams (12.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Solomon Hill (12 ppg, 5.2 rpg), have been pleasant early surprises, but as senior point guard Nic Wise goes, so does his team.
Last season, playing in the shadows of current NBA rookies Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, if Wise was able to make a significant contribution, Arizona had a good chance in any ball game.
In a 79-64 loss to UNLV at the Mack last December, that wasn't the case.
While Budinger and Hill combined for 38 points and 18 boards, Wise was just 4-of-12 from the floor, finishing with eight points, four assists and six turnovers.
This time around, however, the Wildcats have a home-court atmosphere in their corner, and Kruger has told his team that pitfalls can come when facing that for the first time as a team, no matter how experienced you are.
"It tends to speed you up a bit, and we've got to avoid that, play with strength, play with poise," Kruger said. "Our guys feel good about the way they're playing, but they also understand we've got to do things better. The tape from Louisville, there's a ton of good plays but also too many stretches where we're not taking care of our fundamental responsibilities. But five games into the season, you expect there to be a lot of those stretches. That's what we have to improve quickly and learn from quickly."
Discussion: 36 comments so far…
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good start to a new era Ryan.
Already miss Rob though. He has been great.
Here's to hoping Ryan & Ray can match what Rob did in quality AND quantity.
Gonna miss Rob...but that's life...thx for all your great work!!!!
This is gonna be a great road trip! I hope we bring at least a couple houndred fans gotta keep this mojo going!!!Please make contact with me if your gonna be down there,(fkg319@gmail.com) we need to all stick together, heard it can get hostile down there. Will be a great test for our young team!
Why does every game make me so frickin nervous? Very important game. Lets stay in the top 25 for more than just a cup of coffee. Anyone have a link to the game? Cant get it on the tube in my area. Thanks.
Does anyone know if any commercial restaurant in Las Vegas will have access to the game?
hard to say mschaffer. it'll be on 332 i think
www.channelsurfing.com
will get you the game
The UNLV-Arizona game will be televised on Fox Sports Network-Arizona (Cox Digital Cable 332/DirecTV 686/DISH Network 415) and will be aired locally on ESPN Radio 1100 AM with the broadcast team of Jon Sandler and Robert Smith. The game can also be tracked online at UNLVRebels.com.
I live out in the Northwest part of the valley and would really like to get a LARGE group of rebel fans together at a local pub. I was thinking maybe PT's PUB at Lake Mead and Rampart??? If anyone else has any ideas on this please post. If you like the idea and want to meet up to watch this game please post so i can get an idea on how many people would like to do this.
U - N - L - V UNLV GO FIGHT WIN!!!!!!!!! GO REBELS!!!!!!!!!!
What happened to Rob? Best writer covering the UNLV Basketball.
there's a PT's at Lake Mead & Rampart???
Rob and Ron were let go due to a restructuring that went down yesterday. They will be missed!!! Good luck Ryan!
That channelsurfing.net site doesn't seem to have Arizona and UNLV listed on its schedule.
Does FSN do a live streaming anywhere or am I going to have to find a bar?
Bad move Sun. Bring back our UNLV Basketball reporters!!! Make the cuts in another department or cut the bigwigs salaries.
I still don't see anything that confirms Rob's even gone...
UNLVgirl: Ron posted this just this morning - http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/dec...
BringtheRain, check the website later in the day, about an hour before the game... they usually add programing throughout the day. You can also check justin.tv
The game will also be on Fox Sports Pacific for those that don't have Fox Sports Arizona
Hey guys. Yesterday indeed was a very tough day, but rest assured that you can still come here as your No. 1 source for UNLV coverage. There will be no skimming in terms of amount of content. I can promise you that.
Thanks Ryan..please wish Rob the very best and keep up the great Rebels coverage! I can't get enough.
If it's true, it's ridiculous. You do great work Ryan but it won't be the same if Rob "The Python" Miech is gone.
This website won't be the same without Rob. Not even close. Very lame.
everyone that wants rob back needs to call up the las vegas sun and let them know how you feel. if enough people call and enough pressure is put on them they will eventually fold and bring back rob.
GO REBELS!!!
Ryan, we're glad you're still here! But we'll still make some noise to let the powers that be know we want Rob back too!!
where did "rob" go
I'm disappointed to learn that Rob and Ron were both let go. Ryan, please express my gratitude to them for their contributions. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
The Rebs have a real tough test in front of them. I could see UNLV coming up short against this young but talented Wildcats team tonight. But, if they maintain their composure in a sure to be hostile atmosphere, and play tough grind-it-out defense, our athleticism and deep roster may once again get us over the hump.
I've got pre-game jitters, and it's only noon. Runnin' Rebel Fever is worse than H1N1!
He was "released" from the team for conduct detrimental. Not sure that is the kind of guy we want to go after. Emmanuel Adeife and Lamar Roberson ring a bell. Our chemistry on this team is one of the key elements to our early success. We do not need a head case. Stick to the full court press on CJ. Let SDSU go get another guy who might end up stealing a tv out of some gals room! Runnin' Rebels!
Why let go of an award winning journalist in Ron and a stud of a journo like Rob. No offense Ryan, but how are you and whoever this Ray guy is still here while those guys are job hunting?
Let me quantify that by saying that I don't wish to see anyone lose their job. I'm just saying you don't cut A-Rod to keep Johnny Damon.
The Greenspuns are not your smartest multi-millionaires, are they?
Keep after Polee and Joseph. I'd rather we get one of those guys than Gordon.
To those of you missing Rob and Ron,
Those of us still at the Sun miss them, too. We are all saddened by this loss. They both were valued colleagues and good friends. There is no way to truly and fully replace writers with the talent, experience and knowledge of these two (consider them the senior point guard and shooting guard of our sports coverage, if you will). However, I promise that we will continue to cover UNLV sports better, deeper and more often than any other publication (and better than all the rest put together, even).
Ryan Greene has covered Division-I athletics for almost a decade now, including the recent national championship season for the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. Ray Brewer, who has been helping out with Rebels coverage and will continue to do so, knows more about Southern Nevada sports than just about any other three people combined. And the Sun's Christine Killimayer will continue to produce the highest quality online video coverage of the Rebels you can find.
And, speaking of the Jayhawks, two people who work directly with Greene -- myself and online executive editor Rob Curley -- both grew up bleeding crimson and blue. Neither of us can imagine covering UNLV hoops at anything less than the level of craziness the team and its fans deserve.
We will truly miss Rob and Ron in a number of ways beyond what you read in the newspaper and online. However, we are fully confident that our Rebels coverage will not drop or falter as the teams continue to get better and better.
But don't think for a second that we don't wish Rob and Ron were still here.
Levi Chronister
Las Vegas Sun
Levi, You said "myself and online executive editor Rob Curley -- both grew up bleeding crimson and blue."
What exactly does that mean? You went to Alabama and Duke?
Cause UNLV colors are Scarlet and Gray.
Alma Mater, we praise you
For spirit, the eternal flame.
Strength which never falters,
A tribute to your name.
Alma Mater, we thank you,
Exalted Scarlet and Gray.
Truth and wisdom for your
Standard in our minds and hearts will stay.
Alma Mater, we cherish you.
And in days that are yet to be,
Our voices let us ever raise
In honor, U-N-L-V.
...The boys will be missed. Thanks for your dedication to Southern Nevada news.
Crimson and Blue are Kansas' colors. Levi's saying that they know die-hard basketball fans and know what they expect.
But this loss is, still, devastating.
And I would totally pay for access to Rob's coverage. The Sun does a lot right but it seemed like it did nothing better than cover UNLV sports.
Really seems like a mistake to me.
No Anthony Marshall has not relation to that guy.
As for as us all mourning the loss of Rob Meich, the guy will land on his feet I'm sure. But let us all remember that Rob himself wasnt a UNLV Alumn ( for the guy saying we need a guy who bleeds scarlet and gray) and he himself confesed that he wasnt a fan who happend to be covering the team, but a sports journalist doing his job. I think the guy said he grew up in Minnisota or somthing and rooted for the MLPS lakers, Mulwakee Bucks while growing up.
snyderm got it exactly right, on both counts.
And Sofaking... if you ever again insinuate I went to Duke, you might see your commenting privileges revoked ;-)
live stream @ http://www.justin.tv/a_z13
Levi, with all due respect, fans don't deserve craziness. Journalism is about perspective and insight, things you lost a lot of with the departure of Rob and Ron.
But if craziness is what you're after, then maybe you laid off the right people. They're so 20th Century, with their grown-up journalism and stuff.
Don't take this as being disrespectful to Ryan's talents... everyone has their niche. Rob's was keeping things on an even keel and offering the perspective of the sport. Ron looked at sports objectively and offered the perspective of local history.
Both will be sorely, sorely missed.
Not to name names here, but if a certain someone has not lost his privileges at this point, no one will. I'm sure most people who post here even occasionally will know exactly who I'm talking about.
All in good fun Levi. I'll be happy when we beat K state. See you at the game!