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UNLV prepares for Christmas in paradise, three games in four days
Rebels hope to enter conference play layoff with Diamond Head Classic title on their resumé
Leila Navidi / Sun File Photo
UNLV guard Steve Jones charges toward the basket with South Carolina Upstate’s Caleb Palkert on his tail during Saturday’s game at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Rebels are following up their 88-58 win with a trip to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic this week.
Monday, Dec. 21, 2009 | 3 p.m.
UNLV vs.SMU
UNLV Rebels (10-1) vs SMU Mustangs (4-3)
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
When: 7:30 p.m.
Coaches: Lon Kruger is 122-54 in his six seasons at UNLV and 440-287 in 24 overall seasons; Matt Doherty is 37-61 in his four seasons at SMU and 127-132 in nine overall seasons.
Series: SMU leads 3-2
Last time: UNLV won, 79-78, in Las Vegas on Dec. 29, 2002
Line: UNLV by 8.5
TV/Radio: ESPNU/ESPN Radio 1100-AM
THE REBELS
G Oscar Bellfield (6-2, 180) 11.3 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.0 rpg
G Derrick Jasper (6-6, 215) 7.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.2 apg
G Kendall Wallace (6-4, 190) 7.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
F Chace Stanback (6-8, 210) 8.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg
F Matt Shaw (6-8, 240) 6.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Bench: G Tre'Von Willis (6-4, 195) 16.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.5 apg; F Darris Santee (6-8, 225) 6.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg; G Justin Hawkins (6-3, 190) 4.4 ppg; F Brice Massamba (6-10, 240) 4.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg; G Anthony Marshall (6-3, 200) 5.3 ppg; G Steve Jones (6-1, 220) 2.2 ppg.
What to watch: Can UNLV show the same hunger in its first game in paradise as it did Saturday in not overlooking South Carolina Upstate before departing for Hawaii? The Rebels will have Tre'Von Willis back for this game, but how much will he play?
THE MUSTANGS
G Derek Williams (6-1, 170) 14.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.7 rpg
G Paul McCoy (5-11, 175) 9.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.4 apg
G Justin Haynes (6-5, 192) 7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
F Mouhammad Faye (6-9, 215) 13.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
F Papa Dia (6-9, 235) 9.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Bench: F Robert Nyakundi (6-8, 220) 8.0 ppg; G Rodney Clinkscales (6-1, 190) 6.0 ppg; G Mike Walker (6-1, 195) 5.2 ppg.
What to watch: The Mustangs' best hope in this one is by getting major defensive production from forwards Faye and Dia. The two are both very long and athletic and potentially could give UNLV the same issues on offense that they had in a recent loss to Kansas State.
UNLV basketball players exited their locker room following Saturday's 88-58 home victory over South Carolina Upstate with bags already packed for the upcoming week in paradise.
Freshman guard Anthony Marshall took time to say goodbye to several family members who showed up to the Thomas & Mack for the game.
"I've never been away from them (over Christmas), but I guess it's something I've got to get used to if I want to keep going with basketball," he said. "If you watch the NBA, they're always playing away and stuff like that. So I guess it's something I've got to get used to.
"When I come back, we'll celebrate."
Along with getting together with his family after the fact to rejoice with holiday cheer, Marshall hopes that a championship at this week's Diamond Head Classic also will be a cause for jubilation.
UNLV will play three games in four days on its business trip to Honolulu, starting with a quarterfinal matchup against SMU at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on ESPNU.
"It's good preparation for later in the year, the postseason conference tournament, when you have to play three (games) in three days, hopefully," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "That's what everyone's goal is, is to get the opportunity to keep playing."
Despite the tournament format, all eight teams in the field — UNLV, SMU, Charleston, Hawaii, Southern Cal, Western Michigan, St. Mary's and Northeastern — are guaranteed three games, with an off day Thursday.
The Rebels (10-1) and St. Mary's (9-1) enter as the probable favorites to meet in the Christmas Day title game.
Two UNLV players familiar with what they'll see this week are junior guard Kendall Wallace and sophomore guard Oscar Bellfield.
Bellfield, as a senior at Westchester (Calif.) High, helped lead his team to the islands for a tournament as a senior in high school.
He said that he was able to keep it as a business trip in his prep days, and appears poised to do the same this time around.
"As long as you have your mind focused on what's at task, it shouldn't get away," Bellfield said.
UNLV will play again Wednesday, then a third game Friday. Thursday's off-day could include a trip to Pearl Harbor or to watch the Hawaii Bowl between Nevada-Reno and Southern Methodist at Aloha Stadium.
The Rebels showed plenty of ability to maintain focus Saturday night against lowly South Carolina Upstate, taking care of business as if they were playing a Top-25 team as opposed to looking ahead to a much-anticipated road trip.
No one is more familiar with the 10,300-seat arena on the UNLV roster than junior guard Kendall Wallace, who scored a season-high 16 points on Saturday night against USCU.
His great uncle, Riley Wallace, coached at Hawaii for 20 years, resigning at the end of the 2006-07 season.
"I've been over there two times," Kendall said. "I've seen two or three games. He's a good guy, good coach and I'm excited to go over there. People know who I am and I'm excited about it.
"It should be loud. It's a lot more humid over there, that kind of plays a factor. But it's a lot like the arenas in the Mountain West."
If UNLV gets past SMU on Tuesday, it would meet the winner between Hawaii and Charleston on Wednesday.
The Rebels expect to be back at full strength come Tuesday's tip-off. Leading scorer Tre'Von Willis (16.1 ppg), who missed Saturday's game following an ankle turn Thursday against Weber State, was back at practice Monday in Honolulu.
Mentally, they showed some strength already this season and hope it carries over away from the mainland.
"We're going over there to win this tournament," Wallace said. "We're expecting to win this tournament."
Discussion: 5 comments so far…
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I think this is one of the only times I'm excited that I actually transferred from UNLV to a school here in Hawai'i because I get to watch the team here in the Diamond Head Classic and the arena is like 2 miles away from me. Hopefully I see some Rebel fans there not just me.
oh, there will be some Rebel fans there. Not me, but I know of a lot that are making the trip out
"The two are both very long and athletic and potentially could give UNLV the same issues on offense that they had in a recent loss to Kansas State."
Uhhhh.....you consider 80 points a struggle. They may have disrupted penetration but they didn't keep us from adjusting offensively.
If we allow these two from a bad SMU team to disrupt our offense I'm going to barf.
Camron, the 80 points came in a way Lon Kruger and his staff didn't want to see them come. UNLV is used to dictating the tempo on both ends of the floor to win games, and in that one, it was completely taken out of their hands, as K-State's size inside and ability to get their hands on kick-out passes disrupted UNLV's offense.
But I'm not counting on that happening, hence my prediction in the other preview story on our front page :)
this tournament is a must-win IMO. The team needs to have sky-high confidence going into Provo. That right there will not be an easy game..and coming off a loss will make it that much tougher