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twitterREBELS BASKETBALL:
UNLV looks to bounce back from losing streak
Rebels host Wyoming after disappointing loss at Colorado State
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 | 12:38 a.m.
Wyoming Cowboys (12-4, 1-1) at UNLV Rebels (13-4, 1-2)
- Where: Thomas & Mack Center
- When: 7 p.m.
- Coaches: Heath Schroyer is 24-22 in two seasons at Wyoming and 59-69 in five overall seasons; Lon Kruger is 104-46 in five seasons at UNLV and 422-279 in 23 overall seasons
- Series: UNLV leads, 23-13
- Last time: UNLV won, 73-65, on Feb. 23, 2008, at the Thomas & Mack Center
- TV/Radio: The Mtn./ESPN Radio 1100-AM
THE COWBOYS
- G Brandon Ewing (6-2, 190) 19.4 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.3 rpg
- G Sean Ogirri (6-2, 200) 14.7 ppg, 2.8 apg
- F Afam Muojeke (6-7, 201) 15.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg
- F Tyson Johnson (6-8, 248) 15.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg
- C Adam Waddell (6-9, 228) 6 ppg, 4.2 rpg
- Bench: F Djibril Thiam (6-9, 205) 5.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg; C Mikhail Linskens (7-0, 270) 3.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg; G A.J. Davis (6-5, 195) 3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg.
- What to watch: Ewing is 34th in the nation in scoring, 43rd in assists and 61st with a 2.1 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Ogirri is 16th with 3.3 3-pointers a game. Wyoming connects on free throws at a .736 clip, 34th in the nation.
THE REBELS
- G Tre’Von Willis (6-4, 195) 10.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg
- G Wink Adams (6-0, 200) 12.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.3 apg
- F René Rougeau (6-6, 210) 11.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.2 bpg
- F Joe Darger (6-7, 225) 9.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
- C Darris Santee (6-8, 225) 7.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg
- Bench: G Oscar Bellfield (6-2, 175) 6.8 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.5 rpg; G Kendall Wallace (6-4, 190) 4.6 ppg; F Mo Rutledge (6-3, 225) 3.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg; C Brice Massamba (6-10, 255) 2.7 ppg.
- What to watch: UNLV is 265th in the nation in rebound margin, at -2.6; Wyoming is 104th, at 2.8. The Rebels’ 3.4 turnover margin is 35th. Darger has 35 points, on 11-for-22 3-point shooting, over his past two games.
Lights were off inside the UNLV basketball team’s chartered Allegiant Airlines plane en route back to Las Vegas late Wednesday night from Colorado.
Unlike the Rebels, who allowed Colorado State to win for the first time in 20 conference games, the pilot knew where he was headed.
“It’s always tough, for some reason, when you lose,” said UNLV senior guard Wink Adams. “A one-hour flight can turn into a two-hour flight. It can take forever to get back here.”
It was quiet but not silent, somber or subdued. The layup-line shenanigans, lax passing and sieve-like defense at Moby Arena were discussed among the Rebels.
“The best thing about this team is, whenever we lose, on the plane we talk about what we need to work on and what we did wrong,” Adams said.
“Guys step up and say they have to get better, doing this or that, or what they did in the layup line was wrong. Nobody is not stepping up to the plate.”
The Rebels said they practiced hard for a few days before they lost at TCU. They practiced strong Monday and Adams said his Tuesday practice was the most grueling of his collegiate career.
Then they flopped in Fort Collins.
Once again, they said practices, with a white-hot focus on defense by fifth-year coach Lon Kruger, the past two days have been intense for Saturday night’s home game against Wyoming.
It’s the middle of January, yet it seems like October the way Kruger constantly reminds his players to talk in defensive drills.
“We have got to improve ourselves in that area!” Kruger said at the start of practice late Friday morning inside the Thomas & Mack Center.
A while later, when there was silence from defenders who should have barked “help outside” or “help inside” on the wings, assistant coach Greg Grensing erupted.
“Coach, did you hear where help was?” Grensing said.
“I didn’t hear a lot of talk,” said Kruger.
“More talk!” he said five minutes later. “More talk!”
Confining all of its talk to the court seems to be the mantra at UNLV.
“More than anything else, we have to look in the mirror,” said senior swingman Rene Rougeau. “If we really want this, we have to work at it more, whether it’s more film or putting more time in.
“We have to commit to each other more. We want to get this losing taste out of our mouths. We can’t really say anything else more. We have to let our actions do the talking.”
Those actions have been lacking lately.
For the first time in 44 games, the Rebels have allowed at least 70 points to consecutive opponents.
Last season that happened three times in a row – UNLV won all three games.
UNLV (13-4, 1-2 in the Mountain West Conference) has a two-game losing streak after its 80-73 defeat at TCU last Saturday and a 71-69 drubbing to the Rams in Fort Collins, Colo.
Wyoming (12-4, 1-1) has tallied at least 83 points in four of its past five games.
Nearly four Cowboys average 15 points –- Brandon Ewing scores 19.4 a game, Tyson Johnson 15.3, Afam Muojeke 15.2 and Sean Ogirri 14.7.
“That’s very unusual,” Kruger said. “I don’t know if anyone else in the country has that. They’ll push it and attack on offense, and get to the free-throw line.”
The Rebels have as much work to do between their ears as they do between the lines, which is why they will have a players-only meeting before they play Wyoming.
“We just need to all come together and, really, just get on the same page,” Rougeau said. “We’re not all on the same page right now.”
Rougeau includes himself. His flimsy effort resulted in some easy Colorado State baskets Wednesday night, when he and Kruger exchanged words.
UNLV set itself up for a fall by goofing off in the layup line during pre-game warm-ups. Had Rougeau, a fellow senior, not participated in those antics, Adams would have laid into his teammates.
Including Rougeau.
No question, Rougeau said, it would have been appropriate for Adams to order his teammates into a side room, slam the door and dress them down.
“Without a doubt,” Rougeau said. “What he says, goes. Anyone not listening to him, we have to jump on their case about that. And we have to respect our opponent, more than anything else.
“We have to do a better job of that. This Wyoming team is a dangerous team. They have so many weapons. We have to be ready to fight them.”
Discussion: 3 comments so far…
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Wow, I am just left scratching my head with this team. Lots of talent, but not alot of bite. Yes, I know we beat Louisville in Kentucky, but where is that bite now? This is a strange team to watch play. One game they play incredible defense, and the very next game they look like @#$%! I, for one, am just puzzeled at the lack of leadership on a team that has some players who have been battle tested. Where is the consistency in the defensive effort? Defense is all heart, everyone has one and anyone can play it.
Anyways, I will be at the game today, and I want to see some urgency. I want to see "asses and elbows" all night long. I want to see a team that scratches and claws for a rebound. I want to see some toughness, because that is the only way this team will still be dancing come March.
Alright Ladies its time to saddle up and play like men. The goal should be to win and win big. Stop playing down to your opponent. Mop the floor with them! I may be screaming louder than Kruger if you dont show up today!
UNLV has had ONE good game this year where both offense and defense seemed to click, and that was the Arizona game. Sure we beat Louisville, but the Louisville team on Dec 31 played like the UNLV of the last two game. In each game since then, UNLV has shown flashes of brilliance, but the problem is they have only been "flashes". There is no sustained intensity. Players can talk and try to hype themselves and teammates up off the court, but when they step on the court the intensity disappears. That is where coaching comes in. Lon and his staff have not motivated these guys enough for the last two games, PERIOD. Honestly, at times Lon himself looks lost with some questionable decisions he makes. Don't get me wrong, I am sure he is still trying to find the right chemistry on the team, but when the coach is still looking for that chemistry this late in the season, the real focus of the team simply gets lost. The entire team, including the coaching staff, seem to be without a focus right now.
Right now, the problem of this team is not their skills, talent or effort. Their problem is lack of Leadership, Focus, and CONFIDENCE. The moment the other team shows guts and makes a run, we roll over and die. There is no "fight" in them.
Unless that focus and confidence is restored in them, I expect a blow out in the Mack tonight. Wyoming is playing really well as of late, and brings an offense that LOVES to penetrate and attack. UNLV has not had an answer for this type of offense all year, so this is gonna be a do or die time for us.
I think the "false optimism" about this team is starting to give way to "realism". And the reality is that this team is less than average. A good team like Wyoming will toy with our defense.
I will be there tonight, and pray that I am wrong.
GO REBELS!!!