Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

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Instant analysis: UNLV flexes its muscles on defense to eliminate Utah

UNLV Beats Utah in Third Meeting

Led by Anthony Marshall's second double-double of the season, UNLV knocks Utah out of the Mountain West Conference Tournament, 73-61.

Fredette's 45 Leads BYU Past TCU

Jimmer Fredette's 45 points set a new Mountain West Conference Tournament record for points scored in a game, as BYU survived TCU, 95-85.

UNM, SDSU Advance to Semifinals

Both New Mexico and San Diego State survive second round scares to advance to the Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinals.

Nothing comes easy in March for college basketball teams.

That was obvious Thursday during four Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinal games at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Perennial league power BYU trailed by one point to TCU at halftime before winning by 10. Mind you, it was the same TCU team the Cougars beat by 30 points five days ago.

Also, Air Force gave top-seed New Mexico a scare before bowing out, and double-digit favorite San Diego State barely survived a spirited effort from Colorado State.

UNLV also was tested before taking care of business against Utah in a 73-61 win. Early in the second half, however, a victory was anything but certain as the Rebels hung on to a one-point lead.

Utah trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half before clawing its way back into the game — even if it was for just a brief time. Credit UNLV for not flinching in winning its fifth straight contest. And credit the Rebels for playing some of their best basketball of the season in the final 20 minutes.

Here are five observations from Thursday's UNLV game.

• Each win counts in March : Style points don't matter during this part of the season. So, while UNLV's win wasn't necessarily a thing of beauty at times, that doesn't matter. In March, a victory is a victory. Win and advance. Lose and go home. The Rebels, pretty or not, advanced to Friday's semifinals and a date with rival BYU. They probably also punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

• Defense wins championships : UNLV limited Utah to 33 percent shooting and forced the Utes into 15 turnovers. Utah made only two of its initial 14 shots and didn't score 10 points until there were fewer than six minutes left in the first half. When you consider Utah shot 53 percent Feb. 17 during a victory against UNLV, the suffocating defense was the difference. The Rebels' full-court press flustered Utah most of the night and helped key a 13-0 run midway through the first half that gave the Rebels the lead for good. Credit Steve Jones, the Rebels' emotional leader and seldom-used reserve, for causing havoc in the full-court press. Three times he was inserted as a defensive replacement, and each time he was sensational. Well done, Chop.

• More than Willis : When UNLV lost to Utah last month, Tre'Von Willis was the lone Rebel to score in double figures with 32 points. Tonight, three Rebels reached double figures and all 10 who played scored — eight of whom had at least five points. That kind of balance is crucial if the Rebels want to have success Friday against BYU or next week in the NCAAs. Whether it was Darris Santee fighting for an offensive rebound and proceeding to score two points or freshman Justin Hawkins coming off the bench to grab a pair of loose balls, the overall team effort is something the Rebels can hang their out on.

• Keep Matt Shaw involved: Quick, name the lone leftover from UNLV's Sweet 16 team in 2007? That would be junior Matt Shaw, a 6-foot-8 forward who can score from all over the court. He buried a fadeaway 3-pointer late in the first half to highlight a five-point effort in 10 minutes. If Matt Shaw comes to play, you have to like UNLV's chances. I sure do.

• Don't let up : UNLV led by 13 points with about five minutes to play in the first half before Utah went on a 17-8 run and trailed 29-25 at the break. Then, Utah opened the second half on a 5-2 run and trailed by only one point. It shouldn't have been that close. A similar effort against BYU, or next week, will spell disaster. The Rebels can't afford to take their foot off the pedal. They need to continue applying pressure like they did in the second half.

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