Breaking down the rest of UNLV’s pod in Oklahoma City

By Ryan Greene

Monday, March 15, 2010 | 2:15 a.m.

Players and coaches at UNLV will tell you that, until Thursday at 4:10 p.m. Las Vegas time, all of their focus is directed solely toward Northern Iowa.

The Rebels, who drew a No. 8 seed in the Midwest region, will face the Missouri Valley Conference champs at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, with the winner advancing to Saturday's second round.

While Lon Kruger, his staff and his players don't want to look past Thursday, it's natural for everyone else to.

That said, here's a team-by-team breakdown of UNLV's pod coming up in OKC.

No. 9 Northern Iowa

Record: 28-4 overall, 15-3 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC regular-season and tournament champions)

RPI: 17

Strength of schedule: 112

Quality wins: Siena, Old Dominion

Bad losses: DePaul, Evansville

Who to watch for

• F Jordan Eglseder (Sr., 7-0, 280) 12.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg: A monster inside who averaged 12 points and 7.3 boards per game. He hasn't put up any big numbers since returning from a three-game suspension late in the season following a drunk-driving arrest, but had five blocks against Wichita State in the MVC title game.

• F Adam Koch (Sr., 6-8, 255) 11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg: A senior who's steadily improved each year, Koch averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 boards this season and is a 36.4 percent 3-point shooter.

• G Ali Farokhmanesh (Sr., 6-0, 190) 9.3 ppg: Try saying that name five times fast, right? Well, get used to it, because you might hear it a lot Thursday. The team's most productive 3-point gunner has averaged almost six attempts from deep in his two seasons at UNI.

• G Kwadzo Ahelegbe (Jr., 6-2, 200) 10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.7 apg: A strong, steady, bull of a point guard, Ahelegbe had one of his finest performances in the MVC title tilt against WSU with 24 points and five boards. He scored 32 points off 14-of-17 shooting against Boston College earlier this season.

Why they're dangerous for UNLV: UNI plays a deliberate style, and while they're not quite as slowed down as what UNLV sees twice a year with Air Force, the Panthers will try to take the air out of the ball and make teams patient on defense. In three MVC tournament games, they allowed an average of only 44 points per game. They have the ability to demoralize you, too, by bleeding 20 to 30 seconds off the shot clock per possession and finishing it with a 3-pointer. If they force their pace on UNLV, the Rebels could be made uncomfortable if they're not hitting shots on the other end. Plus, this is a senior-laden group which has been to the tournament before.

Why UNLV is dangerous for them: Athletically, the matchup favors the Rebels. UNLV can make UNI's guards work harder than just about anyone else has this year. While the Panthers' two big men are good, they're not of the über-athletic variety that has given the Rebels fits this season, such as San Diego State's post players. Also, while both teams will be well-rested heading in, if UNLV can turn it into a fast-paced, up-and-down game, UNI's lack of backcourt depth could be an issue if Farokhmanesh and Ahelegbe get tired down the stretch.

No. 1 Kansas

Record: 32-2 overall, 15-1 Big 12 (Big 12 regular-season and tournament champions)

RPI: 1

Strength of schedule: 5

Quality wins: Cal, Temple, Cornell, Baylor, Kansas State (x3), Texas, Texas A&M (x2), Missouri (x2)

Bad losses: None

Who to watch for

• G Sherron Collins (Sr., 5-11, 205) 15.6 ppg, 4.4 apg: Maybe the nation's most decorated senior, there's pretty much nothing that frazzles him. Collins helped key a late-game comeback in the national title game two years ago against Memphis as a sophomore and has only grown from there. He can score from wherever he wants whenever he wants.

• G Xavier Henry (Fr., 6-6, 220) 13.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg: The freshman guard has been very up and down this season, but there's a reason the Oklahoma City native likely will be a first-round pick in June's NBA Draft. At his size, there are few who can score in the variety of ways Henry can.

• F Marcus Morris (So., 6-8, 225) 12.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg: Morris is maybe one of the nation's most improved players this season, putting up better numbers than last year across the board. Also, his range on the offensive end has stretched out beyond the 3-point arc.

• C Cole Aldrich (Jr., 6-11, 245) 11.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.5 bpg: Like Henry, consistency has been the biggest issue with Aldrich. Despite that, he's found a way to post All-American numbers. He registered a triple-double in last year's NCAA tournament, and if his motor is going he's more than capable of doing so again as a junior. Along with Henry, he's a likely first-rounder this June.

Why they're dangerous for UNLV: In this pod, no one matches up better with UNLV in the depth department than KU. In terms of guard play, the Rebels might be able to handle the Jayhawks when it comes to quality, but quantity is another story. Also, KU has the exact type of big men which UNLV has yet to figure out how to handle this season. If Bill Self's team is playing with fire — which they've been prone not to do this season — the Rebels could have a tough time matching them blow for blow.

Why UNLV is dangerous for them: KU has struggled this season against teams that have a power forward who is really more of a small forward and can stretch out its defense. That was the case in losses to Tennessee and Oklahoma State, and Chace Stanback certainly fits that bill for UNLV. Plus, as KU has shown often this season, there's a 50-50 chance they might not put up the most inspired effort. That was the case the last time these two met in the 2008 NCAA tournament second round, but UNLV was thin on bodies, while KU had four future NBA draft picks in its starting lineup. This time, the Rebels not only have more depth, but more quality depth.

No. 16 Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Record: 22-10 overall, 10-4 Patriot League (Patriot League regular season and tournament champions)

RPI: 152

Strength of schedule: 300

Quality wins: Quinnipiac

Bad losses: Columbia, Navy (x2)

Who to watch for

• G C.J. McCollum (Fr., 6-3, 165) 18.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.4 apg: An absolute scoring machine, the freshman has scored in double figures in 21 consecutive games, including three 30-plus-point performances. Also, based on his numbers, he uses his size on the boards, too.

• G Marquis Hall (Sr., 6-0, 190) 11.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, 3.6 rpg: A heady, veteran point guard, Hall has 29 assists and just eight turnovers in the Mountain Hawks' last four games combined.

• F Zahir Carrington (Sr., 6-7, 220) 10.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg: Carrington is by far Lehigh's most efficient low-post threat, with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the Patriot League title game against Lafayette. But his 48.8 percent free throw shooting is, um, unsightly.

• F Gabe Knutson (Fr., 6-9, 215) 9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg: The frosh forward has had an up-and-down year, and of late has struggled. In Lehigh's last four games, he's combined for just 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Why they're dangerous for UNLV: Well, there's not much point in getting too in-depth here, since Lehigh doesn't appear to be well-equipped enough to be the first ever 16-seed to knock off a 1-seed. But, you'd have to figure if they pull it off against the top team in the land, the Mountain Hawks are some sort of threat for UNLV.

Why UNLV is dangerous for them: See above. Don't expect to see this matchup come to fruition. But, if by some chance it does, expect Lehigh to be much more worn down from a game with Kansas than UNLV would from a game with Northern Iowa.