Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
UNLV forward Carlos Lopez and San Diego State forward Malcolm Thomas fight for a rebound during the first half of Wednesday’s game at Viejas Arena in San Diego. SDSU won the game 55-49.
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011 | 2:15 a.m.
UNLV vs. SDSU
UNLV Rebels (18-6, 6-4) vs. No. 6 San Diego State Aztecs (24-1, 9-1)
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
When: 5 p.m.
Coaches: Lon Kruger is 155-68 in his seven seasons at UNLV and 473-301 in 25 overall seasons; Steve Fisher is 222-150 in his 12 seasons at SDSU and 406-232 in 20 overall seasons.
Series: UNLV leads, 32-18.
Last time: SDSU won, 55-49, on Jan. 12 in San Diego.
Line: Pick (O/U 129)
TV/Radio:CBS-C/ESPN Radio 1100 AM/98.9 FM
THE REBELS
G Oscar Bellfield (6-2, 185, Jr.) 10.8 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 rpg.
G Anthony Marshall (6-3, 200, So.) 10.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg.
G Tre'Von Willis (6-4, 195, Sr.) 12.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.2 apg.
F Chace Stanback (6-8, 210, Jr.) 13.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg.
F Quintrell Thomas (6-8, 245, So.) 6.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg.
Bench:G Derrick Jasper (6-6, 215, Sr.) 6.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.2 apg; F Brice Massamba (6-10, 240, Jr.) 3.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg; G Justin Hawkins (6-3, 190, So.) 5.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.1 apg; F Carlos Lopez (6-11, 215, Fr.) 5.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg; G-F Karam Mashour (6-6, 200, Fr.) 2.4 ppg.
What to watch: In four games since returning to the starting lineup, Quintrell Thomas is averaging 11.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg, making him UNLV's most important player on Saturday against SDSU's elite front-court trio. In the first meeting, he only played four minutes, but has made huge strides in the month since the loss at Viejas Arena.
THE AZTECS
G D.J. Gay (6-0, 170, Sr.) 12.0 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.0 rpg.
G James Rahon (6-5, 205, So.) 7.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg.
F Kawhi Leonard (6-7, 225, So.) 14.9 ppg, 10.7 rpg.
F Billy White (6-8, 235, Sr.) 10.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg.
F Malcolm Thomas (6-9, 220, Sr.) 11.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg.
Bench: C Brian Carlwell (6-11, 300, Sr.) 3.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg; G Jamaal Franklin (6-5, 185, Fr.) 2.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg; G LaBradford Franklin (6-2, 170, Fr.) 2.1 ppg, 1.4 apg; F Mehdi Cheriet (6-9, 225, Sr.) 1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg; G Chase Tapley (6-2, 200, So.) 8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.0 apg.
What to watch: Kawhi Leonard has assaulted UNLV in his four meetings with the Rebels. On Jan. 12, he had 15 points and 17 rebounds. The Rebels likely won't be able to keep him off of the glass, and what makes him so effective is his instinctive offensive rebounding. If he can give the Aztecs second chances as often as he has in the past, SDSU should be in good shape to keep it a game for 40 minutes.
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Following a 55-49 loss at San Diego State on Jan. 12, UNLV bemoaned a handful of missed open shots down the stretch that could have helped it sneak out of Viejas Arena with a huge road upset.
The SDSU players remember those possessions, too.
"That's one thing we've focused on in our film sessions — there were a couple of times where we didn't play good defense and they just missed open shots," Aztecs senior forward Malcolm Thomas said. "We can't let that happen in their place, because they'll make those shots."
UNLV gets a chance to redeem itself Saturday, when No. 6 SDSU comes to the Thomas & Mack Center for a 5 p.m. tip.
The 49 points the Rebels (18-6 overall, 6-4 Mountain West) scored in the first meeting were a season low. They'll come into the rematch with the Aztecs (24-1, 9-1) off their highest scoring night of the season, taking a 94-79 decision on Wednesday night at TCU.
UNLV is hoping that some of that carries over, as almost every meeting with SDSU in recent years has been a low-scoring slugfest.
"The last game was tough and physical," Thomas added. "We're so similar. Neither team is going to let up. We expect that this time in Vegas."
The romp on Wednesday was the closest UNLV had come to rediscovering the identity it had set for itself in late November and early December during a 9-0 start. What's made the Aztecs so special this season, though, is that they've never deviated from the norm.
When Steve Fisher's club suffered its lone setback of the season on Jan. 26 at BYU, many outsiders figured that the Aztecs would begin to regress a bit with their bubble of perfection burst.
It's been quite the opposite, though.
They've won four straight, including a gritty victory at Colorado State and massive blowouts of Utah and Wyoming.
They come to Las Vegas just as hot as they were entering the first meeting.
"I think we're past the surreal part," senior point guard D.J. Gay said of the season that's been. "We are enjoying ourselves, having a special season, but we want to continue to grow on it, make it more special."
If the Aztecs can pull off the regular season sweep of the Rebels on Saturday, there's a good chance they'll run through the rest of their regular season schedule unblemished. They'll get BYU, New Mexico and CSU all at home, and only have remaining road games at Air Force and Wyoming.
UNLV was a forgettable 22-of-61 from the floor and 1-of-18 from deep in the first meeting, and simply hasn't been able to regularly crack SDSU's defense in recent years. It's lost three straight in the series, and has never dropped four in a row.
The Rebels are hoping to be a bit more versatile this time, though, with the recent progression of forwards Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez. They've made UNLV not have to rely so much on its inconsistent outside shooting.
Both are currently well ahead of junior Brice Massamba in the three-man rotation in the paint, and both have earned it.
They combined for three points and two rebounds in 19 minutes against SDSU the first time around, but each hit nice strides of late.
Thomas worked his way back ahead of Massamba in the starting lineup, and since then is averaging 11.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in the last four games.
As for Lopez, he's not putting up huge numbers, but looks more comfortable and confident with the ball in his hands and has become a much more reliable defender.
This will be the trial by fire for both, though, as San Diego State features one of the nation's toughest front-courts. The rebounding prowess that Thomas, sophomore Kawhi Leonard and senior Billy White combine to provide has been tough for UNLV to crack in the last two seasons. The three together average 36 points and 22.5 boards per game.
A major x-factor in the first meeting was the crowd, as it was seen that Viejas Arena can be one of the Mountain West's most intimidating venues when full.
Expect the Mack to have similar energy on Saturday, as there were fewer than 700 tickets available as of late Friday afternoon.
The building will be packed with fans hungry for UNLV's first marquee win of the Mountain West season — one that would help solidify an NCAA tournament résumé that right now is good, but not quite great.
"Honestly, I think we owe our fans one, at this point," Quintrell Thomas said after Friday's practice. "We've let them down in games we really should have won. We kind of owe our fans at least one big one to go out on the year with."
Tapley, Shelton listed as doubtful for SDSU
Chances are the Aztecs will be without both sophomore guard Chase Tapley (ankle) and junior forward Tim Shelton (foot) on Saturday.
Both were hurt last Saturday against TCU, and both sat out Wednesday's thumping of Utah.
Tapley went through the final walk-through portion of Friday's practice, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was a non-factor in the first meeting, scoring only two points on 1-of-8 shooting. However, he's been SDSU's primary point guard back-up behind Gay this season.
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