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By Rhett, December 18, 2009 4:57 pm

Since I left you last, Sam came through Vegas to hang out for a few days while he completed a tour of the desert southwest. While he was here, we took up a game. It’s what we do. I have to say, it was very trip-esque. There were off day activities such as walking up and down the strip, hiking at Red Rock Canyon, and watching a tutorial on how to be a gangster. Bang Bang, Skeet Skeet. Had one of the missing 3 been here, I believe we would document it as a trip. It will be up for debate in the future.

UNLV vs Kansas State at the Orleans Arena

UNLV is kicked out of the Thomas & Mack every fall due to the National Finals Rodeo being in town and taking over the hoops venue. The Rebels usually hit the road for a few days, which is fine, but they can’t stay out forever. They took up a pseudo-home game against Kansas State last weekend Saturday at the now Tourney Trip famous Orleans Arena, the meca of random basketball. It was pretty ugly for UNLV from start to finish. K-State rolls out two very talented, very smooth and very confident guards in Jacob Pullen and Dennis Clemente. They combined for 50 points, including Pullen’s 7 for 10 from 3 point land. Every-time UNLV would put two good things together, he’d come down and stick a cold blooded jumper in some-body’s face. The game was over at halftime when UNLV blew an easy Dunk (Santee) and the Wildcats came back down to the other end of the floor to stick a layup. 4 point swing in about 7 seconds turned what would have been a five point deficit into a nine point hole, and a horrible feeling in every UNLV fan’s stomach. The second half was more of the same, and really, it was worse than the 15 point loss it ended up being. The only good thing to come out of it was the fact that UNLV didn’t give up 100 points, which a Kruger Rebel team has never done. Kansas State 95, UNLV 80.

I want to give an official Tourney Trip thank you to fellow Tourney Trip member Sam and him coming through to watch some random hoops in Vegas. The company was much appreciated.

From there, UNLV played at Southern Utah, about a two hour drive north from Las Vegas in Cedar City, UT. Had it not been for a final in my English lit class, I would have made the trip. UNLV seems to have gotten their minds right and back on the winning track with a W here.

Last night, I welcomed myself back to the T&M for UNLV vs Weber St. I was surprised about how packed it was last night. Not near a sell-out, but a decent crowd nonetheless. Had a great time and so did UNLV. Seemed like their first complete 40 minute effort of the season. Matt Shaw was clicking from beyond the arc, Chace Stanback continues to show his improved confidence, scoring prowess (for the third game in a row) and silky smooth jumper. Weber St is a nice squad. Kyle Bullinger was 5-8 from 3 point land, seemingly hitting each of them when UNLV threatened to put this game out of reach. Fun game overall. UNLV 72, Weber State 63.

From there, I have one more UNLV game this year, as they host USC-Upstate tomorrow night. I will try to take in a few games of the Holiday Hoops Classic (Southern Illinois, San Diego, San Fransisco, and Florida International), depending on the TV viewing schedule this weekend. After these couple games, it’s strictly business.

I received word today that I will have a media credential for the Las Vegas Classic, next Tuesday and Wednesday at, once again, the Orleans Arena. This is an awesome thing. I’ll probably be doing some blogging on site, I’ll fire up the twitter feed, and hopefully, sit back and enjoy some hoops. After that, I will be basketball-less until UNLV returns home for its first home conference game against SDSU on 1/13/09.

Butler vs Xavier tomorrow morning (11am tip for me!!), do I root for my namesake, or X which = dynasty?

I think I’ll just watch.

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By Rhett, November 27, 2009 10:25 pm

What a day it has been.

I’ll cut right to the chase. Illinois vs Utah. The Runnin’ Utes, coached by my pal Jim Boylen, were down 16 to top 25 ranked Illinois, and came back in the second half to win the game on a last second outlet pass and runner that was debated for about 5 mins court side by the refs. The Orleans Arena was packed with Illinois fans. They were out in full force, loud and proud. They were not happy about the outcome to say the least. I was almost worried of a riot after the ref came away from the monitor and threw his arms in the air. Utah had the ball with a tie game and 40+ seconds left. Drove the lane with about 16 seconds left and missed an off balance shot. Illinois rebounds the ball, back the other way, no time out (!). They too drive the lane, the shot is blocked and an outlet pass is put out to Shawn Greene, who is all alone with maybe a second left. He lets it fly from the FT line, it goes in, and bedlam ensues. The players ran over to Boylen and jumped around with him, the few Utah fans in the stands flipped out. The thousands of Illinois fans threw up in their mouths. Utah runs off the floor, Illinois sulks off the floor, and the refs take about 5 mins to review the play at the monitor. In the mean time, Illinois fans are throwing beer bottles, storming around in tight jean shorts swearing it up real good, etc. I even saw somebody bringing a chair over their head. Amazingly horrible manners from the Big Ten fans.

Utah fought hard to come back. What was not working for Utah in the 1st half (open shots, driving the lane), was most definitely working in the second half. I was fearful of this thing becoming a joke at the start of the second half, but Utah started playing gritty defense, and using outlet passes for a few easy baskets. Then they started hitting a couple 3’s, and things just opened up from there. Illinois stopped getting to the rim and started settling for jumpers that they were making (in addition to lane drives), but stopped in the second half. Utah was making the effort to get a hand in front of somebodies face, and it showed. Even after Utah’s best front court player, 6-11 Kim Tillie fouled out on a nickle dimer, Utah stuck with it, including two big 3’s by Luka Drca, and several nice put backs from fill in front courters Washburn and Read. Carlon Brown hit a few Ft’s down the stretch, and the final 5 mins we had a game. Utah advanced to the final in the last game of the night, which was sorely needed, as I was dragging my ass through this thing by the end of the night. Final Score – Utah 60, Illinois 58.

Oklahoma State played Bradley in a game that was hardly a game as time wore on. Bradley had the right idea, but couldn’t keep up with seemingly bigger and faster Oklahoma State players. Bradley brought out a crowd though, and they know their hoops. Classy fans to stay the least. No booing, and no getting upset over calls, etc. I hammed it up with a few randoms who flew in Wednesday. They love the idea of a tourney here in town, and so do I. Bradly was down big at the half, tried to make a game of it half way through the second half with a little 6-0 run, but it wasn’t in the cards for the Braves this time. They’ll face a likely pissed off Illinois team tomorrow in the 3rd place game. Is Oklahoma St good? I don’t really know, but Anderson James is a beast. Oklahoma St 68, Bradley 57.

I’ll recap the other two games a bit later, as I need a sandwich. It’s been a long day. Still buzzing about that last shot from Utah. A note should also be thrown out there for the PA guy that’s calling these games. He is horrible, interjecting at all times during play about who made a shot, how much time is left, if its a “game” or not, like he’s on TV, but he’s not. If you read this guy, stop it. It’s in poor taste and makes Las Vegas look showey.

I’m tired. UNLV vs Louisville, and the second half of the Las Vegas Invitational tomorrow. Good Night.

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By Rhett, November 27, 2009 12:15 pm

If this were any other game, I’d have been all in for Holy Cross. They have been a classic small timey team as of late, hail from the Patriot League, and shoot a ton of 3’s. In reality though, this was just a warm-up game for UNLV. They had balanced scoring across the board from Willis (14), Bellfield (13) and super frosh’s Anthony Marshall (14) and Justin Hawkins (12). UNLV was outrebounded for the1st time all year, but I attribute this to the abundance of long rebounds going out to the 3 point line after brutal 3 point shot after brutal 3 point shot on the Crusader’s account. UNLV was in control for the whole game, avoided the trademarked slow start, and put things away for good halfway through the 2nd half. UNLV 80, Holy Cross 59.

Still looking for Derek Jasper to take over a game though. He’s shown flashes of his talent, definitely runs the offense well enough, and has shown no ill affects of his previous knee issues (highlighted by a alley-oop slam in the second half where he jumped high enough to have his arms and head above the rim it seemed). Here’s to hoping he shows up big next time out, vs this guy ->

The look ahead is to Louisville on Saturday. There may be a little bad blood between the two schools. Ricky Pitino was rumored to be a lock for the UNLV job before Kruger got it, before Pitino’s lady friend nixed the deal due to her not wanting to live in Las Vegas. UNLV also won a close game in Louisville last year without their best player, Wink Adams, on the floor due to an injury the previous game. These two items, coupled with the fact that UNLV needs to gain some national respect with a big win after their nice start (#1 in RPI rankings to start the season), and it’s going to be a hard fought game once again. I’m sure the student section will have a few choice chants for Pitino and his gangster style shotgun marriage of his extra special lady friend and some dude who guards the door while he’s picking out the carrots for a stew or something at his local watering hole. Should be interesting to say the least.

Due to the Louisville game, I will be missing the 1st two games of the 2nd day of the Las Vegas Invitational. I’m headed to the first two games after this post is done, and will be looking for Bradley and Utah to knock off Illinois and Oklahoma St. this evening.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends, family, and giant plates of food.

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By Rhett, November 22, 2009 10:36 am

Tre'Von Willis is the best in the west.

My quest continued Saturday night at the Thomas and Mack, with UNLV hosting Southern Illinois, in one of the first Mountain West / Missouri Valley battles of the year. These two conferences have set up a yearly match-up between their teams, and this is its first year. Annually, Southern Illinois is  a top tier team from the MVC. They’ve made noise in the tournament recently, play hard nosed defense, and really have my respect as a squad. Of course, that was not the case for the general crowd at the T&M last night.

SIU is big, and strong, and they have fast guards. Their man to man is high pressure 100% of the time, and they also mix in some zone for good measure when you’re getting the lane just a little too easily. After the big win vs Reno earlier in the week, and the fact that almost nobody in attendance had heard of SIU, didn’t know what a Saluki is, or realize that UNLV was facing one of the best mid major programs in America. A great test. 5 wins in the NCAA tourney over the last 7 years is nothing to look down to.

SIU came out and put UNLV to the metal. UNLV was missing shots, SIU was making them, and they controlled much of the 1st half this way. Derek Jasper had a decent 1st half with a few nice assists, and did his part to get to the rim and the line.  At one point, SIU was up 12 with the ball, and there were boo’s coming down from the rafters. Some guy sitting behind me wondered why UNLV kept trying to get into the paint, and why they didn’t shoot 3 pointers more. Then he stared talking about how Vanilla Sky was such a shit movie, and the theory of relativity. Now, I’m glad people are coming out to the games. UNLV led the west coast in attendance last year, and was in the top 25 of ticket sales nationally last year. Support is huge. But WATCH THE FRICKING GAME. Right? Anyways, UNLV was down a bucket at the half. Start of the second half was more of the same. That is, until Tre’Von Willis took this game over. 19 second half points, getting the lane when he wanted, dishing off to whoever the help defender is leaving, rebounding the ball, he did it all. What Jasper did to keep UNLV in the game in the 1st half, Willis did to put the thing away in the 2nd. Well, that and the patented 2nd half pressure defense off every made basket. Considering UNLV shot over 70% in the second half (by getting to the rim), SIU was up against it for most of the rest of the game. Things did get a little hairy at the end, UNLV saw its 12 point lead slip to 8 on a few sloppy possessions and foolish turnovers. These should be learning experiences, and much needed for a young team. Final Score: UNLV 78, SIU 69.

So that is that. UNLV is 3-0. Holy Cross (Patriot League), in town on Wednesday, Louisville next Saturday, and, of course, the Las Vegas Invitational.

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By Rhett, November 19, 2009 8:57 pm

UNLV played its second game of the season last night, versus its little brother to the north, UNR. Nevada is a pretty decent school in both major sports, probably the best basketball squad in the WAC, and certainly somebody to be reckoned with. Plus, they have a McDonalds All-American big man forward in Luke Babbitt and super quick mad skills having PG in Armon Johnson. Having only played Pittsburgh St so far this year, I was amped to see how the Rebels would perform against competition a bit more up to snuff.

Game started out slow, with Nevada controlling much of the first half, leading by 5 at halftime. Tre’Von Willis was in foul trouble and on the bench before I even sat down, and Nevada was in the bonus with like 11 mins left. Coach was into the game, players seemed amped up, but every time they got a stop or made a big basket, Nevada’s Joey Shaw or Brandon Fields would nail some sick 3 pointer and squash the attempted come back. That’s fine. The second half was all UNLV. On their way to scoring 55 points after the break, UNLV dismantled UNR with a high pressure full court press, on the ball defense, and an offense I have never seen UNLV play since I’ve been going to the games. Oscar Bellfield, Tre’Von Willis, Derek Jasper, etc etc. Even two freshmen stepped up and made HUGE contributions on both ends of the floor in the second half. Both Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds, coming off the bench. Hawkins drew a key charge on an out of bounds play during the UNLV comeback, after sinking a 3, and before slicing through the lain for a finger roll that your mother would be proud of. Last man of note for me was Brice Massamba. UNLV has been big man challenged over the past couple years. This year, the three headed monster of Brice, Darius Santee, and Brian Shaw, looks to be able to hold down the paint. Massamba was a beast going after the offensive glass, hitting a couple put backs, and most importantly, sinking his FT’s when he was fouled and sent to the line.

Overall, the atmosphere at the Thomas and Mack was awesome. The place was loud, and everybody was into the game. This is game 2 of 50 for me, and it was a great one. UNLV 88, Nevada 75.

Looking ahead, UNLV hosts MVC stalwart Southern Illinois, and then Holy Cross next week Wednesday. Tough competition will help these guys gel and get ready for the conference schedule. So far so good though, these guys are coming together well, and with the talent on this team, it should only get better.

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By Rhett, November 15, 2009 10:34 pm

Last night, UNLV kicked off its 2009/2010 basketball season with a 91-52 domination of Division 2 Pittsburgh St. In a direct reversal of play that we saw on Tuesday night versus Washburn, UNLV was a master of the press, both Bellfield and Jasper were hawks on the ball, and Tre’Von Willis gained the lane whenever he wanted, dominating the early parts of the second half to put the game safely away. Blow outs are fun, but only when the methods to obtain them are sound. Great pressure on the ball defense, and ball rotation on offense are what led to this 39 point drubbing. The game was horribly called though, with UNLV shooting 52 FT’s, slowing the game down to a crawl at best. This combined with my recent bout with food poisoning, and a pending trip to see a funny lady at Caesars with my ladyfriend did not really bode me well. Still, I was there, and glad to be there, even with some random boxing match in town.

This is just the start though. It is my goal this year to attend a minimum of 50 college basketball games. Not unlike a more well-known blogger and champion of the underdog (and his 100 game project), if everything goes according to plan, even with a full time job, a goofy dog, and the holiday season filled with visiting family members and trips to the west coast, I will end the season with over 50 games attended. Here’s how it “should” all go down:

• UNLV Home Games: Season tickets, plus one game at the Orleans Arena vs Kansas State, which Sam will be in town for = 16
• Las Vegas Invitational – 11/27 and 11/28: Four games 1st round and four games 2nd round = 8
• Holiday Hoops Classic – 12/19 and 12/20: Two games 1st round and two games 2nd round = 4
• Las Vegas Classic – 12/22 and 12/23: Four games 1st round and four games 2nd round = 8
• MWC Tournament – 3/10-3/13: One game on Wednesday, Four on Thursday, Two on Friday, one on Saturday = 8
• WCC Tournament – 3/5-3/8: Two games on the 5th, 6th and 7th, title game on the 8th = 7
• NCAA Tournament 1st and 2nd Rounds, Buffalo NY – 3/19 and 3/21: Four games on Friday, 2 on sunday = 6
• NCAA Final Four, Indianapolis, IN – 4/3 and 4/5: Two games on Saturday, one on Sunday = 3

Now, I realize this is a total of 60. I also did not include the NCAA Regional’s in Salt Lake, which I do not have official plans to go to, but could change as the season goes on. It’s within driving distance of my home here in Vegas, and is easily doable at the last second, if I can persuade my ladyfriend to attend with me. I set my goal at 50 because I had most of these chances last year, and I was not able to attend all of them due to work schedules or things just not being totally doable. Also, I am working towards finishing my degree, taking classes at night most of the week, which could throw off my count one or two here or there. Either way, 50 is the goal, with 60 obtainable. Next year, 70 will be obtainable with the WAC bringing its conference tournament to Vegas, throw in  a few random road games (Paulie Pavilion anybody?), I’m bound to be close.

Until then, if anybody wishes to help facilitate this by coming over to fold laundry, help with homework, or buy me a hot dog at one of these games, you know where I’ll be, and when.