The past several days have been epic.

1. UNLV vs Wyoming – The Rebels wrapped up their regular season taking Wyoming to the woodshed. The Cowboys looked like a sad basketball team, and UNLV didn’t play around with them. Final score was 74-56, and it wasn’t even that close. This wrapped up the regular season for UNLV, and was my 23rd game of the season.

2. After this game, it became apparent that my dream of attending 50 college basketball games in one season would continue to be a dream. Attending classes and turning in required assignments took precedent over the WCC tournament, which was a requirement of mine previously. Such is life. It will be here next year, along with the WAC tournament. Options galore!

3. As Nate mentioned below, our very own Jimmy led his Allen Park Jags to a playoff victory against some team called the Crestwood Chargers. I know nothing about the high school basketball make up of the south eastern Michigan area, but I know that Jimmy is a good coach because his drills are excellent. Jimmy ended up losing another heart breaker to some team from Dearborn, but it doesn’t matter, because he’s still better. Just the way we feel.

4. Having cleared my calendar for the next week for a certain trip to Buffalo, NY, I decided to break down and pick up a few duckets to attend the MWC quarterfinal session last night with my beautiful baby. New Mexico vs San Diego State, and BYU vs UNLV. Quite the lineup of games, teams, and story lines from this season.

As you can see, we bought our tickets at the last second, which resulted in us sitting right behind the San Diego State student section in the upper deck level of the Thomas & Mack. This student section is fucking classic though. Their chants are dead on and organized, they crowd surfed some kid in a giant gecko outfit, and then suggested to the New Mexico contingent (which was at least 10,000 strong arena-wide) to sell their tickets once it was apparent the game was over. It was a fun game to watch, example 1 on why March basketball is the greatest shit ever. 1 seeded New Mexico falls to 4 seed San Diego State 69-72. Game was won behind hot shooting from behind the arc for SDSU (to the tune of 10-16), and Billy White’s 11-14 from the field, 5-5 from the line, 28 point domination of the New Mexico defense.

Game two was an entirely different set of circumstances.

Thanks in part to San Diego State’s knocking off of New Mexico, we were able to grift a new set of seats in the lower bowl, in the middle of New Mexico-ville, for the BYU vs UNLV game. New Mexico fans hate BYU as much as any other normal person in this country should hate them. BYU hadn’t won at UNLV vs UNLV in it’s five previous games. BYU was fresh off a victory over TCU, with brother Fredette racking up the shittiest stat line that ever represented 45 points.

• 45 points. 10-23 from the field (including 2-10 from 3), and 23-24 from the FT line. Yes, that is not a joke. This really happened.

Needless to say, I was a bit worried. Fredette was coming into the UNLV game believing he was the prophet Joseph Smith himself.

Now I’m not a bigot or a hater or anything. I know plenty of people who practice the Mormon faith and are perfectly nice normal people. The fast majority are well represented by the parity you’ve probably seen on South Park a few years back. Super nice. Super perfect. Blonde haired, blue eyed giver outters. They all have really cool jackets and want to go home and make brownies or help you build a bookshelf.

I’ll build my own.

BYU and UNLV came out shooting hot, to the tune of each squad trading 3 pointers. After it was 9-9, this dogfight settled out into the dogfight it was meant to be. UNLV’s press after made baskets gave BYU fits in the first half, leading to a few run outs. BYU’s patented fast break offense was a blur off of missed UNLV shots, and the game stayed sort of close, the Rebels up by 7 at the half behind a sweet looking jumper from Chase Stanback.

The second half saw the prophet casting a light on Jimmer Fredette, and him contorting his gangliy body into the bodies of his foes, and getting to the line with the righteous accomplishment only a BYU fan could be proud of. He also hit some sick deep jumpers. What’s ironic about this guy is that when a questionable call goes the other way, he freaks out, cries, pouts, and stomps all over the floor. He was also called for traveling twice in the second half, which almost made his head explode. Tre’Von Willis gutted out a twisted ankle in the final minutes, made a crazy glasser shot, and the FT’s a leader is expected to make to seal up the victory, regardless of what super natural forces may have been conspiring against the sinners of Southern Nevada. BYU 66, UNLV 70.

—–

So here I am. I’m going to bail on headed to the MWC title game this afternoon in favor of watching several other games from across the country. I’ve attended 25 college basketball games thus far, with the best yet to come.

5. Western won a game in its conference tournament, and should have probably faced Eastern after that. Thanks to #pixelvision, I was able to watch both teams, including Carlos Medlock’s spirited effort against Akron. EMU fell short, as did WMU against Akron yesterday. WMU will not be dancing this year, and the David Kool era is over in Kalamazoo.

6. Michigan State lost yesterday to Tubbs. Sam called this 100%. Not sure how I feel about Sparty headed into the Tourney. In Izzo I trust though. I don’t know what era is about to end for MSU over the next couple of weeks though. This team / season has been so confusing. I have this feeling that the team is being held together by a thread.

The only way to find out is to play the games.

Good news on the ticket front this week as well. Some randoms from Buffalo, NY sent over a few tickets for us to attend some hoops games, the same ones we’ve been talking about. So that’s good news:

I also managed to track down my set of Final Four tickets:

So now we can get into these places we’ve spoken about so much. The Final Four tickets were pretty hard to track down. The wonderful people at the NCAA ticket office did not change my mailing address, even though I sent the proper information to them, and even received conformation back that it was. It’s all good though, as it worked out in the end.

Wyoming @ UNLV for the last Rebel game of the year is next Saturday. I will also be at the WCC tournament at the Rhett’s Basketball viewing arena, AKA, the Orleans Arena. That starts on Friday.

Currently watching Richmond @ Xavier (dynasty). Looking forward to some USA hockey, and MSU @ Purdue. Things are rounding into shape nicely. They should be, tomorrow is March, and it is MY month.

Headed into the last week of February, if you are thinking of making the tournament, and advancing in the tournament, you had better be rounding into top form.

UNLV coming off a 3 game losing streak against New Mexico, San Diego State, and Utah, found their hoop game against Colorado State yesterday afternoon, and used it to gain a 70-39 win at home against the Rams. Colorado State is a decent squad, with some good pieces and will look to be a player in the league next year. UNLV started the game out on a 10-2 run, had balanced scoring, including 12 points from Anthony Marshall and Chace Stanback, and 11 points from Kendall Wallace and Tre’Von Willis. The Thomas and Mack was a bit empty, but that did not prevent the Rebels from having some great defensive pressure for almost the entire 1st half. The Rams only managed 16 points by halftime. The second half was mostly coasting, with a small Colorado State run squashed by UNLV.

This is called taking care of business. This is a game UNLV should have won, and had to have when you consider the three previous losses. They have TCU and Wyoming at home and Air Force on the road to finish out the season, and should win all 3 games rather easily. They’ll need to to ensure a favorable match up in the 1st round of the conference tournament. Losing the first game in the conference tournament on your home floor is not a good idea.

Michigan State is sitting in another boat. After losing three games, they won two easy road games against Penn State and Indiana. This left them headed into two game, at home vs Ohio State, and on the road at Purdue. Ohio State handled Sparty this afternoon, which is disapointing. Now, the road game at Purdue seems rather important, as the Spartans haven’t proven they can beat good squads lately, and may need the confidence boost a Purdue win would bring, in order to get their minds right for March.

I’m hoping the Rebels will win out in convincing fashion to eliminate any doubt that they should be in the field of 65. I’m also hoping Michigan State starts to hit their stride, knocks off Purdont, and starts off March on the right foot.

say it ain't so baby

The week that was in college basketball may have been just like any other week. There are teams fighting their way onto the bubble, teams tripping themselves off the bubble, and teams that don’t know what that is, because they don’t roll dolo’s like some other schools do.

If you’ve read any part of this weblog of our basketball trials and tribulations, it’s not hard to know that we root for a few core teams. I tend to follow the Western Michigan Broncos, Michigan State Spartans, and UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Quite the combination. I bet nobody else west of the Mississippi has a wall of fame hanging in their man cave with Ben Reed, Anthony Kahn, and Mike Williams on it.

Last week, things seemed to be great. UNLV was coming off a win at home against rival bible thumps BYU.  The Broncos won at home against Bowling Green. Michigan State had lost earlier that week at Wisconsin, and had looked to get back on track at Illinois (without Kalin Lucas). Ever since then, it has been a brutal run.

1. Western Michigan has lost two straight road games to Ohio and Eastern Michigan. Now they have a sub-.500 conference record. Not quite the note you want to hit when you’re heading into your final hand full of games before the conference tournament. I always believe that if they can get there, David Kool will bust out some flip mode sequence and pull off a miracle. He’s gone after this year, and deserves to see the NCAA Tournament. We deserve to see him and his squad play there too. Doesn’t seem so likely at this point.

2. Michigan State lost to Illinois. They probably would have won had Kalin Lucas played. Afterwords, they lost at home to stupid boiler up Purdue and their trio of clowns that everybody thinks are sweet at basketball. They have since won at Penn State yesterday, but come on, everybody has done that this year. Penn State hasn’t won a conference game to date. Sparty had been in line to challenge for a #1 seed, and an easy road to the round of 16, and hopefully beyond. Now, they’re looking at a 3 or 4 seed. It is possible to improve to a 2, but, I’m not holding my breath, or my lungs will look like the hoop rock just above.

3. UNLV played host to New Mexico, and did their best BYU impression on Wednesday. Yesterday, I saddled up tonto and rode up to the b-dubs down the street to watch UNLV play at SDSU on Versus, only to be disapointed in my investment. It was really hot in there. I hung out until I knew it was over. The Rebels lost the game, have now lost two in a row, and can basically kiss the regular season conference title good-bye. In addition, their next game at Utah is now a must win. I’m sure you remember what happened last time these two teams met, right?

So there you go. Happy Valentines Day. My second lover (my first being my very beautiful and loving wife), has forsaken me. I am no front runner. I follow the teams I do for very specific reasons. No Duke fan here. MSU is logical, because I’m from Michigan, and the Spartans are not the Wolverines. WMU is my pseudo-alma matter, and UNLV is the only sports gig here in Las Vegas. How could I not go? It would be easy to root for Villanova or something, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Basketball is a brutal lover. The highs are so high, and the lows are so low. The coming week poses challenges for all the teams I mentioned here. It is my hope to see some of them in March, at neutral sites, and having a blast. If they aren’t there, it will be OK, because the Trip is perpetual, and it’s not about our teams. It’s just icing on the cake. After last year’s Final Four, perhaps we are spoiled.

So, I guess I will treat this relationship like a troubled marriage. You have to work to make it work.

I’m not turning my back on you baby.

It’s disappointing because UNLV was ranked again, gained a lot of national attention after the win over the weekend against stupid BYU. UNLV had a chance to solidify their spot in bracket projections, and put themselves on top of the MWC. It did not happen that way though.

For those who were not at the game, and had to endure through a 4OT women’s basketball game, you missed New Mexico hitting their first 5 three-pointers. You missed New Mexico setting the tone on both ends of the floor, denying the lane to Tre’Von Willis and Oscar Bellfield.

UNLV missed Derrick Jasper, and his ability to switch on the wings. Kendall Wallace may be an amazing 3 point specialist, but he cannot guard a soul to save his own life, and Steve Alford exploited this repeatedly in the 1st half. If Jasper had been playing (UNLV’s best defender), those open 3’s would not have existed, and this game would have had a drastically different start.

You can’t get out rebounded 2-1, give up 20 second chance points, and let a team shoot 50% from 3 point land, and expect to win a game. Yet, somehow, UNLV managed to get this to within two points at the under 4 time out. I can’t even explain it really. Just doesn’t make sense, but I watched it happen. That tells me this team has grit. They didn’t fold up in a ball and die, or shrug it off like it just was not their night.

It’s bad to lose, but its not horrible to lose to a good team. New Mexico had a plan tonight, they executed it, and won the game. UNLV coming off the emotional high of winning against BYU on Saturday, couldn’t possibly replicate that energy two times in a row. The large crowd (over 18,000 again), tried to will them on, and it almost happened.

I may comment more on this later. Just wanted to get these thoughts out there. It’s not the end of the world. Just time to hit the road on Saturday vs San Diego State and put those clowns out early. Then on to Utah, and do the same thing. No doubt about the fact that UNLV should be better than both teams.

Good Talk.

Tre'Von rollin dolo's. (Photo by Louie Traub/RebelNation.Net)

I last attended a college basketball game on January 17th when UNLV lost to Utah at home. It was a bad loss.

Since then, UNLV has won a few road contests, and a home game vs Air Force I could not attend. To say I was looking forward to today’s game is an understatement. I have deprived myself of Big Monday’s and Super Tuesday’s. I’m doing what I have to do, but I am missing my favorite sports season, and I’m bummed about it sometimes.

That being said, UNLV playing host to BYU was game #19 for me. It was quite the game.

UNLV game out slanging nerve gas on BYU. I have never seen anything close to what I saw in person today. The Rebels were ready to play. It was evident after they started the game on a 11-2 run, with Tre’Von Willis getting whatever shot he wanted. BYU came out flat, seemed pouty for most of the game, and really never even competed. I have seen BYU play a ton of games (second only to UNLV) over the past hand-full of years. They recruit talent, seem to be well coached, and probably deserved their high rankings they’ve had this year. They can’t play against UNLV though. The Rebel’s choked away the game in Provo earlier this year. They were up at the under 4 time out, and just did not make plays they’ve made all year. BYU didn’t win that one, UNLV lost it. BYU rolls into town this afternoon (1pm local tip is  a good deal) and they get the covers blown off their golden bible. Tre’Von Willis put his stamp on his MWC POTY opinion, by throwing in 33 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers. He also played some very nice near lockdown defense on this Jimmer kid, holding this supposed all world MWC guy to 21 points on 4 of 15 shooting. Oscar Bellfield also played a part in this. Both guys are fast, and did a great job in keeping Jimmer in front of them all afternoon.

The final was 88-74, but it wasn’t even that close. It was over at halftime, with UNLV being up 22 going into the break. UNLV was up by as much a 29 before halftime.

Another little tidbit – for everybody claiming Fredette is the clear cut MVP of the MWC, think again. Willis is scoring more per conference game than Fredette, and has owned him in both head to head meetings. Spare me that ‘oh, he was sick’ crap. Willis played well on the road in the heart of Provo. Fredette stunk it up today. The only open shot he could get was a NBA+ three. Who’s your prophet?

UNLV hosts New Mexico Wednesday night. They beat the airbrushers today to create a 3-way tie on top of the MWC. UNLV has the previously mentioned New Mexico game, then heads to SDSU and Utah. Then they play all the clowns at the bottom of the league.

Michigan State played a terrible game and was thoroughly out classed by Wisconsin. Kalin Lucas rolls his ankle and might be out for the seasons most pivotal stretch (@Illinois, and Purdue). If they don’t win the Big Ten regular season after starting 9-0 then they should make Paul Davis an honorary captain during the Big Ten tournament, and probably shouldn’t be expecting a deep run in March. The notion that everything will be all right in March is an over estimate in East Lansing. State really hasn’t been playing good basketball for the last month, and I don’t believe Tom Izzo can just have them flip a switch. I really hope they don’t fade down the stretch because this is a likable collection of players, but after the debacle in Madison I have my concerns.

Rhett assures me that Lon Kruger will step up today and stop the Mormons from running away with the Mountain West. Let’s see if Jimmer can carry his sprite drinking, polygamist practicing, Orrin Hatch voting, door to door bothering, 25 year olds to victory in a hostile and sin filled environment.

I need wins by UNLV, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Michigan State today to feel good about the direction of this season. I’ll take 3-1 but anything less than that and my worries will continue. I’ll be at the Convo in a few hours cheering on EMU against Ohio U. Hope its worth it.

Besides Tre’Von Willis (27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), and Chace Stanback (14 points, 10 rebounds), nobody for the Rebels could be referred to as a reliable option last night. This really hamstrung UNLV down the stretch. For all the mentions about UNLV’s depth, Willis was forced into playing the whole game, as he was the only Rebel who could get his own shot and be relied upon to create offense.

Utah shot 50% from 3 point land (8 for 16), and also made a healthy percentage of their FT’s (23-29). In comparison, Vegas was only 1 of 12 from beyond the arch, and shot 65% from the FT line (22-34). At least 4 of those misses were front ends of 1-1’s as well.

So there you have it. It was a close game, UNLV had its shots to pull it out when things got tight at the end, and did not take advantage of the chances. Like I said, sometimes, you’re just going to lose a game. Utah 73, UNLV 69.

So UNLV is 14-4, and 2-2 in conference. Stumbles like these are what killed UNLV last year, and resulted in them not making the tournament. They pretty much have to take care of home court the rest of the way and win the road games they “should” win, including teams like Air Force, TCU, etc. You figure on two more tough home games against BYU and New Mexico. You want to be able to count on a split of both of those. In a league that figures to get more than one bid this year due to the non conference prowess of its teams, UNLV would do well to stay near the top of the standings as time goes by. New Mexico has stumbled as well, giving the Rebels a shot to right the ship, notch a few wins, and be there later on. Time will tell (cliche’s, hoary!).

Game #18 for myself, next game is Jan 26th, sheesh. Next weekend may be my “break out of Vegas random hoops road trip” weekend. We shall see.

1st Half (worst): UNLV plays timid horrible basketball. Aztecs drive the lane, score in the paint, draw fouls, out rebound on both ends and overall dominate the game. If it wasn’t for their crappy shooting from the free throw line in the first half, this game could have been different. Either way, Steve Fisher’s gangster program of the west slashes and dashes their way to a 39-33 lead at halftime, with it seeming like it should have been a ton more.

2nd Half (best): UNLV erases the six point hole before the first media time out with hustle on defense, and determination to drive the lane instead of lazily settling for jump shots near the three point line. Tre’Von Willis and Chace Stanback worked some 2-man game real nice for a stretch, and Anthony Marshall did a nice job on the defensive end (including rebound in a short stretch), off the bench. UNLV realized a modest lead half way through the second half, and made the free throws down the stretch to seal the deal. UNLV 76, SDSU 66.

Unsung Hero was undoubtedly Oscar Bellfield, who has staked his claim as perhaps the best pure point in the league. Another six assists tonight, giving him 22 on the conference season, with only four turnovers to go with them. Last year, big O was maybe pressured to get to the rim a bit more in order to score, since the Rebels lacked scoring overall. This year, with Jasper, Willis, and Chace on the wings, Bellfield does a great job getting into the lane and kicking for open looks, and setting up his scorers nicely off the pick and pop / roll. Nice game again tonight.

Game count notched at 17 after tonight. Utah and Tourney Trip favorite Jim Boylen visit Las Vegas on Saturday. Then it’s a week on the road for the Rebels.

My first stop was in Las Vegas to check out UNLV v. Kansas State at the Orleans Arena. The Orleans Arena is like Rhett’s personal venue since he was watched so many WCC, and exempt tourney games there since becoming westie, and he assured me that it was a different environment at the Thomas and Mack where UNLV usually plays its home games. I was a little apprehensive about the fan base when I saw a rebel fan in the parking lot with a sideways visor freestyle rapping next to a bunch of trucks and RVs but those concerns were quickly put to rest as the game began. Vegas is an entertainment town. There is tons to see and do, and if you are going to compete for the entertainment dollars in that town you have to put on a show. Even though they were not at their home arena the UNLV people did everything they could to make the game a spectacle. They had a pyrotechnics display and a celebrity video to fire up the crowd (it was Carrot Top though). The crowd was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and very very intense. I thought the guy behind me was going to start challenging the Kansas State fans to meet him in the parking lot for either a fight or a rap battle. But the enthusiasm died down as the game wore on and K State started draining 3 pointers. That K State team is really good by the way. So I guess it isn’t fair to judge a fan base based on 1 game at a pseudo home arena when they are getting beat by double digits but I think they are passionate and in a certain sense demanding because there are so many other ways for them to be entertained if they choose. The passion can turn to frustration pretty quickly. But it looks like it is fun to root for UNLV when times are good.

The arena was literally in a casino, which was strange and you could get a beer which I did but didn’t really feel good about it. The program was tiny and free, and there were alot of people wearing vintage UNLV gear that they probably purchased when Anderson Hunt was a freshman. You could sense that most of the people who filled up this place were the diehards, and there was a pretty impressive contingent of Kansas State fans as well as a few cowboys. Not juiced in local cowboys, but actual cowboys in town with the rodeo. I won’t go into the specifics of the game because Rhett already did that but I will say once again K State is good and very impressive in person. It was a different environment than I was used to and I would like to go  back for a big conference game at the Thomas and Mack sometime.

With Arizona State I think I got the gist of what they are and what they can be with one trip and probably don’t need to go back. First off I think they used the same architect to build the Wells Fargo as they did to build Crisler Arena. It is a round, bland building with a few trophy cases and not much ambiance. It lacked the impressive collection of NIT banners that can be found at Crisler but you could build your own burrito at the concession stand so I guess that part is a wash.

I was there for the game against San Diego State and my old buddy Steve Fischer who has recreated his patented brand of undisciplined gangster ball on the west coast to finish out his tainted abortion of a career. They had 23 turnovers on the game and ended up on the losing end despite dominating on the glass 39-21. It was a sloppy 55-53 Arizona State victory that will probably be significant in March as both of these teams will  be someplace on the tournament bubble.

What I took away from this game and this fan base was a sense that Herb Sendeck is a very good coach who is building a program and the fans at ASU are lucky to have him since they aren’t exactly Kentucky. For a game against a good SDSU squad they had an announced attendance of 10,055. There is no way there were that many people there even though in all fairness most of the students were away for Christmas break and its a pro sports town full of transplants and good weather outside. The people that did show up were loud and enthusiastic even though it wasn’t always at the appropriate time, and seem hungry for a winner. I think they are a rising power in the Pac 10 and will supplant Arizona as the dominate team in that state very soon if they haven’t already. They are just an impact player away from making a real statement on the national scene as well.

So that is my feelings on the random places I visited to watch hoops on my vacation. I recommend strongly going to any random game when you are in a new town. Not only is it kind of fun and interesting but it makes you appreciate your home teams that much more. I know I can’t wait to get to the Convocation Center tonight in Ypsilanti to watch Samford take on Eastern Michigan. There is no place like home.