The Rebels faced the No. 1 seed Utah State Aggies in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament and struggled on the offensive end, falling 80-60.
The matchup came with plenty of hype, as many fans believed UNLV could pull off another upset. After all, the Rebels beat Utah State twice in the regular season, first 86-76, then 92-65 on March 3. Those two losses made up two of the Aggies’ six defeats this year.
The Game Changing Struggles the Rebels Couldn’t Over Come
The biggest issues came at the free-throw line and in ball security. UNLV shot just 53.3 percent at the stripe, while Utah State hit 63.6 percent. Just as costly, the Rebels struggled to handle pressure, turning it over 18 times. Utah State turned that into 12 steals and 23 points off turnovers.
Consequently, UNLV struggled from 3-point range as well, shooting 34.8 percent. The Rebels have battled inconsistency from deep all season, yet they still attempt about 20 3s per game. They have made 34.9 percent on the year and typically hit about seven per game. Still, with the size on this roster, UNLV needed to generate more points inside. The Rebels scored only 23 points in the paint in this one.
In addition, UNLV’s best wins have come when it controls the interior. In the three-game winning stretch before this loss, the Rebels scored 30 to 45 paint points each night. That same formula also showed up in the two regular-season wins over Utah State, when UNLV scored 40 and 46 points in the paint. UNLV has the ability to attack and score inside. It needed to emphasize that strength in this game.
Lastly, the moment looked new for parts of this roster. Many Rebels had not played in a game with this level of intensity, and the program had not felt a tournament win in a decade before the first-round victory over Wyoming. Even so, UNLV gave fans a clear look at what it can become. With a new coach and a first-year group still growing together, the ending stung, but the foundation looks real for a young, talented team.
UNLV Runnin Rebels: Huge Blow-out Win Over First Place Aggies
Jesse Vanderveer is a basketball reporter and writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @JesseVanderveer22
