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UNLV2001

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  1. SERIES HISTORY This will mark the mark the first meeting between UNLV and Boston College in men’s basketball. UNLV is 19-21 all-time against teams that currently make up the ACC. The Rebels lost their only game against an ACC opponent this season, falling to Florida State in the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Florida, 83-75 on Nov. 20. UNLV’S NIT HISTORY This marks the 11th all-time appearance in the NIT for UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels have a 9-11 record in the long-running postseason event. Before this season in their most-recent NIT game, the Runnin’ Rebels lost at Kentucky, 70-60, in the first round played on St. Patrick’s Day 2009. UNLV’s best showing in the NIT came during its first appearance in 1980 when it advanced to the semifinals in New York.
  2. SDSU WINS -- FINALLY the MWC gets a team to the next round
  3. Did forget than ----- Guess the MWC is 0-3 from the start of round of 64 ..........actually 1-2.........BSU lost in the round of 68 Just a miserable showing by the MWC this far ........SDSU, USU & UNM need to get some wins ........and maybe UNLV can win a few in the NIT
  4. Tied - Blackshear really not helping the Pack's cause here
  5. Just don't count on rebuilding via HS recruits like it once was or even keeping underclassmen .........it's a yearly free-for-all roster change
  6. There used to be a 3rd place game in the Final Four............UNLV played in that game in 1977
  7. Imagine they won a few then lost way back when ...........one loss & your out A team can have one tourney appearance and a 4-1 record ...........or five appearances and a 1-5 record
  8. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/mar/20/game-day-unlv-takes-on-princeton-in-nit-first-roun/ Game day: UNLV takes on Princeton in NIT first round It’s going to be a tough test for UNLV, which comes into the game on a two-game losing streak. Princeton is a difficult team to gameplan for, and Kevin Kruger will likely be down two starters. Can UNLV win and keep its season alive just a little while longer? Three keys to watch: Lineup concerns Senior center Kalib Boone remains unlikely to play after missing Thursday’s Mountain West quarterfinal due to an ankle injury. He didn’t participate in practice this week, and while Kruger said “there’s always hope” that Boone could heal enough in time for the opening tip at Princeton, it’s a long shot. Boone’s shaky status was expected. What the team didn’t anticipate is the absence of senior wing Luis Rodriguez, who did not make the trip to New Jersey and will not play on Wednesday. A team spokesman said Rodriguez is dealing with a family matter. Let D.J. cook We got a look at UNLV’s offense without Kalib Boone, and it was the D.J. Thomas show. The freshman took over against San Diego State, attempting 21 shots and scoring 29 points in 43 minutes in the overtime loss. Now with Rodriguez and his 9.0 field goal attempts per game subtracted from the lineup, Thomas may have to assert himself even more as a primary scorer. The good news for UNLV is that Thomas is excited for his first taste of postseason competition. “It’s more basketball to play. It’s doing something I love, so I’m blessed to be playing right now,” Thomas said. “Princeton is an historic program, and historic gym. A lot of really good guys, good players, really good teams they’ve had there, so it’s going to be a great experience for me.” Princeton offense Princeton University was founded in 1746, and it feels like they’ve been running the same offense since then. And it works. The Tigers grind their halfcourt sets to the point of tedium. They rank No. 311 in adjusted tempo, but it’s a machine that produces a lot of good possessions and a lot of good shots late in the shot clock, resulting in an attack that slots in 28th nationally in efficiency. It’s hard to defend, as Princeton spreads the floor and launches a high volume of 3-pointers. The team ranks ninth in both attempts and makes per game, and they hit at 35.7% from deep. Six different players average at least 2.7 long-distance attempts, so everyone on the floor is a threat. UNLV has faced opponents with similar principles, if not similar actions. Air Force is another extremely slow team that works the shot clock and searches for backdoor cuts, so the Scarlet and Gray should be familiar with the kind of mental discipline required to defend for 30 seconds without a lapse. Keylan Boone said defending as a team will be the key. “Great 3-point shooting team,” Boone said of Princeton. “Just locate them early, try to attain their best guys early and make them play team ball.”
  9. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/mar/20/how-an-nit-run-could-boost-the-unlv-basketball-pro/ How an NIT run could boost the UNLV basketball program Kruger and senior wing Keylan Boone both reported that spirits were high during Monday’s session, and the team is aiming to make their postseason last as long as possible. It may be a consolation to some, but for UNLV, the NIT could be a very good thing — and something worth celebrating. A look at why an NIT run is beneficial for the program: More practice time When the UNLV football team qualified for a bowl game after the 2023 season, head coach Barry Odom noted that the extra practices allotted by the NCAA would allow the team to bridge the distance between the regular season and spring ball, and ultimately make the 2024 team better. Basketball is a bit different — the NCAA is giving Kruger only two practices to prep for Wednesday’s game — but he still believes more court time is a good thing. “I think getting that extra time together, playing in a game that has implications of, you win you keep playing, you lose you go home…it carries that weight that you could be done,” Kruger said. “So it provides a lot of opportunities to be in those situations and scenarios with what we feel is going to be a really strong group coming back.” Senior sendoff Five UNLV players are out of eligibility after this season, and for some of them, it could be the final time they play in a meaningful game. So there is a teamwide emphasis on making this postseason a memorable experience for the outgoing seniors. “It’s a new adventure for me,” Keylan Boone said. “It’s a real blessing. I still get to play with my guys for a couple more games, so I’m not complaining about it.” Experience for young guys At the other end of the spectrum, UNLV has a core of young players that could certainly have their development boosted by playing in a tournament atmosphere. Thomas took his game to the next level in UNLV’s one Mountain West tournament game, totaling 29 points and five assists, so he’s probably good either way. But for guys like junior Rob Whaley and freshman Brooklyn Hicks, it’s an opportunity to build toward bigger roles next year. Program morale It’s been 11 years since UNLV played in a postseason game, and that kind of drought can weigh on a program. It can even perpetuate a cycle of losing, where coaches are hired, fail to meet tournament expectations, and are sent packing after three years, ushering in the next coach and the next cycle, starting from the ground up. By qualifying for the NIT, the Scarlet and Gray are giving themselves a chance to break the cycle. Kruger is in his third year, and this NIT run should buy him some more time to build his vision. In 2024-25 he’ll bring back two or three starters, and with his track record of finding veteran gems in the transfer portal, UNLV should be earmarked for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That would likely result in an extension for Kruger, and some much-needed stability for the program. No recruiting downside A handful of sure-thing NIT teams declined invitations before the brackets were revealed, citing the transfer portal as their reason for passing. The portal opened on Monday, and those coaches wanted to get a jump on recruiting. Why they couldn’t do both is a mystery to Kruger (and surely the 68 coaching staffs who are busy in the NCAA Tournament right now). On Monday, he said he intends to multitask, prepping for the NIT while monitoring any portal developments. “We’re going to do our best to do both,” Kruger said. Kruger knows his way around the portal; since taking over as head coach, he has brought in undervalued power-conference transfers such as Royce Hamm, Donovan Williams, E.J. Harkless, Luis Rodriguez and Keylan and Kalib Boone. Kruger said the roster is in a good enough place with returners that he won’t have to undergo a full rebuild via the portal. UNLV can select impact players to augment holdovers like Thomas and Whaley. “We’re at the point where we’ve got a great group of incoming guys, we expect to have a great group of guys coming back, so we won’t be as dependent, maybe, on the portal,” he said.
  10. The memories - I just turned 30 a week before
  11. The NIT was a good step for programs rebuilding or turning things around - That was then when players stuck around for 3-4 years & JC's were important recruits and an NIT bid showed progress to programs, AD's & fans Now with the roster turnover every season why bother going to NIT tournament that no longer carries much weight in the current CBB world plus plyers might want to hit the transfer portal sooner than waiting to play meaningless games
  12. UNLV rallies for 3 in bottom of the 9th to beat St Mary's 8-7
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