Air Force at UNLV

[UNLV2001]

   

AIR FORCE (7-10, 0-5 MOUNTAIN WEST)  at   UNLV (9-8, 2-3 MOUNTAIN WEST)

DATE: Tuesday, January 23
TIME: 8 p.m.
SITE: Tarkanian Court, Thomas & Mack Center (18,000), Las Vegas
TV: CBS Sports Network (Jordan Kent, Pete Gillen)
RADIO: ESPN Radio 1100 AM/SiriusXM 385 (Jon Sandler, Curtis Terry, Steve Cofield)
AUDIO: UNLV Rebels App & UNLVRebels.com

This will mark the 62nd all-time meeting between UNLV and Air Force

The series started back in 1981

UNLV leads the all-time series 46-15

UNLV is 34-2 all-time vs. AFA at home and has won 14 straight against the Falcons at the Thomas & Mack Center

UNLV had won five straight overall in the series before losing at Air Force on Jan. 20, 2022 (69-62)

The Runnin’ Rebels are now 8-1 in their last nine meetings against the Falcons overall

Air Force comes to Las Vegas having lost eight straight games

Head coach Joe Scott is in his eighth season at Air Force with a record of 88-129 (.406)

Head Coach Kevin Kruger is in his third season at UNLV with a record of 46-35 (.568) 

UNLV is 6-0 when making at least 10 3-pointers in a game

The Runnin’ Rebels are also 9-2 when leading at halftime

Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 1,210 games played

The 2023-24 season marks the 41st year of Runnin’ Rebel basketball in the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV has posted an all-time record of 536-152 (.779) in the arena since it opened in 1983

 

 

Overall

Overall Individual Statistics

#	Player	GP	GS	MINUTES		FG			3PT			FT			SCORING		REBOUNDS				PF	AST	TO	STL	BLK
				TOT	AVG	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PT	3PTA	3PT%	FTM	FTA	FT%	PTS	AVG	OFF	DEF	TOT	AVG
10	Boone, Kalib	16	12	380	23.8	90	143	.629	0	0	.000	33	46	.717	213	13.3	28	51	79	4.9	49	20	30	24	27
15	Rodriguez, Luis	17	17	539	31.7	79	179	.441	28	85	.329	28	40	.700	214	12.6	43	76	119	7.0	46	27	20	34	5
11	Thomas Jr., Dedan	17	17	593	34.9	76	167	.455	17	45	.378	35	53	.660	204	12.0	4	50	54	3.2	24	109	37	16	1
20	Boone, Keylan	10	4	270	27.0	38	97	.392	18	55	.327	18	21	.857	112	11.2	21	42	63	6.3	25	17	8	5	10
01	Hill, Jalen	7	7	210	30.0	27	50	.540	2	6	.333	19	22	.864	75	10.7	14	29	43	6.1	14	12	9	8	4
02	Webster, Justin	17	17	513	30.2	50	132	.379	25	87	.287	17	18	.944	142	8.4	2	33	35	2.1	16	28	12	11	2
24	Johnson III, Jackie	17	0	284	16.7	44	103	.427	22	56	.393	5	12	.417	115	6.8	1	14	15	0.9	16	17	13	10	2
00	Cottrell, Isaiah	14	11	219	15.6	26	56	.464	12	31	.387	18	25	.720	82	5.9	15	32	47	3.4	32	1	13	2	9
05	Whaley Jr., Rob	17	0	214	12.6	36	61	.590	1	3	.333	19	29	.655	92	5.4	16	28	44	2.6	25	11	16	11	11
03	Nowell, Shane	7	0	47	6.7	7	15	.467	2	7	.286	0	0	.000	16	2.3	1	8	9	1.3	8	4	2	1	0
13	Hicks, Brooklyn	16	0	123	7.7	10	24	.417	2	5	.400	2	6	.333	24	1.5	2	13	15	0.9	11	11	10	3	1
31	Walters, Nick	2	0	7	3.5	1	3	.333	1	2	.500	0	0	.000	3	1.5	0	0	0	0.0	0	1	0	0	0
22	Jones, Karl	9	0	51	5.7	4	7	.571	0	0	.000	3	5	.600	11	1.2	6	10	16	1.8	9	0	1	0	8
TM	Team	17	0	0	0.0	0	0	.000	0	0	.000	0	0	.000	0	0.0	26	15	41	2.4	0	0	11	0	0
	Total	17		3450	202.9	488	1037	.471	130	382	.340	197	277	.711	1303	76.65	179	401	580	34.1	275	258	182	125	80
	Opponents	17		3450	202.9	432	999	.432	114	341	.334	213	282	.755	1191	70.06	191	411	602	35.4	272	237	233	103	55

[quickdraw]

Good opportunity to get Kalib settled down and back into the team flow again. Need to see Hicks and Nowell get double digit minutes over the next few games. Get DJ a break with 20-25 minutes. Build team cohesion. Maybe deal with Web's confidence. After maybe the toughest schedule to start conference play this could be a valuable stretch to reset. 

[818SUDSFan]

Air Ball goan get dunked on regularly.

[VincentVegaBond]

I wish these Tuesday games started at 7pm instead of 8pm.  Not sure if I'm gonna go in the middle of the work week that late.

[quickdraw]

On 1/22/2024 at 4:00 PM, VincentVegaBond said:

I wish these Tuesday games started at 7pm instead of 8pm.  Not sure if I'm gonna go in the middle of the work week that late.

Yeah to be on CBSSN. It makes for a long day but I’ll still be there.

[ltcpilot]

Some of my thoughts on AF and where they are going and the CSPRINGS Gazette on the matchup. Will be tough on my Falcons especially in the paint.

GO FALCONS 

 

Time for our Air Force men to find their identity on the hardwood

 

Air Force men are 0-4 in the MWC and head out on the road first for a late night game at UNLV on Tuesday, then at Fresno State on Saturday. I can't break it down much better than the Gazette has done in this article:

 

(https://gazette.com/sports/how-can-air-force-basketball-0-5-in-mountain-west-get-out-of-the-cellar/article_f639fc74-b964-11ee-8ca1-073f6debc37d.html ..... on the 'whys' and 'what-if's' of Air Force men's basketball and success. BUT if I tried I'd read between all the lines and it comes down to things that have been talked about here, talked about by the coach in pressers and coach's show, by the players in interviews, so here are the things I think that must change or stay in some cases the same but more consistent:... Read my thoughts at: https://ricksfalconreview.blogspot.com

 

[Swoll Cracker]

On 1/22/2024 at 7:52 PM, ltcpilot said:

Some of my thoughts on AF and where they are going and the CSPRINGS Gazette on the matchup. Will be tough on my Falcons especially in the paint.

GO FALCONS 

 

Time for our Air Force men to find their identity on the hardwood

 

Air Force men are 0-4 in the MWC and head out on the road first for a late night game at UNLV on Tuesday, then at Fresno State on Saturday. I can't break it down much better than the Gazette has done in this article:

 

(https://gazette.com/sports/how-can-air-force-basketball-0-5-in-mountain-west-get-out-of-the-cellar/article_f639fc74-b964-11ee-8ca1-073f6debc37d.html ..... on the 'whys' and 'what-if's' of Air Force men's basketball and success. BUT if I tried I'd read between all the lines and it comes down to things that have been talked about here, talked about by the coach in pressers and coach's show, by the players in interviews, so here are the things I think that must change or stay in some cases the same but more consistent:... Read my thoughts at: https://ricksfalconreview.blogspot.com

 

Nice analysis Rick. Here are some of my random thoughts re: what I’ve seen in the Falcons.

Yes the Falcons have lots of shot clock violations but I don’t think your coach really cares because he seems to want to kill the game off right from the opening tip. Shot clock violations become a good thing as they shorten the game. You rarely see a three-ball early in the clock. When they’re open you need to take them.

The AFA bench is non existent for multiple reasons. first, it’s hard to develop with the current reality of portal/transfers which Air Force cannot participate in. But, you also have a coach that didn’t view the non conference portion of the schedule as the time to develop his bench players. Air Force is near the bottom nationally in bench minutes as a result.The bench issues are on Joe Scott and staff, not the players. It began in the first game when his starters all played 30+ minutes.

Now for my harshest take. I don’t think there’s much leadership on the floor. Which I find paradoxical. Air Force breeds leaders for real life. Those traits should be readily apparent on the court but Idont see them. And I put that on your coach. I think back to the Scott teams 20 years ago - leaders galore. I it’s not like that now. The best leaders empower their subordinates. I’m not sure Scott is doing that these days. He looks to be very controlling on the sidelines.

I saw a bit of odd behavior from Scott,in Fort Collins during the overtime. After Air Force had scored a bucket to cut CSUs lead to 4, he came running out on the court in anger. The ball was still in play. Referee Verne Harris decided to rescue him by signaling for an Air Force timeout rather than calling a technical foul. After several seconds had gone by, Scott asked Harris what was going on and Harris told him he called a timeout. Scott argued back that he never called for a timeout. For some reason, he couldn’t see that Harris was trying to help him.

Air Force has a nice three player core in Taylor, Becker, and Petraitis. Good enough to lead the Falcons to win some MWC games. I’m sure you see that as a fan and I’m sure you find it frustrating it hasn’t happened yet. I chatted with Petraitis a bit after the CSU game (he was AAU teammates with CSU’s Jalen Lake) and told him to keep pushing and the wins will start coming. I believe that.

[ph90702]

Air Force would do best for themselves and the MW to drop their Olympic sports down a level.

[4UNLV]

I am always afraid of AFA, I hate those back door cuts after running the shot clock to zero. Rebs need to come out and play hard from the get go, this is not a cakewalk.

[ltcpilot]

On 1/23/2024 at 2:55 AM, Swoll Cracker said:

Nice analysis Rick. Here are some of my random thoughts re: what I’ve seen in the Falcons.

Yes the Falcons have lots of shot clock violations but I don’t think your coach really cares because he seems to want to kill the game off right from the opening tip. Shot clock violations become a good thing as they shorten the game. You rarely see a three-ball early in the clock. When they’re open you need to take them.

The AFA bench is non existent for multiple reasons. first, it’s hard to develop with the current reality of portal/transfers which Air Force cannot participate in. But, you also have a coach that didn’t view the non conference portion of the schedule as the time to develop his bench players. Air Force is near the bottom nationally in bench minutes as a result.The bench issues are on Joe Scott and staff, not the players. It began in the first game when his starters all played 30+ minutes.

Now for my harshest take. I don’t think there’s much leadership on the floor. Which I find paradoxical. Air Force breeds leaders for real life. Those traits should be readily apparent on the court but Idont see them. And I put that on your coach. I think back to the Scott teams 20 years ago - leaders galore. I it’s not like that now. The best leaders empower their subordinates. I’m not sure Scott is doing that these days. He looks to be very controlling on the sidelines.

I saw a bit of odd behavior from Scott,in Fort Collins during the overtime. After Air Force had scored a bucket to cut CSUs lead to 4, he came running out on the court in anger. The ball was still in play. Referee Verne Harris decided to rescue him by signaling for an Air Force timeout rather than calling a technical foul. After several seconds had gone by, Scott asked Harris what was going on and Harris told him he called a timeout. Scott argued back that he never called for a timeout. For some reason, he couldn’t see that Harris was trying to help him.

Air Force has a nice three player core in Taylor, Becker, and Petraitis. Good enough to lead the Falcons to win some MWC games. I’m sure you see that as a fan and I’m sure you find it frustrating it hasn’t happened yet. I chatted with Petraitis a bit after the CSU game (he was AAU teammates with CSU’s Jalen Lake) and told him to keep pushing and the wins will start coming. I believe that.

Swoll....great analysis as always. We need to get together again, been a long time. I cannot argue anything you said. But believe it or not he did give several younger players more time earlier but that kinda fell by the wayside when Rytis came back (agree that is on him too) and, even with the limited opportunity the bench has produced literally zip. Scott is an enigma in himself. Obviously knows basketball but as a longtime devout fan I cringe at his demeanor. Then in a Dr Jekyll Mr Hyde moment you hear him and like what and how he talks about the team and players in pressers, post-game or coach's show. I'm not sure he can breed leadership with his style. 

 

Ref Petraitis, a special young man. Interesting story of his immigrant parents and their own journey and athleticism. Will be interesting to see if he stays. He is a Burtschi/Hornung blue collar worker for sure. Maybe he needs to find his voice on the floor. 

PH....MWC rules are each team must be all in for all sports with Hawaii being the only waiver. Yes....in basketball it's tough for us I (cough cough....hard to say) agree with you....but not so in other Olympics sports example Baseball chaps 2 years ago, XC and track Champs etc. Wrestling in the Big 12 with heavy weight Hendrickson ranked #1 nationally

 

GO FALCONS 

 

[Swoll Cracker]

On 1/23/2024 at 8:00 AM, ltcpilot said:

Swoll....great analysis as always. We need to get together again, been a long time. I cannot argue anything you said. But believe it or not he did give several younger players more time earlier but that kinda fell by the wayside when Rytis came back (agree that is on him too) and, even with the limited opportunity the bench has produced literally zip. Scott is an enigma in himself. Obviously knows basketball but as a longtime devout fan I cringe at his demeanor. Then in a Dr Jekyll Mr Hyde moment you hear him and like what and how he talks about the team and players in pressers, post-game or coach's show. I'm not sure he can breed leadership with his style. 

 

Ref Petraitis, a special young man. Interesting story of his immigrant parents and their own journey and athleticism. Will be interesting to see if he stays. He is a Burtschi/Hornung blue collar worker for sure. Maybe he needs to find his voice on the floor. 

PH....MWC rules are each team must be all in for all sports with Hawaii being the only waiver. Yes....in basketball it's tough for us I (cough cough....hard to say) agree with you....but not so in other Olympics sports example Baseball chaps 2 years ago, XC and track Champs etc. Wrestling in the Big 12 with heavy weight Hendrickson ranked #1 nationally

 

GO FALCONS 

 

Petraitis is very much a Burtschi/ Hornung type of player. And a really nice kid. I always hope guys like him stay but I think it’ll be difficult to fight off NIL offers, much like Heidbreder. Unfortunately, Air Force is always a tempting target for players after their sophomore season due to academy commitments. And with the benefits of the extra COVID year going away, the prime players to pluck are sophomores with lot of D1 playing experience.

[qwelish]

2% chance to win? 

Come on.

Way overestimating afa.

[UNLV2001]

    

Ok, here's the remaining UNLV BB schedule and how it might turn out based on how the Rebels have looked in the opening five MWC games 

UNLV is currently 2-3 in MWC play going into tonight's game 

vs Air Force - UNLV can & should win this one, but beware = 3-3 record

at SJSU - Another winnable game but Spartans have been testy at home, ask SDSU = 4-3 record

vs Fresno St - Back home and another game UNLV can't lose = 5-3 record

vs Wyoming - Pokes on the road are different that Pokes at 7720' , still beware but winnable = 6-3 record

at New Mexico - Lobos at home are tough, ask SDSU - Could UNLV win? possible, but doubtful = 6-4 record

at Fresno St - Mid week roadie which could be a trap game, beware, but winnable = 7-4 record

vs Nevada - Rivals at home, need to keep the foot on Alfords neck, win this for all the right reasons = 8-4 record

at Air Force - Another one to beware & take care of biz = 9-4 record

vs Colorado St - Revenge game, where Rebels finish what they didn't in the Fort - 10-4 record

at Wyoming - Quick two day turnaround to Laramie where Pokes are at their best, roster depth comes thru for Rebs = 11-4 record

vs SJSU - Spartans on the road means UNLV should get the W = 12-4 record

vs SDSU - Revenge game number two. Aztecs have rules UNLV over recent years, can Rebs shake off the funk? = 13-4 record

at Nevada - Alford might be frantic by the MWC finale to show something by beating UNLV which isn't his strong suit, Rebs looking at a top seed for MWC T = 14-4 record 

Best result will be 14-4.......one could say Rebs lose to CSU & SDSU at home & Nevada, Wyoming on the road, which drops the record to 10-8 at worst

My guess is 11-7 to 12-6 

[ph90702]

On 1/23/2024 at 10:39 AM, UNLV2001 said:

    

Ok, here's the remaining UNLV BB schedule and how it might turn out based on how the Rebels have looked in the opening five MWC games 

UNLV is currently 2-3 in MWC play going into tonight's game 

vs Air Force - UNLV can & should win this one, but beware = 3-3 record

at SJSU - Another winnable game but Spartans have been testy at home, ask SDSU = 4-3 record

vs Fresno St - Back home and another game UNLV can't lose = 5-3 record

vs Wyoming - Pokes on the road are different that Pokes at 7720' , still beware but winnable = 6-3 record

at New Mexico - Lobos at home are tough, ask SDSU - Could UNLV win? possible, but doubtful = 6-4 record

at Fresno St - Mid week roadie which could be a trap game, beware, but winnable = 7-4 record

vs Nevada - Rivals at home, need to keep the foot on Alfords neck, win this for all the right reasons = 8-4 record

at Air Force - Another one to beware & take care of biz = 9-4 record

vs Colorado St - Revenge game, where Rebels finish what they didn't in the Fort - 10-4 record

at Wyoming - Quick two day turnaround to Laramie where Pokes are at their best, roster depth comes thru for Rebs = 11-4 record

vs SJSU - Spartans on the road means UNLV should get the W = 12-4 record

vs SDSU - Revenge game number two. Aztecs have rules UNLV over recent years, can Rebs shake off the funk? = 13-4 record

at Nevada - Alford might be frantic by the MWC finale to show something by beating UNLV which isn't his strong suit, Rebs looking at a top seed for MWC T = 14-4 record 

Best result will be 14-4.......one could say Rebs lose to CSU & SDSU at home & Nevada, Wyoming on the road, which drops the record to 10-8 at worst

My guess is 11-7 to 12-6 

I would be happy with 12-6.  Highly unlikely we’d be left out of the NIT with that record.  Would just need to make the semis of the MWCT to be safe.

[VincentVegaBond]

On 1/23/2024 at 10:39 AM, UNLV2001 said:

 

My guess is 11-7 to 12-6 

Have to finish 9-4 or 10-3 to do that. Definitely possible but a lot would have to go right that hasn't so far this year. If the Rebs do finish at that record I don't see how Kruger wouldn't be back.

[UNLV2001]

On 1/23/2024 at 10:48 AM, ph90702 said:

I would be happy with 12-6.  Highly unlikely we’d be left out of the NIT with that record.  Would just need to make the semis of the MWCT to be safe.

 

On 1/23/2024 at 10:49 AM, VincentVegaBond said:

Have to finish 9-4 or 10-3 to do that. Definitely possible but a lot would have to go right that hasn't so far this year. If the Rebs do finish at that record I don't see how Kruger wouldn't be back.

Anything can happen & we know this team can disappoint and also surprise............. My thinking is the four key games are CSU & SDSU at home and the roadies at Nevada & Wyoming -- IF, UNLV can come out of those 2-2 then a 12-6 MWC should be possible allowing for no surprises in the other games 

[UNLV2001]

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/jan/23/analysis-what-we-know-about-unlv-basketball-after/

Analysis: What we know about UNLV basketball after early MWC gauntlet

The Mountain West Conference has five teams currently in the Top 50 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, and as luck would have it, UNLV opened the conference portion of its schedule by playing all five of them.

UNLV went 2-3 in that stretch, losing by 11 in their opener conference opener at San Diego State, last year’s national runnerup, posting inspiring wins over New Mexico and Boise State and difficult, last-second losses to Utah State and Colorado State. Each contest was physical, and each of the last three came down to the final seconds.

That’s exactly what coach Kevin Kruger expected from the Mountain West, as talk swirls that the league could get five or even six bids to the NCAA Tournament.

“This year, I think it’s the best the conference has ever been,” Kruger said.

Now that the early gauntlet is complete, this is a good time to take stock of where UNLV stands in relation to the rest of the conference.

Here’s what we know about UNLV after five MWC games:

Better than the record
A glance at the standings won’t tell the whole story about UNLV to this point in the season. The Rebels are 9-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play — both unimpressive marks — but they are probably better than those records would indicate.

UNLV was without starting swingman Keylan Boone for the first seven games due to eligibility issues, and it’s only been a couple weeks since forward Rob Whaley really started to get the hang of this Division I play. Since adding those two to the rotation, UNLV has been a different team, including the victories over New Mexico and Boise State.

UNLV also had Utah State and Colorado State on the ropes in the final minutes, and the Utah State game was lost on a controversial call that could have gone either way.

Based on the way UNLV is playing now, Kruger thinks he’s got a team that is more dangerous than the numbers show.

“I think our record is unfortunate,” Kruger said. “It doesn’t reflect how we’ve played.”

After losing at Colorado State, 78-75, UNLV is now No. 77 in the KenPom ratings, the highest ranking among all teams with fewer than 10 wins.

That kind of record is going to keep UNLV from getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but if the Rebels keep playing the way they have over the first five games, the wins will come, starting with a four-game stretch against the bottom of the conference that begins with a home date Tuesday against Air Force.

Kruger thinks his team is ready to prove it on the court.

“I think it would be hard to say we haven’t turned a corner,” Kruger said. “We’re going to keep working. Guys are going to keep working. I think there’s no question that we’ve turned a corner in the right way.”

Whaley breaks out
Whaley has been a huge factor in helping UNLV look like a good team in conference play. The 6-foot-7 forward has carved out a role as the first man off the bench, and he has been bringing serious energy on both ends of the floor.

In the last five games, Whaley is averaging 10 points and four rebounds per game in 20.6 minutes. He is shooting 63.3% in that stretch, with his efficiency buoyed by the amount of thunderous dunks he’s been throwing down of late.

It’s a long way from Dec. 16, when Whaley played just the final 36 seconds of double overtime after Keylan Boone, Kalib Boone and Isaiah Cottrell all fouled out.

“Since then, it feels like maybe he took a breath and just started having fun,” Kruger said. “He has become our X-factor.”

It took a couple months for the juco transfer to find his footing, but Whaley is in the midst of establishing himself as a key contributor, and UNLV is a better team for it.

“He’s a bruiser for us,” Keylan Boone said. “When we know we have that from him, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Shooting themselves in the foot
Outside shooting has been a long-term weakness for the UNLV basketball program, and it’s once again turning out to be the biggest flaw for the 2023-24 squad.

UNLV is attempting 22.5 3-pointers per game and making 34% of them, which are middling numbers (171st and 178th in the nation, respectively). The big problem is that the Scarlet and Gray are getting poor production from their most enthusiastic shooters.

Fifth-year seniors Justin Webster and Luis Rodriguez lead the team in attempts, by far, and neither is shooting the ball well this season: Webster is 25-of-87 (28.7%) and Rodriguez is 28-of-85 (32.9%). So even though point guards Jackie Johnson (39.3%) and D.J. Thomas (37.8%) are having good years from beyond the arc, it’s getting drowned out by all the misses from the wings.

Webster’s percentage would be a career low, so there is still some hope he can bounce back in the second half of the season. Rodriguez, however, is right around his career average, so the only hope is that he’ll tailor his shot selection in close games.

Friday’s loss at Colorado State was a good example of the 3-point woes coming back to haunt. UNLV made just four triples until Webster’s garbage-time make at the buzzer. CSU, meanwhile, landed 10 3-pointers, including two in the final 90 seconds to steal the game.

Unless Kruger steps in and drastically reconfigures the team’s shot distribution, it’s going to be hard for UNLV to win from the 3-point line.

Thomas is still the priority
Thomas has been UNLV’s top recruiting priority going on three years now, and he probably still retains that title midway through his freshman year.

The Liberty product has exceeded expectations, starting every game and posting 12 points and 6.4 assists in a team-high 35 minutes (no other player even averages 32 minutes). He is poised beyond his years, and his ability to control the offense and score from all three levels makes him a cinch for MWC Freshman of the Year.

“He’s tough. He’s scrappy. He deals with a lot of physicality, a lot of older guys in this league, and he continues to improve and get better from it,” Kruger said.

It’s never too early to start looking ahead, though, and UNLV is going to have to put on a full-court press to keep Thomas in the offseason. The transfer portal is a constant threat, and though Thomas has a lucrative NIL deal, power programs will be motivated to pry him loose.

If Thomas were to leave, UNLV would lose its top five scorers heading into next year. That’s a tough rebuild. If Thomas is retained, however, it’s hard to imagine a better building block for Kruger to sell to incoming recruits — and the fan base.

Home court can make a difference
UNLV has played three conference road games, and home court advantages have been evident.

In the team’s two road losses — at San Diego State and at Colorado State — hostile environments made an obvious impact, helping SDSU jump out to an early 18-3 lead and spurring CSU to close with a 15-4 run.

UNLV, unfortunately, doesn’t have the same advantage at the Thomas & Mack Center. In the first two home games of the Mountain West season, UNLV drew 5,760 fans against New Mexico and 5,992 against Utah State. Those figures are dwarfed by the 12,414 at San Diego State and the sellout crowd of 8,083 at Colorado State.

It’s hard to see UNLV gaining much traction mid-season in terms of attendance, so it will be up to the players to provide their own intensity.

While Webster said he has been pleasantly surprised by the size and volume of the crowds at the Mack this season, he and his teammates can’t rely on that external boost from the fans.

“We know on certain nights we have to bring our own energy,” Webster said. “Whoever shows up, whoever’s out there, we’ve got to try to feed off of whoever’s there.”

[ph90702]

Should’ve been 3-2.  Could’ve been 4-1.

[UNLV2001]

[UNLV2001]

On 1/22/2024 at 4:00 PM, VincentVegaBond said:

I wish these Tuesday games started at 7pm instead of 8pm.  Not sure if I'm gonna go in the middle of the work week that late.

 

On 1/22/2024 at 5:09 PM, quickdraw said:

Yeah to be on CBSSN. It makes for a long day but I’ll still be there.

Back in the Tark years almost all home games started at 8:05 pm, with the ESPN Big Monday games at 9:05 pm