Just over a month ago, UNLV appeared to be dead and buried in the Mountain West standings.
Kevin Kruger’s squad went 2-4 to begin the conference schedule, and the losses were particularly painful — a blowout at San Diego State, a last-second giveaway vs. Utah State, another blown lead at Colorado State and the worst of the worst, a 32-point demolition at the hands of last-place Air Force.
Since then, the Scarlet and Gray have clawed their way up out of the dirt, winners of nine of their last 10 after dispatching San Jose State on Saturday, 68-50. The victory improved the team to 18-10 overall and 11-5 in conference play, and coupled with New Mexico’s loss at Boise State, it also clinched a first-round bye in the Mountain West tournament.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, UNLV is very much alive again.
“I think we’re playing good basketball,” senior wing Luis Rodriguez said after posting 15 points and nine rebounds against San Jose State. “Our team is in a good spot. We know we could be in a better spot. There’s more work to be done.”
Both teams struggled through a choppy first half, but a late surge powered by freshman point guard D.J. Thomas allowed UNLV to take a 33-18 lead into the break. UNLV extended its lead to 20 points via a Brooklyn Hicks 3-pointer with 13 minutes remaining, and the Spartans never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
Thomas finished with a game-high 18 points and three assists. Twin brothers Keylan Boone and Kalib Boone each pulled down 12 rebounds, driving a 44-28 advantage on the boards in favor of UNLV.
Much like the team’s overtime win at Wyoming on Tuesday, it wasn’t always pretty, but Keylan Boone said scrapping out wins is a feature at this time of year, not a bug.
He credited the coaching staff for allowing the players to work through difficult times and persevere.
“We’re figuring these games out,” Boone said. “We’re coming in more together as a team. Not so much the coaches, but as players we’re figuring it out.”
By finishing in the top five of the standings, UNLV will be able to skip the play-in round of the Mountain West tournament and advance straight to the quarterfinals. How important is the bye, especially for a team like UNLV that needs to win its way into the NCAA Tournament? The difference between having to win four games and having to win three is stark. For instance, every Mountain West tournament champion has taken the three-game route; none have been able to start outside the top five and win four in four days.
By earning a free pass to the second day, UNLV is at least giving itself a chance.
“It’s great, of course,” Kruger said. “Bye or not, you always want to finish as high as you possibly can in the conference. This is a league that’s been well respected all year, and we cemented our place in those five spots. I think this group is also looking at winning the next game and seeing where it takes us.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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