UNLV Rebels guard Luis Rodriguez (15) celebrates after sinking a three-point basket during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Hawaii Warriors at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022.
Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022 | 2 a.m.
The UNLV basketball team has already won in four different venues this season, and they’ll try to make it five on Saturday afternoon when they take on Washington State at the MGM Grand Garden Arena (1:30 p.m.).
Can the Scarlet and Gray run their record to a perfect 10-0? Three keys to watch:
Statement game
Senior point guard Jordan McCabe played his first three years at West Virginia, so he understands the difference between power conference teams and mid-majors.
UNLV may be 9-0, but McCabe said Saturday’s matchup against Pac-12 opponent Washington State is a chance for the Scarlet and Gray to make a statement.
“We’re not going to shy away from the fact that it is a Power 5 school,” McCabe said. “We are in the Mountain West, so we understand that people respect us, but they still look at us like, ‘Are they a Power 5 conference?’ Well, then they say no, and we have to go out there time and time again and, over the body of work against Power 5 schools, we have to win more than we lose.”
UNLV has already notched one win over a power conference opponent this year, by virtue of their 71-62 victory over Minnesota in the final of the SoCal Challenge. Beating Washington State would be even more beneficial, however, as the Cougars are No. 60 in the KenPom.com ratings (UNLV is No. 76).
Defending the 3
Washington State is top 50 nationally in 3-pointers made per game (8.9), and the Cougars shoot them at a 36.8% clip, so UNLV will have to respect their ability from beyond the arc.
That presents a particular challenge for the Scarlet and Gray, as Kevin Kruger’s defensive scheme is based on “heavy help” defense — a strategy that can sometimes leave outside shooters open.
Kruger said he doesn’t expect to make to many tweaks to the team’s base gameplan, and with good reason, as they currently rank No. 33 in KenPom’s adjusted defense metric. Instead, UNLV will play its usual swarming D and focus on disrupting the kick-out passes that lead to good 3-point looks.
“They really thrive on creating 3-point looks for each other,” Kruger said. “That’ll be the challenge for us. We’re a strong help team, so we really try to discourage drives as much as possible. If we can make those passes off-time, off-target, so that they’re harder to shoot and the percentages take a dive, I think that’s when we’re at our best.”
Bench wave
UNLV has used the same starting lineup in all nine games this season, which has allowed Kruger to settle into a fairly regular substitution pattern.
One of the benefits of fixing the rotation so early has been consistent play from the team’s reserves. Sophomore guard Jackie Johnson is leading the bench with 9.4 points per game, but senior guards Justin Webster and McCabe have been pitching in lately, too.
Webster has made 10 3-pointers over the last three games (10-of-12) while averaging 12.7 points, and McCabe was a team-best plus-18 in 14 minutes off the bench against Hawaii.
“I think the last two games especially you’ve seen what can happen when we’ve got that second wave, another wave of guys coming in and putting pressure on the defense,” Kruger said.
Who: UNLV (9-0) vs. Washington State (4-4)
When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m. at MGM Grand Garden Arena
TV: FS1
UNLV leaders
Scoring: Keshon Gilbert — 14.4 points
Rebounding: David Muoka— 6.7 rebounds
Assists: Keshon Gilbert — 3.8 assists
Washington State leaders
Scoring: T.J. Bamba — 17.1 points
Rebounding: Mouhamed Gueye — 7.2 rebounds
Assists: Justin Powell — 3.9 assists
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.