The last time UNLV's basketball team started Mountain West Conference play 2-0, George W. Bush was president, the classic stoner movie "Grandma's Boy" was released in theaters, "Gold Digger" by Kanye West was slowly moving down the Top 100 charts, 2016 NL MVP and Vegas product Kris Bryant was in eighth grade, and my buddy Mike Bauder had one of the most memorable experiences of his lifetime in Denver watching the Steelers dominate the Broncos in the AFC title game.
With the Runnin' Rebels 68-56 victory over Wyoming Saturday night, the Rebels (8-6) improved to 2-0 in MWC play, snapping a 13-year futility streak to maintain their share of first place in the MWC. Freshman Joel Ntambwe scored a career-high 31 points and added 10 rebounds while sophomore Amauri Hardy added eight assists to lead UNLV. Senior transfer Noah Robotham added another six assists.
Making the night even sweeter, it actually rained in Vegas and undefeated UNR lost bad at New Mexico. The Rebels now hold a one-game lead over their rivals to the north, even if for just a few days.
"A little bit at a time, man, every game, a little bit at a time, I keep preaching patience," Menzies said. "We had one really bad game, I think, this year. Outside of that, I thought, so far to this point, let's hopeful for it to continue in the right direction but, the discipline on defense and the maturation of the young guys are things that I think the fans that are coming out and watching these guys every game are seeing."
Hey, we'll take whatever positive karma we can get right now. With head coach Marvin Menzies feeling the heat from an angry subset of UNLV basketball fans, the third-year coach made some excellent second-half adjustments to Wyoming's zone defense while Ntambwe added 14 of his game-high 31. The Rebels also shut down big man Hunter Thompson, who went "gonzo" in the first half with 13 points — hitting three three-pointers — before managing only four total points in the second half.
After a disappointing holiday break in Hawaii and losing senior Shakur Juiston and junior big man Cheickna Dembele to injury, the Rebels have now won two straight. Although both of the last two Rebel wins included a slow start in the first half against sub-par opponents, the struggle is expected when you have a roster that includes 11 underclassmen and just four upperclassmen.
(Cont'd on next page)
"I thought that the way the guys handled the adjustments we made at halftime was phenomenal, " Menzies said in his post-game pressor. "For a young group to be able to handle multiple challenges, as far as what we tweaked at the halftime, was really good."
The road for the Rebels gets a great deal tougher as they head to New Mexico to take on the Lobos in The Pit Tuesday night on ESPN2. The Lobos, who are also 8-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play, are coming off a huge upset over UNR, blasting the Wolfpack, 85-58. The announced crowd of 7,903 even cheered when the scoreboard showed the final score and it was announced.
The Rebels will have to figure out what to do with Lobo high-scorer Anthony Mathis (16.4 ppg), 6-foot-9 sophomore Vance Jackson (11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg), and 6-foot-10 junior forward Carlton Bragg (10.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) while tuning out one of the toughest crowds in the west. Mathis dropped 27 on UNR, which lost for the first time all season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJZYy-jfMCc
If anything, this proves road wins are at a premium in the Mountain West, especially considering even Boise State (7-8) protected its home court in a thrashing of San Diego State, 88-64, Saturday night as well.
While the Rebels will be heavy underdogs at New Mexico, a strong showing should prepare the young Rebels for the rest of the league road season. Only UNR and SDSU can rival New Mexico when it comes to home intensity. The same can be said for the Thomas & Mack, when it's pushing capacity.
But, with two league wins in their pocket and some positive momentum for the time being, UNLV will be looking to parlay the good juju into some tangible results, instead of moral victories. Part of the growth process with this young team depends on it. At least for a few nights, the young Rebels can marinate in a little success and keep pushing forward in what was expected to be a lengthy rebuilding process for UNLV's program.
The New Mexico game tips off on ESPN2 Tuesday night at 8 p.m. PST. With an upset win, UNLV can improve to 3-0 in Mountain West play for the first time in school history and with three wins to open conference play since 1999, when the Runnin' Rebels played in the WAC under former coach Bill Bayno.
You know, the year "Fight Club" and "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" hit theaters...
"A little bit at a time, man, every game, a little bit at a time, I keep preaching patience," Menzies said. "We had one really bad game, I think, this year. Outside of that, I thought, so far to this point, let's hopeful for it to continue in the right direction but, the discipline on defense and the maturation of the young guys are things that I think the fans that are coming out and watching these guys every game are seeing."
Hey, we'll take whatever positive karma we can get right now. With head coach Marvin Menzies feeling the heat from an angry subset of UNLV basketball fans, the third-year coach made some excellent second-half adjustments to Wyoming's zone defense while Ntambwe added 14 of his game-high 31. The Rebels also shut down big man Hunter Thompson, who went "gonzo" in the first half with 13 points — hitting three three-pointers — before managing only four total points in the second half.
After a disappointing holiday break in Hawaii and losing senior Shakur Juiston and junior big man Cheickna Dembele to injury, the Rebels have now won two straight. Although both of the last two Rebel wins included a slow start in the first half against sub-par opponents, the struggle is expected when you have a roster that includes 11 underclassmen and just four upperclassmen.
(Cont'd on next page)
Second Half Adjustments Key Rebels Surge
Adjustments are vital in the college game, and Menzies pushed the right buttons out the break. UNLV used a 26-4 run midway through the second half to turn a 36-30 deficit into a 16-point lead, its largest lead of the game with less than eight and half minutes to play. After Wyoming shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range in the first half, UNLV adjusted to hold the Cowboys to just 33 percent from the field and a dismal 22 percent behind the arc in the second half. Just look at UNLV's shot chart from the first half and the second half. Ntambwe was nearly unstoppable from the elbow in against the Wyoming zone defense.
"I thought that the way the guys handled the adjustments we made at halftime was phenomenal, " Menzies said in his post-game pressor. "For a young group to be able to handle multiple challenges, as far as what we tweaked at the halftime, was really good."
The road for the Rebels gets a great deal tougher as they head to New Mexico to take on the Lobos in The Pit Tuesday night on ESPN2. The Lobos, who are also 8-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play, are coming off a huge upset over UNR, blasting the Wolfpack, 85-58. The announced crowd of 7,903 even cheered when the scoreboard showed the final score and it was announced.
The Rebels will have to figure out what to do with Lobo high-scorer Anthony Mathis (16.4 ppg), 6-foot-9 sophomore Vance Jackson (11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg), and 6-foot-10 junior forward Carlton Bragg (10.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) while tuning out one of the toughest crowds in the west. Mathis dropped 27 on UNR, which lost for the first time all season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJZYy-jfMCc
If anything, this proves road wins are at a premium in the Mountain West, especially considering even Boise State (7-8) protected its home court in a thrashing of San Diego State, 88-64, Saturday night as well.
While the Rebels will be heavy underdogs at New Mexico, a strong showing should prepare the young Rebels for the rest of the league road season. Only UNR and SDSU can rival New Mexico when it comes to home intensity. The same can be said for the Thomas & Mack, when it's pushing capacity.
But, with two league wins in their pocket and some positive momentum for the time being, UNLV will be looking to parlay the good juju into some tangible results, instead of moral victories. Part of the growth process with this young team depends on it. At least for a few nights, the young Rebels can marinate in a little success and keep pushing forward in what was expected to be a lengthy rebuilding process for UNLV's program.
The New Mexico game tips off on ESPN2 Tuesday night at 8 p.m. PST. With an upset win, UNLV can improve to 3-0 in Mountain West play for the first time in school history and with three wins to open conference play since 1999, when the Runnin' Rebels played in the WAC under former coach Bill Bayno.
You know, the year "Fight Club" and "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" hit theaters...
