Overtime again, the Rebels now share 1st place in the MWC with a 65-63 victory over Air Force

The Falcons were supposed to be an easy and expected win, but the same was true of Boise St. For numerous reasons, the Rebels went to overtime and fortunately pulled out the road win, pushing the record to 20 wins, 3 losses, and tying with SDSU for 1^st place in the MWC. That title became available when the Aztecs lost in a major way to Colorado State today, 77-60. Back to our game.

                 BEATS

This contest started out fine, the Rebels traded buckets with the Falcons until the 16 minute mark, and then broke open a 10 point lead, (20-10). Rebels were able to maintain a lead, however dwindling, till five minutes remained in the half. Air Force then pulled ahead and ended the half winning 34-33.

From early on it was easy to see Mike Moser was still riding high from his performance in Boise this past Wednesday, and was ready to do what was necessary to win the game. Joining him early was Oscar Bellfield, he finished the half with 8 points, 5 assists on 3-4 shooting. Brice Massamba was having luck early in the paint, but foul trouble slowed and shook him a bit. Quintrell Thomas, who was the only other ‘big’ who saw action (Lopez dressed but did not play due to ankle) was not particularly effective in this contest, and saw limited minutes.

In the first half, and really throughout the game, many of the following problems hampered the Rebels.

Free throw shooting was embarrassing. They call it free, because it is easy – yet the Rebels had extremely poor luck at the line tonight. They shot only 20% from the stripe in the first half and ended at 50% 9-18. We certainly could have avoided overtime if we would just have hit some damn free throws. UGH!

Turnovers – The Rebels couldn’t control the ball, were making too many unnecessary passes, and making the Falcons look like defensive specialists – when they really aren’t. The Rebels had 9 first half turnovers, which is why even through the Rebels shot 56% from the field and the Falcons 44%, the Falcons were winning. Rebels had half as many turnovers in the second half, and actually forced some turnovers on the Falcons such that they finished with 17, and we with 15.

Lack of perimeter defense – Anyone who scouted Air Force would tell you they like to shoot the three. UNLV has the athletic advantage, and as one of the premier defensive teams in the league, we should have been able to play Air Force man-to-man and pressure them on the perimeter. For some reason that did not happen, and the Rebels, especially in the first half, sat in a zone and allowed the perimeter to fire away. Air Force took full advantage, and finished with 11 three pointers (42% from 3). Unacceptable, that was 33 points of their 63, more than half!

Throughout the second half Mike Moser was still determined and won us the ball game. When you look at his numbers, an impressive 27 points, 12 boards, 3 steals, and 2 assists. But beyond that, he was the emotional lynchpin that held it together out there. Today, the Rebels were not Runnin’, nor the second half team they’ve been typecast as. The lead bounced back and forth throughout the second, and there was good and bad. Since the bad has already been discussed, the good:

Justin Hawkins – he did some really great things not necessarily reflected in his 6 points and 6 rebounds. He had a really nice steal and circus style layup that fell in, plus the successful foul shot.

Anthony Marshall – was 3-4 from the free throw line, including a trip where he hit his head on the backboard. Its been a physical week for Marshall, hopefully the Mendenhall Center has a basement with bathtubs full of ice.

Mike Moser – took an elbow to the face via Taylor Broekhuis, and didn’t even get the foul call. He did get a bloody nose. Mike got revenge, on a beautiful one handed jam in overtime where the nose gauze fell out too. That would have to be the play of the game.

Oscar Bellfield – continued where he left off in the first half, finished with 15 points, and 7 assists. He was 3-6 from 3 point land, including a big one in overtime– good to see his confidence in his shot coming back.

The overtime period predictably favors the Rebels given their conditioning and experience in overtime games. It was not an easy overtime period, but the Rebels did enough to ensure the Falcons never led (tied once).

The most interesting thing about the end of overtime, was UNLV gave up several opportunities to pull away and make the contest unreachable for Air Force. The dreaded free throw problem reared its head again – Moser was at the line with the Rebs up 2, missed both of them and the ball landed (after a scrum) in Air Force hands with less than 35 seconds. What saved a potentially game tying Air Force second chance basket was Chace Stanback stealing the ball.

This wasn’t the way the Rebels wanted to win it, nor how the fans wanted to watch it. But, it was entertaining and it was still a win. Whether or not these back-to-back close ones makes people think UNLV is vunerable is debatable, but it brings validity to the statement that every conference game in the MWC is going to be tough. While dominance and blowouts makes you feel like you are and should be the top program In the nation, W’s versus L’s is the only real stat that puts your team there.

Reign man – Mike Moser is pushing his way up the list for Naismith player of the year. Thank you for winning us another game, hope the same magic is around come tournament time.

Video:

Target on our backs: UNLV escapes with an overtime win in Boise, 77-72

So this is what it feels like being ranked highly for multiple consecutive weeks. Lower tier teams of the MWC are gunning for the Rebels, and our loss becomes their signature win. The Boise State fans wanted ever so badly to rush the court. DENIED. The Rebels can expect more teams to bring their “A” game in the future. This was a nerve racking victory, but we are certainly glad the Rebels got the W tonight.

The game started out extremely positive for the Rebels. UNLV broke open the game with a 12 – 0 run. The Rebels lost the offensive touch, and maybe relaxed a bit on defense. Boise St. then capitalized slowly and steadily up to the half. Right before halftime, Boise St. captured a lead at 27-26, but quickly gave it back on a Hawkins 3 pointer, pulling the Rebels ahead 29-27.

First half observations included extended play by Kendall Wallace, despite a heavy brace on his right knee and a slight limp. Boise St. was running a lot of drive and kick out plays, and something called the ‘dribble weave’ which is reminiscent of a Harlem Globetrotters drill. Quintrell Thomas got some early minutes, and showed a soft touch on some of the Rebels few inside points. In the limited time Reggie Smith was on the court, he had a nice 3 pointer. From early on, and throughout the game it was apparent Mike Moser was clearly ‘on’ tonight. Chace Stanback didn’t seem to be in the right position to capture rebounds, and didn’t have a ton of defensive energy. As mentioned about the scarcity of points in the paint, the Rebels were not coping well with the zone defense Boise St. played.

In the second half, any Rebel fan would expect that the Rebels would rectify their performance and blow out ‘lowly’ Boise St. WRONG. The Broncos had even more energy and intensity in the second half, perhaps emboldened by the fact that they were only down two with a shooting percentage  in the teens. The Rebels experienced a series of unfortunate events in the second half – bad free throw shooting, an ankle or achilles injury to Carlos Lopez, and Anthony Marshall fouling out on what was clearly not an offensive foul. To the Rebels credit, this game was saved by Mike Moser and Oscar Bellfield. Mike especially, put the team on his back and powered through to a monster performance. Ironically so, because in the Q&A (last article) it was pointed out that Mike really didn’t have to put the team on his back with the depth the Rebels have. Chace Stanback was really good from deep in the second half as well, and his 15 points were equally important to the victory.

This game was tight late – way too tight. With 1 minute left it was tied. The Rebels ran a play that never materized and lead to a steal by the Broncos. Fortunately, the Broncos couldn’t score the ball either with the remaining time, and the game went to overtime. While Boise St. had shown true emotion and grit throughout most of the game – so much so that even I believed they would win the game, you could see it on their faces when the game went to overtime – they weren’t prepared for this, or ran out of energy.

In the overtime, the only buckets of any consequence for Boise St. were free throws. On the contrary, the Rebels had a few good field goals – and that won the day. Big in overtime was Brice Massamba, Mike Moser, and Chace Stanback. The final in this one was 77-72 Rebels.

There will be a lot of teachable moments, and we certainly hope that Lopez isn’t badly injured nor Marshall too dinged up from all the floor time he got. The Rebels are now 2-0 in overtime games, which shows heart and determination. Taking away something good like that and putting it close to their hearts come tournament time should carry them well. While we hope for a blowout, a win is a win. Great job to the Rebels!

Reign men – Mike Moser – 18 points and 21 rebounds, he is the reason the Rebels won tonight.

Chace Stanback – 15 points, again stealthy, the silent killer. He played poorly in the first half but redeemed himself, a good change up.

Oscar Bellfield – Welcome back to the scorers table, Oscar was big for the Rebels with Marshall not firing on all cylinders, 13 points and 6 assists.

Is the NBA noticing Mike Moser? Q&A

Question: Why isn't Mike Moser in the conversation nationally yet when it comes to the NBA draft?

Answer - Jason Taylor

Peace through strength.  Tread lightly, but carry a big stick.  Gentle Giant.

Mike Moser has nudged the national college basketball seismograph a few times this season with 18-20 rebound efforts, and a 36-point outing in Santa Barbara. 

The North Carolina win provided a solid Richter scale reading with a Moser effort that rumbled out 16 points and 18 rebounds that greatly assisted a solid win over the #1 ranked team in the nation at the time.  He scored under the basket, over the basket, and dropped a few in from behind the arc. 

There was a reported 40-50 scouts in the stands that day, thanks much in part to the wealth of talent that UNC is showcasing this year.  It was a good day for Moser to show his stuff.

Moser will be mentioned during pre-game radio and television shows as he serves a ton of quality minutes to which opposing coaches must give great reverence.  

He is deserving of this attention.

However, he seems to be falling just under the NBA Talk radar.  National sports pundits spend their time on the Sullingers, Hensons, and Rivers of the world. 

This gives way to one of the possible reasons why we aren’t hearing about NBA possibilities for Moser.  All the air has been sucked out of the room by the media’s over-infatuation with ACC, SEC, and Big East basketball. 

But, then there’s the real reason, I believe… UNLV coaches of late really don’t concern themselves with the media biases.  They give respect to every team, and talk no smack.  They understand that it’s all about getting better every game, practicing, and getting the next win.  This is how the Rebels have quietly entered the NCAA Tournament 4 of the past 5 years… they’ve concentrated on what really matters.

UNLV presents peace through strength.  It treads lightly, but carries a big stick.  It’s becoming a gentle giant.  It’s now quietly ranked #12 in the Nation.

Mike Moser is a perfect fit at UNLV.  His motor never stops.  He practices hard.  He runs sprints with fervor.  He studies the game.  He positions well.  He looks for teammates.  He appreciates the team, the style, and the strategy.

Moser’s style, much like UNLV’s, places function over form.  If he decided that he was going to get his 20+ points per night, and get his face on ESPN’s highlight reel with regularity, and boost his stats, he could turn the dial and accomplish all of these things right now.  People would pay more attention.  We’d find “NBA” in the same sentence as “Mike Moser” much more often… it would provide the bling that lures the attention of the east coast oriented national media.  They were all watching the UNC game, and he was suddenly honored with National Player of the Week (not that he didn’t deserve it, of course). 

He is bigger than the hoopla, though, and when Mike Moser decides to enter the draft, he’ll be one of the most sought-after prospects on the scene.  It’s easy to see that this UNLV hero is nowhere near his ceiling. 

Whether or not everybody in the country knows his name will matter little.  Those who know basketball know about Mike. 

He has peace through confidence.  He talks little, and plays a lot.  He is quietly becoming a Giant.

Answer - Jay Raman

Mike Moser has proven to be a rebounding rock, and offensive dynamo this season for the Rebels. Coach Rice had said Moser would be an impact player, they were just surprised how quickly that materialized. With the accomplishments up to this point, the question is why has Mike Moser not gotten more NBA mention.

My opinion, is there are several reasons. First, UNLV has been a team that has sporadically been in the top 25 rankings over the last few seasons. This is clearly changing with the Runnin’ Rebels, as well as other teams in the MWC (SDSU, New Mexico) being nationally respected. Ranked teams get the headlines, and replays on national sports networks (ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports). The people who are create mock drafts, such as NBADraft.net, are looking with a limited eye. So, its really a matter of the rest of the United States becoming accustomed to UNLV being a great team now, not just twenty years ago. When that happens, a lot more people will watch UNLV basketball and say, damn that Moser kid can really play, he's the next (insert NBA player's name here).  Hopefully, actual NBA scouts are taking notice of Mike Moser and what he can bring to a team.

Second, the Rebels are a very deep team. Several players can produce 20 points in a given night, and several players can become a conference player of the week. This is an excellent set of circumstances as a team, but for Moser to stand out individually as a ‘dominant force’ who is clearly ready for the next level, short of this being Kentucky, Ohio State, or UNC people who look casually look at the Rebels from a national perspective don’t necessarily see Mike Moser being the scoring leader for the Rebels, or having to pile on 17+ppg and put the Rebels on his back to win games. It’s a simplistic view, but people need to look at the Rebels more like a UNC type of team – stacked with talent at multiple positions. Any given night the hot hand could belong to any one of the following guys, Stanback, Moser, Marshall, or Hawkins, and everyone else could pour in 15 points (Massamba, Thomas, Lopez, Bellfield, Smith, or Wallace if his 3 is hitting and gets minutes).

Sub question: When will he get the respect he's due, and will he be drafted next year?

Answer - Jason Taylor

Respect for Mike will grow steadily.  Whether or not he “tops” the national conversation will be determined only when his performances are consistently overwhelming, especially against top teams in the east.  

There is a good chance this may not happen.  He’ll help his team win and he’ll get progressively better.  He’ll have plenty more days where he’ll get attention, but that doesn’t seem to be his goal, which is good for him and the team.

My belief is that he’s on pace to go into the draft at the end of next year.  Could he enter this year?  Yes.  However, as long as his decisions remain consistent with his past and current trajectory, he’ll finish this year as MWC Newcomer of the Year, and maybe even MWC Player of the Year, and then come back to more often “overwhelm” next year. 

This path will create the greatest opportunities for him, I believe.   Beyond… A senior year would just be a gift from Moser to UNLV.  I don’t think anybody will expect him to play Santa.  Most fans will just be happy to see him here next year.

Answer - Jay Raman

What Makes Mike Moser an attractive NBA candidate is his NBA body, rebounding prowess, athleticism, and scoring ability. At 6’8” he’s the right size as a forward for the NBA, and all indications he has absorbed the game of basketball  from the plastic man, Stacey Augmon. While Mike Moser would improve with another year of study under Augmon and Coach Rice, his draft decision will likely be dictated by how he believes he will be drafted. My opinion is if he is a projected second-rounder, then he’ll come back for his junior season, but if the first round with nice guaranteed money – he’ll declare and make the national scene eat their words.

If Mike Moser stays, takes full advantage of some pickup ball with the NBA regulars that frequent Las Vegas in the summers, improves his shot a little, and puts on more muscle to help keep him a double double guy when he gets to the NBA, then we're talking lottery pick.

Maintaining home court supremacy, UNLV blows out New Mexico 80-63

          V

What a nice win against a legit conference opponent tonight! Coach Rice had said the hungrier team would win the basketball game, and it was the Rebels job to be hungrier than a Lobos team that just gave away a game @ The Pit. Nobody said this would be a cake walk, but the 6 point favorite Rebels were not figured to be blowing out New Mexico, so respect for that (and hopefully in the new rankings Monday).

The game started out slowly for UNLV, and it was obvious that New Mexico had psyched themselves up for this game at least a little bit more than the Rebels. New Mexico hit three pointers early and easily sliced their way to our basket – a sign of lack of defensive intensity for the Rebels, and we had some bad luck with shooting early. That said, it was no where as gloomy as it sounds. The Rebels were neck-and-neck with the Lobos until about 3 minutes remained in the half – that’s when UNLV went on a really nice run to break things open.

Even before the run, there was really good balance among UNLV scorers. At least 6 Rebels were on the board points-wise. The run was inspired by a three pointer by Oscar Bellfield and then a fast break dunk and foul by Carlos Lopez. The Rebels gave back a few points, but left at the break with a four point lead, 39-35.

In the second half, our “second half team” came alive and put the Lobos on their heels throughout most of the half, with the exception of a few minutes. Everyone was involved in this one, and there were plenty of feel good moments. In what must not have felt too good, Brice Massamba, who suffered a concussion several games back, was again elbowed in the head while guarding on the perimeter. He would leave the game briefly, allowing Kendall Wallace to come in and easily drop two free throws. In good news, Brice would return and was effective later in the game. Obviously, we won the game in convincing fashion, 80-63.

As a team, a lot went well but some didn’t

The good:

Balanced scoring – although no one player topped 20 points, many players had in the 13-14 point range. Assists – the team notched 17 assists, unselfish basketball is still happening on the regular.

Steals – 11 team steals is as many as I can remember against a good team, the Rebels were forcing a lot of turnovers and it led to a lot of great fast break opportunities.

Points off turnovers – 32 of the 80 points came from turnovers, that’s fantastic capitalization that came from playing great defense.

Fast break points – 26 fast break points shows the Runnin’ game still has traction. The commentators during the game said that Steve Alford’s Lobos would look to slow things down – I think they missed the mark big-time. Having watched some Lobos games, they clearly are an athletic team that likes to run.

Points in the paint – 38 points inside is a great figure to have against a lineup that includes Drew Gordon. Hats off to our bigs tonight.

The bench: Bench players were huge for the Rebels tonight, Carlos Lopez, and Justin Hawkins got valuable minutes and made the most of them, they were responsible for 24 of the 28 Rebels bench points. By comparison, New Mexico’s bench only provided 9 points.

The bad:

Rebounding – especially in the first half, the Lobos out rebounded and got tons of second chance opportunities. This was odd to see, given that it’s a rare occasion that the Rebels have been out rebounded. The final total was UNLV 33, New Mexico 38. Unlikely that this will be a trend but nonetheless alarming.

Turnovers – UNLV had 14, a little bit more than what may be considered acceptable. Making that figure not too much of a problem was that the Rebels forced the Lobos into 21 turnovers.

Everyone was fantastic in the game, but I have to give the Reign man award to several players:

Carlos Lopez – You impressed everyone including Reggie Miller. Our secret weapon, a 6’11” forward who can dribble and has excellent moves and footwork to boot. His 14 bench points  and 2 blocks were crucial, this type of performance will pay big dividends later on. He also seemed to assume kind of a captain role, corralling the troops after plays to get the next play worked out.

Anthony Marshall – He didn’t top his career high again, but he was still the most athletic person on the court and regularly wowed with his inside-outside game. He had 13 points, 9 assists and 4 steals – great job.

Mike Moser – Mr. Double-Double had another, 14 points and 10 rebounds, including an impressive put back on a Lopez miss. Fantastic work.

Chace Stanback – Stealth fighter. He does his work and nobody seems to notice, Chase established himself early, shot a high percentage, and made 13 points happen. Nicely done. 

Reggie Miller was very impressed, in fact he said "top ten teams, sit up and take notice - the mountain west is coming" Well said!

Red hot home opener, Rebels win against TCU 101-78

                          BEATS  

Looking quite a bit different than the Rebels who lost a close one in San Diego, UNLV had everything working tonight and everybody involved in the fun.

This scorcher of a game started on a huge run by the Rebels, with UNLV putting 8 points on the board before TCU could score. If the initial unanswered run wasn’t enough, the Rebels then continued to capitalize while being extremely stingy on defense. The score was 18-2  and then TCU finally answered with a basket. The beauty of what the Rebels did, was they put 20 points on the board in the first five minutes, and essentially kept that margin, give or take, for the entire game. For a team that has been known as a ‘second half team’ early fire is just what the doctor ordered.

Everyone was fantastic in this game, Anthony Marshall had a career high 27 points, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and 9 assists. The same Anthony Marshall who emerged in the SDSU game was there, but had even more confidence, swagger, tricks, and all of his teammates to back him up. At some points in the game, I could swear I was watching Kobe Bryant playing for the Rebels – he was that good.

Not far behind Marshall, Mike Moser was sensational as well. The rebound machine had 15 boards and 16 points, as well as 3 assists. Moser was the beastly character we’ve come to know and love, he lead the way with some phi slamma jamma moves, including a nice reverse dunk late in the game. All the more impressive, Moser was able to be Moser even while in foul trouble. He picked up his third with about 5 minutes to go in the first half.

The very same Chace Stanback who all but vanished in San Diego re-emerged in Las Vegas, and had a hell of a night. 21 points on 7-11 shooting, including 5-7 from deep made his hot hand continue into conference play.

In a nice surprise off the bench, Quintrell Thomas got a solid chunk of minutes (15) and made the most of it. He was 4-5 from the field, all dunks or layups, and had 4 boards and 3 blocks.

Oscar Bellfield, who still didn’t have his shot rolling, realized he didn’t need to attempt a lot of shots tonight and settled for being a distributor, and ended up with 6 points,  6 assists, and 2 steals.

The themes to this game were fantastic rebounding, running, and unselfish team play that has been the key all season in big victories. Nearly every shot was assisted, which shows teammates were finding the open man. The Rebels shot nearly 58% for the game – that’s freaking amazing. The biggest mistake TCU made was trying to play an up-tempo game, not that they don’t have the athletes (they do) but that they played right into the hands of UNLV.

The exciting part of the game for the casual fan would have to be all of the blocks, dunks, and three pointers. Surely, newly added Khem Birch was impressed on the end of the Rebels bench – you want fast paced high scoring basketball? Try 101 points in 40 minutes.

The Reign Men were Anthony Marshall, Chace Stanback, and Mike Moser. Anthony “Kobe” Marshall was unstoppable, Chase lit the place up like he was on fire in NBA jam, and Moser is just a beast who hopefully will be seriously considered for the Naismith award. Frankly, everyone on the team, top to bottom deserve the Reign Man award tonight – Congrats!

Below graphics credit to UNLVRebels.com

Buzzer beater by Aztecs seals a close one, UNLV loses 67-69

San Diego State University is one of the few remaining tough rivals UNLV has in the Mountain West, and soon to be leaving for easier courts to play on. Steve Fisher’s team is tough to play every year, even when they aren’t ranked. Added to that, the SDSU student section self-titled as “the show” melds together a brand of infectious enthusiasm that is hard to match in any sport, and pushes their team to victory. This is the end of general credit to the Aztecs, because the Rebels really beat themselves in this game, and should have came away with a victory.

The previous losses this season were chalked up to the Rebels not having a morning practice, playing on the road, and an unlikely opposing player having a career night from three point land. The way the Rebels have won all season is having at least two players get hot and the rest fill in the gaps. The players that have accomplish this feat this season have been Moser, Stanback, Marshall, Hawkins, with normally some strong contributions from the inside guys , Lopez, Massamba, and Thomas. The reason the Rebels lost this game was lack of early defensive focus, sloppy ball handling, miscommunication running plays, poor free throw shooting, and not having two guys shooting a high percentage. The positive take away is that likey 8 out of 10 times our team will beat SDSU, things just weren’t clicking today.

First Half

UNLV started the game with terrible shooting, The Rebels appeared somewhat off, and although its easy to see that from the lack of baskets, it was visually apparent in the defense. The Rebels played defense with energy, but lacked focus, missed assignments, and allowed a lot of uncontested jump shots and even layups. The lone early points was a 3-pointer by Anthony Marshall, who really came out and looked the best I’ve ever seen him play. Besides the Marshall 3, Massamba had a lapse of judgment when he blocked/fouled a player, then attempted to tower over him while he was on the ground. That cost the Rebels points, possession, and Massamba got 2 early fouls 2 minutes into the game, which led to him sitting. Oscar Bellfield helped stop the scoring drought by adding his own three point make at the 15 minute mark. Coach Rice showed added confidence in newcomer Reggie Smith by subbing him into the lineup midway through the first half.

Throughout the first half the Rebels had sloppy plays such as multiple traveling violations, throwing the ball away, being goated into offensive fouls, and dishing out close passes under the Aztec basket that was bobbled by our players – leading to many turnovers. Although UNLV’s defensive energy was there, the Aztecs had either scouted well and figured out holes, or the Rebels were blowing assignments. Needless to say, the Defense was ineffective, and with the crew Coach Rice had on the floor, man-to-man defense should have sufficed. Early on, a similar theme of someone getting really hot emerged against the Rebels, and that player was James Rahon. The combination of these factors made it all-the-more-amazing that the Rebels were only down 5-7 points for a large part of the first half. Mixed into the sloppiness, Chace Stanback had a fantastic dunk to break up the monotony. In the first great run of the game, Justin Hawkins shot a 3, followed by a jumper by Massamba, a 3 by Stanback, and then a Marshall dunk. That run, cut the lead from 10 to 3. By half time, the Rebels trailed by a manageable 2 points, 29-31.

Second Half

In the second half Moser made a few statements early, with a three pointer and some solid offensive rebounding. On the matter of rebounding, while it was really nice to see the Rebels out-rebound the Aztecs, especially on the offensive glass, many of those series of rebounds game on miss-after-miss and led to very few points. Out of the locker room the Rebels appeared more focused, with more energy, fight, and swagger – they looked like the Rebels we know. The Rebels finally tied the game this half, with a dunk-and-one play. As soon as the Rebels were ahead 42-41 the Aztecs scored a quick 3 pointer to take it back. Besides the field problems, the gimme’s (free-throws) weren’t falling. The Rebels were far more competitive throughout the half and were down by 3 points with about 10 minutes to go. 

Anthony Marshall really established himself as a dominant force, making three pointers and driving to the basket frequently and with great results – normally the basket or at least some foul shots. With four minutes remaining, the Rebels were still down by 3, but a long 3 pointer by Justin Hawkins tied things 62-62. Again, the Aztecs quickly retook the lead. Helping Marshall in the late stretch, Brice Massamba had a couple of lucky barreling layups that found their way into the basket. 

It was a 1 point game (Aztec lead) with 1 minute remaining, and Jamaal Franklin got involved in a sequence where Justin Hawkins tried to save a ball inbounds and instead got tangled up with Jamall Franklin. Franklin then was down for quite awhile in what appeared to be ‘agonizing pain’ (I thought he had broken something), and then got up to sit on the Aztec bench. Not too long afterwards, with the game tied at 67, he was reinserted and scored the winning layup on a driving move to the hoop around at least three Rebels defenders, the final being Brice Massamba. Injured ?– questionable. The play finished with the buzzer ringing, but after official review 0.3 seconds was to be restored on the clock. With that little time, even a catch and shoot is very difficult to achieve. With the Rebels ability to run the baseline to get throw in the ball, Moser was tasked with the duty but turned over the ball by stepping on the line. Even though that play also stung and sealed the win, it would have taken a miracle for the Rebels to have scored any points with such a small amount of time remaining.

Tough loss, but we're in good company today.

Teams lose games, and there are only three undefeated teams remaining right now. In the past day many ranked teams have been upset in far greater fashion, #3 UNC was blown out by unranked Florida State, #7 Michigan State was beaten by unranked Northwestern, #13 Michigan was beaten badly by unranked Iowa, #18 Kansas State was beaten by unranked Oklahoma, so we’re not looking too bad by losing at the buzzer to #22 SDSU in their house.

The game was entertaining because it was close down the stretch, but it did provide some heartburn and brought back memories of all of the close games we’ve lost to the Aztecs in recent years. Hopefully our team can play to its full potential next time we meet and have no trouble beating SDSU.

Reign Man – Anthony Marshall, he really showed his athleticism and confidence in this game, he gets the award no doubt about it.

Curious events of Tuesday night impact UNLV

Illinois beats #5 Ohio State University -
Last night on a game televised on ESPN the Illini narrowly beat the 5th ranked Buckeyes. Yes, it took 43 points by Brandon Paul (UNLV held him to 7 points) for the Illini to up-end OSU, but this is a good thing for the Rebels.

Illinois, who UNLV beat on December 19, 2011 by a score of 64-48 in Chicago, was ranked #19 at the time and undefeated. But, since UNLV has knocked them off, they have dropped two additonal games, one at Purdue and one at Missouri. These losses, which were to very decent teams, pushed Illinois out of the top 25. The logic (and math) is that the better record and strength of the opponent that a team beats, the higher that teams own ranking and eventual placement in the NCAA tournament. So, the better that Illinois does, post the defeat at the hands of the Rebels, the better the Rebels look.

SDSU struggles to beat winless Chicago State

Chicago State, a team that is currently 0-16 came into San Diego and nearly beat the #22 Aztecs. San Diego was 'tested' by this pathetic opponent, and set themselves up for failure by playing a cream-puff schedule, especially recently (wins UC Riverside by 25 points, Elon by 26, Redlands by 51 and San Diego Christian by 31. ) The game was actually tied midway through the second half. Behind a scoring drought by Chicago State, as well as offensive wake-up-call by SDSU's Chace Tapley, San Diego State pulled out the win 73-65.

I believe that the slate of non-contending opponents they've lined up and beaten on their way to a #22 ranking, as well as last night's embarassment shows that SDSU is overrated, and may not be the tough opponenent UNLV fans feared they would be. That said, basketball is a game of matchups and streaks, if the Rebels dont matchup well with the Aztecs or shooters like Tapley get hot from distance, there could be trouble. Also, Saturday's game in San Diego is sold out - so their fans who are energetic and creative, will be there to push their team. It should be a good one, don't you dare schedule anything other than watching the Rebels @ 1pm on Saturday.

Khem Birch Bio - Welcome to UNLV!

The rumors were true, Khem Birch is indeed a Rebel. One thing is certain, UNLV will have a fantastic team next year no matter who else we add to this roster. As some have remarked, the Rebels now have one of the most talented scout teams for the remainder of the year. The roster pages will be updated shortly to include Khem Birch for 2012-13, and 2013-14.

Here is a bio for Mr. Birch, credit to Pitt's website:

THE STORYLINE

An explosively athletic player at 6-feet-9-inches tall, Khem Birch is considered one of the nation's top shot blockers in his recruiting class. Birch is physically gifted, extremely coachable and has a feel for the game. He has been described as a phenomenal athlete who is quick off his feet and plays high above the rim. He runs the floor well, has great mobility and is quick laterally. On defense, he is a long and extremely athletic frontline player who can change the game with his shot-blocking ability. He also has the potential to guard multiple positions. On offense, he uses his length to grab offensive rebounds, consistently scoring with tipins above the rim or on the break. He scores in and around the lane when he receives the ball from cutting and slashing in between defenders. He also has good touch around the basket, has several post moves and can hit a short jumper from the corner. A soft spoken, mature Canadian, Birch signed a National Letter of Intent with Pitt on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010.

HIGH SCHOOL

A 2011 graduate of Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. where he played his senior season for head coach Ryan Hurd...McDonald's All-American...Named to the USA Today All-America Second Team...Averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots per game as a senior at Notre Dame Prep...Guided the Crusaders to the title game of the National Prep Championships before a 90-74 loss to champion St. Thomas More Prep (Conn.)...Named a McDonalds All-American and participated in the annual All-America Game held at Chicago's United Center on March 30, 2011...Played for the West squad and led team in scoring (15 points), rebounding (10, including nine offensive) and blocked shots (six)...One of three Canadians who played in the McDonald's All-American Game (Myck Kabongo-Texas and Kyle Wiltjer-Kentucky) and the first-ever player from Montreal, Quebec...Became the sixth Pitt signee in school history to earn McDonald's All-America Team honors joining Charles Smith (1984), Jerome Lane (1985), Bobby Martin (1987), Brian Shorter (1987) and Dante Taylor (2009)...Scored 15 points with seven rebounds (five offensive) and five blocks in helping the East Team to a 113-109 win in the Jordan Brand All-Star Game, April 16, 2011 in Charlotte, N.C....Played the 2009-10 season at Winchendon Prep in Winchendon, Mass for head coach Mike Byrnes...Averaged 5.0 blocks per game as a sophomore at Winchendon Prep...Helped guide Winchendon to a No. 3 state ranking, 11-5 record and 7-2 league slate...Consensus top-10 recruit...Ranked the nation's No. 11 recruit and No. 1 power forward by ESPNU...Ranked the nation's No. 14 recruit by Scout.com...Rated the nation's No. 17 recruit by MaxPreps...Rated the nation's No. 25 recruit by 247Sports/Sports Illustrated...Led his team to the tournament title at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio...Played AAU basketball on the Expressions Elite team for head coach Todd Quarles...Also has played for the Brookwood Elite.

CANADA BASKETBALL

Played on the Canadian Junior National Team for head coach Greg Francis...Guided Canada to a bronze medal at the Under-18 Championships in San Antonio, Texas during the summer of 2010...Led the squad in both rebounding and blocks...With a 3-2 record, Canada qualified for the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championships in Latvia...Averaged 5.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game in the five-game FIBA event...Ranked fifth among all tournament players in rebounding (7.8) and second in blocked shots (4.2)...Scored four points, eight rebounds and blocked seven shots in the bronze medal 86-83 win over Argentina...Finished with seven points and seven rebounds in a semifinal loss to eventual team champion United States...Registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a pool play win over eventual second place finisher Brazil...Has an opportunity to compete for a roster spot on Canada's 2012 Olympic team and World Championship Team.

PERSONAL

Born Khem Birch on September 28, 1992...Son of Wendy Sparks...Became the highest ranked recruit to choose Pitt since Brian Shorter in 1987...First played basketball because of his height, but now plays because "he loves the game"...Made an unofficial visit to Pitt on September 11, 2010...Both of his parents played basketball...Gave the visit to Pitt a "10" on a scale of 1 to 10, saying the fans were "great" because they knew every single player on the team during a pre-game autograph session...Committed to Pitt in September, 2010 and signed on November 17, 2010...Chose Pitt because of his relationship with Jamie Dixon and the fact that the program "can help him get to the next level"...Also said he "felt comfortable with the coaches and players at Pitt"...Resided in both Ottawa and Montreal before transferring to the Winchendon School for the 2009-10 season...One of his career goals is to put "Canada basketball on the map"...First Canadian to play at Pitt since Vancouver native Levon Kendall (2003-07)...As a kid growing up in Pierrefonds, Quebec, preferred football over basketball, but once he grew tall, he decided that he would play basketball...Selected Pitt over North Carolina, Kentucky, Syracuse, Connecticut, Ohio State, St. John's, West Virginia, Florida, Texas, Arizona and Providence.

KHEM BIRCH FEATURE STORIES

Canada's Jr. National Team Captures Bronze at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, July 2, 2010, Tanya Phillipps, OyeTimes

Khem Birch Takes on North America, Oct. 21, 2010, Lucas Shapiro, HSH 1-on-1
Birch to Enroll at Pitt Earlier than Expected, Nov.21, 2010, Mike DeCourcy, SportingNews
Potential Draft Pick Birch Emerges from Car Crash, Jan.19, 2011, Adam Zagoria, ZagsBlogs
Pitt Panthers Basketball, McDonald's All-American Recruit, Mar. 31, 2011, Justin Welton, BleacherReport

Exciting time to be a Rebels fan – UNLV #12 in both polls and likely adding Khem Birch

Finally, UNLV is getting some of the recognition it deserves from people who vote in the polls. UNLV vaulted to # 12 in both the Associated Press top 25 as well as the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. In the top 25 (and one) poll, the two sportswriters-in-charge rank the Rebels as #9.

UNLV’s ascent has less to do with the two recent wins (CSU Bakersfield, and Hawaii), which are good, but more to do with the fact that many of the teams in the top 25 lost games, making the Rebels that much more attractive to the voters.

 Movement among key foes that UNLV has played works both for and against us. In the ‘for us’ category, UNC is listed as # 3 in all of the key polls, a team we beat when they were undefeated  and #1 at a neutral site. Also for us, since we bested UNR, they have come up in the polls and are now receiving a vote or two and sport a 13-2 record.

Counting against us, Illinois has fallen out of the rankings, as has Wisconsin. Wichita State is not garnering any votes at all in the polls.

Potentially helping us in the conference schedule, San Diego State was ranked #25 last week, and is now #22 in both polls. Also, New Mexico  is getting votes and if they continue to play strong and beat a team like San Diego State, they could easily vault  into the top 25 as well.

Being #12 is awesome and is a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 1992/93. This ranking probably feels so much better than #17 because it more closely fits the Rebels accomplishments thus far and puts us close to top-10.

Khem Birch

While no major media outlet has announced Mr. Birch’s choice (was said to be between Florida and UNLV) multiple sources have said a combination of his ‘inner-circle’ saying he’s committing to UNLV, or that its ‘confirmed’ that he is transferring to UNLV. On the other hand, I’ve seen nothing about anyone speculating that he is in-fact going to Florida (but I haven’t looked that hard).  I think I’ve been looking too long at the Twitterverse, which frankly is quite annoying and I wish was never invented (because of re-tweets).  BTW, I've added a Twitter feed on the right side of your screen. Vote how you feel about it. (UPDATE: I killed the twitter feed on the sidebar, it slowed down the site something fierce. Look for a reincarnation of it in a tab if you're so inclined sometime soon). 

The same source that said he is ‘confirmed’ also said his commitment may sway Shabazz Muhammad, but didn’t indicate which way. The solid word is, Khem Birch’s destination has far more sway on Findlay Prep’s Anthony Bennett, who is likewise a Canadian native and is currently ranked as the #7^th best prep.

Nonetheless, every change made outside ones sphere has an effect on their decision making going forward – I think they call that the butterfly effect. I wouldn’t put too much stock in it, Muhammad likely has already made up his mind or cut it down to two.

So, a likely welcome aboard to Khem Birch, if this team gets any better tickets are going to be scarce!

Second half reigns supreme, the Rebels beat CSU Bakersfield 89-57

    

3 Minutes of Recap:

UNLV is shaping up to be a team that has really great second halves, but I wouldn’t call them a ‘second half team’. The Rebels tend to play well enough to be at least even with, or in front of the competiton in the first half, then come out of the locker room and go on a series of runs to put the game out of reach. There are many ways to win a basketball game – and this way is working just fine.

The now 16-2 Rebels came into Bakersfield to play the Roadrunners on the road because there was a gaping hole in the schedule between New Years’ and the start of conference play. The Roadrunners have an athletic team coached by an extremely smart coach, a former Naismith coach of the year for that matter. But, they are also a team who is struggling at now 7-9.

The Rebels started out slow and and the game went back and forth until 3-4 minutes had elapsed. From that point forward, the Rebels slowly built a respectable lead that they held throughout the first half and ballooned and floated between 5 and 11 points (normally about a 7 point lead) until halftime. The Rebels lead was 11 at the half, 38-27.

As can be gleaned by the final score, the Rebels put up a lot of their offense after the break. They scored 51 second half points, compared to CSU Bakersfield’s 30. Obviously, you get to 51 points by putting the ball in the basket, but what got the Rebels to that figure was rebounding. The Rebels had an amazing 17 offensive rebounds of their total 43. What many of us heard of the radio went something like this, “Stanback shoots from three, it rims out, but Lopez is there to tip in and clean it up”. In fact, Carlos Lopez had 6 of those offensive rebounds, starting in place of the injured Brice Massamba. The game became garbage time early in the second half, as the Rebels went on a 16-2 run and extended from there for the rest of the game.

Statwise, here’s the box. The numbers speak for themselves.

## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN

00 Bellfield, Oscar.... *  5-8    1-4    2-2    0  0  0   1  13  5  2  0  0  22

03 Marshall, Anthony... *  6-9    0-1    0-1    3  3  6   4  12  1  2  0  1  31

11 Lopez, Carlos....... *  3-4    0-0    1-2    6  0  6   3   7  0  2  1  1  21

22 Stanback, Chace..... *  2-12   2-10   1-2    1  6  7   2   7  3  1  0  2  25

43 Moser, Mike......... *  6-11   1-4    4-4    4  7 11   2  17  1  3  0  1  29

01 Thomas, Quintrell...    2-3    0-0    4-6    1  4  5   3   8  1  0  4  0  20

02 Wallace, Kendall....    1-5    1-5    0-0    0  1  1   0   3  0  0  0  1  13

05 Smith, Reggie.......    0-1    0-0    2-2    1  2  3   1   2  5  0  0  0  13

20 Mashour, Karam......    1-3    0-1    1-2    0  1  1   0   3  1  0  0  0   4

31 Hawkins, Justin.....    6-10   4-7    1-2    1  2  3   2  17  1  1  0  1  22

33 Norman, Wade........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+

   TEAM................                         1  4  5

   Totals..............   32-66   9-32  16-23  18 30 48  18  89 18 11  5  7 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-27 44.4%   2nd Half: 20-39 51.3%   Game: 48.5%  DEADB

3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-11 27.3%   2nd Half:  6-21 28.6%   Game: 28.1%   REBS

F Throw % 1st Half: 11-15 73.3%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 69.6%    4

Credit to UNLVREBELS.com

Highlights are obviously Moser and Hawkins with 17 a piece, Moser also getting 11 rebounds. 5 assists each for Bellfield and Smith (0 turnovers for Smith). Quintrell Thomas was fantastic with 4 blocks and 8 points.

Karam Mashour had, what I’ve only heard, was a fantastic dunk from way out – posterizing 6’10” 300 lb center Andre Jackson. Hopefully footage of that makes it to Youtube.

Fantastic end to the non-conference season for the Rebels. Now a lot of time to rest injuries, and prepare for what will be an extremely tough game at San Diego State.

The Rebel Reign MVP category will now be known and Reign Man, or Men if there is multiple MVPS. Tonight’s Reign Men are Mike Moser and Justin Hawkins, great  job!

GO Rebels! Great job to all the fans who made the trip and were lound enough to be heard over the Radio. 

Video available for CSU Bakersfield game $

CSU Bakersfield has announced plans to stream Thursday night's men's basketball game between the No. 17 Runnin' Rebels and the Roadrunners live from Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.

Fans may purchase the video feed of the game at GoRunners.com for $5.99.

The video will go live at 7 p.m Thursday. Fans may sign up online now by clicking here Link.

ESPN Love

ESPN.com has just released two articles that should peak UNLV fans interest:

UNLV best team in the west, best in PAC-12, MWC, WAC and West Coast Conference: Link- praises key wins over North Carolina, Illinois, and Cal

12 Bold HS Hoops Predictions for 2012: Link- predicts Shabazz Muhammad will choose UNLV

Rankings, programs, and upcoming

Rankings
You'll notice the new tab in the menu that directs you to CBS Sport's College Basketball Rankings page, which features:
- AP Top 25
- Coaches Poll 25
- Top 25 And One (a poll by two CBS sports insiders)
- CBS Sports RPI (a measure of team strength by several factors)


For example, as of this post in the Coaches Poll UNLV is now ranked #17 in the nation (AP not yet out), Top 25 and one we are ranked #12, and our RPI is #9 in the nation. 


The tab will actually redirect you to CBS Sports website, this is because the page itself would not allow embedding, and a lot of internet browsers do not allow pop-up windows. When you're finished reading the rankings, just hit the 'back' button to get back to RebelReign.com.


Programs to watch
For those of us wondering what the Hawaii announcing crew was referring to when they made mention of a program on UNLV they recently watched, I believe there were referring to two programs that are currently airing (twice today) on The Mountain. The first, is a program named Legends which is all about Jerry Tarkanian. The second, is named 'Teams to Remember' about the 1990 Rebels. Be sure to check them out or DVR them. If they turn up on Youtube, I'll be sure to link the video here.


Upcoming
While we await a radio broadcast of our Rebels hopefully destroying Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday, there will be a Q&A article up sometime this week.