Game Preview: UNLV vs Boise State
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Runnin’ Rebels (15-14, 10-6) | Boise State (19-10, 10-6)
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (15-14) will be back on their home floor, hosting the Boise State Broncos (19-10) tonight at 8:00pm PT at the Thomas & Mack.
The Rebels are coming off a fantastic win in their last trip out against the previously undefeated San Diego State Aztecs 66-63! It was a hard-fought win, and they did it in great fashion by snagging the win on the road
However, the Rebels are going to have to put this game behind them and turn their attention to Boise State. The last time these two teams faced each other on Jan. 8, it was the Broncos who took control of that game-winning 73-66.
“We need to be motivated,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We’ve got to continue to improve with our team… We’ve gotten a lot better defensively. That’s going to need to be on display on Wednesday to shut them down.”
With the regular season winding down, UNLV has a few things at stake. If the Rebels are looking to get a bye in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament, they are going to need to finish top five within the conference standings. The Rebels have the possibility of finishing their season anywhere from the third to the fifth seed. Regardless if UNLV ended up holding the fourth or fifth seed, those teams still meet in the quarterfinals with the chances of going up against San Diego State in the semifinals.
With that being said, if things did go down that way, and the Rebels ended up facing off against the Aztecs for the third time, it would come down to if they could replicate the same game plan as the last time out, and come out with a win. However, before any tournament talk, UNLV needs to focus on coming out on top against the Broncos.
Heading into the game against Boise State, Bryce Hamilton is coming into this game, averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while Amauri Hardy is behind him on the offensive end averaging 14.1 points and 3.1 assists.
It seems as if the Rebels are playing their best basketball as of late, especially with them picking things up on the defensive end of the floor. On average, when the Rebels play at home, they win by 7.9 points while still maintaining a 45.3 field goal percentage.
Boise State is looking to maintain their hot streak after winning eight of their last ten games. Their leading scorer coming into this game is Derrick Alston, who is averaging 17.8 points and 3.1 assists while Justinian Jessup is averaging 16 points and 4.3 rebounds.
The trend is the same for most teams in the Mountain West Conference is struggling to win on the road consistently. The Broncos are a different team when playing on the road compared to when they are on their home floor, holding a 4-7 record when playing on another team’s court.
This is going to be a game where both teams will go at it hard on the floor. With Boise State and UNLV being so close to each other in the conference standings, the Broncos will want to maintain their position on the charts, while the Rebels will be looking to move up them. Also, UNLV will have the home-court advantage with this game, so they will be looking to use it as their motivation to want to win this game in front of their home crowd, especially after coming off of the win against San Diego State.
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-Terence Smith
Las Vegas! If you want another great place to watch the game, head to Al’s Garage in Summerlin. There are multiple televisions to watch all the games. Al’s has “Happy Hour” starting at 9 AM and ending at 9 PM. Al’s Garage is located at 11760 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89135. Tell them, “The Franchise sent you!!”
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