NEW HOOPS PREVIEW: UNLV vs Kansas State Wildcats - Game 2

UNLV vs Kansas State

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UNLV vs Kansas State

Head coach TJ Otzelberger got his first victory in his debut for UNLV earlier this week against Purdue Fort Wayne. A win is a win, despite the competition. But now the Runnin’ Rebels must prepare for a bigger foe in the Kansas State Wildcats.

Kansas State will prove to be a considerable test early in the season for UNLV, as they enter the Thomas & Mack Center as the reigning Big 12 Conference Champions. Head coach Bruce Weber and the Wildcats are entering this season with three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Despite their success from last season, they have quite a bit of turnover on the roster, now being led by senior forward Xavier Sneed, who averaged third in scoring last season with 10.6 PPG.

Kansas State currently stands at 1-0 for the season with its victory over North Dakota State, 67-54. Redshirt junior guard Cartier Diarra led the way with 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

This game happens to be the first time the Runnin’ Rebels played a Big 12 opponent since 2016 when they hosted TCU in a 59-63 loss.

UNLV will hope to build off its momentum from its win a few days ago and get an early statement victory. If they can pull off this upset, they can get the national attention of people and analysts who look at these essential non-conference matchups later on in March.

For the Runnin’ Rebels to win, they will need to knock down three-pointers consistently. That means they will need another big game from Jonah Antonio, who went 5-9 from beyond the arc in their last game. They will also need to look to Mbacke Diong to bring his nonstop energy on both sides of the floor. The team will look to build off the intensity that he brings from his rim-protecting blocks and emphatic slams. Otzelberger‘s defensive scheme must be effective if they want to be successful. All five players on the court must be in sync with communication for their aggressive approach to work. Hopefully, that communication has improved in the last 4 days of practice since their previous game.

The game starts at 1 pm inside the Thomas & Mack. If you can’t make it to T&M, you can watch the game on ESPN3.

Isaiah Torres

Twitter: Isaiah_Torres24

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