Utah vs UNLV Basketball Recap

Utah 66, UNLV 61

Welcome back to the bubble, UNLV. You might not want to be sitting on that large circle of uncertainty, but you have no choice.

Three games ago, life seemed so sweetly certain and sure for Coach Lon Kruger's crew. The Runnin' Rebels had just blasted Brigham Young and appeared to be a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament. But now, after this five-point failure in Salt Lake City against coach Jim Boylan's youthful Utes, the boys from Las Vegas have been vanquished in three consecutive contests. That's not how an NCAA bid gets sewn up; it's how a team goes from lock status to BubbleWorld in a heartbeat.

The reason UNLV got swept by Utah in the two-game season series is that the Rebels couldn't solve Utah's defense. UNLV currently averages just over 74 points per game, but in two losses to the Utes, Vegas managed an average of just 65 points.

In this Wednesday wipeout on the road, UNLV's offense simply crumbled down the stretch at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. With star scorer Tre'Von Willis throwing down 32 points for the visitors but getting no help from his teammates, the Rebels became an easy-to-defend one-trick pony when they had the ball late in regulation. Willis hit 11 of his team's 23 field goals, all of his club's (three) 3-pointers, and seven of UNLV's 12 foul shots, so as crunch time arrived, the Rebels lacked the resources needed to thrive when the Utes clamped down on Willis.

The results were predictably bad.

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UNLV scored just two points in the final 3:31 of this consequential collision, as Willis got shut out while none of the other Rebels were able to earn a single trip to the charity stripe. Utah, on the other hand - while certainly not explosive - was able to get a made jumper from guard Carlon Brown (who had a team-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting) for a 63-61 edge. After Willis missed a three with 17 seconds left, the Utes knocked down three free throws to put the game away, and a lack of balanced offense bit Vegas in the backside.

All told, Utah's bench outscored UNLV's reserves by a startling 40-12 margin. The Utes played a more blended style of basketball and received contributions up and down their roster. As for Vegas, the Rebels received a combined total of just two points from four different players who logged 58 minutes among them. Along similar lines of numerical analysis, UNLV's four non-Willis starters generated a total of just 17 points on 12-of-34 shooting from the field, or just under 35 percent.

Tre'Von Willis did his part on Wednesday night, but his teammates - especially at the offensive end - were nowhere to be found. That's why UNLV can now be spotted squarely on the NCAA bubble.

The next few weeks will be soap-operatic in Sin City. That much is certain at this point in time.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer