UNLV’s season ends with a thud in 73-62 loss to Illinois

By Ryan Greene

Published Friday, March 18, 2011 | 6 p.m.

Updated Friday, March 18, 2011 | 8:23 p.m.

Final, Illinois wins 73-62

TULSA, Okla. — And now the focus turns to next season.

For the second year in a row, the UNLV men's basketball team was bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round, this time getting run out of Tulsa's BOK Center by Illinois, 73-62 on Friday night.

The Illini went up for good early, thanks to a 15-0 run when UNLV trailed by just two at 14-12. They took a 46-24 lead into the half, and even though UNLV showed some more punch after the break on the offensive end, it could not recover from one of its worst halves of the season.

Illinois was led by a pair of seniors. Forward Mike Davis had 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while point guard Demetri McCamey set the tone for the night with 17 points, seven assists and three rebounds.

On the night, the Illini shot 59.6 percent from the floor and were 7-of-13 from deep.

UNLV shot just 26.9 percent in the first half and finished the night at 38.9, led by Oscar Bellfield with 14 ponts. Chace Stanback and Anthony Marshall each scored 13 points, but it was much too little, much too late.

The Rebels end the season at 24-9, while Illinois got its 20th win of the year and will face top-seeded Kansas with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line on Sunday afternoon.

For full postgame coverage, stay tuned to lasvegassun.com/rebels

6:45, Second Half, Illinois leads 67-47

TULSA, Okla. — UNLV is showing some more scoring punch in the second half than it did in the first, but at this point, it's not making much of a difference.

With just under seven minutes left to play in Tulsa, the Illini still lead the Rebels by 20, and UNLV's 2010-11 season is indeed in its closing moments.

Tre'Von Willis played the first two minutes of the second half, but hasn't been back in since. He's at the end of the Rebels' bench with a towel draped over his shoulders, and the look on his face represents what everyone in the UNLV fan section behind him is thinking.

Lon Kruger is turning to his younger guys here in the second half, as Anthony Marshall, Justin Hawkins and others are getting much of the run.

Illinois has stayed hot from the floor, as it is still shooting over 60 percent from the floor for the game, and the senior duo of Demetri McCamey and Mike Davis is still in command. They've combined for 35 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to this point.

Halftime, Illinois leads 46-24

TULSA, Okla. — The only positive that UNLV fans have to cling to at halftime tonight is the knowledge that it can't get much worse for the Rebels.

At the half here in Tulsa, Illinois holds a commanding 46-24 lead on UNLV after the Rebels shot just 26.9 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes and Illinois fired away at a 63 percent clip.

The Illini hit 14 2-point buckets, and 10 of them were either layups or dunks, as the Rebels have hardly looked like themselves on the defensive end so far.

For Illinois, senior point guard Demetri McCamey is in full command of the game, with 12 points and four assists so far. He hit a dagger of a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer. On the interior, UNLV hasn't had an answer for Illinois senior Mike Davis, who has 12 points and five rebounds.

The Rebels were just 3-of-14 from the floor, as Chace Stanback only has three points and Tre'Von Willis is only 1-of-6 from the floor.

Barring a miracle or an Illinois collapse, it looks like UNLV's season is 20 minutes away from a brutal close.

4:08, First Half, Illinois leads 33-15

TULSA, Okla. — UNLV couldn't get in Demetri McCamey's head early, and in return, he's carving the Rebels up late in the first half at the BOK Center.

The Illini senior point guard has nine points and four assists, and is in full command of a Rebels team that is badly wounded already and on the ropes.

UNLV picked a bad time to have one of its shakiest offensive halves of the season, as it is just 5-of-21 from the floor so far and 2-of-11 from 3-point range.

Illinois is exploiting UNLV on the interior, with senior Mike Davis doing most of the damage. He has eight points and four rebounds, but is able to catch inside anytime he wants.

Chace Stanback has hardly been heard from lately, with no points on 0-for-3 shooting. Meanwhile, Tre'Von Willis has been bottled up and only has four shot attempts so far. His only two points came from the free throw line.

Illinois has plenty of collapses this season after building big leads, but with the moods on the floor right now, it's hard to see UNLV getting this one back without the aide of a miracle.

11:14, First Half, Illinois leads 18-12

TULSA, Okla. — UNLV trails Illinois mid-way through the first half in Tulsa, Okla., 18-12, and looks as unsure of itself on the offensive end as it did early on in last year's loss on this stage to Northern Iowa.

The Rebels are just 4-of-12 from the floor so far and 2-of-8 from 3-point range, as they're opting to shoot over Illinois' length instead of driving to the basket.

On the other end, Demetri McCamey is in full control so far for Illinois, and everything is flowing from him. He has four points and four assists so far, while Mike Davis has six points and four rebounds inside.

For UNLV on offense, Tre'Von Willis has had a tough time shaking free, but does have three assists.

A major swing came about two minutes ago, after Derrick Jasper rebounded a Mike Tisdale miss. Running op the floor, Illinois' Meyers Leonard tripped over Jasper's foot, but Jasper was called for a foul. Since then, the Rebels haven't scored.

Pregame

TULSA, Okla. — It's official: Whoever prevails from tonight's night-cap between UNLV and Illinois will get a shot at top-seeded Kansas on Sunday afternoon.

The Jayhawks were pushed for a bit by No. 16 Boston University before ultimately pulling away and smacking the Terriers, 72-53.

Next up are the Rebels and Illini, who will meet in one of the more evenly-matched 8 vs. 9 games in the bracket. If you're looking for a positive sign heading in for the Rebels, it's that the No. 8 seed in each of the other three tilts came out victorious.

UNLV has waited a year to avenge a loss in last year's NCAA tournament opener that could have been avoided. If they're going to be successful in that pursuit tonight against the Illini, here are three things that the Rebels must do.

1) The defensive effort by Oscar Bellfield, Anthony Marshall and Tre'Von Willis on Illini starting point guard Demetri McCamey needs to be on point. Illinois has several weapons to hurt UNLV with, but if the Rebels can get into McCamey's face and disrupt Illinois' offense starting at mid-court, it greatly ups their chances of turning this into an up-and-down game. That's what UNLV wants. If this game is slowed down into a half-court affair, Illinois gains an edge with its height and length.

2) Quintrell Thoma sand Chace Stanback are UNLV's two best defensive rebounders up front, and they have to be just that tonight. Between Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis and Bill Cole, the Illini have height for days. UNLV needs to limit second chance opportunities.

3) The x-factor is Oscar Bellfield. He needs to be steady, in control and effective for UNLV on the offensive end. He's still stewing over his rough finish to the San Diego State game, which was accentuated by the turnover on his lob toss to Chace Stanback for a late lead. He's been chomping at the bit for some payback on anyone ever since.

As for a prediction and Pick to Click, I'm taking UNLV by a slight advantage, 74-68. My Pick to Click tonight will be the recently braces-free Oscar Bellfield.

To join in the conversation via Twitter during the game, don't forget to add the #unlvmbb tag to your in-game tweets. Or, as always, give me a follow at twitter.com/ryanmgreene.