Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Live blog: Duke drops hammer on UNLV, 94-45

UNLV and Duke Players Battle

L.E. Baskow

Players battle about the rim during UNLV and Duke game at T-Mobile Arena.

Updated Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016 | 1:41 p.m.

Some Rebels fans probably wouldn't mind if UNLV went another 25 years without playing Duke, after the No. 5 team in the country laid a 94-45 beating on Marvin Menzies' overmatched squad.

The final 16 minutes were pure garbage time, as Duke turned an 18-point halftime lead into an advantage of more than 30 points for most of the second half. Duke shredded the UNLV defense, shooting 58.7 for the game (70.0 percent in the second half), and Grayson Allen bolstered his Player of the Year campaign by scoring a loud 34 points on 12-of-16 shooting.

There were few silver linings for the Rebels. Jalen Poyser scored 16 inconsequential points and no other UNLV player cracked double digits. The Rebels shot just 29.6 percent as a team (16-of-54), by far their worst showing of the season.

The task now for Menzies is to erase his players' memories of this vicious beating as quickly as possible, as they have to turn around and host Incarnate Word on Tuesday.

UNLV is now 5-4 on the season.

Duke up 35, pulling away from Rebels

Duke isn't messing around. After letting UNLV get a little bit of traction just before halftime, the Blue Devils came out of the locker room and immediately went on a 7-0 run to all but put this one out of reach. Another 12-0 run has turned it into a total laugher, as Duke now leads, 65-32, with 11:46 remaining.

This is UNLV's worst showing of the season by far, though the quality of the opponent obviously has everything to do with that. Duke is now shooting 55.6 percent for the game, and Grayson Allen is up to 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

All that's left for the Rebels now is to play hard over the closing minutes and seek out positive learning experiences. There will be no payback for 1991 today.

Duke up big over Rebels at halftime

UNLV played its best basketball late in the first half and trimmed Duke's lead to 12 at one point, but the Blue Devils used a 6-0 run in the final minute to push their advantage back up to 42-26 at halftime.

The first 16 minutes or so were brutal for the Rebels, as turnovers, traveling violations, contested shots and rushed offense conspired to land them in a big hole. But the insertion of walk-on freshman Larry Bush at point guard seemed to provide a tiny spark, and Jalen Poyser found his footing, eventually finishing the half with eight points on 3-of-9 shooting. But it hasn't been nearly enough, as No. 5 Duke seems to be on an entirely different level than UNLV.

Duke has been unstoppable on offense. Grayson Allen scored a game-high 15 in the first half, while Luke Kennard added 11. The Blue Devils are shooting 48.5 percent (16-of-33) and have committed just four turnovers, leading to a sparkling 1.167 points per possession.

UNLV will need to limit turnovers and lock down on defense in the second half, or Duke will continue to go on runs and turn this into the massive blowout most expected.

Duke sprints to 20-7 lead over UNLV

Eight minutes into this one and it's the worst-case scenario for UNLV. Duke has sprinted out to a 20-7 lead with 11:49 left in the first half, and so far it looks like the Rebels are simply overwhelmed.

Duke has smothered UNLV's offensive sets, holding the Rebels to 3-of-8 shooting while forcing seven turnovers. The turnovers have led to multiple transition chances for Duke, and the Blue Devils are cashing in. Grayson Allen already has 12 points, including a monster one-handed dunk over the outstretched arms of Dwayne Morgan.

The Rebels are going to have to settle down in a big way if they intend to trim Duke's lead before halftime.

Christian Jones in uniform as Rebels prep for Duke

UNLV may be receiving frontcourt reinforcements just in time, as senior forward Christian Jones is dressed and currently on the court warming up with the rest of the Rebels.

Jones started the first three games of the season at center and played relatively well before injuring his foot. He's missed the last five games, but his walking boot came off this week and coach Marvin Menzies has been vague about Jones' timetable to return.

Any minutes Jones might be able to give UNLV today against Duke would be valuable, as there is very little depth behind current starting center Dwayne Morgan. Duke can test an opponent's interior defense, to say the least, and considering Morgan's issues with foul trouble, even a short stint from Jones would be helpful.

Rebels set for Duke rematch 25 years in the making

Rebels fans have been waiting a long time for a rematch with No. 5 Duke, but they probably hoped the circumstances would be different.

Instead of two national powers jostling for championships, as was the case for their two legendary meetings in the early 1990s, the big question heading into this game is, “Can UNLV keep it close?”

Let’s take a look at three keys for the Rebels if they have any shot of pulling off an upset:

Big stage

For many of UNLV’s younger players, Saturday’s game will represent the biggest stage they’ve ever played on, so the first order of business will be settling down, blocking out the external factors and focusing on execution.

The fact that this is the first college basketball game at T-Mobile Arena, in front of a sold-out crowd, against America’s (most hated) Team, on national television — that can’t mean anything to the players. When one of the Rebels’ freshmen looks over to the scorer’s table during warmups and sees Dick Vitale recording his pregame intro, it can’t be a distraction.

It sounds easy, but it’s not. The players are going to find themselves caught up in something bigger than this one game, though they’re too young to even realize it, and they’re going to feel a jolt of electricity leading up to tipoff. It’s up to the more veteran Rebels to keep their inexperienced teammates in check. Poise will be paramount in the opening minutes.

Once the game settles down, the players will, too. If senior Tyrell Green, junior Dwayne Morgan or sophomore Jalen Poyser can notch a quick bucket or two in the early minutes, it will go a long way toward taking the pressure off the rest of the Rebels.

Degree of difficulty

Duke is a huge favorite, and rightfully so, as the talent disparity between the two teams is enormous. All signs point to a blowout. But the Rebels can’t make it easy for them.

If Duke gets off to a fast start, creates a bunch of open shots and grabs a lead, things could get out of hand quickly. UNLV has to defend like crazy for the first six minutes or so, exerting maximum energy to make sure the Blue Devils don’t have any comfortable possessions.

Make the Blue Devils work hard early, get them out of their rhythm and try to keep it close into the middle of the first half. That should be UNLV’s blueprint for keeping this one competitive. Then, with a little luck and a few fortunate bounces, maybe the Rebels can stick around and make things interesting into the second half.

Maintain composure

Duke is going to score points and go on runs. It’s unavoidable. The Blue Devils are probably going to hit back-to-back 3’s at some point, and maybe even turn the trick multiple times. The Duke fans in attendance are going to make noise when it happens. The score is going to fluctuate during those spurts.

Against Arizona State last week, the Rebels wilted when that happened. There were possessions where UNLV defended well, only to watch ASU negate it by hitting long 3-pointers. After the blowout loss, Menzies and the players admitted that the team was demoralized when their hard work went to waste.

They’ll have to show more mental toughness against Duke. The Blue Devils can gain momentum in a hurry, so Menzies will have to use his timeouts wisely when it looks like they are ready to go on an extended run. UNLV’s team leaders will also have to keep morale high.

Are the young, inexperienced Rebels capable of executing a game plan that revolves around poise, toughness and execution? Tell us what you think about UNLV’s chances of pulling the upset by tweeting with the hashtag #unlvmbb.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy