San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher gets ramped up as his team dominates UNLV on the hardwood during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, January 30, 2016.
Published Saturday, March 5, 2016 | 6 p.m.
Updated Saturday, March 5, 2016 | 9:27 p.m.
San Diego State 92, UNLV 56
Game over
Pat McCaw scored 21 points on 14 shots, and it wasn't anywhere close to enough tonight for the Rebels, who lost at San Diego State 92-56. UNLV had only five scholarship players available and from the midway point of the first half on the Rebels were never really in the game.
Four Aztecs scored in double figures, including Findlay Prep product Winston Shepard with 18 points. The Aztecs were great shooting the ball, hitting 46.4 percent on 3s, and combined with UNLV's lack of depth that was far too much to overcome.
Because of a quirk in the Mountain West tiebreaking procedure, Colorado State gets the No. 6 seed because it only played Fresno State once, so the Rebels will be the No. 7 seed and play Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. against Air Force.
Jerome Seagears was suited up but didn't play tonight, so there's at least a good chance he can return for the tournament. But it's uncertain at best that Dwayne Morgan would be able to return, so the Rebels' roster might not look all that different from tonight.
Check lasvegassun.com later tonight for a full report from the Rebels' defeat.
More Coverage
- Rebels try to keep rolling with the punches in regular-season finale
- Bern’s-Eye View: The Rebels’ season, from ‘And now …’ to ‘What now?’
- NCAA disqualifies Rebels freshman Jones Jr. over nullified test score
- Rebels’ team effort nets 79-74 win vs. Wyoming in home finale
- 4 Rebels to be honored on offbeat Senior Night against Wyoming
- Wearied Rebels wither at Boise State in 81-69 loss
- Depleted Rebels to take on Boise State without Morgan
- The Sun's UNLV section
The Rebels are in desperate need of bodies, and for tonight’s game at San Diego State they reached into the past to find one.
Bryan Glenn, a 6-foot-11 Coronado High grad, was a walk-on on Dave Rice’s first roster before transferring for a brief stop at Cal State Monterrey Bay. Now in the wake of UNLV’s most recent roster subtraction — the NCAA and ACT on Monday canceled freshman Derrick Jones Jr.’s ACT score, making him ineligible — the Rebels have brought Glenn back in for some size in practice.
It’s possible he’ll do more than that and actually play quite a few minutes tonight against the Aztecs, but I’m in wait and see mode on that one. What we know is that he’ll be available, and if UNLV needs size then at least they have the option.
The Rebels tip off against San Diego State at 7 p.m. in Viejas Arena. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.
Rebounding was UNLV’s biggest issue in the previous meeting, even before junior Ben Carter went down for the remainder of the season. Pat McCaw has picked up his rebounding of late, but they Jones was crucial in that area lately, too, and now the Rebels must again try to cover for a suddenly missing piece.
Prediction: Give the Rebels credit if they keep this one close, because I think the Aztecs will be more motivated than the average team that has already clinched an outright league title. San Diego State 72, UNLV 60
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
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