Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Rebels face tough test in TCU

UNLV Over NAU Basketball

L.E. Baskow

UNLV forward Dwayne Morgan (15) is pleased with his team’s performance over Northern Arizona during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016.

The last time UNLV won four consecutive games against Division I competition, it was late in the 2013-14 season. It may not sound that long ago, so to provide proper context: Around the time the Rebels’ last four-gamer was wrapping up, Macklemore took home a Grammy award for Best New Artist and Doug McDermott was on his way to winning the Naismith Player of the Year award.

So, it’s been a little while since the Rebels have strung together a bona fide winning streak.

If they want to do it now, they’ll have to play their best game of the season today against visiting TCU. While UNLV has won its last three games to run their season record to a respectable 3-1, TCU represents the Rebels’ toughest competition to date.

Through the first four games of the season, UNLV’s strength of schedule ranks 335th in the nation according KenPom.com. There are only 351 Division I teams, so it’s safe to say the Rebels haven’t really been put through the gauntlet yet. TCU will be an entirely different experience, as the Horned Frogs are 4-0 and looking like a potential NCAA tournament team under new head coach Jamie Dixon.

Dixon’s crew is led by the freshman backcourt duo of Jaylen Fisher and Desmond Bane, both of whom are shooting better than 42 percent from 3-point range. Fisher, a one-time UNLV commit who bailed after Dave Rice’s dismissal, has been a tremendous addition for the Horned Frogs, averaging 11.5 points, 6 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Senior Brandon Parrish adds additional firepower from long range, as he’s made 56.3 percent of his 3-pointers through four games (9-of-16).

Slowing down TCU’s perimeter-oriented attack will be a challenge for the Rebels, who have struggled at times to limit penetration. Coach Marvin Menzies will have to devise a game plan that protects the paint, and the degree of difficulty will only get higher if he has to do it without Christian Jones.

Jones sat out Tuesday’s win over Northern Arizona due to soreness in his foot, and after the game, Menzies was tight-lipped about the severity of the injury. For now, Jones’ status for TCU is unknown.

If he’s unable to go, it would be an obvious setback for the Rebels, who are thin in the frontcourt. Jones has provided a veteran presence down low, starting the first three games at center and posting 14 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Jones’ biggest contribution comes from his experience as a fifth-year senior. UNLV has survived without Jones on the floor for short stretches — Jones has posted a plus/minus rating of plus-16.6 per 40 minutes, while the Rebels are plus-16.8 per 40 without him on the court — but he is averaging a team-high 33 minutes per game. If Jones is unable to play against TCU, Menzies will likely have to turn to junior Dwayne Morgan and freshman Troy Baxter to fill those minutes while holding down the middle.

Freshman center Cheickna Dembele is also struggling with a foot injury, as he hobbled off the court in pain after logging just five minutes against Northern Arizona. Even if Dembele is able to suit up, it’s unlikely he’ll be cleared to play more than a handful of minutes, which puts even more pressure on Morgan and Baxter to play big.

Menzies said that toughness may determine the winner.

“[Dixon] has always had that kind of stoic, grind-it-out toughness to his teams,” Menzies said. “So we’re expecting that. That’s him. That’s his style of play for sure. He brings toughness to his guys, so we’re going to have to match that.”

Notes

Today’s game against TCU is part of the Global Sports Classic, which will feature Washington and Western Kentucky in the other half of the four-team bracket. Today's winners will play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the championship of the mini-tournament, while the losers will face off at 5 p.m.

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