Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Analysis:

Analysis: UNLV basketball needs to rebound against UNR

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Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

Wyoming Cowboys forward Jordan Naughton (33) knocks a rebound away from UNLV Rebels forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (30) during their Mountain West Conference basketball game Saturday, January 5, 2019, at the Thomas & Mack Center.

When No. 7 UNR comes to town to face UNLV on Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center, much of the focus will be on the Wolf Pack’s team-wide ability to make shots. And that makes sense. Under coach Eric Musselman, the Pack has come to dominate the Mountain West by spreading the floor and overwhelming the opposition with a blizzard of outside jumpers.

But for UNLV, the more important consideration in Tuesday’s game might be what happens when those shots miss.

A disturbing trend has emerged for the Rebels this season, and it killed them in Saturday’s 94-77 loss at San Diego State: While UNLV is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounding, the Rebels have had a very difficult time securing defensive rebounds.

The splits are glaring. UNLV ranks No. 2 nationally in offensive rebound rate (38.3 percent), but the team is 259th in defensive rebounding (71.7 percent).

Some of that is due to a rash of injuries to UNLV’s frontcourt rotation. Senior forward Shakur Juiston was leading the team in defensive rebounding rate (27.1 percent), but he has missed the entire conference slate with a season-ending knee injury. And sophomore center Mbacke Diong (19.8 percent defensive rebound rate) has missed the last four games with an ankle injury.

The lack of rebounding was clear in the Rebels’ loss at San Diego State. The Aztecs missed 25 shots (32-of-57 FGs) and got 12 offensive rebounds. That led to 18 second-chance points, which very much factored into SDSU’s 17-point victory.

One of the downsides of playing small-ball — as UNLV now does, full-time — is ceding some advantage in the rebounding column. But after the loss, freshman forward Joel Ntambwe (six rebounds, three defensive) said the Rebels need to do a better job of converging on the glass when shots go up, regardless of any size discrepancy.

And, Ntambwe said, they also have to make their presence felt.

“Honestly, we’ve just got to box out more,” Ntambwe said. “All five guys have got to come down there and crack somebody and just get the rebound.”

UNR is not a team that usually wins with size. Senior forward Trey Porter (6-foot-10) is the team’s leading offensive rebounder with a rate of 9.2 percent, a mark which would rank him fifth on the UNLV squad. As a team, the Wolf Pack stands 217th nationally in offensive rebounding. But what they are good at is generating extra possessions.

UNR is No. 31 in the country in extra scoring chances, a statistic that measures offensive rebounds and turnover margin. So when considering all the other advantages UNR will have on Tuesday, the one thing UNLV cannot afford to do is let the Pack get more than one chance at the basket.

Menzies said the Rebels will have to play a near-perfect game in order to topple UNR.

“They have the best team in the conference," Menzies said. "To date they have proven that. They have length, they have athleticism, they have depth. They’re a really good team, so you have to have a special night to beat them.

That includes keeping UNR away the offensive glass.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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