UNLV faces tough test vs. San Diego State in MWC opener

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, Dec. 31, 2021 | 3:07 p.m.

Welcome to the Mountain West Conference.

UNLV brought in 10 newcomers this offseason, and while many of them transferred from power conference schools there’s still something to be said for learning how to play in the Mountain West. And those players will get the ultimate introduction to MWC basketball on Saturday, when UNLV opens league play with a home game against perennial power San Diego State.

One man who is very familiar with the San Diego State program is UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger. As a player he led the scarlet and gray against the Aztecs in 2006-07, and he was an assistant coach at UNLV the last two years, during which time he went 1-2 against SDSU.

With all that head-to-head experience, Kruger believes there is no better way to introduce his squad to the rigors of the Mountain West than a showdown with its dominant program.

“I would say so,” Kruger said. “It’s been 20 years of them being incredibly tough to score on and being incredibly physical. Rebounding. Playing in March as far as I can remember. They’ve really been the flag carrier for this conference.”

Matching SDSU’s institutional toughness was a theme at UNLV practice this week. Though frontcourt imports Royce Hamm and Victor Iwuakor may not have spent their combined six years of college experience butting heads with the Aztecs, they know all about the program by reputation.

“Just from hearing from previous guys on the team and the coaching staff, I know that they’re a tough team,” Hamm said. “They battle hard. They’re a team that fights to the end. They compete relentlessly, so I think we’ve got to match their intensity.”

“I heard they’re physical,” Iwuakor said. “They’ve kind of been top of the Mountain West for years now, so just physical. And we’re looking forward to playing them.”

The 2021-22 iteration of San Diego State looks to be more of the same. Under head coach Brian Dutcher, the Aztecs are holding opponents to 38.7% shooting this season, which ranks 30^th in the nation. They’re also limiting opponents to 58.5 points per game, the 18^th-best mark in the country.

And they make offenses work for every point. Only 18.8% of opponents’ shots have come in transition, according to Hoop-Math.com, a figure that ranks in the top 20. And SDSU’s eFG% allowed in transition is 39.7%, which is fifth.

All signs point to Saturday’s meeting being a slow, grind-it-out affair. Whichever team wears down first, loses.

Hamm, a 6-foot-8 bruiser in his own right, is averaging career highs in scoring (9.2 points per game) and rebounds (9.9 per game), and he’s looking forward to matching up with the best the Mountain West has to offer.

“Those are my type of games,” Hamm said. “I like those hard-fought games, physical games, depending on how the refs call it. We’re going to see how that goes, but I think this is definitely going to be a game to see who’s going to throw the first punch and how they’re going to respond.”

Hamm won’t have to go at it alone now that Iwuakor appears to be back in the rotation. The junior forward practiced in full on Friday, and though Iwuakor is still feeling some pain in his shoulder (“I’m still trying to play through it. It’s not 100 percent, but it’s getting close,” he said) Kruger said he won’t be playing with any minutes restriction.

At 6-foot-7, Iwuakor is one of UNLV’s most versatile defenders. His advanced stats have been incredible this season (albeit in a very small sample size), and

In a game where UNLV figures to need all the muscle it can get, Hamm is excited about having his fellow big man back on the floor.

“It’s huge,” Hamm said. “Victor is a key piece to our team. He can guard 1 through 5. He changes our dynamic defensively and offensively tremendously. I think he’s going to bring a huge impact to tomorrow’s game.”

San Diego State might not be the best team UNLV plays this season — KenPom rates UCLA, Michigan and San Francisco higher — but the Aztecs are the most representative of the Mountain West.

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