Bryce Hamilton returns to lead UNLV past Air Force

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 | 4:15 p.m.

Getting Bryce Hamilton back on the court isn’t going to solve all of UNLV’s problems. That would be magical thinking. But when he plays like he did on Saturday, Hamilton sure can fix a lot of them.

Hamilton returned from a sprained ankle that forced him to miss UNLV’s previous two games and put on a matinee show at the Thomas & Mack Center, posting 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead the scarlet and gray to a 68-58 win over Air Force.

UNLV is now 7-9 on the season and 4-5 in the Mountain West.

“It feels good to be back,” Hamilton said after knocking down 9-of-14 shots. “It’s been tough for me to be out for those two games, especially against our rivals, but it’s good to be back and fighting with my teammates to get this win tonight.”

Coach T.J. Otzelberger didn’t hesitate to throw his star back into the deep end immediately upon his return. Otzelberger inserted Hamilton in the starting lineup against Air Force and played him 39 minutes, the most of any UNLV player.

That was undoubtedly a wise move, considering UNLV’s struggles without Hamilton.

The junior guard initially suffered the injury in a game on Jan. 18, then missed three of the next five contests while healing up. UNLV got swept in a two-game series at UNR without Hamilton; the only game the team won while he was out was a 54-point blowout of NAIA opponent Benedictine Mesa.

On Saturday Hamilton did a little bit of everything, helping UNLV overcome a horrendous shooting performance (2-of-14 from 3-point range) against an Air Force team that came out red-hot and remained at that temperature all afternoon (15-of-32 from deep).

Otzelberger was most encouraged by Hamilton’s willingness to share the ball. Though he had little trouble getting into the paint against Air Force’s zone defense, it was his passing that really opened up the offense for UNLV in the second half.

The game was tied, 46-46, with 10 minutes remaining when Hamilton assisted on a Caleb Grill 3-pointer to break the deadlock. Three minutes later Hamilton fed Nick Blake for another 3 to extend the lead to 54-46. On UNLV’s next possession, Hamilton grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to make it 56-46 with 6:09 to play, finally sticking a dagger in the upset-minded Falcons

It was the fourth time this season Hamilton has recorded five or more assists in a game, and UNLV has won all four of those contests.

Otzelberger doesn’t believe that is a coincidence.

“If you look at his high assist games, those are the best games we’ve played,” Otzelberger said. “Every team we play is coming in preparing to focus their defense on Bryce, in particular probably preventing him from driving left and getting all the way to the goal. We know that. What Bryce needs to continue to do is just make the right play. We want it in his hands as much as we can get it there, and we know he can make the right decision. The teams that force him to pass and come with a double or a secondary defender, when he’s doing a great job moving the ball he gets our guys really good looks. There’s certainly a trend in our team playing the best and Bryce’s correlation with his assist numbers.”

Hamilton said he enjoys distributing the ball and relishes his role as a playmaker.

“I like being able to create for my teammates to get them points,” Hamilton said. “It’s just something I like to do.”

Now the trick will be doing it on a consistent basis. Otzelberger wants to run the offense through Hamilton, but the high-scoring guard has to continue to show he is a reliable facilitator, even if it means fewer shots for himself. While he has taken his passing to a new level this season, Hamilton has also had a couple zero-assist games. Wouldn’t you know it, UNLV lost both of those (at Colorado State and vs. Utah State).

Otzelberger thinks the best version of this UNLV team is one that features Hamilton scoring and distributing, depending on how the opposing defense plays it.

“I believe that he can be a guy that’s a great playmaker,” Otzelberger said. “For him it’s more about get him the ball, make sure he’s confident, have the floor spaced properly so he knows what his reads are and where his outlets are, where his passes are, and then trust him and his instincts to make the right play. I know he can do a great job with that.”

Center Mbacke Diong gave UNLV an offensive spark by scoring 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and Blake busted out of a mini-slump with 11 points and five assists in 28 minutes.

UNLV made 25 of its 35 shots from inside the arc (71.4%) and outscored Air Force in the paint by a 46-10 margin. If those numbers hold in the return game on Monday, and UNLV knocks in a few more 3’s to go along with it, they should be able to complete the sweep to get back to .500 in MWC play.

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