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March 28, 2024

Live coverage: No. 4 Michigan deals UNLV first loss, 74-61

1119_sun_UNLVMich2

Steve Marcus

UNLV Rebels guard Bryce Hamilton (13) grabs a loose ball during the second half of a game against the Michigan Wolverines in the Roman Main Event tournament at T-Mobile Arena Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.

Updated Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 | 11:49 p.m.

UNLV Suffers First Loss to Michigan, 74-61

UNLV Rebels guard Michael Nuga (1) attempts a steal on Michigan Wolverines guard DeVante' Jones (12) during a game in the Roman Main Event tournament at T-Mobile Arena Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. UNLV Rebels guard Jordan McCabe (5) is at left. Launch slideshow »

UNLV put up the proverbial fight, but No. 4 Michigan pulled away in the second half for a 74-61 victory at T-Mobile Arena.

Bryce Hamilton led UNLV with 21 points but for the first time this season went cold down the stretch, making just two of his final nine shots. The senior finished 8-of-22 from the field.

UNLV's first loss under Kevin Kruger drops them to 3-1 on the season. The scarlet and gray will regroup and face off against Wichita State on Sunday in the consolation bracket of the Main Event.

Michigan guard Eli Brooks hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second half to help the Wolverines pull away and finished with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Big man Hunter Dickinson posted 13 points and seven rebounds.

No. 4 Michigan leads UNLV, 60-50

UNLV has gone cold on offense and Michigan has connected on some outside shots, allowing the Wolverines to stretch their lead to 60-50 with 7:33 remaining.

Bryce Hamilton's hot shooting was keeping UNLV in the game late in the first half and early in the second, but he has missed six of his last seven as Michigan is keying its defense on stopping the lefty.

Mike Nuga just stepped up with a 3-pointer, but UNLV is just 8-of-23 from deep as a team. Michigan is shooting 54.8% from the floor.

Michigan's physicality has been difficult to overcome. The Wolverines have pummeled UNLV inside, earning 11 free throws; UNLV has yet to shoot a free throw.

Bryce Hamilton keeping UNLV close; Michigan leads 49-45

Bryce Hamilton is on fire, and with 13:55 remaining UNLV is still hanging around, trailing Michigan 49-45.

After closing the first half by scoring seven of UNLV's final nine points, Hamilton opened the second frame by connecting on a pull-up 3, then nailed a nifty baseline fadeaway. He now has a game-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

Michigan's size continues to be a problem. Hunter Dickinson just threw down a two-handed dunk and the Wolverines have made 6-of-10 shots in the second half.

UNLV closes half on 9-0 run, trims Michigan lead to 35-32

Upset alert?

UNLV closed the first half on a 9-0 run, trimming Michigan's lead to 35-32 at the break and setting up what could be a very memorable second half.

Bryce Hamilton put in work over the final few minutes of the half. He scored a pair of iso buckets against Michigan center Hunter Dickinson, then Donovan Williams swished a mid-range jumper. On UNLV's last possession, Hamilton dribbled out the clock before burying a stepback 3-pointer with one second remaining.

Hamilton has a team-high nine points, while Williams has seven points. Royce Hamm has five points and four rebounds, but he picked up two fouls in the first half and only logged 12 minutes.

Michigan has proven to be a handful, as expected for the No. 4 team in the nation. The Wolverines have worked the ball inside effectively, bullying the smaller scarlet and gray frontcourt en route to shooting 56.0% for the half.

If Kevin Kruger can figure out a strategy to mitigate Michigan's size advantage—a very difficult task—UNLV may be able to make a run at a very big upset over the next 20 minutes.

UNLV trying to hang tough against Michigan

UNLV has launched a couple more airballs over the last six minutes, and Michigan has extended its lead to 28-23 with 5:46 remaining in the first half.

Michigan forward Moussa Diabate is a problem for the UNLV frontcourt, as he's worked his way into the paint for eight points on 4-of-5 shooting; he just missed a tip-in attempt, however, and Jordan McCabe knocked down a transition 3-pointer at the other end.

Donovan Williams also stuck a 3 a few possessions earlier, but UNLV is a pedestrian 3-of-10 from deep as a team.

Even more than his team's cold outside shooting, Kevin Kruger's biggest concern has to be that Michigan is making 60.0% of its shots so far. None of UNLV's first three opponents shot better than 42% from the field.

Michigan takes early lead over UNLV at T-Mobile

It has been a shaky opening few minutes on the offensive end for UNLV, but Royce Hamm has made a couple jumpers and with 13:34 remaining in the half Michigan has a 10-9 lead.

Aside from a mid-range jumper and a 3 from the top of the key, both courtesy of Hamm, UNLV's possessions have been an adventure. Donovan Williams had a layup blocked, Mike Nuga shot an airball from the corner, Bryce Hamilton got called for traveling on a drive and Jordan McCabe threw a pass out of bounds. Nuga did rebound to score a pair of driving layups, giving him four early points.

At the other end UNLV appears to be locked in defensively, but they're having trouble containing Michigan center Hunter Dickinson. The 7-foot-1 pivot is 3-of-4 from the field, while the rest of the Wolverines are 1-of-5.

Somewhat surprisingly, Kevin Kruger has yet to substitute. Kruger has utilized a deep rotation in the first three games this season, but so far he has ridden his starters nearly seven minutes.

UNLV basketball facing No. 4 Michigan at T-Mobile

Are you ready for the biggest game of the UNLV basketball season (so far)? The team certainly thinks it’s ready, as the scarlet and gray enter Friday’s showdown with No. 4 Michigan on a three-game winning streak to open the season.

Leading scorer Bryce Hamilton and leading rebounder Royce Hamm both expressed confidence this week that Kevin Kruger’s defense-and-toughness formula is locked in already, and they seem to understand that the marquee opponent and the big stage (9:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena, ESPN2) will give UNLV a chance to make an early statement.

Three keys to watch as UNLV attempts to take down a Top-5 opponent for the first time since knocking off No. 4 San Diego State in 2019-20:

Big game hunting

Competing with Michigan means finding a way to deal with sophomore center Hunter Dickinson, a 7-foot-1 force who is averaging a team-high 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Slowing down the giant lefty is going to be quite a task. Dickinson is overpowering in the paint, and he possesses incredibly soft touch; for the season, he is shooting an unreal 92.3% on attempts around the rim.

UNLV will ask senior center Royce Hamm to be the primary matchup against Dickinson. It’s not going to be easy, but Hamm has done a good job on the defensive glass this season (13.7 rebounds), and he is averaging 2.7 blocks per game.

Even with some help from double-teaming guards and wings, Kruger understands he’ll be asking a lot of Hamm on Friday.

“There aren’t many guys in college basketball as big and physical as Hunter Dickinson,” Kruger said. “It’s one of those things you can’t replicate and you’re hoping that Royce’s experience as much as anything he can tap into that, just seeing him play against bigger guys throughout his career.”

Depth matters

Michigan is not unbeatable. The Wolverines showed some vulnerabilities in a 67-65 loss to Seton Hall on Tuesday, and UNLV could be capable of exploiting those flaws.

Most notably, Michigan is not a deep team. Only seven players logged double-figure minutes on Tuesday, with backcourt starters Caleb Houstan and Eli Brooks seeing 39 and 38 minutes, respectively. Dickinson pushed the upper limits of his stamina with 33 minutes. Seton Hall, on the other hand, went nine deep; no one played more than 28 minutes, and the Pirates looked like the fresher team in the second half.

UNLV can run out lineups in waves, and we’ve seen Kruger rotate freely in all three games so far this season. Nine players are averaging between 12 and 29 minutes, with 10th man David Muoka right there at 9.7 minutes.

Look for Kruger to substitute liberally in the hopes they’ll be able to grind down Michigan with tough defense over the course of 40 minutes.

Shooters gotta shoot

Like the majority of college basketball games, there’s a good chance this one could be decided simply by which team makes more 3-pointers.

Neither squad is shooting the ball with any accuracy this season; UNLV has hit 3’s at a horrific 21.9% this year, while Michigan clanked to the tune of 3-of-15 against Seton Hall. Both teams expect more from their shooters.

UNLV imported three transfer guards this offseason to bolster its outside attack, and so far Josh Baker (1-of-9 3FGs), Mike Nuga (2-of-12) and Justin Webster (1-of-5) have not delivered. If those three can find their stroke on Friday and Michigan continues to miss, UNLV will find itself with a chance to steal a very important win.

What: UNLV (3-0) vs. No. 4 Michigan (2-1)

Where: T-Mobile Arena

When: 9:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

Line: Michigan -12.5

UNLV leaders

Bryce Hamilton, 17.9 points per game

Royce Hamm, 13.7 rebounds per game

Jordan McCabe, 3.0 assists per game

Michigan leaders

Hunter Dickinson, 18.7 points per game

Hunter Dickinson, 8.0 rebounds per game

DeVante Jones, 4.3 assists per game

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

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