UNLV advances in NIT with home win over Boston College

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Sunday, March 24, 2024 | 9:43 p.m.

It felt like March.

That’s what Kevin Kruger seemed most happy about after his UNLV team knocked off Boston College, 79-70, in the second round of the NIT on Sunday. A back-and-forth game, momentum-changing  plays, a hot crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center — it’s exactly what Kruger was hoping for when they secured the program’s first postseason invitation in more than a decade.

Now the Scarlet and Gray are on a roll and will head east again to face Seton Hall on Wednesday, with a trip to the tournament’s final four on the line.

“I’m really happy for them, but especially happy for the seniors,” Kruger said. “It’s their last time in here with the jersey on. It will be a special memory. And an unbelievable crowd — the best crowd of the year by a mile.”

UNLV put on a second-half show for the fans who came out for the surprise home finale. The teams went into halftime tied at 37-37, and midway through the second half neither squad had been able to create much separation. Junior guard Jackie Johnson drove into the paint for back-to-back layups, and junior forward Rob Whaley followed with a steal and breakaway layup to put UNLV ahead, 58-54 with 9:30 remaining.

That spurt got the crowd into it, and then March stuff kept happening for UNLV, which has now won 12 of its last 15 games.

Following a defensive stop, UNLV had a baseline inbound with five seconds on the shot clock. The ball went to senior wing Keylan Boone, who collected it well beyond the arc and stepped back even further, finally launching a 3-pointer from the NIT logo. The moonshot banked in as the buzzer sounded, and Boone went upcourt with a smile on his face.

Boston College came up empty on offense again, and freshman point guard D.J. Thomas attacked in transition. He dribbled into the lane, drew a help defender, and dished off to senior center Kalib Boone for a loud dunk. That made it an 11-0 run, and with UNLV’s lead swelled to 63-54, Boston College called timeout.

The crowd erupted. Senior guard Justin Webster came off the bench and walked across the midline, waving at the fans to pump up the volume.

It felt like March.

“We went on that big run and I could tell the crowd was getting into it,” Webster said. “They called timeout and we had momentum, so I just turned to the crowd and told them to get even louder.”

Boston College trimmed UNLV lead to four points later in the game, but never got within a single possession.

Keylan Boone led UNLV with 19 points and eight rebounds. Thomas racked up 17 points and five assists with zero turnovers.

Kalib Boone was a game-time decision due to the ankle injury that kept him out of the first-round of the NIT at Princeton, but he ended up playing 23 minutes and making his presence felt with 16 points and six rebounds. Both Boone brothers blocked three shots apiece.

UNLV is now 21-12 on the season, the most wins for the program since the 2012-13 season, when Dave Rice led the team to a 25-10 mark and their last trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Kruger wants his players to be proud of that.

“These seniors are going to know they left their mark on the program, as far as leaving it better than they found it,” Kruger said. “Had we had another five, six games, I think we’re [an NCAA] Tournament team. I think we proved that from January 1, but that’s the way college sports goes. We didn’t quite have enough time.”

And they’ll get a chance to add to that win total on Wednesday, when they take on the NIT’s overall No. 1 seed at Seton Hall.

Echoing his statement after beating Princeton, Keylan Boone doesn’t want the season to end.

“At the end of the day, we all just want to play with each other a little more,” Keylan Boone said.

NIT or not, Kruger said playing deep into March is a good thing for UNLV.

“They deserve it. These guys deserved it," Kruger said. "We’ve covered every emotion possible this year. They deserve to keep playing and I think they’re showing it.”

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