UNLV Game Thread

[ShockerPrez]

And that, children, is how you dismantle a top 10 recruiting class.

For our next lecture, we will be discussing how to obliterate a team by making free throws and three point shooting.

[jdshock]

UNLV played, by far, their worst game of the season

I'm pretty sure we know how to play as a team and not turn the ball over, they had a bad game, every team has them.

We're back to teams scoring half of their season average and their fans saying it was an off night?

We had it all wrong, folks. The reason for three consecutive thirty win season, our final four, and undefeated regular season, it wasn't because of guys like Fred (that have been missing so far this season), it was because of luck. And it looks like we've got our "luck" back.

[WillieJeffJeffries]

And that, children, is how you dismantle a top 10 recruiting class.

For our next lecture, we will be discussing how to obliterate a team by making free throws and three point shooting.

Thats the lecture I paid to see and have waited 8 games for.......it needs to happen Saturday. The D was def there tonight, I haven't seen so many airballs since my girlfriend took me to "Hippy Hallow" in Austin.

[Rlh04d]

Oh ya, piggybacking off of Cdizzle's point, Evan Wessel is a stud. I don't think we definitively we this game without him tonight. There was 1 rebound in the first half where he literally jettisoned straight upward and grabbed an offensive board. The second half, I forget who made a pass that was high and slightly errant. There was only one person that was gonna jump outwards and grab that thing. Wessel. Every freaking time there was a loose ball that kid was there. I dunno how many extra possessions he earned us tonight. Didn't score a single point but his value was there. Big time. He isn't Tekele Cotton but he might be his shadow. Well played, Evan. I'd give you the game ball.

He's fantastic, when we have enough scorers around him to make up for the lack of offense.

[asiseeit]

1. Credit their D but ours won the game for us
2. Thought GM did a good job with substitutions
3. Thought all our bigs defended pretty well
4. ZB's best all around game
5. Wish BW would forget point blank head fakes, go up strong and hammer it home
6. MM got back doored early but played well after that
7. Nice timely offensive rebound by SM followed by nice assist

[WuDrWu]

Now that we got that sore loser douche outta here, let's talk about the game.

Free throws should have lost us the game. 11-22? Seriously? With Fred missing 3 of 4? Ron missing 2 late ones? Wtf? Connor's throws didn't even touch net. I'm kinda surprised we didn't find him more late.

The defense was stifling. We had our hands all over the ball and in the lanes. UNLV looked like lost little puppy dogs, tripping all over the place. They the most athletic team on planet earth, but look undisciplined and one-on-one-ish. That'll get em a decent record and should give us a quality win later on. Don't book on them making it very far in the tournament though.

I've never seen more crowd anticipation on one guy's shot than Conner's first 3 3-point attempts. It was crazy. The entire arena was on their feet before his shot hit the utmost trajectory. I really wish he would have hit 1 of them. That's all he'll need to go off IMO.

Fred in the first half was vintage Fred. He looked 100% in that half. Just so fun to watch. He dominated. Thank god we got that when we did. We needed as many points as we could.

Ugly win, but damn it, it's a win. We needed that. Gonna need a better effort on Saturday though.

+1 with a couple of add ons. However good you thought Fred was, he was better. He's so good, so much better than you think. The young man DOMINATED the game until fatigue set in. He was unreal in the first 20 minutes.

I'm not sure if Antoine stopped in with actual smoldering embers but the play angry was back. Team defense was final four worthy. It's hard to find a B defensive performance. Baker was A+++++++

Not worried about FTs.

Really almost felt bad about the crowd cheering Conner so much...too much pressure, and Fred deserves that kind of response EVERY time he comes in and out of a game.

Speaking of Conner, good game. Shots didn't go down, but that's ok. They will. Fred wants him to be more aggressive. If I were UTAH, I'd look out. If I were another Valley team, and nobody else won at home tonight (wtf) I'd be very very afraid. Dude's going to go Steph Curry on someone and it might not turn off for a long time.

Shaq's energy was fantastic. Very well done young man.

I thought Nurger's energy was great. Big Bush was solid. Now I'm only talking defensively but that's all that matters. The scoring WILL come.

I said before that the days of beating a good team by holding them in the 50s were over.....well I didn't remember this D.

Hats off to the Rebels as well. They played hard. They ARE poorly coached, but you aren't going to recruit (successfully) those players without the promise of showcasing 1 on 1 skills. You live by showboating, you die by showboating. But they played hard.

I thought their ability to press was going to turn us over a lot? 9 Rebels, 19. They are LUCKY we aren't healthy, because OUR press would have blown them out.

"Going to need a better effort"? I have to question that...better output? Ok...I'll buy that because we have to score more, but the effort was there, zero question about that.

[wufan]

I really like the backcourt with Conner playing. Fred and Ron to start and Conner to spell one of them every second they are on the bench, oh and the occasional Ron at the 3. Zach was very good at the three with a little McDuffie sprinkled in.

UNLV was defending the pick and roll and were long enough to do so effectively. That did open the floor for Fred though. I guess if we aren't going to get a bunch of paint production, then great job on screening and dragging the big away from Fred!

UNLV played a very good defensive game. Not as good as ours. The road may have been too much for us to overcome last night, but we were at the Chuck!

[pie n eye]

My goodness, is it me or is @WillieJeffJeffries: making some almost decent posts tonight?

No.

[shockerfanmas]

It figures that some idiot would come on here and say the Shox didn't get a favorable whistle when they clearly did. I swear, you just can't please some people.

Most of those drives to the basket for FVV were followed by good verticality from the UNLV defenders. The officials did a good job of allowing that. Pretty much everybody I've talked to, official and non-official, agrees the whistle completely benefitted us last night. Then you have the one guy that still complains.

I really wish some people had a clue about officiating before they started running their mouth about it. And no ShockerFever, this isn't directed toward you. You and I have actually been somewhat cordial lately.

[shockmonster]

He's fantastic, when we have enough scorers around him to make up for the lack of offense.

It's nice to have those scorers but we didn't win because we shot better we won because we had significantly more possessions than UNLV. We came up with a lot of loose balls, offensive rebounds, etc. led by Evan. Don't discount his important contributions.

[jazztrane]

They definitely stepped it up on defense tonight-the help D was incredible, they got their hands on so many dribbles and passes I think it really frustrated UNLV. A game like that makes you forget any questions about Wessel's offense, he was a beast down low and got us so many extra possessions. Seriously how do you give us 4-5" on multiple guys and still come up with offensive rebounds? As someone else said if you have enough offense on the floor you don't need it from him, that's his perfect role playing D and scrapping.

The shooting will come, I commented to my Dad how all the shooters were draining 3's in warm-ups so I thought it would be a good shooting night. They're just a hair off but still getting good looks, with Fred working back in delivering passes to the shooters in rhythm the 3's will come.

Was the one dude behind UNLV's bench who was always either complaining or on his phone wearing a letter jacket? Looked like a high school letter jacket, the kind you know, never wear again after high school???

[ShockBand]

I felt so icky about the free throw shooting that I went home and practiced my free throws. Unlike what I expect from the team, I still suck.

[kstarheel]

Ugliest win I've seen in some time, but a very important one. I have a feeling WSU is going to go off on Saturday, with 3's falling from the sky. No way will they shoot 50% from the line again.

[another shocker]

The funniest thing was at the end of the game biggest douche UNLV fan shaked the cops hand to try to smooth it over. The cop clearly wanted to have no part of that. What a sucky fan base. That school sucks big time.

that sounds like oldrebelgeezer.

[jdshock]

FVV's basket at 7:30 will go on his senior night reel. Calling it now.

I was also blown away by that basket, so I made a gif. Here's the link.

Here's another drive from later in the first half: Link.