9:00 PM ET, December 21, 2010
Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
GAME NOTES: An intriguing non-conference matchup takes place in Kansas City this evening, as the 11th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats take on the UNLV Runnin' Rebels at the Sprint Center in the Hy-Vee Wildcat Classic.
The Rebels were off to their best start in 20 years following wins in each of their first nine games. The team picked up its 10th win of the season last weekend with a 72-50 rout of Southern Utah, but back-to-back setbacks to Louisville (77-69) and UC Santa Barbara (68-62) in a four-day span prior to that, left the team on the outside of the top-25 looking in.
The Wildcats on the other hand are currently firmly entrenched in the polls, sitting at number 11 to start the week. However, KSU had a five-game win streak brought to a halt this past weekend with a 57-44 loss at the hands of now nationally-ranked Florida.
This game marks the sixth meeting in this series, with UNLV holding a narrow 3-2 advantage. It was KSU however, that got the win in last year's matchup, a 95-80 victory at the Orleans Arena.
Lon Kruger's Rebels were able to end a two-game skein with a solid offensive showing against Southern Utah over the weekend. Anthony Marshall led the charge with a career-high 17 points. Carlos Lopez added his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for UNLV which never trailed in the game and forced the Thunderbirds into 22 turnovers. The Rebels are a dangerous offensive team averaging 75.6 ppg. UNLV ranks 10th nationally in field-goal percentage (.499) with three players currently averaging double digits. Chace Stanback leads the way with 13.7 ppg on .534 shooting. Oscar Bellfield and Tre'Von Willis are next in the scoring column with 11.8 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Derrick Jasper (9.6 ppg), who sat out the last game with a knee injury and Marshall (9.3 ppg) provide further scoring depth.
Frank Martin's Wildcats threw in a clunker last time out, scoring a season-low 44 points in an ugly loss to Florida at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. KSU shot a miserable .273 from the floor in the game, aided greatly by a .158 performance from behind the arc (3-of-19). All-American candidate Jacob Pullen posted 19 points in the loss, but even he struggled to find an offensive rhythm, converting just 6-of-17 shots from the floor and 1-of-7 from three- point range. No other player on the roster had more than eight points in the game, as Kansas State was done in by a hot shooting Florida squad in the second half (.600). Kansas State has not gotten the job done with flashy offensive numbers this season (73.3 ppg), but rather with hard-nosed defense that limits foes to just 62.0 ppg on under 40 percent shooting (.396). Pullen is the straw that stirs the drink though, with the ability to both score (16.5 ppg) and distribute (team-high 42 assists). Rodney McGrudder and Curtis Kelly provide the frontcourt balance with 10.3 ppg apiece.
This is a classic matchup between two very capable programs. The Rebels are a bit more offensive by nature and that should result in a narrow win for UNLV, which will make a case to rejoin the top-25 as a result.
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/12/21/2534885/unlv-10-2-vs-11-kansas-state-9.html#ixzz18nCU9ZMw
The Rebels were off to their best start in 20 years following wins in each of their first nine games. The team picked up its 10th win of the season last weekend with a 72-50 rout of Southern Utah, but back-to-back setbacks to Louisville (77-69) and UC Santa Barbara (68-62) in a four-day span prior to that, left the team on the outside of the top-25 looking in.
The Wildcats on the other hand are currently firmly entrenched in the polls, sitting at number 11 to start the week. However, KSU had a five-game win streak brought to a halt this past weekend with a 57-44 loss at the hands of now nationally-ranked Florida.
This game marks the sixth meeting in this series, with UNLV holding a narrow 3-2 advantage. It was KSU however, that got the win in last year's matchup, a 95-80 victory at the Orleans Arena.
Lon Kruger's Rebels were able to end a two-game skein with a solid offensive showing against Southern Utah over the weekend. Anthony Marshall led the charge with a career-high 17 points. Carlos Lopez added his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for UNLV which never trailed in the game and forced the Thunderbirds into 22 turnovers. The Rebels are a dangerous offensive team averaging 75.6 ppg. UNLV ranks 10th nationally in field-goal percentage (.499) with three players currently averaging double digits. Chace Stanback leads the way with 13.7 ppg on .534 shooting. Oscar Bellfield and Tre'Von Willis are next in the scoring column with 11.8 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Derrick Jasper (9.6 ppg), who sat out the last game with a knee injury and Marshall (9.3 ppg) provide further scoring depth.
Frank Martin's Wildcats threw in a clunker last time out, scoring a season-low 44 points in an ugly loss to Florida at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. KSU shot a miserable .273 from the floor in the game, aided greatly by a .158 performance from behind the arc (3-of-19). All-American candidate Jacob Pullen posted 19 points in the loss, but even he struggled to find an offensive rhythm, converting just 6-of-17 shots from the floor and 1-of-7 from three- point range. No other player on the roster had more than eight points in the game, as Kansas State was done in by a hot shooting Florida squad in the second half (.600). Kansas State has not gotten the job done with flashy offensive numbers this season (73.3 ppg), but rather with hard-nosed defense that limits foes to just 62.0 ppg on under 40 percent shooting (.396). Pullen is the straw that stirs the drink though, with the ability to both score (16.5 ppg) and distribute (team-high 42 assists). Rodney McGrudder and Curtis Kelly provide the frontcourt balance with 10.3 ppg apiece.
This is a classic matchup between two very capable programs. The Rebels are a bit more offensive by nature and that should result in a narrow win for UNLV, which will make a case to rejoin the top-25 as a result.
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/12/21/2534885/unlv-10-2-vs-11-kansas-state-9.html#ixzz18nCU9ZMw