UNLV Coming in:
The Rebels enter off a road victory in Flagstaff, Arizona over the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona 83-74. They had four players score in double figures, but the key to their victory was their ability to get to the free throw line 32 times and make 27 of those attempts. Junior guards Wink Adams (16 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stls) and Curtis Terry (16 pts, 8 rebs, 6 ast) led the way. Terry is the brother of Dallas Maverick guard and former Arizona standout Jason Terry.
On the season, the Rebels have three double-figure scorers (Terry 13.6, Adams 13.3, and Darger 12.5). Terry leads the team in assists at just under four per game; Darger leads the team in rebounds at 6.3 per game, while Terry and Adams share the team lead with 11 steals.
UNLV Team Stats (opponents):
74.1 points per game (66.1)
42.3% field goals (41.7%)
31.9% 3 point field goals (28.1%)
7.6 3 point field goals/game (5.4)
72% free throws (65.8%)
35.4 rebounds per game (39.5)
13.5 assists per game (12.5)
12.1 turnovers per game (16.5)
8.9 steals per game (4.9)
3.1 blocks per game (1.9)
Fresno State Coming in:
The Bulldogs come into Saturday’s matchup narrowly escaping what may have been one of the worst losses in program history against Cal-State Monterey Bay. It took a desperation three from Bryan Harvey to force overtime after a controversial save by Tyson Parker in which he was clearly out of bounds. The Bulldogs eventually prevailed 85-80 in overtime. Kevin Bell’s 24 points and five assists led the ‘Dogs, and he battled cramps in the second half and overtime.
Hector Hernandez had a much improved shooting touch going 4-7 from three on the way to an 18-point, nine rebound effort. Bryan Harvey had a very nice game scoring 19, collecting nine rebounds, and added four blocks. Most importantly he forced overtime with the deep three. Not to be forgotten, guard Tyson Parker turned in an all around game scoring four points, had five rebounds, and led the team with seven assists. He distributed very well after Coach Steve Cleveland moved him to the free throw line area in the half-court offensive sets to allow him to be a facilitator.
What to expect:
The Bulldogs have what seems like everything going against them-a road game, a very good opponent, an embarrassing near loss prior at home, and a lack of confidence coming in. The only question is how will they respond to this tough test? How can the Bulldogs leave Vegas with a win? It will take the starters staying out of foul trouble and keeping the Rebels off the line, they must compete on the boards, and they will have to come up with 10+ made threes. Lastly, as always on the road against an opportunistic team, they must value the basketball and keep the turnovers down.
©Copyright 2007, BarkBoard.com and Scout.com. All rights reserved.
-