Game day: UNLV basketball faces must-win at Wyoming

UNLV Rebels guard D.J. Thomas (11) calls to teammates during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Boise State Broncos at Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. Photo by Steve Marcus

Is it too early to call Saturday’s contest at Wyoming (1 p.m., Mountain West Network) a must-win game for UNLV? Probably not, considering the Scarlet and Gray have lost five straight and are dangerously close to falling out of the race for a Mountain West tournament bye.

Three keys to watch:

Who steps up?

After dropping a fifth straight game on Tuesday, head coach Kevin Kruger admitted his team was “rattled” by the extended losing. It stands to reason that in order to snap the drought and get back in the win column the players are going to have to rally and display some mental toughness.

Saturday’s matinee at Wyoming is going to test their resolve. Aside from the unusual start time and the always-difficult-to-play-in Arena-Auditorium, the Scarlet and Gray will face a difficult matchup on the court; Wyoming kick-started UNLV’s losing streak by beating them at the Thomas & Mack Center on Jan. 21.

Kruger reported that the team is sticking together and remains determined to make something of the season, starting with this game at Wyoming.

“This group, it’s a group that moves together,” Kruger said. “They like each other, they work hard for each other. It’s not a group that splinters. It’s definitely a group that builds each other’s confidence.”

Off target

UNLV has been off the mark during its losing streak, making just 24-of-95 from long distance over the last five games (25.2%). Their collective outside touch cratered against Boise State on Tuesday, as the Scarlet and Gray attempted 16 long-distance shots and made only one.

It’s almost impossible to win strictly on 2-pointers in the modern age of basketball, and Kruger knows that. That’s why he’s not telling his players to holster the ball; on the contrary, Kruger wants them to shoot their way out of the slump.

“Just gotta keep shooting,” Kruger said. “We’ve got to get in the gym, we’ve got to shoot more.”

Julian Rishwain in particular is due to see the ball start going through the rim. The senior wing was UNLV’s best shooter through the first half of the season, but over the past five games he has connected on only 25.7% (9-of-35).

Standings watch

The Mountain West standings are not looking very rosy for the Scarlet and Gray. Right now UNLV’s 5-7 league record is good for a seventh-place tie with San Jose State, and a loss on Wyoming could drop them to ninth, behind both SJSU and Wyoming. That would all but slam the door on UNLV’s hopes for a first-round bye in the MWC tournament.

A win, on the other hand, would keep UNLV within two games of fifth place (the final bye) with five games to play. Passing Colorado State or San Diego State would be difficult, but not impossible. Beating Wyoming on Saturday is paramount.

Team leaders

UNLV (11-12, 5-7 MWC)

Scoring

D.J. Thomas: 16.2 points

Rebounds

Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry: 5.2 rebounds

Assists

D.J. Thomas: 4.7 assists

Wyoming (11-12, 4-8 MWC)

Scoring

Obi Agbim: 17.8 points

Rebounds

Jordan Nesbitt: 7.3 rebounds

Assists

Obi Agbim: 3.6 assists

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