What we know about UNLV basketball midway through – Las Vegas Sun News

The end of nonconference play generally marked the halfway point for UNLV basketball in most years, but that isn’t quite the case this season.

With the Mountain West expanding to a 20-game schedule in 2024-25, UNLV’s arduous 11-game trip through the non-conference slate actually only accounts for about a third of the season. But for an overall assessment, the week-long break before Saturday’s MWC opener against Fresno State (7 p.m., Mountain West Network) is a good place to step back and take stock of where the Scarlet and Gray are.

What we know about Kevin Kruger’s squad at the “halfway point” of the season:

Thin resume

If UNLV wants to break its 12-year NCAA Tournament drought, it must do so by winning the Mountain West Tournament.

While it’s a little too early in the season to make such definitive statements, there’s really no other viable path for the Scarlet and Gray, not after going 0-5 in non-conference games against quality opponents. The resume is too thin and the MWC is in a downturn with only two teams currently ranked in KenPom’s top 50. Therefore, it will be very difficult for UNLV to get wins that would impress a selection committee.

That leaves UNLV with 20 games left to hold its own against league competition and enter March as the best version of itself.

Kruger believes his 6-5 team is ready for the tough battle that begins Saturday against Fresno State.

“We’re on the right side of .500 and getting ready for conference,” Kruger said. “When you talk about preparing people outside of the conference for a good Mountain West Conference, I think we’ve definitely achieved that goal.”

Recurring problems

UNLV’s biggest weakness is no secret, and Kruger can see it in the way his opponents attack his team.

“Obviously the word has gotten out that we can’t recover very well,” Kruger said. “We need to focus on this as much as possible.”

If it feels like teams put multiple men on offense against UNLV, it’s because it’s true — and it works. UNLV struggled to secure defensive rebounds, and opponents took advantage of those opportunities to score a ton of demoralizing second-chance points.

Ready for the ugly numbers? UNLV is ranked #288^Th (out of 364 teams) in rebound rate and 310^Th in defensive rebound rate. Opponents hit the attack boards on 32.2% of their missed throws.

Even UC Riverside completely dominated UNLV on the glass, grabbing 23 offensive rebounds to UNLV’s 24 defensive rebounds. The Scarlet and Gray allowed 18 second-chance points in the contest and were only able to survive thanks to Riverside’s rocky outside shooting (7 of 30 3FGs).

As Mountain West play begins and scouting reports become more detailed, opponents will only exacerbate this weakness. Kruger doesn’t offer easy solutions; Junior center Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game, but the rest of the frontcourt rotation players are either young (freshmen Jacob Bannarbie and Pape N’Diaye) or more perimeter-oriented (seniors Jalen Hill and Junior Jaden Henley). ). Senior forward Rob Whaley could help, but he has been out since the second game of the season with a back injury.

After the Riverside game, Cherry said the way to improve the team’s rebounding was to work together as a team, with everyone chipping in regardless of their position.

“I try to tell them, ‘I can’t be the only one trying to get the rebound when their whole team is coming,'” Cherry said. “You understand. I tell them, “I’m going to box out; If I don’t get it, you’ll have to get it.’ It’s really a big part of what we need to do.”

Where’s Whaley?

Speaking of Whaley, will we see him again this season?

He was one of UNLV’s most exciting players last year and finished the 2023-24 season on an upward note, starting at center in the team’s NIT run and displaying a unique all-around game that will make him a key contributor as a senior should. Instead, he suffered a back injury late in preseason and struggled through two games before being shut down.

Although there is still a long way to go in the 2024-25 season, Whaley may have to make a decision if he is not back on the field soon. If he misses the rest of the year, he could likely secure a medical redshirt and repeat his senior season, whether at UNLV or elsewhere after transferring. Jalen Hill did that last year after his ACL injury and was granted another year of eligibility.

However, there could also be another consideration. Whaley played his first two years in junior college before transferring to UNLV, and the NCAA just granted an extra year of eligibility to all seniors who competed at the juco level. So could Whaley get a juco year back, plus a medical redshirt? That would give him two years left and make him a pretty attractive candidate for the portal.

It’s something to keep an eye on if Whaley’s back problems persist.

DJ is working on it

DJ Thomas continued his sensational freshman season, increasing his scoring from 13.6 points per game to 16.5 and his 3-point shooting improved from 36.2% to 41.2%. These are great signs for UNLV’s best player. So what’s the problem?

The problem is efficiency. Thomas’ advanced stats have declined, with his actual shooting percentage dropping to 52.0% from 54.0% last year and his effective field goal percentage increasing to 45.3% from 49.6% as a freshman. And it all boils down to one aspect of his game: finishing around the rim.

At a rail-thin 6-foot-3, Thomas will never be an above-the-rim finisher (despite his breakaway dunk earlier this season). But last year he showed enough skill to put the ball in the basket once he was in the paint, and that hasn’t been the case this season.

Through 11 games, Thomas is getting to the rim at about the same rate as he did last year (according to Hoop-Math.com, 27.3% of his shots came at the rim compared to 28.4% last year). However, last year he completed 52.4% of his shots from close range, while this season he is only completing 16.7%.

Such a decline seems almost impossible that it must be a small example problem. But it’s been a third of the season and Thomas still hasn’t rediscovered his talent for scoring between the trees. So when will it start?

All of Thomas’ other numbers are stable. He shoots the same number of 3-pointers and 2-pointers, and does so at a higher rate – only completing layups has stopped him from truly exploding as a sophomore. If he figures it out, it could help propel UNLV to new levels in conference play.

Defense not deterrent

Besides rebounding, defense has been the biggest obstacle holding UNLV back this season. The Scarlet and Gray rank 303rd in eFG% allowed while opponents are getting to the rim on 39.3% of their shots and shooting 58.7% for a 208^Th in the country. Simply put, UNLV doesn’t stop opponents from driving and doesn’t have anyone to block or alter shots once they get into the air.

Add in the rebounding issues and UNLV is allowing 1,028 points per possession, or 178^Th in the country and 10^Th of 11 Mountain West teams (ahead of only San Jose State).

Kruger has tried to improve rim defense by playing 7-foot freshman Pape N’Diaye more often due to his team-high 12.7% block rate, but he is still a rookie and only available for short stints. Starting center Cherry has a 9.2% block rate; Hill has seven total blocks this season and no one else has more than two.

Unless Scarlet and Gray make their opponents think about attacking the rim, it’s hard to take them seriously as league contenders.

“Things have to change,” Kruger said. “It has to change. If we have any chance of having a great conference season, we’re going to have to be a lot more physical. We need to do a much better job of finishing possessions defensively with rebounds.”

UNLV finished with its best defensive performance in the non-conference, limiting UC Riverside to 28.8% shooting from the field while the Highlanders scored 53 points – a season low for UNLV opponents.

Thomas expects more shutdown performances like this when UNLV plays in the Mountain West.

“At the beginning of the year we were just so spread out defensively and not together,” Thomas said. “I have the feeling that we are much more compact and on the same wavelength.”

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