UNLV Game Thread

[3ontheway]

I love Kalk, and he is a phenomenal College player, but please don't say he has good hands. I've never seen a big guy lose the ball, get it stripped, or lose out on caroms that should easily be his more than Kalk. He has multiple strengths and is elite in a couple areas, but not having good hands.

[Chicagojayfan]

I love Kalk, and he is a phenomenal College player, but please don't say he has good hands. I've never seen a big guy lose the ball, get it stripped, or lose out on caroms that should easily be his more than Kalk. He has multiple strengths and is elite in a couple areas, but not having good hands.

He finishes at an historically high rate in the paint, usually when catching the ball on the move and being able to get it in the basket.

Yes, he gets stripped sometimes, but it's hard to argue he doesn't have great hands for someone of his size

[3ontheway]

We can agree to disagree. I'm not saying he has bad hands, I just wouldn't say it is one of his strengths or attributes. Dunking the ball 3 or 4 times a game doesn't require great hands. He is probably best in country at contesting/blocking without fouling, which is maybe the best attribute to have as a 7 footer.

[Outlaw_Wales]

I love Kalk, and he is a phenomenal College player, but please don't say he has good hands. I've never seen a big guy lose the ball, get it stripped, or lose out on caroms that should easily be his more than Kalk. He has multiple strengths and is elite in a couple areas, but not having good hands.

He finishes at an historically high rate in the paint, usually when catching the ball on the move and being able to get it in the basket.

Yes, he gets stripped sometimes, but it's hard to argue he doesn't have great hands for someone of his size

It’s a shame he can’t use those great hands at all when rebounding. For 7’1” that guy is not unable to secure a rebound than anyone with “great hands” I’ve ever seen. Routinely gets it taken or knocked away by just about anyone in the area. He’s pretty good at catching passes directly to him, but just so rarely goes up strong and assertive. And that leads to more dislodged balls.

[HaRdWoOd]

Other than Fran, I dont think the bench had much of a chance last night and if the starting PG wasnt so ineffective, Fran might not have got a chance either. Trey played the whole game, Baylor played the whole game. Kalk played 35 minutes. Its not like those guys were playing great and they had to be on the floor. Quite the contrary actually. Seemed like we were hemorrhaging points all over but we stayed with the guys that were responsible for it. Trust me, the guys on the bench can miss shots and lack energy just as good as the starters.
King played 4 minutes. What are you going to do in 4 minutes? Traudt 9 minutes and he has been playing well, along with Mason. 0 minutes for the freshman PG and that is a position that is a glaring weakness right now. At this point Dotzler should have redshirted because all the big east games will be tight and Mac just doesnt use the bench in tight games. We had a rotation going that has been working and not sure why we went away from it. If you play a bench guy, maybe he provides a spark, maybe he doesnt. Maybe he gives a breather to a starter and the starter has fresher legs for a late come back.

+1 except for calling Bello “Fran”
Dotzler needs a chance. Don’t waste him. King either.

What has Dotzler done to deserve a chance? 2 assist and 5 turnovers in 50 minutes isn't screaming difference maker at the PG spot. Nothing against him and I hope he turns out to be a key contributor but he hasn't shown anything to deem him a game changer yet.

Point well taken. We can also make the same point about the guys that ARE playing?
We've seen Bello for two years and there is nothing that screams difference maker. I not sure he is even an energy guy off the bench. He's just out there eating minutes, giving the starters a break. He is playing much better this year over last year.
We've only seen Ash for 10 games. I'm pretty confident, he would be in a better place if his role was different. Problem is, all of the wings are interchangeable, and all can initiate offense. If he's out there, he has to handle the ball. His size, ball handling, screening, cutting, quickness, defensive capabilities are all liabilities. If we aren't going to run stuff to more often take advantage of the things, he does do well....spot up and shoot, then it's a problem to have him out there. If I am not mistaken, he started last year coming off the bench for Utah St. Somehow, he turned into a starter mid-way through the year and was able to parlay that into a starter role for a top ten team this year. Something isnt right here. He would be a great fit at a place like Indiana St, but I have my doubts about the Big East.
Maybe its just going to take more time and if that is the case....we are going to use up half the year getting Ashworth up to speed and ready, couldn't we have done the same thing with the freshman? I'm not ready to bail on Ash. There is a role for him on this team but his aggressiveness needs to be much higher.
You wont hear me call for more playing time for a guy like Lawson. Hasn't really shown anything that we don't already have. Dotzler on the other hand looks like he brings things that no one else does. So he intrigues me. We didn't redshirt him. We were told he would have a role. Its just that Mac refuses to go to the bench in any game that is semi competitive and now the cream puffs are done for the year.

[WBR Tom]

Here's a grisly Morning After. But then again, there was a lot not to like about that one.

https://whiteandbluereview.com/morning- ... 4-at-unlv/

[SeattleJay]

Here is an interesting story highlighting the player for UNLV who suddenly became eligible hours before our game:

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/sto ... n-reversed

[Jaybird]

Here is an interesting story highlighting the player for UNLV who suddenly became eligible hours before our game:

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/sto ... n-reversed

If Ohio and West Virginia had waited one more day to file that suit, or if the judge had waited one more day to schedule the TRO hearing, Boone couldn't have played last night.

The real irony is that even after getting the TRO, the schools directly involved in the case, through their states' AGs, have apparently decided not to play their affected kids because they'll be risking a full year of lost eligibility. (There are 32 D1 hoops players nationwide under the scope of this order; no Big East or Bama players are impacted). West Virginia, for example, has two guys they're still planning to hold out. The NCAA will fight this, because they see it as tantamount to declaring free agency throughout college sports. Nevada wasn't a party to the case, so this just fell into UNLV's lap, but they rolled the dice last night (sounds like a very Las Vegas thing to do), and played Boone.

I don't think anyone would say he was THE difference, but he made some difference, and Creighton had no way to prep for him. We're just a lucky bunch, I guess.

[SeattleJay]

It’s interesting that the NCAA is fighting the ruling and if they win, players who played will lose a year of eligibility.

I think it’s interesting that the player will be penalized but it doesn’t appear that the school will suffer any penalty.

[chairclanger]

Everyone is making a big deal about not being able to game-plan for a player we weren't expecting to face. I think this gets to our DNA as a team based on shooting and finesse vs. strength and explosiveness. The only way we can guard teams effectively is to "game-plan" to make up for our inability to just guard people. We have beautiful games like Nebraska and Central Michigan where we look unbeatable. Then we have rock fights where our guys look terrible. Last year, we won rock fights because R2 and Kaluma were athletes. They could guard their position without help. R2 was small, but quick and explosive and had a number of dunks in his 2 years. I'm not sure Ashworth could dunk with a trampoline. It's still more fun being a fan of "Let it Fly" than watching Virginia or Wisconsin, but it's inevitable games like last night are going to happen.