Breaking down tonight’s UNLV Rebels-Utah State game
Breaking down the UNLV basketball game against Utah State at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center:
BACKCOURT
Utah State’s Koby McEwen is well on his way to becoming Mountain West Freshman of the Year. He averages 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, and scored 28 points in the January meeting. Teammate Jalen Moore averages 16.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. Jovan Mooring leads UNLV with 12.4-point average, but inconsistency is a big issue.
Edge: Utah State
FRONTCOURT
The Rebels will start Tyrell Green on Senior Night, and he is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points. Christian Jones averages 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds. Utah State doesn’t get a lot of production from its frontcourt.
Edge: UNLV
BENCH
Shane Rector, who averages 8.8 points, is a quality player off the bench for the Aggies. Cheickna Dembele will come off the bench for UNLV so that Green can start, and he is developing into a more effective defensive player with an improving offensive game.
Edge: UNLV
INTANGIBLES
Maybe this is the game the Rebels break out, but with a nine-game losing streak, they can’t be in a good place mentally. Utah State enters off a six-point victory over San Jose State and a 31-point rout of Air Force. The same Falcons team that beat UNLV by 23 last Wednesday.
Edge: Utah State
BETTING LINE
Utah State -4½; total 142
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.