Rebel Report Card: UNLV vs. San Diego State

The UNLV men’s basketball team (13-9, 4-5 Mountain West) has become predictable. When the game slows down, the outcome never goes well for the Rebels. San Diego State (16-6, 9-0 MW) killed clock, played stifling defense and left the Thomas & Mack Center with a 67-52 victory on Saturday.  

UNLV’s half court offense struggled again, and the injury to Ben Carter didn’t help the team’s chances against the best team in the Mountain West Conference.

Fans cleared the arena with five minutes to go in a forgetful night for the Rebels.

Backcourt: D

Patrick McCaw continued his inconsistent play. After dropping 25 points Wednesday on Boise State, McCaw only contributed two points in the second half versus the Aztecs. The sophomore guard scored eight of his 10 points in the opening half, but disappeared in the final 20 minutes.

The Aztecs defense didn’t allow McCaw to get the ball on the perimeter.  

“The windows close very quickly when you play San Diego State,” UNLV coach Todd Simon said about trying to give McCaw the ball.

McCaw, usually reliable on defense, didn’t record a steal and had trouble keeping up with Trey Kell and Jeremy Hemsley.

Jerome Seagears had a rough outing from the field, shooting 1-of-10 for three points. Seagears recorded seven assists.

McCaw and Seagears combined for two points in the second half.  

Frontcourt: C-

Stephen Zimmerman Jr.’s stats look nice on paper, but all his points were hard to get.

“They play a grown man game,” said Zimmerman, who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Zimmerman lost the strength battle to Aztec big men Skylar Spencer and Winston Shepard.

The freshman center didn’t provide rim protection, which was sorely needed after Ben Carer went out in the first half with a knee sprain.

Dwayne Morgan had another quiet performance with four points.

Derrick Jones Jr. continues to provide the energy plays, however, it wasn’t enough to get the Rebels going. Jones scored 12 points, with 10 coming in the second half.

Bench: D

No one on the Rebels’ bench stepped up for Carter’s absence.

Ike Nwamu, Jordan Cornish and Jalen Poyser combined for UNLV’s nine bench point.

Poyser is better suited for running the point than Seagears, but the freshman guard showed his youth. Poyser lost track of the shot clock coming off a timeout and forced a long-range jumper at the buzzer. That summed up the Rebels’ night in the half court.

Coaching: D-

Simon is 0-2 when the game slows down. He hasn’t shown signs of in-game adjustments or tried turning games into a track meet to favor the Rebels.

Simon has given Zimmerman more set plays, but the team is often stagnant in those situations. The Rebels need to start cutting more to the basket.

Not every game is going to be a shootout. Gritty performances win in March. That’s why the Aztecs are always in the dance.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter:@gmanzano24