Sin City Showdown: Can CSU sweep the season series with UNLV?

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State men’s basketball mounted an incredible comeback up in Laramie, Wyoming, over the weekend but there wasn’t much time to reminisce about a victory over the lowly Pokes.

With a short turnaround, the Rams had to immediately turn their attention to the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels and Tuesday night’s matchup at the Thomas and Mack Center. Currently in a tight race to finish in the top half of the league, the Rams would really benefit from stealing another league game on the road against a fellow contender.

With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the late night showdown on CBS Sportsnet.

Scouting the enemy

Since dropping four in a row to some of the Mountain West’s better teams, UNLV has gone 2-1 over its last three games. Most recently, T.J. Oltzelberger’s squad took down New Mexico 78-73 at The Pit.

In the win over the Lobos, UNLV was sparked by Marvin Coleman’s terrific shooting performance. The sophomore guard hit all four of 3-point attempts and totaled 16 points overall. To complete the night, Coleman dished out three assists, picked up three rebounds and had three steals as well.

Throughout league play, though, UNLV’s most consistent scoring threat by far has been sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton.

In 14 games against the Mountain West, Hamilton has averaged 21.4 points per game on 50 percent shooting. At one point, Hamilton even managed to score 118 points over a four-game span — the run included a 28 point showing in the first matchup with CSU. So, if the Rams are going to survive the Runnin’ Rebels and keep their hopes of finishing in the top 3 alive, slowing down Hamilton will have to be a priority.

The former 4-star recruit hasn’t been the most consistent shooter from deep but he does a great job of attacking the hoop and creating opportunities in the mid-range game. Listed at 6-foot-4, 200 lbs., Hamilton will definitely be a handful for anyone in CSU’s backcourt to guard. While the Rams have a very skilled group of guards, aside from John Tonje, there just isn’t a whole lot of size.

Look for the Rams to try and aggressively contest Hamilton’s mid-range looks and force him to drive into the paint, where he’ll have to get through David Roddy and Nico Carvacho.

Finally, as the staff pointed out prior to the first meeting earlier this month, UNLV’s greatest strength as a team if their ability to rebound. Seven Rebels are currently averaging three or more rebounds per game and as of Tuesday, UNLV leads the league in both total rebounds (568) and offensive rebounds (180).

Obviously, having a machine like Nico Carvacho should help the Rams offset UNLV’s efforts on the glass — the senior center recorded 16 points and 11 boards against UNLV on Feb. 1. Even so, it’s going to take a team effort to keep the Runnin’ Rebels from racking up second chance points.

Road warriors

Despite losing 95-77 at Moby Arena on Feb. 1, 2020., UNLV should present present the Rams with yet another difficult road matchup.

As of Tuesday morning, the Runnin’ Rebels are 5-2 in league games on their home floor, with the only losses coming to No. 4 San Diego State (71-67) and Nevada in overtime (82-79). However, with a record of 5-4 away from Moby Arena, the Rams are just one of two teams in the Mountain West to play above .500 on the road. So, basically, something has to give.

After Saturday’s win over Wyoming, senior guard Kris Martin talked about how important it is to be able to play quality basketball in hostile environments.

“It’s our mindset,” Martin said. “It just goes back to our grit, our resiliency and the guys that we have in the locker room. Everybody that puts on a jersey and steps on the floor, has no quit in them.”

According to Martin, that mindset is only going to pay off that much more when the Rams have to take on the league’s best in Las Vegas next month.

“We’ve done it in some of the biggest crowds so there’s no doubt that we can go into the Mountain West Tournament and make some noise,” Martin said.

Upcoming Schedule

at UNLV | Feb. 18 | 8:30 p.m. MT

vs. San Jose State | Feb. 22 | 2:00 p.m. MT

at San Diego State | Feb. 25 | 9:00 p.m. MT

vs. Air Force | Feb. 29 | 2:00 p.m. MT

2020 Mountain West Tournament (Las Vegas) | Mar. 4 – 7