By Mohamed Bafakih (@MohamedABafa ):
San Jose State will run up against the Runnin’ Rebels once again as the Spartans look to avoid their 10th straight conference loss Wednesday night at UNLV.
The previous meeting at the Event Center earlier this month ended in dramatic fashion with SJSU (3-17, 0-9 MW) leading by one with 25 seconds remaining in regulation. The Rebels (15-6, 4-4 MW) however, forced it to overtime and pulled away with an 82-76 win.
Since this is the first time head coach Jean Prioleau has prepared for a familiar opponent, it will be interesting to see how he adjusts from the Spartans’ first meeting against UNLV.
SJSU turned the ball over 23 times and though he mentioned “there is no drill you can actually do to help turnovers” following the game, expect the Rebels to put pressure on the ball.
The giveaways for Prioleau’s team have gone down since facing UNLV as it’s averaged 16.8 in the past six games.
UNLV’s freshman sensation Brandon McCoy was a matchup nightmare for SJSU on Jan. 3, when he posted 23 points on 7-14 shooting and was 9-11 from the line.
As much attention as he garners, three other Rebels finished in double-figures in the previous meeting while forward Juiston Shakur and guard Jordan Johnson have led the team in scoring in their last five conference matches.
SJSU freshman Noah Baumann hasn’t scored more than 12 points since facing UNLV. His presence along with Ryan Welage, who is coming off a career-high 37 points three nights ago and matched McCoy’s point total of 23 the last time the Spartans and Runnin’ Rebels met, will be needed.
Tip-off at the Thomas and Mack Center is set for 8 p.m.