UNLV Runnin’ Rebels vs. Kansas State Wildcats Preview and Free Pick

This is a big time statement game for a UNLV team that is trying to make a huge stand for the Mountain West Conference. A surprising loss to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos knocked the Rebs out of the Top 25, and it also marked the team’s fifth straight failed cover, a streak dating back to the very beginning of December. Still, this is a very dangerous team, particularly defensively. UNLV is going to hope to take a page out of Florida’s book, as the Gators really flustered the Wildcats by slowing the tempo down on Saturday. The Rebs are holding teams to just 61.2 points per game this year, though this is clearly a test like none other this season, a long way from home. Offensively, this is a tremendously well balanced team this year, unlike in seasons past. Tre’Von Willis is really waiting to bust out this year, as he is only averaging 10.6 points per game on the campaign, but he is one of three double digit point scorers on the average night, and is one of the five that are averaging at least 9.3 points per game.

We’ve done a lot of talking this year about just how good this KSU team can be, but that loss to the Gators really knocked it back a step, especially considering the fact that the offense only put 44 points on the board. There really isn’t a great win this season, as neither the Virginia Tech Hokies nor the Gonzaga Bulldogs have proven to really be that great out of the blocks, and the need is there to boost this out of conference resume. This is the last chance for that to happen, as there aren’t an quality foes left from here on out that aren’t in the Big XII. Jacob Pullen is going to need to be a star in this one for the Wildcats to shine. He did score 19 points in the loss to the Gators, but he is only averaging 16.5 points per game this year, a drop off of almost three points per game from last year. KSU just doesn’t feel as deep this year as it was before either, though Rodney McGruder is proving to be a great asset in the backcourt at 10.3 points and a team high 6.5 boards per game.

This is going to be an angry Kansas State team that is playing in a de facto home game on Tuesday night on national television. The Rebels might not be all that great of a team either, especially once they leave home, and you can bet that the Wildcats are going to want to take advantage of this opportunity to show off.