UNLV Basketball: Takeaways from upset win over unbeaten San Diego State

UNLV’s offense was a tale of two halves in the upset

The first takeaway for me is how different the two halves were for the Runnin’ Rebels offensively. The first saw a team that moved the ball quickly in their half-court offense with the side to side movement resulting in open shots and for a team that hadn’t shot the ball all that well, especially from deep, at one point making 7 of 14 threes, when they have only shot 31% from beyond the arc on the year. But, it wasn’t just the threes, it was the motion and the ball movement that was the big thing for UNLV and what led to a 12-point halftime lead.

The second half was a different animal for the road team, as they were more stagnant in the half-court with more one-on-one play and less ball movement which often led to either contested shots at the end of the shot clock or over dribbling resulting in turnovers.

As a result, the double-digit lead evaporated and UNLV had to secure the win at the free-throw line. But, if the team that fans saw in the first half is the one that shows up the rest of the season, it could be an interesting conference tournament for the Rebels on their home floor.