Three takeaways from UNLV’s loss to Memphis

LAS VEGAS – D. J. Thomas scored a team-high 22 points,  but the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels could not pull away in an 80-74 loss to the Memphis Tigers at Thomas and Mack Center on Saturday.

The Runnin’ Rebels (1-1) led for most of the game, but the Tigers hung in and ultimately pulled away in the final four minutes by holding Thomas to without a point.

“Good competitive game, both teams played really hard,” UNLV coach Kevin Kruger said. “We just weren’t quite able to do a little separation. They went on a run and did a good job, sped us up a little bit, and turned those couple turnovers into points, which ended up being the difference in the game. But again, a great fight, a great game, but we can do things better.”

Here are three takeaways from the game:

UNLV Poor Defensively

The Runnin’ Rebels left the half up four (34-30), but were unable to pull away with a backbreaking run.

Instead, the Tigers carved up UNLV’s defense to the tune of 20-for-28 shooting (71.4 percent) and ultimately got the bounces it needed to pick up the win.

“We did force into making them make some tough shots on some possessions,” Kruger said. “They just got it going. We’ve just got to work on doing a better job of making people miss as we go forward. We’re trying to turn it into a five-person unit defensively that does a good job of taking away looks and understanding that guys are going to make plays here and there. But we’ve got to make them earn each basket. And in the second half, we just gave away too many free runs.”

Runnin’ Too Fast

Kruger said that the Tigers are excellent in scramble situations.

It showed late in the game, when Memphis would create off loose ball situations and other long rebounds.

“They turned it up a little bit and got some deflections. There were a couple times where we had a couple guys going after a loose ball, and they ended up with a dunk,” Kruger said. “That’s just, sometimes that’s just kind of the way the ball bounces and things happen. You want everyone going to get a loose ball every time, but that’s one of those things that we can just continue to focus on is finishing possessions. Doing a good job of securing rebounds, steals, loose balls, whatever it is.

“They’re elite when they’re out in space and out with speed. And that turned the tide of the game today.”

One-Dimensional D.J.

Thomas led UNLV in shot attempts and free-throw line visits.  Normally, seeing Thomas score 22 points would be a welcome sight. But tonight, it meant that his dynamic playmaking was limited to scoring.

Thomas still made plays to his teammates but had zero assists for the night.

“They were just completely trying to take me out of the play, but I just kept giving the ball up and just trust my teammates, trust them to make the right play, which they mostly did tonight,” Thomas said.

If the Runnin’ Rebels will find success, it will need both Thomas’s scoring and playmaking. Thomas is a dynamic player, but when he’s limited to just being a scorer it means others aren’t scoring and are left watching the point guard.

There will be times when Thomas will need to be a scorer, but overall, he’s best used when he’s doing both scoring and dishing out assists.

Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.