ESPN Men's Basketball

Mike Moser. Khem Birch. Anthony Bennett.

In last week's SportsNation chat, a UNLV fan asked me if that was the best frontcourt in the country. It didn't technically exist yet -- Bennett had yet to announce his intentions to attend UNLV, a move he announced Saturday -- but that didn't stop the Rebels fan from projecting his hopes on the team. And really, can you blame him?

Moser is a future NBA small forward whose length and versatility make him an intuitive defender and rebounder, one whose offensive game is only going to be more polished in his junior season. Birch was ranked No. 1 by ESPNU recruiting at the center position in the class of 2011, before he enrolled and later transferred away from a struggling Pittsburgh team. Bennett, meanwhile, was the top remaining unsigned player in the class of 2012 before Saturday, the No. 7-ranked player overall, whom scouts love for his combination of size (he's 6-foot-8, 230 pounds), athleticism and ability to step away from the rim and score on the perimeter. Bennett still needs to improve his low-post game, but by all accounts he's the kind of talent that can step into the college game and flourish immediately.

UNLV coach Dave Rice's system should make that transition even easier. Last season, his first in charge of the program, Rice sought to put to "Runnin'" back in "Runnin' Rebels," and by and large he succeeded. UNLV averaged 70.0 possessions per game (adjusted, via Ken Pomeroy), making them the 29th-fastest team in the country in 2011-12. Last season, Rice's uptempo style was complemented by a flurry of capable guards and outside shooters -- Anthony Marshall, Oscar Bellfield, Chace Stanback, Justin Hawkins. Bellfield and Stanback are gone, but Marshall and Hawkins return, and the idea of both players leading fast breaks with Moser, Bennett and Birch filling the wings and the paint -- well, yeah, the term "scary good" feels entirely appropriate.

There are some reservations to be had. Among them is Birch. The highly touted center spent exactly one preseason and 10 games at Pitt before deciding he wasn't the right fit. That would be all well and good -- bad fits happen all the time -- had Birch stuck it out longer or, say, not ripped his teammates on the radio after his departure for being selfish and "threatened" by him. Will Birch fit with Moser and Bennett, two other top talents sure to demand their fair share of offensive touches? This is where Rice's system helps again: Birch wants to play uptempo, too.

Either way, when that -- will our super-talented center get along with our super-talented forwards? -- is the biggest question concerning your upcoming season, you're in awfully good shape. Arizona and UCLA have their sights set on the always-nebulous "best team in the West" title. There may be better frontcourts in the country. (Kentucky's immediately comes to mind.) But UNLV is right there in both cases, stocked with pro-level talent at the three, four and five positions. Are there five teams in the country who can say as much?

As good as the afternoon was, with exciting upsets and huge road wins over top-five teams, the evening may have matched it in the vital FOPM statistical category. (FOPM stands for freak outs per minute. It's a tempo-adjusted metric, naturally.) Let's lead with what may be the result of the day -- Syracuse's very first loss of the season, at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame 67, No. 1 Syracuse 58

What we learned: Nobody's perfect. OK, yeah, Murray State is still perfect, but you get the drift: Everyone loses eventually. Sooner or later, the Orange were going to have a particularly bad shooting night. Sooner or later, they were going to struggle on the road. Sooner or later, they were going to do these things against a coach and a team that had designed the perfect gameplan to take advantage of this opportunity. As it happens, that coach was Mike Brey. That team was Notre Dame.

Of course, the Fighting Irish don't have a tenth of the talent available to Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. What do the Irish have? The Burn. That's what Brey calls his team's intentionally slow, clock-killing offense, and while it isn't always the preferred strategy in South Bend, it is something the Irish keep in their back pocket when they find themselves facing a bigger, stronger, faster, more skilled, pretty-much-all-around-better opponent.

Indeed, as ESPN's Doris Burke noted late in the game, the Irish played a sort of semi-burn Saturday night. They lulled the Cuse into seven fewer possessions (61) than its average adjusted tempo (68) on the season (including a handful of late heaves when the game was out of reach), but ND was also opportunistic: When it broke SU's press, it didn't always pull out and set up the halfcourt offense. It was a clinic in opportunistic decision-making. (At one point, it ended in a contested fast-break dunk by Jack Cooley. Jack Cooley? Jack Cooley!)

Syracuse, being Syracuse, still managed to force a mess of turnovers. At several points in the second half, as Notre Dame forward Scott Martin struggled time after time to inbound the ball on his own baseline, it appeared the Irish were just a few possessions away from a late collapse. But the Orange's poor shooting (they posted a 40.0 effective field goal percentage) and ND's solid free throw shooting sealed this game in the closing moments.

Burke called it a "masterful" gameplan from Brey and, as usual, she was dead on: Notre Dame knew exactly what it needed to do to take a walk through any door Syracuse left ajar. When the time came, it executed.

Going forward, this loss may knock Syracuse out of the top spot in the rankings, but it shouldn't change the perception of this team much. First of all, the absence of leading rebounder and shot-blocker Fab Melo (due to an unresolved academic issue from the fall semester) was a blow to this team's inherent interior advantage. Second, Syracuse didn't shoot the ball well. Frankly, it didn't play well. Overreact if you like, but it's the opinion of this writer that, well, hey, these games happen.

For Syracuse, it was bound to go this way eventually. When it did, the Irish were ready.

No. 15 Mississippi State 78, Vanderbilt 77 (OT)

What we learned: The Commodores will struggle with capable frontcourts. They struggle late in close games. They struggle on the defensive end. They are, in other words, the same Vanderbilt Commodores we've come to know and love in each of the past three seasons. Their recent improvements created the notion that this team had turned some vague corner, that it was finally ready to assume the top-10, Final Four-worthy preseason expectations foisted upon them.

Instead, on Saturday, we saw the team that led us to doubt that status in the first place. Vandy yielded a 12-point second-half lead, allowed Mississippi State to score 1.14 points per possession and got vastly outrebounded on both ends of the floor. In the end, even with very good chances to win the game -- particularly the final shot in regulation, which ended up being an uncontested four-foot shot for Festus Ezeli (which he missed) -- Vanderbilt just couldn't make the key defensive plays.

In the meantime, Mississippi State deserves credit for a major road win. Forward Arnett Moultrie was brilliant (21 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, one block) and guard Dee Bost was just as good (24 points, five rebounds, four assists and a handful of key second-half shots). Even Renardo Sidney, who struggled for much of the game and suffered an injury in overtime, got in on the act, hitting a monster 3 with 1:22 remaining in the second half.

Three days ago, the Bulldogs went to rival Ole Miss and lost and looked vulnerable -- even downright overrated -- throughout. Their ability to rebound from that loss with a win on the road against a streaking Vanderbilt team, one that had won its past eight games -- including on the road at Alabama -- is to be commended. Surprising stuff, to say the least.

No. 12 UNLV 80, New Mexico 63

What we learned: UNLV is still the Mountain West favorite. Yes, yes, San Diego State certainly has a claim to that distinction, too, especially since its first two conference results -- a two-point home win over the Rebels and an incredibly impressive road win at New Mexico -- were among the most impressive back-to-back performances we've seen from any team in any league this season. New Mexico is no slouch, either. Before Wednesday's loss to SDSU, the Lobos had won 13 in a row. There are three very good teams in the MWC, folks. That much we know.

Then again, I'd say we knew that already. The main takeaway from Saturday night's best late-night matchup -- and this is a good old-fashioned eye-test thing to say, but I'm doing it anyway -- is that UNLV just looks like the best team in this league. The Rebels have few, if any, holes in their attack. They have talented players at every position. Their guards push the pace; their forwards run to the rim; their wings hit 3s with ease. Anthony Marshall, Chace Stanback, Mike Moser, Oscar Bellfield and even reserves like Carlos Lopez and Justin Hawkins -- these players are perfectly suited to Dave Rice's new emphasis on uptempo basketball, and when you watch them play, it shows.

The Mountain West race is going to be fascinating, and we'll hear more from the Lobos -- and, of course, the league-leading Aztecs -- before the season is out. Sure, I'd take UNLV as the favorite. But whatever happens, if two of these three teams are playing, it promises to be very entertaining.

A few more observations from the Saturday evening that was:

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AP Photo/Keith SrakocicPitt lost its ninth game Saturday, matching the highest season loss total of Jamie Dixon's tenure.
• Bad times got worse for Pittsburgh on Saturday night, as the Panthers fell to No. 21 Louisville at home, 73-62. In case you're counting, that's Pitt's eighth straight loss and seventh in a row in Big East play ... for the first time in Pitt hoops history. Ouch. Even worse? According to ESPN Stats and Information, this is the first time Pitt has lost four straight home games since 1999-2000. The loss is also Pitt's ninth this season. Jamie Dixon-coached Pittsburgh teams have never recorded more than nine losses in a regular season. There are myriad issues afflicting the Panthers right now, chief among them defense, but it's hard to see any major improvements coming any time soon. If this wasn't a lost season already, it is now.
• Neither VCU nor Old Dominion are likely to end up with a chance at an at-large bid come March, but their meeting tonight was still full of implications for the CAA title race. Before Saturday, ODU was 6-1 in conference and VCU 5-2, both right there hanging around with George Mason and Drexel in the Colonial standings. In other words, Virginia Commonwealth got a rather massive 61-48 win, handling the lackluster Monarchs rather easily at home. Shaka Smart's team is still rebuilding after last year's miracle NCAA tournament run, but they're not nearly as far down as most would have expected. Keep your eye on the Rams.
• The C-USA race is going to be interesting. Marshall appeared to have the best odds to challenge Memphis' purported superiority, with Southern Miss a notch or two below -- a dark horse at best. After Saturday -- when Southern Miss topped Marshall and tied the Thundering Herd at 4-1 in league play -- it seems clear things aren't quite that simple. There are no remaining unbeaten teams in the league, with UCF at 5-1 and Memphis, Marshall and USM all now residing in second place at 4-1.
• I don't know if we'll call the Pac-12 race "interesting." "Mystifying" feels more appropriate. Either way, consider what went down in the conference Saturday: Cal fell at Washington State (not an unforgiveable loss, given how well Wazzu has played at home, but still) just as the Bears appeared set, thanks to a blowout Stanford loss at Washington, to create some separation between themselves and the rest of the league. Meanwhile UCLA -- which keeps struggling, week after week, to sort things out -- fell on the road at Oregon, which is now 6-2 and tied atop the league standings. Elsewhere, lowly Utah not only didn't lose, but actually blew out Arizona State in Salt Lake City; and Colorado held on for a one-point home win over Arizona. Those Pac-12 power rankings are going to be a bear to write. I can't wait.
• Two results from the West that shouldn't be dismissed. Long Beach State, a team that played perhaps the most grueling nonconference schedule in the country, continues to see the dividends from that gauntlet. On the road Saturday night, LBSU went into the Thunderdome and absolutely obliterated chief rival UC Santa Barbara, 71-48, the talented squad that's beaten the 49ers in the Big West final in each of the past two seasons. And in Laramie, Wyoming beat rival Colorado State -- which had won eight straight -- 70-51 to improve to 16-3. Yes, 16-3. What a job by first-year coach Larry Shyatt. And what a performance by USC transfer Leonard Washington, who set career highs in points (32) and rebounds (14).
• As for the momentum Nebraska created with that dramatic victory over Indiana on Wednesday? Ohio State did not seem to care. Buckeyes 79, Huskers 45. So much for that.

SAN DIEGO — Lying just beyond the baseline, where the court at Viejas Arena turns to concrete, San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin was reeling. He had suffered a “big tweak” in his ankle following a rough out-of-bounds collision.

There would have been no shame if he had hung it up for the day. There was 1 minute, 1 second left in the game and the No. 22 Aztecs had a 67-66 lead over No. 12 UNLV.

Franklin had already given his team 22 points and 10 rebounds -- more than admirable in a game that at times looked more like an MMA scrap than a college basketball game.

“We’re a family,” Franklin said. “If my ankle is broken, and they want me out there, I’m out there.”

And it’s a good thing he was. Because with less than a second left in the game, Franklin -- limping and all -- hit an awkward, leaning 5-foot jumper that sent the crowd of 12,414 into a frenzy and propelled the Aztecs to a 69-67 victory.

Just a minute earlier, those same fans were willing him back to his feet. They erupted when he checked back into the game with 30 seconds left.

“Oh yeah,” Franklin said. “I heard them.”

Leading up to Franklin’s heroics, it was the knock-down, drag-out game that had become typical over the past few years when UNLV and San Diego State get together.

“This was a wonderful college game,” SDSU head coach Steve Fisher said. “Obviously, we are the team smiling today. We have had so many games just like this with UNLV. We have been on the good side as of late. UNLV is a really exceptional team.”

UNLV, which has now dropped six straight to the Aztecs, did everything a team is supposed to do to win on the road: win the rebounding battle, get more points from your bench, commit fewer turnovers. The only thing the Rebels couldn’t do was shoot the ball. Anthony Marshall kept UNLV in the game with 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting. But no other Rebel managed double-digit scoring.

UNLV came into the game with the best scoring average in the conference at 81.3 points per game on 48 percent shooting from the field. The Aztecs didn’t allow UNLV anywhere near that. The Rebs managed just 35 percent from the field, including a measly 28.6 percent in the first half.

The Aztecs shot 43.6 percent on the day, including a solid 48 in the second half. James Rahon provided a big boost with 22 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. But it was the SDSU defense that made the difference.

“We just focused on our defensive schemes,” said San Diego State’s Chase Tapley, who added 11 points and six rebounds. “They are a good pick-and-roll team ... we had to really trust our defense and follow the schemes. We did that Grade-A today.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Aztecs, who travel to face preseason favorite New Mexico at “The Pit” on Wednesday.

“It’s one of the top wins of my career,” said Tapley, who came into the game leading the conference in scoring. “Two great teams were going at it. They were competitive … we just got the upper hand today. It felt good, it still feels good. We have to take this win and enjoy today, but we’ll be back in the lab on Monday to get focused on New Mexico.”

UNLV, which has lost nine of 10 to the Aztecs, is moving on and looking forward to the Feb. 11 rematch in Vegas.

“The way we look at it, we’re 0-1 in the league and they’ve beaten us one time,” UNLV first-year coach Dave Rice said. “It’s different players, it’s just a situation where they have a good basketball team and they held serve on their home floor. And that’s to their credit.”

TULSA, Okla. -- A brief breakdown of the two night games here Friday

No. 1 seed Kansas (32-2) vs. No. 15 seed Boston (21-13), 6:50 p.m. ET (TBS)

What to watch: Are the Jayhawks ready to take care of business? The No. 1 seed in the Southwest was handed a huge potential gift Thursday when the 4 and 5 seeds in the region, Louisville and Vanderbilt, both lost. That means Kansas will face either a No. 12 (Richmond) or a No. 13 (Morehead State) in the Sweet Sixteen … IF it gets there. Last year, as the overall No. 1 seed in the tourney, the Jayhawks were shocked by Northern Iowa in the second round, and there have been other early NCAA pratfalls in Bill Self’s time in Lawrence. Odds of a loss Friday to Boston U. are astronomical, so the question is whether or not Kansas passes the “look test” as a title contender against the Terriers.

Who to watch: The Morris twins are where it starts for the Jayhawks. Marcus and Markieff combine for 31 points and 15 rebounds and will be a major challenge for a Boston front line that is not overly long. The Terriers counter with America East Player of the Year John Holland, a 6-5 combo player who averages 19.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. Holland already has set the school record for points in a season and is No. 2 in school history in scoring.

Why to watch: If history is made and Boston becomes the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1, you’ll hate yourself if you miss it.

What they’re saying: Kansas guard Mario Little, on Self putting copies of the Sports Illustrated cover of Northern Iowa hero Ali Farokhmanesh in every locker: “Kind of got flashbacks. Couple of guys took the clippings and threw it in the garbage. I don’t think anybody laughed, but it brought back memories.” … Boston coach Pat Chambers, a former assistant at Villanova, where he saw the Morris twins play a lot growing up in Philadelphia: “I just saw them in the hallway and they gave me big hugs, so it was good to see them. They got bigger.” … Self, on his all-over-the-board tourney history: “If anybody has lived out all ends of the spectrum, we probably have, because we lost in the first round a couple times and we’ve cut down the nets. I don’t know if there are too many people that can say they’ve done all those things. So our guys understand that one or two possessions is the difference in advancing or going home.”

Of note: If you’re into omens, note that Kansas’ two recent first-round flameouts came against schools with the initials B.U. -- Bucknell and Bradley. Now comes Boston U. … If the Terriers are somehow in contention late, they should have confidence going to the foul line. They’ve made 73 percent of their free throws in the final five minutes plus overtime this year, and 81 percent in the final one plus plus overtime. … Boston’s only two NCAA tourney victories came in 1959.

No. 8 seed UNLV (19-13) vs. No. 9 seed Illinois (24-8), 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS)

What to watch: Who rules at the 3-point arc, the Vegas offense or the Illini defense? UNLV predicates its offense on driving and kicking the ball to open shooters. The Rebels have four players capable of shooting the 3 – but the rangy Illinois defenders have done a solid job this year covering the perimeter. Illini opponents have made just 30.5 percent of their 3-point shots. But it may be more complicated than the stats indicate; Illinois is susceptible to quickness, so it must concern itself with UNLV’s drivers and then try to recover to the shooters.

Who to watch: A pair of veteran guards who have had roller-coaster seasons. UNLV is led by Tre'von Willis, whose scoring and shooting percentages have dipped from last year. but who remains the most important Rebel. Illinois is led by Demetri McCamey, who went from first-team all-Big Ten as a junior to third team as a senior but nevertheless dictates the offense as the team’s leading scorer (14.8 ppg) and distributor (6.1 apg).

Why to watch: To see which disappointing team can help salvage its season with a first-round NCAA win. With seven experienced players back at UNLV and after a 9-0 start, more was expected of the Rebels than a distant third-place finish in the Mountain West Conference. The same can be said for Illinois, which starts four seniors and was ranked as high as No. 12 nationally in December. One fan base will feel a bit better Friday night, while the other will be left to ruminate on a season that got away.

What they’re saying: Illinois coach Bruce Weber: “We’re good enough. We’ve just got to find that new life and hope some balls bounce our way a little bit. Maybe March will be good to us.” … Vegas’ Anthony Marshall, on trying to bring the program back to prominence: “I think right now is a big platform for us to make a national statement.” … Illinois senior Mike Davis, on a sense of urgency: “It’s do or die. It’s our last game if we lose.”

Of note: UNLV is 2-7 against teams in the tournament, while Illinois is 8-10. … Illinois has lost its past four games away from home, while UNLV has won its past four. … They might as well name this place Reunion Arena for Illinois. Vegas coach Lon Kruger is a former coach of the Illini, and so is Bill Self. His Kansas Jayhawks could be next up for Illinois if both teams win Friday.

Why don't more schools wear all-black uniforms? Has there even been an all-black uniform scheme -- no matter the sport, and no matter the level -- that didn't look thoroughly awesome? I contend that there is not. Which is why it's good to see UNLV breaking with recent tradition, ignoring superstitious overtones and doing the aesthetically pleasing thing: bringing back the all-blacks.

On Wednesday night, UNLV debuted its new all-black uniforms in an 82-51 blowout against Illinois State. To be historically precise, the uniforms aren't exactly new. UNLV used to rock the all-black look with some frequency. Then, in 1999, according to Las Vegas Sun reporter Ryan Greene, the Runnin' Rebels wore the uniforms in a non-conference game against North Carolina only to lose the game and see top junior college recruit Kenny Dye suffer a shoulder injury that eventually cost him his college career.

Since then, the school has entertained a supposed black-uniform "curse." Only recently, as players constantly clamored for the jersey scheme, did the Rebels decide that maybe curses aren't real and that maybe uniforms don't cause teams to lose and players to get injured. And just like that, they're back:

“We all liked it. Everybody liked it,” junior forward Chace Stanback said. “We’ve been asking for it for a long time, and we kind of joked around about it before coming over here, and they surprised us with them. Coach said something about (the curse) before the game. But ultimately, we just had to come out and play hard.”

The all-black duds, which were accented by tall black socks and black Nikes, gave UNLV a bit of motivation for a game that many might have looked at as one that was tough to get up for. Instead, from the sound of it, the players were like little kids on Christmas morning when they first saw the new uniforms before departing for Illinois.

“It’s something different. You don’t really see too many schools with all black uniforms,” sophomore guard Anthony Marshall proudly said. “If we would have lost tonight, we probably wouldn’t have worn them again, so we’re happy to get the win with them so we can continue to wear them.”

High-five, UNLV. The all-black look is far too underused in sports, and any opportunity to use it must be taken. Curses be damned.

In the meantime, San Diego State is sitting over here wondering what all the fuss is about.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Murray State guard Isacc Miles only needed a couple sentences during a postgame news conference to sum up why UNLV will be difficult to beat when the Rebels face Virginia Tech for the 76 Classic championship on Sunday (9 ET, ESPN2).

"They made all the shots they needed to make, and they didn't hurt themselves," Miles said after the Runnin' Rebels beat his team by 14 in the semis. "When they do that and shoot 60 percent, it's pretty hard to win."

Not only is 5-0 UNLV getting scoring production from junior forward Chace Stanback (17.2 ppg), but its swarming defense is also looking good behind the efforts of Stanback and guards Derrick Jasper and Anthony Marshall.

The Rebels, who have already beaten a ranked Wisconsin team, are doing all this without big numbers from returning leading scorer Tre'Von Willis. Willis continues to come off the bench while playing his way back into game shape following a four-game suspension.

"We know Tre is going to return in full form in time," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said.

Kruger is also well-aware that Virginia Tech presents challenges after the Hokies successfully got other teams to play their style, which is, as coach Seth Greenberg lovingly calls it, "ugly."

Virginia Tech squeezed out a win against Oklahoma State in the semis despite shooting 34.7 percent from the field, so Malcolm Delaney and Co. are accustomed to grinding out wins when the shots don't fall.

It helps the Hokies' backcourt if they get guard Erick Green back for the game after he exited the first-round game against Cal State Northridge with a calf injury.

But Delaney is more than capable of generating offense by himself, and with forward Jeff Allen also having a fine tournament, it'll be an intriguing matchup against a stingy defense.

A championship game win would mean an early boost for UNLV before the Mountain West Conference season. For Virginia Tech, anything that helps get it over the hump and into the NCAA tournament is seen as crucial.

Beating a red-hot Rebels team would qualify.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Despite the way Chace Stanback has burst into the headlines as UNLV’s go-to player, it certainly didn’t happen overnight.

Last season, in his first year of action with the Rebels, the 6-foot-8 forward started and contributed to an NCAA tournament team, but felt himself being too passive around his new team and resolved to get aggressive.

Three years ago, he was struggling to simply crack the rotation of a Final Four team at UCLA and played sparingly before finding new life in the desert.

“It wasn’t a good fit,” Stanback said of his time with the Bruins. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Stanback doesn’t have to say much, as his game-high 19-point performance in a 69-55 semifinal win over Murray State at the 76 Classic served as a statement via bullhorn to those who haven’t noticed his rise.

Stanback was 7-of-8 from the floor on Friday night, drained three 3-pointers and used his length to help disturb a fast-paced Murray State offense.

“Chace is obviously making shots, but defensively, he’s playing with much more awareness and readiness from a year ago,” said UNLV coach Lon Kruger, whose team advances to play in Sunday night's final against Virginia Tech (ESPN2, 9 ET).

In a game that pitted the Runnin’ Rebels against the Racers, it was no surprise the game turned into a track meet. Murray State had no answer for Stanback and struggled to solve a swarming UNLV defense that forced 16 turnovers and caused the Racers to shoot 34.8 percent from the field.

The Rebels, 5-0 and already riding high after their recent win against a ranked Wisconsin team, were happy to out-execute their opponents at their own game.

“We try to do what we do -- make them adjust to us,” Kruger said. “Keep them from being comfortable in the halfcourt. We were disruptive and caused some havoc.”

The Rebels do it with five transfers on their active roster, including Stanback, Kansas transfer Quintrell Thomas (12 points, six rebounds) and Kentucky transfer Derrick Jasper (10 points, four rebounds). Last year’s leading scorer, Tre’Von Willis, came to Vegas from Memphis and is expected to continue working his way back into game shape after missing the first four games of the season due to suspension.

Willis contributed two field goals in 15 minutes off the bench, while Stanback continues to play the starring role.

Of course, Las Vegas has produced its share of talent as well. Rebels guard Anthony Marshall is a native and made his own emphatic statements with his two blocks. He came out of nowhere to swat Isaiah Canaan’s attempt at a driving layup in the second half.

Asked if he thought he could catch Murray State’s speedy point guard, Marshall said, “I just tried to sprint.”

It’s a fast start for UNLV, after all.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- UNLV guard Tre'Von Willis is only 50 points shy of 1,000 for his career, so it's conceivable he could receive enough playing time to reach the mark by the end of the tournament. His minutes have increased after coming off a four-game-suspension, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to the starting lineup at some point.

• Murray State guard Donte Poole went to Mojave High School in North Las Vegas with UNLV guard Anthony Marshall, and the matchup holds meaning for the two, according to the Las Vegas Sun. "He was kind of my big brother my freshman year up until he left," Marshall told the paper. "We've played a lot against each other in the summer in pick-up games, but never in a real game."

• Stanford guard Jeremy Green was held scoreless until the final minute in yesterday's game against Murray State, and there might have been some reason for his struggles. According to ESPN broadcasters, Green was ill. The Cardinal did get a good game out of freshman Dwight Powell, and he'll be one to watch this evening against Tulsa.

LAS VEGAS -- The four NCAA tournament hopefuls in the Mountain West Conference all took care of business Thursday.

New Mexico, BYU and San Diego State scratched out wins against the lower seeds, and in the nightcap, UNLV made itself look good by strutting to a 12-point win against defending tournament champion Utah.

Tre'Von Willis and Anthony Marshall scored 13 points each to lead the Rebels, who picked up their 24th win. Marshall also had 12 rebounds and five assists.

UNLV moves on to face BYU tomorrow in one semifinal with New Mexico and San Diego State playing in the other.

"When you come here, you learn this is a rivalry game," Willis said of BYU. "It's definitely going to be a fight tomorrow."

Tournament organizers couldn't have drawn this up any better, all four teams have opportunities to shine tomorrow, with the selection committee somewhere out there paying attention.

LAS VEGAS - Some halftime thoughts as UNLV plays on its home court at the Thomas & Mack Center...

• UNLV has let Utah crawl back into this one after being up by double-digits. Despite shooting 30 percent from the field, the Utes have made more than half their 3-pointers and all but one of their free throws.

• Utah is happy to have defensive player of the year David Foster back in the lineup and Kim Tillie also playing after both missed games due to sprained ankles. Foster, the 7-foot-3 center, already has two blocks to go along with six points and three rebounds.

• UNLV had nine players in the scoring column, with Darris Santee leading them with six points. Anthony Marshall has five points and three assists. Leading scorer Tre'Von Willis was held to five points and had three turnovers.