Tuesday, December 14, 2010

UCSB vs UNLV Preview

One of the biggest games for the Gauchos this season will be tomorrow vs. #22 UNLV in Las Vegas. The Rebels are 9-1 and are coming off a loss to the Gauchos while UCSB is 4-3 and had a week off this past week.

Matchup to Watch
Chase Stanback vs. UCSB Frontcourt
The long, athletic Stanback has been great for the Rebels this year. He is averaging 13 points and 4 rebounds a game. It will be interesting to see if the Gauchos can get a body on this kid and stop him from having a big game.

Important Stat
Free Throw Shooting: UNLV is shooting a sub-par, Gauchos of last year percentage of 68.5 %. The Gauchos on the other hand are shooting a phenomenal 79.4 %.

Player on the Rise
Kyle Boswell: Even though he is only averaging 3 points a game, the freshman has made a great impact. He has started the last two games and vs. LMU, he scored a nice 7 points. The freshman should see a large amount minutes vs. the Runnin' Rebels and could even start again.

UNLV Info
The Runnin' Rebels are lead by Chase Stanback (13p, 4r), Oscar Bellfield (13 p, 3r), and Tre'von Willis (11p, 3r). Their coach is Lon Kruger and leads them at a 9-1 record and a #22 ranking overall in the country.

The Rivalry
The schools have met 35 times with the Rebels winning 27 of those. The Gauchos however had their fair share of memorable moment such as in 1991 when the Gauchos defeated the #2 ranked UNLV at home 78-70. Then in 2006-2007, they defeated them on the road. Finally, in 2007-2008, "Big Game" James Powell nailed a three-pointer as the clock expired to give the Gauchos a huge upset win over the visitors from The Sin City.

Prediction
As Dick Vitale would say "upset city is coming baby!" I think the James Nunnally and Orlando Johnson are on a roll and cannot be stopped. The wing play will be key with both teams have talented wing players. In the end, the Gauchos get a HUGE win over the Runnin' Rebels and extend their winning streak to 3 overall and to 4 against the Gauchos. 'IT WILL BE AWESOME BABY!" Score: Gauchos:76 UNLV:72

GO GAUCHOS!

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